Can’t Recommend Dish 922 Receiver

mpeltz

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Apr 11, 2005
207
6
Atlanta
I’ve been meaning to write this report for a few weeks, but haven’t had the chance. I previously leased a Dish 722 (not the k receiver) and a 942 before that. Used to own one of the original Slingboxes, but that unit died on me. That’s another story. Oh, and I used to own DirecTiVo before that.

When I heard about the 922, I was very excited. A built-in Slingbox, 1 terabyte of space, new UI, web browser…who could ask for anything more. Prior to the announcement of the 922, I was contemplating a 722k with the OTA module that provided the capability to record two OTA shows at once. You could add a Slingbox to the 722k and add a 500GB external harddrive; however, the convenience of having one box instead of 3 made sense.

Before I get into all the issues, I wanted to start by stating what I like about the 922.

PROS
  • 1 Terabyte hard drive – Nice, very nice. Not much more to say about this.
  • One box that includes Sling – It’s very convenient not having to have yet another power cord and running wires between the two boxes.
  • Improved Visual Design with the “tiles” interface – It’s looks better than my 722, but don’t confuse that with better usability. I’ll discuss the usability issues in the CONS section.
  • Fast performing guide and menu system – What I’ve always liked about Dish receivers is how fast the guide, menu system, adjusting timers, etc. is. Much faster than my old DirecTiVo. Though it’s not any faster than my 722.
CONS
  • Not stable and missed recordings – The 922 misses recordings from time to time. There no discernible patters to this. For example, the show 24 recorded last week, but did not record the week before. I’ve had other shows that just won’t record from time to time. Also, sometimes the receiver with freeze or lock up for some reason, requiring a reboot.
  • No web browser – Yes, I know this will come some day, but it should be mentioned.
  • Ability to record duplicate ‘new’ shows – On the 722, I would typically record the OTA and satellite episode for all ‘new’ versions of the show. I recorded the satellite version of the shows as a backup in case the OTA signal failed for some reason. The 722 allowed you to not only record a duplicate show, but all duplicate shows with one click. Just to clarify, I don’t want reruns, just duplicate ‘new’ shows. Now with the 922, I have to go through the schedule list and select each show one at a time and mark the duplicate show to ‘record this.’ Again, on the 722, you could mark ‘record this and all duplicate shows.’ Very time consuming to do this week after week.
  • Ability to delete history items - On the 722, you could select one or more search history items and delete that from the list. Otherwise, the list gets polluted over time. Even my TiVo had the capability to save a search and/or delete it.
  • Usability of Search History – When I first started playing with the 922 and search, I couldn’t even figure out how to get to search history. I had to go online to ask if this feature was removed. Turns out, it’s buried at the bottom of the search type droplist menu. If you search for something, it takes several clicks to get back to the history. On the 722, you could easily get back to it with one click because there is a big “History” button right on the screen.
  • No manual recordings – Not sure why they removed this feature.
  • Unable to use the numeric buttons to access menu functions – On the 722, you could navigation the menu tree using the numeric buttons on your remote. For example, if want to access Closed Captions after selecting Menu, you press 9-6-1 (or something like that). On the 922, you can’t do that. You end up having to press the arrow keys to navigate. It now takes more than 15 sequences to turn captions on/off. Speaking of which, when will Dish have an option to turn captions on/off with one button press. We’ve been asking this for many years.
  • Built-in Slingbox can’t get to menu functions such as OTA (local channels) signal strength - I was trying to adjust my OTA antenna and use the Sling as way see the OTA channels signal strength without having to run up and down from the attic to the living room. I used to do this when I owned a separate Slingbox. All the Menu options were available with the separate box. On the 922, many menu options are removed.
CONCLUSION
I know some of these things sound small but when you add all these up, it makes a big difference. Bottom line is that it takes me longer every week to baby sit the 922 than the 722. It doesn’t make sense why some of features are removed. I’ve been hanging out at these forums for years and no one has demanded that these features should be removed.

Unless you really think you need the future 922 features, my advice is to go with the 722k (plus OTA module) with an external Slingbox and a 500GB external drive. Thanks for letting me vent.
 
I have had the 922 since May 6th. Here is my summary .

Works fine for recording shows, both ota and satellite. Have had no real problems in doing so after the first couple of days. The dvr functions seem faster to me than the 722k I had before. Not crazy about the cursor and I miss the ability to hit skip in the guide and go 24 hours to see what is coming on tommorrow. Do like the channel logos.

Manual recordings would be nice to have again , because it takes more timers to do what I used to do with one manual. For example I would record all 4 comedies on Monday night on CBS and now I have to create 4 timers to do the same thing. I also miss the ending of the shows because it runs into the next half hour block. So I have to watch each show in order to catch the ending on the beginning of the next show. For the last one I have to watch Csi Miami to catch the ending of BIG BANG THEORY.

And what happened to DISH PASS? It was also nice to be able to create a DISH PASS timer to catch future shows that aren't in the system yet, that you hear about coming on commercials.

I miss my archive ability with the external hard drive. I have to transfer the shows off of my ex hard drive to be able to even watch them. This feature has worked for quite a while on the 622/722/722k receivers , can't get it to work on the 922?


As for the sling functions compared to stand alone sling boxes, I can't compare because I have never had sling. It works on my computer just fine , but I found out my internet provider ATT , doesn't provide enough mbps to do hd video. SO today I am getting Time Warner Cable to install .

As for the web browser , I feel we will get it when Google search feature will come to DISH this fall. I am hoping that the apps that come available will include netflix or blockbuster, hula , etc. Doubt we will see them due to DISH not allowing them due to competition, but it would be nice to use the 922 as a true media hub for all video content.

IN conclusion the 922 is a very good dvr, but not as good as the 722k was with it's full developed features. Now I am hoping that this will change this summer when more features are added. But I haven't received a new software update in 3 weeks. Come on DISH , where are the new features ya'll are supposed to add?
 
... Not crazy about the cursor and I miss the ability to hit skip in the guide and go 24 hours to see what is coming on tommorrow...

Have you tried setting the cursor color to "Invisible" in Settings? That's the only one I didn't try myself, but I did see it on the list.

Cheers,
Steve
 
Yes I did, but I couldn't really tell what I was on without the cursor showing. Seems to be the only way to make it work .

Have to admit that I got a chuckle out of seeing a UI with a cursor (that's really no more than an enhanced focus indicator) than can be turned off!
 
Unless you really think you need the future 922 features, my advice is to go with the 722k (plus OTA module) with an external Slingbox and a 500GB external drive. Thanks for letting me vent.

I didn't want to buy a receiver(722k), so the choice was lease the 722k without newer stuff for a year or lease the 922 now and grow with it.
I would rather start with the newest and watch it grow that pick up the old stuff and watch it slowly die.


M
 
I would definately recommend the 922. I love it. I've had mine for a year though. The UI is awesome. I think the search function is amazing. The TB hard drive should be standard with DVRs, soooo much space.
 
I have had the 922 since May 6th. Here is my summary .

Works fine for recording shows, both ota and satellite. Have had no real problems in doing so after the first couple of days. The dvr functions seem faster to me than the 722k I had before. Not crazy about the cursor and I miss the ability to hit skip in the guide and go 24 hours to see what is coming on tommorrow. Do like the channel logos.

Manual recordings would be nice to have again , because it takes more timers to do what I used to do with one manual. For example I would record all 4 comedies on Monday night on CBS and now I have to create 4 timers to do the same thing. I also miss the ending of the shows because it runs into the next half hour block. So I have to watch each show in order to catch the ending on the beginning of the next show. For the last one I have to watch Csi Miami to catch the ending of BIG BANG THEORY.

And what happened to DISH PASS? It was also nice to be able to create a DISH PASS timer to catch future shows that aren't in the system yet, that you hear about coming on commercials.

I miss my archive ability with the external hard drive. I have to transfer the shows off of my ex hard drive to be able to even watch them. This feature has worked for quite a while on the 622/722/722k receivers , can't get it to work on the 922?


As for the sling functions compared to stand alone sling boxes, I can't compare because I have never had sling. It works on my computer just fine , but I found out my internet provider ATT , doesn't provide enough mbps to do hd video. SO today I am getting Time Warner Cable to install .

As for the web browser , I feel we will get it when Google search feature will come to DISH this fall. I am hoping that the apps that come available will include netflix or blockbuster, hula , etc. Doubt we will see them due to DISH not allowing them due to competition, but it would be nice to use the 922 as a true media hub for all video content.

IN conclusion the 922 is a very good dvr, but not as good as the 722k was with it's full developed features. Now I am hoping that this will change this summer when more features are added. But I haven't received a new software update in 3 weeks. Come on DISH , where are the new features ya'll are supposed to add?

Mike you can skip ahead 24 hours on the guide on the 922 just hit guide then just hit fwd button and it will skip ahead 24 hours and you can keep doing it for each day.:up:)...hope it helps mike let me know how it works for you thats how it works for me.
 
Mike you can skip ahead 24 hours on the guide on the 922 just hit guide then just hit fwd button and it will skip ahead 24 hours and you can keep doing it for each day.:up:)...hope it helps mike let me know how it works for you thats how it works for me.

Yes it works and thanks for the tip, but I don't see why they didn't keep this feature on the skip button so the different DISH receivers couldn't be more uniform in their use.
 
I too am not recommending the 922 at this time to my friends and relatives. It is slightly unreliable. It also needs features to work:

1. It does miss recordings every now and then for no reason I can figure out. I am sure they will eventually fix this bug, but it seems to be a 2-3% chance (1 out of 30-40 timers). I do not trust it as the only recording device yet, I have a backup 622.

2. Some of the screens have inaccessible buttons. Like you cannot see the recording schedule and select show skipped programs (you can see it partially but the complete list is only accessible through timers).

3. Sling in HD does not work unless you want to go through Dish network's web site. You can use the old SD sling program, but the new HD one refuses to recognize the 922.

4. The HD sling catcher is not released. And who is to say that the 722k/sling will not end up actually being a better system than the 922? We will have to see what happens, hopefully in June.

5. There is some random flakiness

Now I am sure that eventually Dish will fix most the problems. Then I will see if I would recommend it over the 722k/USB sling box combo.
 
No manual recording? Does that mean I can't record any OTA subchannels that don't have any guide information on them?
 
No manual recording? Does that mean I can't record any OTA subchannels that don't have any guide information on them?

You cannot set a timer to record a specific channel for a specific time. Well I take that back, you can set it on the web site and it will appear in the schedule, but the recording will not be made. There is no way to do it from the receiver.
 
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