Temporary Return To Dish, Have a Few Questions

[EarDemon]

First off, great site. Long, long time visitor, first time poster. I've been interested in this stuff since the days of DBSDISH.com and the EchoStar newsgroups before that. Hoping some one can help me out here.

It’s been years since I’ve followed Dish. I left them for DirecTV in the early 2000s due to programming disputes and refusal to add YES and have never looked back, especially after they dumped MSG and MSG Plus. Sports are extremely important to me. A relative of my wife and her husband are moving to the US from Germany for work related reasons and will be staying with us for 6-8 months until they find a more permanent residence. Being the good cousin in-law that I am, I fixed up the spare bedroom and put a cheap HDTV in there and would like to make them feel at home with some German programming. DirecTV doesn’t offer any on their 95 degree slot and Time Warner in my area only offers Deutsche Welle for $10. It appears Dish offers DW plus 4 other channels for $30, which is doable for me.

1) What satellite orbital locations will I need to be looking at and what dish(es) do I need? Way back when (before the days of HD) I was looking at 110 and 119 with a Dish 500 and 61.5. At that time core programming was on 110 and 119 and I had the second dish for a few of my local channels. Back then International channels were duplicated on 61.5 and 148 for subscribers on the east and west coasts respectively. For a very basic English package (in HD preferably), with Buffalo, New York locals and the German package what will I need?

The way I understand it is there are two styles of dishes one for 110, 119 and 129 and the other for 61.5, 72.7 and 77. Is there any circumstance with Dish these days where more than one dish antenna is needed? Due to trees that have shot up over the past 11-12 years, I have very little roof space that has a clear view of the sky. The tree line is just right so I get perfect reception on all five birds with my Slimline 5 and another dish could be mounted near it without a problem, but if two dishes are needed, that might be an issue.

2) I would really like to get a basic English package for my relatives, instead of getting a third DirecTV receiver for the guest room for them to watch English programming. They are not the most technologically inclined people around and would have trouble switching between two HDMI inputs on the same TV and navigating two different satellite IRDs, with two totally different UIs with two different remotes. But in the event I decide to use DirecTV for English programming, you used to be able to order add on and international packages with Dish without a base package and pay a $5 Access Fee. Is this still the case, if so how much is the fee now?

3) What would be the best HD Non DVR receiver? The Solo VP211K? If for the heck of it I decided to get two HD receivers, one for the main TV just to play around with Dish again, or use as a back up to DirecTV, how do multiple receivers connect to your home network? Is there a DECA equivalent with Dish? Or does each need it’s own CAT6 drop?

4) Are contracts required if you purchase hardware at full retail rate? This will be in use for less than a year (I hope). I have no problem paying full retail for hardware and installation if that means no contract, or at least compare prices between what it cost to pay off the ETF.

5) What other fees should I expect? I have no problem using auto pay to get the HD fee waived

6) Anything else I should know about Dish and how easy/hard it is to cut ties with them these days? And any other better solutions out there to do what I'm trying to achieve.

Thank you everyone for any and all help!

 

[primestar31]

Whether you will be Eastern Arc (61.5, 72.7) or Western Arc (110, 119) depends on your location, if you are in New York, that would be Eastern Arc. Eastern Arc also is completely mpeg-4, so requires the newer receivers. You typically only need a single dish, which has multiple lnb's on it to see multiple sats. That all depends on your line of sight.

You are better off just leasing the receivers, as there is no longer any real advantage to owning your own equipment. With the possible advantage of not signing a two year contract. The odds are real good the average person will stay with them at least two years anyway, so even that's not much advantage anymore. The two year contract price is pro-rated, so it gets cheaper to cut loose as time goes on, if you decide it isn't for you. I say this as a person that has owned my own equipment since 2006. You still pay ALL the same fee's, but you don't get any discounts for your first two years. Basically at cancellation, if your monthly bill is say $50, you will pay $50 X whatever remaining months of service are left.

The only advantage of using a NON dvr receiver (like the 211), is that you don't pay a $7 dvr fee. However, you can convert it to a single tuner quasi-dvr with a one time $40 fee, and the addition of an external harddrive. Single tuners dvr's suck (IMO) as you can't watch another channel while recording something else for those times 2 shows are on at once.

