ViP211® and ViP211k® DVR Conversion Feature Now Available to Customers

[8bitbytes]

HDD recommendations for use with the ViP211?

http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-ne...re-now-available-customers-2.html#post1587193

 

[chikagobnd]

Who stated there will be a $5.98 monthly dvr fee for 211 conversion? I didn't get that from the Tech Chat.

If that is the case, why would anyone bother? You would just be better off upgrading to another 722 and save the cost of the EHD and the $40 activation fee.

I talked with Dish yesterday. There will be a ONE TIME 39.99 fee and NO MONTHLY FEE for the 211 DVR service. This feature is for the 211, 211k and the 411 models only.

 

[steve4810]

It would be a nightmare to administer a DVR fee for the 211.

Let's say I have 3 211's and pay the CS $40 fee and buy one EHDD, do they charge me for 3 DVR fees, or 1? Suppose I buy two more EHDD's, how do they know when I plug in the EHDD? Does the fee go away if I unplug the EHDD?

Administration of such a program would cost more than the fee, let's hope they skip it.

Great point!

I think that makes it a sure thing that there isn't a monthly DVR fee.

 

[Carl B]

http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-ne...re-now-available-customers-2.html#post1587193

At $149, that HDD is a bit pricey and 750 GB seems like overkill. The enclosure link showed an enclosure with a lot of consumer gripes. Hope there is a 250 to 500 GB Seagate out there for less than $100 that is suitable for this application.

 

[lakebum431]

It's only overkill until you run out of space I'd just get a regular external drive either 500 or 750 and when you run out of space (note i did not say if) you can just get another.

 

[TheKrell]

Great point!

I think that makes it a sure thing that there isn't a monthly DVR fee.

I would agree that it's a reasonable point. But I completely disagree that it's a sure thing Dish won't charge the DVR fee. This is Dish we're talking about! If they were reasonable, they would not charge a no-phoneline-fee for dual-tuner receivers. I mean, it's not as though you can account-stack when both tuners are in a single box.

 

[Kevinw]

What if you paid the one time activation fee for your 622, will you have to pay again for the 211?

 

[chikagobnd]

I would agree that it's a reasonable point. But I completely disagree that it's a sure thing Dish won't charge the DVR fee. This is Dish we're talking about! If they were reasonable, they would not charge a no-phoneline-fee for dual-tuner receivers. I mean, it's not as though you can account-stack when both tuners are in a single box.

Once again, there is NO MONTHLY FEE, as stated just 3 or 4 posts above this one. Here is the email I received:

RE: Programming, 434-------DIV P { MARGIN: 0px } Dear Mr. -------,
Thank you for your email. I will be glad to address your questions today. The external hard drive that support the 211/411/211k receivers will be available on the 19th of November, there is only one time activation fee of $39.99. If you would like to place your order on November 19th please call 1-888-241-2205 for further assistance.


Sincerely,
Kathy S.
DISH Network eCare

 

[jpmarto]

Will someone please lay out the pros & cons of purchasing a 211 with ehd vs buying a 612? I'm having a hard time grasping the bottom line differences with setup & monthly fees and storage issues. Would there be any differences regarding modem/Internet connectivity requirements?

 

[steve4810]

Will someone please lay out the pros & cons of purchasing a 211 with ehd vs buying a 612? I'm having a hard time grasping the bottom line differences with setup & monthly fees and storage issues.

I'll leave it to someone else to do as you ask about various purchases.

But I think the point of this program is for folks who already have a 211 and would love to try DVR technology but can't qualify for a "Dishin It Up" deal to get a 612 for cheap and can't afford or wouldn't buy one at full price.

 

[chikagobnd]

I'll leave it to someone else to do as you ask about various purchases.

But I think the point of this program is for folks who already have a 211 and would love to try DVR technology but can't qualify for a "Dishin It Up" deal to get a 612 for cheap and can't afford or wouldn't buy one at full price.

Yeah, that's the benefit to me. I live in an MDU(apartment building) that has an agreement wish Dish for service for our units, which means I have to purchase my own hardware from a retailer and am not eligible for discounted/free boxes. So this is a perfect solution for me so I don't have to dish out all that money.

 

[jpmarto]

Well, Ok about the purpose of the program. There are however some of us that are already leasing the max number of tuners, and need a third HD tuner. I've been with Dish since their first year, and am leasing two 622s, so I can only purchase another receiver. It seems to me a 211 + EHD would cost more than a 612, and I was just wondering what other considerations were in play.

 

[dlsnyder]

Yeah, that's the benefit to me. I live in an MDU(apartment building) that has an agreement wish Dish for service for our units, which means I have to purchase my own hardware from a retailer and am not eligible for discounted/free boxes. So this is a perfect solution for me so I don't have to dish out all that money.

You had better check with Dish Network first to see if this unit is compatible with your MDU setup. Often they use a different technology in an MDU setting and I am not sure the 211 will work with it.

 

[dlsnyder]

For me another consideration is the lease price. I can lease the 211 for $25 shipped, which I am sure they will do because I would be replacing an existing single tuner reciever (Dish 508). Usually they will give you a rebate if you send in an old receiver, of which I have more than a few, so I can probably get that $25 back. Second, assuming there is no DVR fee, I can save $5.98 per month. Assuming I can get an EHD for about $100, and figuring in the $40 activation fee, it has paid for itself in about 23 months, which is just less than the 2 year commitment. On top of that, they throw in HBO, Showtime, and Starz for 3 months. Not too bad a deal.

 

[Foxbat]

Well, I can see one difference that I haven't mentioned yet: No ability to archive. Sure, you can record to the EHD, but you can't move recordings from one device to another, say, to catalog Formula 1 races (like I do now with my ViP 622). That said, I think this is perfect for our bedroom where our ViP 211 is located. It will be nice to record those programs that I want to watch upstairs and to supplement the OTA recording downstairs with another OTA DVR.

Or, I may be greedy and swap the 211 with the 622! Then, I won't care if my son fills up the hard drive with his 20 episodes of "Drama Island" in HD...

 

[topenga]

What if you paid the one time activation fee for your 622, will you have to pay again for the 211?

That's my question, too. When they rolled it out for the 622 it was explained to me that it was a one time only fee that applied to the account. The $40 I paid a year (or whatever) ago should cover this as well. *grump*

 

[dlsnyder]

That's true, but if you put a 1TB drive on it, how much will that really matter?

 

[topenga]

That's true, but if you put a 1TB drive on it, how much will that really matter?

It's the principle of the thing. You tell me it applies to my account then say "oh sorry, not really. give me $40 more please." And I found my answer in the Tech Cat discussion. It is another fee because it's not an archiving fee, it's a DVR enablement fee. Eh. My 211's HDMI port died so I may as well swap up for a nice 722.

 

[dlsnyder]

Something I have been wondering about - since the 211k has the same OTA module as the 722k, does that mean it will be able to record 2 OTA streams and one satellite stream at the same time?

 

[BBfromCA]

Approx. how much recording time (SD/HD) can you get on a 250GB drive?