Dish Network HDTV - Page 5

If they won't do it, just cancel and come back. That's what I would do.

There is no Cinemax for 0.01 anywhere, you have to call E* to get it.

I think this is a great question, while $10 for all the HD versions of the premiums is doubtful, Cinemax for 0.01 is a reality. Is there an expiration date on the Cinemax deal?

If this new $30 package will be the equivalent of the other E* packages, then I don't know why the Cinemax deal could not qualify, if only the HD version.

For anybody that is not aware of this deal with E*, you can get Cinemax for $.01/year if you sign up for Autopay and Paperless billing. It will automatically renew for the second year at $.01. That's 2 years of Cinemax for $.02. That's a good deal. Just call E* and ask for this deal. It only took me 5 minutes on the phone and now I am getting 6 Cinemax channels including Cinemax HD.

No, that is INSANE! I just signed up myself. They told me there was no promotion for all premium channels at $10. But we all know how that goes.

If this $10 HD premium offer actually happens, it would probably happen after Feb. 1st. Also, most CSR's do not know all of the offers and price changes that these satellite companies have.

At this point, I'm not sure if the post on that other forum was rumor or fact about this offer.

It is more likely if it exists, this $10 deal will never be publicly listed but people can call to get it, just like the Cinemax deal. To strike a deal as incredible as those, there may be clause in the agreement to disallow official promotion of such deals.

Actually the cinemax deal is one penny per year, not per month.
In order to get the 1 penny deal, you have to sign up for paperless billing and autopay, either thru credit card or checking account. The rep then told me it would renew for 1 penny every year for the next 3 years as long as i had autopay and paperless. If i dropped one of those, cinemax would go to the regular price. The rep also said this deal would end january 31,2008,
PS you get all 5 or 6 of the cinemax channels, not just hd version.

This makes a whole lotta sense to me.

Umm then you cancel it?

No, I'm saying to be viable, it has to appeal to needs other than just yours. You alone are not going to keep E* in business.


You're forgetting they have to pay the stations per subscriber to carry them. Lets say they lay out $10 per sub total for all those channels. If a million people subscribe at $29.99, the make $19 million. If 10 million subscribe at $19.99, they make just shy of $100 million. So, they make a lot more money with you example.

Of course, they only have to attract roughly 5 million subscribers at $29.99 to make that same $100 million, since there's more profit in the higher fee per subscriber. If they manage to pull off more than that 5 million subs, they beat what they can make with the $19.99 fee.

Also, don't forget that every channel they add takes a bite out of their profit. At the lower fee, their profit gets eaten up very quickly.

Guess when my 6 months is up I'll go for the $10 package. Probably cancel the local channels too as the OTA digital is picking up all that just fine with closed rabbit ears (UHF only).

I just called to get the Cinemax deal and was told I didn't qualify since I already have get the premium channels. The only reason I do is because I was comp'd 3 free months of premium channels last week since I was on hold forever last time I called. Customer Service didn't budge. I'm not a happy camper right now.

Guess I lucked out. I got the Cinemax deal first, then a few weeks later called again asked what E* is doing to respond to D*'s three months free movies if I sign on with them, he said I will give you movies free for three months to match that, and BTW you already have Cinemax for $0.01 so you can continue to get that.

But now you mentioned it I will keep a very close eye on my bill three months from now.

On another note, I was very appreciative of E* on the phone, told him I was a happy camper, loved to add the external hard drive option as soon as I could talk it through with the wife, and he said how about I activate it for you and waive the fee just for you so you don't have to hear your wife again

That's what I was thinking, they either let me switch to the $30 deal, or they get no money from me at all. Dish is purely supplemental to my other sources at this point, and the one or two exclusive channels they have that I like, I can do without at my current sub rate, at $30 a month it becomes much more attractive continuing with Dish.

I agree. That would be fantastic, but I don't think it's going to happen. I'm 99% sure the rep told me you can pay extra for more HD channels on the $29.99 HD only deal. It's funny that he was trying to 'upsell" me on a deal that wasn't even officially aknowledged yet.


There goes the "$30.00 (actually $29.998 if it's a penny a year) for 40 HD Channels and Cinemax" deal. The Cinemax deal expires the day before the HD only deal becomes available.

It is of course ideal but it will not happen for another reason, too many will switch to that pack and E* will lose money from those paying AT250 on up.

As fas as the Cinemax deal, if you are an existing HD sub, why not sign on to it, and change to the $30 pack on 2/1, I doubt you will lose the Cinemax deal, maybe only get Cinemax HD not the SD ones.

There is no where in the fineprint says if you switch to another package you lose the Cinemax deal.

So still no word on if/when the addition of Sci-Fi and Speed in HD yet???

Couldnt agree more..I cant watch a movie anymore on anything other than Blu Ray or HD DVD. My SD DVD's upconverted on either player look every bit as good as what I see on broadcast HD, in many cases better. Not to mention how good the HD titles look

Still waiting on that myself. Strange its been uploaded but no word on it.

I agree parents initially might want cartoon network or nickelodeon for their kids. But if parents give it a second thought it's not bad because there are alternative choice. There is discovery channel, TLC, animal planet and better educational choices.

Sponge Bob and Hanna Montana (can you hear my teeth grind?) are gone from my house since I dumped Dish three months ago for basic cable. How It's Made is great for kids as is most of what's on Animal Planet. I don't miss all that Disney crap AT ALL. And guess what, your kids will get over it. I takes about a month.

Put your kids on basic cable RIGHT NOW, or better yet, OTA, and they'll kiss you on Feb 1st when those 39 HD channels show up.

Or simply take them to the library instead

I totally agree...and thats something because I don't think I've ever publicly agreed with CPanth about anything!

Seriously though, I've been saying for a while Voom should possibly consolidate its HD suite down to less channels with more content per channel. With both D* and E* expanding their lineups in all directions, 15 channels of repeating niche content isn't as appealing as it once was. I think Voom has outgrown its own concept and NEEDS to consider consolidating its offering to stay competitive. (Or at least help those providing it stay competitive...)

As for Nick and CartoonNetwork...is there anything on there yet worth bragging about in HD? I'm just curious because I too said I'd require those channels in HD, probably for the same reason you did (kids), and I didn't care if it was SD-upconverts or not because at least its better than 'nothing'. So I guess thats why I'm asking...is there any decent HD content of Nick or ToonHD?

If I got rid of Disney my daughter would kill me in my sleep. She's gotta have her Hannah and Raven.

The VOOM channels may not be easily changed, even though E* has stake in it, the agreement with Cablevision may not allow them to remove or combine.

As for kids channels, it is my experience anything will do as long as their favorite characters are visible, so E* can simply upconvert the SD ones and include them in the all hd pack I don't care. The same is true for the news channels but to a lesser degree.

So there you are, a new "All HD package" that can draw a large sub base and take subs away from D*, not to mention cable.

I told someone I know who works pretty high up in a regional cable company - four Western states - about the new Dish all HD plan and she nearly s*** a brick. She said they're about to unveil their new all HD plan: 12 HD Channels for....(drum roll please) $34.98!

Can I get the $30 Hd package and still get locals? I live in a difficult OTA area and just sometimes the locals (ABC and FOX mostly) break up too much. This usually happens when I have invited 12 people over for a superbowl party.

The only SD channel I watch is Fox News. If Fox News would go HD I would be a happy camper.

Rick R