# Downgrading 722k -> 612 to save $7 / month



## Vasanth B (Oct 13, 2005)

I decided that with new season _True Blood_ coming and the requisite HBO-crack charge of $16 / month, that my current bill which is already over $100 (AT 250, HD-4-life, VIP922 primary, 722k secondary and associated lease & DVR fees) would simply be too expensive.

I realized that we hardly ever use PIP on the 2nd TV which is on our upstairs home theater projector. I also believe the 2nd TV output is increasingly useless in this age of every TV in the house going HD. I talked to the CSRs on chat and committed 24 months again which is not a big deal since we were already under contract for the 922 upgrade and only extends us 6 months farther. Going to a 612 saves us $7 a month and I can still record 2 satellite shows + 1 OTA. I see now that I'm giving up on the ability to get the free w/rebate Sling Adapter offer but we already have that with the 922 so I'm not losing out. The $17 2nd HDDuo fee is simply too high.

I bought the OTA module for the 722K so I'll just sell that on eBay and there is no charge for the tech visit. I don't know why I didn't think of doing this originally a few months ago when I ordered the 722k.


----------



## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

Well, you proposed it right; perhaps switching to Netflix with a small box (Roku ?) would reduce your bill too ?


----------



## Rduce (May 16, 2008)

I never cared for the 612 I had, it was just too buggy. Perhaps in the year plus since then they have ironed out the problems. I dropped my second 722 for a 211K with an EHD attached to make it work like a DVR. Saves $10 that way.


----------



## tampa8 (Mar 30, 2002)

The 612's have become a very good receiver. They had problems earlier on, but overall all mine have been great. Exchanged one for rebooting, replacement and other two are fine.


----------



## SeaBeagle (May 7, 2006)

"tampa8" said:


> The 612's have become a very good receiver. They had problems earlier on, but overall all mine have been great. Exchanged one for rebooting, replacement and other two are fine.


I had the same exact experience with the same results.


----------



## Vasanth B (Oct 13, 2005)

P Smith said:


> Well, you proposed it right; perhaps switching to Netflix with a small box (Roku ?) would reduce your bill too ?


We have Netflix on both of our TVs through the Blu-ray players. We have to many series and shows we watch so Dish will have us for a least a few more years.


----------



## Vasanth B (Oct 13, 2005)

> I dropped my second 722 for a 211K with an EHD attached to make it work like a DVR. Saves $10 that way.


Wow didn't know this was an option. Does this provide equivalent functionality to the 612? I use Dish Online alot with the DVRs to setup up timers. Is this supported?


----------



## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

612 has two sat tuners while 211 - one; not sure about DOnline feature - not using it for 211 DVR.


----------



## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

OK. They have the 612 working pretty well compared to when I first got mine. I use mine mostly to supplement my 722's recording capability - it gives me 4 satellite tuners to record from.

With that said, I still encounter troubles when recording 2 HD streams while watching a recorded HD stream. IMHO the difference between the 612 and the 722 is similar to the difference between two computers:

One with a single core processor on a motherboard with built-in video and 2GB of shared RAM and a 5400 rpm hard drive - the 612.
One with a dual core processor on a motherboard with a separate video card using its own video processor supported by its own 512 mb of RAM and 4GB of RAM and a 7200 rpm hard drive - the 722.
They both work. But they "feel" different based on performance under certain circumstances. My 612 when recording two HD streams "feels" like it is always operating at maximum with no room for any deviation in input. Unfortunately, some deviation occurs occasionally.

Just one person's opinion based on three years living with both boxes.


----------



## Vasanth B (Oct 13, 2005)

phrelin said:


> OK...
> ...They both work. But they "feel" different based on performance under certain circumstances. My 612 when recording two HD streams "feels" like it is always operating at maximum with no room for any deviation in input. Unfortunately, some deviation occurs occasionally.
> 
> Just one person's opinion based on three years living with both boxes.


 Interesting. Well considering we have the 922 primary, it's a worthwhile downgrade to save the $7. The Dish tech is coming this afternoon in fact. I'll be interested to see the responsiveness of the unit. That being said, it's going to be our "backup timer" unit in case something happens to the recordings and timers on our 922. I'll post back here with my 612 experiences.


----------

