# D* HD Verses E* HD Dvr's



## richardmb (Mar 2, 2006)

Has anybody done a side by side comparison with the HR20 and the 622. I'm a D* sub. right now planning to upgrade to HD this year, but am balking at the $$$ & 2 year commitment they require for the HR20. I was wondering which unit was superior. One more factor in the mix is I would qualify for AT&T home zone being that they are my phone, Dsl and Cell phone provider.

Thanks in advance.

rick


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

:welcome_s


richardmb said:


> Has anybody done a side by side comparison with the HR20 and the 622.


I can't help you with personal experience, but I can tell you why your criteria might be expanded:

You need to look at the capabilities of the receivers at the time that you jump. There are issues with both. The ViP622 seems to be somewhat less problematic than the HR20 at this time, but that could change (and monkeys might fly out of Madonna's butt).

If the DVR doesn't do the DVR things that it should, PQ may become secondary.

There is at least one person here that has seen them both in their home environment, but I can't say for sure that both receivers were hooked up using the same method.

You might seek out a local storefront that sells both and see if they have both hooked up the way that you plan (HDMI or component) to the same display.

The size of your display and its processing capability will play big into the equation. If you want to know what the real differences in PQ are, you should try it using a cheap LCD or cheap plasma as they are widely suspected of having the worst video processing (correction) capabilities and since they have to scale everything, it looms large.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

And don't forget that both providers now seem to want to 'play nice' with the boys from Redmond (Microsoft) with Media Center PCs.


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## richardmb (Mar 2, 2006)

Along with the above questions I do have some more concerns. such as PQ from both providers. Right now E* is offering some pretty good promotions But D* is sending up two more sats this year. I'd hate to upgrade to HD with D* and find out the PQ stinks and be stuck with them for two years. Also I find it difficult to pay them an upfront fee to lease the Hr20. The HD set I'm planning on buying is the 50" panny if that makes any difference. once again thanks for any help you could provide.

rick


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## paja (Oct 23, 2006)

I just got the HD DVR from E installed on Friday. On my Mits 46231, the HD picture is stunning. I gave the DVR a workout and so far it has worked flawlessly.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

richardmb said:


> such as PQ from both providers.


E* PQ is generally considered better and will likely remain so _at least_ until one of the satellites goes live. If they don't carry the programming that you need, it doesn't matter.


> Right now E* is offering some pretty good promotions But D* is sending up two more sats this year.


What E* offers is here and now and you can have it installed in a couple of days. What D* is offering is coming this Fall to a sky near you.


> I'd hate to upgrade to HD with D* and find out the PQ stinks and be stuck with them for two years.


You sound like a candidate for something else in the interim. If you want to compare the two services head-to-head, you're going to have to wait about nine months. In the interim, most cable companies don't have long-term commitments.


> Also I find it difficult to pay them an upfront fee to lease the Hr20.


This may depend on how many HD receivers that you're going to want. E* has some fairly strict limits on the number of HD receivers you can lease; any extras would have to be purchased outright.


> The HD set I'm planning on buying is the 50" panny if that makes any difference.


Which one of the three 50" models? They are all 1366x768 resolution so you'll want to make sure you evaluate the scalers carefully.


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## richardmb (Mar 2, 2006)

I was considering a Panny TH-50px600u, after researching the Pioneer Pro-1140HD I think the Panny will do just fine. And as much as I like D* the thought of a two year commitment and paying up front for something I don't even own makes it alot eaiser to switch to E*. I'll call retention at D* just to see what they say but with everything I've been reading They won't budge on the commitment, it looks like I'll be with E* very soon. One more thing Cable was never in the picture Comcast service and PQ in my opinion did not measure up. at least in the Chicago land area anyway.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

richardmb said:


> One more thing Cable was never in the picture Comcast service and PQ in my opinion did not measure up. at least in the Chicago land area anyway.


I suggested it only as an option to get more HD content until DirecTV gets their hardware and bandwidth act together. You can jump ship at a moment's notice from Comcast.

Something you will probably find after getting a good HDTV: you won't watch SD on it.


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## man_rob (Feb 21, 2007)

Cnet just happens to have a side by side comparison: reviews.cnet.com/4321-6474_7-6546224.html?tag=feat.1

I'm currently a D* subscriber, but am probably going to change to E* in the fall. The fact that E*'s DVR works independently on 2 TVs, and that E* doesn't have a monthly charge for multiple tuners is what is swaying me right now. For the monthly cost of having a second D* DVR, I could have have HBO or Showtime, etc. Also, it seems that E*'s DVR is just better. While not perfect, it seems to have better features, and less problems. The fact that I can get the E*'s substantially better DVR for much less money doesn't hurt either.

