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

[bxl4]

I agree!

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.]

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]

Why?

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]

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]

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....

 

[dishcomm]

What's the point of this receiver??

Many people now have more than one HDTV in their home. Dish allows only one dual tuner HD DVR on the DHPP promo. MY theory is that Dish will allow two 612's on one account. Thus the user can have two DVR's in HD for their two HD tv's..We'll have to wait and see how this shakes out.
Yes I realize the 612 is a also a dual tuner. But the difference is it designed to be connected to just one tv..

 

[RobP]

What does this bring that the 622 doesn't? Unless it will do HD VOD, but VOD is a crock, and satellite VOD even more so, so the answer appears to be nothing. So why not give everyone a 622? There's no telling when someone might want to add a second TV.

alot of cust think that since they have the 622 that controls two tvs they think that it controls two HD tv's. the 612 is for cust with multiple HD tvs. that way they have one rcvr per tv that can record one thing and watch another. theres alot of customer that call in upset because they thought there new 622 could control both of there hd tvs, thats why there making the 612. thats what i think

 

[RobP]

What does this bring that the 622 doesn't? Unless it will do HD VOD, but VOD is a crock, and satellite VOD even more so, so the answer appears to be nothing. So why not give everyone a 622? There's no telling when someone might want to add a second TV.

Many people now have more than one HDTV in their home. Dish allows only one dual tuner HD DVR on the DHPP promo. MY theory is that Dish will allow two 612's on one account. Thus the user can have two DVR's in HD for their two HD tv's..We'll have to wait and see how this shakes out.
Yes I realize the 612 is a also a dual tuner. But the difference is it designed to be connected to just one tv..

your allowed to have upto 4 tuner on your acct wheather it be 4 single tuner or two dual tuners and that only applies to leased equipment. IF you own the equipment you can have what ever you want. under any promo

 

[bbtkd]

More info today - the 612 will count as one receiver on your receiver count

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).

Just heard from a Dish CSR today that the 612 will count as one receiver for your receiver count. I forgot to ask them to confirm that it will be HDMI only. I'd like to swap out my 622 for a 612 so I can get a 612 in my bedroom, but I only have component in the living room. Anyone confirm definitively whether the 612 has component? Anyone have a picture of the back panel?

 

[hrxtreme]

I'd put my money down on there being component connections.

 

[jacmyoung]

Just heard from a Dish CSR today that the 612 will count as one receiver for your receiver count. I forgot to ask them to confirm that it will be HDMI only. I'd like to swap out my 622 for a 612 so I can get a 612 in my bedroom, but I only have component in the living room. Anyone confirm definitively whether the 612 has component? Anyone have a picture of the back panel?

Unfortunately this comes a little too late. I am soon to switch to DirecTV with 4 HDDVRs. Had DISH out with this 612 sooner...

 

[PIXIESTICK2003]

Here's a pic.....it does indeed have component!

 

[hfthomp]

Are these out yet? I'm a current cable subscriber looking to escape from the hell they've caused me. I would like to have 2 dual tuner HD-DVRs, one in my living room and one in my bedroom. Does Dish allow this?

 

[nmfiredawg]

Does the 612 have to be connected to a phone line? My 622 is but right now my 301 isn't (Acutally still sitting in the fifth wheel). I want to get a HD one for the bedroom instead of just channel two from the 622.