The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

Hello all you smart tech people in Hog Land. I just bought a flat LCD tv for the upcoming Skins season. It's gonna be great. Now, my question is - I'm suppose to upgrade my Directv receiver to HD, costing $99 and upgrade to a new DISH outside for another $$$ fee that will give me the signal ever.....blah blah blah.

Now, I know Directv has a vested interest in socking to us and getting us to buy their product. I am seeing lots of HD receivers on Ebay and am tempted to buy one, hook it up, and NOT upgrade the dish outside.....

Is this a smart move or utterly dumb? I don't want a new dish outside. I just want a new HD receiver.......FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!

Please advice, anyone......

You have to have the HD Dish, the HD Receiver, and the HD Card, in addition to the HDTV with DirectTV. You also have to pay the $9.99 per month HD Access Fee. Yes, they do stick it to their customers.

You might already have the HD Dish but they won't tell you that. They'll send a contracted technician out to install a new one regardless of what you currently have. The difference is not the dish itself, but rather the cable used from the dish to the receiver. They won't tell you that either. RG-59 or RU-56 work fine. The numbers are printed on the cable itself. You can buy the cable from Radio Shack by the foot if you think you need to replace it.

Anyway, if you buy the receiver on eBay, you will still have to buy the HD card from DirecTV, pay the HD Access Fee, etc. The receivers on eBay don't always come with activated receiver cards. They may come with stolen cards, no card, fabricated cards, or they may be a legitimate DirecTV reseller. How would you know the difference?

Look for a Seller with a minimum 1000+ positive customer feedback rating and read the reviews carefully. Getting screwed on eBay would add insult to injury. If you find a legitimate reseller, you should have no problems. Make sure the receiver comes with a new HD card before you buy it.

Then you can activate the new card through either the phone line or through the DirecTV website. You'll still pay the HD Access Fee and the Sunday Ticket prices but you won't have to buy a new dish for no reason.

Thanks GSPODS....excellent information. I would not have expected anything less from you! Yeah, they've got you "hooked" once you subscribe to their service. The cable from outside reads RG 6 CU 3000, whatever that means. Yeah, I broke the bank to get the flat screen. Now, gotta dig deeper in the pocket for the HD signal, etc..... That's life, aye...

Thanks for the sound advice. It really helps me to decide what's next. Peace.

RG-6 is outdoor cable and has better shielding than RG-59. RG-6 is what everyone is now using for outdoor installations, so you should be fine with that. RG-6 is designed to be buried. It has a stronger and more weatherproof outer jacket.

Probably too much information but that cable will carry HD signal without noticeable signal loss.

Ok, now I heard that the dish MUST be replaced..... what a drag, if this is true. I could always demand that they replace it free of charge or I threaten to switch to cable..... good idea???

tribeofjudah wrote:Ok, now I heard that the dish MUST be replaced..... what a drag, if this is true. I could always demand that they replace it free of charge or I threaten to switch to cable..... good idea???

How old is your dish? DirecTV changed from the round dish to an oval one. The oval dish has a different signal receiver designed for HD 1080 signal. I should have asked this question earlier.

If you have been a DirectTV customer a long time (or even a short time) try to work a deal (leverage leaving for cable) for them to upgrade you to the HD-DVR receiver for free. Last time I check with them they offered me the receiver and installation for nothing.

HD-DVR is the way to go.

GSPODS wrote:

tribeofjudah wrote:Ok, now I heard that the dish MUST be replaced..... what a drag, if this is true. I could always demand that they replace it free of charge or I threaten to switch to cable..... good idea???

How old is your dish? DirecTV changed from the round dish to an oval one. The oval dish has a different signal receiver designed for HD 1080 signal. I should have asked this question earlier.

I switched to Directv 1 year ago from cable. It is round, not oval.......

NC43Hog wrote:If you have been a DirectTV customer a long time (or even a short time) try to work a deal (leverage leaving for cable) for them to upgrade you to the HD-DVR receiver for free. Last time I check with them they offered me the receiver and installation for nothing.

HD-DVR is the way to go.

This is absolutely true. Call, be a pain, and threaten to leave for cable. You'll be surprised by the results. (of course, it works best if your contract is up)

BTW, do you know who partly/mostly owns Directv? Rupert Murdoch, who also owns FOX network........

" For Rupert Murdoch, gaining control of DirecTV was supposed to be the hardest part. When he finally won a 34% stake in the satellite operator in late 2003, the man considered by many to be the most powerful media executive in the world had finally closed the loop on his satellite empire."

well.........there you go........

Go back to comcast and get the HD receiver + DVR for about $10 a month. Do like other said and try to brokerage a deal. Also, find out if FIOS is available in your area. FIOS = very nice internet and TV package.

