PLAYBACK: DISH Network ViP®722 HD DVR and TurboHD Package
The Crème de la Crème in Satellite HDTV
Home Theater/Multichannel Audio
Portable/PC Audio
TV / Displays
- DISH Network ViP®722 HD DVR and TurboHD Package
- Samsung UN46B7000 LCD HDTV with LED backlighting
- Sharp XV-Z15000 1080p DLP Projector
Two-Channel Audio
Source: Playback
| Products in this article: | ViP®722 HD DVR and TurboHD Programming Package |
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In a world of transformative technologies, no recent development has been as rewarding to me as the synergistic combination of high-definition video, satellite television, and the digital video recorder (DVR). Those technologies by themselves are worth shouting about, but when put together form a “killer ap” that transcends the utility of the individual components. HD is nice, and a huge range of HD programming delivered by satellite television makes it even more compelling. But it’s the HD DVR, with its ability to let you watch that wide spectrum of HD content when you want to, that elevates the value of HD and satellite television.
The ultimate realization of this powerful synergy is DISH Network’s satellite service, extensive HD content, and ViP®722 DVR. I’ve used a variety of DVRs and satellite services and can say that DISH Network and the ViP®722 are the crème de la crème. In my experience, DISH Network offers the best user interface, technology, features, programming packages, HD content, and customer service. The TurboHD Gold package offers more than 75 all-HD channels in MPEG-4. The Platinum option adds 11 more channels. Counting core channels, pay-per-view, premium channels, VOD, and regional sports networks, DISH Network can deliver more than 140 HD channels. When connected to a broadband network, DISH Network offers more than 6,000 programming options (TV and movies) via IPVOD. Moreover, DISH is constantly expanding its offerings, adding more local stations in HD, and leading the way with features such as 1080p movies via Video-on-Demand and the first television series in 1080p (A&E’s The Beast). DISH Network even has a “place-shifting” technology that allows you to watch shows on your DVR wherever you are or to program your DVR via a broadband Internet connection (with the soon-to-be-released ViP®922 DVR). DISH was also the first pay-TV provider to commit entirely to MPEG-4 video coding, and is in the process of migrating all the channels to that superior encoding system.
Overview
Consider this satellite service/HD DVR if: you want the most HD content available along with a high-capacity DVR and a great user interface. The ViP722 also has an over-the-air tuner, allowing you to access local stations without paying for DISH Network’s local programming. The ability to archive HD content on an external drive is great for those who like to collect shows or series.
Look elsewhere if: you absolutely have to have DirecTV’s Signature NFL access package, or if you must have HD feeds to every TV in the house (the ViP722 has one HD output and one SD output).
Ratings:
- Breadth/depth of content offering: 9
- Picture and sound quality: 10
- User interface: 9
- Features and functions:10
- Value:10
FEATURES & PERFORMANCE
The ViP®722 has three tuners—two satellite and one over-the-air. The two satellite tuners can be used to record two different channels simultaneously or for picture-in-picture. Storage capacity is a whopping 500GB, providing up to 350 hours of SD programming or 55 hours of HD content, and more than 100 hours of DISH On Demand for just over 500 hours of storage. Dual USB 2.0 ports allow you to archive SD or HD content from the ViP®722’s hard drive to an external off-the-shelf drive (1TB maximum). Content on the external drive is accessed just as easily as content on the integral drive. DISH charges a one-time fee of $39.99 to activate this feature.
The ViP®722 can drive two separate systems; one with HD output and one with SD output. The unit sits in an equipment rack in my listening/theater room driving a Sony VLP-VW50 1080p front projector, and also sends satellite or recorded content over-the-air to a 47” RPTV in the living room (you can also connect this second television with coax cable). The HD picture on the 92”-wide Stewart Filmscreen Grayhawk is spectacular, particularly on Discovery HD, National Geographic, and the Travel Channel. My wife and I enjoy nature shows, and seeing them in full HD on a 92” wide screen is breathtaking. The audio quality in the HD system is similarly impressive; the ViP®722 records the Dolby Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack (if present in the source). The picture sent wirelessly to the second TV is compromised by the downconversion to SD, along with the need to RF-modulate the signal for transmission.
