Another Dish Net sub thinking of jumping to Direct - Questions . . .

[treiher]

Hey guys, I've been a long time subscriber to Dish Network and am seriously thinking of making a switch. Their new Dual DVR fees are killing me. I've always liked the Dish Network equipment better than Direct, but the new HR24 receivers has me rethinking that. Have some questions though, and any input on this would be greatly appreciated!

Does the new HR24, or any of their receivers provide dual tuner support? In other words, can I watch TV while recording something else? With the Dish 722, you can actually record two shows simutaneously while watching something else. Just need to get an idea what the limitations are here.

Does the external Hard Drive need to be connected via eSATA only, or can you use a USB connection instead? Am I correct in reading that it then completely disables the internal hard drive, and runs excusively on the external? So if you have shows recorded on the internal hard drive, and then connect an external, can you move recordings from one to the other?

Wife is very concerned about being able to set up favorites list. It looks like the HR24 has that, what about the others? Can we create more than one list?

Is the OTA programming integrated into the guide?

 

[Jimbo]

Hey guys, I've been a long time subscriber to Dish Network and am seriously thinking of making a switch. Their new Dual DVR fees are killing me. I've always liked the Dish Network equipment better than Direct, but the new HR24 receivers has me rethinking that. Have some questions though, and any input on this would be greatly appreciated!

Does the new HR24, or any of their receivers provide dual tuner support? In other words, can I watch TV while recording something else? With the Dish 722, you can actually record two shows simutaneously while watching something else. Just need to get an idea what the limitations are here.

Does the external Hard Drive need to be connected via eSATA only, or can you use a USB connection instead? Am I correct in reading that it then completely disables the internal hard drive, and runs excusively on the external? So if you have shows recorded on the internal hard drive, and then connect an external, can you move recordings from one to the other?

Wife is very concerned about being able to set up favorites list. It looks like the HR24 has that, what about the others? We can do more than list?

The HR24 (as does all the HD DVRs) will allow you to record 2 shows at once, or record one show and watch another , or record two things and watch another already recorded item.

As for the External HD, the HR24 has a 500G HD in it.
If you want to use an External, remember that that will not allow them to merge, it's the internal OR the External, you can access both,but need to reboot to do it.

You would need to use a ESATA connection, they do not work with the USB.
The ESATA works faster than the USB

 

[bamaweather]

Wife is very concerned about being able to set up favorites list. It looks like the HR24 has that, what about the others? We can do more than list?

Is the OTA programming integrated into the guide?

All of the DirecTV receivers I've ever used (and that they would give a new customer) let you set up favorites lists. I believe you can do two (not sure if the new 24s let you do more than that).

OTA programming is integrated into the guide for full power digital stations, but different receivers handle OTA channels different ways. You may need an AM-21 add-on depending on the type of receiver you end up with.

 

[Murph74]

Treiher,

The jump was worth it for me. There are a few trade outs as kind of mentioned here already.

--No native OTA support, but a $50 module will fix that. I'm supposed to have on being sent this week, but isn't here yet.
--The record 2 shows, or watch one, record one is nice.
--Also, just one coax from the dish is nice.
--Whole Home DVR is nice too, but just depends on what your setup preferences are as D* charges for DVR service per house, not per unit- but WHDCR is a $3 charge. Works well though!
--RF remotes work better for me than E* RF remotes did.
--Package pricing is VERY favorable in my opinion. I'm now going to be averaging $48.08+tax per month for 24 months using a HR24 and H24 on the Choice Extra programming tier (after the $10/mo Free HD credit). That may go down to $40.08 if I drop the H24 receiver in the bedroom, and just mirror the HD24's output. Will likely keep the H24 tho, as it is powering my slingbox.
--D*'s On-Demand BLOWS AWAY anything I was able to do on Dish. Dish's On Demand (On Line) was slow and finicky. D* works almost as well as I've experienced playing with Cable.
--Maybe it's just the excitement of new service, but I really do think I see a more vibrant, colorful picture from Direct, on HD and SD sets.
--LOVE MLB TV ALREADY!!!

Haven't played with the other features yet, but I've found in quick form the community here is very helpful and very polar all at the same time. Not a whole lot of the frequent posting folks seem to appreciate the strengths of each company. lol Be happy to share my opinion with you on anything you may need as a sub who just switched this week!

Murph

 

[DodgerKing]

Treiher,

The jump was worth it for me. There are a few trade outs as kind of mentioned here already.

--No native OTA support, but a $50 module will fix that. I'm supposed to have on being sent this week, but isn't here yet.


Murph

The HR20 and H20 does have an OTA tuner built in.

 

[Murph74]

DodgerKing,

Not sure of the accuracy of my source, but my installer stated that all they were installing now were H24's and HR24's for new subs. I guess it's possible you could request the H20, or maybe it varies by area.

 

[treiher]

Thanks Murph74! Very helpful post. I'm a current subscriber to Dish Network Everything Package, but because I have a total of three HD DVR receivers, they are now hammering with a new $17 per extra receiver fee at $34 per month. It's ridiculous. Direct TV hardware has always been a barrier to me switching. Every time I visit someone's home who has Direct TV, I was always happy I had Dish. I've found the Direct TV receivers to be sluggish and not intuitive. But it sounds like this HR24 may be a game changer. I'm going to have to see if I can find a store that has one up and running so I can play around with it before I make the switch, but I'm pretty much there already. Moving to new home at the end of the month. Perfect time to switch!

 

[DodgerKing]

DodgerKing,

Not sure of the accuracy of my source, but my installer stated that all they were installing now were H24's and HR24's for new subs. I guess it's possible you could request the H20, or maybe it varies by area.

Doubt you will get it. You will have to purchase your own 20.

If they are installing 24's, I would not replace it with anything else. Even without a built in OTA tuner, the thing performs much better than the 20

 

[treiher]

Okay, thanks again for the responses on this. I'm getting closer to pulling the trigger. I have a few more questions.

1. Even though the new HR24 can provide whole house DVR functionality, I would assume that applies only to watching recorded programs or setting up recordings. But in order to get full DVR functionality (i.e. pause, skip foward, etc.) at each location, I would assume you need an actual DVR unit on that TV. Is this correct? Other receivers can't use the HR24 remotely to simulate DVR functionality?

2. If you have a 2nd DVR unit installed, is it able to access recordings on the whole house unit as well as it's own local hard drive? Are other units able to access both? Not sure how that works.

3. Can non HD receivers connected to a whole house setup access HD programs recorded on the HR24?

All this affects what hardware I request at install and how much upfront cost I will have. Thanks again for the feedback!