HD Enabling fee - $6 starting Feb 1st - If you dont have qualifying HD programming

[Stargazer]

HD Enabling fee - $6.00 starting Feb. 1st - applies to Vip211 and Vip622 receivers - A fee that enables the receiver to receive HD programming. This fee is waived if customer subscribers to qualifiying HD programming or if such capability is deactivated upon customer's request.

 

[SRW1000]

What's it enabling? Don't the receivers already come HD ready? Is this a monthly charge?

Scott

 

[SatinKzo]

Man, now that is a "pull it out of thin air/A$$" fee if I ever heard one. So, just cause a new customer gets a 211 and does not sub to HD channels they get penalized? Cmon dish, not every new customer will want HD or has an HD set.

I know an installer could still install an older model and it will work just fine for a while, but eventually will have to be swapped out.

 

[Stargazer]

If you want the receiver to be capable of pulling in HD you will have to pay that $6.00 fee. This is another "because we can" fee. Before we did not even have the option of paying that fee, we had to pay it if the receiver is active. Now you can optionally choose to not receive HD programming on the MPEG-4 receiver. That would defeat the purpose though wouldn't it? I wonder if the $6.00 would be considered the access fee instead of having to pay the current $5.00 access fee.

 

[iKramerica]

Can't do what I do with my 6000 right now I guess, which is use it for AT180 and OTA HD but no HD programming.

Charlie has made it quite clear that they aren't in the business of subsidizing off-air HD tuners. He, rightfully, thinks that the HD OTA tuners out there are way over priced and while Echostar would be happy to subsidize your receiver if you buy programming from them, it's not their business to give you stuff without charging for it.

Don't know that I agree, but I only do what I'm doing because HD pack without locals wasn't worth me putting up the HD dish at my new house at my expense. Upgrading to the Vip622 will solve that, as install is included.

 

[KyDave]

I guess I could understand this as an option if the receiver was LEASED, but if it is purchased then this fee us BOGUS. I had considered purchasing a vip222 to gain an extra tuner for another tv while still getting digital OTA stuff in my guide but not with this fee.

 

[Stargazer]

I wonder if it would be able to pull in OTA HD programming unless you paid that $6.00 fee. That would totally suck but then again Charlie don't want to subsidize for something he is not making a profit on.

 

[SatinKzo]

If like stargazer theorizes, it is just a higher additional receiver fee then I can agree with it in conjunction with IKramerica said about subsidizing OTA tuners for people. I just would be quite upset if I got a 211 without any HD as my second receiver and had a $10+ fee for it.

 

[dfergie]

Fixed title of thread...

 

[SRW1000]

If you want the receiver to be capable of pulling in HD you will have to pay that $6.00 fee. This is another "because we can" fee. Before we did not even have the option of paying that fee, we had to pay it if the receiver is active. Now you can optionally choose to not receive HD programming on the MPEG-4 receiver. That would defeat the purpose though wouldn't it? I wonder if the $6.00 would be considered the access fee instead of having to pay the current $5.00 access fee.

So, if I want a 622, I can pay a lump sum outright to lease it, then pay a monthly DVR fee, and then an HD access fee? That's just crazy. You know, cable (even with their receiver fees) is looking like a better option every day.

What's next? A remote control fee - if you want the receiver to recognize your remote signals, it'll cost you $2.50 per month. How about a guide fee? For just $3.00 per month, you can get program information for the next week!. Then there's the Dolby Digital fee - that's only $1.00 per month and will let you enjoy all the crisp, clear sound of the DD stations. And, of course, we can't forget the color output fee - it will only set you back $4.00 per month and it will allow you to see all of your programming in full color (other than black and white content).

I know, I shouldn't give them any ideas.

What I'd really like to see is the non-pixelated programming fee. I'd be willing to pay an extra $5.00 per month to insure that the picture doesn't break up into a series of small squares anytime there's even the slightest amount of action on the screen. Don't worry, I know we'll never see that one.

Scott

 

[Stargazer]

Cable charges you a remote control fee per month, at least Charter does. I think its like $2.00 or $3.00.

