From TivoCommunity and HDTivoGeek. Let the rants begin....
Link (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=337065)

New DirecTV Pricing Starts 2/6
NEW: FAMILY $29.99/mo. plus tax approximately 40 channels
OLD: FAMILY (package name changes on existing customer bills. No change to price or channel lineup)

NEW: CHOICE $49.99/mo. plus tax over 140 channels
OLD: TOTAL CHOICE $44.99/mo. plus tax over 155 channels

NEW: CHOICE XTRA $54.99/mo. plus tax same channels as PLUS (below) but without DVR service
OLD: TOTAL CHOICE PLUS $49.99/mo. plus tax over 185 channels

NEW: PLUS $59.99/mo. plus tax DVR service included over 185 channels
OLD: NONE

NEW: PLUS HD $69.99/mo. plus tax HD Access and DVR service included over 185 channels
OLD: NONE

NEW: PREMIER $99.99/mo. plus tax over 250 channels including all premium channels
OLD: TOTAL CHOICE PREMIER (package name changes to PREMIER on existing customer bills. No change to price or channel lineup)

NEW: Price of HBO is going up by $1 for current and existing customers.

NEW PROMO: Get PLUS for $49.99/mo. for your first 12 months, plus 3 free months of HBO and Cinemax. (Requires mail-in redemption for $10/mo. bill credit for 12 months. After promo period, customers will be charged at then-prevailing rate.

NEW PROMO: Get PLUS HD for $59.99/mo. for your first 12 months, plus 3 free months of HBO and Cinemax and 12 free Pay Per View coupons (one per month). (Requires mail-in redemption for $10/mo. bill credit for 12 months. After promo period, customers will be charged at then-prevailing rates. For High Risk and No hit, the premium channels will not appear in the 4th month unless customer calls to continue those channels).

PACKAGE DESCRIPTIONS
CHOICE: Featuring over 140 top networks including movies, sports, family favorites and 50 XM Satellite Radio channels as well as local programming*. A great value in television entertainment all in 100% digital-quality picture and sound.

CHOICE XTRA: Our most popular television choices, including the best in movies, sports, music, documentary, educational, specialty and family programming. This package includes everything in our CHOICE package plus hard-to-find channels you won’t find everywhere else such as Biography, PBS Sprout, History International Channel, E!, The Golf Channel, Nicktoons and Boomerang. Over 185 top networks including 78 XM Satellite Radio channels, as well as local programming all in 100% digital- quality picture and sound.

PLUS: All the programming of CHOICE XTRA, AND with a DVR, this service lets you enjoy TV on your terms with DVR service to pause and rewind live TV, record a season of your favorite show with the touch of a button and save up to 100 hours of programming – no discs or tapes needed. Watch the best of television whenever you want.

PLUS HD: All of the above, AND this package features access to the best HD channels, including ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, TNT HD, Discovery HD Theater, Universal HD, HD Net, HD Net Movies, local HD channels and more sports in HD than any other cable or satellite provider. All our HD channels bring you a picture clarity that’s 7 to 10 times sharper than ordinary TV.

PREMIER: Our very best entertainment package with the convenience of DVR service that offers a world of premium entertainment including movies, sports, music, special events and local channels. Over 250 top networks in 100% digital quality, 31 premium movie channels featuring 7 channels of HBO, 12 channels of Starz, 9 channels of Showtime, and 3 channels of Cinemax, plus more than 30 sports networks with Sports Pack. This package also lets you enjoy TV on your terms with DVR service to pause and rewind live TV, record a season of your favorite show with the touch of a button and save up to 100 hours of programming – no discs or tapes needed. Enjoy the best of television with premium movie and sports channels on your time with the addition of DVR service in your home.

HIGH-DEFINITION SERVICES: Besides introducing the base package options listed above, we are changing the way we offer high-definition service. Formerly, customers were able to purchase the DIRECTV® HD Package for $9.99/mo. We are expiring the current DIRECTV HD Package on February 5, 2007. Now, to simplify delivery of our expanding lineup of HD service options, we are bundling related HD channels into our base, premium and sports subscription packages.
New customers activating HD equipment on or after February 6, regardless of the programming they choose, will pay for access to DIRECTV® HD technology at a flat fee of $10.99 per month (i.e., the “HD Access Fee”). This fee will be required anytime an HD receiver is activated on a customer’s account. The customer receives access to our HD technology so they can enjoy HD transmissions of programming within their programming packages -- for example, if a customer has the NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ SuperFan™ package, he/she will get the HD games included in that package; or, if a customer has HBO®, he/she will get HBO® HD. Similarly, if a customer has local channels in their programming package and DIRECTV offers local HD programming in their area, the customer will receive the HD local channels.

There are no changes to our existing 1-year and 2-year programming commitment requirements and policies based on the type of hardware purchased and the programming offers accepted by customers.
• There are no changes to mirroring fees, nor to the fees for programming on additional owned receivers; both remain at $4.99 per month.
• There is no change to the price of DVR service; it remains $5.99 per month in all cases, except for those customers taking the PREMIER package, which includes the DVR service.
• There are no price changes to a la carte packages and services, such as DIRECTV PROTECTION PLAN and BabyFirstTV™.
• Effective February 6, 2007, we will be strictly enforcing our requirement that customers who reside where DIRECTV offers local channels will have their local channels included with their packages. They will not be able to opt out. Of course, if there are technical issues (such as line-of-sight, etc.), we will continue to handle them on a case-by-case basis.

Channels being removed from the former "TOTAL CHOICE" package and moved to "EXTRA":
E!
G4
OLN=VERSUS
Golf
Discovery Health
ESPN Classic
National Geographic
Fuel TV
Speed
Fox Reality
Sleuth
WGN
Oxygen

At first blush, it seems as if DirecTV is double dipping with Sunday Ticket Super Fan with regards to HD.

New Pricing Update:

DirecTV Titanium is being discontinued, and replaced by:

DirecTV Unobtainium
The programming package so exclusive, it's not even available.

So, this restructuring will save me $7/mo. Cool.

$70/month for HD and DVR when my Comcast bill is about $78. Yea that's a ton cheaper, and i don't have HD lite.

I'm so sick of them saying it's so much cheaper than cable, and that the HD PQ is the best.

So, this restructuring will save me $7/mo. Cool.

You must be dropping something or have some wierd configuration. :confused:

Mine will go up $7 :mad: to keep the same services. :mad:

Not much to rant for me. I have the Premier already and it looks like the only difference in the HD charge is $1. And that is if I activate new equipment after 2/5. So when any new HD channels come around, I'm good as long as they are within my Premier package.

WTF, you have to get an extra tier to get WGN? HOLY CRAP. That has been a basic channel
since cable only offered 20 channels.

So can directTV give you abc,cbs,nbc,fox etc in HD if they aren't available over the air in HD locally???

New customers activating HD equipment on or after February 6, regardless of the programming they choose, will pay for access to DIRECTV® HD technology at a flat fee of $10.99 per month (i.e., the “HD Access Fee”). This fee will be required anytime an HD receiver is activated on a customer’s account.

So if I subscribe to the Plus HD package for $70, I'll also have to pay $11 on top of that?

So if I subscribe to the Plus HD package for $70, I'll also have to pay $11 on top of that?

Yeah, I call BS on this one.

I get SuperFan and I have to pay for that, I pay for the HD channels, and I get the locals that I am "paying for" since I can't opt out.

Maybe they are doing it because they put the ATSC tuner in there and if people aren't
subscribing to their HD programming it covers it that way, but if I subscribe to ANY HD package
this fee should be DROPPED!

I predict they raise prices again in 6 months.

I like the flat access fee for HD and then including the HD versions for whatever SD versions you get. However, that should also mean that you get HD games with NFL ST - and obviously that isn't the case.

My guess is that the Plus HD $10 premium is in lieu of the $10.99 access fee.

I like the flat access fee for HD and then including the HD versions for whatever SD versions you get. However, that should also mean that you get HD games with NFL ST - and obviously that isn't the case.

My guess is that the Plus HD $10 premium is in lieu of the $10.99 access fee.
Dont we already pay an HD access fee for HBOHD and SHOHD in the fee for the HD pack? If you have the HD Pack and sub to HBO you get HBOHD as well. New customers will have to pay 10.99 for HD access and existing customers will not? That sounds screwy to me.

The Sunday ticket HD games are included in that package. It says so under the 10.99 HD access fee section.

What about those of us that get the HD tier only with HBO and NFLST and do not subscribe to total choice?

True, but if they eliminate the HD Pack and move to an HD "access fee", it's a wash.

The Sunday ticket HD games are included in that package. It says so under the 10.99 HD access fee section.


No, it still says you need Superfan to get the HD games.

Why weren't these changes explained in the monthly billing statement that I just paid? Did I miss something?

So, now I have to pay for Choice Plus (or Extra now) just to get Speed? This sucks.

You're right, I didn't read that carefully enough. My bad.

You're right, I didn't read that carefully enough. My bad.

That's because it's written to appear that it logically fits into the same access fee mold - when it doesn't. The access fee should give you HD games and then if you subscribe to Superfan, the access fee should get you HD versions of the extra features (when available).

So dish announces lower prices, and Directv announces raised prices? Good strategy.

I think this might be bogus.... There is nothing on the DirecTv site at all.

I think this might be bogus.... There is nothing on the DirecTv site at all.
I'm wondering how valid this is, myself. There's nothing the press releases or in the other announcement areas. Of course, the package I have hasn't been offered for several years, so I'm not sure how this affects me.

I'm wondering how valid this is, myself. There's nothing the press releases or in the other announcement areas. Of course, the package I have hasn't been offered for several years, so I'm not sure how this affects me.


