BACKGROUND:
I have been a Dish customer (through Embarq) since March 09. At our previous house, I used Cox cable (not offered at new house) and was able to use a home-brew DVR called GBPVR which runs on a computer I have connected into the HT system. Unfortunately, the homebrew system is pretty useless with Dish for a few reasons I won't go into here.
When I signed up, I chose the free-for-all option and bought a 322 receiver outright ($199 I think). We are currently on the Dish Family pack with locals and are getting two $5 credits per month. That makes our current bill $14.99/mo. The main reason I chose to do the free-for-all option is because I wanted to switch to the welcome pack and if you are under a contract, you cannot switch down to it from what I understand.
OBJECTIVE:
I would like to switch to a DVR-compatible receiver. I think the 625 is basically a 322 but with DVR capabilities, right? I am trying to find the most economical way to do this, and ideally I would like to have no incremental cost except the extra $5.98/mo lease fee. From browsing these forums, the options I see are:
(1) buy a 625 outright through Dish
(2) lease a 625 through Dish
(3) buy a used 625 on ebay
From what I understand all three options would cost $5.98/mo for the DVR fee. Is this correct?
With option #1, how much would it cost to buy a 625 outright through Dish?
With option #2, will I be under a commitment and unable to switch down to the welcome pack in the future? FYI - I seem to remember the Dish rep telling me that there are no more commitments after the first 6 mo on a free-for-all package. Also, how much would the lease fee be?
Thanks in advance!
I have been a Dish customer (through Embarq) since March 09. At our previous house, I used Cox cable (not offered at new house) and was able to use a home-brew DVR called GBPVR which runs on a computer I have connected into the HT system. Unfortunately, the homebrew system is pretty useless with Dish for a few reasons I won't go into here.
When I signed up, I chose the free-for-all option and bought a 322 receiver outright ($199 I think). We are currently on the Dish Family pack with locals and are getting two $5 credits per month. That makes our current bill $14.99/mo. The main reason I chose to do the free-for-all option is because I wanted to switch to the welcome pack and if you are under a contract, you cannot switch down to it from what I understand.
OBJECTIVE:
I would like to switch to a DVR-compatible receiver. I think the 625 is basically a 322 but with DVR capabilities, right? I am trying to find the most economical way to do this, and ideally I would like to have no incremental cost except the extra $5.98/mo lease fee. From browsing these forums, the options I see are:
(1) buy a 625 outright through Dish
(2) lease a 625 through Dish
(3) buy a used 625 on ebay
From what I understand all three options would cost $5.98/mo for the DVR fee. Is this correct?
With option #1, how much would it cost to buy a 625 outright through Dish?
With option #2, will I be under a commitment and unable to switch down to the welcome pack in the future? FYI - I seem to remember the Dish rep telling me that there are no more commitments after the first 6 mo on a free-for-all package. Also, how much would the lease fee be?
Thanks in advance!