# Why is everyone itching for a 522 ?



## riekl (Jan 21, 2003)

I have one coming with my new install but from everything I have read the 721 is a far superior receiver in almost every way ? The only thing the 522 has over the 721 is the dual outputs which I wouldn't think a lot of people would want ? Your only option on that second output is really coax since I dont know of many people that have rca run through the walls and thats near useless unless your running it to a kitchen tv or something for PQ ?

I guess i'm trying to find out what is drawing people to a 522 buggy and all, lack of easy ability to use both tuners on one TV, when they could get a 721 today that is fairly stable and feature rich ?


----------



## Big Bob (May 13, 2002)

Dual outputs


----------



## skaeight (Jan 15, 2004)

Is it worth it to get a 522? I'm getting dish installed next week, and I'm not sure if I want one or not. I currently have a stand alone tivo and am currently set up to get a 301/322. However, I'm real tempted to get a 522/322. Single mode and NBR are supposedly coming, but who knows when and how good these features will be.

I just don't want to have passed on a 522 for free, and then have them release these new features, and then have it be impossible for me to get one in the future. PIP would be really nice for football season....ah I can't decide.

Are these boxes still as buggy as they were a few months ago?


----------



## Mike123abc (Jul 19, 2002)

If it is free no reason not to get one, you do not have to record if you do not want to until name based recording comes out.


----------



## juan ellitinez (Jan 31, 2003)

skaeight said:


> Is it worth it to get a 522? I'm getting dish installed next week, and I'm not sure if I want one or not. I currently have a stand alone tivo and am currently set up to get a 301/322. However, I'm real tempted to get a 522/322. Single mode and NBR are supposedly coming, but who knows when and how good these features will be.
> 
> I just don't want to have passed on a 522 for free, and then have them release these new features, and then have it be impossible for me to get one in the future. PIP would be really nice for football season....ah I can't decide.
> 
> Are these boxes still as buggy as they were a few months ago?


Your switching back?
:eek2: :eek2:


----------



## skaeight (Jan 15, 2004)

juan ellitinez said:


> Your switching back?
> :eek2: :eek2:


Nope. I thought about it for a bit because of locals, but I found this link regarding my locals: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=179542&highlight=72.5

D* is staying.


----------



## juan ellitinez (Jan 31, 2003)

skaeight said:


> Nope. I thought about it for a bit because of locals, but I found this link regarding my locals: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=179542&highlight=72.5
> 
> D* is staying.


You realize you are gonna have TWO ugly dishes on you roof to receive locals from D* but only 1 for E*?


----------



## boba (May 23, 2003)

riekl said:


> I have one coming with my new install but from everything I have read the 721 is a far superior receiver in almost every way ? The only thing the 522 has over the 721 is the dual outputs which I wouldn't think a lot of people would want ? Your only option on that second output is really coax since I dont know of many people that have rca run through the walls and thats near useless unless your running it to a kitchen tv or something for PQ ?
> 
> I guess i'm trying to find out what is drawing people to a 522 buggy and all, lack of easy ability to use both tuners on one TV, when they could get a 721 today that is fairly stable and feature rich ?


DISH CUSTOMERS ARE MASOCHISTS.


----------



## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

>Dual Outputs for two individual tv's (721 only 1 output for 1 tv)
>Larger hard drive (721=120 GB-90 hrs vs. 522=120GB-100hrs)
>UHF PRO remote (721=100 foot range vs. 522=200 foot range)
>Save $4.99 DVR Fee vs. having 2 DVR Fees for 2 DVR receivers
>Save $4.99 Additional outlet fee when connected to phone line

721 has no DVR fee associated with it.


----------



## Chris Freeland (Mar 24, 2002)

Jacob S said:


> >Dual Outputs for two individual tv's (721 only 1 output for 1 tv)
> 
> >Save $4.99 DVR Fee vs. having 2 DVR Fees for 2 DVR receivers
> >Save $4.99 Additional outlet fee when connected to phone line
> ...


