Is OTA HD available without fee?

[mecro]

I'm tired of waiting around for DISH. I have an 811 (signed up two weeks before the 211/411/622 series came out) and I still sub to the old HD pack. I have a hard time accepting that while Time Warner can give out free equipment, and free HD if you sub to the SD, DISH simply will not. They want to charge me 49 bucks to slap a new dish on my roof for 129 (1000) that we all know doesn't work well. Then they want to charge me more money for the VOOM HD channels, when all I really want to watch is OTA HD.

I have an 'older' Mitsu RPTV that has no HD tuner built in. I love having my OTA HD and my DISH network stuff on the same box, but if I cancel the HD pack, I now pay 6 bucks for the 'enabling' fee. BS, of course I'll pay 4 bucks more for the HD channels.

Say I want to watch OTA HD, and no DISH HD channels. Whatever happened to that DISH 381, which was just a refurb 811? I never heard any 'enabling' fees on those. Of course, I never heard of anyone using them either. Claude doesn't have any available, but what are my options for lowering my bills, while keeping my OTA HD channels? Thanks guys!

 

[mdonnelly]

Well, you could ante up the $4 more/month, or you could get a new TV with the ATSC tuner built-in, or you could get an external ATSC tuner/receiver:
http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...action=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search

But I think cable might be your best option.

By the way, the 129 works pretty good here in Oklahoma.

 

[mecro]

Well, I guess I was really wanting to keep my 811/381, and ditch the HD pack, saving me 10 bucks a month.

Possible?

 

[BFG]

seems like you're set up now to do this, wht's the problem?

the 811 gets local ota without fees, if you don't want the HD package just drop it

 

[mecro]

I thought if I dropped the HD package I would have to pay an 'enabling fee' of about 6 bucks a month to use OTA. Is that wrong?

 

[garys]

The enabling fee was added with the ViP series which consists of (so far at least) 211/411/622. Check with Dish, but you should be able to turn off HD pack and keep the OTA. There is a one-time $5 charge for downgrading Dish programing.

 

[dougruss]

Just connect a OTA Antenna to the back of your 811 and you'll get OTA HD if it's in your area?

go to antennaweb.org and see what Antenna type is recommended.

 

[mecro]

Awesome. Thanks guys. I thought you had to subscribe to the HD pack to even keep the 811.

 

[mdonnelly]

Awesome. Thanks guys. I thought you had to subscribe to the HD pack to even keep the 811.

Only true if you're leasing the 811.

 

[navychop]

The 411 is not part of the ViP series. No ethernet port.

 

[mecro]

I am leasing the 811 right now, still in my 18 month contract. Am I SOL for dropping the HD pack without paying the enabling fee?

 

[BFG]

depends on the csr you call

some people are leasing 811s and have called to drop the hd pack and they were allowed to others were told they'd have to send the box pack

regardless there is no enabling fee for the 811

 

[kb7oeb]

Just fyi, if you do find a way to drop the HD pack you will never be able to get it back. If you don't like the $10 HD pack I wouldn't bother with the new $20 HD pack either.