New To Satellite TV, Dish Network & This Community

[apn73]

Hello All,
Total newbie to this whole experience, so new in fact that Dish Network is scheduled to do the install tomorrow. We finally got sick of Comcast, their crappy service and their insanely high pricing for so little. I am looking for advice on getting the very best performance out of this experience that I can and figured that you folks would probably be the ones to ask, the nice people over at hometheaterforum.com recommended that I post this here. For the time being I will be connecting an analog Sony Trinitron (main set in living room) and a small Phillips LCD that is located in the kitchen. It will probably be a year or more before I replace the analog set with a 1080p capable TV, is there a certain box (receiver) or dish that I should request from Dish? What equipment do you recommend? Are there changes/upgrades/modifications to cabling, etc., that I can do to improve it? Any advice that you can offer will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Adam.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Sounds like a 722 will do you fine, it will allow you to have HD on your main TV and SD on the TV in the kitchen.

to SatelliteGuys!

 

[Tampa8]

You will love Dish Network! Welcome!

 

[Jimmerinwi]

Your being installed in a day and you haven't figured out what receiver your getting? This should have been discussed when you set up the appointment. It's not like there is a choice when the tech gets there. It's all decided and listed on the work order.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[apn73]

Your being installed in a day and you haven't figured out what receiver your getting? This should have been discussed when you set up the appointment. It's not like there is a choice when the tech gets there. It's all decided and listed on the work order.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

....and I was supposed to know this how? Thanks.

 

[KAB]

Since you are on the east coast (Eastern Arc) you surely will be getting a VIP622/722 IF you stipulated you wanted a DVR and want to feed two TVs'. Wouldn't hurt to call and confirm, or better yet, PM one of our DIRT (Dish Internet Response Tearm) members here. Go to the bottom of the Forum page and look for names in RED type. Provide your telephone number when you PM them.

 

[apn73]

We have no interest in DVR and we will be providing HD service to two TV's.

 

[Yespage]

We have no interest in DVR and we will be providing HD service to two TV's.

Umm... you may want to step back a bit here. You really need to know what you want before the guy shows up.

In order to have HD proper to two TV's that'd mean two receivers. If you don't care about a DVR (?), then that means a 211k at each tv, I think, in order to avoid the DVR charge, which I think you'd get regardless if you want to use the DVR in the 722k or not. Also, if you have a small LCD in the kitchen, I don't know about the wisdom of hooking it up with an HD feed. If its small, analog may be just fine, not great, but the benefits of HD diminish greatly with a smaller screen. In that case, a 722k may be a better choice, so you don't have an extra receiver fee, though you'll pay the DVR.

 

[Scherrman]

He should've talked to a retailer about what would be the best equipment. If you did talk to an actual Dish retailer then they did a poor job. If you called Dish directly it doesn't surprise me.

 

[KAB]

If you got the 722, even with DVR fee, you would still come out $1.00 ahead. I still think you need to find out what is on your work order. Then, perhaps you might want to call and cancel the install until you really think this through.

 

[TNGTony]

First, Welcome to SatelliteGuys!

Don't care for a DVR? Yikes! If you've ever had one and don't want one now, I can see it. If you've never owned a DVR, you have no idea what you're missing. Once you have one, you will wonder how you watched TV without one!

 

[tom231]

If you got the 722, even with DVR fee, you would still come out $1.00 ahead. I still think you need to find out what is on your work order. Then, perhaps you might want to call and cancel the install until you really think this through.

It's satellite TV, not rocket science..... How much thinking is required?

 

[old corps]

First, Welcome to SatelliteGuys!

Don't care for a DVE? Yikes! If you've ever had one and don't want one now, I can see it. If you've never owned a DVR, you have no idea what you're missing. Once you have one, you will wonder how you watched TV without one!

I REALLY can't understand how anyone can bear to watch TV today WITHOUT a DVR. The commercials alone would drive me insane!

Ed

 

[pabeader]

It's satellite TV, not rocket science..... How much thinking is required?

welcome to the land of over-thinkers. :O

 

[Yespage]

So, how did the install go?

 

[apn73]

So, how did the install go?

Seemed to go very well actually. I wasn't home for it, was trying to talk the Mrs. throug the the questions to ask DN, but that didn't work out so well. He installed one receiver, HD signal is going to the kitchen LCD and looks pretty good. The installer is sending a SD signal to the analog set in the living room for the time being, but he left another cable hanging that is for HD when we step up to a set capable of receiving it. We wound having to install the dish on the opposite side of the house from where cable tv enters the house, so there is a very long run of double RG-6. I may have to rework that to minimize the length of cable and to clean things up a bit. They said that they would bury it in a few months when things thaw. I watched for quite a while last night and it was every bit as good or better than Comcast cable. Thanks for all of your help and suggestions, but some of you were right. It was too late in the process to really make any changes, but we're quite happy with the results at this point. In response to the DVR discussion, we've never had it and for us TV is just TV, nothing special. Fox News was my big requirement in a TV package, and DN was least expensive way to get it. We really didn't even need HD, but there were a couple of channels in the 120 package that wife wanted, so that's why.

 

[rapidturtle]

For you guys who are talking about over thinking a install. I say you want to make sure you know what you are getting. An average customer just calls up and tells Dish how many T.V.'s they have and they go from there. As most people on this site know, there are a lot of options to consider. The Hopper and Joey are coming soon, 722 vs 2 211's. They could just get a 222, and not have the DVR fee. Maybe they are on a budget, or maybe they just want the best and don't care what the monthly costs are.
I have a 722, and had a 222 when is signed up. If I had known I could have gotten 2 211's in place of the 222 for the same price, I would have gone that route. I had to sign a new 2 year agreement when I replaced the 222. Wish I had found this site first, and knew that the 222 would only give me HD on one T.V. and no DVR options like the 211's.

 

[Scherrman]

That is why I always tell people to go to a local retailer or at least do some research online. Calling the company when signing up is the biggest mistake people make.

 

[lstaud]

I am about to retire to Seneca, SC, and need to access TV and Internet via satellite. I am liking what I see offered by Dish TV and Dish Net Internet (a re-branding of Hughes Gen4 from what I am told). I would appreciate any suggestions and information you care to offer. Thx!

 

[Cold Irons]

Love my Dish for TV - I'd never go to cable for TV even if I had the option; however, I would only get internet via satellite if that were absolutely, no question the ONLY option. Even 3G Cell service is much better than satellite. Had Hughesnet for 2 years & would never go with it again....except if it is the only alternative to no internet at all. My 2 cents worth.....