# Getting some HD channels w/o subsribing to HD package?



## PHRoberts (Jul 28, 2010)

I'm visiting my inlaws who have Dish Network. Their package is America's Top 250 without HD. I noticed that even though they don't have the HD package, they have a few channels in HD - including their locals, the NFL network, AMC, Cooking and a few others. I'm wondering if this is normal? 

They are trying to decide if they want to pay for an HD upgrade, commit to keeping it for an additional 24 months, or just switch to DTV at the new subscribler rate (and my refer-a-friend discount  ) when their current contract ends. 

They were really happy that I was able to fix their receiver sharing problem (master bedroom was linked to the wrong receiver so my mother in law was having to watch her DVR'd programs in the guest room). And I was able to get her remotes to control the TVs... Apparently this kept them from having to pay for a $100 service call to correct what wasn't connected properly the first time. :nono2:

Heath


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

PHRoberts said:


> I'm visiting my inlaws who have Dish Network. Their package is America's Top 250 without HD. I noticed that even though they don't have the HD package, they have a few channels in HD - including their locals, the NFL network, AMC, Cooking and a few others. I'm wondering if this is normal?


There are a few channels in free preview (see channel 102 or http://dish.com/preview for a list and dates).

If they are willing to make the commitment or a $99 payment DISH will provide HD versions of all the channels they subscribe to that DISH carries at no additional monthly charge.


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## PHRoberts (Jul 28, 2010)

That explains it! 

I don't know if they really notice the difference between HD or not... they have an HD TV in the bedroom that's just connected to an RF input and seem just as happy with it. I just hate to see technology that's not being used... but it's not my house.

Heath


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## PHRoberts (Jul 28, 2010)

From reading another thread, it appears they're set up on the "eastern arc" 

I checked their signal meters and found their signal strength in the 40-60 range on 61.5, 50-55 range on 72.7, and in the 50-60 range on the 77 sat. Their dish appears to have an unobstructed view. On a scale of 0-125 on their VIP722K this seems low to me - but I have never been here during a storm, so I have no idea if they have a lot of rain fade issues. Is this typical? They're located in Dalton GA if that makes a difference...

Thanks!

Heath


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

A couple of years ago, when Dish decided to standardize their in-house techs on the Super Sat Buddy sat meter, they recalibrated the signal meters on all of the non-legacy receivers to match the Super Sat Buddy. Essentially, they chopped about 35 percent off the meter. So, a reading of 60 on the current meter is like 95 on the old meter.

Considering many of the satellites that make up the Eastern Arc are old, tired birds (scheduled to be replaced in the next couple of years), that's just fine.

The 125 meter is kind of whacky, but a few of the spotbeams were strong enough to go over 100, as you can still see on a legacy receiver.


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## PHRoberts (Jul 28, 2010)

Thanks for the explanation... glad I didn't start wrenching on the dish


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## jsk (Dec 27, 2006)

If they have the HD reciever in their living room connected to a SD TV and a second TV connected to RF, then you will not get HD on the second TV becuase the recievers can't transmit HD via RF. You can only get HD at the TV connected to the reciever via a HDMI (best quality) or Composite connection.

You could move the reciever to the bedroom. Also you would have to feed the connection to the dish to the bedroom and the RF out of the reciever back to the TV in the living room. You can probably use diplexors to combine the satelite and RF out into one cable so you don't have to run additional cables.


```
Right now (this is my assumption):


Dish------DHPP Separator in LR==== Sat 1 & 2 On LR Receiver 

Home Dist. On LR Receiver ----- BR TV RF In

                  

Change to:
                                     
Dish------LR Diplexer ----LR TV RF In 
               |
               |
          BR Diplexer ----BR DHPP Separator===Sat 1 & 2 on 
               |                              BR Receiver                     
               |
               |        
             Home Dist on BR Receiver 

HDMI on BR Receiver ~~~~~~~ BR TV
```
Key
LR Living Room
BR Bed Room
--- or | coax cable
=== 2 coax cables
~~~ HDMI Cable
Diplexer - One of these


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## PHRoberts (Jul 28, 2010)

They actually have two receivers feeding four TVs, two of which are HD sets.

Living Room (HD) 722k located here
Master BR (HD) fed by 2nd output on 722k
Bedroom 2 (SD) 222k located here
Bedroom 3 (SD) fed by 2nd output on 222k

My thought was to move the 222k to the master and have it feed BR3 and have the 222k feed bedroom 2, but I don't think my mother in law wants to give up pulling DVR recordings from the living room to the master bedroom.

Heath


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

PHRoberts said:


> I'm visiting my inlaws who have Dish Network. Their package is America's Top 250 without HD. I noticed that even though they don't have the HD package, they have a few channels in HD - including their locals, the NFL network, AMC, Cooking and a few others. I'm wondering if this is normal?
> 
> They are trying to decide if they want to pay for an HD upgrade, commit to keeping it for an additional 24 months, or just switch to DTV at the new subscribler rate (and my refer-a-friend discount  ) when their current contract ends.
> 
> ...


All your parents have to is commit to a two year contract and they'll get free HD for life. They'll love HD trust me!


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

PHRoberts said:


> They actually have two receivers feeding four TVs, two of which are HD sets.
> 
> Living Room (HD) 722k located here
> Master BR (HD) fed by 2nd output on 722k
> ...


They would pay more with DirecTV.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

PHRoberts said:


> They actually have two receivers feeding four TVs, two of which are HD sets.
> 
> Living Room (HD) 722k located here
> Master BR (HD) fed by 2nd output on 722k
> ...


I promise you, the two TVs getting an HD feed are the ones next to the 722 and 222, as the TV2 output is SD only.


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## PHRoberts (Jul 28, 2010)

My "HD" and "SD" notes were about the TV capability, not the feed they're getting. Sorry for the confusion...

Heath


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## smithduluth (Nov 22, 2005)

Paul Secic said:


> All your parents have to is commit to a two year contract and they'll get free HD for life. They'll love HD trust me!


I had an online chat with Dish today and discovered a wrinkle with that. I have an annual SD plan and wanted to buy a 222k from Amazon to replace my 322 (I own all my Dish stuff and have 2 500 dishpros with one on 61.5 which I would move) and switch to HD. Dish wants $10 extra per month, it's only free if I was on the pay by the month plan... So if I want to do this for free, I must wait for my year to expire and then switch.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

The "annual payment plan" is a promotion, and like many, cannot be combined with certain other promotions.


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## Michael1 (Feb 24, 2010)

I just signed up for HD today, so unfortunately, I can't give you the exact channels, but there were a few in HD.

Michael


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Not sure if anyone further clarified and I just missed seeing it... but as long as you subscribe to locals, you get the locals in HD (if Dish carries them) as part of that.

So that + the channels currently in free preview explains why they are getting some HD now.


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## CABill (Mar 20, 2005)

smithduluth said:


> So if I want to do this for free, I must wait for my year to expire and then switch.


My annual ran from 10Feb thru 9Feb for over a decade. I've been monthly since Aug '09 when DISH was unable to combine the two $10/month HD packages into a single $10 for annual subs. A CSR just converted my annual to monthly - giving me a large credit balance for the prorated remainder of the "year". If you WANT to switch to monthly, you shouldn't have to wait for your annual to expire. Not only do you save the $10/month, but locals are only $5 instead of $5.99 with annual (but you no longer have a CHOICE about locals with monthly).

Aug 01 Annual Classic Bronze 100 -190.07
That credit lasted me the rest of 2009.


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