 

[ChadT41]

There is no contract if you purchase all equipment yourself. I would recommend getting the "setup" through a retailer to prevent any and all confusion. The 211 family receiver would be your best bet, and all international programming comes from 118.7 orbital location. Depending on where you live, one dish may be all you need(1000.2WA)

 

[Jim5506]

CAUTION - 118.7 requires a special lnb (circular polarization or something), so make sure you get the D1000+ disk it includes a combo lnb for 118.7/119 - great big eye!!

 

[Deadlocked]

1) Has been answered

2) someone else can answer this better but I would suggest getting the lowest required English package to compliment the Herman channels as they will likely want to get accustomed to the culture here since they appear to be staying a while.

3) only perk to not having a DVR is you save $7 but you never know, they may want to DVR something and then your wife will be pissed that you didn't think of that xD

4) been answered

5) if you get a DVR $7, if you get a second receiver that has a fee as well, and I think that should be it as PP is free for 6 months

6) if you go without contract it should be very easy. If you're stuck in a contract it gets messier

And if you thought this post or any post following this that I may post helpful, feel free to PM me for a eferral code!


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[Deadlocked]

Whether you will be Eastern Arc (61.5, 72.7) or Western Arc (110, 119) depends on your location, if you are in New York, that would be Eastern Arc. Eastern Arc also is completely mpeg-4, so requires the newer receivers. You typically only need a single dish, which has multiple lnb's on it to see multiple sats. That all depends on your line of sight.

You are better off just leasing the receivers, as there is no longer any real advantage to owning your own equipment. With the possible advantage of not signing a two year contract. The odds are real good the average person will stay with them at least two years anyway, so even that's not much advantage anymore. The two year contract price is pro-rated, so it gets cheaper to cut loose as time goes on, if you decide it isn't for you. I say this as a person that has owned my own equipment since 2006. You still pay ALL the same fee's, but you don't get any discounts for your first two years. Basically at cancellation, if your monthly bill is say $50, you will pay $50 X whatever remaining months of service are left.

The only advantage of using a NON dvr receiver (like the 211), is that you don't pay a $7 dvr fee. However, you can convert it to a single tuner quasi-dvr with a one time $40 fee, and the addition of an external harddrive. Single tuners dvr's suck (IMO) as you can't watch another channel while recording something else for those times 2 shows are on at once.

The thing about leasing is he doesn't want to be stuck in a 2 year contract


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[primestar31]

The thing about leasing is he doesn't want to be stuck in a 2 year contract


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What I'm saying is that if he purchases everything, he off-sets the "no contract" with all the costs of buying everything outright, and NO sub discounts for the first year like contract people get. That will cost just about exactly the same as a two year contract price.

I did the same thing, but I'm still with Dish many years later, so it gained me nothing.

So, there's still really no advantage to owning your own equipment anymore as the costs will boil down to being exactly the same.

 

[Deadlocked]

What I'm saying is that if he purchases everything, he off-sets the "no contract" with all the costs of buying everything outright, and NO sub discounts for the first year like contract people get. That will cost just about exactly the same as a two year contract price.

I did the same thing, but I'm still with Dish many years later, so it gained me nothing.

So, there's still really no advantage to owning your own equipment anymore as the costs will boil down to being exactly the same.

I would say that if he bought the equipment. He can sale it when finished with it OR have it if he ever needs to it in the future. Whereas leasing brings more complicated things with it.


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[Claude Greiner]

I think you can do international basic or just go with top120 as your base package.

As far as equipment, I think Dish still offers the option to pay $99 and go with no commitment.

Get the free equipment and install and then you can dump dish without penalty when the inlaws move back home

 

[ChadT41]

Can do Welcome Pack as a base. Save the money vs the 120 if looking for a savings. If doing the non commitment, it still requires the purchase of equipment. If wanted a PIA account, can choose a commitment and they will lease an SD non dvr to the consumer, and any additional equipment would be paid for.

 

[EarDemon]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Been a busy weekend, sorry for the delayed response.

I didn’t realize international channels are now on 118.7 and I also didn’t realize all of my locals in HD now reside on 61.5. So it looks like I will need a two dish solution. One of each of these, correct?

EDIT: I see I can't post links yet. I had links to Solid Signal for the Dish 1000+ that points to 129, 118.7, 119 and 110 and the Dish 1000.4EA that points to 61.5, 72.7 and 77. Is the 1000.4 Eastern Arc the new black dish? The one house that I pass on my way to work that still has Dish has an antenna with a black reflector and I've seen those online, even though the one on Solid Signals website is grey.

