A couple 522 questions....

Darth Dorn

New Member
Original poster
Mar 29, 2005
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  • From what I understand, there's no way to be in one room, recording something and watching something at the same time, in the same room, without having to do some tweaking beforehand, correct?
  • I think I read something where TV1 can be watching something, and TV2 can be recording something. These are just based off of the tuners, correct? So if I'm in my room, where TV1 will be, then I set it to record on TV2, the TV downstairs, and I can watch live TV up here.
  • Is it possible to control recordings from the downstairs TV if the unit is upstairs? My sister and I live together. It would be easy if she could select what she wants recorded herself, instead of telling me to set up a recording for something all the time.

Thanks guys.
 
Darth Dorn said:
  • From what I understand, there's no way to be in one room, recording something and watching something at the same time, in the same room, without having to do some tweaking beforehand, correct?
  • I think I read something where TV1 can be watching something, and TV2 can be recording something. These are just based off of the tuners, correct? So if I'm in my room, where TV1 will be, then I set it to record on TV2, the TV downstairs, and I can watch live TV up here.
  • Is it possible to control recordings from the downstairs TV if the unit is upstairs? My sister and I live together. It would be easy if she could select what she wants recorded herself, instead of telling me to set up a recording for something all the time.

Thanks guys.

1) You can record one show on TV1 while watching a recording previously made.

2) I think there is a way to record it on TV2 tuner from TV1 control but not sure. If so, then you can do what you want.

3) Yes. She can set up her own recordings. Either TV can see the recordings and play them.

Note that the tuners have a video as well as RF output so my TV2 output goes into the local TV connected to TV1 rf output so I can see both on one TV.

Someone posted the link to the manual. I have an MS in EE and still can'y understand their manual as far as the different options are concerned. If anyone can provide a clear simple explanation, I'd appreciate it.

John
 
jpezz said:
2) I think there is a way to record it on TV2 tuner from TV1 control but not sure.

This is a priority type setting, I believe the menu option to set this is labeled 'Record Plus'. What it does is set the preferred tuner to assign dvr events (recordings) to. There is currently not an option to specify that a timer / event be limited to using one specific tuner - read below for a better understanding.

jpezz said:
...I have an MS in EE and still can'y understand their manual as far as the different options are concerned. If anyone can provide a clear simple explanation, I'd appreciate it.

You've got to be kidding. I guess that's the difference between spending a fat chunk at a university vs. a two year jr. college. ;)

Here's my best stab at a clear, simple explanation.

The 522 has two distinct sattelite tuners, two distinct video outputs, and two distinct user modes. Each sat tuner is capable of tuning one channel and only one channel, which can also be recorded to the hard drive using the DVR functions. As long as you remember these fundamental limitations you should be able to understand how the thing works.

When in single user mode, the two sat tuners can be switched between by pressing the 'swap' button on the remote, and picture in picture functions are available. In single mode, both video outputs (TV1 and TV2) display the same video. In this mode, the user can record a program while watching another live program, and the user can switch between the programs or monitor both using PIP. I believe the UHF remote controls the tuner in single mode the same way as the normal IR remote does, but I may be wrong on this point.

When in dual user mode, the two sat tuners are dedicated to their relevant video outputs, as are the remotes to controlling their dedicated tuners. That means that each output can watch and / or record the output of of it's dedicated sat tuner. TV1's remote controls TV1's output exclusively, and TV2 controls TV2 likewise. TV2's remote communicates with the receiver via UHF enabling it to be used at greater distances than a normal IR remote without having line of sight to the reciever. This makes TV2 the ideal choice for use in a room other than where the DVR is physically located. For the sake of simplicity let's call TV1's output 'user 1', and TV2 'user 2'. When in this mode, if recordings are scheduled by either user that conflict with another recording (i.e. recording two different shows at once), the DVR will attempt to record the program on the other tuner. In effect, this can cause user 1's recording habits to impact user 2, since user 2 will be forced to watch whatever user 1 scheduled for recording, or they can cancel the recording manually. The opposite applies as well (user 2 recordings could impact user 1). There is a mechanism to provide priorities for conflict resolution, but for the sake of simplicity there's little use going into this. To summarize, in dual user mode when both sat tuners are being used to record two different programs, you have the option of watching what is being recorded on your dedicated sat tuner or you can watch another pre-recorded program from the hard drive, but you cannot watch another distinct sat channel (that would require another [set of] sat tuner). I also believe you can watch a recording that is in the proces of being recorded by the other tuner, but I'm not 100% sure on this point either. In a nutshell, with dual user mode you have two separate receivers that share the DVR functions. In certain social situations this could be the best of both worlds, and in other situations it could be a nightmare.

