* Note - Do Not Call For Mpeg4 UNTIL FEB 1ST*

[Minsk1]

That's kind of unfair to be adding new channels on 2/1 but not upgrading until 2/1 as well. I'd like to have my equipment in my home on 2/1 so I can see the channels when they get turned on

Agree, this so called "Dish Mpeg4 plan" is sinking fast. At least for me. First, they conviniently:devil: inroduced "1 Mpeg4 HD receiver upgrade per account" restriction. Now another restriction: Do not call us until Feb. 1.:devil:
Wow, fiasco...

 

[NightRyder]

Agree, this so called "Dish Mpeg4 plan" is sinking fast. At least for me. First, they conviniently:devil: inroduced "1 Mpeg4 HD receiver upgrade per account" restriction. Now another restriction: Do not call us until Feb. 1.:devil:
Wow, fiasco...

Typical Dish. Take what could be an opportunity to enhance their reputation and build customer loyalty and use it to F*ck over some of their best subscribers, then they pour salt in the wound by raising rates and fees at the same time.

 

[KenSoren]

Personaly, I am going to wait until April 1st and see what actually happens. I think Dish is planning their upgrade path and making their rules up on the fly, so who knows what we will find actually happening on February 1st and April 1st. Maybe Dish choosing April 1st - April Fools Day - as one of their launch dates has some hidden meaning to it
I visited the Direct TV forum and checked their posts out a couple of days ago and found what looked like the same type of dissatisfaction there. I will probably stay with Dish but I will wait until the dust clears the first week of April, see what is actually offered, and make my mind up then:

 

[RandallA]

Dish is on a roll for the last few months:

- HD Lite for the Voom channels.
- DVR and programming fees go up.
- Remove Lifetime and OLN (Might not be all their fault).
- Release new HD channels in MPG4 when almost no one has an MPG4 receiver.
- Now the upgrade path to this new receivers is all screwed up where you can only do 1 receiver. Possibly because they don't have enough MPG4 receivers for all of us but that is just a plain stupid business strategy to release channels in MPG4 when they don't have the equipment ready for all subscribers.

 

[kokomogator]

You've been with DISH how long?

Now that's funny!
As a customer service manager at a Fortune 1000 company, it never ceases to amaze me that Dish CSR's are never trained or informed of major changes that impact their company!!!!!:devil:

 

[waltinvt]

I have just updated the title of this thread as I have just received an email from Marc Lumpkin telling me consumers should not be calling in to upgrade to MPEG4 until Febrauary 1st or later.

Seems like they should have mentioned this on the chat instead of making it sound like this offer (and channels) were available now.

THE CSR'S STILL HAVE NO INFO ON THIS UPGRADE!

"Sound" nothing - Charlie said they were available now.

 

[John Kotches]

So I have two HDTV sets in my house and I want to goto an HD DVR when Dish goes MPEG-4, but I can only upgrade one time.

From the sound of things, I'm better off using my one time upgrade on the 622 and just buying a ViP211.

What happens when I want to add a 2nd HD-DVR to the system?

Cheers,

 

[jerryez]

My dealer says it could be two months before he gets any 211's. He has 411's. Two months is not Feb 1st

 

[rdinkel]

Take the 411. It will work the same.

 

[BobMurdoch]

This is my feeling as well.

Charlie, there's still time to change course...... Change the Mpeg4 headers to Mpeg2.... Call it a Mpeg4 preview...... Run tickers or commercials occasionally that say on 4/15 they will only be available to those subscribers with Mpeg4 receivers ...... This way you cut down on the volume of the angry mob that want the channels you offer, but can't deliver to them yet.....

It's like Apple selling Itunes before the IPods were ready...... We applaud the beginning of the transition, but think your transition plan sux......

Hey don't feel bad.... Microsoft did the same thing with the Xbox360.... Built up demand and then couldn't deliver the supply. Lots of angry shoppers swearing to switch to Sony because of the botched launch.....

Hey, instead of scaring the D* folks and the wireheads, you've merely provided them a marketing opportunity. Sign the deal with Lifetime already, that isn't helping matters.... 76% made it sound like they were charging $1 already and it was going up .76..... Now we hear that the increase is only 4 cents (no wonder you converted it to the $1 for "illustrative purposes"... telling the women that you killed their shows over a nickel would just make them crankier)... It's time to put your guys in a room and not let them out until a deal is made......

 

[Horsnuts]

I have two HDTV's right now, an 811, and a 508. My plan is to upgrade the 508 to a 622. That way I still have a DVR, and now i'll have HD on both of my T.V.'s, I just won't have SOME of the HD channels on one. I'll upgrade the 811 later. I figure this will be best for my situation.