How is this an advantage for a 522 when their is a $0 monthly DVOD fee for the 721?


----------



## mindwarp (May 19, 2003)

Well, I just want a double tuner for one TV and I wont pay the damned VOD fee. SO a 721 would be better for me.


----------



## riekl (Jan 21, 2003)

Ok thanks ..

So in short there is absolutely no reason for people diving after 522's other then they are "newer".

The 721 seems to be more stable, no VOD fee, has more features like the channel 100 whatever thats called.

The only thing the 522 has is the dual output .. and unless your 2nd tv is 19" or smaller I doubt that coax output is going to put out the PQ you would want anyway.

And umm 120GB == 120gb .. the 522 doesn't have one iota of more storage, the meraly modified their marketing language to "embelish" how much the 522 could record.


----------



## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

> Larger hard drive (721=120 GB-90 hrs vs. 522=120GB-100hrs)


How do you figure larger hard drive? Both have 120 GB drives and therefore the same approximate recording capacity.


----------



## kwajr (Apr 7, 2004)

Steve Mehs said:


> How do you figure larger hard drive? Both have 120 GB drives and therefore the same approximate recording capacity.


are does the 522 have a smaller dish reserve space on the hdd but either way its a lot of shows and the dual outputs i think can come in handy fro most people i do not know but most people i know use a small tv for bedroom so if your a one or 2 tv houshold its great dvd for two rooms and you can still record two live shows


----------



## BuckeyeChris (Apr 20, 2004)

kwajr said:


> are does the 522 have a smaller dish reserve space on the hdd but either way its a lot of shows and the dual outputs i think can come in handy fro most people i do not know but most people i know use a small tv for bedroom so if your a one or 2 tv houshold its great dvd for two rooms and you can still record two live shows


I agree. I am one of those people who has a small 19" TV in my bedroom. I like the flexibility of the 522. I watch most programming on TV1, the primary 32" screen in my living room but I record all of my timer events to TV2, the bedroom TV. However when sometimes watching TV2, I find something I like and record it or set the timer for something I see.I don't mind paying the $4.98 VOD fee as I lease the 522 under the DHA plan. I prefer not forking up hundreds of dollars of my own money up front on a piece of technology that could be obsolescent in a year or two.


----------



## larrystotler (Jun 6, 2004)

721:

Dish Pro Receiver - Requires 2 lines from Dish
Two Sat. Inputs. 
Ability to record 2 different programs to watch previuosly recorded at same time.
No VOD fee
Outputs to 1 TV
Picture in Picture
90 Hour Recording Capactiy.
RCA front panel inputs for connecting DVD/Camcorder for TV that doesn't support,
Has replacable smart card

522:

Dish Pro Plus Receiver - Needs only 1 line from DP+ LNB/switch
Two Sat inputs.
Ability to watch and record 2 different channels and record while watching recorded progran on 2 TVs
$4.98/month VOD fee(double that if NOT connected to phone line)
No additional outlet fee if connected to phone line for 2nd outlet
Outputs to 2 TVs or Picture in Picture capable TV
100 Hours recording SHARED by 2 TVs
Built-in smart card.
MUST be continuously plugged into land line.

522s are only available to NEW DHA subscribers. They will give you 1 for free. However, you don't own it, and it must be returned upon termination(or pay the $300 fee). Not having to pay additional fees is a plus for many customers. With a 522, you have to share the recoding capacity between 2 outlets, where the other DVRs have the whole drive to each TV. The 721 doesn't have a VOD fee, and costs $249 with 1 year commit, $599 retail. For those of us who do not have home phones, the 522 is useless for saving the fees since it requires a phone connection. 

I personally have a 501 and 721. I dislike the VOD fee, and I am planning on upgrading the 501 with either a larger drive or a hot swap setup. Plus, no home phone( I use that $$ for my cable modem).


