Switching to Dish: Newb advice please

[Kizr Sozai]

Hello everyone. I've done some searching on the site, but everybody seems to be so nice to newbs when they ask questions, even if they've been answered before (no "search the forums dummy!" responses that I can see), that I thought I'd go ahead and throw it out there.

I'm switching to Dish. I have 1 HD and 1 SD, not planning to change this for at least 2-3 years.


Questions:

Do I really need the slingloader? I don't care about all that space and I don't need to watching things on mobile devices. I have the best HD DVR right now for Direct and it has enough space for me...pretty sure the 722 has more space even than I already have.


How does the DVR work when 1 TV is HD and one is SD? Do I need to record in both HD and SD in case I want to watch the show on the SD tv?

I have only 1 cable line, no phone/internet lines near my TVs. House has wifi. Do I need multiple lines into the same box to record while I watch?

Apparently if I go with the Duo Vip 722 I have but one box for 2 TVs. The TVS are pretty far apart in 3400 sq. foot 2 story house. Is that a problem?

I remember while reading another post something about calling the Dish Store and asking for some guy by name instead of calling Dish directly to set this up. Can somebody tell me why I should, and what's his name again? Can't find that post.

Should I rent or buy the box?

To get the best deals, I need a contract, right? If I want to leave before it is up do I just pay back the discounts I got or are the fees above and beyond that?


I know it is a lot of questions. Thank you so much in advance for your help.

 

[Scherrman]

The 722k receiver should work just perfect for you. A single cable from the Dish to the receiver is all you need. You'll want the receiver close to the HDTV so you can hook it up with an HDMI cable. As for the second TV, you'll need a cable from the receiver to that TV somehow. If you have a newer home, or had cable, you should have cables run to any room that would ever have a TV in it.

You'll be able to record 2 shows at the same time, doesn't matter if they are both HD or SD. If you record a show in HD you'll be able to watch it in HD on your HDTV. You can watch that same show on your second TV but it will only display it in SD.

If you have an antenna I would strongly suggest getting the OTA module for the receiver so you can record OTA channels also. That would allow you to record even more programs at the same time. This should cover a lot of your questions.

 

[KAB]

Avoiding a 2 year contract is about the only reason for purchasing instead of leasing. You would also have to pay an activation fee as well. If you do go with a contract (activation fee waived), and you cancel, there is a per month charge for the months remaining on the contract. It used to be about $13 per but I believe it has gone up some since the February price increases.

 

[Scherrman]

The cancelation fee will be equal to or lesser than $420 or $17.50 for every month left on your contract. That may sound bad, but I would still do the 24 month commitment. If you decline the contract then you must pay a $99 activation fee.