It could be new subscribers only and not apply to existing unless you change service levels...

Supposedly it WAS up on their site, then taken down.

Anyway, I'm kind of confused... the HD package is now included in a base package (PLUS HD), then on top of that $10 premium over the regular "Plus" package, there's going to be another $10.99 on top of that for "HD Access"? It says "regardless of the programming they choose". And why is that monthly fee tied to activation of hardware? Seems like that will also apply to existing customers who aren't yet on MPEG4 hardware, since we will have to upgrade at some point. I think this makes it pretty clear that I won't be sticking with DirecTV to take advantage of the MPEG4 channels... they want me to pay an upfront fee for hardware that's not mine, charge me a lease fee for it, and charge me an "HD access fee", all for the privilege of paying them for programming? :confused:

And the DVR fee: "... DVR service; it remains $5.99 per month in all cases, except for those customers taking the PREMIER package". The "Plus HD package says it includes DVR service, yet that other line says you still get charged extra on all but Premiere. And if it's ONLY HBO going up by a dollar, I guess that means the tiered premium channel package pricing is going away? Or perhaps the 2nd, 3rd, 4th premiums depend on whether or not it's HBO?

Oh well. Every price increase we've had since Rupert took over, I've dropped something from my programming that has resulted in a net decrease. Guess I can look forward to saving even more money. :rolleyes:

So, now I have to pay for Choice Plus (or Extra now) just to get Speed? This sucks.
Yep!!

I've now had DirecTV for almost 3 years and their pricing has increased by about 1/3... :rolleyes:

It's a wash for me...PLUS HD at $69.99/mo is $5 dollars more than I'm currently paying for TOTAL CHOICE PLUS + HD Package + DVR. I'm getting MPEG4 equipment tomorrow for HD-LiLs, and will save $7/mo on DNS...

No change on $5 mirror fee and $7 Protection Plan...

I add HBO and SHO occasionally (when good series are on), and may actually consider going to PREMIER to get everything for not much more.

Price hikes suck, but someone has to pay for the new satellites (unless Boeing is building 'em for free)...

~Dan

I think this might be bogus.... There is nothing on the DirecTv site at all.
As a matter of fact if you try to change your programming online you will see the changes of the prices already implemented.

Rubbing my hands together in glee and in my best Mr Burns: "Excellent!!".

This makes me even more happy I made the call to Comcast two days ago to set up an install (after 14+ years with D*). Positive reinforcement is a very good thing :). Thank you D*!


ron

I hope they enjoy it. I wouldn't recommend D* to anyone and my days as a customer appear to be numbered.

It could be new subscribers only and not apply to existing unless you change service levels...

Hmm. Interesting. Looks like I'm still in a holding pattern while I see what shakes out with the new birds. I'd like to get an HD DVR to replace my SD UTV (it sucks having to watch HD live only), but until I'm sure signing another committment will be worth it, I guess I'll stick with the current plan. I'm just not ready to make the compromise of a crappy cable DVR and no HDNet.

And the DVR fee: "... DVR service; it remains $5.99 per month in all cases, except for those customers taking the PREMIER package". The "Plus HD package says it includes DVR service, yet that other line says you still get charged extra on all but Premier.

My thoughts exactly - which is it?

Dont we already pay an HD access fee for HBOHD and SHOHD in the fee for the HD pack?
No. Before if you sub to HBO and had an HD receiver, you got HBOHD whether or not you sub to the HD pak. Same with SHO.

But it looks like after 2/6 that if you activate an HD receiver, you pay the $10.99 regardless.

I did notice there was mention of the mirroring fee, but no mention of the "lease" fee.

I guess the upside is we will get all the new HD channels without there being a $34.95 HD package.

Supposedly it WAS up on their site, then taken down.

Anyway, I'm kind of confused... the HD package is now included in a base package (PLUS HD), then on top of that $10 premium over the regular "Plus" package, there's going to be another $10.99 on top of that for "HD Access"?
Then on top of that you have to pay an extra $10 to think you are watching HD, then another $10 to wish you were with another company......

Looks like my bill will go up about $6. I see some dropped programming coming soon.

I think this might be bogus.... There is nothing on the DirecTv site at all.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6408223.html?display=Breaking+News

"DirecTV’s Total Choice Plus offering, formerly $49.99, is now $5 more, at $54.99, and it is being renamed Choice Xtra, he wrote.

But Mercer said those rates and name changes will only apply to packages for new subscribers. DirecTV’s existing Total Choice subscribers will see their package only rise $3 per month, to $47.99, and existing Total Choice Plus customers will be paying $2 more, or $51.99."

"The price increases for new DirecTV subscribers kick in Feb. 6, and for current customers, the increases are effective March 1, according to Mercer."

New Pricing Update:

DirecTV Titanium is being discontinued, and replaced by:

DirecTV Unobtainium
The programming package so exclusive, it's not even available.
I used to own a watch that was made fron "Unobtainium", but I traded it for a HDDVR! :rolleyes: :p

Never thought I'd say this but I am happy that I am in the beginning of a two year commitment. They can't touch me for a while. This will give me time to figure out whether or not they are going to get their $hit together.

I guess the upside is we will get all the new HD channels without there being a $34.95 HD package.
This appears to be the one advantage to all of these changes.

I think this might be bogus.... There is nothing on the DirecTv site at all.
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http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=4791022&&#post4791022

Price hikes suck, but someone has to pay for the new satellites (unless Boeing is building 'em for free)...

~Dan

Yeah, but we have been overpaying for hdlite for years. I'm sick of these price hikes.

I hope they enjoy it. I wouldn't recommend D* to anyone and my days as a customer appear to be numbered.


lol and you pick now to leave? that would be like a disgruntled pilgrim who endured a month of hardship sailing to the new world jumping off the boat a half mile from plymouth rock :rolleyes:

Rubbing my hands together in glee and in my best Mr Burns: "Excellent!!".

This makes me even more happy I made the call to Comcast two days ago to set up an install (after 14+ years with D*). Positive reinforcement is a very good thing :). Thank you D*!
Yeah...cable *never* raises rates... :rolleyes:

Never thought I'd say this but I am happy that I am in the beginning of a two year commitment. They can't touch me for a while. This will give me time to figure out whether or not they are going to get their $hit together.
Huh? D* got rid of the price protection years ago. You'll be enjoying the price hike right along with the rest of us... :p

~Dan

Huh? D* got rid of the price protection years ago. You'll be enjoying the price hike right along with the rest of us... :p

~Dan

lol i was thinking the same thing. for a minute i thought i was wrong...

lol and you pick now to leave? that would be like a disgruntled pilgrim who endured a month of hardship sailing to the new world jumping off the boat a half mile from plymouth rock :rolleyes:

No. It's like someone who is currently in a service commitment and is leaving once it is up. I was already disgruntled and the price increase is just one more thing that makes me believe leaving is the right idea. The HD stuff might be grand, and that remains to be seen since it hasn't been delivered yet, but as everything stands right now I am inclined to leave when my commitment is up.

Never thought I'd say this but I am happy that I am in the beginning of a two year commitment. They can't touch me for a while. This will give me time to figure out whether or not they are going to get their $hit together.

As others have stated, they don't offer you a price guarantee. Rather, they guarantee that you will have to pay the new prices to fulfill your service commitment.

If a new customer signed up before February 6th, would they be considered a new customer or an existing customer? Reading about all the HD they plan to have before years end makes me want to jump on board, but these prices are making me think otherwise. However, if the "HD access" fee is included in the Plus HD package, which Im inclined to think is the case "It says "HD access" on the detail line after all.

Originally Posted by talbain
lol and you pick now to leave? that would be like a disgruntled pilgrim who endured a month of hardship sailing to the new world jumping off the boat a half mile from plymouth rock

Depends on your point of view, I would categorize D* as the Titanic myself! :D

Regardless, the best part of being with Comcast is there is no 1 or 2 year commitment! I can cancel anytime, should anything better come along. :cool:

$70/month for HD and DVR when my Comcast bill is about $78. Yea that's a ton cheaper, and i don't have HD lite.

I'm so sick of them saying it's so much cheaper than cable, and that the HD PQ is the best.

Well they are 10% cheaper and I would bet their PQ is better then yours.

This HD access fee is BS. Are they making it seem more palatable by charging "only" $69.99 for the Plus HD package and then tacking on another $10 for access to it? Why not just be honest and charge the $10 to whatever package you are getting. Basically any who wants to get HD in any package has to pay the $10 access fee right? So the Plus HD package really costs about $80 per month not $70.

I don't interpret Plus Hd as requiring an additional $10 for HD access. It seems to me that the 69.99 includes the DVR fee and Hd access. When you compare it to the channels that are offered in the new programming only packages, 54.99 for the 185 channels in Choice Xtra + 5.00 for DVR service + 10.00 for Hd access, you actually get a $2 break from the unbundled package.

I don't interpret Plus Hd as requiring an additional $10 for HD access. It seems to me that the 69.99 includes the DVR fee and Hd access. When you compare it to the channels that are offered in the new programming only packages, 54.99 for the 185 channels in Choice Xtra + 5.00 for DVR service + 10.00 for Hd access, you actually get a $2 break from the unbundled package.

That's the way I read it also. The "HD" Package just does the math for you and includes the access fee.

The reason I look at this as a positive step is I believe that access fee will be more price sensitive than if they started dividing up all these new HD channels into individually priced tiers. The big variable is how they classify those new HD channels that have no SD equivalent. (ex.: Chiller)

Now, if I'm wrong and the access fee is categorized as a hardware type of expense isolated from any programming - and the HD programming is priced independently - it would definitely suck. I don't read it that way though, despite the contradiction apparent in the NFLST/Superfan explanation. I see that as the exception.

