# 721 Questions - upgrade and equipment



## finniganps (Jan 23, 2004)

I had a few questions about the 721. I currently have a 4700 and 508 receiver and am wondering if E* would allow me to do that $249 upgrade to the 721 from the 4700 (I wouldn't want to have to give up the 508 and still be stuck w the 4700). Does anyone know who they are offering this upgrade to (I have been a subscriber since 1999)? 

Now assuming that I can upgrade the 4700 to a 721 and keep the 508 I had a couple questions. I currently have a Dish 500 dual LNBF and a separate dish to get the distant locals.

1) Since the 721 has 2 tuners do you pay $10 for that receiver or just $5 as an additional receiver like I currently pay?

2) Would I need to modify my existing system - I'm thinking I'd need a new switch because currently there are only two outputs (1 to each receiver) coming from my current switch (SW64 I think)?

3) Am I missing anything else?

Thanks for the advice!

Ed


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## reedl (May 10, 2002)

1) The 721 is only the additional $5 per month since it only has one TV-out. You cannot watch two different programs on it at the same time (except for its built-in PIP). You cannot do something like the 522 allows which is to have a second TV watching a completely different program at the same time as TV #1 is watching the first program. Think of the 721 as a 50x (with a much better UI), but than can record two things at the same time.

2) The 721 needs two satellite inputs. If you have a SW64, then it has four outputs, so two of them would need to go to the 721. There is no way to use a single cable into the two tuners of a 721 at all. You cannot split it, or anything of the like. It needs exactly two inputs directly from a switch. It sounds like you need another run from the SW-64 to wherever you are putting the 721.

3) I do not think you are missing anything..

I do not know about this "deal" but I think you get to keep your current receivers already, so you will not give up any receiver. If in fact you do have a SW64, that will be perfect since you need four tuner outputs (4700, 501, 721x2), which is what you will have.

Reedl


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## TomCat (Aug 31, 2002)

I know of only 3 pet peeves that come to mind about the 721.

1. The implementation of slo-mo and FA is so poorly done it is almost unuseable.

2. The time bar is huge and regularly obscures titles in FFW.

3. There is no way to defeat the default padding of "start 1 minute early, end 3 minutes late" without an extra 7 keystrokes.

Other than that, the 721 is killer. If it ever gets name-based, the 721 would be a Tivo-killer.


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## Link (Feb 2, 2004)

The time bar on the 522 is better than the 721 but that's about the only thing.

After using a 522 for a couple months, I got a 721. The 522 has multiple problems and cannot be used in single mode which is ridiculous. If Dish ever gets these worked out I might use it again. I didn't like the VOD fee on the 522 as well. I hated the fact that the guide in the 522 is in descending order and you cannot change it or lock channels out of the guide you don't get. It is also very slow. The 522 should be an improvement on the 721 but it isn't except I suppose for the 2 TV option.

So far, I like the 721 much better than the 522. The menu and guide are fast and user friendly. You can sort recorded shows by date or alphabetically. You can disable that annoying timer reminder flashing. It has a clean up feature that allows you to delete several recordings at once instead of one at a time. 

One other thing---the 721 picture on my TV is so much better than with the 522. The 522 picture had noticeable pixelization bad and the 721 I don't notice any.

The only problems I have noticed are it needs to change to a better time bar when fast forwarding/rewinding. Sometimes I have to hit pause or instant replay to get the audio back after I have forwarded or rewinded a scene.


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## finniganps (Jan 23, 2004)

reedl said:


> 2) The 721 needs two satellite inputs. If you have a SW64, then it has four outputs, so two of them would need to go to the 721. There is no way to use a single cable into the two tuners of a 721 at all. You cannot split it, or anything of the like. It needs exactly two inputs directly from a switch. It sounds like you need another run from the SW-64 to wherever you are putting the 721.Reedl


It turns out that I have a SW21 switch. Actually I think I have two because I have a 2nd Dish for the distant locals and there's a 2nd switch(see the first post for the details). Anyway, with this switch, a dual LNBF and two receivers (508 and the new 721) would I only need a SW64 switch for this to work, or would I also need a Quad LNBF?

If I kept my 3rd receiver (4900), would that change the answer?

Thanks a lot for the advice


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## finniganps (Jan 23, 2004)

finniganps said:


> It turns out that I have a SW21 switch. Actually I think I have two because I have a 2nd Dish for the distant locals and there's a 2nd switch(see the first post for the details). Anyway, with this switch, a dual LNBF and two receivers (508 and the new 721) would I only need a SW64 switch for this to work, or would I also need a Quad LNBF?
> 
> If I kept my 3rd receiver (4900), would that change the answer?
> 
> Thanks a lot for the advice


Any ideas on this? Installer is coming tomorrow. Thanks for the help!


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## garypen (Feb 1, 2004)

TomCat said:


> I know of only 3 pet peeves that come to mind about the 721.
> 
> 1. The implementation of slo-mo and FA is so poorly done it is almost unuseable.
> 
> ...


1. What is FA? (I never use slo-mo on the 510, so that wouldn't bother me about the 721.)
2. I've heard that complainrt from others. However, what "titles" do you mean? Also, what is FFW?
3. I'm looking quite forward to the 721's default padding, since more and more shows seem to start a little early or end a little late. I wish the 510 had it. It's easy enough to start one minute early. But, adding to the end is a pain with the 510.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

garypen said:


> 1. What is FA? (I never use slo-mo on the 510, so that wouldn't bother me about the 721.)
> 2. I've heard that complainrt from others. However, what "titles" do you mean? Also, what is FFW?
> 3. I'm looking quite forward to the 721's default padding, since more and more shows seem to start a little early or end a little late. I wish the 510 had it. It's easy enough to start one minute early. But, adding to the end is a pain with the 510.


What is FA and what is FFW?


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## garypen (Feb 1, 2004)

I'm assuming FFW is Tomcats abreviation for Fast Forward. Of course, the standard is simply FF. I still have no idea what FA is.


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## kmcnamara (Jan 30, 2004)

Frame Advance?


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