 

[rdinkel]

I have two HDTV's right now, an 811, and a 508. My plan is to upgrade the 508 to a 622. That way I still have a DVR, and now i'll have HD on both of my T.V.'s, I just won't have SOME of the HD channels on one. I'll upgrade the 811 later. I figure this will be best for my situation.

508 is SD not HD.

 

[ggw2000]

Didn't say it was...

508 is SD not HD.

He said he had two HD TVs not boxes. I'm sure he knows a 508 is not a HD receiver! I think his plan is great but will cost him $299 going from an SD box to a HD box I believe.. Gerry

 

[rthomp03]

I have two HDTV's right now, an 811, and a 508. My plan is to upgrade the 508 to a 622. That way I still have a DVR, and now i'll have HD on both of my T.V.'s, I just won't have SOME of the HD channels on one. I'll upgrade the 811 later. I figure this will be best for my situation.

I have the same receiver config along with a 301. I'll probably upgrade the 301 since the rest of the family could never give up the DVR on the SD TV.

 

[ksload]

I called tonight to find out how much it would cost me to get out of my current contract and they told me $10 a month for the remaining months.

They also told me that the HD receivers wouldn't be available until March or April and that they had no knowledge of upgrades.

For this they get JD Powers #1 rating for cable/satellite providers? Come on.

 

[SatinKzo]

I am really beginning to think if you want a to gurantee a 211 you need to buy one outright and wait for the 622 upgrade down the road. I have seen only 1 report of a person getting a 211 with the upgrade.

 

[rdinkel]

He said he had two HD TVs not boxes. I'm sure he knows a 508 is not a HD receiver! I think his plan is great but will cost him $299 going from an SD box to a HD box I believe.. Gerry

My bad. I read it too fast. Sorry. Bob

 

[dishcomm]

I am not so sure we can upgrade if we lease and have had Dish for less than a year. I will not have Dish for a year until May, and have been told by others that Dish will not upgrade any leased equipment until your one year anniversary. Does anyone know if this is the case ? I think they should let us upgrade sooner since it is to get new programming. Does anyone know the policy for us leasers that have less than one year on Dish ?

I believe Dish will waive the one year requirement for HD upgrades...JMO..After all, it is Dish that is feeding new channels in a different fromat..Why would they not want their subs to have the ability to subscribe to more services.....

 

[dishcomm]

What abou t my local dish retailer will he do swaps or is thru DISH ONLY?
thanks
Trido

With swap out/ upgrade promos typicaly Dish allows retailers to do these for customers the retailer sold to only..in other words if you got your system from retailer "A" ..the he can do your upgrade...If not, the cust must go through dish...

 

[Foxbat]

It's like Apple selling Itunes before the IPods were ready...... We applaud the beginning of the transition, but think your transition plan sux......

Apple never "sold" iTunes; it is a freely downloadable program and fully useable without an iPod. And anyway, every iPod comes with iTunes on CD.

Since you brought up Apple, I see a parallel between Dish's HD plans and Apple's Intel Macs. I bought a DVR 942 last spring, knowing that MPEG-4 was coming. I was able to lessen the blow by trading in some older receivers, but it was just the most recent expense with my Dish habit. Based on past practices, I expect Dish to announce that at some time in the future MPEG-2 HD receivers won't be able to receive HD programming (years down the road, I hope.) Remember the 5000? So, "my" DVR 942 has value to me that I would like to preserve. If I can get a ViP622 for $99 in April and keep the 942, I would be happy. My 811 cost me $149 two years ago, so trading it in on a ViP211 for $49 wouldn't kill me.

Apple is moving to the Intel Core Duo processor in the new iMac Duo desktop and MacBook Pro notebook. The new machines will be able to run all the old software (Rosetta) but the writing is on the wall: at some point, the PowerPC support will end, much as it did with the Motorola 68K processors that powered the original Macs. Of course, any exisiting programs you own on an obsolete Mac will still run (the old Mac IIci still fires up and runs Lotus 1-2-3!) even if you can't buy new stuff. I expect a DVR 942 would still work as a DVR 522/625 equivalent as well, even though you'd be missing out on the new DishHD package.

To their credit, I think Apple has a better handle on their migration plans Jobs annouced that by the end of 2006, the entire Mac line would be revamped with Intel chips. Dish has been working on bringing us more HD programming for years and the new ViP series may actually have a useable service life that can be safely expressed in years. I hope the Ethernet port can be used to share DVR content between receivers on the subscriber's account as well as receive content via the Internet and networked home computers.