What does this mean for current MPEG-2 customers who will eventually swap out for the MPEG-4 units? Will they be subject to new customer pricing?

Upgrades shouldn't affect your customer status. The flip side is that although you avoid the new customer pricing, you also are excluded from the new customer deals.

I'm confused, if I am currently a long-time subscriber will I be subject to the new rate plans and if I am subject to the new rates, why am I still bound by the two year commitment, it seems like Directv has changed their side of that arrangement. These new rates are no longer competitive with Comcast, except I'm forgetting about those 100 HD channels that are just around the corner.

That's the way I read it also. The "HD" Package just does the math for you and includes the access fee.
Logic, and even the cost, would tell you that. However, if that is the case, they've done a poor job of describing it that way. I don't see the point in saying "New customers activating HD equipment on or after February 6, regardless of the programming they choose, will pay for access to DIRECTV® HD technology at a flat fee of $10.99 per month". Why specifically state that this $10.99 HD access fee is always present regardless of your programming if it's NOT on top of the HD programming fee built into "Plus HD" and "Premier"? Sounds to me like they're saying you'll pay a $10.99 fee IF you have HD hardware regardless of whether or not you buy any HD programming. But if that's the case, why even have the "Plus HD" package? What purpose does it serve if you're automatically paying an HD fee already due to the hardware you have? And I still don't get the implied contingency of activation of HD hardware to invoke this fee. So if you already have the HD hardware you need activated before Feb 6th, this fee doesn't apply? Or should the word "activating" be replaced with "with active", as in any time you have an HD receiver active on your account, you'll pay the HD access fee, as opposed to any tie to the one-time activation of the receiver?

I'm sure you're right, but if so they've sure screwed up their wording. :confused:

I'm sure you're right, but if so they've sure screwed up their wording. :confused:

No question. The fact that we're trying to interpret something that should be straght forward, like pricing, is proof of that.

I'm confused, if I am currently a long-time subscriber will I be subject to the new rate plans and if I am subject to the new rates, why am I still bound by the two year commitment, it seems like Directv has changed their side of that arrangement. These new rates are no longer competitive with Comcast, except I'm forgetting about those 100 HD channels that are just around the corner.

Rates are going up for everyone (new and existing customers) beginning March 1, 2007. Dish is raising their rates beginning Feb 1, 2007

Never thought I'd say this but I am happy that I am in the beginning of a two year commitment. They can't touch me for a while. This will give me time to figure out whether or not they are going to get their $hit together.

why do you think that?

If you read the fine print in their customer agreements they say they can do whatever they want to you. (although I think you might be able to bail if you dont like the changes...)


In the real world- does anyone know what they really do?

I'm confused, if I am currently a long-time subscriber will I be subject to the new rate plans and if I am subject to the new rates, why am I still bound by the two year commitment, it seems like Directv has changed their side of that arrangement. These new rates are no longer competitive with Comcast, except I'm forgetting about those 100 HD channels that are just around the corner.

As an existing customer, your rate hike will be less than what is posted here - but rate hikes are allowed in the customer agreement without nullifying any commitments.

Well they are 10% cheaper and I would bet their PQ is better then yours.

you would bet that DIrectv's current PQ on the national channels is better then cable?

MPEG4 D* locals vs Cable locals could go either way probably depending ont he markets involved...

you would bet that DIrectv's current PQ on the national channels is better then cable?

MPEG4 D* locals vs Cable locals could go either way probably depending ont he markets involved...

DirecTv Nations vs. Cox Cable HD here in Tulsa. Yes.

I wish service commitments were contracts to provide service at a specific price until the end of the agreement. Unfortunately, they don't do business that way.

I called D* this morning to compare what I am paying to what I will be paying. Currently I have the Total choice plus, HD, HBO, Starz and Cinemax and 3 boxes for a total of about $113. After the change the equivalent would go to about $124 (maybe less since I am an existing customer). The rep informed me that if I went to the Premium package I would get every channel for only $8 more, seems like a no brainer, I will pay the extra $8 for the additional 50+ channels.

Also, to clear up some confusion, the $69.99 package includes the HD fee and DVR fee, there is no additional fee added for HD or DVR; I hope this helps. :)

The way I understand this is once the new HD channels get added, if you have HD service, you will get the HD equivalent of any channel that you are already getting (hopefully) for no additional cost.

DirecTv Nations vs. Cox Cable HD here in Tulsa. Yes.


With D* sort of in a bind at the moment and really tweaking the MPEG2's I would suppose that for national channels that is not the norm.

Obviously each and every market is different.

And all bets are off once the new MPEg4 birds go active.

So it looks like DirecTV is going after all the customers (such as myself) who use HD receivers for over-the-air only and don't want the HD package and squeezing $10 out of them as well.

Given that Fox News is basically the only cable/sat channel I watch, I hope they will start selling a live stream of their channel on the web (like CTV Newsnet does) so that I can go OTA-only for my other TV needs and save $60 a month!

Is Fox News worth $60 a month? You can read stuff from the website for free.

Trying to figure out this new structure compared to my existing plan is like doing taxes.

Does the new "Premier" package include DVR and HD access fees in the $99.99 fee?

I called and asked them this very question about a month ago and they said the Premier package does include the DVR fee but not the HD fee. I was kind of bummed out. I was ready to get the premier until I heard that.

Thanks hockeynut. OK make that $110.98 for Premier with HD access.

Where does the extra $1 for HBO fit in? Is it already factored in to the new prices shown?

If I interpret it the way I'd like to, I could stand to pay a little less for more programming under the new plan.

Heres what I've got now:

TOTAL CHOICE PLUS Monthly $48.99
HBO, STARZ!, SHOWTIME, &
CINEMAX Monthly $41.00
HD Package Monthly $9.99
Network: CBS HD Monthly $0.00
Network: FOX HD Monthly $0.00
Network: CBS from NYC/LA Monthly $2.25
Network: NBC from NYC/LA Monthly $2.25
Network: ABC from NYC/LA Monthly $2.25
Network: FOX from NYC/LA Monthly $2.25
Network: CBS HD Monthly $0.00
Network: FOX HD Monthly $0.00
Network: NBC HD Monthly $0.00
Network: ABC HD Monthly $0.00
DIRECTV DVR Service Fee Monthly $5.99
Fees

Additional Receiver $4.99
Additional Receiver $4.99

AMOUNT DUE $124.95

If I drop NYC/LA $114.95

By my reckoning I could get "Premier" at $110.98

Add 2 recievers for $9.98 for a total of $120.96

That's assuming DVR is part of the "Premier" package and HD access is an additional 10.99.

I would gain the Sports Pack and either trim about $4 or add about $6 depending on NYC/LA. Not to mention the upcoming HD channels.

A couple more questions I have.

Is there an additional DVR fee for additional DVR's, now or in the future? I only have one HR10-250 which I should have no trouble switching when the time comes.

Is there, now or in the future, an additional fee for leasing a DVR or is that included in the DVR fee? How about HD DVR's (HR20) or is that all that will be offered? Is there still an option to own your DVR as I now own my HDTiVo.

These are just rhetorical questions but if any of them have answers that'd be nice. i'm really on the fence about wether or not I should stay when my current contract is up in a year and hopefully it'll be as informed of a decision as I can make.

Quote:
Originally Posted by R11
Rubbing my hands together in glee and in my best Mr Burns: "Excellent!!".

This makes me even more happy I made the call to Comcast two days ago to set up an install (after 14+ years with D*). Positive reinforcement is a very good thing . Thank you D*!



Yeah...cable *never* raises rates... :rolleyes:Well, unlike D*, my new triple play Comcast rate IS locked in for the next year. So take that :p :D

At the end of the year I will re-evaluate everything. If D* has proven that they can/will provide competent PQ and is price competitive I will consider them. Verizon may possibly be available in my area by then too. In the mean time, I will enjoy nice PQ off my HD-DVR content in knowing my rate will not go up for the foreseeable future and I'm not committed to anything, thank you very much!


ron

No, it still says you need Superfan to get the HD games.


As you always have (since Superfan was introduced).

Rubbing my hands together in glee and in my best Mr Burns: "Excellent!!".

This makes me even more happy I made the call to Comcast two days ago to set up an install (after 14+ years with D*). Positive reinforcement is a very good thing :). Thank you D*!


ron


I always love this. Would Comcast have anything close to the options they have now if D* hadn't come along? I'd wager 100-1 against. It's like buying stuff at WalMart instead of a specialty store. At some point the specialty store goes under and stunningly the number of choices for the products that they carried drops like a rock and you can only choose the one option form WalMart.

Will you come back if D* adds 50 HD channels by the end of the year? I'm betting it's EXACTLY the wrong time to leave.

Quote:


Verizon may possibly be available in my area by then too.


ron

FIOS in active in my area, wait until you see their prices! My next door neighbor has got it and currently you pay for everything (each installation spot etc).

I always love this. Would Comcast have anything close to the options they have now if D* hadn't come along? I'd wager 100-1 against. It's like buying stuff at WalMart instead of a specialty store. At some point the specialty store goes under and stunningly the number of choices for the products that they carried drops like a rock and you can only choose the one option form WalMart.

Will you come back if D* adds 50 HD channels by the end of the year? I'm betting it's EXACTLY the wrong time to leave.

thing is you can go to cable and enjoy the crazy cheap 99 triple play promotional pricing without any committment. If Directv does what they say you justy go back to Directv at that time and probably use your spouses name to get the new customer deal that you would have to haggle with retention to get if you stay with them and upgrade your equipment.

