# 942 vs. 622



## deputyjim (Jan 4, 2003)

Greetings All,

I have a 942, which I've been enjoying since it first came out last year. Other than wishing the HD was bigger and that funny green/red striping problem, the unit is OK. 

I recently read E* compressed some of the HD channels (in MPEG2 format) to presumably make way for more (HD) channels. MPEG4 is reported to be on the way. The 622 is MPEG4.

My question is, how compelling is the 622? I'm typically an early adopter, but I haven't had the 942 that long. What is E*'s schedule for hopping on MPEG4? It seems to me there isn't a compelling reason yet for the 622 because of the lack of MPEG4 programming.

Have I made an accurate assessment, or am I missing something? Why would I want a 622?

Thanks in advance.

Jim


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## sbuko (Jan 10, 2006)

You would want a 622 for the new HD channels. ESPN2, etc. You will also need a new receiver to get your HD locals.


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## deputyjim (Jan 4, 2003)

sbuko said:


> You would want a 622 for the new HD channels. ESPN2, etc. You will also need a new receiver to get your HD locals.


Thnx for the reply. I get locals OTA. My rooftop looks like a government agency, with one Dish1000, one Dish500, and a "flat panel" OTA antenna!

Cheers!

Jim


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## geodi (Aug 8, 2004)

At this time, I don't see a compelling reason to get a 622. I'm happy with my less than 1-year old 942. I can pull in Washington and Baltimore OTA HD local stations just fine and the new HD Echostar content isn't enough for me to upgrade (my 501, because I'd keep using the 942). Maybe a better upgrade deal might arise if I wait (fingers crossed).


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## Jerry G (Jul 12, 2003)

Ever try to record two OTA HD channels at once? You can't. Unfortunately, the Dish DVRs only have one OTA tuner. Having the local HD channels via sat and OTA is one way to get around this. Record one local HD via OTA and another via sat simultaneously.


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## sbuko (Jan 10, 2006)

That's my motivation. I have a 942 now and watch OTA HD all the time. We have run into a couple situations where we wanted to record 2 locals stations at the same time. Can't do it unless one of them is SD. 

It will be nice to record 2 local HD stations at the same time on the 622. Heck, we could even record 1 OTA HD local and 2 SAT HD local channels at the same time with the 622.


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## dturturro (Nov 24, 2004)

The key to this decision is any new HD channels will be broadcast in MPEG4. That's ESPN2, Iniversal HD & 5 more VOOMs right now. If Starz HD or any other channels are signed up they'll also be broadcast in MPEG4.


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## JimD (Apr 8, 2005)

Universal HD is MPEG-2. Are you saying this will change at some point (after the olympics)?


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## zephyr (Jun 25, 2005)

JimD said:


> Universal HD is MPEG-2. Are you saying this will change at some point (after the olympics)?


That was stated as fact somewhere in these forums.


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## Mike Johnson (Jan 16, 2005)

Welcome, deputyjim! :welcome_s:

Good question and a good assessment by you and the other posters. Yours is a question I'm sure many are asking. I'm usually a early adopter as well. I purchased one of the first 942s, and since I'm a Moderator here, I felt I should do the same with the 622. Was it worth it? 

So far there is only one feature the 622 has that you might need. MPEG-4. If you want the new MPEG-4 channels, there is no question, you must have a 622, but if you are happy with the programming you have now, you might want to wait. There really aren't any new and compelling features on the 622. It does seem to be a bit faster than the 942 and the extra hard disk space is nice, but I really miss my OTA channels in analog. (The 622 does not have a analog OTA tuner like the 942 has.) I don't use Dish-on-Demand, so I don't care about that. There are some minor additions to the I/O of the 622, like a S-Video port, but nothing that I wasn't able to do without on the 942. I'm also very curious of the future use of the ethernet port.

The only other thing to consider is the possible value of the 942 if you intend to sell it. Dish has already said that the 942 cannot be activated on any new account, and can't be activated as the only HD receiver on an existing account. I'm guessing that the value of the 942 will drop rather rapidly after more MPEG-4 channels are added. The real question is when will that happen.


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## bcnvc (Sep 9, 2005)

Does the 622 have the ability to move screen centering it better like the 921?


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## SKER6 (Jan 13, 2006)

I've seen all the deals offered for the leased 622.

Can it be purchased? If so, for how much?

I'm not too happy that I'll have to give up my 942 that I own. I've only had it for 2 months. I paid full retail for it. So, I have to pay another $99 AND they get my machine, and I don't even own the new one? That seems like a raw deal. They should allow someone who owns their 942 to trade-in the 942 for a 622 for the $99....or at least people who bought a 942 in the last month or two. And they should allow people who own their 942 to keep it, and pay the $299 lease deal for the 622. This would be much more fair.

sker6



Mike Johnson said:


> Welcome, deputyjim! :welcome_s:
> 
> Good question and a good assessment by you and the other posters. Yours is a question I'm sure many are asking. I'm usually a early adopter as well. I purchased one of the first 942s, and since I'm a Moderator here, I felt I should do the same with the 622. Was it worth it?
> 
> ...


