Dish DVR fee

C1787GJ

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
May 19, 2005
251
0
MASSACHUSETTS
Just wondering, If I have the AEP and a 522 AND a 625 Will I have to pay any DVR fee? I know with one receiver you do not pay it, I was wondering if anyone knew if you had two DVR receivers do they charge you the DVR fee for the second one.
 
No DVR fee but there is a dual receiver fee (for 322, 522, 625, 942) of $5 each if you don't have a phone line connected. This is in addition to a additional receiver fee for having more than one box.
 
If I have a 625 connected to a phone line, and simple 301 box on another TV not connected to a phone line, is there a fee?

I know the 301 doesn't compare in any way shape or form in terms of what something like the 625 requires. (In terms of updates, downloading etc.) But I just want to make sure that they're referring to JUST dvr's when they talk about phone connections.
 
Slim Pickens said:
If I have a 625 connected to a phone line, and simple 301 box on another TV not connected to a phone line, is there a fee?

I know the 301 doesn't compare in any way shape or form in terms of what something like the 625 requires. (In terms of updates, downloading etc.) But I just want to make sure that they're referring to JUST dvr's when they talk about phone connections.
The phone line requirement is for dual mode receivers example 322, 522,625 and 942 (note the 322 is not a DVR). In additional to the dual receiver charge there's a DVR fee. Here's a recap:

625 dual receiver fee $5 (waived if phone line connected).
625 DVR fee $5 (waived if you subscribe to Everything Pak).
301 additional receiver charge $5.
Total charges for both 625 and 301 will be between $5 to $15 depending on what's waived.
 
I still do not understand why you have to pay any DVR fee. I never had to pay a fee to record on VHS.. Why do you people put up with paying for something that should have no cost.
 
CCMoor said:
I still do not understand why you have to pay any DVR fee. I never had to pay a fee to record on VHS.. Why do you people put up with paying for something that should have no cost.
E* gets away with it because they can. :(

Mostly, I stick around because of my grandfathered distant nets, and I own a bunch of E* boxes.

Of course, if Charlie screws me on the MPEG-4 conversion, I'm GONE, and I'm sure there will be a LOT (millions?) right behind me.
 
You bought a vcr SEPERATE, this is integrated and works wonders.

Use DVR for a while, and then NOT use it, and you'll have no problem with that fee anymore. It's SO worth it that it's not funny...
 
What I have found out about the DVR FEE, etc.
We have three receivers, one older receiver, one older PVR receiver, and one 721 PVR receiver.

We are getting a 942 HD/DVR on tomorrow. We are going to drop the to older receivers and mover the
721 to my daughters room. We are going to have a line run to our bedroom from the new 942.

So we are dropping two $4.99 a month charges for two receivers. This is where the marketing people introduce their lunacy. Since the 942 two has two receivers and you are not charge for a second receiver,
Thus the $4.99 monthly DVR FEE. You are really paying monthly for the second receiver in the 942 even is you don’t hook up the receiver. Now I was told that Direct TV also has a DVR FEE. Direct TV’s DVR FEE is for the TVIO license, not a second receiver license.

In our case the DVR FEE does not make our costs more than they are now since we are eliminating a receiver for the second receiver on the 942.

The Customer Service people we talked to could not explain why there was a DVR FEE. Only after I called the Dish Network Technical support did I get the understanding that the DVR FEE was because of the second receiver.

The reason that the phone line has to be hook up to the 942 is because of the second receiver and Dish Network wants to make sure you are keeping the receiver in the same location. Thus the $4.99 monthly fee if you don’t have the 942 receiver hooked up to a phone line. This feels like “BIG BROTHER” is watching.

I hope this information helps.

Danny
 
dannsh said:
What I have found out about the DVR FEE, etc.
We have three receivers, one older receiver, one older PVR receiver, and one 721 PVR receiver.

We are getting a 942 HD/DVR on tomorrow. We are going to drop the to older receivers and mover the
721 to my daughters room. We are going to have a line run to our bedroom from the new 942.

So we are dropping two $4.99 a month charges for two receivers. This is where the marketing people introduce their lunacy. Since the 942 two has two receivers and you are not charge for a second receiver,
Thus the $4.99 monthly DVR FEE. You are really paying monthly for the second receiver in the 942 even is you don’t hook up the receiver. Now I was told that Direct TV also has a DVR FEE. Direct TV’s DVR FEE is for the TVIO license, not a second receiver license.

In our case the DVR FEE does not make our costs more than they are now since we are eliminating a receiver for the second receiver on the 942.

The Customer Service people we talked to could not explain why there was a DVR FEE. Only after I called the Dish Network Technical support did I get the understanding that the DVR FEE was because of the second receiver.

The reason that the phone line has to be hook up to the 942 is because of the second receiver and Dish Network wants to make sure you are keeping the receiver in the same location. Thus the $4.99 monthly fee if you don’t have the 942 receiver hooked up to a phone line. This feels like “BIG BROTHER” is watching.

