# Vip922 and WildBlue



## PDoman

I am new to "small dish" TV. I have used C-band for the last 20 years and they are finally pulling the plug on things like HBO and your standard programing at the end of the year. So I am trying to figure out if the Vip922 will work for me. I live in northern California surrounded by mountains and too far out for cable or DSL. So I use Wildblue for my internet service. I am supposed to get 1.5 Meg/sec but it usually is much slower at about .7. When I ran the dish connectivity sling test on the Dish web page URL removed it told me that my speed was to slow to "sling" my video. I am not interested in slinging my video across the internet however. My question is can I still use the Vip922? Will it work on my LAN with out having to go up and down my Satellite internet connection? There is no problem with the unit downloading large amounts of data; as long as I don't try to stream video live, the Wildblue system works great.
It looks like the Vip922 is far better than the 722 unit and I would like the newer interface and greater capacity to store video. I can live with one TV but being able to sling using only my LAN would be nice. Any thoughts or advice?


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## BattleZone

While obviously the 922 was designed with the intention that folks would use it to Sling content via the 'net, you certainly don't HAVE to use that functionality, and can still Sling content over your LAN fine. You definitely wouldn't want to Sling remotely over WildBlue...


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## harsh

If storage is the consideration, external drives is going to be the answer regardless of what model HD DVR you end up with. The advantage of the ViP922 is the new interface software. The advantage of the ViP722 is the proven interface software. Quite a bit of the current ViP922 functionality (the search function) is planned to make its way to the ViP722 eventually.

At this point in the development of the ViP922, I'd opt for a ViP722K and an outboard Slingbox. My position could easily change in six months depending on how the functionality and feature set of the ViP922 improves.


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## PDoman

Thanks for your responses.  I like the idea about adding an external HD and having unlimited storage. It sounds like people are having trouble transferring their stored video from the 722 when upgrading, I won't have that problem unless I upgrade to something else in the future. What do you you know about HomeLink function. I think I would prefer to hard wire the unit in but does that work well with a wireless N network? Do you know what format the video is stored in on the external drive and is it available on the network by itself?


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## Stewart Vernon

There has also been some mixed signals as to how much the 922 might use your internet connection for other things.

One thing I remain curious about... are things like the channel icons and DVR thumbnails. Part of me suspects those are downloaded via the internet connection instead of SAT... but I don't know for sure.


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## tedb3rd

I had WB for a while until the red area of 3G coverage blanketed my neighborhood on the coverage map. (WOO HOO!)

It's so much faster than WB, cheaper, but we still have the monthly bandwidth limit. I almost went from a 622 to 922 but, upon clarification from CSR, I decided to go with the 722. The VOD comes over the internet--lots of bandwidth no matter what VOD capable device you use. The TV2 out on the 922 is basically a slingbox (as described by the CSR) so if you want to watch TV2 in another room, it's gotta be uploading to the internet. ...I think the engineers argued over that and the stupid one ended up winning the argument for whatever reason.

But anyways... Judging by the filesize of some of these movies I store on the external hard drive, we would eat our bandwidth up VERY quickly if it ever went over the internet (upload or download). I guess if you wanted to see if your bandwidth would suffice, you could try to view about 4 'online' videos from youtube at the same time because something coming out of the DVR would probably be about that. (anybody got any specs?) ..and more if it's HD.

I mainly wanted the 922 for the cool interface and I thought I just wouldn't use all the 'internet' features but when the CSR started talking about you MUST have an internet connection to use TV2 (even if you're not viewing off site.. just in another room).. I backed out and went for a 722.


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## BattleZone

tedb3rd said:


> The TV2 out on the 922 is basically a slingbox (as described by the CSR) so if you want to watch TV2 in another room, it's gotta be uploading to the internet.


The TV2 signal is "Slung" (?) over your HOME NETWORK, but NOT to the Internet unless you specifically set it up to do so. You can Sling from the 922 without an Internet connection at all.


