Equipment Help Needed

[sjswing]

My Wife and I are going to be going through dish network for satelitte. We have been looking at Sat. receivers on Ebay and are noticing some come with a smartcard and some do not. Is there a reason to have one with a smart card? Is there anything I should be worried about such as Card Rom and Div #? What kind of dish should we go with? I have noticed several different kinds. We are just looking for the basic setup....We don't need anything special for HD or DVR. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[papalittle]

The receivers with cards are old models, newer models have on board smart cards, meaning they are integrated on the main board inside the receiver.

 

[sjswing]

Papa. are there any advantages to having a newer then a older system? The revision on the cards, is that something also to be worried about? THanks

 

[Hall]

Why not go directly through Dish for your equipment ? It will be the lowest-cost up-front option. If you prefer to own your equipment (if you go through Dish, you'll be leasing), go to a local retailer who will sell you hardware (expect to pay a couple hundred dollars) plus will charge you for installation. A "basic" setup for (2) TVs will cost about $100/ea for (2) separate recievers or ~$140 for a dual-tuner receiver. The dish itself will be under $100.

 

[osu1991]

Get the receiver and smartcard numbers (R00 and S00) before you bid or buy and call dish to make sure the receivers are not previously leased or have a balance owed on them. It is usually better as a new customer to just go through DISH or a retailer to get the install and new equipment.

 

[sjswing]

I think everyone has answered the questions that I have....I greatly appreciate the help from everyone.....Just got done setting everything up through dish. Probably was cheaper going this way. Thanks