Dish Network HD for exisiting subs

[Stewrock]

Has anyone heard anything regarding Dish improving their HD offer to existing customers? I have the DISH Player-DVR 625/522 (2 tuner/2 DVR) connected to two TVs and want to upgrade (i.e. give Dish more money) to HD - as best I can tell, the 942 would be the comparable replacement. After 3 different calls, the only offer Dish has for current subs is a single HD tuner and a single standard receiver without DVR on either - not a sacrifice I'm willing to make. The 942 is only being offered to new customers and Dish tells me I have have to purchase the 942 for $700 (I know I can find it for closer to $500, but still not acceptable). If they were willing to lease me the 942, I would take it, but the reviews of the 942 that I've read aren't exactly stellar (see CNet.com), and I don't have much interest owning (v. leasing) a box without much of a track record.
So, any word on an improved offering (I read the post re: ViP622 - will it be offered to existing subs)? The moral is that I will suck it up and take two boxes (1 HD, 1 not), but I want DVR on both.

 

[hdtvdeprived]

If you bug the executive office enough at ceo@echostar.com sometime in life you'll get a phone call letting you lease the 942 for $250, 1-year commit $5 lease fee, etc... Otherwise it's the 811 for $100 to add on/upgrade.

It's probably worth the extra $150 to bypass the headaches of having an 811 sitting next to your 625 and juggling between HD and composite inputs.

 

[NoWhrMn]

I just did the whole email to ceo@echostar.com and with in four hours had a phone call with the upgrade offer of $250 and commitment. The only difference for me as far as price is concerned is that I now will be subscribing to the HD package from Dish. 942 should be here soon....:

 

[gust334]

existing customer buying 942?

The 942 is only being offered to new customers and Dish tells me I have have to purchase the 942 for $700 (I know I can find it for closer to $500, but still not acceptable)

I couldn't even get that far. I spent two hours on the phone with E* trying to BUY a model 942, and they told me that as an existing customer they would have to charge me not only the $700 MSRP for the receiver, but an additional $100 for installation even though I was going to plug it in myself.
At the time, I was totally willing to pay them MSRP, but they wouldn't sell it to me without the obligatory installation fee (which is nowhere disclosed on their web site, BTW).
OTOH, now that I found this web site and learned about the impending MPEG2/4 change and that some existing customers can LEASE a 942 instead of buying one, maybe it was a good thing that I couldn't buy it at the time. If I do buy one, it would be from one of this site's sponsors.