Nfl sunday ticket; Who's signing up?

[Fires]

I'm resubbing... Still a good deal.

[HurlyBurly51]

It won't huh? The problem with "going somewhere else" is that no one else offers the NFL Sunday Ticket. So no schitt the grass isn't greener anywhere else if you are an NFL fan.

 

If everyone had the Sunday ticket, DTV would be in some trouble. No one would pay to have their equipment serviced or worked on just to receive DTV's signal. Why would you, when you could have someone like FIOS when all of that comes free? Their package prices would also have to come down. While it doesn't happen a ton, you do lose signal with DTV in Thunderstorms. Especially the big T-storms in the south. You also don't pay for extra room receivers with most cable companies, that would also have to change.

 

DTV would suffer if all others had the Sunday Ticket. I don't think it would be their death by any means, but they would have to change their business model immensely to keep people from switching to someone like FIOS, which would be superior to DTV with the Sunday Ticket.

 

I just wish it would happen, so DTV would have to tighten up a little bit.

 

Sunday Ticket is far from the only competitive advantage they have. If you like compressed, down-rezzed HD-Lite, then by all means go to dish. I hear the comcrap DVR's are a lot of fun. Try to find as much full time national HD channels (part time RSN's and on demand titles don't count). If you like hockey, can't get NHL Center Ice with Uverse. DirecTV also gives dual feeds of most hockey games, both in HD (sorry again Dish, and cable, and Uverse). I could go on. Sunday Ticket just really solidifies their leadership. Maybe those things aren't important to you. By all means, leave. Or just pay and shut up.

[jupiterreef]

For those who are going to cancel you need to call Direct TV and do ity ASAP. As for me, my brother and I split it. I'll go to his place to watch the games.

 

 

If you and your brother, both have DTV here is a great soultion, order the package that you both agree on. If the

the one you agree on is 100$ a month, you may have up 6 receivers for one account. Without DTV knowledge you,

have three each. This would your cost to 50$ a month. SUNDAY TICKET is also spilt in half. If you need help with this

e-mail at hornhiyoe@aol.com

 

 

Good Luck

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Even though it's a bit pricey, it's still not a bad value again, when you measure it against sports bars. And when you have a DVR/Tivo, it adds to the value.

 

I watch the games live but occasionally something pops up and I have to watch it recorded. Also, if you're like me (hopefully not) you'll want to watch the game more than once. I try to figure out what's going on with the offensive line play and that requires multiple reviews of each play.

 

Anyways, I love

.

[Endzone Animal]

Red Zone is all I need.

[notwoz]

I was so mad when i went online to my directv account. I clicked on nfl sunday ticket, and price is now $315. yikes!!!

 

I'm still getting it. Maybe that's why I was mad. lol

 

So who else is krazy like me? Meaning renewing or singing up for sunday ticket.

Call me crazy -- despite the price tag, I'm renewing.

[Clippers of Nfl]

350/16= Less than twenty-two bucks a game. Please.........

fancy i didnt say i started punching foos, i was upset for like 5 minutes.

 

i'm getting it! done!

 

i told my coworker about the increase and he said, "hell no, im not renewing" 1 minute later i said, "that means you wont be able to see your dumb loser flying eagles beat up on the cowboys" 10 seconds later he said, "damn i'm renewing again too"

 

thats the mad i was talking about. the madness that is a result of you knowing you will have to bite it and get it anyway.

 

not the mad that starts breaking stuff.

[Clippers of Nfl]

Call me crazy -- despite the price tag, I'm renewing.

there goes that crazy ass notwoz!

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Call me crazy -- despite the price tag, I'm renewing.

You're way out there dude. Crazy.

 

thats the mad i was talking about. the madness that is a result of you knowing you will have to bite it and get it anyway.

 

not the mad that starts breaking stuff.

You don't have to get so pissed off about it.

 

there goes that crazy ass notwoz!

Dude is totally off the hook. And I told him to his face.

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

If you and your brother, both have DTV here is a great soultion, order the package that you both agree on. If the

the one you agree on is 100$ a month, you may have up 6 receivers for one account. Without DTV knowledge you,

have three each. This would your cost to 50$ a month. SUNDAY TICKET is also spilt in half. If you need help with this

e-mail at hornhiyoe@aol.com

 

 

Good Luck

good luck since your breaking the rules of your contract.

