D* HR20 vs. 622

[jcoppola]

My family will be relocating to the Charleston South Carolina area from Mass. I have been a happy E* customer for 8 years I am very comfortable with the dish equipment especially the 622 unfortunatly I will have to switch to D* to continue follow the Sox and Patriots. Is the HR20 DVR really as user unfreindly compared to the 622 as ome in this forum have said? I don't suppose E* will have MLB or the NFL package anytime soon. Can someone who has used both put me at ease?

Thanks

 

[rad]

Lets see, you're asking if the HR20 is "user unfriendly" in a Dish forum, I detect a bit of a bias

You might want to check out thread Comparing the HR10-250, HR20-100/700 and ViP622/722 - DBSTalk.Com for a comparison.

 

[jcoppola]

No bias intended. I assumed in a D* forum they would all love it. As an E* customer I wanted the perspective of E* customers who have used both.

 

[rad]

And you don't think in the D* forums that E* users that have recenly switched to D* wouldn't be unbiased? Based on posts that I've seen it looks like there's been a lot more E* users recenly switching to D* then D* users switching to E*.

 

[shodobe]

I have no problem in answering. I have both and feel, no bias intended, the 622 is better. The reason is the HR20 I have is a bit glitchy and has moments where it seems to be lost. On the other hand the only problem I have had with my 622 is the HDMI issue where it doesn't work. I am in the process of replacing it. I am sure there are others out there that might have a more "technical" opinion but mine is based on my personal opinion.

 

[DishInSD]

Apparently they are replacing the HR20 with the HR21 soon which has no OTA so if you must switch and need OTA, I personally would do it sooner rather than later. Featurewise biggest loss on the hr20 is no 30-second-skip imo.

 

[FitzAusTex]

My friends have D*. When I'm over their house, their HR20 drives me nuts. I cant get used to it after 10 months or so.

I switched from Time Warner to E* in January, and I was completely at home with my 622s within 3 days, so I def have the ability to adjust, but I just cant seem to adjust to the D* channel numbers or the function of the HR20 when I'm at my friend's house (1 or 2 times a week).

Just my take. (and by the way, they also still have the tivo dvr in the kitchen area, and i have gotten used to that box a bit better.)

I'm sure the HR20 is a good box, it just doesnt 'feel' right to me. I know my post prob doesnt answer anything, just my observations.

 

[TulsaCoker]

I'm curious, this past weekend I was at my parents hours with the 622. When you press guide the show your watching goes away along with the sound. Is that a setup issue or does that typical? with the HR20 it goes into a little window while you scroll through the guide.

 

[ripnbigc]

That's a setup issue, the menu will let you decide what kind of guide you want.

 

[cwbuckley]

While I currently have D* and the HR20, I have had the 622. Which I liked very much. However the HR20 is not that bad. The one thing that I really like about the HR20, is that it has two ota tuners. While I believe the 622 only has one. I have had the HR20 for about 3 weeks now, so I am still learning, It records and plays back the stuff that I setup to record. The HD picture quality is great. I think that you will like the HR20 if you give it the chance.

 

[Sapient]

The general consensus among those who have both DVRs is that the 622 is far superior for most, but some will find the two OTA tuners on the HR20 to be important to them specifically. I can see that if you are in a market where you do not get HD locals. For most, the ability to record three shows at once is a better feature.

 

[Ronnie-]

Apparently they are replacing the HR20 with the HR21 soon which has no OTA so if you must switch and need OTA, I personally would do it sooner rather than later. Featurewise biggest loss on the hr20 is no 30-second-skip imo.

they arent replacing it. It is an additional model

 

[harshness]

I'm curious, this past weekend I was at my parents hours with the 622. When you press guide the show your watching goes away along with the sound. Is that a setup issue or does that typical? with the HR20 it goes into a little window while you scroll through the guide.

PIG may not show up for a few seconds, but it should be there. There may be a dependence on whether the receiver is operating in Single Mode or Dual Mode, but I don't think so.

 

[harshness]

they arent replacing it. It is an additional model

Given the model numbering scheme, I'm betting the HR20 isn't long for the world. I'm not sure I buy into it, but I did see a rumor about one version of the HR20 going away.

To me, the more OTA tuners, the better; especially in an environment where Ka band is involved.

When eSATA expansion (as opposed to replacement) finally gets implemented on the HR20, it will be a much more flexible machine.

 

[KwestJones]

Given the model numbering scheme, I'm betting the HR20 isn't long for the world. I'm not sure I buy into it, but I did see a rumor about one version of the HR20 going away.

To me, the more OTA tuners, the better; especially in an environment where Ka band is involved.

When eSATA expansion (as opposed to replacement) finally gets implemented on the HR20, it will be a much more flexible machine.

What is the advantage of having 2 OTA tuners?

 

[ats7627]

With 2 OTA tuners you can watch 1 OTA show while recording another, or record 2 OTA shows at the time.

 

[TulsaCoker]

With 2 OTA tuners you can watch 1 OTA show while recording another, or record 2 OTA shows at the time.

Which for me since is most of the recording I do is the networks.

 

[Ronnie-]

Given the model numbering scheme, I'm betting the HR20 isn't long for the world. I'm not sure I buy into it, but I did see a rumor about one version of the HR20 going away.

To me, the more OTA tuners, the better; especially in an environment where Ka band is involved.

When eSATA expansion (as opposed to replacement) finally gets implemented on the HR20, it will be a much more flexible machine.

Yes, i have heard Pace is going to stop making the 700, only so they can build the HR-21. However you still have the HR-20 100. Thats not going away for some time.

 

[harshness]

What is the advantage of having 2 OTA tuners?

If you live in a market with limited (or no) HD LIL support from your satellite provider, OTA may be your only option. There are two nights of the week where I'm recording two TV programs simultaneously and with the DISH Network receivers, you must subscribe to HD LIL to pull it off with a single receiver (assuming they offer HD LIL in your market).

Having a single OTA tuner is among the biggest weaknesses of the ViP receivers.

 

[harshness]

Which for me since is most of the recording I do is the networks.

+1