Looking to downgrade - Options?

[bigted]

Looking to downgrade and save. Currently paying 75$+
Currently no contract and do not want to sign one, service only needed for less than 2 years. Currently have 120+, locals, hd for life, 2 receivers, regional sports with additional sports pack.

I need service for 2 TV's. HD on both. (Currently have VIP722-611 with free HD for life). No need for DVR. During baseball season I need my locals and the regional sports plus whatever is neccessary for MLB Network. Rest of the year locals (smallest package) is all I need. I may be able to go to one receiver but its important that I can go back to the same configuration for baseball season.

What would be the most cost effective method to get the programming I need?

 

[satjay]

Maybe more experienced folks can chime in on the equipment side, but in regard to programing and the rsn need you are at the lowest level without losing rsn

If by sportspack you mean multisport package I guess you may look at dropping that to save a few bucks when baseball is not in season perhaps, unless you really like to watch off season stuff as well

 

[TheKrell]

IIRC, the Welcome Pack for $15/mo (includes locals), is the lowest package. If you swap your 622(?) for a 211, you will save $7/mo in additional receiver fees, while retaining HD at the second TV. The additional 622 costs $17/mo. If you can do without HD at TV2, you could drop the 622 entirely and save the whole $17/mo. Another thing you can do, if you own your receivers, is drop one of them from your account. You can then reactivate it easily when needed. (If they are leased, then you would have to return the receiver to Dish if you deactivate it.)

You could also swap your 722 for another 211 and save the $6/mo DVR fee.

 

[bigted]

I should have mentioned, im leasing the equipment. And now I realize, deactivating the second reciever during the offseason will not work as I would have to return it!! Now Im afraid any significant savings would come from signing a new contract withthem or the competitors however I am not certain that is the answer since I do not need this service for a full 2 year agreement and dont want to pay ETF.

 

[Dah-Henny]

Yep. Go with two 211's. It'll only cost you 7 bucks total in receiver fees, plus the cost of your package.

 

[MikeD-C05]

And if you want dvr still , just pay the one time fee of $40.00 to turn your 211ks into dvrs with the software. Just add external hard drives to them and ota antenna and you can record one ota and one sat channel on both of them. I have two DISH accounts with 211ks with dvr software and the Welcome pack for my aunt and for me so I can keep ota: At least till they enable ota on the hopper. They work wonderfully.

 

[bigted]

Another problem in regards to leasing equipment in my case.... If I downgrade to only one receiver for the off season, if I want to put it back at a later time I will be forced to 2 years.

Does anyone know will I lose HD for life for free if I downgrade to the cheapest package?... I would assume yes and would then have to pay for it.

I truly hate this TV cycle....

 

[Dah-Henny]

The hdffl will always be there as long as the account is active.

 

[Mojo Jojo]

What about Dish Latino Dos for $44.99/month? It has locals, RSNs, and MLB Network. It also is eligible for HD for Life. The $9/month MultiSport pack can also be added to it.

FMI: http://www.mydish.com/downloads/Channel-Lineup/OnlineChannel_Latino.pdf

Please be aware that the Dish Latino packs differ from the America's Top packages. Some AT120 channels may be in a higher Dish Latino tier while some AT200 and AT250 channels may be in a lower Dish Latino tier.

If you are a Dish customer out of contract, try contacting the Loyalty Department. They may give you monthly credits in order to keep you as a customer and to keep you from downgrading to a very low tier.

 

[bigted]

Currently I am paying 10.00 for the DVR's and 6.00 for the service.... I am guessing if I downgrade to the lowest m0del basic HD receiver x 2 , its still going to cost the same.....

Hope I dont come out like a total cheapskate here, this is part of a bigger downgrading/money saving attempt.

 

[Mojo Jojo]

Currently I am paying 10.00 for the DVR's and 6.00 for the service.... I am guessing if I downgrade to the lowest m0del basic HD receiver x 2 , its still going to cost the same.....

Hope I dont come out like a total cheapskate here, this is part of a bigger downgrading/money saving attempt.

If you need HD for only 2 TVs, I would suggest 2 HD Solo 211s. These can optionally turned into DVRs with a one-time $40 DVR integration fee that covers all the 211s on the account. I also read that this expands the EPG from 3 days to 9 days. There would be no $6/month fee with just 211s. OTA antennas can also be added allowing channels in your EPG. The monthly fee for 2 HD Solo 211s would be $7/month. However, this gets you 2 independent HD feeds as well as optionally having 2 DVRs. What some may see as a downside is not having streaming on the 211. However, you would not have those extreme monthly fees.

 

[osu1991]

The 722 is free as the top model 1st receiver on the acct. The 612 is $10 a month, then you have the $6 dvr fee. Downgrading to 211's, the 1st 211 would be free and the 2nd one would be $7. Of course changing your equipment on a lease is going to start a new commitment. You could buy the receivers and then you can activate and deactivate them whenever you want with no contract commitments. As long as your acct is active, the HD free for life will remain on the acct no matter what package you have.

 

[Mojo Jojo]

If you do decide Dish Latino Dos with HD and 2 HD Solos, your monthly bill would be:

Dish Latino Dos. $44.99
HD Dos Free. $ 0.00
HD Solo 211. $ 0.00 (primary)
HD Solo 211. $ 7.00

Total $51.99

That would save you $23/month + according to the first post.

Like I stayed earlier, Dish Latino Dos would meet what you listed in the first post: locals, regional sports networks (RSNs), and MLB Network (HD). The package is eligible for HD for Life and does have English programming like Axs, Boomerang, TBS, TNT, FX, Spike TV, etc. This package would also allow you to add the $9/month MultiSport package if you want or when you want. (You may have to keep the MultiSport package for a month like with any other package to avoid downgrade fees.) Playboy en Espanol is included in all Dish Latino packages; if you want it (since you would be paying for it anyway with a Dish Latino pack), you may have to ask for it (since Dish probably takes this as a precaution for those with youngsters although there are locks).

 

[boba]

Currently I am paying 10.00 for the DVR's and 6.00 for the service.... I am guessing if I downgrade to the lowest m0del basic HD receiver x 2 , its still going to cost the same.....

Hope I dont come out like a total cheapskate here, this is part of a bigger downgrading/money saving attempt.

I think your fees are a little mixed up. A DVR is $6 per account additional receivers are $7/mo. single output DVR(612) is $10/mo. for the additional receiver Dual output (622/722) are $17/mo. as additional receivers. If you have a 722 and a 612 you pay noyhing for the 722 it is included in the programming package. The DVRs will cost one $6 DVR fee and the additional receiver 612 is $10/mo.

If you dropped to two 211 receivers you would save fhe $6 DVR fee and the additional receiver fee would be $7 so you would save $9/mo.