Finally got HD on the HDTV!

The DISH Network people were due to arrive today to install our new HD receiver/DVR, which would be the first HD we'd be seeing on the overwhelming HDTV of doom. We were worried it wouldn't go well after hearing many installation horror stories on forums, plus having a competing local installer come out and say we didn't have a good view on the other satellite needed. Plus we were sure they wouldn't bring the HDMI cable, though on three separate occasions they insisted on the phone the installers would bring it (including once with the installers themselves).

Late yesterday they called to ask us to go home early so they could do it a day ahead, to relieve an overbooked Friday, so we rushed home. And... everything went well! They put up a dish with the right view lickety-split and everything went swimmingly. Only two small problems showed up which were both reparable.

First, they didn't bring the HDMI cable. I would laugh if I wasn't crying, and cry if I wasn't laughing, because while we were talking about the installation, one of the installers said, "hey, there's a UPS guy here" and what was he delivering? The HDMI cable I ordered for the HD-DVD player that won't be here until next month. So we let them use that cable and today we're going to start arguing on the phone to get it replaced. My wife is very good at arguing with people on the phone. If nothing else, she can ensure that it's cheaper for them to give us the cable than to keep arguing with her, and that's not even counting the Maalox.

Second, our phone line started belching while they were here, but intermittently. Unplugging the line that the new DISH DVR used fixed it, but plugging it back in didn't recreate it. Until after they left, that is. Fortunately it was easily fixed. The idiot plugged the phone line into the Ethernet port. Problem solved.

Our poor TiVo is getting lonely. It can't record anything, but it's still hooked up so we can watch all the stuff that's backlogged on it. Meanwhile, the new HD DVR is loaded up with things to program. (Some things it does easier than TiVo, but most things TiVo does way better. One particularly sad loss is Suggestions. But we'll get by.)

And of course the picture quality is breathtaking. More and more I'm convinced that after all my research, I picked the best type of TV, the best model, and the best place to buy it.