----------



## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

Chris Freeland said:


> How is this an advantage for a 522 when their is a $0 monthly DVOD fee for the 721?


Dish Network charges a DVR fee per receiver instead of per account.


----------



## amit5roy5 (Mar 4, 2004)

That is one way they can get extra money. 



Jacob S said:


> Dish Network charges a DVR fee per receiver instead of per account.


----------



## kwajr (Apr 7, 2004)

larrystotler said:


> 721:
> 
> Dish Pro Receiver - Requires 2 lines from Dish
> Two Sat. Inputs.
> ...


BY THE way since you have a cable modem if one wants a home phone cheap try vonage they start at 15 a month and go to 30 month www.vonage.com i have it and have had no problems at all


----------



## larrystotler (Jun 6, 2004)

kwajr said:


> BY THE way since you have a cable modem if one wants a home phone cheap try vonage they start at 15 a month and go to 30 month www.vonage.com i have it and have had no problems at all


Why would I want a home phone when both of us have cells? I'm an installer, so I am rarely home anyway.


----------



## riekl (Jan 21, 2003)

larrystotler said:


> Why would I want a home phone when both of us have cells? I'm an installer, so I am rarely home anyway.


Because with Vonage you have a slew of features that your cell doesn't offer. Not the least of which is free call forwarding so when your not home you can easily have all your calls go to your cell phone(s).

With Vonage you can really take your number with you, say your going to visit your parents for a week or two .. you just take your "modem" (which really is what it is when you think about it it is a digital to analog modulator) with you and plug it into their broadband and poof anyone that calls your home rings with you.

The convience and portability of Vonage/Voicepulse is just amazing .. and now with "softphone" anywhere you have a PC youc an receive/make calls on your vonage account.


----------



## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

A subscriber should not be forced to have to pay extra money to get a landline phone just to satisfy Dish Network or DirecTv on having the phone lines connected. Most customers without a phoneline could not see spending a good bit extra just to get a phoneline just for that purpose. Many have cell phones and that is all they need.


----------



## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

Absolutely. The trend, and it's the 'right' one, is to cell phones. Every person has their own number as opposed to an 'address' having a number.

What E* needs is to use WiFi/Ethernet connectivity or apply the CellSocket technology where you drop your cellphone into a charging cradle that also feeds the house circuits.

Why they won't is because they want caller ID so they can track the receiver's location.


----------



## larrystotler (Jun 6, 2004)

riekl said:


> Because with Vonage you have a slew of features that your cell doesn't offer. Not the least of which is free call forwarding so when your not home you can easily have all your calls go to your cell phone(s).
> 
> With Vonage you can really take your number with you, say your going to visit your parents for a week or two .. you just take your "modem" (which really is what it is when you think about it it is a digital to analog modulator) with you and plug it into their broadband and poof anyone that calls your home rings with you.
> 
> The convience and portability of Vonage/Voicepulse is just amazing .. and now with "softphone" anywhere you have a PC youc an receive/make calls on your vonage account.


Ok, why would I need call forwarding when my cell phone works anywhere in the US? I take it with me, so why would I need a modem(especially since I have a cable modem, which is a lot faster to begin with) to plug into their braodband, when I have free long distance, caller id, forwarding, voice mail, etc, etc, etc. Why would I wish to hassle someone with this? That's still an extra expense, which is why we don't have a home phone to begin with.....................

Anyway, if you wish to promote this, this is not the proper forum. We are discussing DVRs, and E* and D*'s insistence on having a phone line connected to the receiver. Thanx anyway.


----------



## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

So you could travel with your receiver with the device that would transmit the cell phone data to them so they could see where it is at although the other receivers would not get that data transmitted to them.


