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Thinking about Satellite with HDTV… Advice? (1 Viewer)

Dan Hinson

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jul 13, 2002
Messages
113
Location
Tennessee
Real Name
Dan Hinson
I have been thinking about taking the plunge and getting a sat-dish. I am currently leaning towards Dish Network, since I would be able to receive local HDTV via their system. (Currently, I receive local digital broadcasts over-the-air via attic antenna.)

I am wondering what kind of problems to be wary of, and to be honest, I am somewhat confused as to what kind of extra costs will be involved in getting an HDTV receiver. I am also interested in either a dual-tuner or a second receiver for additional standard TVs in my home, and I am confused as to extra costs in this regard as well.

Thoughts, suggestions, and/or advice is appreciated.
 

Nathan_R

Supporting Actor
Joined
Dec 4, 2000
Messages
717
Dan,
A couple of points:

1. You will not receive your locals in HD via satellite. Some folks can qualify for the national CBS feed if they live in a CBS owned-and-operated market. A quick check on Dish's website shows Nashville doesn't qualify. If your local CBS affiliate will grant you a waiver, you may qualify (but I wouldn't count on it). NBC's Olympic HDTV loop is available on Dish, but that will go away once the Olympics are over. With all that said, you'll still use your attic antenna to receive your local digital channels.

2. As far as equipment and programming go, Dish has several packages available through their Digital Home America lease plan. I've been a Dish customer for a long time, but when I moved this past time, for some reason I qualified as a new customer. I took the 811 (HDTV receiver) and 508 (PVR) plan. You can outright buy your equipment before you sign up. The 811 retails for $399 and the 508 lists for $299 (I think).

The latest Digital Home America offerings are listed here: http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/g...ew/index.shtml

Hope this helps a bit.

Best regards,
~~Nathan
 

Robert_J

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2000
Messages
8,350
Location
Mississippi
Real Name
Robert
Are you are talking about Dish's dual tuner box that feeds a second TV? The only advantage is that you only pay one receiver. I'd rather pay extra for another box and connect it directly to the TV via composite or S-video rather than an RF connection. Both Dish and DirecTV have dual tuner model PVR's but they only output a single video feed.

-Robert
 

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