What should I do to get the $40 DVR enable?

sailwind

Member
Original poster
Mar 5, 2010
14
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California
I currently have a vip222k serving HD to my family room and SD to my bedroom. I heard about the DVR upgrade but was shot down because the 222k is not compatible. So, here's the question, how should I approach this?

Is the best route then to convert to 2 211k receivers and have one of them do the DVR? Are there any newer receivers I can do dual-tv with the DVR upgrade? The $40 no monthly cost DVR is very attractive.

Thanks.
 
2 211k's is the way to go. A onetime $40 fee makes all 211k's on the account dvrs if you add an external hard drive to them.

A 722 or hopper upgrade will incur additional monthly dvr and whole home fees
 
I like that Dish has that 211K option out there, but as a former 222K owner, I was very sad that Dish never delivered on the promise of DVR conversion like the 211K. It was THE reason I bought the darn thing as our required box in another room.
 
I like that Dish has that 211K option out there, but as a former 222K owner, I was very sad that Dish never delivered on the promise of DVR conversion like the 211K. It was THE reason I bought the darn thing as our required box in another room.

Yeah, but it never happening didn't really surprise me to be honest. I mean if they made the option available what would the point of the 722k even be? The 222k with an external hard drive and DVR capabilities would be able to do everything that the 722k could but wouldn't be bringing in the monthly DVR fee. When you think of it that way it was almost obvious that it would never happen for the 222k.
 
USB 2.0 won't support it.

Everyone keeps forgetting that USB 2.0 does not have the capability to support recording multiple programs at the same time because is only one data path. USB 3.0 would help because it has two data paths and it is considerable faster.
 
Everyone keeps forgetting that USB 2.0 does not have the capability to support recording multiple programs at the same time because is only one data path. USB 3.0 would help because it has two data paths and it is considerable faster.

There have been countless times where I have recorded two programs at the same time (1 sat, 1 OTA), while watching a previously recorded show using a 211K. If there is a single data path block how is this possible or am I missing something?
 
Everyone keeps forgetting that USB 2.0 does not have the capability to support recording multiple programs at the same time because is only one data path.
Hogwash!

Digital program recording isn't done as a continuous stream; it is a series of packets.

The data rate of an OTA MPEG2 HD program (worst case scenario) runs at up to 3MB/second but is typically less than 1MB/second. USB 2.0 is thought to be good for about 35MB/second so, ignoring overhead, there's certainly potential there to handle more than one stream. As proof that two streams can be handled, I offer the DIRECTV AM21 and Hauppauge WINTV Nova TD that handle two MPEG2 channels.

USB 2.0 has two limiting factors:

1. It using polling (similar to MoCA)
2. It has a relatively low transfer rate

Of course the big issue is that users would, much as you have, make uninformed assumptions about where the technology could or couldn't go from there and thereby convincing themselves that recording two channels and watching two recordings is the natural conclusion. Consumer electronics is largely about managing expectations so it is better not to go there if the experience can't be guaranteed across the board.
 
If you are content with staying with an SD feed to the bedroom and want a quasi-whole home system, then replacing your 222k with a 722k might be the best choice. Monthly fees would be the same as 2-211k's and you wouldn't iccur the cost of the EHD's and the $40 DVR enabling fee.
 
A 211K with a 1-TB external hard drive will yield about 96 hours of high-definition recording time. Let's see your 722 beat that.
You mean like, being able to record two HD SAT channels at once, and having multiple EHDs to offload recordings to? ;)
 
You mean like, being able to record two HD SAT channels at once, and having multiple EHDs to offload recordings to? ;)

I don't necessarily need to be able to record two HD sat channels at once ... more often than not, I am recording something from Sat while watching OTA, or vice-versa ... I'm all about saving a few bucks on DVR and receiver fees. I don't want to give this (or any) company any more money than I have to. I can have as many hard drives as I want. I was trying to illustrate how comparatively little recording time the 722's built-in hard drive has, which is a complaint I have heard from friends who have that particular receiver.

To the OP: Go with the 2-211K's and get the DVR upgrade ... it'll be the best forty bucks you ever spent.
 
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I went the 211k route to save on fees. I mostly watch my TiVo for OTA, so I only need to record "cable" shows on the 211, which is a minority of my viewing (about 25%). I split the HDMI/Component between 2 TVs. I have 3 available OTA tuners and great OTA reception, so I do not have conflicts. I lot of what I watch on cable is HBO/MAX series which I do not DVR just use HBO GO.

This works well for me, but everyone has different TV demands. If you watch mostly cable you could have multiple show conflicts and a single tuner may not cover your needs. Going from a 222 to Hopper Joey would run $19 extra per month. A second 211k adds $7.
 
Yep, most of my recording is from cable networks. A couple of 211s just wouldn't suffice for me.
 
VIP922

How about the 922 it is a dual tuner. I have one and like it. As for fees the first receiver is free still(I think) from the looks of my bill. The DVR fee is 10 bucks and you can still feed two rooms and watch the recorded or downloaded content on either TV.
 
Correction

How about the 922 it is a dual tuner. I have one and like it. As for fees the first receiver is free still(I think) from the looks of my bill. The DVR fee is 10 bucks and you can still feed two rooms and watch the recorded or downloaded content on either TV.
I just looked and I am not getting the primary free anymore. I was getting a credit until now. So the fee is 9.00 for the primary, 2 buck more than a 211 but its a dual tuner, and 10 for the DVR service. Also, The 922 is slingloaded so you can watch live tv or DVR recordings on your Android device or IPad, IPhone Device using the Dish Anywhere App.
 
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211 with activated dvr is awesome.Sure it's not dual tuner but,it's cheaper,seems to be more reliable,best of all,my favorites lists don't get screwed up.I can go through and hide any channel and still use the all channel list,never have to go to that ugly green or puke yellow list.:D
 
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