# New HD programming issue



## DoyleS (Oct 21, 2002)

Today I got my 622 activated and running and I currently have the Top 180 and SatHD ($10) and Voom packages($5). So the Tech CSR asked if I wanted to upgrade to the new package and I said "what will it cost". Technically it is $5/month to get the additional 6 channels. However, since I pay annually and since my renewal date is in late January, I renewed on last years rates. If I go to the new package, it is not available yet on an annual plan so not only would it cost me $5 more per month but my plan would switch to a monthly plan and I would actually cost me $22/month more. He said when they added the San Francisco locals I would need to upgrade if I wanted them in HD. (I already have locals so this was confusing and I couldn't get a clear explanation regarding this) I chose to wait figuring that this forum will likely figure this out before most of the CSRs do. 

..Doyle


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## CABill (Mar 20, 2005)

You didn't mention if you purchased the 622 or took advantage of the $299 lease (more likely). Whatever happened today will likely show up on your online account tomorrow under Recent Activity, and it might help if you post that when it does appear. You only asked what it cost to change - not what it cost to NOT switch. The lease has a $6/month HD enable fee that gets waived when you subscribe to DishHD programming. Theoretically, that $6 and the $5.98 DVR fee were added to your account with the 622. There is a $5/month Dual output access fee that is waived when you connect the 622 to a phone line. There is an additional $6/month lease fee (much like your extra receivers have been charged $5/month). 

If you did lease the 622, I'd be quite interested to see what fees do appar on your account tomorrow. Some have said you couldn't activate a leased 622 w/o one of the new DishHD plans. If you don't connect to a phone line, you might have gone up more than $22 even without upgrading to the DishHD package.


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

on the HD locals comment, you mention having locals, but in HD or in SD? The 622 can accept an antenna which should pick up your locals in HD if you are in range. But what the CSR was talking about is that Dish is putting up HD locals for the big 4 in 50 markets this year. So when San Fran's HD locals get lit, you won't be able to see them on the 2 sat tuners until you upgrade to a metal pack. With OTA locals in HD and Sat HD locals, you'll have the ability to watch/record 3 HD local programs at once. With OTA only, you would be limited to only 1 HD program at a time. 

So, say tonight, you like NCIS on CBS, but you also like American Idol. with OTA only, you have to decide which to watch/record in HD and which in SD. With HD locals from Dish, you'd be able to do both in HD and watch a 3rd program in HD.


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## DoyleS (Oct 21, 2002)

I am leasing the unit and did the $299 upgrade. I will be selling my 6000 hopefully for about $300 based on current eBay pricing. The programming options are probably pretty straightforward for a new subscriber but in my case it is a bit confusing with paying . 

I am going to need some help thinking through the HD programming options so comments are welcome. 
I currently pay for top 180 annually (January) $528 which works out to $44/mo.
I pay for HD Pack $9.99/mo and Voom $5/mo. on a monthly basis. 
I am connected to phone lines. I will have a monthly 622 lease fee. If I go to the HD Gold, that is $69.99/mo or $15 more per month to get 6 new channels and sometime in the future be able to get all of my current OTA HD stations also on Sat. Annual packages typically give you the equivalent of 1 month free. So far it doesn't look like there is an annual subscription for HD Gold or am I wrong? Also, what is this $6 HD enabling fee? Is that only for Mpeg4 units? Somehow I missed that in the last 4 weeks of discussion. 

..Doyle


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## jsanders (Jan 21, 2004)

Hi Doyle,

I'm very surprised at a couple of things. I thought when you leased, you were forced to subscribe to one of the new metal packages. I am surprised you kept AT180 + HD Pack + Voom. That is great.

The HD Enabling fee is $6 to enable HD capability in your 622. If you subscribe to HD programming, the fee is waived. Basically, what it means is that if you just do HD OTA, they charge you $6. If you want SD only, they can disable your OTA HD tuner, and then you don't have to pay the $6 because the 622 isn't "enabled" for HD. That really stinks! They must lay in bed at night thinking of new ways to stick it to their customers.

I can't believe they want to force you to subscribe to the new HD Pack in order to get MPEG-4 locals. Have you tried a few different CSRs to clarify? Were you talking to someone locally, or someone in India? I've found that going through technical support usually avoids the Indian call center.


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## CABill (Mar 20, 2005)

The HD Enabling $6/month is specific to MPEG4 receivers. You should have received a written agreement somewhere along the line. A guy posted an electronic version that may (or may not) match something you have in writing titled 
Eighteen Month Term Agreement Period
Existing Customer Agreement - DISHMover, Antenna Upgrade & DISH'n It Up
Promotions
His version is available at http://members.iphouse.com/bert/dishnitup18.pdf and says

HD Enabling Fee: A non-refundable $6.00 per
month HD enabling fee will be charged to your account for each model ViP211 or ViP622 receiver for which the capacity to receive high definition
programming (including without limitation via an off-air antenna) has been enabled. This fee will be waived on a monthly basis if you subscribe to
DishHD Bronze, DishHD Silver, DishHD Gold, DishHD Platinum, DishLATINO HD Bronze, DishLATINO HD Silver, DishLATINO HD Gold, or
DishLATINO HD Platinum, or if the applicable receiver's capacity to receive high definition programming has been disabled by DISH Network at
your request. You may call us at 800-333-DISH to request that we disable the high definition functionality on your receiver(s).

You could even save $10 with an annual sub to the HD PAK up until Feb 1st, but no annual sub savings are available with the "MPEG4 packages".

