Sorry if this is a little off-topic, but I have never really understood why anyone would want to own their own Dish receivers and this hard drive issue (not to mention the frequent HDD failure rate mentioned) would seem to be yet another argument against it. I'm not saying it is a bad idea or anything and I'm sure there are good reasons, I just don't understand the logic.
abilty to upgrade hard driver size,
my 522s miraclously became 625s, no contract, no need to return any receivers, i sell my used ones. with E they charge you a non refundable upgrade fee, and lock you in a contract.
if you buy right, thats not retail pricing you can come close or even pay less for a receiver than the upgrade fee. e bay with caution or a friendly retailer
plus I enjoy upgrading rewiring replacing dishes etc. so no install visit needed. and no missing time from work waiting for the installer.
all of this helps keep up my knowledge and skills about satellite tv
if they make me lease I will no longer be a customer!