Get 942 or wait for 962 (ViP622)

[Phibes]

I'm considering switching to Dish from DirecTV since I got a new HDTV. However, reading about MPEG4 I'm considering waiting for the 962. I like the sound of the 942, but does anybody know exactly when the 962 is set to be released??

[lakebum431]

Nobody knows. Probably not even DISH. Come on over to the 942. You'll love it.

[Stewart Vernon]

For all we know there may never be a 962. Dish hasn't announced one, and recently have announced that MPEG4 is farther down the road next year than the original outlook.

[Ghostwriter]

Well as posted in another thread I passed up on a 942 back in October and still regret it, I sent another email trying to get the deal again and if they say yes again, I won't be able to pull my credit card out fast enough. The reason I did not by it was because of all the MPEG4 talk which has yet to happen and I am less and less inclined to believe that it will arrive shortly. Also IMO most people that have the 942 are HD subs and some even with the HD Pak and Voom. Now if they do switch to MPEG4 I think the HD channels will be offered in MPEG4 before anything else and I would imagine they would implement some type of reasonable upgrade from the 942 to whatever they # the MPEG4 HD DVR.

[Tom in TX]

I should be receiving my SECOND 942 in a few days. I purchased my first in April, and this one will be a lease. I emailed them on Monday, and they called back within a few hours and said I could lease. I have been with Dish for 6+ years. Top 120 and HD Pack.
Tom in TX

[Phibes]

Thanks for the replys. Looks like I'll be switching to Dish ;)

However, do both receivers have to be hooked up to phone lines?? I can hook up the one in the living room (HDTV) but was going to put a 625(?) DVR in the bedroom and dont have a way to hook the 625 up to a phone line. I could drop a line but the 942 says something about it having COM something that it only has to be hooked to the phoneline and any other COM enabled rec'r is covered. Is the 625 COM enabled? I didnt see that in the spec sheet for the 625.

Thanks again and Merry Christmas.

[LtMunst]

Thanks for the replys. Looks like I'll be switching to Dish ;)

However, do both receivers have to be hooked up to phone lines?? I can hook up the one in the living room (HDTV) but was going to put a 625(?) DVR in the bedroom and dont have a way to hook the 625 up to a phone line. I could drop a line but the 942 says something about it having COM something that it only has to be hooked to the phoneline and any other COM enabled rec'r is covered. Is the 625 COM enabled? I didnt see that in the spec sheet for the 625.

Thanks again and Merry Christmas.


I don't think the COM thing has been enabled yet.

[Phibes]

I don't think the COM thing has been enabled yet.

So both have to be connected to land lines??

[LtMunst]

So both have to be connected to land lines??

Yes. You can buy a wireless extension jack (about $ 40) that will solve your problem.

[tnsprin]

So both have to be connected to land lines??
411/211 have Dish Comm. I believe they will be the first that do.

[Ron Barry]

:welcome_s Phibes

I am not sure if the 942 is different in this regards but the Dish receivers in general will work with not being hooked to a phone line. The phone line is used for PPV. What may happen if you don't connect is that you could be audited.

Do a Search with Audit in the title and you will see a big thread about that experience. I went through it and it was not a pleasent one.

Since I don't do PPV, I have one of my receivers not hooked to a phone line.

[James Long]

411/211 have Dish Comm. I believe they will be the first that do.Correct. All current and previous models require their own phone line to make contact back to E* for PPV and audit avoiding checkins. The 411 and ViP211 are the first of a new breed where only ONE receiver per house will need to be connected to a phone line and all other "DISH Comm" receivers will just report to the primary. Or as E* explains it:
DISH Comm allows supported receivers to communicate with each other through the electrical plug and house AC wiring and be able to see if one of them has a phone line connection. When it is time to download PPV purchases, the receiver will route the information to the phone line connected receiver to dial out and report. This communication will include information of which receiver the purchases originated. One DISH Comm receiver must be connected to a phone line.
JL

[lakebum431]

You should know that if the 942 is not hooked to a phone line you will be charged a $4.99 fee.

[Ron Barry]

Thanks lakebum.. that was a point I forget. I think this also goes with the 522. Best to connect it then.

[liferules]

I purchased my first in April, and this one will be a lease. I emailed them on Monday, and they called back within a few hours and said I could lease.


Tom, I have an email into Dish to see if they will lease to me. Any pointers on how you got them to concede? I would love to lease but am not ready to buy the 942 with all the 962 talk, etc...

