Updated New Pricing Info

[Scott Greczkowski]

I have received the following which I am passing along, which was taken from a Dish Network Retailer "Facts Blast"

This better explains the new pricing which is coming up a little better.

Happy New Year!

 

[jhamps10]

yeah that helps to figure things out, too bad to get the dvradvantage for at250 you have to get a premium service which I personally don't like, or else I would tell my folks to jump on this in a heartbeat.

 

[BFG]

do they still allow free downgrades for people that can't bite the increase? i think they've done so in the past...

 

[AlexTheOne]

The bottom line...still bad news for all of us with current DishHD Platinum package...still $10.00 price increase. The E* really removed any advantage for their "top loading" customers.

One thing I do not see anywhere is, if the DVR fee is still waived with AEP?

 

[neftv]

Doing the math here...
301 reciever now.
So I now have AT120 now. Pricing going to 42.99 HBO/Cinemax 22.00 $64.99

Plan to trade 301 in for 622. (thinking about that.)
DVR Advantage $49.99 plus 22 for same combo 71.99 Plus HD 20 91.99
or
AT250 DVR Advantage 69.99 plus one movie I would then get showtime $20 + HD 20 Comes to 109.99

So is my above math right what am I missing?
Which channels get the better movies Showtime or HBO/Cinemax being only one year with HBO/Cinemax I dont know Showtime at all. I remember while back HBO/Cinemax seemed to have contracts with most of the movie houses is that still true?

WAIT a Minute.... How come with the DVRAdvantage AT250 one movie package costs 20 and in the other chart if you buy one movie package HBO is 14.99 Cinemax is 12.99 and so on
What gives ?????????

 

[light200]

it is not clearly stated in the message, so here is my question.
1.) if you sign up for the dvr advantage, do i still have to pay a $199.99 fee for the vip622.
2.) also, does this $49.99 also mean i have to pay $20 for hd programming.
3.) they also did say existing customers could sign an 18 month contract "OR" sign up for CCA. that sounds too good to be true, am i right?
4.) does this dvr advantage also waive the $5.98 dvr fee usually associated with the vip622?
5.) does this dvr advantage package have an option to pay $49.99 and opt out of the 18 month contract?
6.) does this dvr advantage package still allow the $20/month discount for 10 months for being a new customer and subscribing to a new hd package?
it seems like they have left out a lot of small details that are actually important!

 

[Jim5506]

Unless its a typo, it looks like the the AT250 DVR Advantage and one Premium movie package" costs an additional $20.00 /mo. above the $49.99/mo. So the $69.99 includes the movie pack AND the additional channels. (Middle of page 6.)

With HD The AT250 Advantage would then be $89.99/mo. Both of the sub-paragraphs under AT250 Advantage are worded this way.

 

[neftv]

Unless its a typo, it looks like the the AT250 DVR Advantage and one Premium movie package" costs an additional $20.00 /mo. above the $49.99/mo. So the $69.99 includes the movie pack AND the additional channels. (Middle of page 6.)

With HD The AT250 Advantage would then be $89.99/mo. Both of the sub-paragraphs under AT250 Advantage are worded this way.

Well that not consistant if you get the DVRAdvantage AT250 you have to pay 20 for one Movie package but in the previous chart its less for a single movie package. There is no advantage to that is there just for Dish to Cut the DVR fee to half.

 

[tawhite]

The bottom line...still bad news for all of us with current DishHD Platinum package...still $10.00 price increase. The E* really removed any advantage for their "top loading" customers.

One thing I do not see anywhere is, if the DVR fee is still waived with AEP?

How do you figure $10? I am currently paying $104.99 for Platinum w/ locals. The new AEP will be $89.99 plus $20 for HD, correct? That is $109.99, or a $5 per month increase unless I am missing something.

Still sucks but $5 a month isn't a deal breaker for me.

 

[Stargazer]

I bet this is only for the 625 receiver, not the 622 receiver. Not such a great deal for me since I do annual and do not plan on adding any movie packages. Will not benefit me at all. The only thing is there is that price guarantee until 2009 so how do we not know that they do not plan on increasing the price of AT120 (soon to be AT200) or AT180 (soon to be AT250) in 2008? It seems like they plan the price increases a year or two ahead of time. My guess is the following ...

Dish Family and AT60 will see a price increase in 2008 but AT120/180 will not see the price increase in 2008 (after this year's big increase) but all packages will see a price increase in 2009.

I am also going to take a guess that if you already own a DVR then the DVR fee will NOT be waived in the DVR Advantage program. The DVR fee will remained waived in AEP.