 

[DWS44]

What's next? A remote control fee - if you want the receiver to recognize your remote signals, it'll cost you $2.50 per month. How about a guide fee? For just $3.00 per month, you can get program information for the next week!. Then there's the Dolby Digital fee - that's only $1.00 per month and will let you enjoy all the crisp, clear sound of the DD stations. And, of course, we can't forget the color output fee - it will only set you back $4.00 per month and it will allow you to see all of your programming in full color (other than black and white content).
I know, I shouldn't give them any ideas.
What I'd really like to see is the non-pixelated programming fee. I'd be willing to pay an extra $5.00 per month to insure that the picture doesn't break up into a series of small squares anytime there's even the slightest amount of action on the screen. Don't worry, I know we'll never see that one.
Scott

My god man...SHUT UP!!! You know Dish reads these threads...I can just imagine the bean counters taking notes while reading your post wondering "why didn't we think of that?!?

 

[SRW1000]

My god man...SHUT UP!!! You know Dish reads these threads...I can just imagine the bean counters taking notes while reading your post wondering "why didn't we think of that?!?

My wife suggested a Charlie Chat fee. $5.00 per month if you don't watch it, $2.00 per month if you do.

You know, this could be kind of fun. Who can suggest the most outrageous fee, and then we could run a pool to see how long it takes before Dish adopts it.

I wasn't kidding about the cable option. As Dish becomes more and more cable-like, cable is looking much more attractive.

Scott

 

[SatinKzo]

Cable charges you a remote control fee per month, at least Charter does. I think its like $2.00 or $3.00.

Yep, last time I checked they charged that and I think $10 (rounded) a month to have one of their DVR's. No matter what programming package you had.

 

[iKramerica]

Again, I really think this is pointed at OTA tuner. After all, why would you WANT HD "turned on" on a receiver if you didn't subscribe to a package? To use it as OTA.

Why would you want an MPEG4 receiver that doesn't tune HD? The future, man, the future...

But also, it looks like it MIGHT apply to the HD only package. That would make no sense, but that's what another thread says.

Again, if you want an OTA tuner but don't want to pay the fee, buy a standalone one or a TV that has ATSC built in. Sure, those are still in the $300 extra fee category, but THAT is the crime. These boxes don't cost $50 bucks to make, and putting the chip in the TV costs far less than that, but they charge and arm and a leg, which is why some people were getting these HD boxes from dish for a "no-fee" initial program only to sign up for AT60 and then use the OTA tuner for their only HD. This new fee means you must pay $72 a year to "rent" the dish technology to watch OTA HD unless you buy an HD package from this.

And the idea of buying something with features disabled and having to pay extra for them to be enabled is NOT knew or illegal as long as you know.

Many high end video editing systems had this structure, certain computer applications have this "tiered" version which rellies solely on a dongle or access code, cars come with "onstar" or something else built in, but if you don't subscribe/renew, it is disabled, and even most vcrs (in the day) came in different versions, and they were all the same except for the remote that you got (or the menu enabled from the factory) that either provided or didn't provide access to certain features!

 

[SRW1000]

Again, I really think this is pointed at OTA tuner. After all, why would you WANT HD "turned on" on a receiver if you didn't subscribe to a package? To use it as OTA.

That's one use, but the other use is for the HD versions of HBO and Showtime. Back when I first bought my 811, I had no intention of subscribing to a very lackluster HD package, but I did want to get HBO and Showtime in HD.

If you subscribe to those channels, there shouldn't be an extra fee just to watch them in HD. You're already paying for it.

And, if they're going to charge an access fee for HD, they should at least include the ability to display PSIP data from the local channels.

This is nothing more than another money-grab by Dish. And we're seeing more and more of it lately. It's unbefitting of the company I once thought they were.

Scott

 

[CivicOnBoostEK]

If you want the receiver to be capable of pulling in HD you will have to pay that $6.00 fee. This is another "because we can" fee. Before we did not even have the option of paying that fee, we had to pay it if the receiver is active. Now you can optionally choose to not receive HD programming on the MPEG-4 receiver. That would defeat the purpose though wouldn't it? I wonder if the $6.00 would be considered the access fee instead of having to pay the current $5.00 access fee.

the access fee is actually going up a dollar, so it will be $6.. And the HD fee will be waived if you have an HD package on the account no matter if you have an mpeg2 or mpeg4 receiver.

 

[Digital Dude]

I think Charlie was watching re-runs of Monty Python where the politicians were trying to figure out what else they could tax.

"Thingy, ...you know, thingy!"

 

[Peter Iowa]

Where's that nice piggy commercial about all those fees?
Oh, SORRY, it claims CABLE and not Charlie has too many fees.

 

[jeffwtux]

Wait, is ths $6 if you don't subscribe to AT60 or $6 if you don't take the HD pak? Why would you get a 211 if you didn't want HD programming?