# My 921 is History..Got a 942



## jal (Mar 3, 2005)

Well, L2.16 was the final straw for me with my 921. I paid $600 for the 921 last January, and as a matter of pure principle, I wasn't going to pay for a new receiver. Well, frustration won over principle, and I now own a 942. 

From the moment I plugged in the 942, I could tell it was a superior receiver. It is whisper quiet, and when the wife came home, she wondered if our air conditioner was out of service because she didn't hear the large fan noise in our family room anymore. Also, no more stuck aspect ratio, ZSR's, hard reboots, etc. 

I fortunately did find a retailer who was willing to take the 921 in trade, so the 921 experience wasn't a complete financial loss. Don't ask what I got for it, because that's not my point and I think he didn't make much money off the deal. He was trying to do the right thing.

Each time I called Dish about the 921, they told me to wait for more software upgrades and that the 921 was "cutting edge" technology that was bound to have some bugs. They would not even let me get a 942 $250 lease deal available to new customers. I suppose I could have gone to Directv, but I've been with Dish for more than 7 years and have other equipment from Dish that would have meant even more money to switch then I paid for the 942. The retailer also showed me an HD-TIVO if I wanted to make the switch, but after playing with it for a while, the guide seemed sluggish and I didn't need more holes in my roof for the Directv Dish (the Directv Dish would be blocked by a tree if I placed it where the Dishnetwork Dish is, which just clears the tree).

My point is that the 942 is a high quality receiver, and it doesn't sound like an air conditioner. I'm thankful, but surprised, that a Dish Retailer cared more about this situation that corporate Dish.


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## Jon Spackman (Feb 7, 2005)

Please let us know in a few more days if it was really the best move. I think im right behind you....thanks Jon


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## Oldcoot (Dec 17, 2004)

I bought a 921 in Dec of 04.
I have not experienced the problems that many have posted in the forums. The only issue I have ever had, and still have, is intermittent freezing of recorded HD material.
That said, I bought a 942 last month, put it on the big sony in the den and moved the 921 to the bedroom on a 23 inch LG.
I have to agree with jal that the 942 is a superior receiver. Even though I have had few issues with the 941, the 942 has much better picture quality via component connection!
So far the 942 is completely bug free.


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## jal (Mar 3, 2005)

J5races, so far so good. I've used the 942 for more than a day. No bugs, no noise, and everything is functioning properly. I set a Dish pass and it is recording the episodes well. So far, I'm very pleased with the receiver, and annoyed with Dish for the 921 experience and cost.


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## lionsrule (Nov 25, 2003)

Wow, could you possibly over exaggerate the "loud as an air conditioner" analogy? I would think anyone who could afford a $600 STB and a HD tv could at least afford a decent entertainment center! My 921 is in a glass door enclosed Tower next to my TV.... CAN'T HEAR A THING!! Regarding the 921 technologically, yeah I've has some frustration with aspect ratio freezes, I've had NO ZSR's, EVER..., I do think it's the cheapskate move of the century to force customers to pay for locals to get guide info on OTA stuff, but from what I understand, that won't change with the 942.

And what exactly do you plan on doing in a year or two when you will be forced to buy a new receiver to receive dozens of new HD channels only available in mpeg4?? You must have money to burn....except apparently for a decent entertainment center....or Central air I guess.


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## jal (Mar 3, 2005)

Believe it or not, I have a decent entertainment center. The unit was loud, very loud. There are other threads on this site that detail many individuals who were completely annoyed by the noise, including a thread where someone actually went to great lengths to change out the fans. In this thread HTTP://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=36581&highlight=921+fan+noise a person compared the noise from the 921 to a "hovercraft."

No, I don't have money to burn, but I do expect a product to function correctly. I did notice that on my 921, there was a sticker on the top of it that stated it should be put in a closet because units with hard drives inherently make a lot of noise. My 501 is quiet. The 942, which of course is also a DVR, also has a sticker, but it just warns not to move it while its on. It says nothing about burying the unit in a closet. And, with the daily reboots of the 921 to get the thing out of stretch mode, it would have been even more inconvenient to have it in a closet.

As far as when MPEG 4 comes out, I'll deal with it at that time. I hope Dish will do the right thing. For now, I finally have a DVR that works, has NBR (which was initially a promised feature on the 921) and is quiet.


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## JD Robinson (Nov 13, 2004)

Aw, c'mon. It's not that loud. Mine's in a closet in the next room, and with those new Bose Quietcomfort II headphones on I can hardly hear it at all.  

Leafblower maybe, but not hovercraft.


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## jal (Mar 3, 2005)

JD: Are those the headphones people wear to cancel out jet engine noise?


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