FIOS in active in my area, wait until you see their prices! My next door neighbor has got it and currently you pay for everything (each installation spot etc).

with all the complexities all the providers throw at us, it's very hard to judge pricing with just one part of the puzzle - you just about have to sit down with a spreadsheet to figure it all out.

I always love this. Would Comcast have anything close to the options they have now if D* hadn't come along? I'd wager 100-1 against. It's like buying stuff at WalMart instead of a specialty store. At some point the specialty store goes under and stunningly the number of choices for the products that they carried drops like a rock and you can only choose the one option form WalMart.

Will you come back if D* adds 50 HD channels by the end of the year? I'm betting it's EXACTLY the wrong time to leave.LOL. No offense Bud, you just don't get it do you? First of all, I've had D* for 12+ years (I'm guessing a whole lot longer than you). I've watched their PQ deteriorate with my own eyes over the years. Yes, competition is a very good thing. But you are undeniably wrong if you want to call D* any kind of "specialty store" as their PQ currently stinks and has for a long time. Apparently you have fallen for their marketing "fluff". I'm very happy for you that you feel good about being with a "high end" provider. What a joke :rolleyes:. And just for the record, the Comcast service does not cost less either. That's right, I'm paying a little more for a better product. Hardly a "Walmart" example my friend. And you know what? I could give a rats fat ass about 50 more friggin' channels. I simply wanted decent quality out of the few I already had. I MAY come back to D* after a year. If they prove to me that they will provide a quality product.


ron

with all the complexities all the providers throw at us, it's very hard to judge pricing with just one part of the puzzle - you just about have to sit down with a spreadsheet to figure it all out.

Funny! Even though I really didn't need to, that's exactly what I did, just to help me organize my thoughts and assumptions about the new schemes compared to my existing plan. And that was just for a D* new vs. old comparison.

For me, and probably most current subs, some gains or penalties are dependant on wether D* allows or mandates I switch to the new scheme before or after I renew my contract, if I do. In the end though, PQ will be the most heavily weighted factor for me.

Will you come back if D* adds 50 HD channels by the end of the year? I'm betting it's EXACTLY the wrong time to leave.

I am curious to see how this shakes out if everything goes remotely as planned and by the end of '07...D* gets the new channels up.

Most Dish people on here seem to be saying they will believe it when they see it...which I don't disagree with them...but I feel the new channels are going to come and thus am curious to see how many additions D* gets from it.

I just moved into a new house 2 months ago. Between homes I had cable for 4 months. I can compare first hand I think.

I have 3 HD receivers one of which is a DVR.

I got an identical package while on cable.

PQ was without a doubt better and On Demand was very nice with cable.

But

My D* bill is $89/mth and cable was $119/mth or about 25% more.

The D* DVR is way better and lets me record OTA which is the best HD.

D* no service charges for changes even if a guy shows up to install stuff.

Overall D* better......

LOL. No offense Bud, you just don't get it do you? First of all, I've had D* for 12+ years (I'm guessing a whole lot longer than you). I've watched their PQ deteriorate with my own eyes over the years. Yes, competition is a very good thing. But you are undeniably wrong if you want to call D* any kind of "specialty store" as their PQ currently stinks and has for a long time. Apparently you have fallen for their marketing "fluff". I'm very happy for you that you feel good about being with a "high end" provider. What a joke :rolleyes:. And just for the record, the Comcast service does not cost less either. That's right, I'm paying a little more for a better product. Hardly a "Walmart" example my friend. And you know what? I could give a rats fat ass about 50 more friggin' channels. I simply wanted decent quality out of the few I already had. I MAY come back to D* after a year. If they prove to me that they will provide a quality product.


ron

Well, you would be guessing wrong. I've had it since 1995--the lure of Sunday Ticket was just too much. I can tell you all about those stupid "Bassett Hound Bingo" ads and the other odd things that used to fill the commercial space when D* had like 10,000 subscribers. I can also tell you about being able to watch the west coast feeds when you missed the east coast times for shows (which I really miss). I sure had multiple HBOs before anybody I knew. So you are telling me that Comcast would have the array of things that it has now w/o DTV? Not sure I'm the one who doesn't get it.

What D* did, and will do again is provide more options than cable. Cable was the one and only original screw job of television. Charged you for everything with little or no other alternatives. In DC, they left the networks on the same number as they came in OTA, so you can imagine the ghosting and pathetic "reception" that you got with DC Cablevision. I'm betting that you felt the same way, or you wouldn't have been with D* for 12 years.

I don't agree that the picture assessment. Not sure it has deteriorated as much as the display devices have improved and the worts are revealed, but I will certainly look forward to the improvements with MPEG-4. In the meantime, I continue to have all my locals coming OTA so I don't mind waiting a bit for the full implementation. Anyway, to each his own but it does seem like a strange time to leave to go with cable--the people who worked with communities to pass covenants to illegally restrict satellite dishs; who had more service outages than you thought was humanly possible and who treated it's customers like red-headed step children. They still run some of the most blatantly misleading advertisements in the history of television.

Bottom-line, the cable companies are bottom feeding pond scum--if you want to support them feel free. Ultimately I'll bet you will end up thinking it's a mistake. In the meantime, enjoy Comcast.

I am seriously waiting for Comcast to come out with their TiVo software... DirecTV does not have anything enticing for me (I don't care for NFL) except for TiVo (which they are slowing letting it die anyway).

I like competition, so I can switch between them. After the new DirecTV's pricing, Comcast's price won't be too far apart. And soon I will also have access to AT&T U-Verse. Let them fight for me! :p

Hong.

So dish announces lower prices, and Directv announces raised prices? Good strategy.

Link me up please, I haven't followed the board lately, but the latest I heard was that Dish Network was also increasing

Well, you would be guessing wrong. I've had it since 1995--the lure of Sunday Ticket was just too much. I can tell you all about those stupid "Bassett Hound Bingo" ads and the other odd things that used to fill the commercial space when D* had like 10,000 subscribers. I can also tell you about being able to watch the west coast feeds when you missed the east coast times for shows (which I really miss). I sure had multiple HBOs before anybody I knew. So you are telling me that Comcast would have the array of things that it has now w/o DTV? Not sure I'm the one who doesn't get it.

What D* did, and will do again is provide more options than cable. Cable was the one and only original screw job of television. Charged you for everything with little or no other alternatives. In DC, they left the networks on the same number as they came in OTA, so you can imagine the ghosting and pathetic "reception" that you got with DC Cablevision. I'm betting that you felt the same way, or you wouldn't have been with D* for 12 years.

I don't agree that the picture assessment. Not sure it has deteriorated as much as the display devices have improved and the worts are revealed, but I will certainly look forward to the improvements with MPEG-4. In the meantime, I continue to have all my locals coming OTA so I don't mind waiting a bit for the full implementation. Anyway, to each his own but it does seem like a strange time to leave to go with cable--the people who worked with communities to pass covenants to illegally restrict satellite dishs; who had more service outages than you thought was humanly possible and who treated it's customers like red-headed step children. They still run some of the most blatantly misleading advertisements in the history of television.

Bottom-line, the cable companies are bottom feeding pond scum--if you want to support them feel free. Ultimately I'll bet you will end up thinking it's a mistake. In the meantime, enjoy Comcast.See, you are just harboring long standing resentment, while I've moved on ;). Yes, I went with D* in the beginning because of better PQ. They no longer do, so I'm going where it's better for the time being. You keep saying D* has been the reason cable has gotten better, but you forget it's a two way street. Why do you think D* has the new birds going up? That's right, because of competition from cable which has passed them by. And my experience with D* service has been anything but steller unfortunately.

I'm not a D* hater by any means though. Every provider has it's problems and issues. As I said, if they had provided me with decent HD PQ for the few channels I had I would not have even considered switching. What we got instead were arrogant denials of lousy PQ and suspicious sounding statements about what they intend to provde in the future. Will they end up providing quality HD again? We'll see. In the rest of the meantime, I will enjoy it at Comcast and perhaps come back later if they offer something worth taking a look at.


ron

I just want to record OTA HD locals with my HR10-250, plus the HD pak. I can lose everything else. How much do I have to fork out?

So I have the premium package, and am not really affected, correct?

As others have stated, they don't offer you a price guarantee. Rather, they guarantee that you will have to pay the new prices to fulfill your service commitment.

My bad. Oh well. Sorry if I was spreading false information. Thank you for correcting me. :o

Trying to figure out this new structure compared to my existing plan is like doing taxes.

Does the new "Premier" package include DVR and HD access fees in the $99.99 fee?


I called and asked them this very question about a month ago and they said the Premier package does include the DVR fee but not the HD fee. I was kind of bummed out. I was ready to get the premier until I heard that.

With these new fees, if I want a comparable package to what I have right now, my monthly charge will go from $73.96 to $93.97. Yikes!!!

What do you have now hockeynut?

I always love this. Would Comcast have anything close to the options they have now if D* hadn't come along? I'd wager 100-1 against. It's like buying stuff at WalMart instead of a specialty store. At some point the specialty store goes under and stunningly the number of choices for the products that they carried drops like a rock and you can only choose the one option form WalMart.

So? D* may have been driving innovation in the cable industry, but that doesn't mean continuing to throw money at D* is the best option for everyone. Just because Ford was once a great car company does not mean everyone should keep buying Ford, does it? Times change. Companies change. The difference between D* and cable in some areas is less than ever before. $99 for TV, phone, and broadband is going to be a savings for a lot of people, even if they only keep it for a year. If D* could bundle in the same deal, they might be able to retain some of those folks.