[Fezmid]

If everyone had the Sunday ticket, DTV would be in some trouble. No one would pay to have their equipment serviced or worked on just to receive DTV's signal. Why would you, when you could have someone like FIOS when all of that comes free? Their package prices would also have to come down. While it doesn't happen a ton, you do lose signal with DTV in Thunderstorms. Especially the big T-storms in the south. You also don't pay for extra room receivers with most cable companies, that would also have to change.

What are you talking about? Every cable company I've ever seen charges for a box in every room. They also charge for the remote control (or at least did when I was a subscriber before DirecTV).

 

Dish doesn't have the Ticket and they're still in business...

 

And for those who complain about cable and/or Dish not having it - it's all about money. The NFL offered it up to the cable companies a few years back and they didn't want to pay for it. The NFL isn't going to give it away for free!

 

Sunday Ticket is far from the only competitive advantage they have.

You also forgot to mention that they have the best DVR technology from what I've seen (although I still preferred the DirecTiVos...). They just added the ability to record a show on one DVR in the house and watch it on any other DVR in the house. Pretty handy, and I don't believe any cable companies or Dish offer that (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

Again, lots of people were paying full price last year (believe it or not, not everyone reads the internet!). So they actually ARE cutting the price for a LOT of people this year.

[Fezmid]

If you and your brother, both have DTV here is a great soultion, order the package that you both agree on. If the

the one you agree on is 100$ a month, you may have up 6 receivers for one account. Without DTV knowledge you,

have three each. This would your cost to 50$ a month. SUNDAY TICKET is also spilt in half. If you need help with this

e-mail at hornhiyoe@aol.com

 

 

Good Luck

 

Hi TraceyLee. Your son teach you about stealing again?

 

Better not connect the DVR to the network and don't connect a phone line either... And that generally means no software updates, no On Demand, and no PPV.

[Fezmid]

The fact that you have to call every year to bargain is enough to now make people hate DTV.

...

We did call one time to see when our pricing bundle changed, and they just extended it another two years at the old price.

 

"I don't want to call every year to bargain!'

 

"I called FIOS to bargain!"

 

Sorry, I thought that was pretty funny. You're complaining about having to make a single phone call (BTW - I did it through a simple email last year) and that's why people are going to hate DTV -- yet you had to do the same thing for FIOS.

 

Companies want to make money. They also want to make people happy. They'll charge you money, and if you call and ask nicely, they might charge you less to make you happy. What's the problem, all businesses work that way!

[Just Jack]

They also charge for the remote control (or at least did when I was a subscriber before DirecTV).

 

...

 

They just added the ability to record a show on one DVR in the house and watch it on any other DVR in the house. Pretty handy, and I don't believe any cable companies or Dish offer that (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

Time Warner doesn't charge me for the remote. I'm not sure on the box since there is a DVR charge on my bill, but I believe the basic/HD boxes there is no charge. I can check with my sister tomorrow since she has a non-DVR HD box with TW.

 

And I believe Fios has the multi-room DVR ability from commercials I've seen.

[Fezmid]

Time Warner doesn't charge me for the remote. I'm not sure on the box since there is a DVR charge on my bill, but I believe the basic/HD boxes there is no charge. I can check with my sister tomorrow since she has a non-DVR HD box with TW.

 

And I believe Fios has the multi-room DVR ability from commercials I've seen.

 

According to this site it's $7/box:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...26075423AAeDbXc

 

And this site says a similar thing:

http://gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/file...wcpricehike.jpg

 

http://www.satelliteguys.us/time-warner-ca...ge-per-dvr.html

[Just Jack]

According to this site it's $7/box:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...26075423AAeDbXc

2 years ago.

 

And this site says a similar thing:

http://gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/file...wcpricehike.jpg

Over a year ago

 

http://www.satelliteguys.us/time-warner-ca...ge-per-dvr.html

Yes, like I said, I do have a DVR charge on my bill of $10 each month. Let me check with my sister tomorrow and see if she is being charged for a non-DVR box.

[Fezmid]

Over a year ago

Here's one from 6 months ago

 

http://www.satelliteguys.us/time-warner-ca...ge-per-dvr.html

 

Apparently they charge $8.75/mo plus 25 cents for the remote in NYC. It all depends on what city you live in though apparently.

