vurbano said:
I sure wish someone would get the facts on that. Everything Ive heard says no more owning only leasing.
Vurbano -
The reason these units are different then the rest of the units in the DIRECTV "family" is because these products do not have a "buy down" - they do not require an activation agreement when they are purchased and the reason why they have always been more expensive than other devices offered from DIRECTV or the channel is because the cost of acquisition of the units is not subsidized by DIRECTV.
The scenario is very similar to the cell phone market - purchase a cell phone without an activiation agreement and it will cost you more than if you purchase one through a channel such as Verizon or Cingular, etc with an activation agreement, which is required.
Since HR10-250 units have never required a buy down, probably because the cost per unit to subsidize such a model was too expensive for DIRECTV's model, these units could be purchased without an activation agreement. It also means that vendors could resell these units without being an authorized DIRECTV reseller. For example PTVupgrade has always been an authorized reseller of the HR!0-250, but we are not an authorized DIRECTV reseller.
And with all of that said, the leasing only applies to certain equipment; the stuff that does require activation. The HR10-250, which technically is not a DIRECTV product, does not require that.
Lastly, as of 3/1 - the end of the DIRECTV lease special where one would have to commit to a 2-year activation agreement in order to be eligible for a $200 rebate - prices on the HR10-250 units from distributors did drop, so unless demand increases significantly, I would expect prices to remain the same or go lower, not go up.
Hope that clarifies things, at least a bit....
