EchoStar Introduces New High-Definition DVR Receiver for the HD Enthusiast

**bxl4** · 01-10-2008 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by Van

Generaly your best bet to get a receiver to install yourself is to go through a store like dishstore. Having been one of the "low life installers " I can tell you that the biggest reason for having the installer come out to do the upgrade was to prevent the mouth breathers from screwing it up and then bawling when they couldnt get it working and having to pay for a service call at $119 to have one of us "low life installers" fix what they messed up.

After I smashed the send key, I realized that I should acknowledge that we have had some fine installation services from thoughtful techs. One bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch. Nonetheless, one experience has colored my wife's feelings on this matter and given her disinterest in HD, I am at a disadvantage to win her over. And to address the other suggestion, she isn't the spa type.

Oh, well. Thanks for the reply.

**Van** · 01-10-2008 09:12 PM

My apologies for the bad experience, its unfortunate that it happens and it always made my job harder when I would show up at someones home who had a low life there before me.

**iKramerica** · 01-10-2008 11:54 PM

As others have pointed out, this is the 721 concept in HD format, or the 921 reborn I suppose. It makes sense because it is cheaper for Dish to implement in a single TV household, and they can pass the savings on the consumer (make it completely free like rather than $99 or $199 or whatever). Right now they are waiving that fee and it is probably costing them dearly to do it, so I would imagine that in the near future, the offer will be for the 612, and then if you want a 722, you pay an additonal fee.

And just to be clear, the added components in the 625 are expensive enough, the 622/722 even moreseo. The 2nd agile stereo modulator alone is costly, and for the HD models decoding and displaying 2 HD streams at once means a heftier chip (watching downconverted HD on TV2 while someone else watches HD content on TV1), etc. If you don't think simultaneous up and downconversion of signals across outputs is expensive, just look at the DVD/VCR players that don't even bother to do put DVD over the Channel 3 or the VHS over S-Video or component. Every penny counts.

So I can see Dish pushing HD strongly this year, and this simpler DVR box is the perfect weapon.

**cparker** · 01-11-2008 03:44 PM

This receiver would be about the only thing that could *possibly* make me give up my 508.

My living room (main) TV has a 622 always in single mode. We are recording SOMETHING almost all the time it seems and the 622 gives us a lot of possibilities. (AT250, DVR Adnatage, HBO, CineMax)
In my bedroom we have a 508 that I didn't want to give up when we upgraded. No DVR fee. Woo-hoo! The bedroom Tv is a 29" LCD HD set. I just figured, "It's a bedroom set" and didn't include that receiver in our HD upgrade.

The times, they are a-changin'!

Last night my wife was watching some cop show in the living room. I wanted to watch TV but not that. So I went upstairs, got ready for bed, got comfy, turned on the TV, found something in the guide I wanted to watch and hit "Select".

"THIS ACTION WILL STOP RECORDING. DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS?"

huh? Dang it, she was recording upstairs too! If I had a 612 I could watch one thing while she records another.

So in my situation, the 612 sounds like it would work. Although I would HATE having to pay a DVR fee again.

**Ken F** · 01-11-2008 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by Smith, P.

Why not treat it as 921 successor ?
But I think Ken F was right, the BCM4501 probably found his way into E* HW development dept, so no PIP for you.

I suspect this product does use the BCM4501, but that is not what prevents PIP. Rather, it is the new BCM7401 CPU/decoder that won't PIP.

**navychop** · 01-11-2008 06:21 PM

Hmmm. After reading all this, perhaps when my 721 dies again, I should look into replacing it with a ViP612. But what is this about limitations on the chip? Since it's "two tuner" we should be able to watch one while recording another. That seems to be the same function or have the same requirements for PiP. Yet it appears it won't do PiP (or won't decode a second stream)? What's the difference?

And let's leave the separator outside the box. With my cascaded switches, I can't use a separator. And I already have two cables run to that location.

1 TV, fine. But output SD & HD, so I can get this first, and upgrade the in place SDTV to an HDTV later.

**Smith, P.** · 01-11-2008 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by Ken F

I suspect this product does use the BCM4501, but that is not what prevents PIP. Rather, it is the new BCM7401 CPU/decoder that won't PIP.

You're right - I messed the main one with demod chip.

**bbtkd** · 01-12-2008 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by yaz96

Why is this what people need? You can only record 1 thing at a time?

People need a single tuner DVR since Dish counts a dual receiver as two receivers. I have a 622 for my main TV, and a 625 serving two SD TVs. That is counted as four receivers so I can't get a dual tuner HD DVR for the bedroom since it would take my leased receiver count to six. Why can't they count a receiver as one receiver regardless of how many receivers in it? Perhaps if the 612 is low enough cost and does not have outputs for two TVs then they could count it as one receiver. Then I could swap out my 622 for a 612, put another 612 in the bedroom and still only have four leased receivers on account.

Another gotcha for me is if the 612 only has HDMI. My main TV only has component (so I'll need to replace it soon anyway - perhaps when the Mitsu lasers arrive in the Fall).

**jacmyoung** · 01-12-2008 07:57 AM

Originally Posted by bbtkd

People need a single tuner DVR since Dish counts a dual receiver as two receivers. I have a 622 for my main TV, and a 625 serving two SD TVs. That is counted as four receivers so I can't get a dual tuner HD DVR for the bedroom since it would take my leased receiver count to six. Why can't they count a receiver as one receiver regardless of how many receivers in it? Perhaps if the 612 is low enough cost and does not have outputs for two TVs then they could count it as one receiver. Then I could swap out my 622 for a 612, put another 612 in the bedroom and still only have four leased receivers on account.

Another gotcha for me is if the 612 only has HDMI. My main TV only has component (so I'll need to replace it soon anyway - perhaps when the Mitsu lasers arrive in the Fall).

I guess you can alway use the 622 for the main TV, and 612 for the newer TV with HDMI, if what you said is true.

You are right the 4-tuner lease limit is bad, but the solution is easy, change the limit to 6 or 8 tuners, problem solved.

**bbtkd** · 01-12-2008 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by jacmyoung

I guess you can alway use the 622 for the main TV, and 612 for the newer TV with HDMI, if what you said is true.

You are right the 4-tuner lease limit is bad, but the solution is easy, change the limit to 6 or 8 tuners, problem solved.

Wow - was just in Best Buy with the wife and she said "let's replace the living room TV before buying HD for the bedroom". Darn - she's ready to buy and the Mitsu laser won't be out till Fall....