# 625 Questions



## Khona (Jun 9, 2006)

Before I sign up for Dish I want to ask - is the Dish DVR 625 any good? Does it have any major bugs or problems? 

I have read that the 625 and 522 are interchangeable. Is that correct? What are the minor differences? 

Would I be better off trying to get another DVR besides the 625? I'm currently using a DirecTivo receiver (35 hour) and have had little problems for the last two years. 

Thanks!


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## MLBurks (Dec 16, 2005)

I have had the 625 for a week. (I just returned from a three week stint at D*) I had a 522 for over two years. When the 522 was new, it was one big bug that I wanted to smash. But I think that DISH has made many improvements to it and fixed many bugs. So now I have the 625 and I have had NO problems with it YET. No audio drop outs, no problems with the A/V out of sync which were notorious with the 522 early on. The only difference between the 625 and the 522 is the 625 has a seperate hard drive for the Dish On Demand feature. Other than that, it's indentical as far as I know. Your DirecTivo has 35 hrs on it. If you record a lot like I do, I'd get the 625 because it has 100 hrs recording time on it.


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## Khona (Jun 9, 2006)

Yes, I love recording on my DirecTivo. The two main reasons why I want to switch to Dish is because they offer my locals and they are offering a 100 hour DVR. I plan to make hard use of that 100 hour DVR. 

What exactly is that Dish on Demand feature? Is that were you pay a certain fee every month and they download movies to your DVR every day?


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## BadFrog (May 31, 2006)

Works like a charm..has excellent pic quality and is very good on my Samsung LCD HD TV


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## MLBurks (Dec 16, 2005)

Khona said:


> What exactly is that Dish on Demand feature? Is that were you pay a certain fee every month and they download movies to your DVR every day?


The Dish on Demand is where they will download certain ppv movies to a seperate hard drive on your receiver (it will not use any of your 100 hrs of recording time). These movies will be downloaded while your receiver is off. Those movies then can be rented and viewed an any time as apposed to ordering your ppv movie and then waiting for the start time. The down side is you are only given 24 hrs to see the movie. Once 24 hrs are up, you would have to rent it again to see it. You can not record it onto your main hard drive space like you can a regular ppv. And on top of that, the movie is $1 more than regular ppv movies where you CAN download them to you hard drive space and keep it permanently. For that reason, I think you get more with the regular ppv movies. (I think even with D*, you only have a limited time to see your ppv movie. I ordered a ppv with them and it said that it expires on a certain date. Thanks D*) There is no monthly fee for this feature (but like I said, you pay a dollar more for each rental).

I don't see much benefit to DOD. In fact, I think you lose out. I think that the only time that I would rent a DOD movie is if I think it might storm badly during the movie. I ordered a regular PPV movie once and it stormed during it and I lost my signal. The storm was really bad that day. Nothing worse than getting your ppv botched up:nono:


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## Khona (Jun 9, 2006)

I just read the online manual for the 625. One thing I'm not sure on - in dual mode can TV one access the pre-recorded programs and watch a certain program while TV 2 access the pre-recorded programs and watch a completely different program than TV1 is watching? Basically, can TV1 watch Gilligan’s Island from the hard drive while TV2 watching Hogan's Heroes from the hard drive all at the same time?


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## Khona (Jun 9, 2006)

And another question: I'm planning on getting the Dish 625 to hook to two TV's and a single tuner receiver for the kitchen. I am not taking the 18 month contract. The Dish rep I talked to on the phone said even with no contract they would provide free installation. 

Do any of you know if this is true? I'm willing to pay the $49.00 activation fee but will I have to pay for any cables when the installer has to run the cables around the house to the kitchen TV? The dish would go where my DirecTV dish is, in the front of the house close to the living room TV and second TV. The kitchen TV is on the other side of the house. The installer isn't going to say "Ok, for me to run RG6 half way around the house, into your basement, and up to your kitchen TV is going to cost you extra money."?


