Same re: effective and trouble-free. I had some "stuttering" glitches early on, but I think that was due more to my weak signal strength on 129. I haven't noticed the jerky FF, but I am a bit torqued about the 30-sec. jump back (vs. 10 sec.)
Clarifying the second $40 fee - that would apply 1-time if you want to add an EHD for "external storage" to your DVRs. You could pay it once then add an unlimited number of EHDs to the 622 and 722, and those could be swapped effectively between those 2 receivers. You cannot swap between the 211 and 622/722 however, which is my complaint since I have a 211 and 622 and would like to move stored programs between the locations. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong on any of this but I think I have it right...)