I signed up for the 811 at the beginning of December, and it was installed the 20th. The rep I spoke with was from the techincal side of the operation, and he said that there were no required programming commitments of any kind, because of my status as an exclusive customer.
After the installer left, I was surprised to see that I was getting the HD package, even though I had never ordered it. When I called them, to see if I was getting some kind of a free preview, I was told that I had to subscribe to the HD pak to get the $149.00 price. I argued the point, was handed off to a supervisor, and she said that I had to agree to it to get the special receiver price, and that I had agreed to it when I signed the contract with the installer. She said to check the fine print.
I hung up and checked the paperwork, and there was no mention of any programming commitment of any kind. I called back and talked to a reasonable CSR. It seems as though the programming commitment changed after I signed up, so he was able to remove the package without penalty.
If you're signing up today, expect to commit to the HD pak for a year.
Scott