Now I doubt that cleared anything up for anyone, and I probably spread misinformation in the process, but I digress. Ultimately the best way to understand how the thing works is to use it for a couple weeks. If at the end of those two weeks you don't both love and hate it then you probably aren't utilizing all it's capabilities, and you should read the manual from cover to cover. :D
 
phat_bastard said:
This is a priority type setting, I believe the menu option to set this is labeled 'Record Plus'. What it does is set the preferred tuner to assign dvr events (recordings) to. There is currently not an option to specify that a timer / event be limited to using one specific tuner
If you want to specify which timer records on which tuner, turn off the Record Plus feature. Any timer created with the TV1 remote will always record on TV1 tuner -- same thing for TV2. Then your roomate can control TV2 while you control TV1. To avoid not having to watch whatever is currently recording, don't plan on watching live TV. Set up timers to record whatever you want to watch for the week, then watch the recordings later.
If you have an external antenna you can connect it to the DVR and switch to watching live local TV while the DVR is busy recording. If you're like most people you'll find that you hardly ever watch live TV anymore.
 
phat_bastard said:
When in single user mode, the two sat tuners can be switched between by pressing the 'swap' button on the remote, and picture in picture functions are available. In single mode, both video outputs (TV1 and TV2) display the same video. In this mode, the user can record a program while watching another live program, and the user can switch between the programs or monitor both using PIP. I believe the UHF remote controls the tuner in single mode the same way as the normal IR remote does, but I may be wrong on this point.
See, this is the part that gets me.

From what I understood, there was no way at all to be sitting in the room with the 522, and be watching one show while recording another simultaneously, whether you're in single user or dual user mode. So is this wrong? I can be watching one thing while recording another in the same room, on the same TV?
 
Darth Dorn said:
See, this is the part that gets me.

From what I understood, there was no way at all to be sitting in the room with the 522, and be watching one show while recording another simultaneously, whether you're in single user or dual user mode. So is this wrong? I can be watching one thing while recording another in the same room, on the same TV?

In Single Mode if you are watching the tuner doing the recording you just hit swap and you will be on the other tuner and watch what ever you want, any live channel, any previous recording or the current recording from any point in it.

In Dual Mode if you are watching the tuner doing the recording you have a couple of options to watch live tv.

1) Stop the recording then hit "record" and it asks which tuner to record to so you pick the other one and then your tuner is free to watch what ever you want, but your program is in 2 pieces. I don't know if the "record entire show" option still works when doing this as I always do the next option.

2) Put it in Single Mode hit "swap" then put it back in Dual Mode, now the recording is on the other tv and then your tuner is free to watch what ever you want. (you do have to switch modes from the front of the box though, my number one on my wish list to let us do this from the remote)

The main thing to remember is you have 2 tuners (not tvs but tuners) you can always use the tuners to:

watch 2 live feeds
or
Record 1 show and watch 1 live feed
or
record 2 shows.

Each of the 2 tv outputs allow you to, in Dual Mode, to watch the channel the tuner is on or a previously recorded show (even the same one).

Hope this helps,
Mike
 
After reading my previous post I need to rephrase a little.

With a 522 you are never watching a "live" feed, you are always watching a recording at least about 4 seconds old. So each of the 2 tuners can record 1 thing and each of the 2 outputs can watch 1 recording (a saved one or its tuners "live" recording).

Mike
 
522 Questions

We have had our 522 a few weeks, we got it through the upgrade I heard about here (thanks everyone).

Anyway with no effort in dual mode you can:
-watch something live on one TV while something else is recording.
-at the same time you can watch something recorded on a 2nd TV

you can watch 2 different things live on 2 TVs at the same time

you can watch 2 different recorded shows on 2 TVs while up to 2 shows are recording at the same time.

you can watch the same recorded show on 2 TVs at the same time without being "in sync"

What you can't do is be in a room where where something is recording and watch something else live without being in single mode. I understand that there is a receiver the 9** which with only 2 receivers will allow you to watch something live and record something at the same time on each of 2 TVs.

Hopefully that one will be offered next year as customer upgrade.