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Yes, you can watch local channels with an outside antenna without paying Dish for local channels, but, if you do not pay for the local channels, the programming will not display on the program guide which makes it difficult to program the DVR for future recordings. The program guide will list the channels but will not list the individual programs.
I have the Dish Network Vip 622 with an attic antenna for local channels and the program guide does display the individual programs. Perhaps it varies by market area?
You should do some searching on reliability and report on that. There is extensive information on the net that the unit has problems with internal cooling, and because of that, a lot of users have reported premature failures of the hard drive. My 1st 722 only lasted 8 months, and I had it out in the open. Dish makes it easy to swap your dead receiver out for a new one, but it's still a pain to lose programming.
I have the same problem. I get locals through antenna but if I cancel locals, the guide doesn't work for those channels. Very annoying. So I end up paying $5/month just to make it easier to use the DVR for local channels.
We have more than our share of thunderstorms and heavy rain during summer and we lose sat. transmission during that time. I have Sirius radio
for the home and have lost the signal for the last two days. The dish is on the roof. This is also true of Sat. TV here. If you can't get a signal
specs don't mean a thing. I have FIOS Verizon and have a DVR that records HD and SD and it works great. I could not be more pleased with
the picture and audio.....and I get the signal regardless of the weather.
I experience an occasional loss of signal, but it rarely lasts more than a few minutes.
Also, I've been using a DISH DVR for three years and have not had a hard-drive failure.
I iknow this is off topic ...but can someone offer an opinion on which provider has a better HD picture...Dish or cable..?
Thanks
I've had both and Dish is far superior. More reliable, much better picture and sound, better service. No comparison.
Before there was DVR there was VCR. With my VCR I could time shift programming without a problem. It was programmable and could be set up to record events daily or even weekly. I paid $0 per month for it.
When I inquire as to why I have to pay a monthly fee for DVR I'm told that it is for the DVR service. What service? What does the DVR offer that I couldn't do with my VCR? Whatever it is that makes the cable/sat folks believe that a DVR is so much more than a VCR, I'll bet that it doesn't cost them a nickle to provide it. I wish that people would finally say enough is enough and tell the providers that we want to record just like we did with VCRs. If there is some extra service that a DVR has that makes it worth $$ per month to someone, let it be their option to enable and pay for it. 90 percent of the time when I want to record something it is because 2 programs which I wish to view are on at the same time. Why can't I do this simple function without someone trying to charge me for doing it?
Perhaps you think that I am too harsh on these cable/sat providers. Let me explain why I don't agree with you. DirecTV has plans that begin at $29.99. With that plan you get a bunch of shopping networks, soap operas and foriegn stuff. If you want real programming you have to step up to $54.00 a month. Want HD? Add $10.00 a month. You are now over $60.00 a month. Want to watch in more than one room? Add $$$ per month for each addditional receiver. Want a premium channel or two. More $$$. DVR? get out your wallet once again. You will have to get into the $80 to $120 per month range before you see any decent programming and that's before you add the DVR.
There is only one way that I would be willing to 'fall' for this nickle and dime to death strategy, and that would be if they would offer channels ala carte. I have requested on several occassions that they quit sending me spanish, shopping, travel, SD channels etc. and just send me the HD channels only. Better yet, let me pick and choose which HD channels I want to receive. As it is, the number of HD channels you can get for your $10 a month is tied to your base channel package. If you have the $29.99 deal then your $10 gets you only 6 or 7 HD channels. At $54.00 you get about 20 HD channels. If you want all the HD channels it cost you $128.00 plus $10.00 per month to get them. I only want about 20 of the channels offered by DirecTV. I have to pay for 150 channels plus $10 in order to get those 20. If I want to record one of those channels I have to pony up more money for the privelidge of pressing the RECORD button.
