Should i wait for the 211/411 before getting E* HD serivce?

aznxrice

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Jul 16, 2004
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also...since i need another dish to get my other locals..can i just tell them i want it and have the installer point it to the direction of 61.5/148?
 
aznxrice said:
also...since i need another dish to get my other locals..can i just tell them i want it and have the installer point it to the direction of 61.5/148?
If you live in an area where you can't get local OTA then you'll most likely need the new 411/211 model in order to be prepaired for the future. If you're considering the 811 bare in mind that the new mpeg4 version is about a month away from release. DVRs may not arrive for 6 months. My guess is that the main HD packages are not going to convert to mpeg4 any time soon. There just aren't enough mpeg4 receivers and DVRs to supply all current customers and dish would be burdoned with providing free or low cost solutions to avoid current customers from cancelling programming.

As far as the wing dish for your locals there's no reason to wait if you're in need of them now. If you're expecting HD locals then you'll have to wait until those channels become ready and you will most likely need the new receiver.
 
aznxrice: Last January, E* put in my 61.5 dish for free to pick up a few of my Washington, DC locals. I already have HD and therefore, I was able to activate VOOM on the first day it became available. I have legacy LNBFs and was able to get the installer to put in a SW64 - this permitted me to prewire for the 2nd tuner for the 942. When I was finally able to lease one, I installed it myself and shipped the old unit back to E*. The result: no installation visit or fee. So, free wing dish, free SW64 and no charge for self-install = no bad deal!

The moral of this story is: Get the wing dish for free while you can!

It is very popular with some to really knock old Charlie & E*, etc. but it must be kept in mind they are running a business and they are trying to keep rates down while showing a profit. D* has a customer retention problem - E*'s churn is much lower.

And the moral of this second story is: Learn the sysem and work it to your advantage. Old Charlie & E* are a bit slow to react at times, but they are the best of the bunch, IMHO.


--Doug
 
The 811 will be phased out Dec 15th and the 411 and 211vip will replace that model. Existing 811 owners may swap for a new unit if needed to receive the mpeg4 channels they're subscribed to.
 
jergenf said:
The 811 will be phased out Dec 15th and the 411 and 211vip will replace that model. Existing 811 owners may swap for a new unit if needed to receive the mpeg4 channels they're subscribed to.

and how does one discover if thats needed?
 
datwell said:
It is very popular with some to really knock old Charlie & E*, etc. but it must be kept in mind they are running a business and they are trying to keep rates down while showing a profit. D* has a customer retention problem - E*'s churn is much lower.
And the moral of this second story is: Learn the sysem and work it to your advantage. Old Charlie & E* are a bit slow to react at times, but they are the best of the bunch, IMHO.
--Doug

According to the most recent 10-Q's E* has a monthly churn of 1.86% while D* has a churn on 1.89%. I don't really see how three-hundreths of a percent can be characterized as much lower.
 
hdtvdeprived said:
Anybody know if the new boxes are going to be black? :)idea: ....hoping) ...anyone seen pictures?


Silver, least that = what the pic's are

Im just counting the days till i call E and tell em my 811 is screwed (it really is, it crashes on command!) and hope for a 211 :)
 
Any word if there will be a replacement for the 322 with this new batch of receivers? I was thinking about getting a 322 for the kids but I would not be happy if it is to be replaced shortly. I guess I can wait for the Charlie/Tech Chat this coming Monday (I assume there will be one) for possible receiver announcements.
 
RIRWIN1983 said:
and how does one discover if thats needed?
At some point in the future they will encode some HD channels in mpeg4. If that's a channel you want or need you'll be instructed by dish that an mpeg4 receiver is required or they won't enable it.

Most certainly would apply when dish starts providing HD locals. As far as HD in existing or future packages are concerned, who knows when. Eventually all HD and SD will be mpeg4 but that's years away.

PS: I stated that the 811 can be swapped for one of the new mpeg4 models. It might not be free and could cost $49.95. We'll have to wait until dish makes a formal announcement.
 
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It is expected that it will be at least several months before you will need an MPEG4 compatible receiver to receive all HD programming. Could be longer, as in 18 months or more. No one knows yet.
 
Now that we will need the 211 (see last night's Charlie Chat) do you think they will allow us to upgrade to the 211 free if we lease the 811 ? After all if they own the box, and I just pay lease payments on it shouldn't they upgrade it if I need the new box to subscribe to all HD content ?
 
I had an 811 and it always crashed on me too. I was on the lease program being a new customer and I just kept the 942. Nice unit but I never did like the 811. I hope the 211/411's are better.
 
WHat is the difference between the VIP211 and the 411? I was just on Dish's Tech Portal and they have a picture of the 411 but no description of either.

Also does any one know when they will be available from the 3rd party dealers?

Rich Dunklee
NR2D
 
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