Why charge for DVR

[m3ksh33p]

Why does dish charge a $5 fee per month for having a DVR receiver? Is it because TIVO does, because TIVO offers alot more functions for their fee.
You can do the same thing with a PC and some media software for FREE , although it is a little more hassle to get the setup going..

I have yet been able to understand this fee.... Unless its the millions of dollars that it generates to dish network for nothing ?? I was just wondering if someone could explain this , maybe im missing somthing that im paying for and dont know it...

 

[thiggin2]

Not sure if this is the correct answer but its because they can and people will pay. Just like you said it because they can make lots of $'s from it. Direct charges a fee also but you only pay one fee for all your receivers.

 

[m3ksh33p]

Thats what I thought the answer might be ... wasnt there a BIG tea party in boston a while back because of this sort of thing?

 

[Smith P.]

Yeah, but ppl now are pigmies against those who lived that time.
Just look how they lay down to HD-Lite pressure from Dish and DTV.

 

[cj9788]

They charge a fee to pay for lawyers. I may be mistaken but the DVR fee started around the same time that TIVO sued E*.

 

[Stargazer]

Its a "because they can" fee. Just like how they can charge an HD enabling fee, a mirror/additional outlet/lease fee (they have different names for the same thing), along with all the other b.s. fees. Its like a bank, you got to pay all these different fees.

 

[cj9788]

Ok if you say so but they did not start charging the fee untill the law suit. Before the law suit the DVR's were fee free. The 501's and the 508's were advertised as such. And even today if you can find a 501 or a 508 and activate it on your account you will not be charged a fee for those models. Or you can stop being a cheap ass miser and just sub to AEP. If you sub to AEP there are no DVR fees regardless of the modle DVR you have.

 

[Zero327]

Ok if you say so but they did not start charging the fee untill the law suit. Before the law suit the DVR's were fee free. The 501's and the 508's were advertised as such. And even today if you can find a 501 or a 508 and activate it on your account you will not be charged a fee for those models. Or you can stop being a cheap ass miser and just sub to AEP. If you sub to AEP there are no DVR fees regardless of the modle DVR you have.

...Um, ok.

DVR functionality is a service, not a technical ability for purposes of billing. Why in a world that is electronically run and operated via the internet do we have to still pay to access it? Same reason.

 

[kb7oeb]

The internet costs money to keep running, it costs dishnetwork zero to make the dvr work on the 510 and no more than it does on the 508/501. They charge the fee because people will pay it.

If you want a no fee DVR buy a dvd recorder with a hard drive built in from walmart.

 

[Lilazzkicker]

Its funny to see so many people complain about a 5.98 fee, what is that... 71.96 a year? At least you are making good use of it, how many of you complain about the health insurance or car insurance you are paying hundreds for? Most likely, not very many. And why are you paying for it? For most, its for the gamble of maybe getting sick or in that car accident one day.. you dont even get reimbursed for it most times..., to the point, I rather be paying for a service that is actually being used, then for the off chance of something bad happening.

 

[Cold Irons]

Thats what I thought the answer might be ... wasnt there a BIG tea party in boston a while back because of this sort of thing?

Uhmmm....No?

Can't imagine that anyone sees the E* DVR fee as comparable to the Boston Tea Party. You're paying for a service in a capitalistic society. If you don't like the service, don't buy it (read a book, take a walk, play your harmonica). If you think it costs too much, take your business elsewhere (D*, Tivo, Cable, OTA). If you can build a PC-based system that is just as convienient & has the same video quality - have at it (I don't believe this is possible). But, in any event, if you want Dish & an HD-DVR, then E* gets to set the price. Paying it or not is a completely free choice that you make....the only tyranny anywhere near this topic is the NAB & DMA's & FCC - not E* fee structure.

 

[thiggin2]

Its funny to see so many people complain about a 5.98 fee, what is that... 71.96 a year? At least you are making good use of it, how many of you complain about the health insurance or car insurance you are paying hundreds for? Most likely, not very many. And why are you paying for it? For most, its for the gamble of maybe getting sick or in that car accident one day.. you dont even get reimbursed for it most times..., to the point, I rather be paying for a service that is actually being used, then for the off chance of something bad happening.

