Why DVR Fees?
- Thread starter blockisle9
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 57
- Views 8K
The DVR software (and management of that software) is what we are paying for, just as you pay for Windows XP and other software for our computers. They are trying to expand their profitability. They use some if not all of this money to subsidize the hardware to the customer to get them a reduced price on the DVR.
Yeah, that's not a very good analogy.... You pay *once* for Win XP, not monthly (expect that to change someday though).
So basically you are paying for something that you have already watched or could not watch at the present time. So basically, newspapers could charge a fee for research of new ink or paper? For example, say you were reading in the newspaper about John Kerry voting against every policy that ended the cold war, you say wait a minute let me read that again. You read the paragraph again that talks about John Kerry voting against every policy that ended the cold war. Since you are using something for a second time that you have already paid for, you would be willing to pay a charge for that? Or what if you got home after midnight and have not had a chane to read yesterdays paper. Would you support paying a fee for something that was already printed?
This is America, land of the free.
But something for nothing, how would we live? It will be free in like 5 years when they have something better ... so will the HD programming we are all paying 5 -50 a month to get!
But something for nothing, how would we live? It will be free in like 5 years when they have something better ... so will the HD programming we are all paying 5 -50 a month to get!
If you think $1000 for a HD DVR is a "reduced price", you have a VERY warped set of values. And if I'm paying $5/month for "management of that software", then I'm being ripped off big-time because the 721/921 software is the worst I've seen on any device anywhere - and I've seen a LOT.Stargazer said:
I am not complaining about paying the fee I like the 522 there for I don't mind paying the minimal fee, I was just wondering why and now I know.
Thank You.
Just a few more points
1-When I buy Microsoft software I pay for the software no monthly fee to use it.
2-I under stand about paying a fee for the use of the guide on some DVRs but with Dish the guide is part of my service that I am already paying for.
If its to keep the cost of the unit down so Dish would be able to offer it to more customers thats fine for people who don't own the equipment. For people who actually buy the equipment thats a different story. (But if I'm not mistaking you cant buy it, its a lease only?)
Anyway thanks for everyones input
Thank You.
Just a few more points
1-When I buy Microsoft software I pay for the software no monthly fee to use it.
2-I under stand about paying a fee for the use of the guide on some DVRs but with Dish the guide is part of my service that I am already paying for.
If its to keep the cost of the unit down so Dish would be able to offer it to more customers thats fine for people who don't own the equipment. For people who actually buy the equipment thats a different story. (But if I'm not mistaking you cant buy it, its a lease only?)
Anyway thanks for everyones input
It is mainly being used as a way to get customers to upgrade to AEP. If you do upgrade then you won't have any dvr fee. This is a way to get the average customer subscription cost up. The average monthly sub pays like 50.00 or less and Dish is trying to get it up . Would you rather pay a fee or get more programming for you money?
Dish did offer dvrs without a fee and I think it worked much better in order to gain new customers. Most people didn't mind the software glitches because it didn't cost you anything to use it. In fact the year before they instituted a dvr fee ,Dish was gaining more new subs faster than Directv. Now they are gaining less than Directv. In that same time period Directv lowered the monthly dvr fee with Tivo from like 9.99 to the one dvr fee per account for 4.99 . This is most likely why Directv is gaining more subs now than Dish.
Dish is charging per receiver and this too becomes to costly. Directv is also selling a dual tuner tivo for like 79.00 at Best Buy. So that to is another reason why Directv is gaining more subs now than Dish. I think Dish should not only go back to either no dvr fees or a whole account dvr fee like Directv and also reduce the additional receiver fees as well if they want to gain new subs and even draw a few old customers back.
Another way for Dish, is to offer no dvr fees and no additional receiver fees if you sub to AEP. This would surely get most subs to go to the higher programming pack . I sub to AEP w locals and I have 4 receivers on my account. This works out to 82.99 for the programming and the additional receivers fees of 14.97. If I didn't sub to AEP I would be paying for the dvr fees as well at 9.98 per month. ( 921 and a 510 dvr ) So by subing to AEP I actually save the 9.98 a month. So you actually save yourself money by subing to AEP.
This of course would cause Directv to follow with their plan as well to compete with Dish and everyone would win. Of course Directv is planning to offer free dvrs and I doubt they will have the dvr fee. They will actually be offering a plan similiar to what Dish was doing before. Of course their free dvrs will work well without a fee.