I can't wait for red box to start offering Blu-Ray movies. At a dollar or even 2 dollars per movie I can rent a movie a night and pay less than what I pay now for basic satelite.
One last thing. My first DirecTV HD receiver had a built-in HD OTA tuner. This feature prompted me to purchase a HD ready monitor. (Why pay more for an ATSC tuner if you already have one?) With DirecTV's move to Mp4 I was forced to accept their upgraded receiver. Guess what? No OTA tuner! It's their way of insuring that you pay extra for your local channels. Thieving BA!@#$ds!!!
All of that to get to this: I'm sure that Dish has a very nice package. My guess is you're looking at a car payment in order to enjoy it.
OTA is better than either cable or satellite. In my experience - quality in decending order: Blu-Ray, OTA HD, Satellite, Cable, DVD, SD, you tube.
Does the ViP 722 HD DVR have a native video passthrough? This was the main reason why I chose DirecTV over DISH, because I have much better equipment to deal with 480p / 720p / 1080i conversion to 1080p than what is built into a DVR. Hopefully it does, since the great RH has said it is a reference standard, and he would have some serious egg on his face if it didn't have native format mode.
Very well said and I whole heartedly agree, with everything.
Back in the day, when I used a C Band sat., I could purchase a la cart and my monthy bill was a little less than $15! Now I pay $100 a month just to get the same channels with a bunch of crap thrown in.
Sorry to detract from the review, I too love all the HD programming I am getting, but the cost is rediculous.
have had both satellite services - DISH and DirectTV - for over ten years, with DVR functionality for both as soon as it was available .- I use DirectTV with TIVO primarily for the NFL Sunday ticket.
Both services have comparable picture/sound quality. Both DVRs are easy to use, though I prefer the slicker TIVO interface. The principle operating difference is that the TIVO unit has a double picture buffer- one for each tuner, while the DISH 722 has only a single picture buffer that it switches between its two tuners. I believe that is because TIVO has a patent on the double buffer system.
With a separate buffer for each tuner you can watch two channels (usually NFL games), pause one, switch to the other for a while, and when you switch back to the first one, it is still paused with the contents still in its own buffer. With the DISH unit having only one buffer, when you switch between the two channels it has to dump the buffer contents of the first channel to start recording the new channel. When you switch back to the first channel, you are back to "real" time, having lost the recorded part between channel changes. It is possible to RECORD from both tuners at once with the DISH unit, but to quickly switch back & forth to try to follow both games introduces other problems.
This lack of a double buffer for the DISH unit is a major shortcoming and has been one of the most complained about features on the various satellite TV forums for years. I'm surprised that RH, the super techie, didn't mention this in his review.
Having settled its spat with TIVO, DirectTV is supposedly bringing out a TIVO HD version of its satellite receiver later this year.. I can hardly wait!
Not too long ago, one could purchase a DVD recorder with a hard drive inside. You got far better quality recordings on the hard drive than recording in analog to disc and all you needed was a one-time payment to the retailer who sold you the unit. Now, even though a demand would readily exist for such a machine, you can no longer buy it; you have to rent a DVR from a cable or satellite company. Many of the major manufacturers made such a machine, including Sony, Panasonic, and Philips. First the Sony, Panasonic and other brands disappeard from the marketplace, and then finally Philips ceased to make such a unit available for sale. I have not been able so far to determine what exactly has happened, buy my guess it is somewhat similar to the reluctance of manufacturers to make a CD recorder available for so long: the threat of litigation from Hollywood, broadcasters and/or media deliverers. I would appreciate it if anyone who understands what is going on here can clue me in. They are trying to create a situation where, if you want a high-res picture, you will have to subscribe to someone's delivery system and pay them for it, rather than being able to own and control your own stand-alone recording device. Why can't you just go out and buy a DVR, with or without a disc burner in it? I can't see that any such unit is available. Of course you would have to program it yourself, is that so hard? For those of us who are happy with an OTA reception setup, or whatever else, why cannot we buy such a product to own? If anybody knows the reason why, please clue me in.
