I am about to sign up for DN again but...

[jesseawilson]

First of all let me thank you in advance for any help.

I am not new to dish, being a subscriber for the last 7 years or so and having installed three systems in the houses I have owned. I disconnected my service while I was in between houses about 6 months ago so I will qualify for the new promotions.

I want HD/DVR/HDDVR on one TV and two other standard TV's. The dish website is not very interactive and I am having a hard time deciding which way to go. The main thing is I want HD and DVR on the same TV. If the 942 is a multi-room then DVR on both TV's is ideal even though I believe you can only get HD on one TV (correct me if I am wrong).

My problem is the website doesn't allow you to include the 942 into the formula to see how it changes your setup. Is the 942 the only way to go on the main (HD/DVR) TV? Does the 942 hook up to two TV's like the 625 does and if so what would my 3 room set up look like; 942 for TV1 and TV2 and then a 311 on the other TV?

The HD would be possible to wait on but, I have to have Dish now becuase I hate the local cable and I can't go without my DVR for a minute longer. My thoughts on the MPEG4 conversion and the 942; If I just get the standard Dish/DVR right now and wait to upgrade it could be as much as a year without HD TV. When I go to upgrade my programing to HD from SD dish will stick it to me on the Satalite and the reciever hardware upgrades because I am an exsisting customer. Wouldn't the cost (if there is a charge) of the "trade in" of the obsolete 942 for a MPEG4 reciever be the same or less then the upgrade charges involved with getting HD later?

What do I have to do or say to ensure that I get the Dish 1000? That is the latest dish and the one I should want correct? I assume there is some sort of programming requirement that would warrant that particular dish.

Last thing is I have a an old 510DVR and a few 300 recievers laying around, could those be used in my system anywhere to save me any money or is it more of a hassle since dish wont hook those recievers up and I would have to?


THANKS!!!

Jesse

 

[boba]

942 is $250 for new DHA lease customers $699 for existing customers. It does work like a 625 with HDTV only on main TV. If you sign up as a new customer I think you will have to sell your old receivers because they will identify you as an existing customer. If you sign up as a returning customer only DISH can tell you what you will qualify for.

 

[jesseawilson]

942 is $250 for new DHA lease customers $699 for existing customers. It does work like a 625 with HDTV only on main TV. If you sign up as a new customer I think you will have to sell your old receivers because they will identify you as an existing customer. If you sign up as a returning customer only DISH can tell you what you will qualify for.

But DVR works on Both correct?

So it's either sign up for the 942 now and pay $250 and whatever conversion charge the deem necessary when the MPEG4 comes out, or sign up for the regular dish then pay something on the order of $700 plus later to upgrade as a current subscriber? Sounds like a no brainer then.

What do I have to do to get the Dish 1000?

Can I hook up my old DVR and just play my recorded stuff without the reciever being activated?


Jesse

 

[rowemance]

Your best bet is to talk to your local retailer. 1st the Dish 1000 is not being installed until September 27, 2005 in a promotion. 2nd You will probably want a 942 and a 811 that wiil give you what you want HDDVR - DVR and HD. Your old receivers sell on ebay. You might want to have your wife or room mate sign up as a new customer to make sure you get the new promotion.

 

[BluEBoaR]

Your best bet is to talk to your local retailer. 1st the Dish 1000 is not being installed until September 27, 2005 in a promotion. 2nd You will probably want a 942 and a 811 that wiil give you what you want HDDVR - DVR and HD. Your old receivers sell on ebay. You might want to have your wife or room mate sign up as a new customer to make sure you get the new promotion.

I second that motion: Have your spouse or roommate sign up if you don't live alone. You don't want to sign up under your name, only for Dish to decide that you are a previous customer... they will then have your new address, and you may never qualify for NEW status again until/unless you move again.

As far as the MPEG4 conversion goes: nobody really knows for sure what Charlie is going to do yet, but he is aware that customers will not be happy having to buy all new equipment because he wanted to change the standard. So with this in mind, I'm sure Dish will compromise greatly in an effort to get everyone upgraded properly. I've been told that Dish will swap out all 301/311's, 811's (HD), and all other legacy single tuners with the new 411 MPEG4 tuner, but there are still questions out there regarding dual tuners and DVRs. If you have an HDTV now, might as well get the 942 and take your chances, or else you'd be better off waiting to order Dish AFTER the conversion... of course this is just my opinion.

TV1 (HD) and TV2 (SD) share the hard drive for DVR features, so if you wanted a DVR on a 3rd TV you'd have to get a single tuner DVR... HOWEVER... something new is happening at DISH- they are no longer issuing 510's on new connects, the default single tuner DVR being a 625 in single mode, and you may or may not be able to get both a 625 AND a 942 at time of install... haven't seen anyone try to yet since this policy change, so don't really know right now.

As far as your current DVR goes: You most certainly CAN watch all of your recorded programming on your current DVR You do NOT need a satellite feed or receiver authorization to view the content on your hard drive.

Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

 

[BluEBoaR]

Oh and by the way, your programming that you order will decide whether or not you will need a 1000 dish. Rumor has it that all HD will be moving to 129, along with all CONUS locals that are currently on 148 or 61.5 wing satellites, to meet the 'one dish' FCC requirements. If this is the case, a customer's decision to add HD programming and/or whether locals in your area are already on the 110/119 SATS will determine your DISH antenna.

 

[jesseawilson]

Allright, first off thanks for all the imput!!!

So for my set up: 1 TV with HD and DVR a 2nd with SD and DVR and a 3rd with SD only

I will get a 942 and a 301 most likely. OK

Question: To ensure that I don't have to get another Dish in the future what programing do I need to "ask" for now to ensure that I get one that will accomadate my HD's and Locals after the rumored move?


BTW any good retailers in the Phoenix metro area?


Jesse

 

[jesseawilson]

What an ahole I just talked to at Dish, he wouldn't even finish answering my questions about my options as soon as I told him it was going to be under my wifes name and she wasn't here. Gave me some double talk and said he will call back later on this evening when she is home. It's like he needs a ssn and a cc number just to listen to what you have to say.



Jesse

 

[Van]

If you have sbc as your telco service provider you can sign up through them on a bundle package and save some cash though the 942 is not available through them.

 

[SimpleSimon]

What an ahole I just talked to at Dish, he wouldn't even finish answering my questions about my options as soon as I told him it was going to be under my wifes name and she wasn't here. Gave me some double talk and said he will call back later on this evening when she is home. It's like he needs a ssn and a cc number just to listen to what you have to say.



Jesse

Call your LOCAL retailer. Make sure you find one with a good rep, that's been in business MORE than 2 years (average lifespan of the bad ones is 18 months).

The Dish1000 is not that much more money than a Dish500 (sorry, I'm not at liberty to say how much more). Suffice it to say that I'm installing two for new customers early next week for a $25 upcharge over the "free" install of a Dish500.