[BillnutinHouston]

I will re-up this year - probably would if it was $500.

 

I love me my Bills.

[flomoe]

Here's one from 6 months ago

 

http://www.satelliteguys.us/time-warner-ca...ge-per-dvr.html

 

Apparently they charge $8.75/mo plus 25 cents for the remote in NYC. It all depends on what city you live in though apparently.

 

Mr. Fez,

 

I've seen you post on multiple(hundreds) occasions and I would guess you are probably the most knowledgable on here when it comes to DTV. I've had DTV and the Sunday Ticket since '96.

I am curious about their new whole house DVR thing. I have talked to the moronic CSR's and they don't have much of a clue how it works. I am in the process of moving into a new house and am curious if the whole house DVR thing would work. Do I still need dual cables into every room that is receiving the DVR feed or would I be able to work the receivers off of a single feed?

Also, since I am moving and having a new Dish installled, DTV has informed me that a couple of my Receivers/DVR's are outdated and that I have to upgrade to match the new Dish. Is this true, since the ones that I have are probably between 6 and 10 years old?

 

Thanks and I (we) appreciate your knowledge and help with everything when it comes to DTV and others.

[Fezmid]

.I am curious about their new whole house DVR thing. I have talked to the moronic CSR's and they don't have much of a clue how it works. I am in the process of moving into a new house and am curious if the whole house DVR thing would work.

 

The whole home DVR works by sending the signal along the coax to other DVRs (it works over cat5 too but I don't know if they're going to activate that for general use - I was part of the beta program). Keep in mind that I believe they're starting to charge $3/mo now

 

Do I still need dual cables into every room that is receiving the DVR feed or would I be able to work the receivers off of a single feed?

Also, since I am moving and having a new Dish installled, DTV has informed me that a couple of my Receivers/DVR's are outdated and that I have to upgrade to match the new Dish. Is this true, since the ones that I have are probably between 6 and 10 years old?

 

You still need two wires -- or you can use SWM (Single Wire Multiswitch). I've never used SWM, so you'd have to research that one a bit more, but it should work well:

http://www.swm8.com/index.php

 

They're correct about upgrading DVRs, but only if you want HD. All of the SD stuff is still (I believe) in the same location. That said, if you use the "Movers Connection," you'll probably get some free upgrades if you ask. It's worth taking advantage for the

[flomoe]

The whole home DVR works by sending the signal along the coax to other DVRs (it works over cat5 too but I don't know if they're going to activate that for general use - I was part of the beta program). Keep in mind that I believe they're starting to charge $3/mo now

 

 

 

You still need two wires -- or you can use SWM (Single Wire Multiswitch). I've never used SWM, so you'd have to research that one a bit more, but it should work well:

http://www.swm8.com/index.php

 

They're correct about upgrading DVRs, but only if you want HD. All of the SD stuff is still (I believe) in the same location. That said, if you use the "Movers Connection," you'll probably get some free upgrades if you ask. It's worth taking advantage for the

 

 

You're awesome. Thanks!!!

 

I do have Cat5 available in every room so I will defintiely inquire, though most of the CSR's that I talk to are far less knowledgable than myself. The house I am moving into was a home business and they networked every room thankfully, except the patio, where I will probably watch most of the games.

 

I am getting fed up with DTV with their nickel and diming on everything but here in Florida, I don't have a choice. Do you know if ATT U-Verse has the ability to carry the games via the Internet and TV feed?. I am told they do by one of the HillBillys that works for them but I don't trust him when it comes to that.

 

Thanks for your help and I and (we) appreciate your knowledge.

[Fezmid]

I am getting fed up with DTV with their nickel and diming on everything but here in Florida, I don't have a choice. Do you know if ATT U-Verse has the ability to carry the games via the Internet and TV feed?. I am told they do by one of the HillBillys that works for them but I don't trust him when it comes to that.

 

I'm not sure what nickel and diming you're referring to -- although I do think it's lame to charge $3/mo for the whole home DVR thing. Everything else they charge for is nothing more than other companies charge for similar services.

 

I know it works over cat5, but I don't know if DirecTV is going to be officially supporting it going forward or not... I'd hope they'd at least allow it for the technically advanced users (ie: don't call us for support), but I don't know yet.

