Finally got HD (vip722) - a few questions

[oneliketadow]

I finally joined the modern world and switched from a 622 to the 722 and added HD. The new DVR seems to have a few new features/options that I was curious about.

1) The 722 seems to have networking built-in, but I don't think the wife wants a 50' cat5 cable running up the stairs, can I do a USB wi-fi key? I searched on here and the answer so far is "no". (This would also fix the awesomest phone hook-up ever, see below).

2) Again with USB, people here are mentioning external Harddrives. Can I connect an external drive or even a flash key and play media from it? Could I play (for example) MP4s or AVI files? What formats are supported? (I'm assuming this a big no).

3) The wife said a swear word when she saw the recording capacity. How many more times larger are HD shows? For example, is 1 hour of HD = 5 hours of non-HD?

4) My wife and I "delete" channels from the guide by blocking them as presumably channels the kids shouldn't watch. Is there any reason to keep 2 copies of the local channels? What about non-locals, like Discovery? In other words, will NBC and NBC-HD ever show different things?

Thanks from a former lurker.

(*) - This is my Rube Goldberg Dish phone connection:

Dish to phone cable to Powerline phone connector to outlet, via the power cabling, to Powerline phone connector to VOIP phone adapter to Cable modem to Comcast to my VOIP provider to a real phone line to Dish. In other words, I'm using broadband to send modem noises

 

[eddie willers]

If your Powerline is HomePlug 1.0 compatible (HomePlug Turbo or less) then you are good to go.

The 722 has it built-in and all you have to do is plug the 722 directly into your wall outlet and go to menu/6/1/9. (not through a surge suppressor though...most block HomePlug)

 

[GNASH]

I will try to answer some of these.

1) Answered extremely well in the above post (about Homeplug), but I don't believe a wireless device would work.

2) You used to be able to play picture files via a usb flash drive, but I don't think you can do anything else (though I have never tried any of the above things).

3) We have 7 minutes of HD recording time left (which is about 39 minutes of SD time) so it does appear to be about a 1 HD Hours per 5 SD Hours ratio, though it does depend on what compression is used, so recording OTA will use more recording time than recording a compressed Dish HD channel, even though both are HD. It will automatically delete the oldest thing when it runs out of space, so if there is something you do NOT want deleted, make sure to protect it.

4) I believe all HD channels are now simulcasts of the SD channels. Food Network used to have different HD and SD programs (upconverted HD at different times as the SD Channel, but they are now the same). As for the locals, if you are going to record OTA, you will need that (Ex. Ch. 3-1 is our local CBS HD Channel), then you would want that and Channel 3 (which is our CBS from the Dish). I would keep one copy of the Sat Local and the OTA and block others and block SD Channels that have HD counterpart if they bug you, but we have had HD for a while and haven't blocked them and they don't seem to bug anyone.

Geoff

1) The 722 seems to have networking built-in, but I don't think the wife wants a 50' cat5 cable running up the stairs, can I do a USB wi-fi key? I searched on here and the answer so far is "no". (This would also fix the awesomest phone hook-up ever, see below).

2) Again with USB, people here are mentioning external Harddrives. Can I connect an external drive or even a flash key and play media from it? Could I play (for example) MP4s or AVI files? What formats are supported? (I'm assuming this a big no).

3) The wife said a swear word when she saw the recording capacity. How many more times larger are HD shows? For example, is 1 hour of HD = 5 hours of non-HD?

4) My wife and I "delete" channels from the guide by blocking them as presumably channels the kids shouldn't watch. Is there any reason to keep 2 copies of the local channels? What about non-locals, like Discovery? In other words, will NBC and NBC-HD ever show different things?

Thanks from a former lurker.

(*) - This is my Rube Goldberg Dish phone connection:

Dish to phone cable to Powerline phone connector to outlet, via the power cabling, to Powerline phone connector to VOIP phone adapter to Cable modem to Comcast to my VOIP provider to a real phone line to Dish. In other words, I'm using broadband to send modem noises

 

[oneliketadow]

If your Powerline is HomePlug 1.0 compatible (HomePlug Turbo or less) then you are good to go.

The 722 has it built-in and all you have to do is plug the 722 directly into your wall outlet and go to menu/6/1/9. (not through a surge suppressor though...most block HomePlug)

My powerline device is for phone lines, not CAT5 unfortunatelt.

 

[GNASH]

My powerline device is for phone lines, not CAT5 unfortunatelt.

