# What to do with 921



## jmillecpa (Jul 17, 2003)

I upgraded to the 622 and was wondering what to do with the 921. I am sure there is not any resale value. Does Dish want them back for anything or should it just be dropped off a the recycling center?


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## Grandude (Oct 21, 2004)

You could pull out the hard drive and install it on your computer before trashing the rest. You would have to be somewhat computer savvy to do this though.


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## chris03053 (Dec 5, 2005)

jmillecpa said:


> I upgraded to the 622 and was wondering what to do with the 921. I am sure there is not any resale value. Does Dish want them back for anything or should it just be dropped off a the recycling center?


I notice people buying the 921hd on Ebay.
Whats up with that?
Will it still work after Aug 15? 
Can it still be activated?


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## boy654 (Dec 21, 2006)

chris03053 said:


> I notice people buying the 921hd on Ebay.
> Whats up with that?
> Will it still work after Aug 15?
> Can it still be activated?


do you think SD programming is going away? Any receiver with the current access card can be activated, however the 921 can't decode the MPEG4 encoding Dish is going to use for all HD channels. It's still useful and the HD output has a better picture (IMO) on SD channels than a SD receiver.


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## chris03053 (Dec 5, 2005)

jmillecpa said:


> I upgraded to the 622 and was wondering what to do with the 921. I am sure there is not any resale value. Does Dish want them back for anything or should it just be dropped off a the recycling center?


Sell it on Ebay Avg. $135-$200


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## Michael P (Oct 27, 2004)

What's the deal with Aug. 15th? I have not read anywhere that E* is puling the few MPEG2 HD channels that were grandfathered.

Even if they did make all satellite HD MPEG 4, the 921 is a dandy OTA box.

If they would only pull the current bug infested s/w L332


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## Interprises (Feb 12, 2004)

"*What to do with 921?" -- Great question... After a fairly lengthy conversation with one of Dish's finest (I actually mean that; she is a stateside level 2 rep) they upgraded my old 921 to a 722. I'm happy. Since they were only going to give me $10 for the 921, I will keep it. Now, like the thread title; what to do with the 921.*

*I thought about a website with a "David Letterman TOP TEN LIST" theme  , and I may still do that, but there's got to be a better use for that Linux box. Granted, some of the hardware could be so proprietary that it's just not worth the trouble, but still...*

*Is anyone aware of a website where some brainy, heavy-duty hobbyists are turning the DVR-921 into a Linux-based A/V media manager, of sorts?*

*If not, does anyone think my idea is worth the trouble? I can't think of a better place to ask this question. I learned a great deal from this site after purchasing the 921 and dealing with all of its various problems and software updates.*

*Standing by...*

*---*

:lol: *I just did a preview and noticed my signature... what a riot. Shows you how long it's been since my last visit.*


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## Grandude (Oct 21, 2004)

I pulled the Maxtor 250GB drive out of my 921 and installed it in a Cooler Master external enclosure and it is now connected to my VIP622. Works quite nicely.
I don't know what I'll do with the rest of the box.


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## Interprises (Feb 12, 2004)

Thanks for sharing your _use_ of the old DVR921's HDD, Grandude. Has anyone found a website of tricks and tips centered around _gutting_ or _rebuilding_ the 921? I've seen some very useful TiVo sites that offer several ways of utilizing a unit that's long past its warranty.


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## tm22721 (Nov 8, 2002)

Interprises said:


> Thanks for sharing your _use_ of the old DVR921's HDD, Grandude. Has anyone found a website of tricks and tips centered around _gutting_ or _rebuilding_ the 921? I've seen some very useful TiVo sites that offer several ways of utilizing a unit that's long past its warranty.


I have Dish's insurance at $6/mo so my 921 warranty never expires.

Of course at some point they will no longer give me a replacement 921 when there are none available. In which case I will get a free 722 (sniff).


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## ClaudeR (Dec 7, 2003)

Goodbye 921, cable install is tomorrow. Time to pull out the drive and connect to cable box through a IDE to eSATA converter...