 

You can't watch the games with U-Verse - unless you find a pirate website and stream it. They're hit or miss and the picture quality isn't as good - and you can lose the game halfway through until you find another pirate website. It's doable, but I'd rather pay the money for the real thing, personally.

[flomoe]

I'm not sure what nickel and diming you're referring to -- although I do think it's lame to charge $3/mo for the whole home DVR thing. Everything else they charge for is nothing more than other companies charge for similar services.

 

I know it works over cat5, but I don't know if DirecTV is going to be officially supporting it going forward or not... I'd hope they'd at least allow it for the technically advanced users (ie: don't call us for support), but I don't know yet.

 

You can't watch the games with U-Verse - unless you find a pirate website and stream it. They're hit or miss and the picture quality isn't as good - and you can lose the game halfway through until you find another pirate website. It's doable, but I'd rather pay the money for the real thing, personally.

 

 

Thanks, I will stay with DTV. The Nickel and Diming I mentioned is for the monthly charge for my multiple receivers which I guess is normal.

 

I swear by DTV but it is getting really expensive. They do have the market on the Sunday Ticket, which probably keeps the competition at bay, but they are the only ones that have it.

[Chalkie Gerzowski]

Everything to gain, and nothing to lose.

 

 

And in return?

 

 

I'll create an xtranormal vid on the upcoming NFL season.

 

[Spiderweb]

would you pay 315 bucks to have someone smash your balls flat with a tire iron every Sunday?

 

Ouch.....hell of an analogy!

[Spiderweb]

Just call up DirecTV, ask to speak to customer retention, and then ask for whatever you want within reason. I don't know what kind of ST deals they're offering yet, but they'll offer stuff like free HD DVR, $10 off your bill for 5-10 months, free HBO/Cinemax, stuff like that.

 

 

 

 

 

Umm, but like others have said, the price has actually gone DOWN (unless you got a deal last year)... It was $279+$100 for HD. Now it's only $315....

 

For those who aren't aware, you also get "Short Cuts," where they cut every game down to 30 minutes for you to watch during the week. Handy, especially if you're a fantasy fan.

 

I guess I'm rather surprised at the "outrage" of a price cut.... (except for people who don't have HD -- but if you don't have an HDTV in 2010, what's wrong with you?! ).

 

Nice spin Fez, nice spin. You should be a political adviser. You obviously have chosen to ignore the never ending increases that have occurred since DTV got their grubby little paws on the ticket. It all began at $89.00 on the big dish (C-Band). I still hold that the NFL treated it's fans very poorly when they agreed to exclusive rights with DTV, discounting the majority who was on Cable, and may also have terrestrial limitations that prevent them from getting the DTV if they wanted to.

 

Adding what should have always been part of the package, and that was frequently obtained by us for free by threatening DTV with subscription cancellation. For those who paid full tariff for the Ticket and Superfan, my sympathies to you.

[Spiderweb]

................... If enough people just tell TW, Comcast, Charter, etc. to pound sand with their $80+/month crap, things might actually change for the better.

 

Yet, cable controls our internet access so we're really not making any break from them anyway. In comparison to a number of other countries, we pay inflated fees for less bandwidth as well.

 

OTA is only current way that gets around the increasingly expensive "pay for" TV.

 

What irks me is paying for channels that jam commercial after commercial down my throat (SAT/Cable). At least when the OTA boys do that, they take the advertising fees for their revenue and keep their hands out of my pocket. Other than the few commercial free channels (normally just the premium movie channels), the sat or cable only channels should be free to us. We should pay a small, fair basic service charge, and the channels should be free to us. In fact the producer of a channel with a full slate of commercials, should pay cable or Sat to carry their crap, not the other way around.

 

Somehow, the long standing, successful model used by the original OTA providers was perverted by cable and Sat, and like mindless drones, we shell it anyway.

[Spiderweb]

.............You also forgot to mention that they have the best DVR technology from what I've seen (although I still preferred the DirecTiVos...). They just added the ability to record a show on one DVR in the house and watch it on any other DVR in the house. Pretty handy, and I don't believe any cable companies or Dish offer that (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

Again, lots of people were paying full price last year (believe it or not, not everyone reads the internet!). So they actually ARE cutting the price for a LOT of people this year.

 

DTV Spinner, think the world of ya Fez, but DTV spinner just the same.

