Is a HD receiver worth the monthly fee?

[Allen Garman]

As a Dish Network customer and owner of a HD ready Mitsubishi 55", I have been considering the purchase of an HD receiver. The $400 price and additional $10 monthly subscription fee has seemed a bit pricey for the limited available content. Alas, I have never experienced the full potential of my TV, so part of me is quite anxious to take the plunge.

I am an avid fan of Netflix and generally watch only movies, so the Discovery Channel and the other content have not yet compelled me to spend the $400. Since HD DVD is only a year away, I may wait until next fall before making a decision.

Any thoughts on the value of HD content offered on Dish, DirectTV, or Voom would be greatly appreciated.

Allen

[Duffinator]

Yes.

First, you should be able to negotiate a HD receiver for FREE from Dish. Call them and ask to speak to their "customer retention department" and threaten to switch to your local cable company.

Second, depending on which market you live in, most if not all local broadcasts are in HD. Now not all programming is in HD, but even upconverted SD is better than what you are getting off of Dish. The two Dish HD receivers I've seen (I have DirecTV HD) come with an OTA antenna input so you can watch your local channels in HD. Fox has been broadcasting most of their football games and the baseball playoffs in HD with DD. The Dish and DirecTV HD packages are pretty weak. But they both are promising more channels soon. FYI, the Comcast HD boxes I've seen do not have OTA HD capabilities.

Third, what are you waiting for?

Good luck

[Allen Garman]

Thank you for the suggestion. I suspected that some people are negotiating better deals. I will give Dish a call.

Allen