----------



## formerxtian (Jul 9, 2002)

_


riekl said:



I have one coming with my new install but from everything I have read the 721 is a far superior receiver in almost every way ? The only thing the 522 has over the 721 is the dual outputs which I wouldn't think a lot of people would want ? Your only option on that second output is really coax since I dont know of many people that have rca run through the walls and thats near useless unless your running it to a kitchen tv or something for PQ ?

I guess i'm trying to find out what is drawing people to a 522 buggy and all, lack of easy ability to use both tuners on one TV, when they could get a 721 today that is fairly stable and feature rich ?

Click to expand...

_
I won't try to speak for all of those awaiting the non-DHA release of the 522, but I think the prospect of a new UI is always alluring. If your'e a graphical guy like myelf, you just gotta explore the interface.. Oh wow, man.... the colors...


----------



## ibooksrule (Feb 16, 2003)

is there going to be nbr on the 721 or does it currently support that or is it going to be for just the new receivers like the 522 and 921?


----------



## Guest (Jun 25, 2004)

"Ok, why would I need call forwarding when my cell phone works anywhere in the US?"

Anywhere in the US? There are places within 150 miles of the nation's Capital that has no cell service. Cell phones don't work in lare areas of West Virginia (most of the eastern half of the state) because of the terrain and the National Radio Quiet Zone. Because it would cost upward of 10,000 to get a landline run to some of this area, the only reliable phone service is satellite phone such as GlobalStar, which costs less now ($99 a month for 400 minutes = 25 cents a minute) than cellular did 10 or 15 years ago.

And in the west, there are huge areas with no cellular coverage. In real life, one cannot make a cell call using a 600mw handheld with a 1-inch antenna from a steel boxcar buried in a box canyon in the middle of the Four Corners area as Fox Mulder could in the second season of The X-Files. In real life WV, a 3-watt booster and a 23-element yagi cut for the cell band halfway up a mountain cant access a cell site.

I found E* quite accommodating re having multiple receivers with no landline service when I signed up for satellite TV 6 years ago -- whereas D* would have required 2 full subscriptions.


----------



## garypen (Feb 1, 2004)

Spruceman said:


> In real life, one cannot make a cell call using a 600mw handheld with a 1-inch antenna from a steel boxcar buried in a box canyon in the middle of the Four Corners area as Fox Mulder could in the second season of The X-Files.


You own a set of Spock ears, don't you?


----------



## kwajr (Apr 7, 2004)

yes like with vonage your adapter is your numebr so no matter where you are if you have the adapter then you have your home number with you


----------



## larrystotler (Jun 6, 2004)

Spruceman said:


> "Ok, why would I need call forwarding when my cell phone works anywhere in the US?"
> 
> Anywhere in the US? There are places within 150 miles of the nation's Capital that has no cell service. Cell phones don't work in lare areas of West Virginia (most of the eastern half of the state) because of the terrain and the National Radio Quiet Zone. Because it would cost upward of 10,000 to get a landline run to some of this area, the only reliable phone service is satellite phone such as GlobalStar, which costs less now ($99 a month for 400 minutes = 25 cents a minute) than cellular did 10 or 15 years ago.
> 
> ...


That wasn't exactly my point. He was talking about if I went somewhere like to a different city to see my family or something. I just haven't seen the need to have a home phone since 1997, and no amount of convincing will change my mind now that I have broadband. Cell phones do suck in some areas. Triust me, I am only 70 miles from DC, and when you go west, it's good luck, and when you go toward DC, you loose signal in a lot of places along VA 7 and US 50.

Anyway, I told DIsh when I hooked up that if they wanted to pay my home phone bill, I would humopr them. They didn't seem amused. And, when I called DirecTV about not having a home phone, I was told that they would hook me up no problem. Like I said before, this is an issue that will start being more of a problem as more people go cell only.


----------



## larrystotler (Jun 6, 2004)

kwajr said:


> yes like with vonage your adapter is your numebr so no matter where you are if you have the adapter then you have your home number with you


Yes, and like I said, when I go somehwere with my cell, the number stays with me. ANyway, I'm done posting about this. We were discussing the 522 I believe......