Options for connecting depend on what you are looking to do. Sorry if you already know what I am about to type, but I would rather say it and have you know as to not and end up wishing you did.

Anyway, you can connect it via phone to keep from paying the $5 phone connection fee. This also allows for the Dish Interactive Stuff (Channel 100) and Caller ID on screen.

The Ethernet connection will also prevent the $5 fee. It allows for Dish On Demand (dowloading of movies and videos). At this point, that is the only thing available via Ethernet. In the near future (it is in Beta Testing right now and seems to work well), you would be able to schedule your DVR via the Internet.

If you don't need one, then the other would work. If you want both Phone and Ethernet, then I believe the only options are CAT5 Cable or Powerline (you would need one device for the Router end of the system).

Hope that helps,
Geoff

 

[oneliketadow]

Options for connecting depend on what you are looking to do. Sorry if you already know what I am about to type, but I would rather say it and have you know as to not and end up wishing you did.

Anyway, you can connect it via phone to keep from paying the $5 phone connection fee. This also allows for the Dish Interactive Stuff (Channel 100) and Caller ID on screen.

The Ethernet connection will also prevent the $5 fee. It allows for Dish On Demand (dowloading of movies and videos). At this point, that is the only thing available via Ethernet. In the near future (it is in Beta Testing right now and seems to work well), you would be able to schedule your DVR via the Internet.

If you don't need one, then the other would work. If you want both Phone and Ethernet, then I believe the only options are CAT5 Cable or Powerline (you would need one device for the Router end of the system).

Hope that helps,
Geoff

For now I'm going to stick with the powerline phone setup that I used with the 622. Unless, the Dish On Demand stuff is free, is it?

PS - I'd like to throttle the builder of my house, every room needs at least 1 phone jack and at least 1 cable jack!

 

[GNASH]

For now I'm going to stick with the powerline phone setup that I used with the 622. Unless, the Dish On Demand stuff is free, is it?

PS - I'd like to throttle the builder of my house, every room needs at least 1 phone jack and at least 1 cable jack!

Last I knew, Dish had added some, but I haven't looked in months, so I am not sure how much of it is free and what the quality is. I looked shortly after they put it in and was not impressed.

We have it hooked up both ways (ethernet and phone), but only because it was convenient. Had it not been, we would have gone with which ever was convenient. However, the Remote Scheduling will be handy when available.

Geoff

 

[Laddyboy]

.If you want both Phone and Ethernet, then I believe the only options are CAT5 Cable or Powerline (you would need one device for the Router end of the system).

A wireless game adapter or other wireless bridge connected to the ethernet port of the receiver also will work if you don't want to run cat5.

 

[wetz73]

You hit on one big reason to keep both the SD and HD versions in the lineup--DVR capacity. If a show is not in HD and you record it on an HD channel, it takes up more space than if you record it on the SD channel (although not as much as an HD program on an HD channel). But if you tend to keep your DVR pretty clear, this isn't that big of an issue.

 

[allargon]

You hit on one big reason to keep both the SD and HD versions in the lineup--DVR capacity. If a show is not in HD and you record it on an HD channel, it takes up more space than if you record it on the SD channel (although not as much as an HD program on an HD channel). But if you tend to keep your DVR pretty clear, this isn't that big of an issue.

Actually more importantly when dealing with stretch-o-vision channels like Food Network and HGTV, the SD version isn't stretched.

 

[Jim S.]

Unless they've changed it on the 722, the HD time counter is no longer accurate for anything other than over-the-air channels. Originally all the HD channels were MPEG-2, now they're all MPEG-4.

I thought the phone line / Internet requirement for an account consisting of a single dual-tuner receiver was supposed to go away this month, but I have no idea whether they meant at the beginning of the month or end of the month or what. Anybody know for sure? (Of course, you wouldn't be able to download VOD then.)

 

[digiblur]

A wireless game adapter or other wireless bridge connected to the ethernet port of the receiver also will work if you don't want to run cat5.

Just buy one Homeplug adapter and hook it up the router. Then the 722 will use it's built in Homeplug adapter and connect to it.

 

[guruka]

I'm using a [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Dual-Band-Wireless-N-Gaming-Adapter/dp/B0010TEOLQ/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1233620102&sr=8-1"]Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N Gaming Adapter[/ame] on my 722. I acually plugged it into a 5 port switch so I have ethernet for the 722 and my Blu-Ray player as well. Works perfectly on my wireless network and eliminates the need for 10-BaseT wiring to the equipment rack.

.....G