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## LtMunst (Aug 24, 2005)

SKER6 said:


> ...And they should allow people who own their 942 to keep it, and pay the $299 lease deal for the 622. This would be much more fair.
> sker6


This deal is already available.


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## navychop (Jul 13, 2005)

You don't have to give up any owned receiver. You can get the ViP622 under a lease deal for $299 up front plus monthly fees, and KEEP your 942- or any other receiver. If you want the $99 deal after 4/1/06, then you give up either a 921 or 942. I'd certainly keep the 942 and fork over the $299.99.


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## ken310 (Feb 25, 2006)

navychop said:


> You don't have to give up any owned receiver. You can get the ViP622 under a lease deal for $299 up front plus monthly fees, and KEEP your 942- or any other receiver. If you want the $99 deal after 4/1/06, then you give up either a 921 or 942. I'd certainly keep the 942 and fork over the $299.99.


Why? What good is a 942 if it can't be activated by a second party?


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## brettbolt (Feb 22, 2006)

ken310 said:


> Why? What good is a 942 if it can't be activated by a second party?


942s are currently selling for about $400 plus shipping on eBay. Even though they won't work with the new MPEG4 HD channels, OTA HD will continue to work. Plus, its still a 2 tuner SD DVR with lots of storage.

But I agree that the anticipated $200 Dish 942 buy back is a bad deal for customers. Yesterday I signed up for the $299 lease deal, and I don't have to send in my old 501. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the install date is less than 3 weeks away (March 15th). But I was not so happy will all the added fees.

Are you saying that Dish will refuse new 942 activation requests for SD channels?


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## ken310 (Feb 25, 2006)

That's what Mike above says but ??????

"The only other thing to consider is the possible value of the 942 if you intend to sell it. Dish has already said that the 942 cannot be activated on any new account, and can't be activated as the only HD receiver on an existing account."


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## auburn2 (Sep 8, 2005)

I didn't notice it listed on the available A/V outputs for TV2. I only saw 1 set of RCA outputs listed. Does this mean I will no longer be able to pipe the TV2 singal through my house on the existing single line RG6.

I hope I don't have to add 2 more coax lines to every room to run a 3 wire input to all my TVs.

Also does the new TV1 S-Video work at 480i when you switch the TV1 format to 720p or 1080i? If not will it shut off when you do this or carry a Hi-def format (which no TV will be able to decode on S-Video).

In theory S-Video is not compatible with anything other than 480i.


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## dturturro (Nov 24, 2004)

ken310 said:


> That's what Mike above says but ??????
> 
> "The only other thing to consider is the possible value of the 942 if you intend to sell it. Dish has already said that the 942 cannot be activated on any new account, and can't be activated as the only HD receiver on an existing account."


Where did they say that?


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## ken310 (Feb 25, 2006)

9 or 10 posts up. "Mike Johnsons"


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## dturturro (Nov 24, 2004)

Mike Johnson said:


> Dish has already said that the 942 cannot be activated on any new account, and can't be activated as the only HD receiver on an existing account.


Mike, where did you see this?


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## dave1234 (Oct 9, 2005)

auburn2 said:


> I didn't notice it listed on the available A/V outputs for TV2. I only saw 1 set of RCA outputs listed. Does this mean I will no longer be able to pipe the TV2 singal through my house on the existing single line RG6.
> 
> I hope I don't have to add 2 more coax lines to every room to run a 3 wire input to all my TVs.
> 
> ...


Yes there is a coax output available for TV2, it's listed as home distribution or something similar...


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## RaceRoc (Nov 6, 2003)

SKER6 said:


> I've seen all the deals offered for the leased 622.
> 
> Can it be purchased? If so, for how much?
> 
> sker6


All receivers are now available for purchase or lease.

Vip622 DVR
MSRP: $699


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## dturturro (Nov 24, 2004)

Just for clarification the 942 can still be activated, just not as an HD box. I would hope that the OTA tuner would still work for local HD.


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## Ken Green (Oct 6, 2005)

ken310 said:


> Dish has already said that the 942 cannot be activated on any new account, and can't be activated as the only HD receiver on an existing account.


Many keep saying, "Dish has said," yet I have not seen anyone, anywhere, who can provide substance this is, in fact, being a current Echostar/Dish policy.

If someone can provide some form of confirmation of such policy, I'm certain many would be interested.

Personally, I believe this statement is false, and its conjecture is derived from the fact that Dish, as of 2/1/06, will no longer activate the old Dish HD package.
Current HD programing, as of 2/1/06, is comprised of the Medal packages, which Dish will not provide to a MPEG2 receiver.
I believe Dish will activate a 921/942, be it on a "new account," or the "only HD receiver on an existing account," however, the only programing available after 2/1/06 for a MPEG2 receiver would be any/all of Dish SD channels, and SD locals.
A activated 921/942, after 2/1/06, with a SD local subscription would also provide OTA of DT, in both SD & HD, with EPG support for both SAT SD and OTA DT.

