I'm about to go HD, advice re: Dishnet upgrade?

[daniel501]

I'm a longtime SD Dish subscriber (currently Top200 + HBO, and the DVR).

I've been planning an HDTV purchase for quite some time, and will likely pull the trigger on a Toshiba 46XF550 when they hit the shelves in the coming month. I need the narrow bezel to fit a 46" in my cabinet, and it looks like this Toshiba will be the latest and greatest.

I'm inclined to stick with Dish, as long as they don't rape me on the upgrade to HD.

What recommendations to you have as far as obtaining the upgrade under the best possible terms? The alternative is DirecTV, which seems to be offering more right now, with better PQ, and I'm eligible for their new customer offers. If Dish is going to cost me significantly more, moving to DirecTV is a no-brainer, wouldn't you agree? So how do I squeeze the best possible deal out of Dish, given that I am an existing SD customer?

FWIW, I'm going to want the 722 DVR. Will they be taking away the old DVR? I won't be needing the existing SD DVR, as we're a one TV household and I'll be giving away the SD TV.

And Logistics-wise, what would you do first? Buy the TV, or order the Dish HD service and hardware?

Thanks!

 

[ts7]

Personally, I would buy the TV first. While I am one that decided to stick it out with Dish, the reasons for switching to DirectTV are compelling (namely more HD content) - at least for the moment. Others on this list have abandoned Dish, largely due to their failure to deliver more HD content or customer service related issues.

IMHO, Dish still has better hardware and in my multi-TV configuration, the dual-tuners is a must. Though Dish doesn't have as much HD content as DirectTV (despite their media claims), I suspect that will quickly change once they get their new birds operational later this year. In any event, by the time your contract is up with either provider, both will probably be pretty much equal in their content offerings.

The bottom line is that if you have been a satisfied Dish subscriber for a length of time, then why change? If you are unhappy with Dish, then by all means consider some alternatives. Change for the sake of change is rarely a good thing.

 

[daniel501]

This is hardly change for the sake of change. It's about the bottom line, costs vs. benefits, most bang for the buck.

I'm about to upgrade to HD Programming and hardware, and Dish, at least at first glance, doesn't have any sweet offers for me because I'm an existing SD Dish customer. DirecTV is offering a better product today, *and*will cut me a deal. The obvious course of action is to simply subscribe to DirecTV.

Nevertheless, I'm inclined to stick with Dish, and I suspect Dish wants to keep me, so are there any unadvertised deals to be obtained? How do I finesse this? I truly want to come out on the side of Dish.

 

[hokiecb]

If they dont give you a good deal and you decide to cancel, the retention people that they transfer you to to cancel your account might give you a good deal. I'd just try to cancel and see what happens. Worse case you end up getting directv.. not too big of a deal.

 

[ts7]

This is hardly change for the sake of change. It's about the bottom line, costs vs. benefits, most bang for the buck.

In my case Dish is DEFINITELY less expensive for comparable DirectTV - even with DirectTV's incentives. For you, with a single set, there may not be much difference. Dish's "deals" are not as sweet as they have been in the past. When I upgraded, I received a 722 with a $100 rebate and free HD for 6 months. In the end, once all the promos ran out, I am paying approximately $4 more per month than I was with my SD subscription and 522 DVR (downgrading to the HD essentials pack - I never watched the Voom channels).

I still think Dish has better hardware and I have had that sentiment echoed by more than one independent retailer that sells/installs both services. Unfortunately, Dish doesn't seem to value retention as much as their subscribers think they should. I was satisfied with my "deal" but I think being a long term subscriber should have entitled me to a receiver for free (in the end, the 722 ended up costing me $49). At least my rates were locked in for the duration of my 18 month contract (now they stick you for 24 month - that alone might be incentive to go to DirectTV).

In any event, whatever service you choose, some of the HD content will stunning enough to knock you out of your chair but a lot is just upconverted SD and will be something of a disappointment. Sometimes this can be blamed on the provider, but a lot is the fault of the programmers. I believe DirectTV carries some of its content at higher resolution than Dish, which is noticable to the "experts" but not so much for the typical consumer.

 

[reallyniceguy]

well how much does direct charge to get the equipment is it all free? how much would you pay a month? are you willing to do a 2 year commit? the goof thing about dish is that their cancellation fees are prorated, i wish my cell phone company had that. If i cancel one week befoe the contract.. BAM 200 dllrs!

 

[cgtyoder]

FWIW, I'm going to want the 722 DVR. Will they be taking away the old DVR?

Yes. (I went through the same scenario, upgrading from the 522->722.)

If you're looking to save your recorded programs on the 522, you have a couple options:

1) The external Hard Drive route.

Pros:
- Very easy - no special techie knowledge required.
- You will be able to watch the old programs on the new 722.

Cons:
- Costs extra money. $ for the external HD, $ for activating the USB external storage on the 522, and possibly more $ for again activating USB external storage on the 722 (not sure about the last cost item).


2) The DIY route

Pros:
- Free, if you have your own PC and enough HD space
- Can make DVDs of your recorded shows

Cons:
- Must be willing to open up your 522 (a problem if you screw things up), your PC, and you are adventuresome. (You'll need PVRExplorer Pro and VideoRedo TVSuite)
- Can't put programs back on the 722, AFAIK. Must watch the programs on your computer or burn to optical media.

Good luck.

 

[osu1991]

You can NOT use an external drive on the 522 only the 622 and 722 support this.

 

[cgtyoder]

Sorry, my bad - I thought Dish had enabled 522 USB support by now. I guess that leaves option 2...

 

[FredC]

I just went through this.. Long time with Dish, call and asked what I could do. Number one was buy a HD receiver, then call for upgrading to hd at an increase of about $17.00 a month or 2: for $100 I could lease a 622, have it installed, still pay $17 a month for HD Ess. BUT would have to give up one of my 2 dual leased receivers. That would require alot of rewireing and moving of receivers around. For now I am just staying with sd and watching HD with my OTA. It'll work fine for me for awhile, untill I save up the $450 for the 722.

 

[levibluewa]

Daniel 501

Where Ru?