I hope this information helps.

Danny

No, your information is not helpful because it is mostly incorrect. Your terminology is wrong as well. First, there are not two receivers in the 942. There are two tuners. Your statement that, "Only after I called the Dish Network Technical support did I get the understanding that the DVR FEE was because of the second receiver" is totally 100% WRONG. The DVR fee is $4.98 and is totally separate from the $4.99 additional receiver fee. The DVR fee is NOT paying for the second tuner. It is paying for the DVR functionality.

And the DVR fee is charged, as SimpleSimon indicated above, "because they can."
 
Ok so I have made a bad post. Why post any more information. Tuner/receiver is like splitting hairs. Well if Dish Network gets anymore greedy I will drop them.

From my point of view it makes no difference what the terminology is suspect, from a consumers point of view they are charging for the second tuner. Why did I not get charged for the DVR capabilites of the 721? There Customer Service is sucky.
I still say this marketing lunacy.


Danny
 
dannsh said:
Ok so I have made a bad post. Why post any more information. Tuner/receiver is like splitting hairs. Well if Dish Network gets anymore greedy I will drop them.

From my point of view it makes no difference what the terminology is suspect, from a consumers point of view they are charging for the second tuner. Why did I not get charged for the DVR capabilites of the 721? There Customer Service is sucky.
I still say this marketing lunacy.


Danny

The point wasn't your terminology; it was the misinformation you posted. You said the DVR fee is for having a second tuner. That's wrong. The DVR fee has nothing to do with the second tuner.
 
The DVR fee is extremely simple: For each DVR-510, 522, 625, 921 or 942 active on the account, the fee is charged. Why? Because they can. There is no other logical or reasonable explanation.

- Does it have anything to do with DVR capability? No - Although all the receivers that have the fee are DVRs, the 501, 508 and 721 don't have the fee.

- Does it have anything to do with hard drive size? No - the 721 and 522 have same size drives)

- Is it to cover extended (Name-based-recording) or dual-tuner capabilities? No, and No - the 510 doesn't have either, the 721 and 921 don't have NBR, and the 501 and 508 most likely WILL have NBR if and when the 510 gets it.

- Is it to line the pockets of E* stockholders or to help cover expenses (software development or maybe to fund a future legal settlement with Tivo)? Most likely the real purpose of the fee is something in this category.

Some may argue the morality of charging a "because you can" fee, but to me it is worth it. It worked out to a wash for me because before I got the 522, I had two separate receivers with a $5 additional receiver fee on the second; now I only have the one with a $5 DVR fee.

* Note, none of this applies to the $10 Personal TV fee that is/was applied to the 7100/7200 DishPlayer units, part of it at least was for licensing fees to Microsoft for the software.
 
No wonder no one at Dish Network Support can tell anyone why someone came up with this fee.

No matter I figured out I can drop one receiver(tuner) and keep costs the same.

I will be leaving the Satillite Guys Forums for greener more civilized pastures.
 
When reading these threads about 2nd tuner fees, DVR fees, etc, I'm always amazed at how many people have such a feeble grasp of basic supply/demand capitalism. First, Dish incurs a cost with developing and maintaining DVR functionality. All those software patches for the 522 don’t come cheap! Also, Dish needs to recoup their expenses for basically giving away the hardware. Since DVR receivers have features above and beyond the basic functionality of receiving and displaying a satellite signal, Dish has decided to charge for that extra feature in the form of a monthly charge, as apposed to an up-front cost. Granted, there are certain models that do not have the DVR fee, but I’m certain Dish found a way to extract value from those units as well (in the form of an up-front hardware charge, or through the value of attracting new customers or building brand awareness).
Simply put, there are costs for Dish to provide DVR functionality. There is also a demand for this feature. Since Dish is in business to make money, they will charge as much as they think they can get away with. If they overcharge, they’ll loose customers to DirecTV or the local cable companies. Simple. Basic economic principles will keep pricing in line. But, until Dish decides to switch from a business to a charitable organization, you’ll have to pay the $5.
As a consumer, it is your job to add up all the various services Dish offers, weigh that against the up front costs and monthly fees, then compare that to DirecTV or the local cable company. Comparing DVR functionality at $5/mo to using a VCR is plain silly, though. If DVR functionality appeals to you, compare Dish’s costs to DirecTV or the cable company, not a VCR. If you’d rather not spend the $5/mo, fine, I just wish people would stop whining about it.
 
Tuner/receiver is like splitting hairs.
No, it's NOT. Not at all!

There's a HUGE difference, having to do with not only the type of outdoor equipment required, but also with the total number of devices you can have on a single account.

Six receivers, which could be as many as 12 tuners.
 
SimpleSimon said:
No, it's NOT. Not at all!

There's a HUGE difference, having to do with not only the type of outdoor equipment required, but also with the total number of devices you can have on a single account.

Six receivers, which could be as many as 12 tuners.


Apparently, that's nit-picking. :)