Gains and Losses if I switch from Direct to DISH

[Snoozer]

I'm thinking about switching to DISH from Direct next week and I've tried doing most of my homework by myself. I want to get the America's top 250 with 2 Hoppers and the Sling Adapter but I still have a few unanswered questions and would appreciate any feedback from knowledgeable members.

1. Does DISH guarantee their prices for any specific time? I know they plan on raising their rates soon, so what happens if rates
change a week after I sign up? Does anyone know what what price changes would affect my setup?

2. If I don't use the Prime Time feature on the 2nd hopper how many programs can it record?

3. What programs would I lose that I already get on Direct and what programs would I gain on DISH? (tried figuring this
out by myself and got totally confused cause programing lists on both sites were all screwed up)

4. Will the Sling Adapter allow me to stream live programing and recorded programs from my hopper at home to my cabin if I
have a wireless router at the cabin? If so, any suggestions on getting programing from my computer to the TV?

Thanks in advance for the help


Snoozer

 

[mike123abc]

1. In the past the price goes up as the price changes happen. As a new sub you get $X off the price per month so when the price changes your bill changes. This time around it looks like they may be putting in a price protection plan, but details are scarce

2. Hopper records 3 programs at once unless using PTAT

3. Best to to find out which package the channels you watch are in

4. if you have enough internet bandwidth.

 

[3HaloODST]

1. No price guarantee. Your bill will go up $5.

2. With PTAT disabled each Hopper can record 3 sat feeds. If you have OTA you can add an OTA tuner to each Hopper for up to two more OTA feeds.

3. Don't know. You should be getting most (if not all) of the channels that you had before.

4. Sling Adapter can stream to any PC connected to the Internet as well as iPhone/iPad and Android phones. Depending on the TV type and graphics card in the computer you can connect the TV via S-video, VGA, DVI or HDMI.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Forum Runner

 

[mdavej]

3. THIS is a good chart for comparison. I gained a ton of HD channels when I switched from DirecTV to Dish, somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 channels. DirecTV has since added a handful, but still nowhere close to Dish (not counting sports).

 

[mike123abc]

It is not just about the channel count, it is about the channels one watches. If all the channels you watch are in AT120, you could save some bucks not going all the way to AT250.

 

[Mojo Jojo]

DirecTV channel lineup card:

http://www.att.com/Common/PDF/DIRECTV_English_Channel_Lineup.pdf

Dish channel lineup cards:

http://www.mydish.com/programmingguides/

(Just to add to what is said above: You may save money with a la carte, lower packages, Dish Latino packs, etc. However, you may start with AT250 and downgrade to a lower pack that meets the minimum package required by contract after your first year if you want to or have to save money.)

Dish pricing calculator:
http://commercial.dish.com/calculator/default.aspx

 

[Tampa8]

3. THIS is a good chart for comparison. I gained a ton of HD channels when I switched from DirecTV to Dish, somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 channels. DirecTV has since added a handful, but still nowhere close to Dish (not counting sports).

And apparently four more coming - WE, Sundance, Fuse, and IFC. Good point though, it's about what channels you will watch not so much how many.

 

[satjay]

Take a look at why you want to switch, take a look at programming you like and the technology as well. Both have some differences. Just as there are Direct subs that had Dish, there are some as well on this side that have switched from Direct and have enjoyed it

 

[Snoozer]

1. In the past the price goes up as the price changes happen. As a new sub you get $X off the price per month so when the price changes your bill changes. This time around it looks like they may be putting in a price protection plan, but details are scarce

Would it make more sense for me to wait until the new rates come out if it includes a "price protection" plan? Does anyone know what the new rate schedule will be? I guess signing up before or after the new rates go into effect would depend on how much the individual services rate increase would be. i.e. programing - DVR - Hopper - Sling -

 

[StanUbankit]

I'm switching from Direct back to Dish, Hopper install scheduled for 1/10. My contract with Direct is up on the 13th of this month and I wanted to accomplish two things: reduce my monthly bill and have more tuners than the hr24 so I can stop using my Dish Pal DTV DVR and have all recordings on one dvr (Direct would upgrade me to the hr34 at no cost, but wouldn't offer any programming discounts). Monthly bill will average about $24 less over the 2 year contract with Dish (because of "new" customer discounts of $25/mo for the first twelve months, and because my Direct discounts will end this month). The hopper will allow me to have 4 tuners, with the ota add-on. (Does anyone know if the installers may carry the ota device with them, or will I need to order it from Dish after the install?). I will lose one "viewed" channel (DIY) by going with the AT200 pack as compared to my current Direct package (think it's Choice xtra) but that's not a deal breaker.

 

[Dishman1978]

I'm switching from Direct back to Dish, Hopper install scheduled for 1/10. My contract with Direct is up on the 13th of this month and I wanted to accomplish two things: reduce my monthly bill and have more tuners than the hr24 so I can stop using my Dish Pal DTV DVR and have all recordings on one dvr (Direct would upgrade me to the hr34 at no cost, but wouldn't offer any programming discounts). Monthly bill will average about $24 less over the 2 year contract with Dish (because of "new" customer discounts of $25/mo for the first twelve months, and because my Direct discounts will end this month). The hopper will allow me to have 4 tuners, with the ota add-on. (Does anyone know if the installers may carry the ota device with them, or will I need to order it from Dish after the install?). I will lose one "viewed" channel (DIY) by going with the AT200 pack as compared to my current Direct package (think it's Choice xtra) but that's not a deal breaker.