 

Dish, bashed roundly in this thread, has provided me with very good service (although their ever changing pricing policies drive me nuts). The HD works well (at least here in the Louisville area). The advantage with Dish that led me their way (from DTV) was that they offered dual tuner, dual output receivers the the price of a standard single output receiver. Granted, the first output is HD, while the second is SD (which as you know I modulate around the house to feed 6 CRT type, non-HD TV's for the kids, garage, etc. Currently I run two of the dual tuner/dual output receivers, so in essence I have 4 receivers. They also have had UHF remotes for many years allowing me to use the SD output and remote in any room in the house. DTV had nothing like this and still doesn't although as you say, you can now watch a program recorded on one DVR, on another DVR receiver in your home, while paying for two DVR receivers as well. Not quite the flexibility I have with dish. As for SD signals, I prefer those of Dish to DTV. The NFL Sunday ticket HD on DTV, is superior to the HD I get on Dish.

 

The only problem I now have is that (as mentioned above) Dish ha again changed it's pricing policies and has begun to charge extra for the second receivers second output. They want up to 14.00 a month now for it. I called them in a fit, and they agreed to give me 6 moths more at the old price, but that was three months ago. If DTV was both cost and flexible enough to meet my needs, I'd switch back, but alas they aren't.

[HurlyBurly51]

You also forgot to mention that they have the best DVR technology from what I've seen (although I still preferred the DirecTiVos...). They just added the ability to record a show on one DVR in the house and watch it on any other DVR in the house. Pretty handy, and I don't believe any cable companies or Dish offer that (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

Oh, I didn't forget - it was my sarcastic remark about the comcrap DVR's that people can choose if they're so inclined. DirecTV DVR's have come a long way in the last few years, and after switching from their HD Tivo DVR I'm not sure I'd even go back to Tivo when they offer it. To those complaining about DirecTV, I say go ahead and switch - I dare you!

[HurlyBurly51]

Dish, bashed roundly in this thread, has provided me with very good service (although their ever changing pricing policies drive me nuts). The HD works well [/b

 

Ha! You must like down-rezzed, compressed HD-Lite! The PQ doesn't come close to DirecTV HD, and that's a fact.

[eball]

Fez and other DTVers -- I had the "whole home DVR" system installed a couple of weeks ago and it is SWEET. I highly recommend it if you've got broadband internet. It literally quadrupled my storage and I no longer have concerns about deleting stuff -- I just record it on one of the other DVRs and can watch from anywhere.

 

I had beta-tested the DVR-sharing over wireless and performance was spotty (hard to FF, REW, etc. on programs from another DVR) but with the DECA system (over coax) the delays have been greatly minimized.

[CSRABILLSFAN]

I haven,t decided yet on keeping it or not.I do know on Sirius Radio you can listen to the home team broadcasters and I do that a lot when I work in my shop.

[Nuncha]

People are funny. No, I don't like the price going up. But acting as though $315 instead of $279 (or whatever) is a big deal is kind of ridiculous. Buy one less pack of smokes a week.

 

It went up from $179 to $315 over the past couple of years bub..... and I don't smoke.

[Frez]

It went up from $179 to $315 over the past couple of years bub..... and I don't smoke.

 

 

That's a huge increase!

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

You also forgot to mention that they have the best DVR technology from what I've seen (although I still preferred the DirecTiVos...). They just added the ability to record a show on one DVR in the house and watch it on any other DVR in the house. Pretty handy, and I don't believe any cable companies or Dish offer that (correct me if I'm wrong).

Fez actually you only need one DVR in the house and other receivers in the home can do remote scheduling and playback as long as they are correct models etc. DTV charges a 150$ install and upgrade fee to bring the systems up to proper levels, install the connectors for the coax and install the SWM.

 

I agree the 3$ extra for it is lame.

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

It went up from $179 to $315 over the past couple of years bub..... and I don't smoke.

 

a couple of years is 1 - 3 not 5. Its been about 5 years since the 179$ fee and thats before redzone, game playback, and other features. At 315 its still less that 20$ a week and you have to also remember you get to make the choice on whatever game you want to watch

[JohnC]

me - it's the only i can watch my beloved bills play every game - so yeah i'm in

 

After last year's disgusting play I was on the verge of dropping the NFL package. Wasting pleasant fall Sundays on less than entertaining football got me leaning toward freeing my time. For me my "beloved Bills" will never be beloved as long as Ralph Wilson owns the team. I detest that shyster.

