Lost functionality going from ViP to Hopper receiver

Pepper

DVR Addict~Mad Scientist
Supporting Founder
Mar 16, 2004
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Us ViP guys just are too optimistic. Comes with the territory of dealing with reliable receivers, I guess.
Reliable? No receiver I've ever owned, including the venerable ViP622, has been reliable until at least a year's worth of software updates.
 
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dare2be

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Reliable? No receiver I've ever owned, including the venerable ViP622, has been reliable until at least a year's worth of software updates.
Well, I'm on year 6 of my 722. Still going strong, from the very beginning. KOW
 

Troch77

SatelliteGuys Pro
Apr 4, 2015
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Southern PA
Well, I'm on year 6 of my 722. Still going strong, from the very beginning. KOW
You got lucky.
My longest lasting VIP was a 211, 3 years.
My longest lasting 722k, was 18 months.
My longest lasting 622 was 25 months.
My longest lasting 612 was 9 months, and 3 replacements of these in 12 months.

Directvs POC HR receivers out lasted those VIP DVR by 4 more years.
IMO the Hopper is far more reliable.
 

Tampa8

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Well, I'm on year 6 of my 722. Still going strong, from the very beginning. KOW

I know for the 612 the big key is to keep it cool. It is prone to overheating more than it should be, but making sure it is well ventilated has kept my receivers error free for a long time. If you live in hot climate and don't always use air conditioning a small computer fan works great.
Install dates for present receivers;
6/30/10 and 5/20/11 and going strong.
 

dare2be

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Yep, I thank SatGuys for the cooling tip, which I found out about even before I upgraded from my 625 to the 722 back in 2011. The Thermaltake USB fan works great!
 
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Troch77

SatelliteGuys Pro
Apr 4, 2015
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Southern PA
I shouldn't have to buy a cooling fan for a receiver.
Period...
Never needed one on any Tivo, HR, SA, Motorola receiver.

My receivers are placed at room temperature not enclosed.
If a receiver can't operate properly in a 68-74 degree environment without over heating well thats a poor design.
Dish supply you with the cooling equipment?
 

TheKrell

A mighty and noble race originating on Altair IV.
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Jan 4, 2007
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Never needed one on any Tivo, HR, SA, Motorola receiver.

I have never needed a cooling fan on any of my receivers either, though I have plenty of air around the sides. I've replaced both 612's and my owned 722 once. The replacements are lasting for years too. Your sad experience reported in post #26 is way outside of my experience. I think you must be jinxed. ;)
 
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Brussam

SatelliteGuys Pro
Nov 30, 2006
1,337
504
Sometimes you don't have the luxury of having a DVR is the open for air flow or having cabinet in a slide with thinner walls so a fan to assist the cooling of the DVR.

For the luxury folks, you would bitch about the fan noise if a fan were built in.
 
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Tampa8

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I shouldn't have to buy a cooling fan for a receiver.
Period...
Never needed one on any Tivo, HR, SA, Motorola receiver.

My receivers are placed at room temperature not enclosed.
If a receiver can't operate properly in a 68-74 degree environment without over heating well thats a poor design.
Dish supply you with the cooling equipment?

I shouldn't have to think about overheating with my Samsung Note 4, but it's the best Smartphone I have had, gets updated all the time and works tremendously well. But if I use the fast charger it gets too hot and some functions stop that are designed to when it gets too hot. So if I take off the back cover for those times I need a fast charge all is well. I shouldn't have to but considering how well the phone works no problem. Same with the VIP 612.
Further, as I said if you don't use air conditioning all the time and are in hot climate a small fan will work well. I don't use air conditioning often in Florida till late in the day most days, but the temperature in the house is near 90, which I don't mind or I am not home anyway. I don't think it is out of the question that the receiver needs something to cool it. If people didn't buy or use anything that didn't work 100% correctly they wouldn't buy almost electronic device. It's easier and probably allows the receiver and hard drive to last longer using the small fan than not using it even if it didn't get to the point of overheating.
 

KAB

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Sometimes you don't have the luxury of having a DVR is the open for air flow or having cabinet in a slide with thinner walls so a fan to assist the cooling of the DVR.

For the luxury folks, you would bitch about the fan noise if a fan were built in.

There ARE fans built in. Many threads about them being too loud. Some of us LUXURY folks have figured out how to compensate for it, being with ancillary fans...or common sense.
 

dare2be

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Here in Florida I'm lucky to keep the ambient indoor temperature at 78 in the summer, and summer lasts 6 months here. The external fan was necessary.

Without the fan, my 722 counters showed a high temp of 140, and would get occasional reboots. With it, it's 128.
 

Troch77

SatelliteGuys Pro
Apr 4, 2015
4,182
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Southern PA
You can stick with Dish networks 2nd worst Vip dvr.
I'll stick with the Hopper.
I have Numerous Samsung Galaxy phones, 4 at a time as a matter of fact, since 2011.
And Never have the needed a cooling fan..

The only Electronics that should needed a cooling fan, was some older and cheaper laptops, and the very first series PS3.
Again poor design.

A Dish DVR has no excuse to over heat under normal conditions unless its defective or poor design.
I don't care if your house is 100 degrees.

It doesn't help either when Dish recycled the crap out of these VIPs over and over and over again.
And still doing it 10 years later.
My first 622 and 211 were Refurbished this was back in 2007.
That was the first Red flag raised as a New customer.
I'm not even convinced dish didn't just take them out of a previous home, and just do a factory reset, and not even refurbish them at all.

Thats probably why there were so many POC VIPs floating around.
 
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Troch77

SatelliteGuys Pro
Apr 4, 2015
4,182
1,206
Southern PA
You guys don't like facts I know.

Yous can stick your cooling fan on your Highly sophisticated VIP 612 and 722 with your Huge 320GB and 500 GB hardrives.

I'll stick with my Hopper that has far more functionality and Hardrive, and stay cool all on its own.
 

Hall

SatelliteGuys Master
Feb 14, 2004
18,409
3,200
Germantown OH
A Dish DVR has no excuse to over heat under normal conditions unless its defective or poor design.
I have to agree with him from a technical standpoint. If the receiver doesn't function properly but adding, for example, auxiliary cooling, allows it to work properly, that's wrong. Does it mean it's poor design ? Not necessarily.... It could be that the receiver is located in the wrong location (the manual says not to put it in a closed space). The environment could be excessively dirty (dust, hair, etc) that gets sucked into the receiver impacting it's cooling design.

That said, a number of years ago, many members here, myself included, were adding USB-powered fans or placing our receivers on laptop cooling pads. Why ? Because a) the receivers felt hot and b) Dish included multiple, internal temperature readings and someone here determined what was "too hot" and lots of people ran with it, believing it to be true. Was it ? I've no idea.... Guess what Dish has done with the new user interface ? They're removed user-accessible temperature values.
 
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