Cappster wrote:Go back to comcast and get the HD receiver + DVR for about $10 a month. Do like other said and try to brokerage a deal. Also, find out if FIOS is available in your area. FIOS = very nice internet and TV package.

Comcast not available in west coast.... at least not for me. I need the NFL package. No on else has that except Directv.

GSPODS wrote:

tribeofjudah wrote:Ok, now I heard that the dish MUST be replaced..... what a drag, if this is true. I could always demand that they replace it free of charge or I threaten to switch to cable..... good idea???

How old is your dish? DirecTV changed from the round dish to an oval one. The oval dish has a different signal receiver designed for HD 1080 signal. I should have asked this question earlier.

That's actually very nice of you to do a bunch of research for the guy to get him some answers, especially since you're not a DirectTV customer and don't even have satellite service.

SkinsFreak wrote:

GSPODS wrote:

tribeofjudah wrote:Ok, now I heard that the dish MUST be replaced..... what a drag, if this is true. I could always demand that they replace it free of charge or I threaten to switch to cable..... good idea???

How old is your dish? DirecTV changed from the round dish to an oval one. The oval dish has a different signal receiver designed for HD 1080 signal. I should have asked this question earlier.

That's actually very nice of you to do a bunch of research for the guy to get him some answers, especially since you're not a DirectTV customer and don't even have satellite service.

We recently had FiOS brought to our area. I have scheduled for an installation. FiOS uses DirecTV in locations where they do not have permanent fiber optic cable laid. The research was on my own behalf. If it helps a fellow THN member at all, then so much the better.

And if another member has more, or better information than I have, all the better for the member asking the questions. I shared the limited information I obtained regarding DirecTV. Other members shared their information. What is your contribution to this member's question?

GSPODS wrote:We recently had FiOS brought to our area. I have scheduled for an installation. FiOS uses DirecTV in locations where they do not have permanent fiber optic cable laid.

FiOS is actually very good service, so I've heard. How do you receive FiOS and DirectTV service where they don't have permanent fiber optic cable?

SkinsFreak wrote:

GSPODS wrote:We recently had FiOS brought to our area. I have scheduled for an installation. FiOS uses DirecTV in locations where they do not have permanent fiber optic cable laid.

FiOS is actually very good service, so I've heard. How do you receive FiOS and DirectTV service where they don't have permanent fiber optic cable?

We have Verizon home phone service. Apparently Verizon uses their in-place (twisted pair, I would assume) phone lines in conjunction with the DirecTV equipment. I didn't ask how, although I suspect that their regular phone lines carry ADSL but not FiOS. All I really care about is NFL Sunday Ticket. Last season I had to watch most of the games on SopCast and TVANTS, both of which are slow when working, and about five minutes behind the actual game.

They said they will have the fiber optic cable in place by May or June, at which time we can add the internet service if we choose.

GSPODS wrote:We have Verizon home phone service. Apparently Verizon uses their in-place (twisted pair, I would assume) phone lines in conjunction with the DirecTV equipment.

So even if you had the Vorizon phone service, until the fiber optic lines were installed, you'd still need the DirectTV equipment of a dish and a receiver?

SkinsFreak wrote:

GSPODS wrote:We have Verizon home phone service. Apparently Verizon uses their in-place (twisted pair, I would assume) phone lines in conjunction with the DirecTV equipment.

So even if you had the Vorizon phone service, until the fiber optic lines were installed, you'd still need the DirectTV equipment of a dish and a receiver?

What they tell me is that I have to have the Verizon land line phone to order the DirecTV. Apparently you have to have the receivers whether using DirecTV or FiOS, but you have to also have the dish for DirecTV.
Once they have laid the fiber optic cable the dish isn't necessary. At least this is how I understood it.

GSPODS wrote:

SkinsFreak wrote:

GSPODS wrote:We have Verizon home phone service. Apparently Verizon uses their in-place (twisted pair, I would assume) phone lines in conjunction with the DirecTV equipment.

So even if you had the Vorizon phone service, until the fiber optic lines were installed, you'd still need the DirectTV equipment of a dish and a receiver?

What they tell me is that I have to have the Verizon land line phone to order the DirecTV. Apparently you have to have the receivers whether using DirecTV or FiOS, but you have to also have the dish for DirecTV.
Once they have laid the fiber optic cable the dish isn't necessary. At least this is how I understood it.

I was asking because I thought you said you lived next to a State Park or forest, and due to extremely tall trees, you couldn't receive satellite with a dish.

SkinsFreak wrote:

GSPODS wrote:

SkinsFreak wrote:

GSPODS wrote:We have Verizon home phone service. Apparently Verizon uses their in-place (twisted pair, I would assume) phone lines in conjunction with the DirecTV equipment.

