Welcome Pack + 211k + OTA question

[davidl340]

Just downgraded to a 211k (purchased outright) with the Welcome Pack and the hard drive option. I have read some other threads on this subject, but they are kind of old and I wonder what the latest is.

1st question:
My locals are not available in HD like they used to be (non OTA) and dish does carry them in HD. One place I read says this is expected, another says it you should still have local HD's. What is right?

2nd question:
Can I cancel locals on the Welcome pack and get any discount? If the answer is Yes, will the guide still show local OTA stations via my antenna or will they just say "digital content"

3rd question:
Is there anyway to get my local OTA HD channels to have information in the channel guide (so I can DVR them), right now all they say is "digital content"

Thanks
David

 

[MikeD-C05]

1. IF DISH carries your locals in HD , you should still get them in hd with the Welcome pack. My aunt has welcome pack and her locals are in hd.

2. No discount and you can't cancel just locals. All basic programming packs require locals now.

3. IF your locals are on the satellite , you should get ota information for your ota locals.

I would suggest you run a check switch and let your receiver download the guide. Also you need to make sure that you have the proper satellites in your matrix to be able to get your hd locals. For instance my Sd local versions are on 110 sat and I have eastern arc dish: 72.7/77/61.5 sats. My HD local versions are on 61.5 sat. So if you have a dish 500 and not the dish 1000.2 or 1000.4 satellite dishes you will only get Sd locals unless your hd locals are on 119 or 110 sats. You should call DISH and clarify where your hd locals are located and if you have the right sat dish . Also make sure that they have the 211k enabled to get HD. I can remember when I first got my 211k they didn't have the hd enabled and I only got sd till I called and got them to enable it.

 

[RONZ]

Help the 211K requires a external HDMI tuner in order to get locals. Once installed you must run a check switch. The turner is available at Solid Signal for about 30 dollars It comes with all cables

 

[lucky86]

It's a USB Ota tuner, not HDMI.

 

[the mack]

Help the 211K requires a external HDMI tuner in order to get locals. Once installed you must run a check switch. The turner is available at Solid Signal for about 30 dollars It comes with all cables

As discussed before the 211k HAS a built in OTA module, NO dongle/module is required.

The 211Z DOES NOT have a built in module and requires the same dongle/module as the hopper does.

 

[lucky86]

Guess i read the K as a Z.

 

[Bobby]

That's OK Lucky, it's early on a Sunday morning!

 

[RONZ]

Guess i read the K as a Z.

Are you sure ?

 

[lucky86]

Pretty sure. If I had noticed the K I would have said the ota module was internal and then I would have ask what an HDMI module is.

 

[Bobby]

Absolutely correct, the 211K has a built in OTA tuner and the Z needs the OTA USB dongle... I owned a 211K and it had the tuner. My neighbor has 2-211s and one 211K, all three have built in OTA tuners....

 

[Mr Tony]

Are you sure ?

yup. I had a 211k when I had Dish...actually on same program as the OP
Welcome Pack with "moved" locals
OTA plugged in for my actual locals
DVR hooked up to record 1 OTA & 1 sat program at same time

 

[davidl340]

Ya, the K definitely has the OTA tuner built in, lots of confusion on the web about that. I almost bought a Z until I found out about it. From what I can tell it isn't even a module, it is permanently built in.

Did a switch check and re-downloaded the guide. Still no HD locals and I know my vip922 received them a couple days ago on the same dish. Must be a programming thing.

Also, noticed I can 'uncheck' locals online when looking at my programming and the price drops, but haven't tried 'saving' it yet as I don't want to loose the ability to DVR locals (PBS in particular for the kids). I bet if I try to save, it will tell me I can't.

 

[Mr Tony]

When you switched to the 211k did you also downgrade to the Welcome Pack?

If so there is a code that needs to be put on the account to get locals in HD

 

[davidl340]

I downgraded to the Welcome pack about 2 weeks before I got the 211k, but I did not check if I still had HD locals till after I got the 211k (durp, just didn't think to look). Wonder what the chances of getting a rep on the phone that would have any idea what I'm talking about.

 

[Mr Tony]

I personally would send a PM to DIRT. (Dish Internet Response Team)

I see Matt is online right now. Send him a PM
http://www.satelliteguys.us/private.php?do=newpm&u=162833

explaining the situation and he can fix it rather quickly. I also notified the DIRT team to check this thread out. Dont bother calling Dish...you'll have as much hair as I do after talking to them

 

[MikeD-C05]

When you switched to the 211k did you also downgrade to the Welcome Pack?

If so there is a code that needs to be put on the account to get locals in HD

Yep , that is what I told him too earlier. When you first get the 211k and downgrade to the Welcome pack you have to get DISH to enable the HD part or you will get nothing but SD. I had this happen with my aunt on my third account and had to call the DISH techs to enable HD ,because the regular csrs were clueless as usual.

 

[the mack]

Seems whenever they activate/re-activate a receiver the HD is missing until you contact them to correct it. at least in my experience.

 

[SomeDishGuy]

Yep , that is what I told him too earlier. When you first get the 211k and downgrade to the Welcome pack you have to get DISH to enable the HD part or you will get nothing but SD. I had this happen with my aunt on my third account and had to call the DISH techs to enable HD ,because the regular csrs were clueless as usual.

