Buffer Question - ViP622

[navychop]

I sure don't want to see any deal with Tivo. I don't like them or their fees.

 

[DavidZ]

DavidZ, the TiVo is a better product (for this and other reasons) but I stick with the 622 because Dish provides much better HD programming than anyone else (especially compared to my local cable provider) and so I'm willing to put up with it.

That's exactly my logic.

As an extremely happy DirecTivo customer for over six years, I needed to upgrade my service to HD upon the purchase of my first HDTV earlier this month. DirecTV wants a 2-year commitment for an HD DVR that gets lousy reviews.

I opted for cable since there's no commitment. The PQ is very good, but the SA8300 is just not enough DVR for me and the HD programming is limited. So now I'll give the Dish/622 combo a try. (I paid the extra $50 to avoid any commitment.) If that doesn't work out, my only other option is to purchase the new TiVo and go with cable. I'm betting that I'll be satisfied enough with the Dish/622 combo, that I won't have to resort to cable/TiVo option.

 

[DavidZ]

FYI, I just got my new 622 and discovered the following.

When you watch a recorded show, the 622 deletes the buffer on the channel you were previously watching (as stated above). However, the buffer on the other tuner remains intact.

Try it yourself. Start with a full buffer on both tuners. Watch a recorded program. Stop the recorded program. The buffer on the tuner that comes on will be empty. However, if you hit PIP and then SWAP to the other tuner, you'll see that the buffer is full/intact.

The above assumes you're in Single Mode.

 

[jdr01930]

Quote:
Originally Posted by navychop
Actually, Garys said it. Just press the record button before you change channels.

Way too much of a nuisance. I shouldn't have to.

While I agree it would be better if the buffer didn't get dumped, that little one step process Gary recommends is wicked easy and painless. I do it all the time.

-----------------------------

However, the buffer on the other tuner remains intact.

Yep, you're learning the tricks!

The 622 isn't perfect, but I do love the thing!

 

[Edgar_in_Indy]

I just switched from Insight Cable's HD DVR (Motorola DCT6412) to the Dish 622. The 622 seems to be a pretty decent box (although a little over-hyped IMO) but the buffer-clearing does drive me crazy. On the Motorola, the buffer stayed intact on both tuners while you were watching a recorded program. I never realized how much I came to rely on those buffers until I started using the 622. I would love to see this feature added to the 622. Should be a simple fix.

Edgar in Indy

 

[DavidZ]

I just switched from Insight Cable's HD DVR (Motorola DCT6412) to the Dish 622. The 622 seems to be a pretty decent box (although a little over-hyped IMO) but the buffer-clearing does drive me crazy. On the Motorola, the buffer stayed intact on both tuners while you were watching a recorded program. I never realized how much I came to rely on those buffers until I started using the 622. I would love to see this feature added to the 622. Should be a simple fix.

Edgar in Indy

Exactly.

The people who say "just hit record before you change channels" simply don't know how to use this feature to avoid commercials and don't appreciate how useful it is to those who've figured it out.

Which is understandable. It wasn't until about a year after I bought my first TiVo until I figured out how to use it. But once you figure it out, you never want to go back. When I'm in a hotel room (ie, no DVR), it grinds me to have to watch commercials. My thumb gets very itchy every time a commercial comes on.

 

[articos]

That's exactly my logic.

As an extremely happy DirecTivo customer for over six years, I needed to upgrade my service to HD upon the purchase of my first HDTV earlier this month. DirecTV wants a 2-year commitment for an HD DVR that gets lousy reviews.

I made the same switch last year for many of the same reasons, and feel the same as bfootdav - Tivo's a better product, but I'll put up with a 622 that's 80% of what Tivo is for better programming, esp. since Tivo's no longer supporting the satellite market. The live buffers not "just being there" is still one of my main annoyances, but I live with it. The reason stated for the difference in how Dish's buffers work is they're using software to buffer, whereas Tivo uses hardware to accomplish the same thing. (i.e., it's less of a strain on the Tivo boxes to continually have the box buffering the streams to the drive using a dedicated chip, whereas Dish has to use the processor to do this.) And Dish just looks at tuners (and therefore buffers and how people use them) differently, with single/dual modes. Unofficially, I've also been told there's possible problems running a bit too close to Tivo's patents, but I don't necessarily know if that's true. The good thing about software is that they can continue to improve the code, which they've been doing...slowly.

Like what was said above, Tivo vs. the 622 is just a compromise...box/interface vs. programming/picture quality. I've stuck with Dish because I like the HD programming and the picture quality is (usually) better, although the 622 is buggier than DirecTivo ever was. Also important to me: Dish's customer/engineering support team actually cares and fixes things if they go wrong. It's not Tivo - not as intuitive by far, but it's the closest thing out there. It's a good box, you just have to figure out the shortcomings and readjust. I think it's better than DirecTV's HD/mpeg4 offering and offers more. The other thing you should be aware of is the frame step/trick play options on the 622 are broken for the moment. 30 sec skip works, but the step ahead a frame and back a frame are basically useless - they used to work, and the last software update broke them - it's something I've gotten used to with Dish - but supposedly they will be fixed soon. There are a couple posts that people have written here or on other boards that help explain the differences between the 622 and Tivo's and what the options are for workarounds for how the 622 works differently. Overall, you made a good choice - think you'll be happy with it. Great HD, good box, imho. I haven't looked back.

 

[riffjim4069]

The 622 is once of the few electronic gizmos that has lots of the wife acceptace factor (WAF) - she hated the SA8300HD DVR and won't touch the Sony HD DVR. The only problem she has with the 622 is that it won't buffer the last channels...especially since she's usually running a few minutes behind and sometimes someone changes channels.

Also, I wish E* would create a "Playlist" feature so we would queue multiple items to record to DVD overnight.