[Tom in TX]

I basically sent an email stating that I had been a Dish customer for over 6 years, and that I just bought a second HDTV. I said I wanted to replace my 508 on the new TV so I could get PVR. Told them I was very happy with my first 942, and was very happy with Dish overall, but really needed a HD PVR for my new TV. Said even thought I much prefer Dish, that I would have to maybe think about trying D* to get a HD PVR for my new TV. I have been a Top 120 all along, no premiums. And I have had the HD Pack for about 2 years.
I was nice, and just hoped that they would consider leasing me a second 942, and they did!
Good luck,
Tom in TX

[Hemway]

I emailed E* last week with concerns about the equipment investment I’ve made in E* equipment (811, 501, 2800) which I own. I told them I was thinking of buying a 942 and I wasn’t interested in leasing the 942 as I couldn’t see paying $250 up front plus the $5 a month lease fee ($60 a year) and have nothing to show for it at the end of the lease.

A few days later I got a call from someone from the Executive Resolution Team who made me a lease offer, but I reminded him of my opinion of leases and my preference to purchase. I told him that before I did that I just wanted to know what their policy was going to be for customers with the old mpeg 2 equipment once E* switches to mepg4. He said a decision hasn’t been made yet but it is something the executives are trying to work out. He did say that once the move is made to mpeg 4, he expected them to do something for the existing customers like they did some years ago when they needed new receivers (I think he referenced a 5000).

I told him I might want to wait then until the next HD PVR comes out and he said he understood and didn’t think it would be long before that happens. So for now, I’ll wait for the next version of the HD PVR (962?).

[lakebum431]

From everything that I've read (here and elsewhere) it appears that it will be many months (maybe even a year) before a MPEG4 HDDVR will be released. I can't imagine waiting that long for an HD DVR. But everyone has to make the decision for themselves.

[BobaBird]

411/211 have Dish Comm. I believe they will be the first that do.The 942 is the first but AFAIK the feature hasn't been enabled yet.

[liferules]

Yeah, I tell you...I'm getting pretty antsy to see HD images on my HDTV and am tired of waiting. I have emailed them and if they will lease it, I'll do it. I personally favor lease at this time (I have bought TiVo's in the past and bought lifetime memberships as well, as I agree about leasing in general) but in the case of the uncertainty of the new MPEG-4 HD-DVR coming out, I favor leasing...

[Hemway]

Personally (this is my opinion) I think they are waiting to get all of the 942 off of the shelves and then they’ll announce the next HD PVR. You can’t buy one from E*, they send you to a dealer, and you can only lease them from E*, new customers and existing customers who beg. Once the stock gets depleted (so everyone please keep leasing them) they’ll announce the new units just like they did with the 811. When they got close to depleting that stock they announced the replacement models.

I also think that once they do come out with the new PVR, all of those who leased the 811’s and 942’s will most likely have to wait until your lease expires or until they finally do switch from mpeg 2 to mpeg4 before they swap out your units with the new PVR.

I don’t subscribe to any of their HD packages at this time so I can wait for the PVR and more HD programming. I’m also looking at a couple of the new HD OTA’ PVR’s that are hitting the market. They cost about the same as the 942.

[lakebum431]

I also think that once they do come out with the new PVR, all of those who leased the 811’s and 942’s will most likely have to wait until your lease expires or until they finally do switch from mpeg 2 to mpeg4 before they swap out your units with the new PVR.

I assume that you mean until your contract expires. Because the lease is open ended. For example, I am not under contract and leased a 942 right off the bat.

[Hemway]

When they offered it to me I had to sign up for a HD package for 24 months. Another reason I didn't want to do it.

[liferules]

Well, I received my reply this AM:

"Thank you for your e-mail and for being a long time DISH Network customer. We apologize but the 942 receiver is one of our newest equipment, and it’s not available under any leasing promotions yet. The receiver is only available for purchase, and the equipment will cost you $798 including installation."

Kind of frustrating. Guess I'll wait...

[Hemway]

If you want to buy one, you can get them new on eB*y for about $620 delivered.

[liferules]

Well, especially after the Charlie Chat weird comments on MPEG-4 coming in January....I'll wait.

[Stewart Vernon]

Well, especially after the Charlie Chat weird comments on MPEG-4 coming in January....I'll wait.

Exceptionally weird comments... when you consider that they haven't announced an MPEG4 DVR nor have they actually released the non-DVR MPEG4 receivers. Supposedly non-DVR happens within the week, but if they go live with channels by January 9th (for instance) then there won't be too many people who can actually watch them!

[navychop]

OK- so now we're talking about the 622, not the 962.

However, since you can get a 942 now, and later turn it in to be upgraded to an MPEG-4 capable 942+, there's not much to lose. Except the ethernet connection and larger hard disk. Might be worth the trade-off, to start with HD now, and to see all 15 full resolution Voom HD channels.

[James Long]

We've been talking about the "962" (with quotes) for about a month. I suppose that it is now OK to use the correct name. :D

Never underestimate what E* can do in relative secrecy.

As for the ViP622, it will still be a while before you see one being installed.

JL

[navychop]

I suppose there may be a 962 also, in the future. Hard to imagine, I'll bet the 622 is IT.

But what other features could be added, besides a larger HD & more OTA tuners? Memory card reader? Firewire (sorry- I'm getting feverish :sure: )?

