Need another PVR. 50x or 721?

[TopCat99]

(First off, I'm not familiar with the 721 other than seeing bug complaints and knowing it has dual tuners, so forgive me if this is a dumb post :D)

I have a 501 now. How I ever watched TV without a PVR before is beyond me. If I'm watching the TV without the PVR, I find myself reaching for those buttons on that remote, too :lol:

Anyway, adding another TV shortly and definitely want to go the PVR route. I got someone else hooked on the PVR, so I know sharing one would be a battle (especially if the UHF remote turns up missing and I'm watching something when it changes channels "all by itself"...).

So the question is, do I go with another 50x or just get a 721? I have a 3900 sitting here unused, so I could get "almost-721" functionality with it and a 50x as far as the dual tuners are concerned. But what about other features? I mean, what else does the 721 have that a 50x doesn't?

And a curiousity question about the 721: is it billed as two separate receivers?

[Jacob S]

The 721 is not billed as two seperate receivers because it has only one tv output.

You could keep the 50X and use the 3900 while 50X records, sell the 50X and get a 721, get a second 50X in which is one choice I would do if you can get it for $149 from Dish, or the best choice of all.....

Wait for the 522 to come out that has two tuners and two tv outs as well as the new Dishpro UHF remote that turns channels up to 200 ft then sell your 50X. For what you pay for a 721 you can probably get a 522 for the same price if not cheaper and you have the second tv out and the farther range on the second receiver. The 522 second tuner can be used on a second tv or for PIP that the 721 has. You would have it all in one receiver and the option for independent viewing in a second room.

The only question is, will there be a $4.99 additional outlet fee on this 522 receiver? Nothing mentioned about this, just some of the features. Do not have a release date on this receiver but may be soon.

[UpOnTheMountain]

TopCat99,
I have all three generations of Dish's PVRs.
THE DishPlayer. The 50x. and The 721.
All of which have their own advantages.

It sounds like the main thing you want to do is give another room and user(s) the wonderful experiance of PVR, without interfering with what you are doing with you 50x.

This being the case, I would recommend getting another 50x.
It is simple clean and relatively inexpensive.

You will not have to share that way. And you will not have to pay for all the "extras" that the 721 brings to the table. Plus the extra wiring and switches.


Who knows when the 522 will be available, and even then it will put "a single point of failure" in to the picture. It is much better to give yourself the flexibility of two receivers. For example .. what if you want to get HDTV 6 months later. It will be much cheaper to do that for one room then two!

anwyays just mho.

[UpOnTheMountain]

TopCat99,

You also asked about the features the 721 has over the 501.

Here is the simple summary :

The main difference is the second tuner.
If you want to record two shows at one time on the same receiver, then you want the 721.

There are many interface differences.
The 721 has the best user interface. It is fast and easy to use.
If you want a smooth interface and don't care about open tv and wink then the 721 may be for you.

There is more room on the 721 for recording.
If you need up to 80 hours of recording, then the 721 is for you.

The 721 requires a second cable and extra switching. If you want to avoid adding comlexity to your install, don't get the 721.

The 721 costs about 500.00$ the 50x costs about 200.00$

*disclaimer - the above is overly simplified and not intended to represent specs or exact facts. :-)

[TopCat99]

522 sounds REALLY nice ;)

As it stands now, I can "backfeed" the output from a receiver at the main TV to anywhere in the house that had CATV back in the stone age. (While an RF output is unacceptable to me, no one else in the house can even tell the difference.) Anyway, therein lies the dilemna with the current setup: if I feed the 501 to another room now, someone else might wanna watch TV when I have it on :lol:

In any event, I'll have to buy another switch (have two SW21s now) and run more coax (no big deal). So it is just a matter of picking the receiver. And now it seems I should wait for a 522. Of course, the quality output would go to my TV ;)

From the sounds of it, I want a 522. But in the meantime (until the 522 is available at least), I should probably just go for another 50x. Cheap, easy, and can sale it later :)

[Jacob S]

That is what I would do is get a 50X for $149/$199 until the 522 is available then you could just about get most if not all of your money back out of it when you go to sell it, or you may choose to sell both of them and that may pay for most if not all of the cost of the 522.

[Bob Haller]

I wonder if the used 501 / 508 market price will drop once the 522 is out?

[BobaBird]

If you are going to wait for the 522, hang on to your money and just use your 3900 for a few months (note to Dish: "few" = less than 5). As much as I like and rely on my 501, I wouldn't buy another as an interim solution.

I thought the 721 was not billed as two separate receivers because it has only one smart card. 1 box in your home, 1 receiver on your account, 1 smart card ID in the authorization stream.

[Jacob S]

I also have wondered about the 50X dropping in price once the 522 comes out and I am sure it will. I bet the 501 dropped in price once the 508 came out because of the hard drive size. I am surprised that they are not making the hard drive any bigger in the 522 vs the 508.