EXCLUSIVE - DishPlayer DVR 522 Review!

[AppliedAggression]

A couple more questions if you still have the unit. Can you have more than 4 custom favorite lists? Also how is the guide and search, are they as slow as the 508, or more comparable to the 301? If you have some time, i'd also like to see a screen capture of the timers screen. Thanks for anything you can answer.

 

[Stargazer]

The 522 is probably black to distinguish it from a 721. The IR is the same that is used on the receivers since the first generation ones came out. The UHF remote uses a different frequency to extend the range of the remote to control from a further distance.

 

[beejaycee]

Ya know, even taking everything into account from this less-than-favorable review, I would still have paid for the "privilege" of owning and using (and, thus, beta-testing) a 522. I would not even have griped about the $5/month DVR fee even though I don't have it on my 501. (Well, I would not have griped very long.) I set a price-point of $400 and a time-limit of Nov. 1. Considering the length of time E* has been promising us this equipment, I don't think either of those were unreasonable. Instead, an installer is coming to my house today (on Sunday, no less!) and I will have 2 DTivos by noon plus my locals for the first time. Final cost for 2 dual-tuner Tivos, a plain-jane receiver, and a new dish is <$200.

Hopefully, this is the closest I will ever get to bashing E* because I like E*'s service and have a lot of respect for "Charlie the rebel" but I feel like they really let me down. And once I go, I will NOT pay $25 for the privilege of being reconnected to come back (to me, that is a slap in the face) so I am gone for good.

 

[AJF]

I really wish they could have have implemented both tuners to have UHF capability. Why make the 501/508/721 have UHF capability when they were going to be primarily used in the same room if it was going to be the same case with the 322/522 yet having it as IR instead? It dont make sense (except Dish is cheap, didnt want to spend the extra money to have UHF on the first tuner where it was UHF on the 501/508/721).

I'm sure you heard me ranting about this on other threads . Even more frustrating is that they added the agile modulators . With that you could send the outputs on different channels and send the signal to all your TV's so that they could all access each tuner . I wanted to get 2 units so that all 4 of us could be viewing any receiver from any TV . BUT NO ! You can only control 1 with UHF remote . How stupid .

This is what happens when products are designed in-house to save money .

 

[AppliedAggression]

This is what happens when products are designed in-house to save money .

They're not.

And it looks like if you bought 4 non-pro UHF remotes, you'd be able to control either tuner with them, in anywhere in the house.

 

[AJF]

This is what happens when products are designed in-house to save money .

They're not.

And it looks like if you bought 4 non-pro UHF remotes, you'd be able to control either tuner with them, in anywhere in the house.

How do I control the TV 1 receiver from any where in the house using a UHF remote if TV 1 is IR only AppliedAggression ?

 

[AJF]

Also, when I say they are designed in-house I mean that they are made to Dish's specs . So if both rec's aren't UHF , it's because Dish thought it was not necessary, probably just to save a few bucks .

 

[Stargazer]

I would think that those agile modulators would cost more than adding dishpro-uhf 200 foot range capability to the first tuner would. I doubt that adding the UHF capability costs that much anyways. They could at least offer a dishpro pyramid upgrade kit capable of 200 foot range. If you bought the current pyramid uhf upgrade kit for the first tuner the second tuner dishpro-uhf remote would not be able to work with it. There would be a compatibility issue here.

 

[AppliedAggression]

This is what happens when products are designed in-house to save money .

They're not.

And it looks like if you bought 4 non-pro UHF remotes, you'd be able to control either tuner with them, in anywhere in the house.

How do I control the TV 1 receiver from any where in the house using a UHF remote if TV 1 is IR only AppliedAggression ?

TV 1 is NOT IR only. Scott already said that he was able to use his 721 UHF remote to control TV 1 on the 522.

 

[AJF]

Ok on the 522 remote 1 is IR while remote 2 is UHF Pro.

I tried both remotes on my 721, remote 1 works fine, however remote 2 does not work my 721 at all.

Even though the remote addresses are both the same (1) They are on diffrent frequencies and again 1 is IR and the seconf is UHF.

Scott,

Can you to clear this up for me ? In the quote above you say : "again 1 is IR and the seconf is UHF. " Is TV1 IR only or can it be controlled using UHF at all ?[/u]

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

A Dish 721 remote is both IR and UHF. (Just like a Dish 6000 remote)

I was not able to control tuner 1 without pointing the remote at the receiver.

On the back of the unit there is a UHF Antenna but it is marked TV 2.

Again I believe remote 1 is IR only.

 

[AJF]

That's what I thought . Thanks Scott.

AppliedAggression, I'm waiting....

 

[shellbmb]

522 question

OK, so I now have this 522 receiver and am just now realizing that it doesn't exactly live up to the billing. It functions just fine as two 510's as Scott said in a previous post (which I just now read, doughh!!!). My question is does the PIP function work if I eliminate the second TV and just have both lines coming into the 522? Or is it just designed to work as two 510's for now and will be upgraded later?

 

[shellbmb]

Just got off the phone with Dish support and amazingly I got someone who knew what they were talking about. Well, the first person was clueless, but she transferred me to advanced tech support. He said the "single" mode nor the PIP function were currently supported, but would be with a software upgrade to be released later. No new news there.

But he did suggest one helpful hint. Right now a coax cable is running to the second tv. If you run RCA cords into a second input on your main tv, you can record something and watch something else on the same tv. You are essentially watching your signal that is going out to the second tv. Only problem is you need both remotes 1 and 2 in the same room. Not a great solution, but at least is an improvement.

Anyone else have any suggestions on how to rig this setup until Dish can get the upgrades out?

 

[shellbmb]

A Dish 721 remote is both IR and UHF. (Just like a Dish 6000 remote)

I was not able to control tuner 1 without pointing the remote at the receiver.

On the back of the unit there is a UHF Antenna but it is marked TV 2.

Again I believe remote 1 is IR only.

But can your 721 remote control the UHF portion of TV2 with the 522? If so, then I need to get my hands on an extra UHF remote and that will solve my problems until the upgrade comes out.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

No the UHF Frequencies on the 721 remote and the UHF Pro 522 remote are not the same.

 

[shellbmb]

No the UHF Frequencies on the 721 remote and the UHF Pro 522 remote are not the same.

Do you sell an extra #2 remote for the 522?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Not yet.

 

[Stargazer]

The first tuner on the 322 and 522 is most definitely IR only in which is compatible with the remotes that have been used all along as long as it is not the 5000 that was UHF output only. The techs from Dish Network at the seminar I went to confirmed this. The UHF remotes that come with the 322 or 522 can only be used on those receivers in which are DishPro UHF.

 

[AppliedAggression]

That's what I thought . Thanks Scott.

AppliedAggression, I'm waiting....

I stand corrected. I apologize, I misunderstood what Scott was saying, and thought UHF was controlling tuner 1. Again sorry.