Dish did offer dvrs without a fee and I think it worked much better in order to gain new customers. Most people didn't mind the software glitches because it didn't cost you anything to use it. In fact the year before they instituted a dvr fee ,Dish was gaining more new subs faster than Directv. Now they are gaining less than Directv. In that same time period Directv lowered the monthly dvr fee with Tivo from like 9.99 to the one dvr fee per account for 4.99 . This is most likely why Directv is gaining more subs now than Dish.
Dish is charging per receiver and this too becomes to costly. Directv is also selling a dual tuner tivo for like 79.00 at Best Buy. So that to is another reason why Directv is gaining more subs now than Dish. I think Dish should not only go back to either no dvr fees or a whole account dvr fee like Directv and also reduce the additional receiver fees as well if they want to gain new subs and even draw a few old customers back.
Another way for Dish, is to offer no dvr fees and no additional receiver fees if you sub to AEP. This would surely get most subs to go to the higher programming pack . I sub to AEP w locals and I have 4 receivers on my account. This works out to 82.99 for the programming and the additional receivers fees of 14.97. If I didn't sub to AEP I would be paying for the dvr fees as well at 9.98 per month. ( 921 and a 510 dvr ) So by subing to AEP I actually save the 9.98 a month. So you actually save yourself money by subing to AEP.
This of course would cause Directv to follow with their plan as well to compete with Dish and everyone would win. Of course Directv is planning to offer free dvrs and I doubt they will have the dvr fee. They will actually be offering a plan similiar to what Dish was doing before. Of course their free dvrs will work well without a fee.
When I decided to upgrade to a PVR, I had two choices:
Pay $99 up front for a 510 (went down to $79 two days after my upgrade... D'oh!) and a monthly fee of $4,98.
Pay $249 up front for a 508 that has no monthly PVR fees.
To me, the 510 was a better deal. If I stay with Dish for 3 years, the cost of my 510 will be 99+(4,98*36)=278,28
If I decide to quit after my contract is over, I would had paid 99+(4,98*12)=158,76. I believe the 510 is theirs, so after I finish my contract they send me a prepaid box and I just pack and return the receiver. No biggie.
I don't think the PVR fee is an act of greed or anything like that. I think is a way of making business by subsidizing the new receivers so more people can get one...
BTW, right now Dish is giving away the 510 for free for new subscribers here in Puerto Rico... PLUS the $4,98 fee...
Pay $99 up front for a 510 (went down to $79 two days after my upgrade... D'oh!) and a monthly fee of $4,98.
Pay $249 up front for a 508 that has no monthly PVR fees.
To me, the 510 was a better deal. If I stay with Dish for 3 years, the cost of my 510 will be 99+(4,98*36)=278,28
If I decide to quit after my contract is over, I would had paid 99+(4,98*12)=158,76. I believe the 510 is theirs, so after I finish my contract they send me a prepaid box and I just pack and return the receiver. No biggie.
I don't think the PVR fee is an act of greed or anything like that. I think is a way of making business by subsidizing the new receivers so more people can get one...
BTW, right now Dish is giving away the 510 for free for new subscribers here in Puerto Rico... PLUS the $4,98 fee...
I thought it was mentionied on here or on a Charlie Chat a good while back that the fee was used to help with software development and for keeping up with the software.
It is one thing when you get the 510 for a discount but another when you have to pay full price for the 921. It should not have had the $5 fee seeing how expensive it is.
It is one thing when you get the 510 for a discount but another when you have to pay full price for the 921. It should not have had the $5 fee seeing how expensive it is.
korsjs said:
If you don't like it, don't pay it. They clearly state the fees up front - if you don't think they are reasonable, then don't buy the unit. Nobody is holding a gun to your head.
Here's how I see it. If I make calculators, and I sell them to you for $15, do I have the right to charge you $2/mo to "use" it? Maybe. Seems a little shady though.
It seems as though I am paying a hardware fee for the DVR PLUS a service fee, when I am recieving no service. If they want to charge for a GUI, make me pay more for the unit. At least give me a worthless service and make me feel like I'm paying for something.
Maybe I'm way off. Wouldn't be the first time!
It seems as though I am paying a hardware fee for the DVR PLUS a service fee, when I am recieving no service. If they want to charge for a GUI, make me pay more for the unit. At least give me a worthless service and make me feel like I'm paying for something.
Maybe I'm way off. Wouldn't be the first time!
monthly DVR fee
You pay money for gasoline to make that car run, eh?
It does take someone's effort to put the programming guide together. It
took developers and programmers to put it in a format that could be used
by the DVR unit.
They charge the $5/month because they can, and because TIVO charges
more!
If you purchase a 501 or 508 or 721 there is no DVR fee. You could
call dish itself and get a 501 for $99 if you were an existing member, even
less with credit-card auto pay and so forth. (1-800-333-DISH). Now, I
don't know if that promotion is still available.
blockisle9 said:
You pay money for gasoline to make that car run, eh?
It does take someone's effort to put the programming guide together. It
took developers and programmers to put it in a format that could be used
by the DVR unit.
They charge the $5/month because they can, and because TIVO charges
more!
If you purchase a 501 or 508 or 721 there is no DVR fee. You could
call dish itself and get a 501 for $99 if you were an existing member, even
less with credit-card auto pay and so forth. (1-800-333-DISH). Now, I
don't know if that promotion is still available.
That cost should be factored into the price of the hardware.gfr437 said:
"Because they can...get away with it" is how that sentence should be completed. BTW, DirecTV charges less for the use of their Tivo receivers, $5 per household not per unit as Dish does.gfr437 said:
They charge the fee because people will pay them. Hell, people are paying cable companies $5-15 per month for DVR/VOD fees. It's all about enhancing the bottom line for the Majority Share Holder. Who's Charlie. Besides, it's election season, and Charlie has a lot of donations to make.
My problem is that they call it Video on Demand, and if you've ever had digital cable, this is NOT video on demand.
I used to be able to pull up 100's of movies at any second I wanted to. Hence VIDEO ON DEMAND.
This DVR thing is definitly not video on demand.
Its "recorded video that you set to record on demand"
I used to be able to pull up 100's of movies at any second I wanted to. Hence VIDEO ON DEMAND.
This DVR thing is definitly not video on demand.
Its "recorded video that you set to record on demand"
E* made it all too obvious that the DVR fee was a "because I can" fee by imposing it on the 510, whose only additional feature over the 501 and 508 is a bigger hard drive; they even use the exact same software. But that's capitalism for you: To misquote Winston Churchill, it's the worst economic system ever invented--except for all the others. (Churchill was actually talking about democracy, but I know he'd have said the same for capitalism.)
E* does provide more EPG support for DVRs (up to 9 days) than for other receivers (up to 2 days), plus they're the only SD receivers with DD sound; but without the DVR fee, and with most receivers given away via free installs, DVRs weren't making Charlie any more money per customer. I suspect Charlie figured was a little TOO successful with the 501/508, and decided he had to temper it with a DVR fee on the 510.
But figure this: A free DishDVR with a $5 fee still beats a $99 DirecTivo with a $5 fee. And since few people get two DVRs, the advantage of DirecTivo's $5-per-account fee is rare, and still tempered by the cost of the units themselves. And of course, the 522 offsets that by meriting only one DishDVR fee despite its two receivers. (Assuming it ever gets out of beta...)
E* does provide more EPG support for DVRs (up to 9 days) than for other receivers (up to 2 days), plus they're the only SD receivers with DD sound; but without the DVR fee, and with most receivers given away via free installs, DVRs weren't making Charlie any more money per customer. I suspect Charlie figured was a little TOO successful with the 501/508, and decided he had to temper it with a DVR fee on the 510.
But figure this: A free DishDVR with a $5 fee still beats a $99 DirecTivo with a $5 fee. And since few people get two DVRs, the advantage of DirecTivo's $5-per-account fee is rare, and still tempered by the cost of the units themselves. And of course, the 522 offsets that by meriting only one DishDVR fee despite its two receivers. (Assuming it ever gets out of beta...)
Are you sure? I could sear my old 3700 or 4700 had a DD optical output.RBBrittain said:
Many dealers sell the DirecTivo for under $99, which many gladly pay to get a DVR that works properly. Also, many household DO have more than one DVR, so the single account fee does make a diff.RBBrittain said:
