chris83

Hi All,

First of all, please pardon my "Newbieness" with this question.

I've not yet taken the "HD Plunge"; that probably won't happen until early 2007. However, I don’t want to negatively impact myself when I DO go to HD, so I need some advice. I realize this isn’t currently an HD question, but it may affect me down the road.

Right now I have a very simple setup, with an "HBH-SA" Hughes box. I’ve had the equipment for about 3 years. Anyway, I believe the box is on its last legs; when we turn it on, it flashes on and off and constantly keeps resetting itself, going thru the "installation" setup routine. Then it stays on for a moment, flashes off and goes thru this again. It won't stay on.

Here's my question: by contacting DirecTV for a replacement, do I lock myself into another 2 year commitment? I really don't want that, since I plan to explore ALL alternative options (Dish, Cable), or at least have all options available to me as a negotiating consumer when I DO go to HD.

If I purchased another similar Hughes box (perhaps an HAH-SA Dolby capable) on eBay, could I just put the access card from my current box into the new one?

Again, I just want to know how to approach DirecTV on this, without committing to anything long term. I've never had any technical trouble with my equipment before, so I'm OBVIOUSLY new to this.

Thank you for your help.

Chris