This review reads a little too much like company marketing. That said, Dish does offer a compelling option, but some helpful information was left out for those comparing to DirecTV or cable.
Dish's all-HD package (mentioned in the review) is the least-expensive alternative if you want HD-only service. For those with children who have certain "must have" channels, this is not yet an option as, surprisingly there are several popular channels that haven't gotten their HD act together (Dish, DirecTV or cable--it doesn't matter).
Also, Dish has a strange way of accommodating multi-room setups. They intend for one receiver to be used in two rooms. This requires a cable run to go out from the room with the receiver into the room with the secondary TV. Most homes are not pre-wired to support this, meaning the installation may be more complicated (or perhaps not possible at all). I believe Dish customer service reps stated the run must be <60 feet (though they could have said <100 feet--check on this if it may be an issue).
Also, this kind of setup means that you cannot watch one program while recording another if someone is watching something else on the secondary TV (or vice versa). Since we often do this, that would mean competing with our children on channel use/recording. The answer to this is getting another receiver. Thus, most people fit this scenario and end up with as many receivers as they would have with DirecTV or cable (extra receiver fees apply).
The bottom line is if you need to be able to watch and/or record more than two programs, need SD service because not all of your "must have" channels are in HD, you'll end up with a service package and equipment very much like DirecTV, for the same price and with the same quality of picture and audio. DirecTV and Dish put different channels in different package groups, so there is a small chance that you might save a few dollars with one company over the other if you are able to get your channels in a less expensive package.
The bottom line is that Dish is very compelling if HD-only service is an option. Otherwise, you can easily cross-shop DirecTV. Cable should not be considered if picture quality means anything to you. (I had Comcast for a short while after having DirecTV and the picture quality of SD channels was night-and-day different, with Comcast channels being so vastly inferior that they were downright annoying to watch, with visible pixel blocks and edges, particularly during motion. HD quality was much closer to the satellite service, but still lower quality. And Comcast's DVR menus were clearly designed by people who have never used a DVR service).
My girlfriend got DirectTV around seven or eight years ago. Based on her continuing bad experiences with DirectTV, I got Dish Network when I decided to go satellite 5 years ago. It always took her two or three service calls to get a problem fixed. Her billing kept getting screwed up, and required long waits on hold to get fixed. The final straw came three years ago when a serviceman told her that her receiver was "probably bad" but he would not replace it because if it was tested later and found good he would have to pay for it!!! She switched to Dish and has had no more problems. I have had two Dish Network equipment failures in five years -- each time the receiver was replaced quickly on warranty.
I'm surprised to hear DISH has better service, since the general trend of commentaries across the internet is not complimentary. Since I'm considering a swtich from cable to satellite, your review got me to look at the DISH site again. Adding up the numbers, your "Look elsewhere if" comments left out a consideration: DISH appears to be a lot more expensive than DIRECTV for comparable service because, specials aside, they nickle and dime the subscriber for number of channels, HD, local channels, rooms, equipment, etc.
The Dish DVRs DO have a "double buffer".
Remember, it is designed to operate two separate TVs (one HD / one SD) and defaults to that mode out of the box, but by pressing the 'mode' button (behind the right door flap next to the Power button) you can change it to "Single TV" mode. That now gives you acess to both tuner on that TV.
You now have acess to P-I-P and my favorie...SWAP.
Try it...set the DVR in Single mode / pause tuner one_hit SWAP_pause tuner two. Swap to your heart's content.
BOTH will be buffered... Makes watching two ball games a treat!
I've been with Dish Network for over 12 years and have watched the evolution of the company and products since. Most have been good experiences. My gripe is that the secondary signal fom my 722 is SD, not HD, and local OTA channels aren't tagged with program content. Did you know that local OTA channels are not sent over the coaxial to my second set? Want local digital on your other TV? Buy a good indoor or outdoor antenna for that room. Another thing - There shouldn't be a charge for programming info now that all local stations broadcast in digital, the same medium as satellite! A simple $40 converter box displays all of the programming info I need to know... I think Dish will get it, sooner than later, that people demand common sense solutions or they'll find them elsewhere. The HD programming is better than DirecTV. My girfriend fell into their trap and is now stuck with it for two years. I would have suggested Dish, but she did not ask. I'll just find another ....