Will you come back if D* adds 50 HD channels by the end of the year? I'm betting it's EXACTLY the wrong time to leave.

Depends on what the price is for those channels, doesn't it? And I wonder what the rates will jump to next Feb/March. Maybe D* could win some points by being a little more honest about their intentions. They deny any plan or knowledge of raising the rates right up to the point that it is 'officially' announced. As if nobody there knew anything about it until new plans/prices suddenly drop out of the sky. Prices will likely jump by at least a few dollars next year as well. At some point, a lot of people are going to change their minds about this subscription TV stuff as it continues to try and take larger slices of their financial pie.

So? D* may have been driving innovation in the cable industry, but that doesn't mean continuing to throw money at D* is the best option for everyone. Just because Ford was once a great car company does not mean everyone should keep buying Ford, does it? Times change. Companies change. The difference between D* and cable in some areas is less than ever before. $99 for TV, phone, and broadband is going to be a savings for a lot of people, even if they only keep it for a year. If D* could bundle in the same deal, they might be able to retain some of those folks.



Depends on what the price is for those channels, doesn't it? And I wonder what the rates will jump to next Feb/March. Maybe D* could win some points by being a little more honest about their intentions. They deny any plan or knowledge of raising the rates right up to the point that it is 'officially' announced. As if nobody there knew anything about it until new plans/prices suddenly drop out of the sky. Prices will likely jump by at least a few dollars next year as well. At some point, a lot of people are going to change their minds about this subscription TV stuff as it continues to try and take larger slices of their financial pie.

It doesnt even have to go down to $99 dollars IMO.

D* costs me about $100 a month
Vonage about $30 a month
Cable internet $40 a month

thats $170 bucks a month. Cable could bundle at $140 a month and still draw plenty of subs from D*.

You may be paying D* $99 but the TV portion of the $99 cable bundle only includes the approximately 70 channels that's in the basic analog tier. No digital tier, DVR, or HD is included in the $99 bundle.

You may be paying D* $99 but the TV portion of the $99 cable bundle only includes the approximately 70 channels that's in the basic analog tier. No digital tier, DVR, or HD is included in the $99 bundle.

That appears to depend on the area. Some say "Comcast Expanded Cable" and some say "Comcast Digital Cable" specifically mentioning over 100 channels (which wouldn't fit into the analog spectrum, would it?) and free on-demand video.

I am sure plenty of people are paying more than $99 for their phone, internet, and D* service without having a DVR or HD pack. Besides, with the sum of those services easily being closer to $150+ for many people right now, adding a little something extra to that $99 bundle still saves them money over what they had before.

TWC in my area only gives 70 analog channels for the $99 bundle. NorthState and Bellsouth in my area offer phone, DSL, and D* (Total Choice - 155 channels) for $99 too. Of course all of these (TWC and phone companies) bundles are 12 month deals.

What do you have now hockeynut?

Kevin,

I currently have Total Choice,HD Package,HBO,DVR Service+additional receiver: $73.96

If I switch to HD Plus (so I don't lose G4 and others), I will be looking at $93.97.

I really ticks me off that they are removing all of those channels from the Total Choice package. It seems they strategically removed channels that target every age category. Why couldn't they remove 20 shopping channels or 20 cartoons channels?

You may be paying D* $99 but the TV portion of the $99 cable bundle only includes the approximately 70 channels that's in the basic analog tier. No digital tier, DVR, or HD is included in the $99 bundle.I priced EVERYTHING COX has in my area, all tiers, HD, HDDVR all channels including CINMAXHD shohd and hbohd, unlimited phone service , and internet it comes to 130 bucks. Like I said all that seperately w/ D*, cable internet and VOIP costs over 170 bucks before the price increase.

You may be paying D* $99 but the TV portion of the $99 cable bundle only includes the approximately 70 channels that's in the basic analog tier. No digital tier, DVR, or HD is included in the $99 bundle.


Cant speak for all markets but in NYC area the $99 dollar deal includes digital cable. My provider gives me every channel except the premium movie channels and foreign language package for the $99. I do have to kick in 10 bucks for the HD tier. And "additonal digital outlets" cost $5 (but DBS charges a "mirror" or "lease" fee that's equal. Myself I pay tivo for DVR's and even having to pay for each individual box I still come out way ahead of Directv + phone + broadband.

Triple play's introductory pricing is really a significant cost saving. It can be a great place to go for a 6 months or a year even if you assume D* will give you a reason to go back in Q3.

I have...

Total Choice Plus - $48.99
HD - $9.99
DVR - $5.99
(plus additional receivers that wont be effected by the new pricing)

TOTAL - $64.97

VS.

Plus HD Bundle - $69.99

I will pay an increase of $5.02 a month. Not too bad I dont guess.

I cant really complain about D*. I get Superfan for free, HBO for free, Showtime for free. $5 a month wont kill my relationship with them. Maybe I am one of the few who feel like its not that big a deal?

Geez Spank. How are you getting all that for free? Are you one that complains a lot to them until they finally agree to give you something for free? I can't imagine you will be getting everything free forever.

As far as G4 goes, good riddance. The ONLY good show is Xplay, I will miss Adam and Morgan and I hope they keep their bills paid(Long Live TechTv/Unscrewed Army Unite!!!).
The next best show is AOTS but all their "news" is straight off of Digg.com so no big loss. If The merger of TechTv and G$ had stayed like it was when it first happened they would have been onto something and I would migrate with them happily./rant

As far as G4 goes, good riddance. The ONLY good show is Xplay, I will miss Adam and Morgan and I hope they keep their bills paid(Long Live TechTv/Unscrewed Army Unite!!!).
The next best show is AOTS but all their "news" is straight off of Digg.com so no big loss. If The merger of TechTv and G$ had stayed like it was when it first happened they would have been onto something and I would migrate with them happily./rant

I agree there about G4. Xplay and AOTS are the only things I watch. But I also would miss Versus channel becuase of hockey.

However, after doing some more reading up on the other forum, if I understand correctly, existing customers will not lose these channels.

Geez Spank. How are you getting all that for free? Are you one that complains a lot to them until they finally agree to give you something for free? I can't imagine you will be getting everything free forever.


I dont complain. They point out that I'm a long time great super duper prefered customer. I just take advantage of it. Its all free on a limited basis but once one promo or freeby runs out I try to weasle another one. I'm sure I pay for it somewhere somehow.

Like I said its not too big a deal to me. Yet.

Any way you slice it, my rate goes up roughly $5 (Total Choice Plus + HD + DVR service) . That's less than 2 gallons of gas a month. I can deal given they shipped me an HD Tivo for less than $20 last July.

And on the comparison to cable; when I started camparing it seemed like it was going to be a fortune even with triple play on Cablevison when you add in DVR service and two HD boxes. But I could be wrong - it made my head hurt. Picture quality of D* SD blows away Cablevision SD in Orange County.

Will Versus black out the NHL games when/if D* moves them out of the lowest tier? I remember that being an issue with lots of cable systems AND E*.

While I have not taken the time to figure out what I pay per month to D* (I'm getting several months free everything b/c of an installation nightmare), I've got no problems paying $5 bucks or so more per month. Did we really think that they'd launch all those new sats and HD channels for free? I know that I did not anticipate that happening.

I will be peeved if they move to increase rates again within the calendar year. Don't nickel and dime me to death. That has not been my experience with D* though in my 6 plus years with them. Rates go up a little bit, at most, every two years. I can easily live with that.

I will be peeved if they move to increase rates again within the calendar year. Don't nickel and dime me to death. That has not been my experience with D* though in my 6 plus years with them. Rates go up a little bit, at most, every two years. I can easily live with that.

There wasn't an increase last year? There is also an assumption that these rate increases will pay for the new HD content, but we don't even know that for sure yet.

There is always a deal on D*. Recently I found one where if you have Verizon DSL and send in a filled out form with a copy of your DSL bill, D* gave me $5 off my bill for 12 months. Then there is the promo referenced earlier in this thread that we'll be able to get teh package I want for $59.99 a month for a year. I'll actually be getting more and paying less for about a year. I too am one of those super duper preferred customers and I always have some kind of deal going. I still don't have the CW network and I like Smallville so I called up and talked to D* about it. They gave me a whole bunch of stuff free for four months (HBO, Sports pack, HD package and $5 off my bill for 6 months).

There is always a deal on D*. Recently I found one where if you have Verizon DSL and send in a filled out form with a copy of your DSL bill, D* gave me $5 off my bill for 12 months. Then there is the promo referenced earlier in this thread that we'll be able to get teh package I want for $59.99 a month for a year. I'll actually be getting more and paying less for about a year. I too am one of those super duper preferred customers and I always have some kind of deal going. I still don't have the CW network and I like Smallville so I called up and talked to D* about it. They gave me a whole bunch of stuff free for four months (HBO, Sports pack, HD package and $5 off my bill for 6 months).
I'll bet they also offered to reduce the bit rate on your HD channels too!

I know it seems to happen every time I complain about their "high rates".
:D

I wouldn't have a problem with them raising the rates if they weren't taking channels out of the Total Choice pack at the same time. It's the double-whammy. So essentially I'll have to upgrade my package (+$5) and get hit with the price increase (+$5) to get the same channels I get now.

I wouldn't have a problem with them raising the rates if they weren't taking channels out of the Total Choice pack at the same time. It's the double-whammy. So essentially I'll have to upgrade my package (+$5) and get hit with the price increase (+$5) to get the same channels I get now.

Some of the channels you get now (i.e. Slueth) are recent additions. D* typically adds new channels to the lower package to get people hooked and then after a trial switches them to the plus package.