Update: the cable box SUCKS! I have the SA 8300HDC - newest box from SA. You can't create a custom Guide or even an All Sub! You get ALL the channels listed at all times. WTF?!?!? Having satellite for over 10 years, I can't believe how behind cable is. The picture is quite grainy compared to Dish, even the cable HD channels are grainy. TW recommends "lowering the sharpness" or some crap like that. YIKES! Also, I thought the 921 was slow to respond, in the neighborhood of 10's of milliseconds - the 8300 is MUCH worse - more like 100's of milliseconds on a good day. The menus look like something a grade schooler designed. I think I may have to call Dish back - Are we really that spoiled?


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## LAM (Feb 6, 2003)

Can I turn on a 921 for sd use and is there a DVR fee?


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## Grandude (Oct 21, 2004)

LAM said:


> Can I turn on a 921 for sd use and is there a DVR fee?


Yes and yes.


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## Michael P (Oct 27, 2004)

Not only is a 921 good for SD use, it will still give you OTA HD and some of the HD MPEG-2 channels (HBO & SHO) even if you don't sub to the HD pack.

There is a DVR fee, but no "HD Enabling fee".

BTW (I hope I don't jinx myself): My 921 has actually behaved itself after a few weeks of needing a nightly reboot. It's still L332, so what could have changed? It has to be something coming down from the satellite. Maybe the engineers made a few corrections to the guide data stream?


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## jergenf (Mar 31, 2005)

Just received my 722 last week. I'm using my 921 for OTA and Charlie Chat (101) recordings because I've discontinued service for the 921 as long as the 722 in working. This resolves dual conflicts for OTA HD programs. Previously used my DVR recorder to record the analog station during OTA dual conflicts. Now using the DVR recorder for triple OTA conflict situations.


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## kb7oeb (Jun 16, 2004)

ClaudeR said:


> The picture is quite grainy compared to Dish, even the cable HD channels are grainy.


I think one of the reasons mpeg4 gets better compression is because it filters film grain out. I've seen similar arguments between blu-ray and hddvd grain


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## Dbl_Tap (Apr 1, 2008)

I know this is an old thread but I see something I would like more info on.

I have a 921 that I'll be upgrading soon and want to keep some shows I have on it. It sounds like there is a way to hook the HD to a desktop computer and read it. Is this true and if so what do I need to do?

Thanks


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## tthomps (Jul 17, 2004)

Your only choices are to play out the shows to a video recorder (DVD, VHS) or to a computer with a video capture card (ATI All-In-Wonder is a possible choice). I have had a lot of success with Sony's DVDirect to capture shows. I went this route because I also had quite a number of camcorder tapes I needed to move to DVD. I have also captured to a computer. I find it takes too much time to capture, convert, and burn.


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## puckwithahalo (Sep 3, 2007)

> Update: the cable box SUCKS! I have the SA 8300HDC - newest box from SA. You can't create a custom Guide or even an All Sub! You get ALL the channels listed at all times. WTF?!?!? Having satellite for over 10 years, I can't believe how behind cable is. The picture is quite grainy compared to Dish, even the cable HD channels are grainy. TW recommends "lowering the sharpness" or some crap like that. YIKES! Also, I thought the 921 was slow to respond, in the neighborhood of 10's of milliseconds - the 8300 is MUCH worse - more like 100's of milliseconds on a good day. The menus look like something a grade schooler designed. I think I may have to call Dish back - Are we really that spoiled?


To answer your question....yes....and my customers never believe me when I tell them that....


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## jsk (Dec 27, 2006)

How old is your 921? I wouldn't bother pulling out a hard drive that is over 2 years old because it is likely to fail over the next couple of years. I think it would be better to get a new hard drive likely to last for a few years. I know there will be some people who may have been using the same HD for 5 years without a problem, but the law of averages are against you. 

That reminds me ... I should run a backup on my laptop (with a 4 year old hard drive).


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