RLMesq
03-20-03, 10:12 AM
When I first posted my intro to this forum, several people asked me to describe my install experience. Since I've gleaned so much important info, I think that's the least I can do, so here goes:
PURCHASE
I bought the unit from dishusa.com. It arrived within a week, in good condition, with instructions on contacting DN to set up installation (including a note that if the customer service person doesn't know what's happening, ask for a supervisor). There was no hassle in getting an install appointment set up... I called on Thursday and there was an appointment available on Sunday, but I was out of town for the weekend, so I set it for Wednesday.
INSTALLATION
The installer arrived right on time, and was excited because he'd never seen a 721. He even called his supervisor, who said (over the Nextel radio), "do we have them in stock?" Fortunately, the kid-with-a-new-toy syndrome seemed to make him excited about doing a good job on the install. We had a little bit of confusion getting the unit powered up, which forced him to call tech support; he said the first person was also unfamiliar with the 721 and they apparently have a section devoted to 721 support. It only took a couple of minutes to find out we were in for a 45 minute download, which the installer said was three times normal. He took the waiting time to do some additional work to hide the cables from the dish. The unit downloaded and rebooted without trouble.
DISH vs. Cable
I decided to get Dish Network the very day I upgraded digital cable from Comcast. The cable system here in Chico, CA is very old and has changed hands twice in the past few years, from Chambers to AT&T Broadband to Comcast.
My digital cable package, with HBO & Cinemax, was going to run about sixty bucks a month. I was disappointed to find it didn't include Speed Channel (despite assurances from Comcast customer service) because one of my businesses is related to motorcycle roadracing and getting Speed was a major factor in my decision to upgrade. Tack on another seven bucks a month for Speed (and some other channels I'd never watch).
The signal quality was disappointing. Most channels are still analog, anyway, so there was no improvement. Comcast apparently sends the worst equipment to my area, so there was no S Video out on the box. What's more, besides Speed and the premium channels, there was little else offered -- the cable lineup here has a few channels like Sci Fi, but doesn't include FX, Court TV, MSNBC, Fox News, etc. (To be fair, it did include multiple channels of Starz! and Encore in the basic package.) I had also considered buying a PVR, which would have added more monthly charges. Finally, the Comcast program guide has a couple of large advertisements on it -- but no preview window of the show you're viewing.
When I returned the cable box, the guy at the counter asked why I was cancelling my service. I explained and he observed, with a sigh, "Most of the people who pay their bills on time and cancel service are getting satellite TV."
I now have the Top 100 package with HBO/Cinemax, local broadcast channels and UPN/WB superstations for about $58 a month.
The picture quality, though, is what absolutely blows me away! Even my local channels look better than I have ever seen them... the small market news even looks more like a major market station. I'm using S-video into my TV and optical audio into an Onkyo integrated surround unit, and the difference is amazing.
721 Operations
I've recorded several shows, programmed it to auto tune to CNN, in connection with my Sony TV's built in timer, as an alarm clock, and played with pausing live TV. All seems OK.
My biggest gripe is that the show names don't appear in the list of upcoming timers, but Scott makes it sound like that might be addressed in the new software.
I'm also a little annoyed with the layout of the manual. There should be some sort of overview of the remote... as it is, you have to dig through the thing to find out what a particular button does. I finally found and downloaded the Acrobat file of the Platinum Remote user manual, which answered two of my most pressing questions: What does the cool, backlit button with the Dish logo do (nothing, at least for now), and what is the code for my Onkyo surround unit?
I still have one question, though... what does the metallic red button, opposite the dish button, do? :shrug:
PURCHASE
I bought the unit from dishusa.com. It arrived within a week, in good condition, with instructions on contacting DN to set up installation (including a note that if the customer service person doesn't know what's happening, ask for a supervisor). There was no hassle in getting an install appointment set up... I called on Thursday and there was an appointment available on Sunday, but I was out of town for the weekend, so I set it for Wednesday.
INSTALLATION
The installer arrived right on time, and was excited because he'd never seen a 721. He even called his supervisor, who said (over the Nextel radio), "do we have them in stock?" Fortunately, the kid-with-a-new-toy syndrome seemed to make him excited about doing a good job on the install. We had a little bit of confusion getting the unit powered up, which forced him to call tech support; he said the first person was also unfamiliar with the 721 and they apparently have a section devoted to 721 support. It only took a couple of minutes to find out we were in for a 45 minute download, which the installer said was three times normal. He took the waiting time to do some additional work to hide the cables from the dish. The unit downloaded and rebooted without trouble.
DISH vs. Cable
I decided to get Dish Network the very day I upgraded digital cable from Comcast. The cable system here in Chico, CA is very old and has changed hands twice in the past few years, from Chambers to AT&T Broadband to Comcast.
My digital cable package, with HBO & Cinemax, was going to run about sixty bucks a month. I was disappointed to find it didn't include Speed Channel (despite assurances from Comcast customer service) because one of my businesses is related to motorcycle roadracing and getting Speed was a major factor in my decision to upgrade. Tack on another seven bucks a month for Speed (and some other channels I'd never watch).
The signal quality was disappointing. Most channels are still analog, anyway, so there was no improvement. Comcast apparently sends the worst equipment to my area, so there was no S Video out on the box. What's more, besides Speed and the premium channels, there was little else offered -- the cable lineup here has a few channels like Sci Fi, but doesn't include FX, Court TV, MSNBC, Fox News, etc. (To be fair, it did include multiple channels of Starz! and Encore in the basic package.) I had also considered buying a PVR, which would have added more monthly charges. Finally, the Comcast program guide has a couple of large advertisements on it -- but no preview window of the show you're viewing.
When I returned the cable box, the guy at the counter asked why I was cancelling my service. I explained and he observed, with a sigh, "Most of the people who pay their bills on time and cancel service are getting satellite TV."
I now have the Top 100 package with HBO/Cinemax, local broadcast channels and UPN/WB superstations for about $58 a month.
The picture quality, though, is what absolutely blows me away! Even my local channels look better than I have ever seen them... the small market news even looks more like a major market station. I'm using S-video into my TV and optical audio into an Onkyo integrated surround unit, and the difference is amazing.
721 Operations
I've recorded several shows, programmed it to auto tune to CNN, in connection with my Sony TV's built in timer, as an alarm clock, and played with pausing live TV. All seems OK.
My biggest gripe is that the show names don't appear in the list of upcoming timers, but Scott makes it sound like that might be addressed in the new software.
I'm also a little annoyed with the layout of the manual. There should be some sort of overview of the remote... as it is, you have to dig through the thing to find out what a particular button does. I finally found and downloaded the Acrobat file of the Platinum Remote user manual, which answered two of my most pressing questions: What does the cool, backlit button with the Dish logo do (nothing, at least for now), and what is the code for my Onkyo surround unit?
I still have one question, though... what does the metallic red button, opposite the dish button, do? :shrug: