# HD Only Packages for Current Customers



## ebaltz (Nov 23, 2004)

Okay I haven't been paying a lot of attention to this stuff lately, but can someone tell me if current customers can have HD only packages if not when? What would be the cost for HD only, the top of the line package without premiums.


----------



## mike1977 (Aug 26, 2005)

http://www.dishnetwork.com/turbohd/programming/default.aspx

It's for new customers only (until Feb?), but it would be $39.99.


----------



## HobbyTalk (Jul 14, 2007)

Current customers can get it if they try hard enough


----------



## Borgie (Dec 30, 2006)

You can if you try hard enough. I did. A guy I work with did. I previously had HD absolute, he previously had AT200 and no HD. We both now have Turbo HD Gold.


----------



## goldenbear (Nov 2, 2006)

Borgie said:


> You can if you try hard enough. I did. A guy I work with did. I previously had HD absolute, he previously had AT200 and no HD. We both now have Turbo HD Gold.


Did you have to threaten to cancel Dish? I have tried to change to HD Gold from HD Absolute with no luck.


----------



## ebaltz (Nov 23, 2004)

Well I think maybe I'll wait until February. I suppose then I'll have to swap out my second box (a 501) for something HD in order to still get stuff on that box.


----------



## whatchel1 (Jan 11, 2006)

I'm an HD absolute and all I get is HD. But I got it before the drop dead date. I miss a few of the nets that are in SD but not that much.


----------



## biz (Jul 30, 2004)

I don't see much difference in HD Gold over Absolute?

RSN's?

Hasn't mattered for me this year to not have Fox Sports NW.

Hmmmm... Mariners, UW, WSU, Seahawks.... Glad I didn't have it


----------



## HobbyTalk (Jul 14, 2007)

BTN? Glad I got it


----------



## GrumpyBear (Feb 1, 2006)

biz said:


> I don't see much difference in HD Gold over Absolute?
> 
> RSN's?
> 
> ...


I couldn't find a smiley, that shows how much I agree with you, on the status of
NW sports right now. Only good thing, is it can't get much worse. Come on Feb
so I can switch over and hopefully get the Multi-sports with it.


----------



## clyde sauls (Nov 16, 2007)

Unless I am missing something isnt the absolute pkg $20 cheaper than the hd gold. I dont see how a few sports channels are worth additional $20. I for one just want more hd channels.


----------



## HobbyTalk (Jul 14, 2007)

Gold is $39.99... $10 more per month.


----------



## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

HD Absolute is the equivalent of TurboHD Platinum which is $20 more.

I will turn loose of Absolute when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.


----------



## PRIME1 (Nov 29, 2007)

Jim5506 said:


> I will turn loose of Absolute when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.


Amen brother!


----------



## Hound (Mar 20, 2005)

Jim5506 said:


> HD Absolute is the equivalent of TurboHD Platinum which is $20 more.
> 
> I will turn loose of Absolute when they pry it from my cold dead fingers.


Agreed, I will very likely drop E*, if old subs have to give up HD Absolute
and sign up for Turbo HD.
Every HD channel on E* is either on D* or Verizon.
There is just nothing unique.


----------



## goldenbear (Nov 2, 2006)

clyde sauls said:


> Unless I am missing something isnt the absolute pkg $20 cheaper than the hd gold. I dont see how a few sports channels are worth additional $20. I for one just want more hd channels.


You are completely right, HD absolute is $20 cheaper than HD gold, but HD gold is $20 cheaper than what a current subscriber would pay for AT250+HD, which would be the only way to get a RSN with a full HD package. A lot of the HD stations aren't all that unique anymore and don't have much HD content, so I'm thinking I'd actually do HD silver. There are a lot of bad movies on the platinum networks and with Netflix and Blu Ray, I do get a good amount of HD movie content of my choice (though not instantly). Universal, VS and Nat Geo are decent HD channels, but that's basically $17 extra, I'd rather go with HBO.

So to each his own, but I'd say 1/2 of the HD I watch on the dish is sports. And the HD silver package is way cheaper than any dish or direct alternative with a RSN (and also one can add the multisport package). I can see how if you don't watch sports, Absolute is the way to go. So cheap...


----------



## HobbyTalk (Jul 14, 2007)

Hound said:


> Agreed, I will very likely drop E*, if old subs have to give up HD Absolute
> and sign up for Turbo HD.
> Every HD channel on E* is either on D* or Verizon.
> There is just nothing unique.


Yeah, that'll show 'em. Go to D* and pay $80 to get the same HD channels you'd get with TurboHD for $50.


----------



## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Hopefully by the time Absolute is gone TurboHD will be so much better that people will willingly leave it for better packages. Based on how long DISH has allowed the old $5 HDPack to survive (ends December 8th, nearly three years after DISH stopped selling it) I don't expect DISH will end the grandfather status ... but I would not expect any new HD in Absolute once existing customers can sign up for TurboHD packages

Don't forget DISH withheld new HD channels in 2005 and early 2006 so they would not be available in the MPEG2 packages. With the promise of 150 HD channels by the end of the year and the desire to get people off of Absolute I wouldn't be surprised if Absolute customers have seen their last channel addition.


----------



## Calvin386 (May 23, 2007)

I could live with that. I have more HD channels than I can watch now.


----------



## Hound (Mar 20, 2005)

HobbyTalk said:


> Yeah, that'll show 'em. Go to D* and pay $80 to get the same HD channels you'd get with TurboHD for $50.


Not correct or I never would have signed up for D*. E* has too many holes 
in its HD lineup to choose E* over D*. Also the cost is the same. The D* package is $72 a month
and when you add the cost of locals, second DVR fee and sports pack fee to get Big Ten Network there is no difference in price and there is much more content with D*.


----------



## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

If you compare apples to tangerines the winner is an orange?

$72.99 at DirecTV (plus tax/etc) gets you Choice Extra w/HD and DVR. TurboHD Gold w/locals + DVR is $49.99 at DISH ... add in the sports pack and 2nd DVR for your unique needs and you're still $10 better off at DISH.

The content will catch up. Eventually DirecTV will have all the HD channels DISH has ... and vice versa.


----------



## dishlover2 (Aug 24, 2008)

Ok my hope is to have all the subscribed channels in hd including superstations plus all the remaining hbos show/tmc encore what would be the cost of everything hd once all are in hd as it stands now its 49.99 I Believe that includes gold and bronze with hbo etc (feb 2009)


----------



## dishlover2 (Aug 24, 2008)

dishlover2 said:


> Ok, my hope is to have all the subscribed channels in hd including superstations plus all the remaining hbos show/tmc encore what would be the cost of everything hd once all are in hd as it stands now its 49.99 I Believe that includes gold and bronze with hbo etc. (feb 2009)


Based on everything [pak .
superstations the only other alacarte taking into account hd only eliminating non hd channel copies.


----------