----------



## BuckeyeChris (Apr 20, 2004)

Below is an excerpt from the most recent Charlie Chat:

Email (Dennis): What's going on with the software update for the 522? When will it be sent so that I can use it in the single user mode?
Answer (Charlie): Rolling basis software updates. Jan Johnson - software being downloaded tomorrow morning at 2:00am for the first 5000 522 receivers. Will take about 30 days to send it to everyone.

Email: *Name based recording?*
Answer (Charlie): Today we record by time, *software* will be *changed* so you can *order a season ticket to record by title*. *Based on viewer comments*.

Season ticket? Sounds like they want to charge me for this feature. :nono2:

Based on viewer comments? So say, if I were a fan of of a TV program like 24 and I wanted to record all of the shows by title, E is going to charge me to do this on my 522, on top of the $4.98 VOD fee I pay each month?

Someone please tell me that I am wrong. That would be a bad idea.


----------



## Bob Haller (Mar 24, 2002)

E has changed from customer driven, that largely drove their growth, to revenue driven, looking for fees at every opportunity

Eventually Chuck will come to understand the search for $$ has damaged his company dramatically. That day is surely approaching....


----------



## syphix (Jun 23, 2004)

Charlie is just trying to avoid saying "Season Pass", as that's a trademark of TiVo's. I doubt a "Season Ticket" will cost extra.


----------



## larrystotler (Jun 6, 2004)

BuckeyeChris said:


> Below is an excerpt from the most recent Charlie Chat:
> Email: *Name based recording?*
> Answer (Charlie): Today we record by time, *software* will be *changed* so you can *order a season ticket to record by title*. *Based on viewer comments*.
> 
> ...


No, I believe that the TiVo style features are something that they planned for all along. Remember that they are extending their current system, and adding new features is not always the easiest thing to do. The VoD fee is basically a way to recoup their $$ for giving you a 522 for free. Think about it. WIth the $300 price of the 522, it will take you 5 years before you have "bought" it(of course, you lease it, but). Customer demand has driven this due to that fact that everyone wants more TVs hooked up. Dish would make more money if each receiver was a full paying account, but this isn't realistic. Dish is putting out a great deal of money just to get new customers now compared to just a few years ago. It's a never ending mess, and you can't blame them for trying to recoup some costs. Bottom line is that they are still a better deal than cable's standard rates. Cable has to give a deal that will run out and they constantly raise the rates of the customers to be able to give these special rates to attrach customers.


----------



## BuckeyeChris (Apr 20, 2004)

larrystotler said:


> No, I believe that the TiVo style features are something that they planned for all along. Remember that they are extending their current system, and adding new features is not always the easiest thing to do. The VoD fee is basically a way to recoup their $$ for giving you a 522 for free. Think about it. WIth the $300 price of the 522, it will take you 5 years before you have "bought" it(of course, you lease it, but). Customer demand has driven this due to that fact that everyone wants more TVs hooked up. Dish would make more money if each receiver was a full paying account, but this isn't realistic. Dish is putting out a great deal of money just to get new customers now compared to just a few years ago. It's a never ending mess, and you can't blame them for trying to recoup some costs. Bottom line is that they are still a better deal than cable's standard rates. Cable has to give a deal that will run out and they constantly raise the rates of the customers to be able to give these special rates to attrach customers.


I agree with you completely that the 522 even with the $4.98 fee is a good value for the money. No complaints here!

Personally, however, I would not pay extra money on top of the VOD fee for a Season Ticket, because I don't think the value of name based recoding is worthing paying extra. That is, if that's what E has in mind, which it appears it may not after all.


----------



## garypen (Feb 1, 2004)

I think it was simply a trademark issue: season ticket=season pass. Once implimented, Dish 510/522/921 subs will finally get something for their $5/month.
OTOH, 50x/721 subs get a good deal!


----------

