# It may be time to upgrade



## oldave (Dec 22, 2003)

After 12 years with Dish, it might be time to upgrade from SD to HD.

I'm a big fan of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I have a 4900 and a 510, the dishes are the 300 aimed at 61.5 and a 500 for 110 and 119.

SW64 provides the signal to both receivers from the three orbital positions... all this self-installed.

As you can see, the equipment's not exactly new.

I currently have the ability (and frequently do, without DVR capability) to receive Macon locals OTA, so I'm not overly concerned at the moment that Dish doesn't have the Macon locals in HD.

With that bit o' background... I think I'd like to keep the 510 and replace the 4900. 

I haven't kept up with all the changes in the technology, so I come before you guys... heh... what's going to need to be changed? Obviously, a new receiver will be needed... will the new receivers work with the SW64?

Your input's welcome.


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## scoobyxj (Apr 15, 2008)

If your going to replace the 4900 with a DVR then at the least you're going to need two lines off the 64 switch to the receiver location. Also depending on what Bird your HD locals are on would determen if you needed the 61.5, or 129. If I where to run across you system I would upgrade it all current tecnolagy (a DPP Twin on the 500, and a DP Dual on the wing) recable everything I could with Dish approved coax, and bring anything currently not up to code to code.


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## oldave (Dec 22, 2003)

scoobyxj said:


> If your going to replace the 4900 with a DVR then at the least you're going to need two lines off the 64 switch to the receiver location. Also depending on what Bird your HD locals are on would determen if you needed the 61.5, or 129. If I where to run across you system I would upgrade it all current tecnolagy (a DPP Twin on the 500, and a DP Dual on the wing) recable everything I could with Dish approved coax, and bring anything currently not up to code to code.


Actually, I'll replace the 4900 with the 510. And I have two lines run to where the HD receiver would go (used to have 2 receivers in there).

Locals aren't up in HD for the Macon, GA, DMA, but I presume they'll go on 61.5, and if not, I could deal with that then.

It's up to code, including grounding. It's just older technology.

I don't mind having it all replaced. I'm just curious what'd be required, and it sounds like... umm... nothing.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

Ideally, you could get any ViP-series receiver and use it with your current setup.

However, I would ditch the LNBs and the legacy switch and install a DP Plus Twin and DP Dual and replace the outdoor cables, if it was me.


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## oldave (Dec 22, 2003)

BattleZone said:


> Ideally, you could get any ViP-series receiver and use it with your current setup.
> 
> However, I would ditch the LNBs and the legacy switch and install a DP Plus Twin and DP Dual and replace the outdoor cables, if it was me.


I hear ya. And agree. When the weather cools a bit, I actually want to move the antennas anyway, and that would be a good time to do that.

We're not big on all this stuff, we've actually gotten to where we watch more television from Australia than the US. But we do like our NASCAR, and with it being on TNT and ESPN, we're missing the HD. On the other hand, only a few more weeks 'til it'll be on ABC anyway.


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## oldave (Dec 22, 2003)

Well, it turns out the question was an academic exercise... Dish won't ship any HD receiver. Professional installation is required.


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## jam131 (Jun 16, 2008)

Once you seen hd you will not want to go back to sd at all


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## oldave (Dec 22, 2003)

jam131 said:


> Once you seen hd you will not want to go back to sd at all


Oh, we watch HD just fine... that's what the outside antenna is for.

I'm just torqued right now because the Dish website tells me that I can get the 722 for $75 shipped, but when I call, they tell me no, you can't get that, you have to get the $125 installed option.

Apparently it's going to take time to get HD for anything other than OTA. And by taking time, I mean time for me to decide whether to continue fighting this battle with Dish or just call DirecTV or the cable company (though we have Billy Bob's cable here, and the quality on SD leaves... umm... something to be desired, even on SD sets).


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

oldave said:


> Well, it turns out the question was an academic exercise... Dish won't ship any HD receiver. Professional installation is required.


It depends - I think I could get by with just shipping one, since I'm already equipped now. (61.5, 119, and 110)


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## oldave (Dec 22, 2003)

scooper said:


> It depends - I think I could get by with just shipping one, since I'm already equipped now. (61.5, 119, and 110)


Same here. So I thought I could just get a receiver shipped.

Nope.

It's kind of bizarre. At the moment, we're watching Aussie TV in HD... but we can only get US programming in HD OTA unless I pony up for installation or switch providers.

Right now, my gripe is that I was shown one thing on the web site (after logging in, so it's not like it was a new customer promo) and then told another thing on the phone.


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## oldave (Dec 22, 2003)

CSR roulette pays off again... 