My sister and her husband have experienced the HR20 first hand, and have found it to be quite problematic. (Her husband is a design, and technical engineer for a prominent company. Just about everyone here has at least one product that he helped to design, so he's no slouch in the techical knowledge dept.)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy with my current SD service from D*, but I'm very hesitent to get their brand of DVR. I have the SD DirecTiVo now, and love it. It's NEVER missed a recording, recorded nothing, or had audio/video problems. If D* had an mpeg4 recorder with the same reliability, I would have upgraded months ago, despite the added cost of running 2 DVRs. It's not so much a question of money as it is the level of benifit I'd be getting for that added cost. Right now D* doesn't seem to offer any.

I am locked into D* until Oct., but at this point, I think it's better to wait anyway. The summer might bring changes that sway my decision. Both companies are still in the early stages of building their HD line-ups, and there is not that much HD content out there yet. For now, my HD viewing is from the OTA channels, and that is quite nice. I get all the local channels OTA with just a simple $4 bowtie antenna from Radio Shack. (I put the bowtie behind a picture, so it is out of sight.)

I'm just glad there is a choice of satellite TV providers. It's a good thing these two companies were not allowed to merge.


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## Hound (Mar 20, 2005)

man_rob said:


> Cnet just happens to have a side by side comparison: reviews.cnet.com/4321-6474_7-6546224.html?tag=feat.1
> 
> I'm currently a D* subscriber, but am probably going to change to E* in the fall. The fact that E*'s DVR works independently on 2 TVs, and that E* doesn't have a monthly charge for multiple tuners is what is swaying me right now.
> 
> E* has a monthly charge for multiple tuners.


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## man_rob (Feb 21, 2007)

Hound said:


> E* has a monthly charge for multiple tuners.


Maybe I didn't word that well. With theViP 622 DVR, I can use the dual sat tuners and the ota tuner independently on 2 TVs, and not have to pay for a second tuner, plus the extra fee for a second DVR.


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## man_rob (Feb 21, 2007)

Also I'd like to add: Originally, before I was considering a move to E*, my plan was to move the DirecTiVo to the bedroom, but that would cost me $11 extra a month. With the E* DVR, I would not need a second DVR, and I could watch scaled down HD channels on the EDTV I have in my bedroom, via the wiring that is already in place.

It's a very attractive deal.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

man_rob said:


> Maybe I didn't word that well. With theViP 622 DVR, I can use the dual sat tuners and the ota tuner independently on 2 TVs, and not have to pay for a second tuner, plus the extra fee for a second DVR.


It will be easier for everyone if you use the term "receiver" to refer to the box and "tuner" to refer to the thing that tunes one channel.

D* doesn't offer a dual TV receiver, but they offer several dual tuner receivers.

BTW, if you don't connect your ViP622 to a telephone land-line, you will indeed pay extra for the second tuner.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

man_rob said:


> Originally, before I was considering a move to E*, my plan was to move the DirecTiVo to the bedroom, but that would cost me $11 extra a month.


This is not correct. Adding another D* dvr to your household costs $5/month. D*'s DVR fee covers all DVRs on the account.


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## man_rob (Feb 21, 2007)

harsh said:


> This is not correct. Adding another D* dvr to your household costs $5/month. D*'s DVR fee covers all DVRs on the account.


I didn't realize that the DVR fee was per household. That seems a bit more reasonable. Still, that leaves the $5 bucks extra a month for the second D* box, and I wouldn't be able to view scaled down HD content on my bedroom EDTV.

The DirecTiVo I have now requires a phone connection, (At least it won't record anything unless it's got a active phone line attached.) So the phone line is already in place.

Oh, and I would have to pay a heck of a lot more to upgrade to the D* DVR than if I switch to E. Lets see, D* = $300. 
E* = Free DVR.

Well, I have to wait until my current contract is up with DirecTV anyway, so maybe they'll make some changes that woo me back.


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## pedro4868 (Jan 31, 2007)

A little off topic, but does anyone know of a good hd dvr that I can buy at a store that doesn't have monthly fees?


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## man_rob (Feb 21, 2007)

pedro4868 said:


> A little off topic, but does anyone know of a good hd dvr that I can buy at a store that doesn't have monthly fees?


This requires a PC, but maybe this would work for you.

Just copy and paste this to your address bar.

snapstream.com/products/beyondtv/


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## pedro4868 (Jan 31, 2007)

man_rob said:


> This requires a PC, but maybe this would work for you.
> 
> Just copy and paste this to your address bar.
> 
> snapstream.com/products/beyondtv/


that maybe work, but I have directv and I would like to record other stations too besides OTA hd signals. Is there a set top box hd dvr I could get that is compatible with directv and has no monthly fees?


