Before this thread, I did not know there was a difference between RS DishNow card & the GreenDot. Unless I still don't understand, the GreenDot is the ONLY one that will let you do individual days. Just got my 1st one & works great. With the DishNow card I was having to rent programing wether I had renter or not. If I went for a weekend had no TV if expired or had to do the whole $40.
The GreenDot MoneyPak is the one to use, period, IMHO(In My Humbled Opinion). The reason being that you can order invidual days of programming, and if there is ever a problem, Greendot will refund whatever money you have left on the card, plus the service charge you paid where/when you got it.($4.64 at WalMart). I have done this before, with no problems from the GDMP(Green Dot Money Pak) people at all. Very easy.
With the $40 prepaid card, you must use that amount, in it's entirety, on the programming you are buying. Can't pick and choose, like with the GDMP. So if have a $40 gift card, and order, let's say, Classic Gold 250, you would get 21 days of AT250, and nothing else.
With the GDMP, you can pick and choose. If someone is renting for 5 days, they can pick and choose 5 days of AT250, HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz for like $19 off of the GDMP for 5 days worth of programming from all of the above(this is just an example of course). Out of a $20 GDMP($20 minimum load up to $1,100 Maximum load + at least a $4.64 service charge). Then they can save/use the rest next time they come, and have another GDMP loaded with more money. So on, and so forth.
Miss having locals, don't understand why they can't be available too? Association does not allow an outdoor aerial. Have one in attic, but reception poor with the roofing obstruction. Would have to get a digital box too since bothe TV's are not digital.
Does the 301 act as a digital box for OTA or just pass through?
Since Dish has NO IDEA where the box is located, and who in the heck you are(on initial activation, all you give is a zip code, and that is it. No name, No Credit Card, No Social Security #, etc...) they can't send the locals, or the local RSN's for that matter due to FCC Rules and Regulations.
I think it is baloney too, but those are the rules. I still have never read a reasonable reason as to "why?" the FCC fears/disallows this(can't watch distant Networks out of NYC or distant RSN's out of, say, Phoenix, while living in Pittsburgh. Makes no sense to me. What are they afraid of?), other than the fact that they can
And, NO, the DP301 is not a digital converter for ATSC digital(Over the Air with an Antenna), or Clear QAM digital(Cable TV). It will accept analog for the time being, but not much longer since they will all be gone(unless moved back, again!!!) by 6/12/09.
So you will either have to get newer TV's(LCD TV's are getting so cheap right now, and have everything built into them. Especially cheap on the 26" and below. Even the 32" are becoming cheap), or get the converter boxes.
The TV's are surely not even close to as cheap as the digital converter boxes. Especially after the $40 goverment coupon.