Hmmm,

Still trying to sort through this and figure out what it means for me. Currently subscribe to Total Choice Plus and the DVR service. 3 boxes a hi def samsung, and the Dtv standard def DVR and another standard def box. I don't pay for the HiDef package and exclusively watch locals in HiDef via OTA unless I'm getting a bad signal and then I use the HiDef locals via Sat. Does this mean I'll now be forced to pay 10.99 a month to get the HiDef locals OTA?? Or since I'm a subscriber for some time the 10.99 access or activation fee won't apply?? In this case will I then begin to receive ESPN HD and other HiDef channels that I receive in Standard Def through the Total Choice Plus package??

I guess I might have to kill an hour or so on the phone with a CSR to figure it out tonite - no biggie as long as I get an answer before 24 comes on...

fattie, if you have HD recievers I think you will be charged for the HD package.

Yeah I have to say this is rather confusing. I think that if we are allowed to keep our existing plans grandfathered in, it wouldn't be so bad.. but do we have confirmation of being able to do that?

If this is "officially" happening on 2/6, why have none of us current subscribers heard anything about this? You think D*TV would want to allow plenty of time and notice to switch over.

Seems to me that those of us with existing plans will not experience changes, at least at this time. Did I miss something already mentioned in this thread?

$70/month for HD and DVR when my Comcast bill is about $78. Yea that's a ton cheaper, and i don't have HD lite.

I'm so sick of them saying it's so much cheaper than cable, and that the HD PQ is the best.

I currently have Comcast, and since I'm about to purchase a Sammy 5087, was wondering if Direct TV is altogether better quality? Is it worth switching? Opinions?

Check your local thread in the Local HDTV forum to see how your cableco stacks up to D*. Generally speaking, it is unlikely that D* PQ would be superior to Comcast - however results vary by area.

If this is "officially" happening on 2/6, why have none of us current subscribers heard anything about this? You think D*TV would want to allow plenty of time and notice to switch over.

Seems to me that those of us with existing plans will not experience changes, at least at this time. Did I miss something already mentioned in this thread?


Yep, from post #37. :)

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6408223.html?display=Breaking+News

"DirecTV’s Total Choice Plus offering, formerly $49.99, is now $5 more, at $54.99, and it is being renamed Choice Xtra, he wrote.

But Mercer said those rates and name changes will only apply to packages for new subscribers. DirecTV’s existing Total Choice subscribers will see their package only rise $3 per month, to $47.99, and existing Total Choice Plus customers will be paying $2 more, or $51.99."

"The price increases for new DirecTV subscribers kick in Feb. 6, and for current customers, the increases are effective March 1, according to Mercer."

This is what we have now:

TOTAL CHOICE Monthly 44.99
HBO Monthly 12.00
HD Package Monthly 9.99
Additional Receiver 4.99

I don't really see a new package the meets our needs. We don't have DVRs and we will still have MPEG-2 equipment until Capital Broadcasting agrees to show CBS and FOX HD on D* :(

• Effective February 6, 2007, we will be strictly enforcing our requirement that customers who reside where DIRECTV offers local channels will have their local channels included with their packages. They will not be able to opt out. Of course, if there are technical issues (such as line-of-sight, etc.), we will continue to handle them on a case-by-case basis.

Has this been a requirement? I have had no need for locals from D* and would probably have no need to get local HD through them once they offer it. Seems like they just figured out a way to squeeze an extra $8 out of me and give me less programming. I had TC for $41.99 now it will be $49.99

Since I have 2 HD receivers and 1 HD DVR, looks like I might as well go PLUS HD for $12.00 more a month.

Is STARZ going HD soon? If not maybe I drop it to lessen the blow.

Is STARZ going HD soon? If not maybe I drop it to lessen the blow.

Starz has been in HD for a while, but DirecTV doesn't have the room for it (or anything else for that matter). Thus the 2 new sats going up this summer. Starz HD should be up on DirecTV most likely by the end of the year, perhaps fall if all goes well with the first sat launch.

I just renewed a 2yr contract with them two months ago.

Currently have the following:

Total Choice Plus $48.99
HD Package $9.95
extra receiver $4.99

Trying to figure out how my monthly bill, plus channels will change.... this is so confusing! :(

I just renewed a 2yr contract with them two months ago.

Currently have the following:

Total Choice Plus $48.99
HD Package $9.95
extra receiver $4.99

Trying to figure out how my monthly bill, plus channels will change.... this is so confusing! :(

First glance, $54.99
HD 10.99
receiver 4.99

And you gain a few channels.

I had to call the office of the president today and asked the guy to clarify my bill. Currently I have: Total Choice, HD, and DVR service. My package will now change to Plus HD and have all those options included in it for $70. My bill will go up $5.

We've been Directv customers for 9 years.

If this price increase is real, I will immediately drop Directv, and move to Dish Network...

I looked at the Dish Network stuff announced durng CES, and I think they really have thier act together. My biggest fear is that someday, Dish and Directv will merge. Hopefully by then, I can download all the shows I want to watch on Xbox live marketplace. $70 a month covers more $2 shows than I have time for. Hello Ala Carte, Goodby greedy bundles..

Is pretty much everyone here have the protection plan? I'm looking to find ways to cut back on my total bill. If I don't have the protection plan and my DVR craps out (which is a very good possiblity) will they still replace it for free?

Thanks!

They did it for me once, and I didn't have the protection plan, but I think I had been a subscriber for 7 years at the time - the rep mentioned that when he talked about the replacement. Technically he was going to charge me for shipping, but I don't think he ever did...

I have the protection plan as well and a wondering if it is worth it. Because we lease our equipment, if anything goes wrong they have to replace it. Can anyone give me any reasons why I should keep the protection plan?

If this price increase is real, I will immediately drop Directv, and move to Dish Network...
For a lousy $5 a month?

You're gonna be very disappointed when you find out that Dish (and Cable) also raise their rates periodically...


My biggest fear is that someday, Dish and Directv will merge.
That's already been tried, and denied...

~Dan

I had to call the office of the president today and asked the guy to clarify my bill. Currently I have: Total Choice, HD, and DVR service. My package will now change to Plus HD and have all those options included in it for $70. My bill will go up $5.

...And you lose the channels mentioned at the end of the 1st post. :mad:

For a lousy $5 a month? You're gonna be very disappointed when you find out that Dish (and Cable) also raise their rates periodically...Yeah, but at least with E* you have more options with both SD and HD if you want to downgrade to offset the price increases.

I was disgusted myself after 2 straight years of increases, so I downgraded to the SD Latino Dos package from the Top 120 - and I only lost a couple of channels I just occasionally watched, but could get by without. (I just block the Spanish channels out - except for ESPN Deportes, which is currently showing Winter League baseball.)

And I still get my RSN, the Sirius Music channels, and free Playboy Channel :) .

Is pretty much everyone here have the protection plan? I'm looking to find ways to cut back on my total bill. If I don't have the protection plan and my DVR craps out (which is a very good possiblity) will they still replace it for free?

Thanks!

I have the protection plan as well and a wondering if it is worth it. Because we lease our equipment, if anything goes wrong they have to replace it. Can anyone give me any reasons why I should keep the protection plan?

Leased receivers - covered for the receiver only if it needs to be fixed or replaced.
Protection Plan - Covers all owned receivers, cabling, sat dish, multiswitch and so forth.

So if it's worth it to you, I guess do the math or figure out what you can do yourself.
Personally I have never had the protection plan. Why? I have always installed my own stuff so I don't need their incompetent installers messing with my stuff.
Now I actually thought about it when I got the 5LNB dish from them installed for free. If it were to crap out I'd have to buy a new one. But I did the math. New dish is $99 or less. I'd need 20 months of the protection plan at $5 to cover that. After that I'm wasting money.

So for me, I don't need them to mess with my cables and stuff and I'll just buy a new dish if it craps out and I'll be ahead. Plus the fact if the dish craps out or an owned receiver dies I can probably get a deal from them anyway from retention. If not I'm still ahead of the game.

But that's just me.

cant say for sure with their new rape the customer mindset but years ago if you had a problem you could call and they would offer you to pay for your service call (at the time like $75 for labor with parts addtional) or if you just paid for a year of the protection plan at that moment they would cover you (if I recall you would get a discount for paying for a year so it was like $50 or $60 dollars). Then you just had to remember to call back in 11 months so they didn't charge you for another year.


IF (BIG IF) they still do that then I see no reason to ever pay the service plan in advance. If you were going to buy it anyway then you wouldn't mind paying for a year to reinstate it.

The PP plan has worked for me. The main benefit was that it served as a free upgrade plan for my HD box early on. I believe I went from the RCA DTC-100 to 3 separate upgrades before finally getting my HD-Tivo.

With 7 active boxes, it's worth the piece of mind - although they have become much more restrictive in its use the past couple of years.

For dish, multiswitch, and wiring I get it, but cant you essentially get free lease box replacements at anytime now a days?

Possibly. When I upgrade to MPEG4, I'll have to revisit everything.

Possibly. When I upgrade to MPEG4, I'll have to revisit everything.

I agree. I'm still holding out on my HD-Tivo and refuse to upgrade until I have good reason to. I'm assuming that once the new HD channels are launched, I will have to revisit my commitment to D* given the new pricing tiers.

I agree. I'm still holding out on my HD-Tivo and refuse to upgrade until I have good reason to. I'm assuming that once the new HD channels are launched, I will have to revisit my commitment to D* given the new pricing tiers.


I agree the big thing will be the PQ issues as if they don't improve then I will go to FIOS when available

Possibly. When I upgrade to MPEG4, I'll have to revisit everything.


oh- i thought you already had mpeg4...

