Simply because I think pay-tv in general costs more than it's worth, I have seriously considered dropping from AT120 to the Welcome Pack. I realize I will lose HD, but HD does remain with locals, correct? Also, will HD remain with "add-on" packs like Heartland and the aforementioned Blockbuster at Home?
For the short answer:
Yes, HD does remain with locals as long as they are available in HD on Dish. I also believe that the HD Free for Life tag stays (if you have it already); however, you may want to check if something has changed since we switched. Yes, HD should remain with add-ons, MiniPacks, premiums, or a la carte offering as long as the channel is available in HD on Dish.
For the long answer (for anyone interested):
We used to have Heartland Package and Encore Movies, but we decided to make some changes since both went up to $6/month each. However, you may be able to get 50% off both if you chat with a CSR online.
You get the following with the HEARTLAND PACKAGE ($6/month):
116 GSN [HD]
179 Discovery Family [HD] (Note: The SD version is included with the Welcome Pack.)
185 Hallmark [HD] (Note: The SD version is included with the Welcome Pack.)
187 Hallmark Movies & Mysteries [HD] (Note: This channel is also included in Blockbuster @ Home.)
188 UP (Uplifting Entertainment)
189 OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network [HD]
231 RFD-TV [HD]
232 Rural TV (Note: FamilyNet is on this one.)
388 PixL [HD] (Note: This channel is also included in Blockbuster @ Home.)
824 Baby TV
You should get the HD feeds since you are paying the same $6/month as other subs and since it is a la carte and not connected to the base package (which includes just locals in HD and Blockbuster Studio Channel 102).
If you like GSN, UP, OWN, Rural TV, or/and Baby TV, then this most likely would be worth the $6/month. However, BabyFirstTV is also included with the Welcome Pack. If you need HD and cannot deal with watching SD feeds, then you may consider this if you or someone in your household watches Hallmark and Discovery Family a lot. If you are getting this add-on with the channels designated as also being in Blockbuster @ Home like Hallmark Movies & Mysteries or/and PixL, then you may want to consider Blockbuster @ Home and the channels in it if you can afford $4/month more and are willing to do so. I did not have luck like some on the board who were able to get Blockbuster @ Home for 1/2 off for 3 months or 6 months after numerous attempts. However, I was just happy to finally have to option to add Blockbuster @ Home as a premium with the Welcome Pack; I am still not sure why this option was ever taken away to begin with when you can add other premiums. Maybe it was when the discs or/and video games were involved; I am not sure what was the reason or reasons. Anyway, moving on...
There are also other MiniPacks besides Heartland Package like the following:
EPIX ($7/month)
292 Epix Drive-In
380 Epix 1 [HD] (Note: This channel is also included in Blockbuster @ Home.)
381 Epix 2 [HD] (Note: This channel is also included in Blockbuster @ Home.)
382 Epix 3 [HD] (Note: This channel is also included in Blockbuster @ Home.)
ENCORE MOVIES ($6/month; You do not receive Encore East in SD or/and HD at all.)
341 Encore (West)
342 Encore Westerns
343 Encore Action
344 Encore Suspense (Note: This channel is also included in Blockbuster @ Home.)
345 Encore Black
346 Encore Classic
347 Encore Family
377 MoviePlex (Note: This channel is also included in Blockbuster @ Home.)
OUTDOOR SPORTS PACKAGE ($4/month)
248 MAV TV [HD Only] (Note: This channel is also included in Blockbuster @ Home.)
394 World Fishing Network (Note: This channel is also included in Blockbuster @ Home.)
395 Sportsman Channel [HD]
396 Outdoor Channel
You may also add other premiums or a la carte offerings like: HBO ($19/month standalone), Cinemax ($14/month standalone), Showtime ($14/month standalone), Starz ($14/month standalone) [Note: Starz Cinema is also included in Blockbuster @ Home.], CineLatino ($5/mo), The Blaze TV ($5/mo), Z Living ($5/mo), Fox Soccer Plus ($15/mo--wasn't sure this one was even still around), Playboy ($16/mo), and RaceTrack TV ($50/mo). Of course, you should still be able to get the interactive games, Hopper magazine, etc. like other subs. I am not sure about international packages, but I would guess there is some way you may be able to add those or about adult packages (I would think one could sub to those as well).