PS - Will someone send all of this great feedback to the good folks at Dish Network? Let's hope they will read and heed!
With regards to reliability, I've had my 722 since they came out and before that I had the 942. Both worked flawlessly in our un-airconditioned house, even in the hot summer months.
With regards to the buffering, it's not quite as good as a TIVO but is does do double buffering, one for each tuner. The problem is you lose the buffer if you go to a recorded program from live TV. TIVO doesn't do this.
I too have Dish, using a 612 Vip. It's a very good system, and as a longtime Dish sub, they made it very easy for me to upgrade my two SD dvr's to HD DVR. The OTA channels are fine-except that I don't have the listings as I don't want to pay $5 for info I get in my newspaper.
The "free OTA" HD DVR is tough to find. I have two HDD 250 Sony units, which are long out of production. The only OTA DVR with HD is the Dish DTVPal. I agree with deadaztec-there's a reason that the OTA DVR is not in stores, and it probably has to do with fear of litigation and some informal discussions over Golf between a few content owners.
The DVR fee complained of by others is really to pay for the unit....much like the phone company in the "olden days", they make a lot from rental of the equipment. The alternate would be a $500 price for the DVR up front, like the HDD units new. Most folks will take "easy payments" even if a bad deal in the long run.
I like Dish...don't care about NFL...good picture quality.
I've had Direct TV, including the HD DVR receiver, since last August. Back then, I chose Direct TV over Dish because:
1) It had the most HD channels, and;
2) It received a better rating than Dish from Consumer Reports.
Reading the above I don't see any appreciable differences between the 722 and the Direct TV HD DVR. I will say that at first the latter had inumerable problems, but these have disappeared with automatic software updates installed by Direct TV. The Direct TV HD DVR offers the same storage. VOD can be programmed from any computer, with about 6000 titles available. There are 1080p VOD movies available. There are two tuners and 5.1 sound is available with some programming. Programming and accessing the DVR are very easy.
I've never used Dish, but Direct TV also has a bunch of features I find useful, including interactive TV (e.g., ball scores, game info) , sports and news mix channels which display 8 channels at once, special free proprietary sports coverage (e.g., tennis slams), rapid access to 9 most frequently used channels, an exclusive Direct TV HD channel, display of incoming phone calls, and a search function. Reception has been almost 100%.
You can build or buy a DVR that does NOT cost a monthly fee. Usually, these systems are also general media centers. I have used MythTV for three years now and have not had any issues. I have 2 HD tuners and 2 SD tuners. I can record on all of them at once and watch another item too. MythTV has a front end and a backend that allows you to have one back end to do all the recording, and then you can have light-weight front ends at each of your TVs. Content is pushed over your network. So far, I just have a single front/back end, with 3TB of space - 1TB for TV, 500 GB for kids' DVDs, photos, and music, and another 1.5TB for grown-up (not adult) DVDs. Presently, I am using Comcast, but plenty of folks use the satellite providers as well. Each scenario is different and setup does take patience, but once done, it's rock solid. My system has never been down except for when I was 'playing' with it. I'm watching on a 71" TV. Looks great.
I recommend you do a search for do-it-yourself DVRs. There are other options, some Windows based, others Mac based. MythTV runs on Linux. Mostly, nerdiness is not required, but helps. You really just need to be interested and willing to do leg-work on finding answers to issues you may run into. The communities around each product are really friendly and helpful. The only requirement when asking for help is that you prove you have really tried to figure things out on your own (read documentation, done google searches, read numerous forum posts, etc.).