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## man_rob (Feb 21, 2007)

pedro4868 said:


> that maybe work, but I have directv and I would like to record other stations too besides OTA hd signals. Is there a set top box hd dvr I could get that is compatible with directv and has no monthly fees?


They do list ways of using it with satellite TV

http://www.snapstream.com/products/beyondtv/digital.pdf


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

man_rob said:


> Oh, and I would have to pay a heck of a lot more to upgrade to the D* DVR than if I switch to E. Lets see, D* = $300.
> E* = Free DVR. Well, I have to wait until my current contract is up with DirecTV anyway, so maybe they'll make some changes that woo me back.


Did you D* and get this price? For most subscribers with good history, it is a lot less. Especially if you mention that you are considering E*.

My D* HR20 has been mostly trouble-free in the five months I've had it. I did have to reset it several times due to lockups (not for the last month or so,) but it has never had a missed or unplayable recording.


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## man_rob (Feb 21, 2007)

paulman182 said:


> Did you D* and get this price? For most subscribers with good history, it is a lot less. Especially if you mention that you are considering E*.
> 
> My D* HR20 has been mostly trouble-free in the five months I've had it. I did have to reset it several times due to lockups (not for the last month or so,) but it has never had a missed or unplayable recording.


I have been with D* for years, in excellent standing, and a while ago, I was looking to upgrade my DVR. Online, they advertised the unit for _new_ customers (Read: with NO history) at a big discount, (with a free portable DVD player to boot.) but when I clicked on the discount link, the price jumped up to $300, (and the DVD player offer vanished as well). It was stated that the deal was _only_ for new subscribers.

As for the reliablity of the HR20, it's problems have been well documented in review after review. I would love to see D* go back to using the Tivo software!!!. My Tivo has been virtually flawless. All that aside, E*'s DVR (I know it's not perfect either) just has better features. (Being able to use the ViP622 independently on 2 TV's, using the existing wiring in my house, is a _big_ plus for me.) I'd love to be able to watch my recorded programs in my bedroom. The fact that I can get the E* unit _free_ doesn't hurt either.

I'm not unhappy with D*, but It's not like D* has bent over backwards for me either. They are a corporation, with no real loyalty to me, (say I fell upon hard times. Do you think they'd let me slide for a few months?) so I really have no problems switching. I have friends who are every bit as happy with E* as I am currently with D* If E* gives me a free DVR, that's more than D* has ever done for me.

Still, I'm locked into D* for a few more months, and there is bound to be pleny of changes in that time. It's too soon to get locked into another contract with either company. Who knows, maybe Verizon's new service will get my business.


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## BNUMM (Dec 24, 2006)

man_rob said:


> I have been with D* for years, in excellent standing, and a while ago, I was looking to upgrade my DVR. Online, they advertised the unit for _new_ customers (Read: with NO history) at a big discount, (with a free portable DVD player to boot.) but when I clicked on the discount link, the price jumped up to $300, (and the DVD player offer vanished as well). It was stated that the deal was _only_ for new subscribers.
> 
> As for the reliablity of the HR20, it's problems have been well documented in review after review. I would love to see D* go back to using the Tivo software!!!. My Tivo has been virtually flawless. All that aside, E*'s DVR (I know it's not perfect either) just has better features. (Being able to use the ViP622 independently on 2 TV's, using the existing wiring in my house, is a _big_ plus for me.) I'd love to be able to watch my recorded programs in my bedroom. The fact that I can get the E* unit _free_ doesn't hurt either.
> 
> ...


I install both. I have SkyAngel. I use an OTA for HD. I plan on waiting at least until the end of this year before I even consider getting HD from a satellite provider. I am leaning towards D* because I have gone through 7 DVRs from E* so I am not impressed.


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## GadgetGal1 (Feb 6, 2007)

I had E* for 8 years and had the VIP622. I recently switched to D* and have the HR20. I am happy with the change I made, but one thing I miss is my VIP622. I have had minor issues with the HR20, but I found the VIP622 worked better and had better features. If your main requirement depends on the HD dvr, then I would say Dish wins. As far as programming, E* has more HD than D*, currently. D* has announced a lot of plans for HD, but E* currently has it. I can't see E* just sitting by and letting D* jump ahead. I imagine they both will remain competitive with each other.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

pedro4868 said:


> A little off topic, but does anyone know of a good hd dvr that I can buy at a store that doesn't have monthly fees?


There are _no_ store-bought solutions to recording HD programming from satellite outside of the DVR(s) offered by the associated programming provider.


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