Dish 811 HDTV receiver

[RTG]

Last year I bought a HDTV and since I was already on the Disk network I decided to buy a HDTV reciever. The local disk guy sold me this 811 and then due some financial restraints I have waited until now to add the HDTV programing. Well to make a long story short I finally called Dish Network this weekend and now I'm told my almost new HDTV recieve is out of date and I can not use it for HDTV programing. Seems lie a load of bulls--t to me but I guess they have us by the short hairs! Any solution to this problem or am I just stuck? At least I do get the free HD thruough the local channels but I sure wanted it for football season.

 

[nuts4scuba]

First, welcome to Satellite Guys!! :

When Dish came out with their new MPEG4 receivers they will no longer
activate the HD channels to the older models. You will have to get either the 211
or 622 to get the HD pak. Once you add one of the new receivers you probably
will get the old HD channels on the 811. I know, it bites.

 

[pro96]

Last year I bought a HDTV and since I was already on the Disk network I decided to buy a HDTV reciever. The local disk guy sold me this 811 and then due some financial restraints I have waited until now to add the HDTV programing. Well to make a long story short I finally called Dish Network this weekend and now I'm told my almost new HDTV recieve is out of date and I can not use it for HDTV programing. Seems lie a load of bulls--t to me but I guess they have us by the short hairs! Any solution to this problem or am I just stuck? At least I do get the free HD thruough the local channels but I sure wanted it for football season.

Actually they are correct, But they can activate it for SD channels. Now if you get one of the new Dish Network MPEG4 HD receivers, you can add your 811 as a slave receiver and you will be able to see HD channels from your sub using the 811.

 

[bhelms]

You may not be too bad off. It sounds like you're currently receiving SD only programming from E* and using the 811's OTA tuner for HD locals. That's not a bad compromise and is probably your best bet for HD football programming for now and at minimal cost. As long as you're getting your local network channels in HD, you're getting most of what's available NFL football-wise. Of course you won't get games on ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD, and NFL Network HD does have some interesting programming but no real-time games (yet) and not much in HD. (They will start carrying selected, exclusive games in HD after Thanksgiving.) And there's CFL on WorldsportHD if you're interested in that league.

If you're not currently on a commitment, why not get one of the upgrade packages like the 211 for $49 and get the additional 10-mo. programming discount on an HD package? That way you'll only make a minimal additional investment and you can avail yourself of all the HD programming E* and your local channels offer. I think you could have that for as low as $45 per mo. during the discount period, plus taxes and additional equipment fees (if any). You can keep the 811 for a second HD receiver (add $50?), but as others mentioned, it will only be able to receive the "old" (MPEG-2) HD programming channels which unfortunately does not include ESPN2HD, NFL Net HD and WorldsportHD.

I can sense your frustration (I started with the 811 in Dec. only to see it become obsolete in Feb., but at least I had some of the HD programming) but technology marches on and at some point everything becomes obsolete...!