Which Dual Tuner DVR to Buy?

[21st Hermit]

Been a while since I last posted and I've been out of the DVR loop for a long while, need a refresher course.

I have a Dish 501, 40-hour, DVR. I'd guess its ~7-years old, works well most of the time, occasional flakiness. I'd like to upgrade to a dual tuner DVR that I assume I'll purchase on eBay. Current Dish Network DVR offerings all seem to have a monthly fee attached.

I currently have a single cable running from my Dish 500 with two LNB's which "see" 110 and 119 satellites.

I need a RF remote solution, inasmuch as I have a small TV connected to the composite out. I'll only have one TV on at a time so the single DVR can feed both TV's.

What DVR should I purchase and what other cable/dish pieces do I need?

Thanks for any advice.
Hermit

 

[harshness]

I'd like to upgrade to a dual tuner DVR that I assume I'll purchase on eBay.

While you may find a 721 or a non-lease 522, all of the 625 receivers are leased.

Current Dish Network DVR offerings all seem to have a monthly fee attached.

Any DVRs other than the 501, 508 and 721 carry the DVR fee baggage.

Based on your criteria, your only choice to avoid a DVR fee is the 721. The 721 does not address the second television any better than your 501 does. Understand that the cost recovery will be about two years and you'll be saddled with some limitations in functionality that may or may not be acceptable.

You would also need to add a DishPro Plus LNB to get away with a single cable solution. One of those will extend your cost recovery by another 6-9 months.


If you go to DISH and ask for an upgrade, you can probably go to a 625 and the necessary support equipment for an additional $5.99 per month versus $200 up front to support "outdated" technology.

 

[21st Hermit]

If you go to DISH and ask for an upgrade, you can probably go to a 625 and the necessary support equipment for an additional $5.99 per month versus $200 up front to support "outdated" technology.

Can you expand on this statement?

Like I said, I've been out of the DVR loop a long time. I just know I can NOT watch live television anymore, its DVR or no TV. A quick check on eBay yielded 1 - 721 and a dozen 522's. If I understand your reply, even if I purchase a 522, I'll still pay the $6/mo tariff?

Many thanks for the reply. :
Hermit

 

[ccg3]

If I have said once, I'll say it again, If you get a receiver anywhere to purchase get the receiver number and call dish and ask if has a balance due on it or it belongs to dish. Otherwise you end up buying a paper weight.

 

[navychop]

Yes, I agree with the suggestion to lease a 625. It sounds like you're not in the market for HD.

I love my 721. In fact, I have loved all 6 of them that have passed thru my hands. They have known HDD and power supply problems. I still think well of my current one, although a few days ago it erased all the recordings on my hard disk. But I note that with the latest firmware release, my 508 is almost as good as my 721, except for not having a second tuner (a requirement for my main DVR). I don't think I'll ever again try to record anything particularly important on my 721. At least, not without also recording it on my 508 or ViP622.

You might look at the classifieds in this forum. There may be something there that appeals to you, at a good price.

 

[KAB]

If you think you may jump to HD in a year or so, I'd lease the 625.

 

[harshness]

A quick check on eBay yielded 1 - 721 and a dozen 522's. If I understand your reply, even if I purchase a 522, I'll still pay the $6/mo tariff?

You may have noticed in my previous post that I did not include the 522 in the list of DVR fee-free receivers. This was not an oversight on my part.

To be clear, the 510, 522, 625, ViP622, ViP722, 921 and 942 receivers all carry a DVR fee of $5.99 unless you subscribe to AEP.

The ViP series receivers also carry a $6 HD Enabling fee or a $20 DISH HD subscription.

 

[navychop]

Leasing a 625 from Dish makes sense. Who knows, maybe in a year Dish will only be sending out HD capable receivers (& may offer you an attractive upgrade option). They should be doing that now, to reduce costs of the eventual changeover to MPEG-4.

I wonder if they've considered: Subscribe to AT250 and guarantee a year at that level, and we'll send you a spiffy new ViP series receiver on lease. No extra charge if you don't subscribe to HD (yet). That, and moving all HD to MPEG-4, should leaven out the capitol expense of replacing current MPEG-2 receivers with MPEG-4 receivers.

 

[21st Hermit]

Yes, I agree with the suggestion to lease a 625. It sounds like you're not in the market for HD.

If you think you may jump to HD in a year or so, I'd lease the 625.

Bit confused here, both suggest the 625 for the opposite reason.

My take on HD is that it doesn't make a good story better, nor would it make a bad story watchable. I watch very little TV, mostly news and some sports (baseball and football). For every hour I watch TV, I'll be on the computer for ten.

Thanks
Hermit

 

[21st Hermit]

You may have noticed in my previous post that I did not include the 522 in the list of DVR fee-free receivers. This was not an oversight on my part.

To be clear, the 510, 522, 625, ViP622, ViP722, 921 and 942 receivers all carry a DVR fee of $5.99 unless you subscribe to AEP.

The ViP series receivers also carry a $6 HD Enabling fee or a $20 DISH HD subscription.

Bummer.

AEP is NOT an option, for the last two years I was happy enough with Family + Locals. Then the Rockies started winning and I had to add TBS (Top 100).

Thanks again, I read you loud and clear.
Hermit

 

[navychop]

Bit confused here, both suggest the 625 for the opposite reason.

My take on HD is that it doesn't make a good story better, nor would it make a bad story watchable. I watch very little TV, mostly news and some sports (baseball and football). For every hour I watch TV, I'll be on the computer for ten.

Thanks
Hermit

No, I think we're saying about the same thing.

Your best option for an SD DVR today is a 625. It is, frankly, the best HW for an SD DVR. Whether you buy or lease it, you will pay a DVR fee that did not apply to the 501, 508 or 721. There are no "new" 721s. Only refurbs, and they can be expected to get less and less reliable- they had a fairly short production run anyway. The other 2 are not dual tuners.

