# Newbie help comparing Tivo and VIP722



## Strum (Jan 1, 2008)

Hi Everyone, 

I used to have Comcast and Tivo Series 2. Then I got sick of Comcast and switched to Dish. 

I hate how the dish reboots once a day and turns on that darn screensaver. This really screws up Tivo becuase all i record is the screensaver.

So I want to get the VIP722... I've been doing alot of reading (including the online PDF manual for the VIP722) so I have some general ideal of it's features. But I was wondering if anyone could point me to a good website or document that compares all the software features? Like searching for actors, continuing from where you last stopped in a movie or TV show, etc?

A few really important things I could use some quick answers to are:

1. Can I transfer recorded tv shows to my computer and transfer to my Zune or PSP?
2. Does the VIP722 alwasy record a 30 minute buffer in the background like TIVO? 
3. If I am watching a movie that has been recorded, and switch to real TV, when i come back to the movie, will it continue from where i stopped?

Thanks everyone in advance.. 

Also if anyone knows of a way to get rid of that stupid screensaver please let me know.


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## GrumpyBear (Feb 1, 2006)

The VIP722 will keep a 60 minute buffer, instead of 30. Also if you have it in single mode, you will have 2 60 minute buffers.

When you go back to the movie, you will resume, from where you left off.

As for the inactivity screen, with the VIP722 this wont be an issue.
Not sure which reciever you have, but try Menu-Preferences-Inactivity Standby, and disable it.


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## garys (Nov 4, 2005)

1. Dish's recordings are incrypted to prevent you form simply transfering files.

2. 60 minutes as listed above.

3. No, it continues live, but you can rewind.


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## ssmith10pn (Jul 6, 2005)

1, You can archive to external drives but the data is proprietary. There is Pocket Dish but the recordings have to be SD.

2, Like stated above, 60 min buffer plus if in single mode you can use PIP and surf another channel while your current channel is in pause.

3, Lets say your watching a recorded movie and you just punch in a channel without stopping the recording. When you return to the recorded movie it will ask you if you want to resume or start over.

Actually, comparing TiVo to Dish DVR is like comparing apples to water melons.

TiVo is sorta like an AOL user. Once you cut your teeth on AOL it's hard to make the adjustment to non AOL internet.


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## Strum (Jan 1, 2008)

Thanks everyone. From everything i've read so far, i think the 722 is better then TIVO. I will have to get one and compare myself. 

Now i need to do some research on this Pocket Dish product.


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## BobaBird (Mar 31, 2002)

The original PocketDISH is getting hard to find, replaced by the Archos 605 and 705.
See http://ekb.dbstalk.com/pocket.htm.


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## Strum (Jan 1, 2008)

Thanks.. I got a new Zune for Christmas and i've put some movies on there from my Tivo to Go so i can watch it on my way to work.. 

looks like you can't do that with Dish.. except with that Archos device.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Re transferring to computer. I do this through a TV tuner card built into the computer. Once it is in the computer I can transfer the program to my Archos 504 (an older, non PocketDish model). I've never transferred complete movies, but have transfered a bunch of music videos and a few funny segments off the local news. Works great, just not fast like a PocketDish. There's no reason you can't transfer to the Zune the same way.


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## jkane (Oct 12, 2007)

The 722 and TiVo are similiar. But the TiVo is much more reliable and smarter. The guide TiVo uses is more accurate, and hence recordings happen more often as expected. The 722 is a decent recorder. It is also HD, which is why I have one.

What receiver do you use with your TiVo? We have a 301, and it doesn't have a problem with the screen saver. Do a dummy channel change just before what you expect to record.

Do you have lifetime, or pay monthly for the TiVo? If you have lifetime, that thing is still worth a lot!


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

The work around for the inactivity time out is to disable inactivity timeout and set a timer about auto-tune timer 30 minutes after your night update period and that should handle the timer activity issue for most use cases. 

Just need to be aware of when your update time is and be sure not be set recordings for that time period. I sometimes will record movies during the late night periods and that is something i always keep in mind.


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## jkane (Oct 12, 2007)

ssmith10pn said:


> TiVo is sorta like an AOL user. Once you cut your teeth on AOL it's hard to make the adjustment to non AOL internet.


Ouch! That hurts. 

I would say TiVo is more like a Unix command line. Once you learn it, you never want to go back to AOL!


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

I have both a ViP622 and a TiVo SA Series 2 and there are things I like about both.

The TiVo interface is a little childish, but if you can get over the stupid dancing TV and turn off the boop-boop sounds it is a pretty good interface.

The ViP622/722 has just about everything that I need except being able to download MPEG4 recordings to my PC (we're working on it). Have not partaken in the external HDD for 622 might in the future.


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## eddieras (Aug 31, 2007)

i just switched from hd tivo and directv to dish and the 722. i love the 722 but one MAJOR drawback to me is that if you go to watch a recorded show that is still recording and then stop watching before the show is completed (and still recording) it will NOT start from your point of pausing it. also, if watching sports, when you go to the list of recorded shows the window shows live tv (which normally is great) but if you select you game to watch it shows a glimpse of the game (live) in that window and you may see/ hear the score! frustrating it happened to me once - even when selcting Start Over.


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## kb7oeb (Jun 16, 2004)

Tivo really needs to updates its EPG, it doesn't support picture in guide and you can't access the guide while watching a recording. I was going to use the PIG acronym but I figured no one would remember it since everything else supports it. 

Wishlists on tivo are much better than DishPass, Tivos are way slower than any dish dvr I've used.

Either is far superior to cable DVRs


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## Strum (Jan 1, 2008)

jkane said:


> What receiver do you use with your TiVo? We have a 301, and it doesn't have a problem with the screen saver. Do a dummy channel change just before what you expect to record.
> 
> Do you have lifetime, or pay monthly for the TiVo? If you have lifetime, that thing is still worth a lot!


I have a VIP211 currently and my Tivo is the Humax series 2 with built in DVD burner and I have the lifetime on it. (thought about ebaying this one  )

As the other poster stated, i did try to have it automatically change the channel at a certain time after the update but it never worked correctly... i will play with it a bit more and see if i can get it working.

It's not the normal screen saver, this only shows up after the system reboots and looks for an updated. I have it scheduled for 6AM. Usually I am still home at that time and i can hit select but other times i will go into work early, on those days i don't get anything recorded.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

To wake your 622/722 after the nightly guide download, just set an auto tune timer to fire 30 minutes or 1 hour after the nightly update, and turn the Inactivity-Standby off.

Both my 211 and 622 are awake except for that short time needed for nightly updates.


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