# Is the 211 that bad ?



## butette

I was planning to sign up for Dish HD package with the 211 receiver but after reading all the bad stories here, I am having second thought if it is even worth it. Would the 622 be any better, ignoring the DVR feature.

Thanks.


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## vinobabu

butette said:


> I was planning to sign up for Dish HD package with the 211 receiver but after reading all the bad stories here, I am having second thought if it is even worth it. Would the 622 be any better, ignoring the DVR feature.
> 
> Thanks.


Except for lipsync issues thru optical cable..I have absolutely no issues with my 211.
I did have some initial issues like black screen (no picture) , but those issues were related to poor signal from Dish, once I got the signal issues fixed..I have no problems.


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## butette

vinobabu said:


> Except for lipsync issues thru optical cable..I have absolutely no issues with my 211.
> I did have some initial issues like black screen (no picture) , but those issues were related to poor signal from Dish, once I got the signal issues fixed..I have no problems.


Thanks for the feedback. Reading the other threads lead me to think that this receiver is very buggy so I am incline to put off getting DishHD for now. I hate to think I will have to reboot this unit every day to address some problem. Heck I don't even reboot my PC but once a month or so, and it is running crappy Windows!


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## dsanbo

butette said:


> Thanks for the feedback. Reading the other threads lead me to think that this receiver is very buggy so I am incline to put off getting DishHD for now. I hate to think I will have to reboot this unit every day to address some problem. Heck I don't even reboot my PC but once a month or so, and it is running crappy Windows!


butette.....
You have to keep in mind.....for every ONE negative post here (and other fora)...there are literally HUNDREDS of satisfied users....This goes for ANY product or service.
I've had a 411 for nearly 7 months now....aside from a glitch in the Caller ID circuit (which I can live without....) I've had ZERO problems. It's simply that I....and others....who ARE happy with what we have just don't post to say "HEY! There's nothing wrong!"


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## Mikey

My 211 has provided countless hours of HD since February, with exactly one reboot.


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## rustamust

As I have said before my 211 is great only 1 reboot while setting up and 1 last week after 3-4 hrs OTA and returning to sat. After that I go to the guide and then select sat channel. I have had set from Feb. and would do it again. My PQ on HD 20-30% better than 811 and SD is great. HD lite? looks good to me other than a little soft but how many of old movies are remastered before converting to HD. Seems to me that its still better than remastered DVDs. HD DVD wont go there as no interest in it for the next several years. Just my 2cents.


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## homertiger

no problems here!!!


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## cbcampbell

butette said:


> I was planning to sign up for Dish HD package with the 211 receiver but after reading all the bad stories here, I am having second thought if it is even worth it. Would the 622 be any better, ignoring the DVR feature.
> 
> Thanks.


mine is absolutely rock solid and has been from day 1. hdmi. hd. ota. all great.

it is by far the best non-dvr sat receiver i've used.


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## gjh3260

no problems with my 211 using the HDMI input


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## khearrean

Reading this thread is very interesting. Except for the first few days following the 211's debut, this is the first thread I've read that's had everyone saying how great the 211 is. I watch/read this forum and the 811 forum closely and actually have noticed where the 211 posts had started becoming as bad as the 811 posts used to be. I, like the originator of this thread, had pretty well determined not to upgrade to the 211 due to all the negative feedback out there.
A few posts up, someone said that his 211 had no problems except for the lip sync issues using optical cabling! If optical audio provides superior (the best) sound (and I always thought it did), that to me would be a major glitch & enough to keep me from upgrading.
I'm not being sarcastic, but am I missing something here?? 

Ken


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## rustamust

The lip sync with optical out was fixed with 265. Every now and then I have a problem with TNT but latley it the same on SD and on wifes 510. Come on jump in the 211 game I dont think you will be sorry. My 811 lost favorites yesterday which is the first problem in months. Glad it in the RV.


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## BoisePaul

I've got to say that I'm fairly picky about my A/V gear, but at this point, I can't find anything wrong with my 211. Are there things that I wish it did but doesn't? Sure, but for the specified features it works great for me. I don't see any lip sync issues either. Now I just wish that E* would release an HD receiver that's RS232 controllable.


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## Tonik

khearrean said:


> A few posts up, someone said that his 211 had no problems except for the lip sync issues using optical cabling! If optical audio provides superior (the best) sound (and I always thought it did), that to me would be a major glitch & enough to keep me from upgrading.
> I'm not being sarcastic, but am I missing something here??


I am not trying to be sarcastic either, but I agree with you. Someone that has HDTV probably has good audio gear and a 'home theater' type of set up. I would think quality digital audio would be pretty high on their list.

I think two things are happening here. One, Dish has been successful in driving down peoples expectations by consistantly shipping defective product. I know that is harsh but non-working optical audio is a defect.