I dont know where your living but where I'm at the law requires you to have auto insurance and if you are leasing or have a loan on it you have no choice but to buy insurance. As for heath insurance I'm sure we all bitch about the prices but in most cases its worth buying it because of the crazy costs for doctor care or for meds. And if you have kids its a no brainer but to have it.

 

[JimK2]

I thought the DVR fee was mainly for access to 8 day EPG guide

 

[NightRyder]

I thought the DVR fee was mainly for access to 8 day EPG guide

Nope. 501, 508 and 721 get the same guide with no fee. Just as previous posters have said the DVR fee is a "because they can" fee, nothing more.

NightRyder

 

[cj9788]

SO where else do you think they would have gotten the money needed to pay for the law suit? How about the money needed to pay for the software upgrades to make our DVR's work without violating any one elses patents? When E* first introduced the 501 508 and 721 they heavily advertised there would be no fees to use the DVR with E*. Then the law suit came around the time they intro's the 510 and geuss what they began the fee. Sure they CAN have a fee for anything but if they did not charge a DVR fee they would have had to raise rates on programing higher than normal to pay for the law suit and software devlopment across the board on all customers. It is fair and a smart bussiness move by E*. They need they money to pay for specific costs in direct relation to selling and offering DVR's to thier customers.

And agian if you do not want to pay a DVR fee then upgrade to AEP. They are no DVR fees regardless of modle if you sub to AEP.

 

[C1787GJ]

I'm pretty sure it costs Dish money to develop new boxes, and software updates to them, to launch new satelites, to maintain uplink sites, pay bills, etc etc. They don't have to charge for a PPV, or a new reciever, but they can so they do. Give me a break, it costs money to make equipment, maintain it and so on so like others have said either pay it or move on. The phone line fee on the other hand is one that is a because they can.

 

[Stargazer]

They charge what they feel is acceptable by the public to charge and sometimes they push these limits. To charge one flat DVR fee per account is one thing (like Directv does) but to charge it per DVR is another (like Dish Network does). I can understand paying for that fee once per account but to pay it more than once when you purchased your receivers instead of leasing it is another thing. For those that have HD receivers there's that HD enabling fee that applies to some.

 

[Zero327]

1. If DISH did a flat rate fee for account DVR access, but doing so required a set amount between $10-15, would you pay it without further issue?

2. If DISH decided instead to charge higher or lower rates for DVR access dependant on the model of unit, or drop all DVR fees except for newer models and all those upcoming, would this make you happy either?

It's unfair to compare to companies' business practices unless you have a better alternative. It isn't an acceptable alternative to both adopt DTV's method, and then adopt the same price scale as well. Billing and development for both companies are VASTLY different.

 

[MikeD-C05]

If Dish wanted to attract more customers rather than more fee money from all their customers , they could certainly do so by eliminating all dvr fees.When they came out with the 501/508/721 dvrs , they actually advertised the fact that they were doing it for free. They added a lot of new customers then since Directv was charging 9.99 a month for their tivos and tivo stand alones were going for 12.99 a month. DISH depends on new customers( quantity) to get its revunue up and to keep growing the business. More fees do not accomplish this goal and limit the attractiveness of their offerings to potential customers. Especially when Directv is charging just one dvr fee per account and Dish is doing it per receiver. But it looks like the bean counters are running Dish right now and they have added all kinds of fees to make more revenue like CABLE does.

 

[Charade]

I dont know where your living but where I'm at the law requires you to have auto insurance and if you are leasing or have a loan on it you have no choice but to buy insurance. As for heath insurance I'm sure we all bitch about the prices but in most cases its worth buying it because of the crazy costs for doctor care or for meds. And if you have kids its a no brainer but to have it.

But you're not forced to own a car. Those are the "rules" for owning/operating a car. Don't like the "rules"? Take the bus.