[Johnny Kranthos]

Hey Guys, long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a new HD RPTV. I was all set to try and work a deal with retention to get a deal on a HR10-250. I currently have 2 SD hughes units running. But now with this new information on the leasing program that begins on March 1st I'm wondering if its something I should still do. I'm reading where alot of people seem to be dissapointed with D* and are actually considering going to cable. If so I'm guessing I dont want to get myself hooked into any 2 year commitments to be able to get this HD DVR.

Thanks for any and all advice, I was so excited to finally get this setup running here soon, but now I'm not sure which direction to head in.

John

 

[Billy66]

Hi Johnny,

The key and critical question you need to answer for yourself is "Can I get my local channels in HD OTA?" If the answer to that is yes, then I would say you should do it. The unit isn't perfect, but it's super nice for sure. It's also hackable in many ways right now to customize some features and add storage. if you can get your locals OTA, you may not have a desire for MPEG4 for a long while.

Also, if the new HD DVR is buggy or just not comfortable for the large base of TiVo fanboys, you may enjoy a high resale value if supply of them becomes scarce.

Go to www.antennaweb.org to learn more about your OTA locals.

 

[Scott Corbett]

Been away for a while, please pardon my ignorance.

What lease program, have seen rumors but is it concrete now?

Link?

 

[JimSpence]

See this thread on DBS Talk.
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=50899

Oh yeah, there's this one here.
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=281632

 

[Johnny Kranthos]

According to Antenna Web it seems I should be able to pick up all my locals pretty easily. I live in Henderson, NV which is a couple streets out of the Las Vegas Area and several stations are actually very close to me.

 

[newsposter]

Hi Johnny,

The key and critical question you need to answer for yourself is "Can I get my local channels in HD OTA?" if you can get your locals OTA, you may not have a desire for MPEG4 for a long while.

.

since Johnny is apparently close to the towers, id say get one as cheap as you can. you will always own it and it will be good for a few more years at least until they turn off mpeg2. Also, if you care about UPN WB PBS in hi def, mpeg 4 wont even help you for at least the near future as DTV doesn't beam them to us.

I love the hdtivo and will never regret getting it. the OTA enabled me to buy a new tv and i'm enjoying the benefits every day. And heck, makes a great addtional SD device for triple conflicts too (which is the true reason I bought one )

 

[Johnny Kranthos]

Thanks Billy66 and newsposter!

ok you guys got me excited about getting this hd dvr again. I notice a couple online vendors selling it for about 100 less than most. But to get that 200 instant credit some our getting from retention do you have to buy from D*? I'm hoping some how they increase the credit if you go out and buy it on your own. Thanks alot for the help guys! Greatly appreciated

 

[Billy66]

In order to get the spiffs from DTV, you will have to buy it from them and agree to a 2 year commitment. When I did, I ended up getting it for less than free after all of the credits and rebates.

Good luck and enjoy!!

 

[VeniceDre]

You should be able to get a credit from retention even if you buy it elsewhere... Just work out the deal before you buy it and make sure they leave all the deal info in notes on your account. After you purchase it call back retention to activate the receiver and get the credit. I've done this twice in the past couple of months for clients. They may even offer you a cheaper price on the unit itself through them if you say you've found it cheaper elsewhere.

 

[Johnny Kranthos]

Great Info! Thanks All

Hey since the HD DVR will be the 3rd unit in the home I'm thinking I will need a multiswitch. Does D* give you that or is that something I need to pick up on my own? I was thinking of the Terk BMS-58, what do you think of that switch?

 

[A J Ricaud]

If you will have more 4 tuners total you will need a multiswitch. See if D* will give you one when you bargain with them. Many people use the Terk with good results.

 

[Johnny Kranthos]

Well I think I will max out with 3 tuners as its only the wife and I and with the 3rd HD unit its probably overkill. But I will have one in the bedroom one in the TV room and the other one in the computer room hooked up to a video capture card. So if I dont need a switch for 3, what is the best way to split off of these 4 lines coming off the triple LNB dish? If I use a splitter wont it degrade my signal to those units supplied from that split? Thanks again for the help guys!

 

[A J Ricaud]

If you are adding an HD Tivo, you really should make use of the 2 tuners it has. If I understand correctly, you have 2 additional, single tuner, receivers in your system. That equals 4 total tuners (2 single tuner receivers plus 1 dual tuner HD Tivo).

You need a 3 LNB dish (Phase III 20" dish) or a Phase II (24" dish w/ "C" LNB), either of which give you 4 outputs. Just hook up the 4 outputs to your 4 tuners (2, single tuner receivers plus 1 dual tuner HD Tivo) and you will not need a multiswitch.

 

[Johnny Kranthos]

Hey A J, thanks for the responses...

The two dvr's i currently have are both Hughes SD-DVR40's which I modified with 120 gig hard drives. 2 tuners enabled on each. So since I will need 6 lines to supply these 3 machines (my current 2 and the upcoming HR10-250) what do you think will be the best way to get them to the units?

Thanks for the help!

 

[A J Ricaud]

You will need to run all 4 lines from the dish to a multiswitch, then run the necessary number of lines from the multiswitch to your receivers. I recommend a 4 or 5 input (the 5th is for an OTA antenna), 8 output multiswitch.

Many people have had good luck with the Terk BM58 (I think that's the model). Take a look at the offerings at solidsignal.com and valueelectronics.com. Both are reputable sources. Some folks have bought through Ebay also.

Post back if you have any questions about a particular switch.

 

[NatasNJ]

I checked to see if I can get my locals via OTA. I am 13 miles away and I have a pretty clear line of sight in the direction I need to get them from. Area is pretty flat. I live in a 1.5 story. That all being said does that sound like I should be able to get all of my channels via OTA?

 

[A J Ricaud]

I checked to see if I can get my locals via OTA. I am 13 miles away and I have a pretty clear line of sight in the direction I need to get them from. Area is pretty flat. I live in a 1.5 story. That all being said does that sound like I should be able to get all of my channels via OTA?

Probably. But you need to check out antennaweb.org to see what channels are available and what sort of antenna you need.

 

[NatasNJ]

Probably. But you need to check out antennaweb.org to see what channels are available and what sort of antenna you need.

I did check that site. Looks like yellow for all stations except NBC where it was green. Which = a mid rnage antenna. Not sure what that means.

So if I call up D* and order an HDTV and they include an OTA will they make sure it is a properly rated one for my needs?

 

[A J Ricaud]

I did check that site. Looks like yellow for all stations except NBC where it was green. Which = a mid rnage antenna. Not sure what that means.

So if I call up D* and order an HDTV and they include an OTA will they make sure it is a properly rated one for my needs?

That's kinda iffy. Some people have posted that the D* supplied OTA antenna did not work out for them. I guess it's worth a try. You can always ask for a credit if it doesn't.

 

[Johnny Kranthos]

Thanks A J,

Should I pick up that Terk BMS-58 or is there a switch that would be better for when the 5 LNB comes into play in the near future for HD locals and such?