I have been a E* customer for years (a 510 DVR receiver and two 311's) and I had all the intentions of remaining one. However, when I went to upgrade the Hopper, I was told I needed to drill holes in my house to run 3 GHz rated cabling. Plus, my house was situated in so that the only way I could get the HD local signals was to put the dish on my roof or on the other side of the house. None of this is anybody's fault, it is just the way it is and if my wife and I could avoid these changes, we wanted to do that. I should have researched more to know this upfront. That being said, I made the switch to D* yesterday. I was able to get the Home Media Center and two HD receivers with my existing cabling, the dish went in the same location as the old one (a bigger pole only). I wanted to comment on the attitudes of the two installers, but it is not fair to the E* technician. He was very polite and had more challenges to overcome (dish moving, drilling, etc.) that the D* guy did not.
So, what is my first impression after the switch:
Like I said, I would have like to have remained with E*, but the logistics did not work for me. This was our own personal requirements that forced the change, not the quality of the products in either direction.
So, what is my first impression after the switch:
- So far, I am happy (being one day) with the Whole Home DVR. I used to have to use a DVD recorder for some of my shows, but no more. Now I can record the football game from anywhere which is exactly what I did yesterday.
- I can not compare picture quality because I just recently gotten HD TV's and this would be my first upgrade to watch it.
- I believe I am going to like the 5 tuners vs. 3. I do understand the PTAT would be acceptable for my needs, but my current needs will never need more than 5 and I control it.
- Since I am new to this feature, I love to be able to record and watch something else (510 only had one tuner). No more warning the kids not to change the channel.
- The guide does take some getting used to, but that is understandable considering I have been using the same guide for years. I do think the E* guide is a little more user friendly, but it is too soon to tell.
- I do not like the layout of the D* channel line up. E* PPV were at the top of the list (500 and above), D* are in the 100's and you have to go to the 200's to get the live channels. I know there are features to change your viewing, but that will take some time.
Like I said, I would have like to have remained with E*, but the logistics did not work for me. This was our own personal requirements that forced the change, not the quality of the products in either direction.
