Could the vip722 really be this bad??

[usmaak]

Ok, this thing is either defective, or it's a steaming pile of crap.

I've had a Dish vip722 for about a week and a half now. At first I really liked it, but that didn't last very long.

When I'm fast forwarding or rewinding through shows I've recorded, it's not smooth. It FF or RW in blocks, the length of which depends on the speed of FF or RW. So you see a jerky picture. When you watch the time bar at the bottom of the screen, you can see it jumping in intervals. Now I wouldn't care about this, but when I push Play after a commercial, there is absolutely no good way of predicting where I'll end up in the show. I've ended up as far as five minutes farther ahead than I intended to. Then I have to rewind it and usually I end up behind. It's annoying as hell, and I almost NEVER end up where I actually want to when I press Play. And this isn't just a problem when FF/RW at high speed. It's a problem when I'm just FF/RW at X4.

Contrast this with my old TiVo series 2 where depending on the speed in which you're FF or RW, it will kick you back or forward a bit to get you approximately where you want to be. Man, I so miss my TiVo right now. That thing was beautiful compared to this thing.

Is this normal for this unit? Because if it is, it's so gotta go.

Another thing, and this could just be the HD broadcast. I get pixellation at odd times through shows. And it's not signal strength pixellation because my signal is fine. If I RW a bit and look at it frame by frame, I can see the pixellation and lines (on occasion) very clearly.

 

[ts7]

I've had a 722 since Oct and the only bad experience I have had with it was a lock up that took 3 power recycles (unplugging the unit) to come back - I thought the unit was a goner with that, but it has worked fine since.

When I FF or RW it does seem jerky (like watching a slide show in fast motion - my guess is it's skipping frames in blocks), but not nearly to the point of it being a problem for me. I usually use the skip buttons anyway - much faster.

As for pixellation, I have noticed some minor pixellation occassionally while watching something on DVR while both tuners are recording something else (all HD). Other than that, the only noticable pixellation seems to occur during bad weather. Keep in mind momentary interference will cause pixellation despite an otherwise strong signal.

If you have only had it a little over a week, I'm sure Dish would be happy to exchange it after you walk through the annoying scripted troubleshooting procedures. Humor them for 10 minutes or so and you will usually have a new unit within a couple days.

 

[DVDDAD]

You've got a bad 722. Mine works flawlessly. As the previous poster said, when you have twenty or thirty minute call dish and press the prompt for technical issues, then ask to speak with advanced technical support. They'll have you reboot and reset your reciever a few times and then finally offer to send you a replacement.

 

[usmaak]

You've got a bad 722. Mine works flawlessly. As the previous poster said, when you have twenty or thirty minute call dish and press the prompt for technical issues, then ask to speak with advanced technical support. They'll have you reboot and reset your reciever a few times and then finally offer to send you a replacement.

So when you FF or RW and press Play, you end up where you intend, not five minutes past it?

I'm thinking of building an apartment above my garage. That way they Dish techs have a place to stay whenever they need to come out.

 

[peterson40]

just use the 30 second skip.... and 15 second back button... I like that better than the old tivo I have..

 

[usmaak]

just use the 30 second skip.... and 15 second back button... I like that better than the old tivo I have..

That doesn't seem to work all that well either sometimes.

But I should be able to use it the way it's supposed to be used. They should have something like TiVo where it bumps you back a bit depending on how fast you were going.

 

[yaz96]

They should have something like TiVo where it bumps you back a bit depending on how fast you were going.

SO, you want to give Tivo another reason to sue?

Sounds like you're just used to using the Tivo and have not gotten accustomed to the 722 yet. Maybe try not FF so fast, or as the other posters suggested, use the 30 second skip forward, and 7 second reverse.

 

[usmaak]

SO, you want to give Tivo another reason to sue?

Sounds like you're just used to using the Tivo and have not gotten accustomed to the 722 yet. Maybe try not FF so fast, or as the other posters suggested, use the 30 second skip forward, and 7 second reverse.

If I could have gotten a TiVo that would do HD with Dish, I'd have done it in a heartbeat. I love TiVo.

I've tried it on as slow as X4, which is the slowest it goes, I think.

So I've gotten a vote for it's defective and vote for it's not defective.

 

[mattopia]

But I should be able to use it the way it's supposed to be used. They should have something like TiVo where it bumps you back a bit depending on how fast you were going.

TiVo patented that little jump. My Scientific Atlanta DVR from the cable company didn't have the jump either.

I must admit I really miss my series3 TiVo, but the transition has been much less painless than I thought it would be. I find the skip buttons quite helpful.

 

[haertig]

Contrast this with my old TiVo ...

I'm thinking of building an apartment above my garage. That way they Dish techs have a place to stay whenever they need to come out.

They should have something like Tivo...

If I could have gotten a TiVo...

I love TiVo.

No offense intended, but I respectively submit that you will never be happy with the 722 or with Dish.

Save yourself some headaches. I think you should get ... a Tivo.

 

[usmaak]

No offense intended, but I respectively submit that you will never be happy with the 722 or with Dish.

Save yourself some headaches. I think you should get ... a Tivo.

And no offense to you, but you don't know me and have no idea what you're talking about. Glad you can make a judgement based on a couple of posts about an issue I'm having though.

Have I had to have a lot of tech visits? Yes. But they were valid issues.

Am I unhappy with the FF/RW on my current vip722? Yes. But I hope that it can be fixed.

Do I love TiVo? Yes I do. Would I get TiVo if I had Cable? Yes I would. But that doesn't mean that I wouldn't be happy with something else that worked.

Nowhere did I say I'm displeased with Dish. It's taken them a while, but they've gotten things pretty much straight for me. It hasn't been the easiest journey, but nothing really is anymore.

 

[RandallA]

And no offense to you, but you don't know me and have no idea what you're talking about. Glad you can make a judgement based on a couple of posts about an issue I'm having though.

Have I had to have a lot of tech visits? Yes. But they were valid issues.

Am I unhappy with the FF/RW on my current vip722? Yes. But I hope that it can be fixed.

Do I love TiVo? Yes I do. Would I get TiVo if I had Cable? Yes I would. But that doesn't mean that I wouldn't be happy with something else that worked.

Nowhere did I say I'm displeased with Dish. It's taken them a while, but they've gotten things pretty much straight for me. It hasn't been the easiest journey, but nothing really is anymore.

Then get a Tivo! Sounds like you're just missing a feature that the Tivo has and the 722 doesn't. BTW, I don't see anything wrong with haertig's post.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I've had both a stand alone series two tivo and all the dish dvrs from the 7100 -722 and I perfer the 722 dvrs much better than the tivo. So does CNET evidently as they rated it better than Tivo. THe skip buttons or easy to use , 30 second skip forward and 10 second skip back. I use it hundreds of times a day since I don't watch live tv. I do perfer Tivos search features much better than DISHs because the DISH search features do not allow you to type everything you need to do a search on long titles. I sold my Stand alone Tivo to a friend about 2 or 3 years ago. I think it is a manner of adjusting to the DISH interface as opposed to the Tivo. You will learn to adjust with time and continued usage.

 

[usmaak]

Then get a Tivo! Sounds like you're just missing a feature that the Tivo has and the 722 doesn't. BTW, I don't see anything wrong with haertig's post.

My problem with his post is that based on a few posts by an individual who's unhappy with the way a piece of equipment is currently working, he felt the need to analyze me and state that I "will never be happy with the 722 or with Dish", when in reality, I'm fine with Dish and I just want to make sure that my DVR isn't defective in some way. I didn't come here for an analysis of my personality. I simply came here to find out if the 722 I have at the moment is defective to determine if it needed to be returned for a new one.

 

[Van]

If the 4X FF/RW is blocky then its a faulty receiver so call and get it replaced. The commercial skip is good in theory but the reality is that commercials run in 10,15,20,30,45,60,90,120 second lengths and some go further and some run less than 10 seconds, that being said the skip does work and a simple quick bump on RW and quick bump on play works fine. The 4X FF/RW should be smooth but fast and anyone that has a dvr/pvr on here can atest to that.

 

[AriesGodofWar]

Maybe it is a learning curve coming from the Tivo. I never had Tivo, but my 622 10 sec RW/30sec FF jump works perfectly. Never had a problem and it seems intuitive, so much so, even my wife has them figured out and can jump and reverse without issues or having to ask for help. I would say all in all, the 622/722 box is one of the main things keeping me with Dish. For me and the family, I have not seen anything out there that would suit us better.

 

[ts7]

My problem with his post is that based on a few posts by an individual who's unhappy with the way a piece of equipment is currently working, he felt the need to analyze me and state that I "will never be happy with the 722 or with Dish", when in reality, I'm fine with Dish and I just want to make sure that my DVR isn't defective in some way. I didn't come here for an analysis of my personality. I simply came here to find out if the 722 I have at the moment is defective to determine if it needed to be returned for a new one.

Unfortunately I've found there are many on this list that seem to take pleasure in judging others, putting others down or simply insulting them. Sometimes this is in response to posters who are clearly jerks, sometimes it is unintentional, but it happens never-the-less. However such is the nature of a public forum and a small price to pay for the right to exercise free speech!

With that said, I believe your initial question has been answered ... it does not appear that the unit is working correctly, or at least not as you expect that it should. In either case, only Dish tech support can provide any conclusive answer, so it doesn't make much sense to argue any further. Once you've talked to Dish, I would be curious to find out the resolution offered - that could be useful to others that may be experiencing similar frustration. Best wishes and good luck!

 

[Walker1]

Ok, this thing is either defective, or it's a steaming pile of crap.

I've had a Dish vip722 for about a week and a half now. At first I really liked it, but that didn't last very long.

When I'm fast forwarding or rewinding through shows I've recorded, it's not smooth. It FF or RW in blocks, the length of which depends on the speed of FF or RW. So you see a jerky picture. When you watch the time bar at the bottom of the screen, you can see it jumping in intervals. Now I wouldn't care about this, but when I push Play after a commercial, there is absolutely no good way of predicting where I'll end up in the show. I've ended up as far as five minutes farther ahead than I intended to. Then I have to rewind it and usually I end up behind. It's annoying as hell, and I almost NEVER end up where I actually want to when I press Play. And this isn't just a problem when FF/RW at high speed. It's a problem when I'm just FF/RW at X4.

Contrast this with my old TiVo series 2 where depending on the speed in which you're FF or RW, it will kick you back or forward a bit to get you approximately where you want to be. Man, I so miss my TiVo right now. That thing was beautiful compared to this thing.

Is this normal for this unit? Because if it is, it's so gotta go.

Another thing, and this could just be the HD broadcast. I get pixellation at odd times through shows. And it's not signal strength pixellation because my signal is fine. If I RW a bit and look at it frame by frame, I can see the pixellation and lines (on occasion) very clearly.

I have the 722 since August and I have no problems with FF or RW @ any speed. The 722 is a workhorse that is flawless. I belive you have a bad unit. With Dish you have 30 days to change the unit out for another one. I also had to get a tech out here as the sub contractor didn't install the dishes accurately. I also think your HD is bad in the 722. I FF sometimes @ the 300X speed & it's smooth.

I would only trade the 722 in if they come out with a DVR that has more storage capacity, say 500 hrs. or more.

 

[Indiana627]

TiVo patented that little jump. My Scientific Atlanta DVR from the cable company didn't have the jump either.

Can't be completely patented since D* HR2x series have had this feature since last fall. It was horrible not having that feature as I came from a Directivo and was very use to it. Life got a little better when D* added it to the HR2x.

 

[Ganthet]

I also read that the jump-back feature was a Tivo patent. I'd guess the D* and Tivo agreement includes the authorization for D* to use a few of Tivo's patented processes.

usmaak,
Since your 722 is so new I say get it replaced. However as a former Tivo user myself I will warn you you're in for a period of adjustment. I went to a ViP622 about a year and a half ago after using a Tivo for 4 years. It took about 3 months for me to stop cursing the 622 and appreciate it.

The lack of a skip-back feature does suck and I still prefer the Tivo search process to the 622's. Despite those 2 minor gripes I absolutely love my 622 and have had virtually no issues with it (I went through 3 Tivo's due to Hard drive failures).

If you choose to give it a little time I think you'll adjust and realize, like I did, that just because it's not the same as Tivo doesn't mean it's not as good.