DirecTV HD 400 buck deal for 100 bucks:

[LonghornXP]

Just to start off this deal you may have to talk to a customer rentention rep until more CSRs are informed. Also there are customer requirements to get this deal and here they are below. Also there are threads on both Tivo Community and AVS Forum about this.

Requirements are the following
1. You have been a DirecTV customer for 2 or more years.
2. You have a bill of over 40 bucks per month.
3. You have to commit to one year of any total choice package as well as the HD package and I've read of some getting 3 months free of the HD package.

They are shipping either the Hughes HTB-HD or the Samsung SIR-TS160 and will provide the installation and a multiswitch if required.

Most have reported that they charged the 400 bucks plus S&H and tax which comes to about 456 bucks and they will credit your account upon activation of the new box everything you paid but 100 bucks.

Now this seems to me as the start of more things to come with the new DirecTV and I think that soon you may see new customers being able to get this same deal as a new customer with the customer just paying 100 bucks and having to committ to total choice plus with locals and the HD package. Even if they charge 150-200 bucks the question would come to why would you stay with BHN. Now I've heard of some people saying that DirecTV would also install an OTA antenna at the same time for either free of like 50 bucks which would be a good question to ask because if at some point a new customer can get for 200 bucks say an DirecTV HD box plus an OTA rooftop antenna plus installation with just having to commit to total choice plus with locals and the HD package for 1 year than I don't know how you can resit this if your fed up with BHN. I thought that what I got was a great deal but if I could have got this deal I would have jumped ship to DirecTV a whole lot quicker I can tell you that.

I see this as the same thing as DirecTV offering 100 buck DirecTV Tivos with installation via FFDVR offer code and not soon after this got big it went to all customers as standard. At least DirecTV is doing something for its longtime customers as far as HD goes. When I was with BHN getting HD service with them for over 2 years they could care less about having a crappy box or not having channels and this and that. So with that said I applaud DirecTV for their effort to keep customers as best they can which is something that BHN sadly will never understand or care. They did nothing to keep me a customers. No credits nothing.

[buckeyes]

I fit all the requirements that you listed, and I already have the HD package. Is there a benefit for me in this? I'm not sure what it is that would be gained for existing customers. Is this geared for people who are not currentely DTV customers? Thanks.

[LonghornXP]

Well if you meet these requirements than if you bought another HDTV set you can get another HD box for 100 bucks and if this TV replaced one of your existing boxes than your bill would not go up at all but you would just have to keep the HD package and a total choice package for one year. The boxes they are giving are either the new Hughes box (not the E86) and the Samsung TS160. This also includes installation and a multiswitch if needed plus from what I heard is that is you ask they are also offering an OTA antenna (outdoor) installed for no extra charge. But this would be great for existing customers that just now are going HD but even for existing customers that have HD this is a good option for those looking for a second HD set for their home. Having to shell out 400 for an HD box may make people hold off on that second HD purchase but at 100 bucks this could be the price that would just make them do it while they still can so to speak.

[buckeyes]

That part about offering the OTA antenna sounds like what the DTV rep told me. Except that when it came time to install it, another rep told me DTV does not install antennas! They don't even carry them. Despite my attempts to let the person know what the rep had told me earlier, I never did get my antenna. Hopefully, they have since changed there offer. Your're right, however. That is a good deal.

[LonghornXP]

Well to start even the offer isn't known by all CSRs but mostly customer retention. Now from what I heard is that the OTA antennas are only offered in certain states but I don't know if Florida is one of them but also from what I read I'm not sure if that is that good of a deal because the antennas they are using are the clip-on dish antennas and from what I hear those don't do that good of a job at all. But only time will tell but just remember that in the next two years it may be very possible that we may see an HD box for 200 bucks and can get our local HDTV channels via the SpaceWay satellites and that would just make the whole OTA antenna situation history because if you can get the SAT signal than you have your HDTV local stations. I'm waiting for this and with Murdock in charge and his stations going all HDTV by the end of 2004 I know that he sees HDTV as the future and will jump ahead by a leap of everyone else because that is what he does. He sees change but what sets him apart from everyone else is that he has the money and uses the money for something that every other company says is a waste of money. He is taking a gamble with HDTV LIL but he will win this one just because OTA reception isn't as good as some make it out to be and also because people don't want to deal with a new antenna. When Murdock has been anti HDTV and is now committed to it by upgrading all of his FOX local stations than you know he will do the same with DirecTV. I have never felt more at ease with DirecTV as now. I was very worried about Murdock taking over but when I found out that he is going HD with FOX I know that he saw HDTV as the future and he will do everything to keep up and knowing him he will go 10 times more than the next closest. Just with BSkyB he spent so much money and gambled that his service took off and now he is so far ahead of the nearest alternative and he will do the same with HDTV and I don't want to hear cable companies crying foul because they have a greater chance of having national HDTV channels and local HDTV channels and offering an all digital lineup so they have no excuse for matching what DirecTV might do. Cable for many years has let themselves fall behind and cry wolf if another company comes around and does what they could and should have done years before that. They wait for the last minute and than its too late and they will complain about everything another company did but will do nothing for themselves and at the same time do this while milking money from customers and giving them nothing new for it.

[GoBlue]

I got the Directv $400 HD deal last year. They were not giving the $300 off at the time. However, I did receive an off air antenna and they installed it. The antenna is OK, it is a Winegard GS-1000. It is not a clip-on, it has a mast that mounts on to the dish bracket. I live in the Westchase area and I was able to get NBC, Fox, CBS and ABC (signal strength only at 20%) off air. I added an amp a while ago and I am now able to get PBS, UPN, PAX digital and my ABC signal strength improved to 77%.

[jjp]

I just got this package. I had to talk with the special CSR. I signed up for the $399 deal several months ago. H/e, when the instal guy showed up he wanted another $250 for a "custom installation" of the off air antenna. I told him to pack his stuff and get out.

I revisited the hd when my wife decided she wanted tivo. After a couple of calls, I now have installed and working a Hughs TIVO DVR and a Samsung HDTV receiver, new dish and off air antenna for $200 total including installtion.

I am not sure how they did the off-air because the guy did not install a seperate amplified line. It seems to work, but I am not sure that I have all of the off air channels.