I'm hoping there will be composite out for TV2 so I can use a transmitter to send the signal to a remote TV2.

[mglines]

I talked to Dishnetwork and talked to 2 supervisors and "Dishnetwork does not allow existing customers to lease the 942 because of the limited quantities of them"

So I am stuck between going with DirectTV because I can get a HDDVR, installation and an OTA HD antenna for $350 OR just having my regular crappy DVR hooked up at my new house until they have some HDDVR deal...

not sure what I should do.

[dwcobb]

Where is all the 622 chatter coming from? I saw the note on another board about a possible 942+ (but that is still somewhat speculative). But what is this 622?

[navychop]

If I told ya, I'd havta.......

[Stewart Vernon]

However, since you can get a 942 now, and later turn it in to be upgraded to an MPEG-4 capable 942+, there's not much to lose. Except the ethernet connection and larger hard disk. Might be worth the trade-off, to start with HD now, and to see all 15 full resolution Voom HD channels.

Who from Dish has actually said you can do this exchange?

If you pay $700 now and purchase a 942, will they actually exchange you for a free whatever the new HD dual-tuner MPEG4 receiver is?

I haven't seen anything yet, rumor or otherwise, that would convince me this is fact.

I bought my 6000u just a couple of months before the 811 came out, and there was no such free upgrade even for recent purchases. Just as an example.

[navychop]

Free? The "+" is still only a rumor, anyway.

Go poke around that other place, something or other guys, something like that.

[Jeff McClellan]

Seems to me that Dish will let me know what is coming and correctly. I quit subscribing to the Enquirer a long time ago, or is that ego. Oh well, whatever happens, the times are a changing.

[Allen Noland]

Until there is a press release, all of it is a "rumor". Remember the 921 used to have a fire wire port. That changed after it was released. Don't get me wrong, it is fun to speculate. When the talk goes from "rumor of" to "review of" a new product, or even a picture of something that doesn't say "future product" on it, then we can all drool.

At any rate, January 5th we'll all be watching for the press releases.

[Stewart Vernon]

Sometimes rumors can be fun... and speculation... and what if wish lists too... but a lot of people don't know the difference between rumor and fact.

And I've seen more than one person come into the forum, read a rumor, and make his/her entire plans around that rumor... and it's a shame when that happens.

Rumors are fun to discuss as long as we all know they are rumors. Remember, some people can't tell the difference or jump into the middle of a thread and see us discussing rumors and think they are seeing facts... and then the whole world spins off its axis!

[James Long]

Unless told otherwise ... anything not released is a rumor.

JL

[Stewart Vernon]

Unless told otherwise ... anything not released is a rumor.

JL

Absolutely!

I worked for a couple of different companies... that had plans and designs for new products... and I was working on those designs... and there would be rumors in the company that the product had been scrapped, but we had to keep working until we were officially told it was scrapped, otherwise we would be behind if they didn't kill it!

And there would be speculation in the press about our new products even though we already knew it wasn't going to happen and we were moving onto the next thing... but we couldn't tell anyone.

Once company even accepted an award for a product feature that never happened! I remember being in a design meeting for a follow-on product, where the award was displayed and we were all talking about how not only did that product not do what we got the award for, but the next product wasn't going to do it either!

So even inside the company, rumors are rumors.

[BobaBird]

The EKB now has info on the 622 (http://ekb.dbstalk.com/622.htm) and 322VIP (http://ekb.dbstalk.com/322vip.htm) as announced on the other board. Proper credit is given and the receivers will remain listed as "concepts" until real customers have them.

[normang]

Even if Dish announces an Mpeg 4 DVR at CES, it will probably still be fall or later before it appears. I got my 942 in May, fully expecting to get nearly a year and half out of it before having to worry about mpeg4 and I think my prediction is still accurate. Even if they get it out early, it will be a shocker to most of us I'll bet..

[James Long]

Even if they get it out early, it will be a shocker to most of us I'll bet..To most ... :D (The general attitude is that E* can't get a design to market quickly, and the general public didn't know the Vip622 was a design until the beginning of this week. That's why most would be shocked.)

Based on the problems bleeding edge buyers had with the 721, 921 and 942 I would suggest that one relies on the MPEG2 technologies until one has the need for an MPEG4 device. Why rush to change?

JL

[ShorinSean]

As one of the many fence-sitters on the 942 front, the talk about Dish cutting some kind of deal for their older receiver owners when new, incompatible technology comes out is intriguing. And unless new receiver speculation, here we can deal with fact:

Can anyone share their experiences of Dish giving you a discount or otherwise assisting your upgrade when a new technology receiver became available? I haven't seen any hard numbers in this forum. Past performance isn't a guarantee of future behavior...but it's (slightly) better than rumors.

And thanks for the heads-up on John Spencer, I hadn't seen it. Bummer.

- Sean