Thoughts - 625 vs R15 vs Myth/etc?

[rich0]

My ancient SAT-T60 (DirecTivo) seems to have finally died for the last time, and I'm not really willing to nurse it along any further. So, it seems like I have a lot of options - I've been following these boards on and off for months figuring this day would come.

What are the general thoughts of Dish subscribers towards the service in general, and the newer DVRs (such as the 625)? How do you think it would stack up against an R15 (DirecTV's latest and greatest)? I like the dual-TV feature - would be nice with the kids and occassional TV conflicts. Also, the R15 seems to still have some serious bugs.

My other option (besides the R15 or 625) would be to build a Myth box. I don't mind the work involved, but it looks like I'd still end up forking out several hundred dollars per TV just to build the frontends (I already have a server that could handle the backend with the addition of a capture card and some IR controllers).

Having been a long-time DirecTV customer I pretty much know what I can expect from them (which is generally positive). I used to have the opinion that Dish TV quality was lower, but of late the compression is pretty high on DirecTV, and I'm guessing the differences are pretty minor. How would everybody here rate the subjective stuff in general? I wouldn't mind saving $5-10/month as well (DirecTV just announced rate hikes).

Sorry if this is the wrong forum - this is a pretty broad query...

[phat_b]

This is a very broad question, here's my $.02.

I switched over to Dish's leased hardware package with a 322 (dual tv non-dvr receiver) and a 522 (identical to the 625 sans Dish On Demand) in September of '04 after being with DirecTV since 1998. I guess the best way I could explain it is I'm not ready to leave Dish, but I've thought about it more than once a month for the past year. To put it in a nutshell, their software upgrades are notorious for introducing issues into their receivers. Furthermore they seem indifferent when you attempt to report an issue, though they are more than happy to replace your hardware. I shudder to think of how many non-defective 522s and 625s they've uncessarily replaced because their software updates aren't tested thoroughly enough. If it weren't for these two issues (tech support + software testing) I think they'd be offering DirecTV far more competition than they are presently.

The one really positive thing I can say about Dish is if you're the type who cringes at an $80+ / month satellite bill and have more than two tvs in the house, their dual receiver packages are hard to beat. With these boxes you can have two sets watching two different channels as well as sharing the recordings on dvr models, and as long as you make sure the unit has a phone line in it and can call in when it needs to, you only pay one additional outlet charge per dual receiver. The prospect of paying $10 or $15 a month more for additional receivers was and is the glue that keeps me from going back to D*.

On the other hand, if you're the techno-junkie I think you are you might look into your options with building a MythTV box to suit your needs. It's been a while since I've tried it out, but it's capabilities (http interface, ability to use centralized / SAN storage, easy access to recordings, etc.) was very impressive. The only thing that turned me off of Myth was the cost of high quality capture cards.

Well, that's my $.02 on the subject...

[rich0]

Thanks for the info.

The 625 manual suggests that if you're recording two shows at once, one must be designated for each of the two TVs (in dual mode). Can you just view the whole list of recorded programs at once for both TVs on a single screen? Otherwise I could see it being a pain flipping back and forth. Also, if a show is recording on the tuner designated for the living room set, and the basement set tuner is free, will I be unable to watch live TV in the living room without hitting the mode button (and vice-versa). It seems to me that there really shouldn't be any direct association between tuners and TVs - it should just use whatever is free...

As far as Myth goes - I've been contemplating it for quite a while. The main problem is that it will run a few hundred dollars for all the hardware just to set up a single TV. I have every confidence I can get it set up (already running apache/mysql, and I tested out some frontends running in vmware against a backend on my server). However, I'm not sure I want to go on a spending spree just yet.

If the R15 was a little less buggy this might be an easier decision. It looks like it has been steadily improving. I'm just very conscious of the wife-acceptance-factor. Right now, however, we're TV-less so anything is an improvement... :)

[boba]

rich0 Don't count the R15 out it has less bugs than the DISH receivers. It is somewhat dissappointing after TiVo but it works much better than many people are complaining about. Customers that have never used TiVo find it a very good DVR. Yes D* does need to correct some problems like the 30 sec skip. Many are saying DISH dual tuners are cheaper because they don't charge a mirroring fee on second tuners plugged into the phone line so it saves $5, but DISH charges for each DVR on your account $5.98 so if you have two DVRs it is a wash.

