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OK, your edited question makes much better sense. The answer is that Dish hasn't released any DVR Upgrade firmware for the 222/222k. It's only available for the 211/411/211k. I don't know why this is so.

The technical reason that has been posted somewhere around here is that the USB interface is not capable of handling the traffic that would be necessary to accommodate 2, 3, or 4 tuners during the simultaneous recording of new material and playback of previously recorded material. USB 2.0 only has 2 lanes of traffic. USB 3.0 doubles that and increases the speed dramatically.

I'm with RickDee, and have been saying this on past posts: Dish made a horrible mistake going with USB 2.0 for the 222/222K and I also believe that is why we haven't seen the DVR capability activated on these boxes. It may still be, but it is almost certainly going to be a diminished experience compared with the DVR with built in HDD.

What is so stupid about this is just about every other STB maker has gone with eSATA ports for external operations. Heck, even TiVo went with eSATA on its Series 3 way back in 2006. USB 2.0 is cheaper and ubiquitous, this is probably why Dish went with it for the 222/222K. Still, they should have known better.

Dish, please, tell us what your intentions are. I bought a 222 and 222K for its potential to function as a DVR, and now Dish is mum on the subject. Dish tell us if you made a stupid mistake sticking with USB 2.0 and the 222/222K will NEVER be a DVR, if that is the case. We need to know what to expect.

Why can't they offer a "degraded" operation of only TV1 recording/playing thru the limited USB pipe?
This would satisfy 90% of usage. Granted you couldn't use 2 DVR mode but you could DVR one channel and watch another. Isn't it true that one output is SD only, unlike recording 2 or 3 or 4 HD recording on the 622 series? There is a problem with auto switching like 622... single mode. Better some functionality than just saying sorry--did they even say that?
-Ken

KKlare said:

Why can't they offer a "degraded" operation of only TV1 recording/playing thru the limited USB pipe?
This would satisfy 90% of usage. Granted you couldn't use 2 DVR mode but you could DVR one channel and watch another. Isn't it true that one output is SD only, unlike recording 2 or 3 or 4 HD recording on the 622 series? There is a problem with auto switching like 622... single mode. Better some functionality than just saying sorry--did they even say that?
-Ken

Click to expand...

Well, I do expect a diminished DVR experience from the 222/222K when compared with the internal HDD models. However, it was perfectly reasonable for us to expect a 722/722K DVR like box with the 222's. After all the 222K has the optional module for 2 OTA signals. In every other respect, the 222's/K function like their internal HDD cousins. Otherwise we could have opted to buy 722/K's.

What has distressed us is that after telling us upon the introduction of the 222 that such box and the subsequent 222K YEARS ago, that they would be have DVR functionality enabled (they said 211 activation first, then 222's/K), we have heard ALMOST nothing, and we (yes, there are a fair number of us on this forum) have the reasonable suspicion that is the limitation of USB 2.0.

The last thing I did hear was on the Charlie Chat where they had that big outdoor BBQ touting its sports offerings, was Charlie commenting on the 211 DVR activation in response to a viewer question. Then he ventured into "murky waters" by adding that the dual tuner 222's/K would be next to also have DVR functionality, but that, " . . . we would need to send a software update, and--" Then Jim jumped in with a big "NO, now, wait. . . " But Charlie kept talking, "So, we can do that, we can turn it into a DVR, but we have to send a software update to make that happen---" all the time Jim was talking over Charlie as if to get him to stop talking or drown out what Charlie was saying. I have to admit while the moment indicated our worst fears about DVR functionality for the 222's/K, it was also a VERY funny, classic Charlie and Jim moment because it wasn't the first time Chuck had started to say something that was, indeed, planned and announced, but Jim would speak up and try to get Charlie to stop talking, but Charlie keeps talking and Jim has to drown him out or correct him and say something like, well, that's changed. Its gonna be this or that or that won't be until a few quarters from now, the engineers are working on it, etc.

So, we are left with Charlie saying YES, it will come, and Jim rather frantically trying to keep Charlie from saying that. INTERESTING.

Don't you think it would be nice if Dish would tell us something? I think that was the point of our posts, really.