DVRs, Dish Network unveils black ViP722 HD DVR
By Darren Murph 
posted Aug 18th 2007 9:52AM
posted Aug 18th 2007 9:52AM
[Via DBSTalk]
DVRs, posted Aug 18th 2007 9:52AM
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I called last week to upgrade from the ViP622. The upgrade cost is $199 plus $100 off when you use the Dish'nItUp program. If you have an older box you can upgrade to the 622 for $149 and also use the same promotion.
In addition to the larger hard drive and being black supposedly they fixed the hardware problem many 622 users were having with the HDMI port.
I called to upgrade last week. They offered it to me at $199 upfront with $100 rebate + another $100 rebate since I'm still on an old HD package. Other customers are reporting $199 upfront but with only one of the $100 rebates. Not bad at all IMO. Buy the unit outright from a place like DishDepot runs I think $699.
Alex, I have the 622; I'm curious what specific problems other users have reported with the HDMI port. So far so good on mine -- I mean, it works.
The author of the article says: "there's not a whole lot here that can't be matched by just plugging in your own external HDD to that still-capable ViP622."
I disagree. 55 hours of HD recording vs. 30 is a BIG deal and cannot be duplicated by simply adding your own USB 2.0 hard drive to the VIP622 as that feature is for archiving only.
If you go away for 2-3 weeks and need to record more than 30 hours, then the VIP722 will come in handy. It also has support for HD VOD which the VIP622 does not as well as the VC1 codec.
The VIP722 offers a lot more vs. the VIP622 then the VIP622 did vs. the DISH 942 when it came out (MPEG4 compatibility and 30 hours vs. 25 hours being the only difference between those two receivers).
awesome
But how is the User Interface? Having owned a Tivo for years and recently slumming it with Comcast's and Verizon's Motorola HD DVR, there is a world of difference. So how does the remote, menus, scheduling, and overall responsiveness compare to Tivo?
I have had a VIP622 for 12 months. About 10 months ago the HDMI output stopped working on the VIP622.
I contacted DISH Network and explained to the my problem, and they responded to me that it was a "software issue" and that they were "working on it" Over these past 10 months I have contacted DISH Network on a monthly basis to check the status of them "working on it" and every time I get the same response, that it is a known issue and that they are working on it.
I initially bought the VIP622 because of it's HDMI output capabilities, in fact, I chose DISH Network over DirectTV because of the HDMI capabilities of the VIP622.
Now here is what seems odd to me.
DISH Network just released the VIP722, which from all I can tell, and from what all my research points to is that the VIP722 is EXACTLY THE SAME as the VIP622 except for 3 areas.
1. It is black, not silver
2. It has a larger hard drive
3. The HDMI output works
It seems to me like DISH Network is trying to scam all the people who have VIP622s and have problems with them into purchasing a VIP722 and extending their contracts another 18 months.
What a ripoff!
I called them today to try and get them to replace my defective faulty, HDMI-less VIP622 with a functional VIP722 and they outright refused.
I asked them how they could sell me service and equipment that doesn't work and not fix it, and the representative I spoke with (Angela - RFH) repeated the same phrase to me repeatedly.
"We cannot give you the VIP722 for free, you have to pay $199 for it, and you have to extend your contract by 18 months".
I was on the phone for over an hour (20 minutes on hold initially to speak with some one) and I tried to explain to them every way possible that it was their duty to provide me with a functional piece of hardware, which is what I paid for! $250 for a VIP622 with HDMI capabilities.
Without HDMI, the receiver is useless to me.
Long story short, don't waste your time or money with DISH Network or the VIP722. They don't care about their customers and they sell non-functional equipment that they refuse to fix (unless you pay $199 and extend your contract by 18 months)
RIP OFF!
I just purchased a new plan with dish network and i got the 722 for free. I feel bad for all the ones that need to pay for the upgrade. The HDMI works great, no issues at all with the Interface. So far so good.
I am on my 4th 722 receiver in 3-weeks. The unit works for awhile and then it crashes and after like an hour trouble shooting on the phone they tell me I have to get a new unit. Not cool. Very frustrating.
I had the same problem with an earlier DISH DVR and went through 4 or 5 receivers in several months. Finally, someone at DISH asked if I was going through a power strip or was I plugged directly into the wall socket. He said he had heard of similar problems when using a power strip. I then bypassed the power strip I had been using and never had another problem.
Just got a vip722 as a new customer. Had a DirecTV Tivo unit before this. I wanted to respond to a question about the menus. The menu speed is very good. The menu flow is more complicated than my old DTV Tivo unit, but the speed and features are excellent. The remote is also good. Especially the secondary radio frequency remote. Handy for awkward projector setups like mine.
My parents have dish and have the DVR capabilities in the living room and their bedroom. I have viewing in my room but no access to the DVR. I'm thinking about purchasing a DVR online. Will Installation just be a matter of hooking the dish cable to it, or will I have to get activation by dish and a monthly charge on top of it?
I've had the vip622 for about 3 months now. Just got a call offering free upgrade to vip722 and $20 off my bill for 6 months, I'm thinking about it. Perhaps better to let sleeping dogs lie...
Review so far on the vip622:
The good: very good HD picture quality, HDMI works great, menus are fast. Perhaps I got lucky or got stable software (July 2007).
The bad:
Compared with my previous Dish DVR which worked flawlessly for 4 years, I thought the newer menus are un-necessarily complex. But they are quick and not bad. 2nd tuner picture quality (standard definition) very poor, because they need to run coax cable a long way around the house.
In standby mode the unit's HDD still runs and generates lots of heat. I need to RTFM and find out if there's some obvious way to force this off when the unit is off with no recording going on.
Notes on installation: I felt sorry for the technicians because they were having trouble with the satellite dish, which is a new model and very finicky. But they got it done after a while. Also the 2nd tuner picture quality being bad, had them sweating quite a bit to optimize (shorten) the wiring. Anyway they made another trip and did all that.