Waiting for the 4 HD-DVR / 2 HD STB upgrade deal. ;)

We've been Directv customers for 9 years.

If this price increase is real, I will immediately drop Directv, and move to Dish Network...

I looked at the Dish Network stuff announced durng CES, and I think they really have thier act together. My biggest fear is that someday, Dish and Directv will merge. Hopefully by then, I can download all the shows I want to watch on Xbox live marketplace. $70 a month covers more $2 shows than I have time for. Hello Ala Carte, Goodby greedy bundles..

I understand being frustrated but wait out a little longer to see about D*'s new channels before switching, imo.

Would regret it a lot if you moved over and several months later D* added their new additions and Dish did not.

We've been Directv customers for 9 years.

If this price increase is real, I will immediately drop Directv, and move to Dish Network...

I looked at the Dish Network stuff announced durng CES, and I think they really have thier act together. My biggest fear is that someday, Dish and Directv will merge. Hopefully by then, I can download all the shows I want to watch on Xbox live marketplace. $70 a month covers more $2 shows than I have time for. Hello Ala Carte, Goodby greedy bundles..

Dish is raising their rates beginning on Feb 2007.

I agree the big thing will be the PQ issues as if they don't improve then I will go to FIOS when available

MPEG4 so far is virtually the same as OTA in the markets with the newer encoders. So there is great hope for the new national HD channels in MPEG4.

Guess I am doing pretty good with TW at $62.00 monthly? 1-DVR, 1 extra Rcvr

Full digital, full Movie package, basic HD-Tier with locals, HBO, Showtime, INHD-1, MTV-HD, TNT, DISC, A&E, CW, YES.

No hardware to buy, maintain, upgrade, and I am locked into this rate for another 20 Months.

Cable is PondScum? Not that long ago I would have agreed, but as of Today, I am 100% satisfied with my service.

The PP plan has worked for me. The main benefit was that it served as a free upgrade plan for my HD box early on. I believe I went from the RCA DTC-100 to 3 separate upgrades before finally getting my HD-Tivo.

With 7 active boxes, it's worth the piece of mind - although they have become much more restrictive in its use the past couple of years.

Agreed. And for those of us with owned boxes (not leased), when the HD-Tivo dies (as mine did on Sunday right before the games), it allows for a new one without fuss.

Interestingly, they told me not to bother sending back the dead one. I can do with it "whatever I want" they said. Also, the replacement is now for a "comparable" unit. So if they don't have a HR10-250, they send me the HR20.

MPEG4 so far is virtually the same as OTA in the markets with the newer encoders. So there is great hope for the new national HD channels in MPEG4.


dont want to side track too much- but can you aim me to a thread about these new encoders?

Did they just update firmware in them? Or get new ones? Differnt model? Warrenty replacements? Different vendor?

pretty good news. The new Mpeg4 PQ has impressed me, so I've got no prob paying 5 bucks a month, especially with new HD channels on the way.

One other thing I'm liking. THe language about HD included for programming packages directly contradicts the next line about superfan HD channels.

THey'll still charge everybody for them, but forwarding them that sentence with a link (assuming the link goes back up) will be enough ammo for any of us to complain to a CSR. Looks like many of us will be getting superfan for free (or cheap) again next year.

One other way to read it.. If the superfan features (shortcuts, 8 games per screen, red zone channel) are available in HD next year, I'll pay whatever they want. I don't see why they wouldn't be able to make these HD with the new bandwidth. I love all those features, but just get annoyed by the SD factor.

I have the

Total Choice package: -----------------$44.99
H20 with HD package: -----------------$9.99
R15 with DVR srvc. --------------------$5.99
Leased reciever(s) --------------------$10.00
-------------------------------------------------------
Sub Total: ------------------------------$70.00
Cash back for 15 mo.s -----------------$10.00
Intro 12 mo. offer-----------------------$5.00
-----------------------------------------------------------
Total: ------------------------------------$55.00



What increase will I be looking at in my bill? All this back and forth interpretation by all you folks really has my head spinning. Some say it's a joke, others...there's no difference, others think it's better and cheaper than before, other say it's the same but you lose channels, other say you get more channels. I'm lost in it all.

Could you tell me, given the numbers I posted above what my bill's going to look like with this supposed increase/decrease/slimmed channel package/etc....whatever the hell's going on? LOL.... Thanks fellas. Your help would be trememdously appreciated. You know how difficult this can be, espcecially since the concesus around here pretty much agrees that D* employs a rather confusing way of wording themselves. :confused:

pretty good news. The new Mpeg4 PQ has impressed me, so I've got no prob paying 5 bucks a month, especially with new HD channels on the way.

.
What is all this talk about the new Mpeg 4 and what not? Could you tell me all that's implied along with this compression method regarding recievers, dishes, dates and anything else significant that you can think to help me understand? I need to know if I'm living in the older MPEG 2 days or not so that I'm don't continue to any further...LOL. ;)

All you care to read about mpeg4.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=690198

What is all this talk about the new Mpeg 4 and what not? Could you tell me all that's implied along with this compression method regarding recievers, dishes, dates and anything else significant that you can think to help me understand? I need to know if I'm living in the older MPEG 2 days or not so that I'm don't continue to any further...LOL. ;)

or.. to simplify. The mpeg4 hd locals looks a lot closer to OTA quality than the same shows as mpg2 nationals. Given D*'s track record over the last few years of "hd-lite" finally seeing a big improvement in PQ is something to be happy about.

If you have OTA, it doesn't matter much. If you don't (Like me) it's a big improvement.

When the new hd channels go live, it looks like most will be mpeg4, so then it'll affect OTA owners as well.

I really appreciated your guys feedback on the Protection Plan.

I have one H20 that is currently owned. It is one of those that run hot, so it may die at anytime. I'm not overly confident in the new 5lnb setup. So I guess for piece of mind, at least for now, I will continue to pay for the plan.

Also, earlier I complained that my bill was going up $20 a month. My math was a little off. It would be going up $10. Not as bad as it first seemed.

I guess I won't mind paying an extra $10 a month 'IF' they can soon deliver on these extra HD channels and they are in MPEG4. I would assume that would be their plan is to make them MPEG4 correct?

I would assume that would be their plan is to make them MPEG4 correct?
Yes

My bill will go about about $5 a month. (Perhaps less since I'm not a new customer?) I can handle that, no problem.

I've been happy with D* for 8-9 years. They've increased prices quite often lately, but no more so than cable. For the first several years with D*, I don't recall a single price increase while cable went up every single year.

They've increased prices quite often lately, but no more so than cable. For the first several years with D*, I don't recall a single price increase while cable went up every single year.
Yeah, I think they're just starting to catch up with cable for pricing. For years, I was saving at least $10 a month over a similar package for cable. Now it's down to a few dollars difference. Of course, I have a non-standard package, so it's hard to compare anymore. Because of that, my increases haven't been the same as other D* customers. My increases have mostly been based on the Total Choices Plus package despite the fact that I have nearly everything the Premiere package offers. I was able to essentially "Ala Carte" the channels from Premiere that I wanted added to Plus and save $7-$10 a month. They'd never let me do that now.

Currently I have: Total Choice, HD, and DVR service. My package will now change to Plus HD and have all those options included in it for $70. My bill will go up $5.
I have the same options as you...doesn't it go up by $9?

Now:
Total Choice 44.99
HD Pack 9.99
DVR 5.99
total = $60.97

New:
PLUS HD package $69.99

Matt

I have the same options as you...doesn't it go up by $9?

Now:
Total Choice 44.99
HD Pack 9.99
DVR 5.99
total = $60.97

New:
PLUS HD package $69.99

Matt

don't forget the other quote:
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6408223.html?display=Breaking+News

But Mercer said those rates and name changes will only apply to packages for new subscribers. DirecTV’s existing Total Choice subscribers will see their package only rise $3 per month, to $47.99, and existing Total Choice Plus customers will be paying $2 more, or $51.99.

I have the same options as you...doesn't it go up by $9?

Now:
Total Choice 44.99
HD Pack 9.99
DVR 5.99
total = $60.97

New:
PLUS HD package $69.99

Matt


Choice 49.99
HD 10.99
DVR 5.99
total = $66.97

Actually only 6 bucks, but you lose a few channels that they have moved from Total Choice to Plus. :confused:

it looks like "premier" is the best value, in my opinion.

so if i understand this right, since i'm an existing customer that already has the premier package, there's no change at all in price, right?

You don't lose a few channels if you stay with the package that you have now. If you change packages you will have to choose one of the new ones. Otherwise you get to keep exactly what you have. I hope I'm reading that right.

You don't lose a few channels if you stay with the package that you have now. If you change packages you will have to choose one of the new ones. Otherwise you get to keep exactly what you have. I hope I'm reading that right.
That sounds right to me. Like I said above, my base package hasn't been offered for years and my total package has never been offered officially. However, despite various reorganizations of packages and products over the years, I have yet to be asked to make any changes. Unless they send me a postcard or an e-mail, I'm going to assume that remains true.

Got an email today about the price hike. Linked to this - http://directv.com/images/pdf/blackbuckslip.pdf

Black buckslip? I don't think they could have written it less clearly if they tried.

Matt

Got an email today about the price hike. Linked to this - http://directv.com/images/pdf/blackbuckslip.pdf

Black buckslip? I don't think they could have written it less clearly if they tried.

Matt

It was a very poorly written document. I was pretty sure it was a joke when I read the name of the .pdf file!

Currently, I have Total Choice Plus, the HD Package, DVR and DNS feeds out of NY ($9 for all of them). I pay $82 and some change with Tax.

