# 942 vs 921; is it really that much better?



## videobruce (Aug 13, 2004)

I have the 942 review that I will read and I have glanced over the first pages of this forum, but since there are so many special issues that come up it's hard to weed through all of them for my questions.

First, I understand the 921 is discontinued. Is this correct? I know it can be had elsewhere (e-bay etc.).

Second, the 942 with the newer tuner and a 2nd tuner (I believe that is the biggest difference), have they really made that many improvement and bug fixes? Mind ytou I'm not just talkng about features. I also know there are firmware updates, but other than those, the hardware inside the box is what I was interested. 

I did look at the 'bug' thread which is why I'm asking.


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

Yes, yes and yes. I don't think you'll find anyone here that wishes they had a 921 instead of a 942.


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## deweybrunner (Feb 8, 2004)

Had 921 for over year. 942 is ten times greater,(and cost me a lot less money($1,000 vs $699.) Fantastic machine. love it!


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## srrobinson2 (Sep 16, 2003)

I got my 942 yesterday and already love it! (good call M--thx!)

The picture quality seems better (may be my imagination, but it looks crisper and less pixelated). The setup and activation was fast and worked right the first time. The interface is just like my 522 interface, and best of all--it works! My 921 left the house today--good riddance!

Now, I need to update my signature line!


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## Jon Spackman (Feb 7, 2005)

Ditto, the 942 is really much better than the 921. NBR rocks!!!!! I love that it will only record shows that i havent seen (new), or automatically skip repeats for me. That alone makes it worth it. But it goes far beyond that. The 942 gives me the confidence to actually record two shows at once, delete an show and watch a previosuly recorded show ---all at the same time without problems.

Is the 942 perfect, no. But its light years ahead of the 921. I dont think ill miss the 921!

Jon

IE: I am glad i spent the money to buy a 942 and leave the 921 behind.


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## videobruce (Aug 13, 2004)

You guys are leasing the unit or was it a purchase?

*BUT*, will you say this after they switch to MPEG4? :sure:


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## Paradox-sj (Dec 15, 2004)

videobruce said:


> You guys are leasing the unit or was it a purchase?
> 
> *BUT*, will you say this after they switch to MPEG4? :sure:


I dont understand this fearmongering about MPEG4....

Even then the 942 will still be light years ahead of the 921 that will never change.

Will I have to get anothe STB for MPEG4 sure.

Will Ihave feel bad for the months and months of rock solid HD viewing that I got out of my 942. Not at all....

Will I be able to sale my 942 to someone and recoop some of the cost yeap.

Will I take that money and get the next best things...you know it!

This is consumer electronics...the next best things is always around the cornor and if you take that wait and see attitude about everything you would never buy anything.

In the mean time all of us 942 owner's/leasess are enjoying a good machine that works as advertised.....

What do you 921-MPEG4-fearmongering-users have to feel good about... :eek2:

Thats what I thought...Nothing!


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## cybersleuth58 (Aug 18, 2005)

Whoa! Here is the problem with MPEG4 vs. MPEG2. I am currently in a huge quandary bc I cannot lease an HD DVR from Dish but I can lease an 811. And my Panasonic will apparently not record off on the 811. I can BUY an HD DVR, I am told. So I went out and did the research. First, sooner than people think, there will be a changeover to MPEG4. That means that if you want to receive HD programming, unless your box is MPEG4 compatible, you are out of luck. I have read that Direct TV will be switching to MPEG4 as early as this Fall. Surely by 2006. So if you plan to dump your 942, unless there is an upgrade program out there, I cannot see someone wanting to buy it once the changeoner is in progress. The MPEG4 receivers will be backwards compatible but the MPEG2 receivers will not read the new signal. Here is my question. I called Dish for help - should I look to buy the 942 when it could be obsolete within a year, blah, blah, blah. I spoke to several folks. Sales either had no clue about the MPEG4 question or they pretended bc I was told that these boxes are built to last. OK! So i called Tech and this guy told me right out: Oh, I would go ahead and buy now. When I pressed about the MPEG4 issue and whether there would be a swap or upgrade program, I was told not to worry about it. So here is my question to you wise folks out there... The reviews are mixed. Some are saying: WAIT! And if you bought an HD DVR recently, try to sell it now. Others are saying that Dish is not so stupid as to hand the cable companies their HD business and will certainly have some attractive options for those with MPEG2 boxes. Would you guys buy or wait? Are there going to be upgrade options through Dish?


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## Tom in TX (Jan 22, 2004)

I beleive that only "new" HD content will be done in Mpeg4, for quite awhile. So anything you can get now, you will still be able to get. Millions of receivers will not be suddenly out of service. That's why I went ahead and bought the 942, and love it.
Tom in TX


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## vaxmanid (Jul 3, 2004)

The 942 is the first DVR I've owned and have no complaints. I'm still on the learning curve though in its use with 2 tuners. I don't drive another TV with it. I have an 811 for that. Reason for my post is that there is no need to pay *E the full price of 699 for the 942. By default I found a cheaper way and of course it bypasses the Dish customer service(?) I moved into a new house and while waiting for it to be built, I contacted *E. As an existing customer (we all know this), *E will screw you. As a matter of fact they wouldn't sell it to me. I was referred to a reseller/franchisee. Yup I did that. A former neighbor told *E to cancel my account and opened a new one with my cell phone number. Viola, a new satisfied 7 year customer! I paid him $249 for the 942 and I had to get a new 811 for free for my second setup. My old 811 will go the next "new customer" a friend, neighbor or ebay.
Charlie or other executives must watch this site but either they are absolutely clueless or they really don't care about providing a fair deal to existing long time customers. This has gone on for far too long. So when the day comes that MPEG 4 is rolled out, I'll become a "new customer" again with my wife's cell phone number. Insane.


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## JM Anthony (Nov 16, 2003)

Yes, it really is. The 921 is tolerable, the 942 is just a better receiver to work with. I always tried to be pretty optimistic about the 921 (it wasn't THAT bad). But it wasn't that good, either. The 942 is.


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## Jerry G (Jul 12, 2003)

The 942 is definitely much better than the 921. I simply got fed up with the 921 and purchased a 942 the other day. Even with MPEG4 coming up and not knowing how long it will be before I have to get an MPEG4 HD DVR, I just couldn't tolerate the 921 any longer. I've completely lost confidence in it's reliability. There are a few issues with the 942, but I'm inclined to believe they will be worked on with more diligence and a greater chance of success than the 921 will ever have. The 921 is simply the worst electronic device I've ever purchased and I'm so glad it's gone.


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