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## MLBurks (Dec 16, 2005)

Khona said:


> One thing I'm not sure on - in dual mode can TV one access the pre-recorded programs and watch a certain program while TV 2 access the pre-recorded programs and watch a completely different program than TV1 is watching? Basically, can TV1 watch Gilligan's Island from the hard drive while TV2 watching Hogan's Heroes from the hard drive all at the same time?


Though I have never tried it, I never had a reason to, I have never read or heard anywhere that said you that you can't. So I am 99% sure that you can. If I am wrong, I'm sure someone will set me straight.



Khona said:


> And another question: I'm planning on getting the Dish 625 to hook to two TV's and a single tuner receiver for the kitchen. I am not taking the 18 month contract. The Dish rep I talked to on the phone said even with no contract they would provide free installation.
> 
> Do any of you know if this is true? I'm willing to pay the $49.00 activation fee but will I have to pay for any cables when the installer has to run the cables around the house to the kitchen TV? The dish would go where my DirecTV dish is, in the front of the house close to the living room TV and second TV. The kitchen TV is on the other side of the house. The installer isn't going to say "Ok, for me to run RG6 half way around the house, into your basement, and up to your kitchen TV is going to cost you extra money."?


Free installation covers everything. If they will have to use three miles of cables, it is still free.


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## nlk10010 (Sep 18, 2004)

As long as I've got you....

Can you use a single coax input with the 625 like you can with the 622, or does the 625 require two separate lines?

Thanks.

=NLK=


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## ndyclrk (Jun 5, 2006)

The DVR625 is a DishProPlus (DPP) receiver, so yes, you can use a single RG6 feed from your switch or LNBF to a seperator, and connect the seperator to the receiver.


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## MLBurks (Dec 16, 2005)

nlk10010 said:


> Can you use a single coax input with the 625 like you can with the 622, or does the 625 require two separate lines?


You can but you wouldn't have duel tuner capabilities. You would not be able to use the receiver with 2 TV's. And even if you were going to use the 625 for only 1 TV, you would not be able to record two shows at once.


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## JohnL (Apr 1, 2002)

MLBurks said:


> You can but you wouldn't have duel tuner capabilities. You would not be able to use the receiver with 2 TV's. And even if you were going to use the 625 for only 1 TV, you would not be able to record two shows at once.


MLBurks,

There is no such thing as "Fighting" LNBF's. DUEL's definition is to fight. While DUAL means TWO of something.


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## serg (Jun 7, 2006)

Khona said:


> I just read the online manual for the 625. One thing I'm not sure on - in dual mode can TV one access the pre-recorded programs and watch a certain program while TV 2 access the pre-recorded programs and watch a completely different program than TV1 is watching? Basically, can TV1 watch Gilligan's Island from the hard drive while TV2 watching Hogan's Heroes from the hard drive all at the same time?


It's even possible to record something on both TVs (different programs) and watch 2 different pre-recorded shows on TV1 and TV2.


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## Khona (Jun 9, 2006)

serg said:


> It's even possible to record something on both TVs (different programs) and watch 2 different pre-recorded shows on TV1 and TV2.


 Sweet.

Thanks!


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## Khona (Jun 9, 2006)

I'm not planning on taking the contract. But what would happen if they send me a DVR 625 and it goes out? Will they send out another one free or charge even if I'm not on a contract? What would happen say a year later the my single tuner receiver goes out? Will they replace it for free? 

What exactly is the benefit of signing up for their 18 month contract?


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## MLBurks (Dec 16, 2005)

Khona said:


> But what would happen if they send me a DVR 625 and it goes out? Will they send out another one free or charge even if I'm not on a contract? What would happen say a year later the my single tuner receiver goes out? Will they replace it for free?


For $5.99 a month, you can subscribe to the DISH Home Protection Plan which would protect all of your receivers regardless if you are under contract or not. If they fail, they would be replaced for free. Click here for details


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## Khona (Jun 9, 2006)

I just called Dish again and asked what happens if I do not take the contract but the DVR goes out within the first year or after the first year (with no contract.) She said they will replace it free. I asked "at no cost to me?" and she said "sure." I asked "So I just send it back and you send me another?" and she said "sure."


