D12 receivers

You can lower the channel package to below choice to remove the RSN ( Regional Sports Fee) and lower the channel package fee. and the swap will credit the $10 HD fee.

@LilBoots 

Total Choice is a grandfathered package and certainly has never been the lowest. The current version is just called Choice. There are 3 packages below it, Family, Select, and Entertainment.

The Regional Sports Fee ($13.99) applies to any package Choice and higher. This is because they include the Regional Sport Networks for where you live, and is priced based on which ones are in your Region. Only way to remove this fee is lowering your package.

That order confirmation doesn't show a credit for the HD service. That says it was placed as an optional upgrade, not required MPEG swap. That also means it comes with a 24 month service agreement. Unless there is more to the order confirmation that has that ongoing $10 credit, call back and dispute the order before it is installed and activated. Otherwise you are accepting it as it shows.

Flat screen is HD. Will have at least one HDMI port for an HD device to connect to (such as any DirecTV box newer than a D12).

Hum - I always thought I had the cheapest package Primestar offered in 1997 at $29.99.  If it's not the cheapest, it might be because I wanted the local channels or because the bare-bones package was SO bad it wasn't worth having.  (Sirius does the same thing.) But I never had any movie or sports packages, etc added on so I always felt it was basic.  I looked for my tv booklet - not finding it, I looked online by model # and the info said nothing about HD that I saw.  This is my tv below:  Samsung #UN32EH5000F and I always thought it was SD as they tried to sell me HD something and I said I didn't need it!  I think it has 2 HDMI ports on the right side plus something else.  I cancelled/postponed the appt until I decide what I'm going to do.  Also they said it would take 4 hours.  I believe I would need a new box and a new dish on the roof.  Do you know if they have to run all new cable throughout the house - they said yes?  It's a very nasty route - basement and through dirt crawl space full of dead and dirty things and then up into tv room.  I felt bad in 1997 and still do - hate for someone to have to do it again.  One issue I have communicating with DTV is that every person I speak to has an accent.  I knock no one for making a living and they are all very nice - maybe not always the most knowledgeable - but I don't always understand everything they tell me - on top of the tech I don't understand!  I'll look into the other packages - luck is, the few channels we watch won't be included!  

I'm learning that I don't know much about my everyday life ....

If your TV has HDMI INPUTs, then it's a HiDef TV. As mentioned, DirecTV will replace your old standard definition boxes and dish with new HiDef equipment. They should be able to use existing coax cables if they're quality RG6 type cables. The technician will be able to determine that for you. Just call DirecTV and schedule. 

litzdog911 - Any chance RG6 is printed on the cables?  While I won't go in the crawl space, I can look in the basement where it's easy to see.  Would all the cables installed be the same?  

@Juniper  look again it shows an mpeg swap 

$0.00 genie no agreement 

Sd to hd 

But yeah no credit for the hd service so maybe that's no longer part of the mpeg swap

Yes, it's likely that the cable will be stamped either RG6 or RG59. DirecTV requires RG6.

@LilBoots 

You may have had the lowest package in 1997 with Primestar And that was acquired by DirecTV in 1999. Many things have changed in over 20 years. And Total Choice is a DirecTV package, so suggests you did change at some point.

When DirecTV first had locals available, they were an optional add-on. Now all packages include locals, unless you live in an area which is not considered in the Region for any local.

The Family package is $29.99, but depends on the national channels you watch if you can go that low or not. It is rather bare bones and not for many people. Often used as a temporary package to save costs for a few months. I would look at the Select and Entertainment packages instead, or possibly Choice to get more value at about your current price point.

TVs were all HD for years before you got that Samsung. If it is a flat screen like yours, so not a thick box, it is HD.

@nabukl is correct. I did miss the "no agreement" in what you posted. I hope it is an MPEG swap and the $10 discount covering HD is listed elsewhere, as opposed to them no longer offering that promotion.

Your D12 will be replaced as it cannot be used going forward. It is incapable of receiving the new feed/transmission. Best to get the update done before the D12 becomes a brick. A new dish would be installed as well.

Most likely they will not have to replace all the cabling. DirecTV uses RG6 which is stamped on the cable, so easy to verify. If you have concerns about how the cabling is run, discuss with tech on site before they do the work.

I'll post the link again for their channel lineup. Hopefully Select or Entertainment would work for you. Even if the channels are covered in Choice, usually that will be a little cheaper (as grandfathered packages tend to be more expensive since not in current agreement with the networks). And many times, current package will include additional channels so might give you more variety. If nothing else, historicaly grandfathered packages don't qualify for most discounts. Just some things to consider.

DirecTV Packages & Channel Lineup

Funny how 'grandfathered' can be a good thing but in other cases not good.  I know customer loyalty has become worthless.  I looked at my cables.  The originals from the basement to the connector on the house reads:  Continental Primestar Belden-T YV28617 jv and the cable from the connector to the dish is Directv EnviroReel RG-6  75.  I have yet to figure out where the cable that comes up through the floor (?) in the tv room originates from but must be one of those 2 cables.  So many cables and wires with no room 'to work' and hard to view because they are all inside of an entertainment cabinet and behind the VCR and box - very tight - I use a mirror.  This has been a learning experience and I appreciate all who have contributed.  I'm starting to understand why no one else I know has a dish!  

Sometimes a "grandfathered" option can still be the best personally, just not a guarantee. Just means you are in an option no longer available to newer customers, but depends on your usage if it is still the right option or not.

Verifying and installing cables are the tech's job. They don't expect customers to be crawling around everywhere. And whether a dish or other traditional pay TV provider, there are still cables run to where the TVs are. The difference is one comes hardwired to the property and the other wirelessly to the dish.

The difference is you are not a new install but updating a very old one. Good thing is that even though yours is from the Primestar days, you have RG6. Tech should verify condition of course, but otherwise sounds like it should be a fairly straightforward update.

Be aware that with the Genie (or any other recording capable box), the DVR feature replaces Autotune. Just in case as sometimes comes up with those who have legacy setups.

What's Autotune? (I am truly a 'one and done' type of person.)

Auto tune is a feature on the HXX receivers that allowed you to program it to change the channel at certain times to watch or record it with a VCR or TiVo unit if you got DTV when they where partners as DTV didn't have recording units back in the late 90s

You tell your box to automatically tune to a specific channel at a specific time. A niche group of legacy customers seem to rely on that and for some reason prefer it over DVR. I cannot understand why as by recording you watch the show on your own schedule, instead of restricted to when the TV gives you permission.

As you were unaware of it, well then you don't have to worry about that change.

I went braindead - I used Autotune with the Directv remote often, especially when I used the old VCR for recording.  When a person doesn't keep up with changing technology, change is tough.  It's like going from a handheld calculator from 1974 to a computer in 2023.  I have to admit - I do like the 'magic' of wireless!

Glad I mentioned it then so you were caught off-guard after the fact. Personally I find DVR better. I watch it on my own time, and can pause if the phone rings, get a knock at the door, or something else requires my attention. You also don't have to worry about how close the VCR clock is to the actual TV schedule. I definitely do not miss having to adding minutes to make sure I don't cut off the end.