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## Stewart Vernon

BattleZone said:


> The TV2 signal is "Slung" (?) over your HOME NETWORK, but NOT to the Internet unless you specifically set it up to do so. You can Sling from the 922 without an Internet connection at all.


How do you do that when the only way to access the 922 Sling is via the Dish Web site?

(Yes, I know some folks are using older SlingPlayer software... but newer SlingPlayer software doesn't access the 922 directly anymore and it isn't supported by Dish, unfortunately, so if he runs into any troubles he's out on a limb).


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## phrelin

Stewart Vernon said:


> How do you do that when the only way to access the 922 Sling is via the Dish Web site?
> 
> (Yes, I know some folks are using older SlingPlayer software... but newer SlingPlayer software doesn't access the 922 directly anymore and it isn't supported by Dish, unfortunately, so if he runs into any troubles he's out on a limb).


I had an interaction with the Sling folks when I got my Slingbox PRO HD about the need for the internet. Two things: (1) you have to confirm your account to sign in to your Slingbox (or 922 presumably) and (2) for whatever dumb reason the program must monitor the download speed of your internet connection even though they assure me that the speed is irrelevant when you are "slinging" within your network.

Again, I'm just assuming the same is true for the 922.


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## harsh

PDoman said:


> Do you know what format the video is stored in on the external drive and is it available on the network by itself?


It is stored the way it comes from the satellite (either MPEG2 or MPEG4) with a heavy doping of encryption.

The programming is not available on the network; only on the DVR that the drive is currently attached to. If you want to watch the program on another HD DVR in your household, you take the external hard drive with you and hot swap it in.


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## BattleZone

Stewart Vernon said:


> How do you do that when the only way to access the 922 Sling is via the Dish Web site?
> 
> (Yes, I know some folks are using older SlingPlayer software... but newer SlingPlayer software doesn't access the 922 directly anymore and it isn't supported by Dish, unfortunately, so if he runs into any troubles he's out on a limb).


Point taken, but "soon" the "Multi-Room Extender" (aka HD SlingCatcher) will be available, and you won't need to go to the website to get your content (a requirement that is DUMB in the first place).


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## phrelin

BattleZone said:


> Point taken, but "soon" the "Multi-Room Extender" (aka HD SlingCatcher) will be available, and you won't need to go to the website to get your content (a requirement that is DUMB in the first place).


Are you sure that it won't require "signing in" via the internet? That would seem to imply that more than one Extender, or at least an extender and one computer, could be watching. Or perhaps I'm reading too much good news into it.


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## PDoman

BattleZone said:


> Point taken, but "soon" the "Multi-Room Extender" (aka HD SlingCatcher) will be available, and you won't need to go to the website to get your content (a requirement that is DUMB in the first place).


So, it sound like if I want to watch TV in another room with something as poor as Wildblue or only on my home network it will not work today. Some "vaperware" solution is in the pipeline? I can live with only one TV for now.

Any idea what the monthly bandwith will be if I only watch on one TV and only use the new interface? I am trying to decide whether to get the 922 or 722 with the future in mind. I don't want to get a 722 for an extra charge and find that I will have to pay another $200 next year if the 922 does turn out to be the way to go.


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## Stewart Vernon

BattleZone said:


> Point taken, but "soon" the "Multi-Room Extender" (aka HD SlingCatcher) will be available, and you won't need to go to the website to get your content (a requirement that is DUMB in the first place).


Agreed on the dumbness factor... continues to make no sense to me.

I certainly hope that whenever the "extender" becomes available that it will not have an internet requirement for Slinging. That would be the only way to make the thing even less useful.


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## olguy

I think it would be great if Dish made it possible to connect directly to a 922 on your own LAN (like I and some others do using the "old" version of Slingplayer, which is much better than Dish Remote by the by). I also like the fact that I can go to the Dish site with my lap top or netbook when away from home.


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## PDoman

Does the Video on demand come down the satellite or through the internet?


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## n0qcu

Video on Demand is downloaded from satellite when your receiver is in standby.
DishOnline is downloaded from the ineternet if/when you request a program.


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