# Dish DVR SWAP feature?



## 63thk (Feb 11, 2010)

How long has the SWAP feature which allows you to switch between 2 paused programs without losing your buffer been active? I just discovered this today as I was reading a comparison of D* and E* . I knew about the "DOUBLE DOWN" on D*, but had no idea you could do this on E* DVRs


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

As far as I'm aware it has been there since the inception of the dual-tuner Dish receivers.

Of course it only works in single mode... and also it doesn't work on the 612 receiver.


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

What's also cool with Dish Network DVRs is when you turn it on(out of standby) both live buffers are on and both stay on until you turn the receiver off.


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## 79MI (Jan 23, 2004)

Dual "sticky" buffers haven't always been a feature with the dual-tuner Dish receivers. I remember my old 522 not having that for a while...can't imagine not having it now.

Just remember, if you press pause while recording, that tuner will jump to live tv when you press the swap button. I am curious whether all of the Dish receivers do this though.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

79MI said:


> Dual "sticky" buffers haven't always been a feature with the dual-tuner Dish receivers. I remember my old 522 not having that for a while...can't imagine not having it now.
> 
> Just remember, if you press pause while recording, that tuner will jump to live tv when you press the swap button. I am curious whether all of the Dish receivers do this though.


I don't know about the older non-ViP series of dual-tuner receivers. I never owned or leased one of those. I do know all of the ViP series have had this feature, so maybe it was something new they introduced with them?


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

The only difference I have seen is with the 522/625 the dual buffers have a 2 hour pause and 120 minute live buffer each.
Where the VIPs have a 1 hour pause and 60 minute live buffer each.

Personally I would really like it if Dish Network could make their VIP DVRs have the same pause and live buffer times as their 522/625.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Jhon69 said:


> The only difference I have seen is with the 522/625 the dual buffers have a 2 hour pause and 120 minute live buffer each.
> Where the VIPs have a 1 hour pause and 60 minute live buffer each.
> 
> Personally I would really like it if Dish Network could make their VIP DVRs have the same pause and live buffer times as their 522/625.


The main reason for that is because the ViP DVRs are all HD receivers... and HD takes several times the amount of space that SD takes... so 1 HR of HD in the buffer takes several times the space of 1 HR of SD in the buffer.

While I'd like more buffer time sometimes... honestly, if I think about it... IF I ever truly needed more time than that, then I probably should have just recorded the program instead of leaving it in the buffer.


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## GrumpyBear (Feb 1, 2006)

63thk said:


> How long has the SWAP feature which allows you to switch between 2 paused programs without losing your buffer been active? I just discovered this today as I was reading a comparison of D* and E* . I knew about the "DOUBLE DOWN" on D*, but had no idea you could do this on E* DVRs


ViP 622 was released in 2006, and Swap was built into it, as was PiP, DLB and buffers with warning. What is nice about Swap, is the remote is clearly marked with a swap button, no double anything. PiP is clearly marked as well. Buffers have a warning before being flushed and going live to change the channel so no accidental, channel changes that wipe out the buffer.
Only mention all of the above as they were all built into the ViP622 and all newer DVR's and those features all tie in and work together.


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

Stewart Vernon said:


> The main reason for that is because the ViP DVRs are all HD receivers... and HD takes several times the amount of space that SD takes... so 1 HR of HD in the buffer takes several times the space of 1 HR of SD in the buffer.
> 
> While I'd like more buffer time sometimes... honestly, if I think about it... IF I ever truly needed more time than that, then I probably should have just recorded the program instead of leaving it in the buffer.


I see how you do it now and I'm adjusting by recording almost everything.It's a work in progress just like Dish network fixing side by side PIP,but that's in another thread.

With the 622 having more hours of SD recording time than the 625 makes it nice too.


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