Will your D* Receiver get the new HD Channels?

[Tom Snyder]

I got an email from DirecTV this morning to make sure I was ready to get he new HD channels this fall. If you're a D* customer, you've probably gotten the same email, but just in case, here are the details:

Important Information About Your HD Equipment

[Bebop]

My current contract ends about the same time the new HD channels will be available. Hopefully, I can get 2 free DVRs out of them.

[murdoc]

I've got the older HR-10-250.  Hopefully I can get a nice deal for upgrading 2 boxes.  What does the BBC do exactly?  It looks tacky just hanging off the back of the box.

[lori]

I just called DirecTv to get an upgrade for my HR10.  I read on dbstalk that you can talk the CSRs into giving you one for only 19.95  The CSR I had on the phone told me I don't need to replace my HR10, I just need the B-Band converter.  After  I questioned him a little he said, Oh, and a 5-LNB dish.  He wouldn't believe me that my HR10 is not going to be able to get the Mpeg4 channels.  He said that is what the B-Band converter is for.  "I do this for a living maam", he told me.  Their computer systems apparently aren't up right now, so I'm going to call back in a few hours - hopefully I will get a better CSR.  I do need a new receiver, don't I?

[Bebop]

I just called DirecTv to get an upgrade for my HR10.  I read on dbstalk that you can talk the CSRs into giving you one for only 19.95  The CSR I had on the phone told me I don't need to replace my HR10, I just need the B-Band converter.  After  I questioned him a little he said, Oh, and a 5-LNB dish.  He wouldn't believe me that my HR10 is not going to be able to get the Mpeg4 channels.  He said that is what the B-Band converter is for.  "I do this for a living maam", he told me.  Their computer systems apparently aren't up right now, so I'm going to call back in a few hours - hopefully I will get a better CSR.  I do need a new receiver, don't I?

Don't you trust your CSR? They are professionals. And he got you doubting yourself.

I hope I don't get the same person when I call.

[Bluto]

I do need a new receiver, don't I?

Yes, you NEED an HR20.

[bubbaridesfast]

I would try to upgrade now if anyone is still on the fence. New channels are likely to go live around Sept. 15 or so and my guess is that sat. installs and equipment will be in high demand by then.
I've also read on dbstalk about folks getting as many as 2 HR20's for $19.95 which I am surprised at. A buddy got one last month and couldn't get them under $199 no matter how hard he tried, then last week he upgraded a non-dvr HD box to an H20 and the D* website was offering a free upgrade to a HR20 which he actually could not use. He was miffed that now it was free and last month it was $200, of course maybe that was what qualified him for a free one - you never can understand how/why D* offers deals some times.

[lori]

I just got off the phone with D* and I'm getting my new HR20 for free.  At first they offered me the $199 + 19.95 deal but I kept whining about how we'd been a customer for 12 years and have always had the Sunday Ticket and also had Center Ice for many years and couldn't they do something for us!?!  After she did a lot of 'checking', she came back with the free offer.  Install is set for July 31st.

[vegasvic]

I've got the older HR-10-250.  Hopefully I can get a nice deal for upgrading 2 boxes.  What does the BBC do exactly?  It looks tacky just hanging off the back of the box.

The BBC is in the back of the box, can't see it, at least on my two HR-20's.

[Ex Direcway]

I just got off the phone with D* and I'm getting my new HR20 for free.  At first they offered me the $199 + 19.95 deal but I kept whining about how we'd been a customer for 12 years and have always had the Sunday Ticket and also had Center Ice for many years and couldn't they do something for us!?!  After she did a lot of 'checking', she came back with the free offer.  Install is set for July 31st.

Mine was $99.00 + tax with new dish installed & they gave me the HD package free for a year which more than makes up for it.  

[Steve Mann]

Called and got my deal done. Dish and HR20 to be installed on the 11th. Cost me nothing. Somehow, I feel dirty, though. Like I've betrayed an old friend. Tivo has been part of our family since just about the beginning. We even have TIVO vanity plates on our cars.

I'm hoping that there will be an HD Tivo that does MPEG4 in the future. Based on recent press releases, it sounds like the lines of communication are opening up a bit between Tivo and D* again, so I'm hoping that's a good sign.

[Matt Heebner]

I was just installed on Tuesday. Deal I got was new dish installed (replaced my old triple LNB), and HR20-700, and HD package free for 6 months all for $19.99.

The installer was great, super nice and even re-terminated all my cables at my newly installed multiswitch. I had an old Terk 5x8, but now you need a new Zinwell so make sure that gets installed.

As the installer was taking down my old dish, he was laughing at how old it was. He called it an antique. He said in all his years installing, he has only taken off one other dish as old as mine, and that was two years ago.....:eek:

[murdoc]

Just looking for some feedback...have all of you that had the new MPEG4 boxes installed been able to keep your old MPEG 2 boxes?

[Matt Heebner]

I did ask the installer about that and he said that Directv does not want any of the hardware back(MPEG2), and the installation company  certainly doesn't want it so the answer is yes, you keep your old equipmet.

[lori]

Yes, I kept mine.  I moved it to the playroom so the kids have a DVR now.  The TV in there is not HD though, so maybe I would have been better off just getting them a standard DVR.  They are used to the Tivo interface, though.  And most of the stuff in the Now Playing List was kid stuff anyway.