:)
 
Ok, so going through single mode, you can be watching something and recording something at the same time. That's one of the main things I was looking at. Thanks guys.
 
don't need to be in single mode

You don't have to be in single mode to watch something live while something else is recording. If you set your preferences correctly you can tell it which receiver to use for which recordings.

In our case we watch most of our TV in one room, so I set the receiver associated with the TV in other the room (call it TV2) to do most of the recording. This means that from TV 1, while the other receiver is busy recording I can watch either something live or something recorded. The only drawback is that if I happen to be in the other room (the room with TV2) and I wanted to watch something else live while TV2 receiver was recording I would have to get up and go into the other room where the actual receiver was to either watch in there or put the receiver into single mode and then go back into the other room and watch that way.
 
phat_bastard said:
You've got to be kidding. I guess that's the difference between spending a fat chunk at a university vs. a two year jr. college. ;)
Nah! The difference between being young and being at the point where the brain cells are leaking.

Here's my best stab at a clear, simple explanation.

The 522 has two distinct sattelite tuners, two distinct video outputs, and two distinct user modes. Each sat tuner is capable of tuning one channel and only one channel, which can also be recorded to the hard drive using the DVR functions. As long as you remember these fundamental limitations you should be able to understand how the thing works.
I got that much myself. Thanks. I have also cross-connected thins so I can watch TV2 output on TV1.

When in single user mode, the two sat tuners can be switched between by pressing the 'swap' button on the remote, and picture in picture functions are available. In single mode, both video outputs (TV1 and TV2) display the same video. In this mode, the user can record a program while watching another live program, and the user can switch between the programs or monitor both using PIP. I believe the UHF remote controls the tuner in single mode the same way as the normal IR remote does, but I may be wrong on this point.
Ok
When in dual user mode, the two sat tuners are dedicated to their relevant video outputs, as are the remotes to controlling their dedicated tuners. That means that each output can watch and / or record the output of of it's dedicated sat tuner. TV1's remote controls TV1's output exclusively, and TV2 controls TV2 likewise. TV2's remote communicates with the receiver via UHF enabling it to be used at greater distances than a normal IR remote without having line of sight to the reciever. This makes TV2 the ideal choice for use in a room other than where the DVR is physically located. For the sake of simplicity let's call TV1's output 'user 1', and TV2 'user 2'.
That I all understand as I have had 322s.
When in this mode, if recordings are scheduled by either user that conflict with another recording (i.e. recording two different shows at once), the DVR will attempt to record the program on the other tuner. In effect, this can cause user 1's recording habits to impact user 2, since user 2 will be forced to watch whatever user 1 scheduled for recording, or they can cancel the recording manually. The opposite applies as well (user 2 recordings could impact user 1). There is a mechanism to provide priorities for conflict resolution, but for the sake of simplicity there's little use going into this.
Aha! That is something I didn't know.
To summarize, in dual user mode when both sat tuners are being used to record two different programs, you have the option of watching what is being recorded on your dedicated sat tuner or you can watch another pre-recorded program from the hard drive, but you cannot watch another distinct sat channel (that would require another [set of] sat tuner).

That one I knew.
I also believe you can watch a recording that is in the proces of being recorded by the other tuner, but I'm not 100% sure on this point either. In a nutshell, with dual user mode you have two separate receivers that share the DVR functions. In certain social situations this could be the best of both worlds, and in other situations it could be a nightmare.
I've only used the dual mode.
Now I doubt that cleared anything up for anyone, and I probably spread misinformation in the process, but I digress. Ultimately the best way to understand how the thing works is to use it for a couple weeks. If at the end of those two weeks you don't both love and hate it then you probably aren't utilizing all it's capabilities, and you should read the manual from cover to cover. :D

Thanks for your help. You cleared up some things. I'll check the ability to use tuner2 from TV1 control as that's what I want to do.

The manual is confusing. I have read it. Sometimes all it takes is someone saying the same information in a different way.

JohnP
 
holman said:
After reading my previous post I need to rephrase a little.

With a 522 you are never watching a "live" feed, you are always watching a recording at least about 4 seconds old. So each of the 2 tuners can record 1 thing and each of the 2 outputs can watch 1 recording (a saved one or its tuners "live" recording).

Mike

Mike,

All Dish receivers are off by about 4 seconds the difference between the DVR's and NON DVR's is at most 1/10 of a second. The 4 second delay is inherent to the delivery system as Dish first receives the signal then processes it, encodes it, and then transmits it to you a total of 46,000 miles.

John
 

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