Do I need to do anything, or will my new plan be the Plus HD Package automatically, and will I still receive the DNS feeds out of NY, or will they be removing them? If I do still receive them, will they still be charging the same amount for the DNS feeds?

It was a very poorly written document. I was pretty sure it was a joke when I read the name of the .pdf file!

Buckslip: An extra insert in a direct mail package that is generally used to offer a special deal in addition to the main offer.

Get the connection? If so, please explain. And then there is the "blackbuckslip". It brings to mind the purple cow rhyme: "I've never seen...."

Which is the the better choice Directv or Dish Network in terms of pq and the most HD channels?

Which is the the better choice Directv or Dish Network in terms of pq and the most HD channels?


There are several threads on this discussion. Let's try to keep this to D*'s Price Changes .

Has anyone thought about the legality of Directv's price increase for those of us under their 2 year commitment?

When you sign a lease on something, you cannot be forced to pay more than the agreed to price, so what makes this any different? How can they make us agree to a commitment then force a price increase during that time? Any lawyers out there care to comment?

Read your two year commitment, they have lawyers!

Read your two year commitment, they have lawyers!

Yes DirecTV or any multi-billion dollar company is not stupid. Basically your commitment is to service and programming and not a set price.

I just received an email from DirecTV stating that the new pricing structure would take effect on 3/1/07 and for those already subscribers can keep their active packages as long as their accounts are in good standing.

Please see the link.

http://directv.com/images/pdf/blackbuckslip.pdf

Read your two year commitment, they have lawyers!

Yeah, and they've suffered a few law suits already and lost.

Yeah, and they've suffered a few law suits already and lost.

Links to lawsuits saying they can't raise rates during your commitment period?

I just received an email from DirecTV stating that the new pricing structure would take effect on 3/1/07 and for those already subscribers can keep their active packages as long as their accounts are in good standing.

Please see the link.

http://directv.com/images/pdf/blackbuckslip.pdf


... at the new rates. :D

... at the new rates. :D


LOL...true

I haven't seen a reply, but I have Total Choice Plus, HD Package and DVR Service. On top of that, I pay $9 for the DNS feeds from NY. I haven't seen any mention of what will happen with this. Will it still be $9 a month to receive the Distant network feeds (if you already have a waiver), more, or will they be removing them altogether?

Links to lawsuits saying they can't raise rates during your commitment period?

I'm just sayin.'

Links to lawsuits saying they can't raise rates during your commitment period?

I beleive earlier they settled with some state AG's over exactly this. BUT- BIG BUT- if I recall the issue was some how related to you having to buy equipment. And that your equipment (which you then owned) had it's value effected- or somethign like that. THe result was the rule that you could send in all your activated equipment and cancel at anytime.

I'm not sure how it matters now that 'leasing' is their thing. For all we know that might have been one of the reason they went to leasing?

to be honest I'm not sure at all of the specifics but here's a Press release about one of the settlements. It's not clear exactly what the problems were exactly or what exact practives were at issue or even what the corrections were but it does say:

Previously, DIRECTV customers have complained about ...among other things, about not learning the exact extent of their financial commitment to the El-Segundo-based DIRECTV until after being locked into a contract. As part of a $5 million national settlement, DIRECTV has agreed to pay restitution to consumers who ...who were assessed a fee for terminating service before DIRECTV’s “free programming offer” period expired.


you should read the whole link before makign any judgments because I snipped bits out above...

http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases05/pr20051212b.html


But I seem to recall that was the settlement that allowed you to cancel at any time as long as you sent you equipment back to them.

Sorry I cant find more specifics...

Interesting, but nothing to do with rate increases. :)

Interesting, but nothing to do with rate increases. :)

yeah- i cant find anythign specific but i really seem to remember that was part of it (but my memory isn't what it used to be!)

but it does say people complained about:
not learning the exact extent of their financial commitment to the El-Segundo-based DIRECTV until after being locked into a contract

It's tough to determine your financial commitment when they can raise the price at will during your committment- isn't it?

However that doesn't appear to be one of the settlement terms- just that people complained about it?

And also maybe they just updated their terms to more clearly state they can screw you and so that makes it ok? (No lawyer just a guess)

This does not appear to be as bad as people are making it out to be. Here's my setup:

Total Choice Plus 48.99
DVR 5.99
Extra receiver 4.99
HD pack 9.99

Without tax, it's 69.96

This is now the Plus HD package at 69.99 plus 4.99 for the extra receiver.

So I'm down $4.96, with the likelyhood of new HD channels coming up. I'm not thrilled, but I'm not going to jump off the roof or anything. It all depends on what you do with your HD. Personally, I'm not content to watch only OTA HD. I want all the HD I can get (HD lite or not).

I cant imagine that anyone here thought that once they moved to HD, that they were not going to get charged for the privilege. I dont care if it's DTV, Dish, or Cable. It all ends up being pretty close money-wise. Decide what you like best about those three and then go for it. Satellite and cable are about as close as you can get to monopolies. Until or unless other companies start up satellite services, we're stuck and these companies know it. You can always choose to go back to watching only network HDTV. That is still free.

This does not appear to be as bad as people are making it out to be. Here's my setup:

Total Choice Plus 48.99
DVR 5.99
Extra receiver 4.99
HD pack 9.99

Without tax, it's 69.96

This is now the Plus HD package at 69.99 plus 4.99 for the extra receiver.

So I'm down $4.96, with the likelyhood of new HD channels coming up. I'm not thrilled, but I'm not going to jump off the roof or anything. It all depends on what you do with your HD. Personally, I'm not content to watch only OTA HD. I want all the HD I can get (HD lite or not).

I cant imagine that anyone here thought that once they moved to HD, that they were not going to get charged for the privilege. I dont care if it's DTV, Dish, or Cable. It all ends up being pretty close money-wise. Decide what you like best about those three and then go for it. Satellite and cable are about as close as you can get to monopolies. Until or unless other companies start up satellite services, we're stuck and these companies know it. You can always choose to go back to watching only network HDTV. That is still free.

Ok, mine is the same as yours EXCEPT I pay an additional $9 a month for the DNS feeds out of NY. Does anyone know if they are increasing this rate, keeping it the same, or doing away with it altogether?

so right now i have:

total choice (includes locals) 44.99
hd package 9.99
dvr service 5.99

which adds to 60.97 + tax which is around $9-ish less than the 69.99 i think i will be paying to keep that. the problem that i face is that DTV has been really crappy to me lately. i am on my third HR10-250 in 14 months because they keep breaking. they offered me a new 5LNB dish + HR 20 for about $30 but to do that i would have to re-up for another 2 years. that is what bugs me, i don't know that i want to be there for another two years even though they say that they are adding all of these HD channels. haven't they been saying that for a couple of years now? granted they are adding HD locals, but i am in market #100+ so it will take awhile for them to get to me. cable isn't an option as i live in the middle of nowhere so it's either DTV or dish. i would go with dish but they want $200 for an hd-dvr if i am reading things right.

oh yeah, these new HD channels that DTV keeps promising....are they just going to be more HD locals or are they actually going to be channels that the rest of us can enjoy?

oh yeah, these new HD channels that DTV keeps promising....are they just going to be more HD locals or are they actually going to be channels that the rest of us can enjoy?

Read the many press releases and articles since CES for your answer.

So the Plus HD package doesn't seem like a horrible deal (basically $5 more than what was around before), but it remains to be seen whether they'll keep it the same as they introduce more HD channels or not.

Also, has anyone formally gotten the word that the $99 Premier package does or does not include HD? It seems pretty lame to have a package named "Premier" that "includes everything" except HD.

For that matter, why don't they just have SD and HD tiers for each programming level, and stop nickle and diming everyone with the tacked on DVR fee, just include it in the package price. I know other providers do it, but that's not a good excuse. One of the things that keeps me from switching back to Dish is that the packages seem very confusing. Why can't DirecTV just have:

Family - $35
Total Choice - $50
Total Choice HD - $70
Premier HD - $99

I bet they'd get more subscribers to Premier and even Total Choice if they dropped a few of the confusing options. This way the only "add-ons" would be for non-English channels, standalone movie channels (like if you got Total Choice HD + HBO) and the extra receiver fees.

oh yeah, these new HD channels that DTV keeps promising....are they just going to be more HD locals or are they actually going to be channels that the rest of us can enjoy?
Both

The premiere package includes DVR service but not HD :(

so right now i have:

total choice (includes locals) 44.99
hd package 9.99
dvr service 5.99

which adds to 60.97 + tax which is around $9-ish less than the 69.99 i think i will be paying to keep that.

I have the same thing now. I'm looking at $9 increase plus hddvr fee (or does hd plus include hddvr). I assume I'll need new equip to get new hd channels, so that'll be another 2 yr commitment plus some upfront fee (<100, I hope) for equipment. That doesn't sound good. There better be a lot more hd nationals to make it worth it for me, and like now and not another 6 months or a year. I'm glad fios tv is in my area now.

If that ends up being true, they wont get me to sign up for premiere. They should be smart about it and include *everything* for $100. That would entice alot of people to just go full boat and forget about these smaller packages. That's $125 a month if you have two extra receivers. They just priced themselves out of a lot of potential programming upgrades. I'll pay $80 a month and they can keep HBO and the sports channels.



The premiere package includes DVR service but not HD :(

correction. it's $121 a month if you get premiere with HD and two extra receivers.



If that ends up being true, they wont get me to sign up for premiere. They should be smart about it and include *everything* for $100. That would entice alot of people to just go full boat and forget about these smaller packages. That's $125 a month if you have two extra receivers. They just priced themselves out of a lot of potential programming upgrades. I'll pay $85 a month and they can keep HBO and the sports channels.