SF is a CBS O&O so if you can also get 148, you should be able to get CBS-HD from KCBS-DT. No HD locals w/o the upgrade. Tomorrow's "Current Activity" should show if you do or don't get billed the HD Enable fee. You also want to watch that there is only one "Addl Rec Fee" of $5 for a 508, one free 508, and the 622's Lease Fee of $6. It is conceiveable that they do you a favor and make the 622 the primary with NO Lease Fee and just two $5 508 fees. I really don't expect that to happen, but just make sure you don't wind up with the $6 lease and both 508s as "Addl receivers". We're sort of looking to you to tell us what the bill really is. There is no shortage of views as to what it ought to be.


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## DoyleS (Oct 21, 2002)

I haven't talked to any CSRs other than the Tech CSR that gave me a rehit when the programming didn't come through after activation. He pretty much agreed with me that since I had paid for the top 180 on an annual basis, that was cheaper than going to a monthly gold HD package. Since I subscribe to the HD pack it would seem that I won't get hit with a $6 enabling fee. Thanks for the clarification there. With regard to the new channels, I really don't need them at this point. I can already record OTA HD on my HTPC using the MYHD card. Not quite as convenient as the 622 but I pretty much have unlimited disk space there. It will be easy enough for me to watch one OTA HD program on the HTPC while I record with the 622. I have sent a fairly lengthy email query off to the Dish Contact Us line and hope to have some more answers back tomorrow. I know we are on the front edge of this so it is not surprising that there are unclear situations. I just don't want any big surprise charges. With the annual renewal and the $299 upgrade, my CC got hit last month for about $850. 

..Doyle


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## gbjbany (Sep 25, 2005)

did you deactivate the 6000 at the same time or is it still on your account ? 
Im wondering if this is why you werent forced to take the metallic pack. I.e you still had the 6000 and the 622 was an additional receiver.


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## kamack65 (Aug 19, 2004)

DoyleS said:


> Today I got my 622 activated and running and I currently have the Top 180 and SatHD ($10) and Voom packages($5). So the Tech CSR asked if I wanted to upgrade to the new package and I said "what will it cost". Technically it is $5/month to get the additional 6 channels. However, since I pay annually and since my renewal date is in late January, I renewed on last years rates. If I go to the new package, it is not available yet on an annual plan so not only would it cost me $5 more per month but my plan would switch to a monthly plan and I would actually cost me $22/month more. He said when they added the San Francisco locals I would need to upgrade if I wanted them in HD. (I already have locals so this was confusing and I couldn't get a clear explanation regarding this) I chose to wait figuring that this forum will likely figure this out before most of the CSRs do.
> 
> ..Doyle


I'm in the same situation with upgrading to a 622. The CSR was pushing me to upgrade from AT120+Locals+HD Pack to the metal package so that they would install a 1000 antenna when they install my 622 to get Voom and future MPEG4s. But the metal package will run me ~$10 a month more than current, and there is no date for Little Rock HD locals to be added. I'm not interested in the Vooms.

I think I can add a Dish 500 to point at the right satellite once the HD locals are up here and be better off $$-wise.

So they are going to install my 622 on 3/18 w/o a metal package, the 622 will be my only receiver and I'll pay $70 per month for AT120+locals+HD Pack.


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## CABill (Mar 20, 2005)

kamack65 said:


> So they are going to install my 622 on 3/18 w/o a metal package, the 622 will be my only receiver and I'll pay $70 per month for AT120+locals+HD Pack.


Was the $70 figure what a CSR quoted you? I'm certainly not pushing the DishHD package, but DishHD Silver (AT120) w/ locals is $65. Add $5.98 DVR fee and you get to $70.97. There is an abiguous $6 lease fee that MIGHT enter into it, unknown taxes or possible extended warranty plan, but that doesn't seem like $10 more than the $70 you gave. I have trouble getting AT120+locals+HD Pak to $70 too:

$44.99 - AT120+locals
$10 - HD Pak
$5.98 - DVR Fee
$9.03 - Other stuff
$70 - Total

The "other stuff" could include taxes or $1.99 insurance, and some $6 fee (Maybe a lease fee, HD Enable fee, ...). It just confuses me that the $70 figure is roughly $10 more than the current price for AT120+locals+HD Pack+DVR fee. DoyleS may be able to tell us more about his bill as far as HD Enable and Lease fees, but I don't see how to get the $70 you posted.

Without the installers doing a Dish 1000 (or something for 61.5), they could just use any Twin Dish 500 LNB (even legacy) to feed both 622 tuners. You'd have to add a DishPro Plus Twin as well as another dish down the road when/if HD Locals appear.


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## kamack65 (Aug 19, 2004)

CABill said:


> Was the $70 figure what a CSR quoted you? .


Yes, CSR quotes.

AT120+Locals $45 Dish HD Silver $59.99
HD Pack $10 Locals $ 5
DVR Fee $ 5 DVR Fee $ 5 
Equipment Fee $ 6 Equipment Fee $ 6
Total + Taxes ~$70 Total + Taxes ~$80

I think by the time HD locals come here, I'll have dropped over $100. I'll wait and spend the money on another dish 500.


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## CABill (Mar 20, 2005)

Thanks. I'd be interested in seeing what actually appears on the bill when you activate it. The two $5 DVR fees should be $5.98 - that was a 1Feb increase. In both cases, you show a $6 lease fee for the 622 as the only receiver on the account. That matches what some other people have been billed, but there is also some chance that you wouldn't have to pay the lease fee on your only receiver. That's why I'd like to see what eventually appears on your bill.


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