And two, there are currently no other choices for many of us.


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## homertiger

Tonik said:


> I am not trying to be sarcastic either, but I agree with you. Someone that has HDTV probably has good audio gear and a 'home theater' type of set up. I would think quality digital audio would be pretty high on their list.
> 
> I think two things are happening here. One, Dish has been successful in driving down peoples expectations by consistantly shipping defective product. I know that is harsh but non-working optical audio is a defect.
> 
> And two, there are currently no other choices for many of us.


I am watching "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" right now on "TNTHD"with no lip sync problem (Dolby Digital, Optical). I have noticed before that TNTHD *had* lip sync issues, but only TNTHD. So this makes me think that it was TNTHD, not the 211.


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## thomas_d92

I have my 411 for 4 months and no problems with hdmi or anything else . My 622 has lost its hdmi output but everything else is perfect.


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## butette

butette said:


> I was planning to sign up for Dish HD package with the 211 receiver but after reading all the bad stories here, I am having second thought if it is even worth it. Would the 622 be any better, ignoring the DVR feature.
> 
> Thanks.


I ran into a Dish Network installation guy today and asked him about this very issue, and he told me NOT to get the HD package for now since they are seeing a lot of problems with all the software "upgrade". That says a lot coming from a Dish N. guy.


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## davidxlai

My 211 has been working flawlessly since I got it in February. No reboot.


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## homertiger

butette said:


> I ran into a Dish Network installation guy today and asked him about this very issue, and he told me NOT to get the HD package for now since they are seeing a lot of problems with all the software "upgrade". That says a lot coming from a Dish N. guy.


BS


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## butette

homertiger said:


> BS


Why do you think this is BS ? What he said makes perfect sense to me. He said if you want to get Dish Network, get the regular package for now, and wait a few months for them to work through the software bugs, then upgrade to the HD package. Support people do not want to install and sell crappy product anymore than consumer wants to buy them, unless you are the exception.


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## James Long

butette said:


> I ran into a Dish Network installation guy today and asked him about this very issue, and he told me NOT to get the HD package for now since they are seeing a lot of problems with all the software "upgrade". That says a lot coming from a Dish N. guy.


Perhaps the guy needs to find a new line of work if he doesn't have confidence in the products he is installing. That says a lot.


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## butette

James Long said:


> Perhaps the guy needs to find a new line of work if he doesn't have confidence in the products he is installing. That says a lot.


I see you are a "Super Moderator", but that is a non-sense statement. Are you saying that anybody who works for a company that currently has a buggy product should find a different line of work ? All he was telling me is that he thinks the current product has a lot of software issues and that he recommends a more conservative route of going with the regular package and upgrade to HD later when the software issues are ironed out, or at least stabilize. I, for one, appreciate his honesty.


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## BoisePaul

I for one just don't see where this installer is getting the idea that the receiver is buggy. My ViP211 is more stable and in my opinion has a much better UI than my 811 did, and towards the end the 811 was pretty darn good. Now if he's for some reason incorrectly attributing the mystery 129 singal issues to software problems, then I might be able to see why he'd recommend not getting the HD package. Then again, I can't really comment on issues with 129 since I'm using 61.5.

I'm not sure how much more you want things to stabilize. I would prefer to see it be a while before the next software release since "if it's not broke, don't fix it."


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## butette

BoisePaul said:


> *I for one just don't see where this installer is getting the idea that the receiver is buggy*. My ViP211 is more stable and in my opinion has a much better UI than my 811 did, and towards the end the 811 was pretty darn good. Now if he's for some reason incorrectly attributing the mystery 129 singal issues to software problems, then I might be able to see why he'd recommend not getting the HD package. Then again, I can't really comment on issues with 129 since I'm using 61.5.
> 
> I'm not sure how much more you want things to stabilize. I would prefer to see it be a while before the next software release since "if it's not broke, don't fix it."


May be because he gets a lot of service calls from unhappy customers ? I don't know. As far as software release, do you have a choice not to accept "upgrade" if you think what you have running is stable ? I was under the impression that you don't.


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## James Long

butette said:


> I see you are a "Super Moderator", but that is a non-sense statement.


Since you brought that up, remember that this is a support forum and bashing posts are not appropriate. I've been lenient, but this is not the place to bash E* nor is DBSTalk the place to bash any member.


butette said:


> I, for one, appreciate his honesty.


Whether or not he is being "honest" is a matter of opinion. Perhaps he has seen bugs - but in keeping with the title of this thread I'd have to say "no, the 211 is not that bad".


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## butette

James Long said:


> Since you brought that up, remember that this is a support forum and bashing posts are not appropriate. I've been lenient, but this is not the place to bash E* nor is DBSTalk the place to bash any member.Whether or not he is being "honest" is a matter of opinion. Perhaps he has seen bugs - but in keeping with the title of this thread I'd have to say "no, the 211 is not that bad".


