Advice Please

[solstars]

Hello. I have been a Dish customer for 12 years. I have a mix of mostly legacy equipment and I am looking to upgrade. I have a 301, 3005 (wow!) and a 508. My 508 is my primary receiver and the hard drive is dying, so I really want to replace it with a new HD DVR. I was looking at purchasing a new Vip 722, but will I have any issues? My current setup is a Dish 500 running to a SW64. I also have a 300 antenna pointed at the 61.5 sat, which is also connected to the SW64.

I have several coax lines running to the existing receiver location where the 508 is currently running, so enough wire is no problem.

My question is... will I have any issues running the 722 with my existing equipment? Also, would anyone recommend something other than the 722? I love my old 508, but I also love the idea of recording a different show than I'm watching. Should I upgrade my antennas or LNBs? Is it worth it?

Thanks in advance for imparting some wisdom. I have really not paid much attention to the changes in satellite technology since what I have has always... well, worked!

 

[garys]

All you would need to do is to run a second coax from the sw64 to the 722. You should also locate the receiver near a phone line or dsl hookup, it will save you $5 per month by getting the additional tuner fee waived. Only other thing you may want is to hook up an ota antenna and make use of the third tuner on the HD dvr. You can also switch the 722 to dual mode and run a second tv, you can remove one of the sd receivers and remove an additional receiver fee from your account.

 

[solstars]

Thanks. I already have a ethernet connection there for my media server, so I can easily connect the new receiver. Is the 722 a good unit? I haven't really heard anything good or bad about it. I know the 600 series had some issues.

 

[rcdallas]

722 just a bit better then the 622, as long as you have the two lines from your SW64 to where your 508 is, it's pretty much plug and play.

 

[VegasVoomer]

The 722 is a lot better than just good. I actually have two 622's but they are basically the same as 722. Never had a single problem with either of them. They are the one reason I will stay with Dish till the end. (especially since I own one of them)

 

[solstars]

Thank you for all of the feedback. I just ordered a brand new 722. I think I'm in for quite a shock when I see the new technology!

 

[dlsnyder]

The new 722k coming out later this month should be even better than the current 722. It will come with the new Dish 2-way learning remote and will be capable of recording from two satellite channels and two OTA channels, for a total four simultaneous HD recordings. Most people don't need to record that many shows at once but it is nice to have on those rare occasions that you want to. I still have a 508 which has become kind of erratic ever since the NBR update last year. Other than that it has been a solid, reliable unit. If you have the insurance plan Dish will still send you a refurbished one, if you would like to hang on to it and use it in another room.

 

[solstars]

I'm on my third refurb unit. The hard drives tend to last about a year. The new 722 sounds like way more than I need. I record my regular shows, and sometimes there are two on at once. It will be quite nice to be able to watch one while recording the other. I think that should hold me over for another 6 years until I upgrade again. The last receiver I bought new before the 508 was the DishPlayer. What a POS that was!