 

I consider myself a grounded fan who is not blinded by loyalty to the team. By any measurement the Bills have been boringly bad for a decade straight. What I want as a starting point is entertaining and quality football. At this early rebuilding point I'm not going to demand much from the won/lost record as long as I can see some team development and improvement in play. I get the sense that Nix/Gailey understand how to build the team the right way and establish a foundation for sustained success. From what I have seen so far they are making solid moves (draft and free agent acquisitions) which are putting the franchise on the right path.

 

So I'm sticking with the NFL package.

[davefan66]

Anyone know more about this or have experience with the Slingbox?

 

Both my brother and I have the slingbox. He originally bought one to have at my house to watch the Bills.

Had to give it back in the offseason, and could not live without it. It is an awesome product. I watch his from

Maryland, and the picture is pretty good, which you can tweak the quality by adding bandwidth to it. I can also

watch it from any computer in the house, along with my iPod touch. The iPod actually works great and the controls

are pretty decent. Their is some lag on all devices, but no big deal. I have the Slingbox solo so don't know how

good the HD picture is.

 

It is incredibly easy to setup and easy to use. Great product.

[Fezmid]

DTV Spinner, think the world of ya Fez, but DTV spinner just the same.

 

Dish, bashed roundly in this thread, has provided me with very good service (although their ever changing pricing policies drive me nuts). The HD works well (at least here in the Louisville area). The advantage with Dish that led me their way (from DTV) was that they offered dual tuner, dual output receivers the the price of a standard single output receiver. Granted, the first output is HD, while the second is SD (which as you know I modulate around the house to feed 6 CRT type, non-HD TV's for the kids, garage, etc. Currently I run two of the dual tuner/dual output receivers, so in essence I have 4 receivers. They also have had UHF remotes for many years allowing me to use the SD output and remote in any room in the house. DTV had nothing like this and still doesn't although as you say, you can now watch a program recorded on one DVR, on another DVR receiver in your home, while paying for two DVR receivers as well. Not quite the flexibility I have with dish. As for SD signals, I prefer those of Dish to DTV. The NFL Sunday ticket HD on DTV, is superior to the HD I get on Dish.

 

The only problem I now have is that (as mentioned above) Dish ha again changed it's pricing policies and has begun to charge extra for the second receivers second output. They want up to 14.00 a month now for it. I called them in a fit, and they agreed to give me 6 moths more at the old price, but that was three months ago. If DTV was both cost and flexible enough to meet my needs, I'd switch back, but alas they aren't.

I haven't seen much Dish bashing -- in fact you know I routinely recommend people look at both DirecTV and Dish (I bash cable companies ).

 

I'm not spinning anything - it's true. Your modulation system is VERY cool -- but wasn't cheap and isn't easy for most people to understand/install. It's not quite as clean as the Whole Home DVR solution... And like you noted, you can't modulate HD. Facts are facts.

 

Regardless, I was mentioning the whole home DVR as a competitive advantage for DirecTV - since many people seem to think DirecTV has nothing other than Sunday Ticket. Another advantage for DirecTV (and I'm not sure if the same is true with Dish, but I know it's not for Comcast/TW/Charter) is that you can open up your DVR, plug in a huge harddrive, and it automatically formats it and lets you use the space. I have a 1TB drive in my main DVR and a 750G drive in my theater DVR, giving me near unlimited recording.

 

As for Dish's pricing policy - you didn't get grandfathered in to some package? My boss has Dish and he has the "All HD" package -- he gets no SD channels, but as Dish has added HD channels, he gets those too. The package isn't available for purchase anymore but he's been grandfathered in and he pays a pretty low monthly rate for it ($30/mo I believe?). Pretty sweet deal.

[Just Jack]

Another advantage for DirecTV (and I'm not sure if the same is true with Dish, but I know it's not for Comcast/TW/Charter) is that you can open up your DVR, plug in a huge harddrive, and it automatically formats it and lets you use the space.

Some models of the Time Warner HD DVR you don't even have to open it up. Plug an external drive on the unit for extra storage space. My brother did this to his unit.

 

EDIT: Found an article