For guide data, some DVR programs (usually commercial ones) come with free subscriptions. For MythTV and several other open source efforts, you can pay $15/year to a not-for-profit organization called Schedules Direct. Works great.
The only way that companies like Comcast, DirecTv and Dish will EVER not charge for their DVRs as a 'service' is if enough people go the alternate route I'm suggesting. Until then, if you buy their stuff, you buy their line of thinking too.
Tyere are 2-USB inputs on the reciever can you use 2-external hard drives on these units..Thanks ......ANY HELP W / THIS
Despite Larry Harrison's comments, DISH does have a double buffer and it can be used just like TIVO's.
DISH 722 has 2 modes: Single and Dual which are enabled from the 722 front panel "mode" button. The Dual Mode dedicates a tuner/buffer to 2 different TVs with NO PIP (picture-in-picture) possible. You MUST be in the Single Mode for PIP to work. PIP lets you see two channel at the same time with the primary channel having the live audio. There is also a SWAP button on the remote to alternate which channel is "primary".
The trick is to setup PIP to the 2 channels you want using PIP and SWAP buttons to set the channels for each tuner. Then return to NON-PIP viewing. Now you can switch between full screen viewing of either tuner/channel using just the SWAP button. And (as Larry desires) since DISH 722 has a two separate tuners AND buffers, you can PAUSE the channel you are watching, press SWAP to view the other channel, press PAUSE (or not) on the 2nd channel, now switch back to the ORIGINAL PAUSED channel using SWAP again to pick up the action just where you left it. Voila!!
Hope that make Larry happy!! It IS a GREAT feature that I use all the time... ENJOY!!
I bought a Sony XBR 800 40" a dIrect view behemoth at over 340 lbs.(Oct 2003) - receives all formats except 1080P. It was the best you get t the time. I also bought Sony's $849.00+tax HDSAT-200 set top box which included dedicated I/O with DirecTv so I was stuck with their service. At first the HD picture was phenomenal, but then it began to lose sharpness and I also began to hear rumors that DirecTv had cut it's broadcast bandwidth to 1280 to save money. I got Dish for a while but I never could get their picture to fully fill my TV screen. So I went back o DirecTv and back to my Sony receiver which had proprietary video processing features. I had ordered the $15/month HD package and only received about 7 channels down in the 70's channel range. It was not until a year ago, when they changed out my receiver (as they said - as well as Sony - it would no longer work with the Mp4 broadcast. They also had to come back and change out the antenna which ultimately brought in all the HD channels that I had been missing all those years. I discussed this with their rep whom you would think could offer you a credit - but know he told me I had to "compose a letter." Just what your customer wants to hear. Service providers are so willing to hand you over to someone else - it never occurs to them that they should make that available to customer reps. I had recently had both the set and the receiver (as they both failed) overhauled for $700 prox. I felt really slighted by planned obsolescence and inferior product components. TV's were supposed to last forever - at least they did when I was kid. So, besides my rant, which is really better at HD?Dish or DirecTv? I think of all the money I've sent down the drain to Sony and DirecTv, DISH, etc. - am I just the biggest sucker in the world or do we have a bunch of manufacturers and service providers who believe that the sale ends at time of payment. And why, if I'm buying TV are all my channels censored - like the Comedy Channel or movies or what have you. Mine is a private subscription of my choice; are my Constitutional Rights being trampled..., ignored. Everything from private providers used to be open, uncensored. What's up with that? Why?
The $5.98 is a means for the satellite company to recoop their cost. Dish first came out witht he PVR (personal video recorder), and they were $300 upgrade when you owned equipment, and they found consumers were more willing to pay $5.00 per month for rest of their life, than to pay $300 up front. DN began leasing the equipment, and charging a smaller upgrade charge, like $50.00 So you ask, if you buy a DVR, currently $300 to $500, rather than get a free one which is leased, why do you still pay a dvr fee. That is a good question. models 501, 508, dvr are no DVR fee, but they are hard to come by. By the way, I have three HD DVRs on my account, and if you subscribe to the everything package, there is no DVR fee.