I honestly don't see where I bashed Dish Network. I was looking for information to make an informed decision if I should install Dish HD, so I come here to ask question, and I was just passing along information, or you may say "opinion", that was given to me by a Dish Network installer, and I did not think his opinion was that bad since all he said was to wait a few months for the software to stabilize. If that's bashing, I guess there is no room for honest communication here.

Thank you for the opportunity to ask my question anyway.


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## James Long

Perhaps it is "tone of voice", but you have described the 211 as 'very buggy' - replied to yourself with a post quoting some installer who is allegedly telling people not to buy HD - called it a 'crappy product' - repeated the 'buggy' claim - and called it unstable. Meanwhile nearly everyone else in this thread is calling the receiver at least acceptable. Little problems - not an unstable buggy piece of crap.

I believe, if you are willing to listen to the replies, that you have been informed.

I still wonder about an installer who would bash their own product - "wait a few months for the product to stablize". The 211 has already seen it's "few months". It is a decent receiver. The only reasons not to get a ViP-211 would be the cost of an HD upgrade ($49 or $99 for the receiver plus $20 per month for programming, less any offers such as the current $10 for 10 months rebate) or the desire to get a ViP-622 DVR instead or wait for a two room non-DVR receiver that has been named (ViP-222) but has had no announced release date. I wouldn't let one installer's lack of faith in his product stop me from getting a ViP-211. Then again, I already have one and it works fine.


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## butette

James Long said:


> Perhaps it is "tone of voice", but you have described the 211 as 'very buggy' - replied to yourself with a post quoting some installer who is allegedly telling people not to buy HD - called it a 'crappy product' - repeated the 'buggy' claim - and called it unstable. Meanwhile nearly everyone else in this thread is calling the receiver at least acceptable. Little problems - not an unstable buggy piece of crap.
> 
> I believe, if you are willing to listen to the replies, that you have been informed.
> 
> I still wonder about an installer who would bash their own product - "wait a few months for the product to stablize". The 211 has already seen it's "few months". It is a decent receiver. The only reasons not to get a ViP-211 would be the cost of an HD upgrade ($49 or $99 for the receiver plus $20 per month for programming, less any offers such as the current $10 for 10 months rebate) or the desire to get a ViP-622 DVR instead or wait for a two room non-DVR receiver that has been named (ViP-222) but has had no announced release date. I wouldn't let one installer's lack of faith in his product stop me from getting a ViP-211. Then again, I already have one and it works fine.


OK doke... I really did not mean to come across as bashing anything. I was only looking for information. I don't mind the HD programming cost.


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## brg606

i have lip sync problems with my vip211. mainly on hd locals (houston). don't know if it's the receiver or the signal dish is sending. since it's not on every channel, i think it's the signal that is being sent. maybe it's on on the mpeg4 channels?


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## vinobabu

Last night all my HD channels went to a slow motion mode. Audio was normal.

Test Switch did not fix it, but hard reboot of the receiver fixed it.

Did anyone had this issue before?


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## texasjoe

butette said:


> I was planning to sign up for Dish HD package with the 211 receiver but after reading all the bad stories here, I am having second thought if it is even worth it. Would the 622 be any better, ignoring the DVR feature.
> 
> Thanks.


I've had a 211 about one month. There is a problem with the sound. When the unit is powered off, then turned back on, I get no sound and have to reboot. Dish says this is a known problem and they have no idea when it will be resolved.

Also, I have the same problem (no sound) when change to a different input (ie DVD).


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## Henry63

butette said:


> I was planning to sign up for Dish HD package with the 211 receiver but after reading all the bad stories here, I am having second thought if it is even worth it. Would the 622 be any better, ignoring the DVR feature.
> 
> Thanks.


It must be.


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## jwjensen356

My 211 problems have been variously no picture, no sound, not able to change channel. A hard reset (pull the plug) would 'cure' the problem only to have problems the next day. The following is an answer from Dish (today) to my questions. At present I have stable operation by disabling the auto upgrade capability.

----------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your e-mail. Our engineering department is aware of this
issue; it has been determined the issue is software related and we are
actively working to resolve it as soon as possible. It will be resolved
with a software update in the near future. We apologize for the
inconvenience. 

Resetting the receiver does resolve this problem and there is another
way to accomplish the reset. You can try to reset the receiver by
pressing and holding the power button on the front panel of the 
receiver
for approximately 7 seconds, then release. The receiver should power 
off
and then back on. You will than see 'Attention 015' on your screen like
you would if you pull the plug.


