Is this possible? (New to HD question)

[cah1975]

First of all, let me just say thank you to all who have helped me in the past with questions I've had. Hopefully in the future I can be of assistance to other new people who have questions.

I am about to make the jump to HD for the first time. I want to know if I can do the following:

I'd like to subscribe to America's Top 100 Plus with HD Essential. I only need one receiver and do not want to pay for DVR service. I also get my local channels for free through an outdoor antenna. Could it be realistic for me to envision a monthly cost of $47.99/mo for this? Are there other hidden fees that I'm not taking into account? I'm assuming that AT100 Plus is 42.99 and if I could opt out of the locals it would get my bill down to 37.99 before adding on the HD cost.

Again, thanks for any advice you can provide. I'm lobbying the wife to allow me to get HD and need to keep the cost down as low as humanly possible!

 

[osu1991]

If you don't subscribe to locals you will not have guide data for any OTA locals you receive, may not be a big deal if your not interested in DVR.

 

[mritt75]

With a Vip 211 or a Vip 222 connected to a phone line, $47.99/month would be your cost. With a Vip 622 or Vip 722, $49.99 would be your cost.

 

[jerrya72]

With a Vip 211 or a Vip 222 connected to a phone line, $47.99/month would be your cost. With a Vip 622 or Vip 722, $49.99 would be your cost.

I would definitely spend the little extra money for the 622/722 I have the 622 and love it.

 

[DVDDAD]

If it is truely only $2 per month more for a dual tuner DVR, you should got for it. There isn't one person that I turned onto a DVR that regrets it. It will change the way you watch TV. People have told me that they don't watch a lot of TV and they don't need it, however if you only care about one or two programs, you'll never miss them again. Plus you'll be able to watch one channel and record another. Go for it; you won't be sorry!

 

[adamwilkes20]

Why would it be $2 more a month? I thought the only price difference when you have a DVR is the $5.98 DVR fee then the extra outlet fee of $4.98 that is waived if you have an active phone line.

I just did a bogus order on the site, this is what it tells me with the 211 reciever

AT100 without locals-$32.99
DishHD Essential -$10.00
Monthly total before Taxes-$42.99

If you sign a 24 month contract with them they offer the following too:
Activation fee of $49.99 Waived
Free Dish Home Protection for 9 months
$120.00 in programming credits, applied in $39.99 increments on the 1st, 10th, and 20th month of service

 

[mritt75]

Why would it be $2 more a month? I thought the only price difference when you have a DVR is the $5.98 DVR fee then the extra outlet fee of $4.98 that is waived if you have an active phone line.

I just did a bogus order on the site, this is what it tells me with the 211 reciever

AT100 without locals-$32.99
DishHD Essential -$10.00
Monthly total before Taxes-$42.99

If you sign a 24 month contract with them they offer the following too:
Activation fee of $49.99 Waived
Free Dish Home Protection for 9 months
$120.00 in programming credits, applied in $39.99 increments on the 1st, 10th, and 20th month of service

The OP wanted AT100 plus for his RSN, therefore it is $5 more.

 

[markcosenza]

I'd splurg on the Dish Locals as well just so you can watch a network show and record another at the same time. (Especially handy if you have more than one person in your household!)

 

[cah1975]

So I can definitely get the AT100 Plus w/Hd Essential (no locals, no DVR) for 47.99? Can I also get the three months free with 24 month commit with that too? I know, I know...I should just call and ask Dish.

Also, in reference to the locals...is there a picture quality difference between receiving locals through dish and receiving it through antenna? I had heard that the quality is better when the antenna picks up the feed directly from the local station.

 

[Jenny_Piccolo]

I'd splurg on the Dish Locals as well just so you can watch a network show and record another at the same time. (Especially handy if you have more than one person in your household!)

With a VIP622 or VIP722, HD locals and OTA HD, I think I can record 3 network shows in HD at the same time.

I'd also recommend the VIP722 if you have 1 HD and 1 or more analog TVs.

 

[Skibum]

So I can definitely get the AT100 Plus w/Hd Essential (no locals, no DVR) for 47.99? Can I also get the three months free with 24 month commit with that too? I know, I know...I should just call and ask Dish.

Also, in reference to the locals...is there a picture quality difference between receiving locals through dish and receiving it through antenna? I had heard that the quality is better when the antenna picks up the feed directly from the local station.

Yes, yes, and yes. I'm much more impressed with OTA locals if you can get 'em.

 

[markcosenza]

Yes you can - 2 from Dish and 1 from the OTA signal so it's actually 2 more than you'd have with only OTA.

As for picture quality. We have some independent locals which are rarely HD (exception being White Sox Broadcasts) that we receive OTA (Channel 26 in chicago) and there is a difference in the quality of the OTA being much better.

As for the HD vs HD picture, I personally see very little difference in the quality - perhaps a slight edge goes to the OTA, but the average person without a 60" or better LCD/Plasma flatscreen isn't going to be able to tell a difference.

With a VIP622 or VIP722, HD locals and OTA HD, I think I can record 3 network shows in HD at the same time.

I'd also recommend the VIP722 if you have 1 HD and 1 or more analog TVs.

 

[adamwilkes20]

I have a 50" Philips DLP and I can't see that much of a diference, but I havent had a chance to see my locals in HD through Dish because they arent available in the Tampa DMA yet. But one thing is certain, I am blown away with the picture quality on my DLP with an OTA antenna and it is only a set top and I am 30 miles away from the towers. But even though I get my locals OTA, I still subscribe to my locals for the guide info.

 

[Jenny_Piccolo]

I see a slight difference between OTA HD and Dish locals HD with the latter being a tad less pixelated. But the consistency of the Dish signals outweighs any OTA benefit for me in Los Angeles. My signal seems more sensitive to wind and rain than my Dish signal is.

There are also no PBS HD channels on Dish but I get 3 OTA. KCET or KLCS broadcasts almost all of their evening programming in HD. KCAL (local independent) and KTLA (WB) broadcast HD OTA but SD on dish.

Dish SD channels are pretty grainy compared to OTA SD. I guess they compress these a lot more so that people will want to upgrade to HD. However I still think the Dish SD channels are much better than analog cable. They just look bad to me because I am comparing them to Dish and OTA HD.

Yes you can - 2 from Dish and 1 from the OTA signal so it's actually 2 more than you'd have with only OTA.

As for picture quality. We have some independent locals which are rarely HD (exception being White Sox Broadcasts) that we receive OTA (Channel 26 in chicago) and there is a difference in the quality of the OTA being much better.

As for the HD vs HD picture, I personally see very little difference in the quality - perhaps a slight edge goes to the OTA, but the average person without a 60" or better LCD/Plasma flatscreen isn't going to be able to tell a difference.