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## BobaBird (Mar 31, 2002)

MLBurks said:


> You can [use a single coax input] but you wouldn't have duel tuner capabilities. You would not be able to use the receiver with 2 TV's. And even if you were going to use the 625 for only 1 TV, you would not be able to record two shows at once.


This is exactly what DishPro Plus allows you to do, except that there shouldn't be a duel between the dual tuners.

There are 3 elements of a DishPro Plus installation: a DPP switch (DPP Twin or DPP44), the DPP Separator behind the receiver, and a dual-tuner receiver. See DishPro Technology on the EKB.


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## MLBurks (Dec 16, 2005)

BobaBird said:


> This is exactly what DishPro Plus allows you to do, except that there shouldn't be a duel between the dual tuners.
> 
> There are 3 elements of a DishPro Plus installation: a DPP switch (DPP Twin or DPP44), the DPP Separator behind the receiver, and a dual-tuner receiver. See DishPro Technology on the EKB.


I stand corrected I'm glad that there is always someone smarter than me out there


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## chumprock (Jun 21, 2006)

serg said:


> It's even possible to record something on both TVs (different programs) and watch 2 different pre-recorded shows on TV1 and TV2.


Pardon me for bumping an older thread, but it has answered a lot of my questions already.

So I see that you can record two things at once, and record two things at once, but is it possible for..

tv1 to record two programs and have tv2 watch whatever he wants?

or can each tv only record/watch 1 live program at a time?


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## MLBurks (Dec 16, 2005)

chumprock said:


> So I see that you can record two things at once, and record two things at once, but is it possible for..
> 
> tv1 to record two programs and have tv2 watch whatever he wants?
> 
> or can each tv only record/watch 1 live program at a time?


TV1 can only record one program at a time and the same goes for TV2. So you can record up to 2 programs at a time. Basically you can record two programs at once and watch another program on your DVR that has previously been recorded.


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## chumprock (Jun 21, 2006)

MLBurks said:


> TV1 can only record one program at a time and the same goes for TV2. So you can record up to 2 programs at a time. Basically you can record two programs at once and watch another program on your DVR that has previously been recorded.


So (as my wife eloquently puts it) there is no tangible way for this box to record Scrubs *and* House at the same time from the same tv.

Ok, she used 90210 & Gilmore Girls... but House & Scrubs sounds better.


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## mikec73 (May 5, 2005)

The 625 can record on the tv2 tuner and the tv1 tuner then from the tv2 remote go into dvr or "my recordings" and pick something there. 
On the 625 it is called record plus where you set a preferred tuner for tv1 recordings, normally that would be set to use tv2. Then while that is in use you can use tv1 tuner for something else. Tv2 would have to watch what is recording on its tuner, or go into my recordings for something prerecorded.

By the way, to get around the $49 activation fee I would recommend getting a club dish card number (available freely from a number of willing donars on this site including me) and that will save you the $49 while still getting all the other promos including no contract. Its a dish referral program.


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## DishSubLA (Apr 9, 2006)

There is a limit to everything (even the universe), and when ever I try to get my loved ones and friends to be a Dish sub (Club Dish--I've gotten several on so far, and all are very happy), they ALL ask about a single DVR recording 3, 4, or, let's not stop there, a million shows all at the same time. I tell them what I tell everyone: you need to get an additional DVR (at the subs expense) or another STB, perhaps hooked up to a VCR or other brand of DVR. I say to them, if recording more than 2 shows at once at the same time is really that important to you, then don't be a cheapskate. I tell them, you're already getting quite a sophiticated and costly device pretty much for FREE. After a few moments they come down to earth, give up the fantasy of everything for nothing, and realize they will be getting a whole lot of technology from Dish (up to 4 TV's supported) for almost nothing, and decide that no more than 2 TV shows recording at once on theDVR is a pretty neat thing anyway.
In summary: if you are willing to spend more of yourn own money, just about anything is possible with Dish--6 dual tuner DVR's if you want.
I hope you find the right solution for your needs.


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