This would be a start in the right direction for getting rid of some of the B.S. fees by combining everything for one price even the fees. They need to do better though and progress this.

Why on earth do they require a movie package to get this deal on AT180 but not AT120? That is STUPID. Hello Dish Network, I want a higher package on that same deal but you make the smaller package deal more attractive than someone that just wants to simply go up to the AT180 package? I think I know their thinking behind this one. They want you to go to AEP instead since the DVR fee is waived to AEP customers. This promotion is targeted for those on a budget. They should have had a deal like this for those that want AT180 for $59.99 per month.

The only good out of the AT250 DVR Advantage is that they are offering you one premium package for $10 instead of $13 plus a $4 savings on the DVR fee so that is a total of $7 savings. Two ways of looking at it is this makes up for the DVR fee plus $1 if you already have AT180 with a movie package or you are only paying $4 more for the movie package in addition to the DVR fee if you already have AT180 and a DVR and chose to get their DVR instead. That does not seem too bad when you look at it that way but still, its that much extra they are getting from you. This is their way of trying to get you to upgrade AFTER a price increase. For $14 more you would have AEP if you have two DVR's, for $7 more you would have AEP with three DVR's.

Another good thing is that they are waiving that $69 upfront fee that they were requiring to get the DVR. That seems pretty attractive. Over an 18 month period that would span out to about $5 per month as you could downgrade to a lower package if you wanted to by then. By that time they raise the DVR fee to $10+ if you do not take at least AT200 (known as AT120 right now). Remember when they had the DVR fee at $10 if you did not subscribe to a minimal programming package or do they still do that?

 

[WileyKyle]

How do you figure $10? I am currently paying $104.99 for Platinum w/ locals. The new AEP will be $89.99 plus $20 for HD, correct? That is $109.99, or a $5 per month increase unless I am missing something.

Still sucks but $5 a month isn't a deal breaker for me.

plus $5.00 for locals

 

[Stargazer]

The $20 extra for AT250 DVR Advantage is for the price difference in AT200 AND one movie package. Basically you would be paying $10 for going from AT200 to AT250 and $10 for the movie package. You save $3 on the movie package and $4 on the DVR fee for a total of $7 which makes up for the DVR fee itself.

$49.99 AT200 + $10.00 for AT250 price difference
= $59.99 + $10.00 FORCED Movie Package
= $69.99 DVR Advantage Package

 

[Stargazer]

plus $5.00 for locals

As stated in another thread, locals were not included to make it look like a $5 price increase instead of the $10 price increase it actually is. $5 HD package increase if you have AEP Platinum plus $5 price increase for AEP itself = $10 total price increase plus any other additional price increases that may incur such as $4 warranty price increase for those that have the $1.99 warranty, $2 per adult movie channel price increase, some states that are going to charge that extra tax which could add another $3-5 on top of that. USB Port Enabling Fee for External Hard Drives? OUCH!!!

How about a new nickname of DVR Disadvantage? Seems like a good deal on the AT120 (soon to be AT200) but not for some people on the AT180 (soon to be AT250). It states that it includes locals but it also says it includes the receiver - does not state that it includes the DVR Fee. Hmm! What about the $4.99 lease fee that I am hearing about on the first tuner or has Dish not been charging some customers this fee on the first leased receiver? Some things most definitely need clarified on this.

Lets see, a $3.98/mo. savings? $43 AT120, $5 locals, $6 DVR fee, total $54 subtract $4 and its $50. That seems to come out right to me and I hope it is as simple as that. This would mean that you would only pay $2 more for this package to get the DVR service. Do you have to give up your old receiver that you own to get this new leased receiver or do you get to keep your old receivers? If you add this receiver onto your account it is an automatic $4.99 lease fee on the first tuner and no phone line connection to the second tuner is another $4.99 fee. It can be a very good deal if you are very careful.

You could actually REDUCE your bill by taking this deal by replacing two receivers that you currently have with this one receiver and keeping your phone lines hooked up. Since the DVR fee would increases your bill $2 but you avoid an additional outlet fee -$5 you would actually save $3. Keep in mind this is before the price increase and since the price increase is $3 then you pretty well break even and have this price locked in for two years so you would end up paying the same rate for 3-4 years seeing how you will not have seen a rate increase for that long and adding DVR service for two rooms. Hopefully you will also be allowed to sell your used receivers unless Dish Network wants to get those from you as an exchange and use those for that Pay as you Go boxes that they are selling to those that are not eligible for any promotions.

This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on where you are at on your packages.