I wish I could say you guys are right, but I am telling you, if you have the Welcome Pack, there is NOTHING we can tag on the account to make sure you get HD locals. Honestly, NOTHING. They're there automatically (if available in that DMA and the antenna is aimed at the arc that has HD locals for that DMA)

Feel free to call me a clueless CSR, although I'm not a CSR and I'm not clueless about this. When a customer moves down from an AT package to the Welcome Pack or Smart Pack, if they had HD120 (or HD200 or HD250), either the $10/mo or the HDFFL on the account, the HD programming tag disappears. There is no tag to add for Welcome Pack or Smart Pack. If that customer originally had HDFFL, the HDFFL tag will stay on the account for if/when that customer upgrades back to an AT package (or Dish America). But the HDFFL tag does not affect programming at all.

I have, over the years, talked to many customers who lost much of their HD accidentally, when an agent upgraded or downgraded them in the AT packages and forgot to add the new tag. Example, going from AT250/HD250 down to AT200, and the CSR did not add back the HD200 tag after removing the HD250 tag. That person would get "limited HD", local channels, and a select number of non-locals in HD. No tag on the account to cause or prevent this.

Summary:
Welcome Pack: Automatically has limited HD, locals and a few non-locals. No way to change this
Smart Pack: (same as Welcome Pack)
Dish America: Automatically has HD. No way to change this
AT120/AT200/AT250: HD two ways: With no HD120/HD200/HD250 tag, the customer will get limited HD (locals and a few non-locals). If there is a HD120/HD200/HD250, cust will get full HD. HDFFL tag has no bearing on this, it's a place holder/reminder that makes sure when/if a HD120/HD200/HD250 tag is applied, that the customer is not charged $10/mo for it.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Okay, I know nothing about what I am talking about. I've only had DISH for going on 17 years next month and have had 4 accounts in my name at one time and have had 3 211ks in my time with them . Two of them in the last two years that I have had to call and get them to enable HD on . They actually said SD after the receiver numbers till I called to get the techs to enable them for HD so I could get my HD locals or anything in hd . Now the rest of the welcome pack is in Sd but you will get the other hd channels in free view for that month. Now unless DISH has changed this since I last activated a 211k last year, that is how it worked. But it would not surprise me if the DISH csrs still don't know anything about the technical part about the receiver. GOD knows I have talked to quite a lot of them that are clueless.

 

[Tampa8]

I wish I could say you guys are right, but I am telling you, if you have the Welcome Pack, there is NOTHING we can tag on the account to make sure you get HD locals. Honestly, NOTHING. They're there automatically (if available in that DMA and the antenna is aimed at the arc that has HD locals for that DMA)

Feel free to call me a clueless CSR, although I'm not a CSR and I'm not clueless about this. When a customer moves down from an AT package to the Welcome Pack or Smart Pack, if they had HD120 (or HD200 or HD250), either the $10/mo or the HDFFL on the account, the HD programming tag disappears. There is no tag to add for Welcome Pack or Smart Pack. If that customer originally had HDFFL, the HDFFL tag will stay on the account for if/when that customer upgrades back to an AT package (or Dish America). But the HDFFL tag does not affect programming at all.

I have, over the years, talked to many customers who lost much of their HD accidentally, when an agent upgraded or downgraded them in the AT packages and forgot to add the new tag. Example, going from AT250/HD250 down to AT200, and the CSR did not add back the HD200 tag after removing the HD250 tag. That person would get "limited HD", local channels, and a select number of non-locals in HD. No tag on the account to cause or prevent this.

Summary:
Welcome Pack: Automatically has limited HD, locals and a few non-locals. No way to change this
Smart Pack: (same as Welcome Pack)
Dish America: Automatically has HD. No way to change this
AT120/AT200/AT250: HD two ways: With no HD120/HD200/HD250 tag, the customer will get limited HD (locals and a few non-locals). If there is a HD120/HD200/HD250, cust will get full HD. HDFFL tag has no bearing on this, it's a place holder/reminder that makes sure when/if a HD120/HD200/HD250 tag is applied, that the customer is not charged $10/mo for it.

Here's why it's hard to believe what you are saying is in fact true.

1. Both Iceberg and MikeD-C05 say it is not.

2. There have been many posts of people who downgraded from AT to the Welcome package or Smart package, and if what you say is true, there should have been many more complaints about this.

If within the very recent past something has changed, perhaps you could be correct. But short of that, I don't believe it.

3. We were told that it was by design you could not watch recorded programming from freeview periods if you now do not subscribe. When the Hopper first came out that was exactly what was happening. I did not buy it and you can look back I (and a few others) immediately challenged it even though the DIRT response was they were being told it is by design. Partly because there were a few who it did not happen to, and partly because it made no sense of course we were right, it was a programming problem that got fixed.

After all these years here and at even earlier forums, I know it is a fact many posters here have more knowledge and reason out problems better than anyone who gives answers from DISH, with DIRT being and exception. DIRT is sometimes handcuffed because even when they do research they can be given wrong info that they can not confirm themselves. But they do give usually very solid answers.

So in summary, I am betting getting HD in this case is very possible.