So even if you had the Vorizon phone service, until the fiber optic lines were installed, you'd still need the DirectTV equipment of a dish and a receiver?

What they tell me is that I have to have the Verizon land line phone to order the DirecTV. Apparently you have to have the receivers whether using DirecTV or FiOS, but you have to also have the dish for DirecTV.
Once they have laid the fiber optic cable the dish isn't necessary. At least this is how I understood it.

I was asking because I thought you said you lived next to a State Park or forest, and due to extremely tall trees, you couldn't receive satellite with a dish.

Yes, I did say that. What they tell me is that there has to be a "line of sight" for the dish facing south-southeast towards somewhere over Texas.
I'm still a little concerned that they'll get here and tell me there is no line of sight. In that case, I'll be screwed until they lay the fiber optic cable. I'm hoping, probably against hope, that they can mount the dish to a pole or something that isn't against local height ordinances. I really don't want the grief of being fined or told I have to remove a pole for height restrictions but at the same time, it's for Redskins Football so I might have to eat a fine or two. I hope not.

GSPODS wrote:

SkinsFreak wrote:

GSPODS wrote:

SkinsFreak wrote:

GSPODS wrote:We have Verizon home phone service. Apparently Verizon uses their in-place (twisted pair, I would assume) phone lines in conjunction with the DirecTV equipment.

So even if you had the Vorizon phone service, until the fiber optic lines were installed, you'd still need the DirectTV equipment of a dish and a receiver?

What they tell me is that I have to have the Verizon land line phone to order the DirecTV. Apparently you have to have the receivers whether using DirecTV or FiOS, but you have to also have the dish for DirecTV.
Once they have laid the fiber optic cable the dish isn't necessary. At least this is how I understood it.

I was asking because I thought you said you lived next to a State Park or forest, and due to extremely tall trees, you couldn't receive satellite with a dish.

Yes, I did say that. What they tell me is that there has to be a "line of sight" for the dish facing south-southeast towards somewhere over Texas.
I'm still a little concerned that they'll get here and tell me there is no line of sight. In that case, I'll be screwed until they lay the fiber optic cable. I'm hoping, probably against hope, that they can mount the dish to a pole or something that isn't against local height ordinances. I really don't want the grief of being fined or told I have to remove a pole for height restrictions but at the same time, it's for Redskins Football so I might have to eat a fine or two. I hope not.

Here is what you said...

GSPODS wrote:Way off-topic, however, I live on the border of a state park and a national forest. I, therefore, cannot cut down the trees for the line of sight required for a satellite dish. I'd have to have any satellite dish mounted on a 100 foot pole. The town I live in has an ordinance against building any structures, including towers, taller than 30 feet.

SkinsFreak wrote:

GSPODS wrote:

SkinsFreak wrote:

GSPODS wrote:

SkinsFreak wrote:

GSPODS wrote:We have Verizon home phone service. Apparently Verizon uses their in-place (twisted pair, I would assume) phone lines in conjunction with the DirecTV equipment.

So even if you had the Vorizon phone service, until the fiber optic lines were installed, you'd still need the DirectTV equipment of a dish and a receiver?

What they tell me is that I have to have the Verizon land line phone to order the DirecTV. Apparently you have to have the receivers whether using DirecTV or FiOS, but you have to also have the dish for DirecTV.
Once they have laid the fiber optic cable the dish isn't necessary. At least this is how I understood it.

I was asking because I thought you said you lived next to a State Park or forest, and due to extremely tall trees, you couldn't receive satellite with a dish.

Yes, I did say that. What they tell me is that there has to be a "line of sight" for the dish facing south-southeast towards somewhere over Texas.
I'm still a little concerned that they'll get here and tell me there is no line of sight. In that case, I'll be screwed until they lay the fiber optic cable. I'm hoping, probably against hope, that they can mount the dish to a pole or something that isn't against local height ordinances. I really don't want the grief of being fined or told I have to remove a pole for height restrictions but at the same time, it's for Redskins Football so I might have to eat a fine or two. I hope not.

Here is what you said...

GSPODS wrote:Way off-topic, however, I live on the border of a state park and a national forest. I, therefore, cannot cut down the trees for the line of sight required for a satellite dish. I'd have to have any satellite dish mounted on a 100 foot pole. The town I live in has an ordinance against building any structures, including towers, taller than 30 feet.

That's right. I also had the direction the dish has to point wrong at the time. The 30 foot ordinance is correct but I think with the dish pointing south-southwest I might have a line of sight. The lake runs in that direction. The Finger Lakes National Forest is on the other side. I though the dish had to face Florida, not Texas, when I posted this comment. I'll admit I hadn't checked into it at the time. I had talked to a friend who has DirecTV and he gave me wrong information about the direction of the dish. Either that or I heard him wrong.