I just hope they have a plan to keep these customers after their 18 month contract is up. They need an ongoing plan to keep those customers.

 

[waltinvt]

Now we know how Dish is going to pay all those attorney fees and make up for what they're now losing on distants.

Normally competition would prohibit this big of price increase but in this case, the change of leadership over at "D" seems to have them a little pre-occupied and Dish knows just how tight they can tighten those screws.

 

[M Sparks]

Well that not consistant if you get the DVRAdvantage AT250 you have to pay 20 for one Movie package but in the previous chart its less for a single movie package. There is no advantage to that is there just for Dish to Cut the DVR fee to half.

IT'S $20 MORE THAN AT200 ALONE. THE $20 IS FOR THE PREMIUM AND THE EXTRA "50" CHANNELS.

Geez, I hate to yell, but someone JUST explained it to you, so I figured you must be hard of hearing.

 

[trido]

Nghd

Are we still 100 percent sure there is only ONE hd pkg but only AEP people get NGHD?

Seems like there is a $20 HD pkg period and it should include NGHD?


Trido

 

[mrschwarz]

I have the 'AT120and Movie Value Pack DHA W/Locals' for $64.99. I haven't been able to figure out what is going to happen to my rates. Can anyone hazard a guess?

 

[waltinvt]

Are we still 100 percent sure there is only ONE hd pkg but only AEP people get NGHD?

Seems like there is a $20 HD pkg period and it should include NGHD?


Trido

The "E" in AEP hasn't meant "everything" for a while now. Sort of like HD has now become "DishHD". What about the Hallmark Movie Channel - why isn't that part of AEP?

It's no longer about what you get - it's about what they can make you "think" you get. Deception in advertising is the norm now.

 

[M Sparks]

OK, since I was just rude, I'll try to help out to balance my karma.

or
AT250 DVR Advantage 69.99 plus one movie I would then get showtime $20 + HD 20 Comes to 109.99

So is my above math right what am I missing?

$69.99 + $20 = $89.99. You would be dropping Cinemax, switching HBO for Showtime, and getting "50" more basic channels for $2 less. Not a bad deal, actually, but you're kind of comparing apples to oranges.

Where are you getting this extra $20?

Which channels get the better movies Showtime or HBO/Cinemax being only one year with HBO/Cinemax I dont know Showtime at all. I remember while back HBO/Cinemax seemed to have contracts with most of the movie houses is that still true?

The split between the major studios seems to be about 40% HBO/Cinemax, 35% Showtime/TMC, and 25% Starz/Encore. It's hard to say which one "gets the better movies". They all get "good" and "bad" movies. If one studio has a particularly good or bad year, it can tip the scale towards one channel or the other. And it's all subjective anyway...I tend to hate the big blockbuster movies.

If you want to catch everything, you really need a channel from all three groups. Since AT250 includes Encore & The Movie Channel, you may want to pick either HBO or Cinemax as your premium. Encore will show everything Starz shows, just a month or two later. Same goes for TMC...they'll eventually show every movie Showtime shows.

But there are other factors to consider. Both HBO and Showtime have original programming. (So does Starz, but it's very minor) Right now, my absolute favorite TV show (Dexter) is on Showtime...so I consider Showtime a must have. But a year or two ago, I watched little on Showtime and several shows on HBO.

Also, I consider Sundance a must in my house, which means I must subscribe to Showtime. Most households probably don't care about Sundance.

HD is another factor. If you have just Encore & TMC, you won't see 60% of the movies in HD. I'm currently trying to decide between AT200 with HBO/Sho/Starz and AT250 with HBO/Sho...roughly the same price, but I would miss 25% of the movies in HD.

One thing for sure...if you're only going to get 2 premiums, HBO/Cinemax is the worst possible combination. You're basically paying twice for the same movies. At one time, Cinemax was a very separate service. In fact, in the early 90's, I had ONLY Cinemax on cable. In the 80's, Cinemax had original shows too. But now, it's just recycled HBO movies. The only difference between Cinemax and TMC is that Cinemax occasionally premiers movies BEFORE HBO.

 

[M Sparks]

Are we still 100 percent sure there is only ONE hd pkg but only AEP people get NGHD?

Seems like there is a $20 HD pkg period and it should include NGHD?

Well, I don't think we're sure, but the issue was that NGCHD was only included if you have HD Gold or above. (Now AT250 +HD or above). The only extra channel that was ONLY in AEP or HD Platinum was NBA-TV.

It's likely that this is still the situation. It probably has to do with the way NGC structures their contracts. We probably won't know until February and someone can actually tell us what they're receiving.