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## rustamust

I have had my 211 as of feb. and have only rebooted twice. 1st time BSOD 2nd time about a month ago for lip sync and has been flawless to date. Still dont like TNT HD lip sync it must be TNT as its the only one of all the HDs

Mike


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## chartman

211 with HDMI connection. No issues since March install.


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## duffytoo

3 reboots on my 211 the first weekend that I had it. Each time I was channel surfing.


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## mmarquee

duffytoo said:


> 3 reboots on my 211 the first weekend that I had it. Each time I was channel surfing.


I have been with Dish Net for two weeks and have experienced all the glitches and problems reported here... problems with HDMI hookup, Off Air channels losing sound,
freezes when channel surfing, screen goes black, sounds goes mute. All of this every day. And I thought I simply had a bad HDMI connector or a bad unit.

I had the first loss of sound two hours after installation, and when I called Dish, they
told me my Receiver was bad that they would send me another one. Of course the problems continued and until today I thought I was going crazy, and a tip from a friend directing me to these forums opened my eyes that all of my problems are being experienced by many, many others. It is almost a relief. I now know I am not alone, but all these problems do not make me feel better.

Here is the question of all questions. I can cancel within 30 days with Dish (I signed the 18 month commitment)... does the DVR 
Receiver have all these problems? Should I go back to Directv (I did not have 
HD with them so would I experience any of these problems with Directv's Receivers)?
If you were me and could get out, what would you suggest????

The clock is ticking, as is my patience.

Gary


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## esteps

All these problems cause me to reset the receiver maybe once per week. I can live with that, but if I had to reset every day I would get out!
esteps



mmarquee said:


> I have been with Dish Net for two weeks and have experienced all the glitches and problems reported here... problems with HDMI hookup, Off Air channels losing sound,
> freezes when channel surfing, screen goes black, sounds goes mute. All of this every day. And I thought I simply had a bad HDMI connector or a bad unit.
> 
> I had the first loss of sound two hours after installation, and when I called Dish, they
> told me my Receiver was bad that they would send me another one. Of course the problems continued and until today I thought I was going crazy, and a tip from a friend directing me to these forums opened my eyes that all of my problems are being experienced by many, many others. It is almost a relief. I now know I am not alone, but all these problems do not make me feel better.
> 
> Here is the question of all questions. I can cancel within 30 days with Dish (I signed the 18 month commitment)... does the DVR
> Receiver have all these problems? Should I go back to Directv (I did not have
> HD with them so would I experience any of these problems with Directv's Receivers)?
> If you were me and could get out, what would you suggest????
> 
> The clock is ticking, as is my patience.
> 
> Gary


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## M5Guy

No problems here with 2 - 211's. (knock on wood!) OK since June 1.


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## mmarquee

M5Guy said:


> No problems here with 2 - 211's. (knock on wood!) OK since June 1.


When I called Dish Net and mentioned all the trouble and referenced these message boards, the Techie did agree that he gets lots of calls about the ViP 211 and blackouts, loss of sound and freezes. He told me he had no record of any Oct 6 software update, but suggested they send out a Techie to just make sure I was
installed and connected properly.

Well, today, the techie just left. He replaced a corrupted (his term) piece of Coax cable (Dish provided) and replaced my brand new HDMI cable with a set of high end Component cable. He said the stiffness of the HDMI cable was making the connection loose and that could have lead to the black out. I told him HDMI is best but he said the Component was at no charge, so I said at least I could check out if any problem resulted from using HDMI cable, which I still have.

Then, and I kid you not, he looked skyward, longingly, and almost as if in a trance.
He said all of these problems reported on the message board could be due to problems
"up there." As he remained looking skyward, I asked, up there, meaning my roof?
"No," he corrected, "skyward, in outer space, with the SAT transmission." And he lowered his gaze and said in a straight forward manner... "and you know we cannot 
do much about outer space and satellite transmission."

I signed the paperwork and he left.


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## jwjensen356

esteps said:


> All these problems cause me to reset the receiver maybe once per week. I can live with that, but if I had to reset every day I would get out!
> esteps


My wife got very frustrated and said we should get a replacement TV. I keep telling her it is not the TV but the receiver and we need to wait until the software problems get ironed out. My solution to keep peace is to reset (pull the plug) every morning before I go to work. By the time she gets up everything is working. She has commented that the TV is now working fine. What she doesn't know won't hurt her!!


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## 211916user

James Long said:


> Perhaps the guy needs to find a new line of work if he doesn't have confidence in the products he is installing. That says a lot.


I have had the 211 receiver for 1 month. Since the first install, the picture has scrambled, the voice has been off and I have seen three technicians each with admissions of problems with the receiver's software. This last tech told me to switch to Direct TV... I think the problem lies with Dish not acknowledging that they have a problem that has taken far too long to fix. I'm blessed to have a nice television but still irritated with Dish's bob and weaving to get out of fixing their own issues.


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