Serious about getting D*, but have a few Q's

[JonUrban]

I have had Dish for a long time, and am paid up through August, so E* will stay with me until then, however, in order to get the baseball teams I want to watch this summer, I either have to "move", or get D*.

I figure that I may as well get D*, as they seem to have their stuff together.

I plan to start with a single DVR system and a triple dish, get the basic stuff I need to get the sports, plus my locals.

I assume that the dish requires 3 RG-6's from it, is that true? I read something about the switch being in the dish. I am not sure what that means.

Also, what is the best non-HD DVR to get for D*, and are they all Tivo units? If they are, does this mean I have to pay the $13 or so dollars per month fee to Tivo? That would suck.

Is there anything else I should know about. I am planning on having the one reciever connect to an in house modulator I have in my house, which will allow the video to be seen on any TV in the house on an unused UHF channel. I do this with my current 721. This way, I can get D* and E* on any TV, using 2 modulated channels. (The in house system also sends the IR remote signal along the coax. (It's a Channel Plus system)

One more thing, can I install this thing myself, or am I better off running the cables and letting the D* guy spot the dish.

THANKS

:-jon

 

[h0m3rs1mps0n]

I'll answer what I can.

You'll need RG6 for each input you are hooking up. My triple LNB dish came with 4 connections on the dish itself. So we just hooked up RG6 to it and it works fine.

The DVR is going to need 2 cables to it unless you buy a multiswitch and assuming you want to utilize the 2 inputs (why wouldn't you? =P)

I recommend getting D*s receiver, the R10 series simply because they are going to have more support and features for it in the future.

The TiVo charges are 4.99 monthly for the account, even if you have 4 DVR receivers. 13 bucks is if you get Series 2 DVR recorders from TiVo directly. If you have Total Choice Premier, TiVo is included free (complimentary).

If you sign up with a retailer, they will usually do free install. There's a million places to get free install promo with D*. I find it much easier to have them do it (plus its free) and also in case there's any complications, they'll be the ones to fix it instead of you having to scratch your head. Installing the dish is not that hard though.

I have no idea about the modulator stuff since I've never done that.

 

[charper1]

Not hat any detail shave been rolled out but the partnership between D* and Tivo is on the way out so those prices & service might be subject to changes. Like I said no details are out 100%, but you should at least be aware.

Homer: What extra worthwhile features will the D* branded receiver have?

 

[lee espinoza]

tivo as a contract with directv to end in 2007, so as of right now directv with tivo is here to stay.

 

[h0m3rs1mps0n]

I can't get into exact details but I can share a little.

Most of it is going to involve the interactive channels. Lottery numbers for your area, local weather, etc, basically all new features with this service is going to be available to the D* receivers.

I know that they were very seriously wanting to put in a Fantasy Football service. Where you could look up NFL players by name/team and see their stats. This would be very handy for people without the internet or if you and a friend are having a debate while watching a game about how many yards Favre threw during the 99-00 season.

Really, the options on what they could do with this is only limited by the amount of bandwidth available. If any on demand services become available, I would assume that this would only be available to the D* series receivers as well for a few reasons.

#1 its more money for them. #2 hard to make sure its compatible with all the different receiver types still out there.

If they only have their receivers out there, its much cheaper for them and easier to support.

 

[HarryD]

The three lnb dish has four outputs coming from the dish. I would strongly suggest you wire your Tivo for both sat. inputs. Having the ability to record two shows at once (you can even simultaneously watch a recorded show) is awesome. Many of my friends who have the stand-alone Tivo wish they had that feature.
You wouldn't need a multiswitch unless you plan on more than three recv's. (two for the Tivo and one each for the regular D* recvs.
As far as the install goes, I believe D* is offering free install. Or you could simply reuse the place you now have Dish (if you have the same line of sight - their sat locations are different).
You're gonna love that Tivo!