If you wait a few there is a new and improved reciever being released. You should look into that.

 

[StanUbankit]

If you wait a few there is a new and improved reciever being released. You should look into that.

I guess this will be coming "soon"..... yeah, I had noticed that on the horizon but I can live with the current model, it will serve my needs.

 

[3HaloODST]

The new Hopper will arrive on the 17th. I would wait at least until then if I were you.

 

[dare2be]

Would it make more sense for me to wait until the new rates come out if it includes a "price protection" plan?

From what I read on here, it sounds like the only ones eligible for the price protection plan will be the ones who sign up before the new prices go into effect (next week?).

 

[Snoozer]

I'm really confused now, especially with the new hopper coming out and the new price increases. So far here's what they offered: AT250 $69.99 (-$30 for 12 mo) $10 DVR fee for the 2nd Hopper $7 for 2nd Hopper. That's $56.99 for 1st 12 mo plus $99 for 2nd Hopper and they're offering the sling advantage for free Any ideas on the following questions?

1. Do I wait and risk a substantial price increse that would wipe out any savings I could realize if I signed up before the 17th?

2. Would they even allow me to get a 2nd Hopper and if so which model and for what price?

3. If I had to get 2 different models would they even be able to "talk" to each other?

 

[3HaloODST]

The $69.99 is the old price. The new pricing will be $74.99. If you sign up by the 16th then you will qualify for the temporary price protection. The $30 off is your typical new subscriber discount. That probably won't change. So it's up to you. Do you need the Hopper Transfers option or are you willing to go with the "old" Hopper for the extra $5 a month off?

Unsure about the initial lease fees though. You can lease 2 Hoppers (old or new) if you want. Also unsure about the monthly fees for the "new" Hopper. We will know more soon.

So really that's a tough call.

Sent from my iPad 2 using Forum Runner

 

[Snoozer]

The $69.99 is the old price. The new pricing will be $74.99. If you sign up by the 16th then you will qualify for the temporary price protection. The $30 off is your typical new subscriber discount. That probably won't change. So it's up to you. Do you need the Hopper Transfers option or are you willing to go with the "old" Hopper for the extra $5 a month off?

Unsure about the initial lease fees though. You can lease 2 Hoppers (old or new) if you want. Also unsure about the monthly fees for the "new" Hopper. We will know more soon.

So really that's a tough call.

Sent from my iPad 2 using Forum Runner

3HaleODSTo

Thanks for the quick response.

The program fee increase looks ok but what about the monthly DVR and 2nd receiver, are they going up too? Not sure what the 'Hopper Transfer option is as compared to the "old Hopper" Do you mean the built in Sling feature? Also, if the added lease price of the 2nd Hopper (new version) is prohibitive or they won't allow me to get one do you think would they would still allow me to get an "old" one? If so, would they be "compatable"?

 

[3HaloODST]

Hopper 1.0 can do everything that Hopper 2.0 can do except for a new feature called "Hopper Transfers" which allows you to transfer shows to your iPad (as opposed to streaming via Sling.) Hopper 1.0 just doesn't have the built-in Sling, or built-in WiFi. Both can be added externally to Hopper 1.0 (Sling Adapter and WiFi dongle.) Both need a USB dongle for OTA. Hopper 2.0 also has a faster CPU and more RAM. That's not to say that Hopper 1.0 isn't fast enough, it's still faster than DirecTV's receivers. It's up to you whether or not Hopper 2.0 is worth the gamble.

As for fees, Hopper 1.0 is currently $50 (or free if you qualify) for the first Hopper, $100 for the second Hopper. Up to 4 Joeys are free. Monthly fees are $10 for the first Hopper and $7 for each additional Hopper/Joey.

Rumor has it that the lease fees for Hopper 2.0 are $200 (or free if you qualify) for the first Hopper, $200 for the second Hopper. Monthly fees have yet to be seen. Monthly fees could be the same as Hopper 1.0 but knowing how Dish loves to add fees when it can, monthly fees could be higher.

Sent from my iPad 2 using Forum Runner

 

[master_yoda13]

I'm new to this forum and also thinking about switching from DTV to Dish. Chatted today with a CSR on the website and she was very vague about the new equipment, although she did confirm the Jan. 17th date. She tried several times to have me sign up today, but when I asked her about the upgrade cost to the Hopper 2.0, she said that there's no information on that. Also, I'm still a bit confused about the process of using the referral bonus. I assumed that it was similar to DTV, but based on her comments, it appears that it's not the case. Can somebody address this process? Thank you in advance.

 

[mdavej]

The Hopper 2 isn't being sold yet, so there is no information. If you want one of those you'll have to wait a bit longer. You'll probably get a similar story from DirecTV about the HR44 or from Apple about the iPhone 6.

The major difference between Dish and DirecTV referrals is that the Dish program actually works. HERE are the details.