hifi_ott

Are you an ExpressVu customer looking to upgrade to high-definition?
If so, let me share my experiences. It might save you a bit of money and a lot of frustration.

I became an ExpressVu customer in April 2004. In return for a free dish, 3100 receiver and installation, I signed a two-year contract. (In other words, my BEV setup at that time consisted of a 51 cm dish with a single LNBF and two 3100 receivers.)

A couple of weeks ago I purchased an HD TV. My BEV contract was due to expire in mid-April so I figured it was a good time either to upgrade with BEV (replacing one 3100 with a 6100) or, alternatively, switch to another provider. However, my preference was to stick with BEV. Why? Maybe I'm a masochist. Also, while I was willing to purchase an HD receiver, I didn't want to have to purchase a second, non-HD receiver for my other TV; I preferred to keep my second 3100 in place. (As for Rogers, I didn't want to have to rent my equipment, and their monthly programming charges for the channels I want are higher than with BEV.)

OK, so here's a summary of what has happened so far:

1) I called several times to ask whether there were any incentives or promotions for existing customers who wanted to upgrade to HD and wished to purchase a 6100. This being ExpressVu, every single employee I spoke with gave me a different answer. But what it all boiled down to was, essentially, no - at best I might get a month's free programming, I was told.

To make a long, long story short, the rubber only hit the road when I actually called to cancel my service. You have to give them 30 days notice, so I called exactly a month before my two-year contract was due to expire. At this point, they coughed up a better offer: if I purchased a 6100 for $299, they'd give me a $100 credit and one month free (worth $57 plus tax, in my case). That's with no contract.

At that point, I decided to go ahead. I'd checked into the cost of switching to Star Choice, but it worked out to about the same as sticking with BEV since I'd have to purchase a Star Choice 505 HD receiver ($199) plus a second, non-HD receiver ($79 for the entry-level box, $99 for something more equivalent to BEV's 3100). Star Choice's big incentive right now for new customers is $100 in PPV credits, but that's worthless to me since those movies (as I understand it) are available only in standard-def, 4x3 format. Thanks but no thanks. (If I'm going to watch a movie, I'll watch it on DVD via my HD projector on a 92" 16x9 screen.)

2) OK, so that takes care of the receiver. The next issue was the dish. With BEV, you need a second LNBF to pick up the HD channels, which are on a different satellite. If you acquired your BEV dish in the last three or so years, you might notice that on the end of the dish arm, there is a Y bracket. On one arm of the Y, there's an LNBF. On the second - nothing. That's where you'd install the second LNBF.

It's simple, really. Except this is Bell, so nothing is simple. Not even close. Again, every time I spoke to someone at BEV, they told me something different. One person said that there was no way to upgrade the dish, so I'd have to purchase the full 6120 kit (which consists of a 6100 and a dish with two LNBFs). He transferred me to the direct sales dept, which then told me that as an existing customer I wasn't allow to purchase a 6120. Another time I was told that I could purchase the 6120, but I'd have to pay $75 for an installer to come to my house - they would not allow me to install it myself. Another time I was told that there was indeed an upgrade kit, but it cost $175. Another time I was told the upgrade kit cost $99. One person told me that I could install the second LNBF myself and that it was really easy. Another person told me that it was extremely tricky and I'd be crazy to try it myself. Another time I was that I would have to rent the 6100 - I wasn't allowed to buy it. Another time I was told ... well, you get the idea.

Finally, after umpteen calls and umpteen different stories, I got it all sorted out (I think). There IS an upgrade kit for the 51 cm dish that includes the second LNBF, although you may have to tell the BEV employee about it because chances are that he or she is clueless about the company's own products. The upgrade kit costs $89.99 plus tax. However, if you order it from direct sales, you are entitled to a $15 monthly credit for six months (total: $90). Installation instructions are available on the BEV website (Multi-Satellite Antenna Upgrade Kit Installation Guide, HEM 62639).

Armed with all that information, I purchased a 6100 from Best Buy and hooked it up in place of one of my 3100s (which I will now sell). The 6100 comes with a good-quality set of component cables, but I went out a bought a 6' DVI-D cable at a computer store ($29). I haven't received the second LNBF yet so I don't have the HD channels, but the video quality from the standard-def channels is really quite impressive.

(As a side note, folks, don't waste your money on those snake-oil Monster cables, or for that matter any of the other high-priced brands. Want a DVI cable? Go to your local computer store or buy online from a big U.S. seller. If you purchase cables from an audio-video store, you probably need your head examined.)

If a few days that second LNBF will arrive and I'll let you know how the installation goes. But to sum up, the cost of upgrading looks like this:

- $299 plus tax to purchase the 6100, which will be offset by a $100 credit and one free month of programming. Plus, of course, I can sell the 3100. When all is said and done, my net cost for the 6100 should be ~$50.

- $89.99 plus tax for the second LNBF, offset by $90 in credits spread over six months.

NOTE: Of course, I realize I'll have to watch my BEV statements like a hawk to make sure I receive those credits.

If you're thinking of upgrading to HD, I hope this information helps.