Dish Network HD 811 switch

[smokey847]

I have been "leasing" an HD 811 receiver from DISH Network for the past 2 years, costing me $5.00 extra dollars a month. I figured I could alleviate this expense if I would just buy one. The new ones are quite pricey; however, I have found the exact one that I already have on eBay for a price I would be willing to pay.

My question is:

Should it just be a matter of me plugging everything up and letting the new one configure on its own for me to get broadcast? Or would I have to have somebody come out and hook it up? Thanks.

 

[RandallA]

You will still pay the $5.00 even if you own the receiver. The fee has a different name but it's still the same $5.00 plus all HD is MPEG4 now so you'll need a ViP receiver to get the HD channels.

 

[mdonnelly]

1. The 811 receiver is obsolete. It won't get any HD channels from Dish. All Dish HD channels are now encoded in MPEG-4 format, and the 811 is only capable of decoding MPEG-2 signals.

2. You wouldn't save any money by buying a receiver over leasing the receiver. They would charge you an "Additional Receiver" fee, instead of the "Leased Receiver" fee. It's a wash.

3. If you only want it for OTA HD, it will work fine, as long as the receiver sees a Dish satellite via the coax input. You would need to follow the instructions in the manual (available online at the Dish website) to scan for local digital OTA channels.

 

[smokey847]

I don't use the unit for HD channels, nor do I subscribe to them. I once did, but don't watch satellite all that much in the room this is in. It's a "home theater" we converted our bonus room into and is moreso utilized for DVD's. The reason I like the 811 is that it has 2 inputs on the back of it which you can tune to special "back input" channels on the Dish. This keeps me from having to run long additional wires because the television and audio equipment are in two different locations. Since I don't subscribe to anything "HD," would I still have this spontaneous monthly fee you all speak of?

 

[hokiecb]

Yes you would have the spontaneous monthly fee.