Thinking of Switching to Direct

[Conner65]

I have been with Dish for 7 years and I have about had it. I like the 622 and the Voom channels but I do credit card auto pay and they have acted like it is their own personal ATM. Their customer service has gone to crap and I figured with D* geting all this HD content now would be a great time. My contract is up in November. I need 2 hd pvr's and I know a great installer for D*. Should I wait until I can get a deal on the new HD DVR? I know nothing of D* HD PVR's and I have not had a good initial impression of their customer service however Dish's customer service is at an all time low. Anyone with any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ScoBuck]

Go for it - the deals on HD IRDS have been pretty much the same for while I think - first one free, add'l are $99 IIRC.

 

[Indiana627]

I've been with D* since Jan 03 and don't have one complaint. I have an HR20 HD DVR and love it. I had the Tivo based HD unit before that, so I've got something decent to compare the HR20 to. I've gotten numerous free receivers from them. In fact both my old HR10 (the Tivo based DVR) and my current HR20 I got free. No complaints with their CSRs. Since I visit these type forums so often, I usually know more than them though! And it's nice to speak to someone that English is their first language!

Since I've never been with E*, I can't compare their DVRs/CSRs to D*, but I have no reason to not recommend D* to anyone. And all the new HD is great!

Maybe if you have specific questions, you may get some more detailed responses.

 

[Conner65]

Can you hook and external hard drive to the HD DVR?

 

[Conner65]

How hard is it to get DNS in HD?

 

[rad]

Yes, you can connect an external eSATA drive to the HR20. It totally replaces the internal drive and any series links and other settings would have to be reentered for the new external drive.

 

[Conner65]

So I can't use both hard drives like on the 622 I have now.

 

[rad]

Not at the same time, but then again D* doesn't charge an enabling fee to allow external drives.

 

[Conner65]

Do you lose any of the DVR's fuctionality using the external drive?

 

[rad]

No, functions the same, you might want to review eSATA - Has been enabled, but.... - DBSTalk.Com for the discussion on this.

 

[Indiana627]

How hard is it to get DNS in HD?

I can't speak about DNS since I don't need it and never went through the process. What DMA are you in? Does D* already offer your locals in HD? Here's a link to check locals availability: DIRECTV - Local Channels

There's also a link to the DNS on the page.

 

[Conner65]

I get DNS in Helen GA and my ATL stations in HD. Direct says I only can get ATL in HD. If I "move" is it possible to get east and west in HD. I have been getting both for years. The west coast feed would be the hardest to give up if I switch to D*