Turbo HD questions

[Arc123]

Hello all! I live near St. Louis, MO and currently do not subscribe to any pay TV service. I used to have both Dish Network and DirecTV but have not been a subscriber for at least 4-5 years. I have some questions about Dish Networks Turbo HD.

1. If I add my (St. Louis) locals to a TurboHD package do I get both the HD and SD channels that Dish Network offers? (I ask because Turbo HD is called "HD only")
2. Will I need another dish to get St. Louis locals or are they being broadcast from Eastern Arc satellites?
3. If I do need another Dish to get locals (from 129, I would guess), does this dish LNB just connect to the LNB "in" on the 1000.4 LNB? Or is some sort of multiswitch needed?
4. Am I considered a "new" customer? (I have not had Dish Network for over 5 years) Will this even be an issue come Feb 1, 2009?


Thanks for any help you guys can give me.

 

[garys]

1. Locals are sold separately, you get sd and HD (where available).
2. St. Louis HD locals are on 61.5 and would be an EA dish and 118 as well, the sd versions are on 110. A Dish 1000+ would work better for you than an EA dish.
3. Switch is built into the lnb, If you want to have two dishes, the single lnb would connect to the lnb on the main dish (either EA or 1000+).
4. No, but you would get almost the same deal as a returning customer.

 

[Arc123]

2. St. Louis HD locals are on 61.5 and would be an EA dish and 118 as well, the sd versions are on 110. A Dish 1000+ would work better for you than an EA dish.

I was actually hoping for a single EA 1000.4 dish to get Turbo HD bronze and St. Louis locals. So why would I be better off with a 1000+ dish than an EA dish? I don't understand the difference you are making. Could you help explain it to me?

 

[Laddyboy]

The 1000.4 is all you need. I think garys mentioned the 1000+ for the WA in case there was no line of sight for the EA. Since the STL HD locals also are uplinked on 118, a 1000+ and DPP44 switch would be required to receive the WA plus 118. The STL locals are slated to also go up on the new 129 satellite in the near future so the 1000+ will no longer be needed, just a 1000.2 WA antenna. As long as there are no line of sight issues, the EA 1000.4 would be what E* would install.

 

[JonE]

So is Feb. 1st the drop dead date that you have to switch over to the Turbo Packages. And do they all include your local RSN?

 

[Laddyboy]

So is Feb. 1st the drop dead date that you have to switch over to the Turbo Packages. And do they all include your local RSN?

That's apparently the earliest date E* is allowing current subs to switch to the all-HD Turbo packages. Is that what you were asking about? The RSN is included for the Silver and Gold packages iirc where available. You'll need to verify with a CSR exactly which RSNs if any you'll receive.

 

[DishSatUser]

1. If I add my (St. Louis) locals to a TurboHD package do I get both the HD and SD channels that Dish Network offers? (I ask because Turbo HD is called "HD only")

You'll actually receive your SD locals, SD equivalent for each HD channel as well as SD "must carry" and shopping network channels. Outside of your "locals" addition, the TurboHD package only has you "paying" for HD channels, the rest are bonus channels.

Just hit your guide button until it says HD only and you can skip on the others, however there are some good ones in SD that I like to watch occasionally.

Others answered your Dish and LNB questions about Eastern Arc having you covered with a single dish solution.

4. Am I considered a "new" customer? (I have not had Dish Network for over 5 years) Will this even be an issue come Feb 1, 2009?

Depends on the CSR, as I've seen posts saying no trouble, but I was similar to you. They still qualified me for the promotion package (I'd TurboHD'd it shortly after August 1st, 2008) but I was charged the $25.00 restart fee (you'll see that listed on your old contract if you happen to still have it kicking around someplace, you'll also see that on their agreement page). The currently residential customer agreement can be found here: DISH Network - About Us - 1.888.825.2557 and you'll see that listed under the fee's section.

 

[Arc123]

Depends on the CSR, as I've seen posts saying no trouble, but I was similar to you. They still qualified me for the promotion package (I'd TurboHD'd it shortly after August 1st, 2008) but I was charged the $25.00 restart fee (you'll see that listed on your old contract if you happen to still have it kicking around someplace, you'll also see that on their agreement page). The currently residential customer agreement can be found here: Dish and you'll see that listed under the fee's section.

Well it looks as if new customers get $20 per month off any of the three TurboHD packages for the first 6 months, I guess I'll talk to a local Dish retailer and see if I qualify for that.