I got the 722 for the $75 shipped price, with a note that the installer is just to drop off the equipment... faster than shipping.


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## mloot (Aug 12, 2009)

Oldave, forgive me if this is a silly question, but I am looking to switch to Dish once my Directv contract is up in a couple of months. I would like to ask if you are getting Aussie programming with Dish, and if so, what package does it come with, and how many Australian channels can you get? Thank you.


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## CoriBright (May 30, 2002)

mloot said:


> Oldave, forgive me if this is a silly question, but I am looking to switch to Dish once my Directv contract is up in a couple of months. I would like to ask if you are getting Aussie programming with Dish, and if so, what package does it come with, and how many Australian channels can you get? Thank you.


Ditto. It would be nice to get more overseas programming in English. It's not like there aren't many countries to choose from... Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Canada.... Dish Network needs to sign a few more contracts, my German and French aren't good enough to watch Continental European channels... and other languages are just not my forte.


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## BillJ (May 5, 2005)

I let installers do the outside work but hookup all the cables inside myself. When my first 622 was installed the installer took one look at all the cables to and from various A/V equipment and said he was glad I'd connected everything inside before he got there (Dish had shipped that one directly to me). My second 622 was brought my the installer. At first he argued that he had to hook it up. Finally he agreed to let me do it while he went outside to try to solve some signal issues I had encountered recently. He fixed that problem, checked that the receiver was working, and was on his way.


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## oldave (Dec 22, 2003)

mloot said:


> Oldave, forgive me if this is a silly question, but I am looking to switch to Dish once my Directv contract is up in a couple of months. I would like to ask if you are getting Aussie programming with Dish, and if so, what package does it come with, and how many Australian channels can you get? Thank you.


Nah, we don't get Aussie channels from Dish. It takes a bit of poking around to find the shows that we watch.


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## oldave (Dec 22, 2003)

CoriBright said:


> Ditto. It would be nice to get more overseas programming in English. It's not like there aren't many countries to choose from... Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Canada.... Dish Network needs to sign a few more contracts, my German and French aren't good enough to watch Continental European channels... and other languages are just not my forte.


I wouldn't imagine that ABC, Seven, Nine or Ten (the major broadcast networks down under) would be interested much in being on US cable/satellite. The VAST majority of their programming comes from the US broadcast networks (with a heavy bias to Fox and CBS, it seems).

If you wanted to watch CSI, House, Letterman or the like time-shifted with local Oz inserts, I guess it could be interesting... just for the commercials/inserts.

More and more of the "local content" programming down under is "reality" type stuff... World's Strictest Parents, Surf Patrol, Australian Idol, Airways, etc.


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

jam131 said:


> Once you seen hd you will not want to go back to sd at all


AMEN! Three years ago I thought HD was nonsense. Today I have 3 HDTVS sets. What's SD?:lol::lol::lol::lol:


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## 47HO (Apr 11, 2008)

Paul Secic said:


> AMEN! Three years ago I thought HD was nonsense. Today I have 3 HDTVS sets. What's SD?:lol::lol::lol::lol:


It's the crappy looking channels on my HDTV!
:grin:


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## Michael P (Oct 27, 2004)

oldave said:


> Well, it turns out the question was an academic exercise... Dish won't ship any HD receiver. Professional installation is required.


This is not true for every circumstance. I have a 622 that I installed myself. It was a warranty replacement for what began years ago as a 921 (I had 10) then a 942 (I had 1 briefly). I have the same dishes you have which I installed myself. When I moved 5 years ago I purchased a DPP twin (or is it a dual, I get the 2 terms confused) and a DP single (for the 61.5 dish). I use the DPP separator at the receiver which provides 2 satellite inputs off one coax feed. I never had a Dish Tech out to my house in the entire 12 year history of my subscription. The internal switch on the DPP LNB looks like an SW 64 to a legacy receiver.

There is a place you can go on the web to purchase ViP receivers and LNB's (they are in Detroit).

(Pardon me for posting this without reading all the posts after the quoted one. You can still get DPP LNB's on your own. The ViP receivers will work better with DPP LNB's as both polarizations are present at all times as opposed to the legacy LNB's which have to "flip" when you change channels).