Buying MIGHT make sense in the long run, especially if this is your only receiver. But don't count on any residual resale value. As MPEG-2 receivers approach phase-out, and more programming shifts to MPEG-4, they will have little value. You could just ride it out to the bitter end. I planned on doing that with my 721 and 508, but I'm reconsidering. I might change plans in another year, or upon the next 721 failure. Heck, if they offered me a good deal on turning in the 721 toward an HD DVR, I'd probably do it.

So I suspect leasing a 625 makes more financial sense. You won't have any capital tied up in it (not that they're terribly expensive). And you will eventually be offered an upgrade to an MPEG-4 box, even if you don't subscribe to HD. Realistically, I think you can only count on holding out against subscribing to HD for a couple more years anyway, maybe 3. Too much will become available on HD, then they might just drop the SD versions (but the HD box will downconvert for SDTVs).

Then again, I don't think you CAN buy a 625. I think you can only lease it. Still might make more sense than buying a 5xx or 721 ($130+?).

 

[21st Hermit]

No, I think we're saying about the same thing.

Your best option for an SD DVR today is a 625. It is, frankly, the best HW for an SD DVR. Whether you buy or lease it, you will pay a DVR fee that did not apply to the 501, 508 or 721. There are no "new" 721s. Only refurbs, and they can be expected to get less and less reliable- they had a fairly short production run anyway. The other 2 are not dual tuners.

Buying MIGHT make sense in the long run, especially if this is your only receiver. But don't count on any residual resale value. As MPEG-2 receivers approach phase-out, and more programming shifts to MPEG-4, they will have little value. You could just ride it out to the bitter end. I planned on doing that with my 721 and 508, but I'm reconsidering. I might change plans in another year, or upon the next 721 failure. Heck, if they offered me a good deal on turning in the 721 toward an HD DVR, I'd probably do it.

So I suspect leasing a 625 makes more financial sense. You won't have any capital tied up in it (not that they're terribly expensive). And you will eventually be offered an upgrade to an MPEG-4 box, even if you don't subscribe to HD. Realistically, I think you can only count on holding out against subscribing to HD for a couple more years anyway, maybe 3. Too much will become available on HD, then they might just drop the SD versions (but the HD box will downconvert for SDTVs).

Then again, I don't think you CAN buy a 625. I think you can only lease it. Still might make more sense than buying a 5xx or 721 ($130+?).

You clearly have thought through this a great deal, you make a lot of sense.

I was unaware until today that Dish only leased DVR's, so I have to reset my parameters. My only other option is, heaven forbid, switch to the dark side. In either case satellite is my only option, terrestrial is so limited as to be a joke. Price one pays for a "Million Dollar View."

I received a Dish promo email yesterday, FREE DVR. No where in the fine print did it say $6/mo. Torques me off.

Thanks
Hermit

 

[navychop]

I'm sure D* and cablecos also have fees they don't advertise too clearly.

I strayed from my point in my last post. I'm basically saying that leasing a 625 might be the best option for you (if you want the dual tuner) whether you stay with SD or later upgrade to HD. It's PDG as an SD DVR. And you'll be well positioned if you some day choose to move to HD.

It would be a lot easier to decide these things if we knew the pace at which Dish will move to MPEG-4.

 

[nmoulton]

It is not true that Dish only leases DVRs. I currently have a 625 DVR which I purchased and therefore pay no monthly lease fee. I purchased more than a year ago, however a quick look at ebay shows new-in-box 625's still available for purchase.

Now whether it is a good idea to purchase rather than lease today, considering the possible end of life for MPEG-2, I'm not saying anything about that.

 

[navychop]

I'm not sure Dish will sell a 625 today. They might just lease them. You might buy them on EBay, but I don't see them at a couple of online stores I checked.

 

[21st Hermit]

It is not true that Dish only leases DVRs. I currently have a 625 DVR which I purchased and therefore pay no monthly lease fee. I purchased more than a year ago, however a quick look at ebay shows new-in-box 625's still available for purchase.

I noticed many 625's on eBay also. Curious, did you buy your 625 from Dish or elsewhere?

So your don't pay a monthly DVR fee to Dish Network?

Thanks
Hermit

 

[21st Hermit]

I'm basically saying that leasing a 625 might be the best option for you

I just got off the phone with a SR at Dish.

I'm looking at $149 up front, 18-month commitment, $100 rebate via a bill credit and $6/mo DVR fee as long as I remain a subscriber. I've been a subscriber for ~9 years. BTW, this is an installed price, worth something since I don't have the correct cable/LNB/switch combination.

So the possibility of purchasing a 625 is worth at least investigating. The whole MPEG-4 issue I see as a non-issue. Dish is not about to kill its subscriber base by obsoleting their set top boxes, that would amount to suicide.

Your thoughts,
Hermit

 

[osu1991]

I have always bought my receivers and still do. Dealers don't advertise the price because most people want them free or for very little, but you can buy them. I currently bought a 722 a few weeks ago for 300 from a dealer going out of business and also bought and sold my 522 and 625 and 622's. I currently still own 2 508's in addition to the 722. I just prefer to do my own installs and own my equipment so I am not tied to a certain level of programming if I don't want it for whatever reason.

 

[dishrich]

...all of the 625 receivers are leased.

NOT true at all - have 2 clients I know of bought them brand new off e-bay & own them, nor did they have ANY trouble activating them...

 

[nmoulton]

I bought my 625 from ebay brand new. Before purchase, I got the R numbers and verified from Dish that it was never activated and had no balance.

Right now I have the DVR advantage plan, with the Top 200, plus local channels. It includes the DVR fee for the 625. My total bill per month is 49.99.