to SatelliteGuys.com.
Here's my Opinion but im sure others will disagree.
For HD on the west coast the recommended satellite is 129. As you have a D500, therefore you could take the 1000 or the additional dish for 129.
There are some here that have been ok with the D1000 others not.
The consensus i have picked up is have an extra dish installed as it gives you more flexibility and some reported better signal strength.
However, my wife will have a Major fit if we put a second dish up, so i am using the d1000 for now.
Note: It is possible to see 61.5 from the west coast, but may not be possible in your location However an extra dish gives you flexibility if you want to try this, a d1000 will not.
With regard to lease vs buy. I think you have to look at how much you value owning the equipment and feel your investment will be a good one long term.
There are some differences also in ongoing costs. if you lease you have to pay a lease amount each month. if you own you don't, but it costs more upfront to get in. Also on a lease you generally sign up for a commitment period, reducing your ability to go to another satellite or cable provider. - I dont have an issue with this as "i recognise the grass is always greener....." but there are always pitfalls.
I personally have always owned as lease wasn't an option when i joined dish. However i cant justify the significant investment in equipment that the 622 requires. So for me the 299 is about what i think is reasonable.
You basically have to make the same decisions as you do for leasing a car, if you hate leasing cars then you may not want to lease your equipment.