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## oldave (Dec 22, 2003)

Michael P said:


> This is not true for every circumstance. I have a 622 that I installed myself. It was a warranty replacement for what began years ago as a 921 (I had 10) then a 942 (I had 1 briefly). I have the same dishes you have which I installed myself. When I moved 5 years ago I purchased a DPP twin (or is it a dual, I get the 2 terms confused) and a DP single (for the 61.5 dish). I use the DPP separator at the receiver which provides 2 satellite inputs off one coax feed. I never had a Dish Tech out to my house in the entire 12 year history of my subscription. The internal switch on the DPP LNB looks like an SW 64 to a legacy receiver.
> 
> There is a place you can go on the web to purchase ViP receivers and LNB's (they are in Detroit).
> 
> (Pardon me for posting this without reading all the posts after the quoted one. You can still get DPP LNB's on your own. The ViP receivers will work better with DPP LNB's as both polarizations are present at all times as opposed to the legacy LNB's which have to "flip" when you change channels).


It all got done... not what I wanted, but we're up on the ViP722k and 510 now... and since it's done, I reckon in a bit, when I upgrade the other set to HD, I'll be able to get a 622 shipped.


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## nmetro (Jul 11, 2006)

oldave said:


> I wouldn't imagine that ABC, Seven, Nine or Ten (the major broadcast networks down under) would be interested much in being on US cable/satellite. The VAST majority of their programming comes from the US broadcast networks (with a heavy bias to Fox and CBS, it seems).
> 
> If you wanted to watch CSI, House, Letterman or the like time-shifted with local Oz inserts, I guess it could be interesting... just for the commercials/inserts.
> 
> More and more of the "local content" programming down under is "reality" type stuff... World's Strictest Parents, Surf Patrol, Australian Idol, Airways, etc.


Actually, copyright in the United States would prevent most shows on Aussie TV to be broadcast here. The same goes for Canada, New Zealand and the UK. The networks, the studios and syndicators, here have exclusivity. So, about the only shows which could be broadcast back to the US would be the local news casts, locally produced shows and sports (unless FOX or Disney have exclusive rights). Of course, I think Setanta Sport is the only outlet in the US right now that broadcasts AFL, NRL and Rugby Union footy in the US.

Though, I think ABC and SBS (Australia) pretty much does not carry much in US programming.

By the way, the quote "watching Aussie TV" implies that you watch shows of Australian origin. I suspect that even one of the large dish's are incapable of receiving satellite feeds from the Australian based satellites.


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## Michael P (Oct 27, 2004)

nmetro said:


> Actually, copyright in the United States would prevent most shows on Aussie TV to be broadcast here. The same goes for Canada, New Zealand and the UK. The networks, the studios and syndicators, here have exclusivity. So, about the only shows which could be broadcast back to the US would be the local news casts, locally produced shows and sports (unless FOX or Disney have exclusive rights). Of course, I think Setanta Sport is the only outlet in the US right now that broadcasts AFL, NRL and Rugby Union footy in the US.
> 
> Though, I think ABC and SBS (Australia) pretty much does not carry much in US programming.
> 
> By the way, the quote "watching Aussie TV" implies that you watch shows of Australian origin. I suspect that even one of the large dish's are incapable of receiving satellite feeds from the Australian based satellites.


I can get some Canadian stations OTA from time to time. With the exception of the CBC, the rest of the Canadian networks are rebroadcasting the same shows we get on the "Big 4" U.S. nets. Bottom line, All we need is a CBC feed cleared for U.S. consumption. It can be done, BBC America is the proof.

I do find it ironic that all the U.S. networks are available in Canada alongside their own networks. The only entities "protected" are the advertisers. Whenever a program is carried at the exact same time on a U.S. network as it appears on a Canadian network the cable or satellite provider has to substitute the Canadian feed over the U.S. feed of the same program (so you get the "correct" commercials). This is called "sim-sub". OTOH if a program was broadcast at a different day and/or time the Canadians get the U.S. commercials.


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## oldave (Dec 22, 2003)

nmetro said:


> Actually, copyright in the United States would prevent most shows on Aussie TV to be broadcast here. The same goes for Canada, New Zealand and the UK. The networks, the studios and syndicators, here have exclusivity. So, about the only shows which could be broadcast back to the US would be the local news casts, locally produced shows and sports (unless FOX or Disney have exclusive rights). Of course, I think Setanta Sport is the only outlet in the US right now that broadcasts AFL, NRL and Rugby Union footy in the US.


Some programming has been made available to US cable networks (notably, Hallmark), but it is rare.



> Though, I think ABC and SBS (Australia) pretty much does not carry much in US programming.


Correct. The "Big 3" are the ones carrying the US shows.



> By the way, the quote "watching Aussie TV" implies that you watch shows of Australian origin. I suspect that even one of the large dish's are incapable of receiving satellite feeds from the Australian based satellites.


We do. You might be surprised what's available on DVD (series and movies) here in the US. We were.

This is going way off-topic, though, so probably should move to another forum.


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