Are you an ExpressVu customer looking to upgrade to HD?

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.

hifi_ott

Part two:

While I was waiting for the satellite dish upgrade kit to arrive, I signed on to a local free-classifieds website and placed an ad to sell one of my two ExpressVu 3100 receivers. Within an hour, the phone started ringing. I had a firm deal within two hours. After the sale, I called ExpressVu and gave them the serial number of the box that I had sold. That's it, that's all.

Three business days after I placed the order for the upgrade kit, it arrived via Purolator. Shipping was free - a nice touch. And the installation was simple. (There were no instructions in the box, but I'd already downloaded them from Bell's website - see above.) The upgrade took 20 minutes. After installing the second LNBF and connecting up the cables, I turned on the satellite receiver and the TV, went to the setup/installation page and performed the "check switch" operation. Both satellites were coming in loud and clear. (I'd been told on the phone by a Bell technician that I probably would not need to reorient the dish, and he was right.)

Finally, a call to ExpressVu to add the HDTV channels to my account. Bingo - in minutes they were activated. Everything looks great.

OK, so it took a lot of phone calls, but now that it's all done I'm happy with the results. As promised, the dish upgrade kit came with a $90 credit coupon ($15 a month for six months), which I have to fill in and send back. And with the additional ExpressVu credits, plus the cash from selling my second 3100, the 6100 receiver cost me $60. I didn't expect to be able to say this, but once again I'm a satisfied ExpressVu customer.

hdtvme

Nice story.

We didn't have the smarts a year ago when we upgraded to HD w BEV. Paid like $400 for a 6100. Sounds like good advice.

Angelfish

Last summer I upgraded my system to an HD 6100 system. I went through the same incmpetance when speaking with Bell. Ultimately I discovered that as an existing subscriber (5 years at the time) and I didn't subscribe to HD. I was allowed to purchase a 6120 system. As you stated earlier it comes with a 6100, dish 2nd LNB and a SW21. At the time the 6120 kit was on sale at Future shop for $229.00. I had to get the salesman from FS to call Bev and get it registered with them. All in all it pays to do research when upgrading with them and not to agree with the BS the uniformed Bev drones speak of. Anyways my newest project is OFF AIR signals and the 6100 off air tuner.
P.S enjoy the HDTV hifi_ott, once you get used to it SD programming will no longer be of interest to you.

hifi_ott

The irony is that I hardly ever watch TV. Months go by during which I watch only the first 20 minutes of The Daily Show, once or twice a week. Commercials are annoying - and besides, ever since I got my projector two years ago, I've been on a steady diet of DVD movies. (As a side note, if you love classic and foreign movies, British mini-series, etc., make sure you check out Zip.ca.)

Anyway, I recently decided that it was time to replace my older TV. And if you're going to get a new box, there's really no point buying anything that isn't HDTV flat-panel, right? So one thing led to another. Once the new set entered the house, my inner geek started agitating for HD signals, etc. etc. etc.

Yep, I love the picture quality. At times, it's breathtaking. And now that I've figured out how to feed the HD from the 6100 to both the TV and the projector, I'm a (in technical terms) happy man. Too bad that most programming - whether it's available in SD or HD - is still moronic and boring!

Note to TSN: Can we have Formula One in HD????? Please, please, please!!!!!

dlwmarshall

I have been a Bell ExpressVu, Sympatico, home phone, and cellular customer for years. I have learned a life lesson about dealing with Bell. There are NO benefits to being a long term customer. All the perks are reserved for converting competitor customers to Bell. If you have ExpressVu and want to upgrade anything, FIRST at least threaten to go to a competitor. Unless they think you will jump ship to Star Choice or someone else, they will charge you the absolute highest price possible. I think they call it "Bell's Loyalty Punishment Program". :-)

DSNY FN

All I did for our upgrade was walk into a Bell World store and purchased a 6120 kit for 299.99 took it home installed the second lnb and the cables climbed down off the roof called to get the channels activated and within 10 minutes I had my HD now my HD PVR I just rented that one at 25 bucks a month no fuss no muss easy as pie.

__________________
HD IS THE ONLY WAY

Bedroom setup
Viewsonic N2752w
Xpressvue 6100
Toshiba HD A2
Harmony 520

Livingroom setup
Samsung HL-S5687WX
Toshiba HD-DVD XA2
Xpressvue HD PVR
Denon 3801
PSB Full surround
Harmony 880

Nintendo GC
Nintendo Wii (this console rocks)
Mario Kart Wii friend code 4768-8283-5991

blubbeh

It was very interesting to read about your experience upgrading with Bell to HD, as I'm in the same situation at the moment.

I have a few more questions. When I first got my system installed, I purchased an upgrade kit to have the ability to watch specialty channels (I was interested in some foreign channels), so I have two LNBF's on the dish. Will it also work on HDTV, or do I have to get that new LNBF installed? Or does Bell just completely replace the dish? Any answers would be much appreciated.

DSNY FN

They won't have to change anything on your dish they will install the new reciever and call for the activation of the new channels and you will be up and running if they tell you they need to change the dish they are lying to you.

__________________
HD IS THE ONLY WAY

Bedroom setup
Viewsonic N2752w
Xpressvue 6100
Toshiba HD A2
Harmony 520

Livingroom setup
Samsung HL-S5687WX
Toshiba HD-DVD XA2
Xpressvue HD PVR
Denon 3801
PSB Full surround
Harmony 880

Nintendo GC
Nintendo Wii (this console rocks)
Mario Kart Wii friend code 4768-8283-5991

blubbeh

That's great to hear! My last Bell (dish) installation wasn't the most enjoyable one to say the least (took over four hours on a bright summer day).

Do I even have to call them for the receiver or can I just do it myself?

ecat

If you buy the reciver you can do it yourself,if you rent then the installation must be done by a proffesional.I just picked up the 9200pvr for $300.50% off the reg price of 599.

blubbeh

I'm depressed. :P I bought the HDTV system a few days before that sale for 300$.

Big thanks for the reply! It takes a load off my shoulders (I deeply dislike dealing with Bell's Customer Service). Can't wait to get my HDTV tomorrow so I can hook up my system and start enjoying.

ecat

You will need to do a check switch test,and then go into hdtv setup and change the output res to 720p they come set at 480P.

cheapscot

Hi gang, new to your forum and newbie to HD.. hope you don't mind me jumping into a thread... I have two 6100's , one hooked to our Panasonic Viera (HDMI cable) and the other to the BenQ projector downstairs (said to take hd and push enhanced via RGB) both give great HD pictures.. I'm having freeze and stutter on the HD channels, primarily the movie and TSN .. I've been on with the "help desk" and it appears signal strength and swr versions are all good .. I do have the HD output set to 1080i, I saw 720p mentioned above.. could this contribute to the freeze? thoughts or comments? thx ....

ecat

I switch between the two all the time,if one doesn't work try the other,480p or 480I for sd, it makes a difference imo.