Perhaps someone could find out just what the current/correct policy is, besides "Dish has already said."


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## dave1234 (Oct 9, 2005)

kdg454 said:


> Many keep saying, "Dish has said," yet I have not seen anyone, anywhere, who can provide substance this is, in fact, being a current Echostar/Dish policy.
> 
> If someone can provide some form of confirmation of such policy, I'm certain many would be interested.
> 
> ...


My understanding matches yours. The point being the 942 is a HD DVR and Dish will not activate it for HD on a new subscription. That is where the misunderstanding likely occurs. Since it's no good for Dish HD, it makes for a very expensive SD DVR(or OTA receiver).

The bottom line is: Since it's not usefull for Dish HD programming, it's value is greatly diminished(but not zero).


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## ken310 (Feb 25, 2006)

Just off the phone with dish tech support. They say;

Today someone who just acquired a 942 can connect it to a package but if they want to activate the HD they'll have to pay the $20+ for the current mpeg 4 HD package to receive the now old 5- mpeg2 channels plus some other fee for the locals? That's todays info anyway and will most likely change to what Larry says shortly. I think he's telling us what coming down the pipe.

Fun Fact: 
"MPEG-4 is the result of another international effort involving hundreds of researchers and engineers from all over the world. MPEG-4, with formal as its ISO/IEC designation 'ISO/IEC 14496', was finalized in October 1998 and became an International Standard in the first months of 1999."


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## brettbolt (Feb 22, 2006)

Thanks for clearing that up. That explains why 942s are still getting about $400 on eBay. My 622 is on order (upgrading from a 501). But if I had a 942 I'd sell it ASAP on eBay before the price drops. Why wait for the minimal $200 dish rebate deal on April 1?


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## ken310 (Feb 25, 2006)

If the receiver becomes SD only it's still much nicer then my old DVR510 and worth a couple hundred $ to someone??? but not the $600+ I/we just recently paid for them. No new programing to a new Dish user makes it worth even less and only of use to original owners and the vicious circle continues as I want the current available programing plus the future channels just as I did when I bought and had for a whole 2 months with the 942.

Dish corporate has told Me to wait as there is talk of help to those of us that purchased them in the last 3 months using Feb 1 as a start date. I don't want to wait because personal circumstances dictate that my old bones are to stay on this couch for the next 5 weeks. It would be nice if they could figure it out sooner rather then making us wait because of the old supply and demand delima (excuse). This surprises me with Dish as they have been in years gone by very good to old loyal customers. Not this time so ????


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## brettbolt (Feb 22, 2006)

ken310 said:


> ... This surprises me with Dish as they have been in years gone by very good to old loyal customers. Not this time so ????


I've noticed this trend too. Loyalty doesn't seem to matter for 942 owners -- the $200 rebate is not enough in my opinion.

Also, back in the 90's I'd call Dish and get someone very helpful with clear English. Today I called with a question about my 622 install and got a guy who's accent I could barely understand (from India?). I gave up trying to communicate with him.


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## ken310 (Feb 25, 2006)

I must admit it's very nice when you call in and get a pleasent rep as I did today. I've spoken to corporate twice on this issue in the past couple of weeks and it was hit and miss there also, one very pleasent and one not-so!!!!!! Remember if you don't mind waiting you can always hang up and call untill you get someone that sounds like you want to speak to. 

No this just plainly isn't right, re: 942


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## navychop (Jul 13, 2005)

Well, it's a good deal for those without HD today. It's a good deal for those leasing a 942/921. It's not so good for recent purchasers. Maybe not so bad for folks that had 921s or 942s from early on. Although those that have had ANY 921 I would think should qualify for some special deal. Real Special.


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## ken310 (Feb 25, 2006)

Isn't the 921 the 942's predecessor?
When I bought my 942 on 11/25/05 I was told it was the top receiver.
I'm thinking it cost more then the 921 but I'm guessing they were selling
the 921's right up until the end with the 942's ??
I paid $600+ three months ago for my 942.
Programing was locked to 5 channels 2/5/06 for mpeg2 receivers.
They'll buy them back and give a leased 622 for $100 in April? That's only 
$700+ of the total costs for a leased receiver and we have to wait. Arggg!!
A new customer can get a new 622 installed within 2 weeks from today for $300.
That's the best they will do for us as well. Where's the loyalty to the base customers. 7+ yrs w/dish


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## brettbolt (Feb 22, 2006)

Let's just hope that something like "MPEG 5" doesn't come along soon!

And I guess the lesson to be learned from all this is to always lease (not buy) a Dish receiver!


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## ken310 (Feb 25, 2006)

That will probably be mpeg 7.

I think that will be the trend in the future but the long time Dish user until just recently didn't have the option to lease. Personally I was tired of waiting to have an hd/dvr especially since I bought a new Sony xbr and sound system for Christmas.


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