DVRs aren’t really needed, but I was entertaining the idea of two Solo VIP 712s, or one VIP 712 for the guest room and one VIP 211K for the living room. I'm tempted to try the Hopper, but I believe there's an associated cost with it, and I really have no use for the Auto Hop feature as I watch almost zero primetime network programming. I'm a gadget guy and AV nerd, so it would be a toy more then something useful. I probably wouldn't add a hard drive to the 211. I know very well that single tuner DVRs suck. I had a Dish Player 7100 and then later 'upgraded' to the 501.

I haven't sat down to do the math yet, but looking real quickly at the Legal part of Dish's website, the ETF is $20 for each uncompleted month on the contract, not monthly bill multiplied by uncompleted month. So I'd be looking at a $320 ETF if I completed 8 months. I'm guessing 2 DVRs, 2 dishes and the installation are more then $320 with no contract, plus I guess there would be no programming discounts.

I will try to seek out a local Dish dealer. There's only one big one and that's in the next county. Pretty much no one has Dish around here any more due to the lack of sports (we're the #1 US based NHL market) and all of the small retailers more local to me either have closed up shop, switched to selling DirecTV or are now cell phone stores.

I believe my only other earlier question that wasn't answered was how do multiple receivers get connected to my home network, individually or with a DECA type device?

Thanks again everyone, I appreciate it.

 

[ChadT41]

It would be individually, the LnB acting as the switch, and diplexors down. One thing to edit for you. The solo, 2 tuner dvrs are 612's not 712's. The duo, dual tuner dvrs are 722's. The hopper does cost a little more, but I would recommend it for you, if you are going the route of NC anyways. The black dish, to the best of my knowledge, is a DPP Extreme. Fancy way of say 1000.x dish. You'll receive the same quality with either.

 

[GaryPen]

I believe my only other earlier question that wasn't answered was how do multiple receivers get connected to my home network, individually or with a DECA type device?

Thanks again everyone, I appreciate it.

Ethernet or wi-fi, depending on model. The Hopper with Sling has built-in wi-fi. The Hopper, 722, and 211 can use a $25 USB wi-fi dongle that Dish sells for them, or use the built-in in Ethernet port.

 

[ChadT41]

Ignore my previous post. I completely misread it. And may have been one of the dumbest things I wrote now that I reread it.

 

[TheKrell]

Well, at least you got the 612 part correct!

 

[dwarren2]

From his cryptic location, I'd say he's in the Buffalo area.

 

[david_jr]

If you're a techy guy you would probably like the Hopper With Sling. The system is a few dollars more a month but way more capable than the older systems and a lot more to play with.

 

[EarDemon]

From his cryptic location, I'd say he's in the Buffalo area.

Yes, like I said in my first post, I live outside of Buffalo. Go Bills, Sabres, Bandits and Amerks! And because they used to play here, go Clippers!

If you're a techy guy you would probably like the Hopper With Sling. The system is a few dollars more a month but way more capable than the older systems and a lot more to play with.

I would really like to keep the money I give to Dish a bare minimum. Not a fan of Charlie whatsoever. And I’m holding almost decade and a half old grudge, I did not care at all for the way Dish treated us Dish Player customers and kept blaming Microsoft for that whole mess, when Microsoft teamed up with DirecTV and came out with the Ultimate TV which by all accounts was nearly flawless. Add that to how Dish treats us sports fans, especially those of us in New York State. The German Package will cost me $30, I would love to subscribe to The Blaze while I have the opportunity to do so, that brings me up to $35, plus whatever a basic English package will run me. I’d like to keep the monthly cost of equipment relatively low compared to my programming costs.

While the Hopper with Sling sounds neat and all, I really have no use for the Sling part. I’d play around with it for a few days, be all happy and giddy and then forget that I ever had it. I can’t grasp the concept of watching TV, on anything but a TV. I have a GenieGo hooked up to my HR44 and almost never use it. I would rather watch on my 65” TV then my 6” smart phone or 10” tablet.

 

[ChadT41]

I agree that there is no real use for certain people, myself included. But then I had a power outage and just happened to transfer a movie on my phone to keep me busy until sleep. Also I am flying cross country next month, and plan on loading my phone up for that, and will be driving my girlfriend and her 3/6 year cross country, so I'm going to put some cartoons on there in June for the trip. Outside that, probably not gonna use it for a long time.