[Mavrick]

rich0 Don't count the R15 out it has less bugs than the DISH receivers. It is somewhat dissappointing after TiVo but it works much better than many people are complaining about. Customers that have never used TiVo find it a very good DVR. Yes D* does need to correct some problems like the 30 sec skip. Many are saying DISH dual tuners are cheaper because they don't charge a mirroring fee on second tuners plugged into the phone line so it saves $5, but DISH charges for each DVR on your account $5.98 so if you have two DVRs it is a wash.

I second what boba said!

[LtMunst]

rich0 Don't count the R15 out it has less bugs than the DISH receivers.


On what do you base this statement? The R-15 thread sounds like a horror show. The complaints about the new Dish DVRs are now very minor (minus the 921). My 625 performs flawlessly every day as does my 942. Dish quality has turned around dramatically. The opposite seems to be true for Direct.

[finniganps]

rich0 Don't count the R15 out it has less bugs than the DISH receivers. It is somewhat dissappointing after TiVo but it works much better than many people are complaining about. Customers that have never used TiVo find it a very good DVR. Yes D* does need to correct some problems like the 30 sec skip. Many are saying DISH dual tuners are cheaper because they don't charge a mirroring fee on second tuners plugged into the phone line so it saves $5, but DISH charges for each DVR on your account $5.98 so if you have two DVRs it is a wash.

I disagree re: the bugs with the R15. I've been a subscriber with E* since 1999. I started with the dishplayer 7100 and currently have a 508 and 721. I had some initial problems with the 508 and an occassional problem with the 721. In the last year, I've had NO problems with either. The 721 allows recording on two channels simultaneously and no lease fee. I love it!

Tivo's are bulletproof, but they're much slower that the Dish PVR's. Try both and decide for yourself!

[phat_b]

The 625 manual suggests that if you're recording two shows at once, one must be designated for each of the two TVs (in dual mode). Can you just view the whole list of recorded programs at once for both TVs on a single screen?

Yes, the recordings are shared between both TVs.

Otherwise I could see it being a pain flipping back and forth. Also, if a show is recording on the tuner designated for the living room set, and the basement set tuner is free, will I be unable to watch live TV in the living room without hitting the mode button (and vice-versa).

That would be correct. In dual mode the box treats each tuner as a discrete device. We've been asking for a (remote accessible) menu option to toggle single/dual mode for a while now.

It seems to me that there really shouldn't be any direct association between tuners and TVs - it should just use whatever is free...

That's pretty much how it works in single mode. All the A/V + modulated outputs display whichever tuner is selected as primary, and the secondary is available in the PIP.

I'm just very conscious of the wife-acceptance-factor.

Ah, yes - now that you mention it, that was another reason I thought Myth might not be the best idea. :)

[robert koerner]

Its about time for me to buy a replacement remote for my 510. I’ve had the remote for about 14 months, and I’ve worn the 30 second skip button down below the surrounding plastic.

I’ve considered getting a 625, but according to Dish, it isn’t more reliable than my 510, which malfunctions daily. I gave up calling Dish for help when the 510 crashes. I’ve gone thru 6 510s. They all crash the same way. Dish started telling me that since none of the units I’ve sent back to them needed to be repaired, I’m the problem, not the software, but I’m doing something to cause the units to malfunction.

I’ve also looked at the R15 and decided its predecessor which can be programmed for a 30 second skip, would suit me better.

Bob

[fwampler]

Its about time for me to buy a replacement remote for my 510. I’ve had the remote for about 14 months, and I’ve worn the 30 second skip button down below the surrounding plastic.

I’ve considered getting a 625, but according to Dish, it isn’t more reliable than my 510, which malfunctions daily. I gave up calling Dish for help when the 510 crashes. I’ve gone thru 6 510s. They all crash the same way. Dish started telling me that since none of the units I’ve sent back to them needed to be repaired, I’m the problem, not the software, but I’m doing something to cause the units to malfunction.

I’ve also looked at the R15 and decided its predecessor which can be programmed for a 30 second skip, would suit me better.

Bob
I can vouch for the 625. Works flawlessly in single user mode. Don't know about dual.