Newbie here - can ViP622 record 2 HD shows?

[FrankieAlvarez]

Hi all. I'm new to the DBS world and I'm deciding between DirecTV HD and Dish Network HD. I know for a fact that the HR20 can record two HD shows at the same time, but I've now seen that the ViP622 can as well. However, when I called DishTV, they told me that I CAN'T record two HD shows at the same time with the 622. I need to watch both Heroes and 24 in HD!!!! :eek2:

Please help/advise!

Thank you!
FA

[James Long]

:welcome_s

Yes ... the 622 can record two satellite fed HD shows at the same time. It can record three if you count OTA (over the air antenna).

[jgarveyATL]

:welcome_s

Yes ... the 622 can record two satellite fed HD shows at the same time. It can record three if you count OTA (over the air antenna).

I am thinking about adding an OTA antenna. How do you select the 3rd tuner when selecting a program for recording?

When I connect the antenna, does the 622 automatically add an OTA "tuner" that I can select for recording?

[ChuckA]

You scan and automatically/manually add the OTA channels you can receive. Then you will see these channels in the Guide (if you pay Dish for your locals). When you select a program on an OTA channel for a timer, it will record on the OTA tuner. It does look confusing because the OTA tuner shows as a green 1 just like the TV1 tuner. You just have to get used to it. The OTA channels will have a suffix of -001, -002, etc so its easy to tell the sat channels and the OTA channels apart. Also, in the Guide the OTA channels are indicated by the color yellow.

[ebaltz]

You can also use the search tool in this forum and find answers to your questions listed about a million times.

[pcstuff]

You can also use the search tool in this forum and find answers to your questions listed about a million times.

Was that a virtual spanking?

Ouch!

:feelbette

[mikeyinokc]

You can also use the search tool in this forum and find answers to your questions listed about a million times.

Yup, it's not like he said he's a "newby" here, and it shows it's his first post to the forum.

Cut him a little slack. We were all newbys once!

[Geronimo]

I am thinking about adding an OTA antenna. How do you select the 3rd tuner when selecting a program for recording?

When I connect the antenna, does the 622 automatically add an OTA "tuner" that I can select for recording?


you do not need to do anything except highlight the show and hit select. it gets confusing but references to one and two sometimes refer to the tuner and sometimes to the out put TV. You never set up tthe third tuner.

[ChuckA]

That is true, but only after you automatically scan in or manually add your local OTA channels. You only have to set them up once when you first install the antenna. After that it might take a while to get the Guide data for them or you might need to force a Guide download.

[Guitar1969]

Hi all. I'm new to the DBS world and I'm deciding between DirecTV HD and Dish Network HD. I know for a fact that the HR20 can record two HD shows at the same time, but I've now seen that the ViP622 can as well. However, when I called DishTV, they told me that I CAN'T record two HD shows at the same time with the 622. I need to watch both Heroes and 24 in HD!!!! :eek2:

Please help/advise!

Thank you!
FA
I record those 2 shows you mentioned every Monday in HD so yes. the 622 can do it

[Hall]

It does look confusing because the OTA tuner shows as a green 1 just like the TV1 tuner. You just have to get used to it. Or, Dish should fix it. It's not tuner 1 so why label it as such ?? Replace it with the same antenna icon they use (somewhere else I've seen).

I got confused about this myself when I first got my 622 and suggested it get changed back then...

[rogerpl]

Hi all. I'm new to the DBS world and I'm deciding between DirecTV HD and Dish Network HD. I know for a fact that the HR20 can record two HD shows at the same time, but I've now seen that the ViP622 can as well. However, when I called DishTV, they told me that I CAN'T record two HD shows at the same time with the 622. I need to watch both Heroes and 24 in HD!!!! :eek2:

Please help/advise!

Thank you!
FA

If you are recording OTA HD you can only record one at a time, my dilemma, if you are getting your HD locals via sat then you can do 2 hd shows at the same time.

[ChuckA]

If you are recording OTA HD you can only record one at a time, my dilemma, if you are getting your HD locals via sat then you can do 2 hd shows at the same time.

That is a confusing statement. You can record two sat programs at one time regardless of being on a local channel or Dish sat channel. If you have OTA you can record one additional program from a local channel, giving you a total of three recordings at once.

[rogerpl]

That is a confusing statement. You can record two sat programs at one time regardless of being on a local channel or Dish sat channel. If you have OTA you can record one additional program from a local channel, giving you a total of three recordings at once.

Sorry at work and trying to be too quick.
Yes you can record a total of three HD or SD programs at one time, 2 over sat and 1 OTA. My locals HDs come by way of OTA so I can only record one of those at a time. So i record the show that benfits from HD more like Heroes while Three and Half Men i record over the sat in SD.

[CABill]

Or, Dish should fix it. It's not tuner 1 so why label it as such ?? Replace it with the same antenna icon they use (somewhere else I've seen).

I got confused about this myself when I first got my 622 and suggested it get changed back then...

The little 1 does NOT indicate tuner 1. It indicates Output TV1. When you are watching an OTA channel live on TV1, you know it is coming from the OTA connection. When you are watching a Sat channel live on TV1, you really don't know which Sat connector (Tuner 1 or Tuner 2) is being used.

But I don't mean to imply that it shouldn't be changed to an OTA symbol instead. It is crazy to see two things recording with a 1. My only point is that it isn't a tuner number. TV1 may be using Tuner 2 to record while TV2 uses Tuner 1.

[ChuckA]

My only point is that it isn't a tuner number. TV1 may be using Tuner 2 to record while TV2 uses Tuner 1.

While this is true as we have discussed before, no one really needs to be aware of the fact that TV1 can use tuner 2. It only adds to the confusion and it does not really help in describing how this box works. It does not resolve the problem with understanding the OTA being labeled tuner 1. It only makes me wonder if tuners can be dynamically assigned to outputs, why can't TV2 use the OTA. :confused:

[CABill]

It only makes me wonder if tuners can be dynamically assigned to outputs, why can't TV2 use the OTA. :confused:

It was just too many "tuner" references for me in a day and I lost it.

As for OTA on TV2, you might find http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=76833 interesting. It is 942, not 622, and I haven't gone back to try in a while. It started when the guy said he could get 012-01 on TV2. I couldn't quite duplicate, but it did verify that the check to send TV2 to the next closest "allowed" channel was done after it grabbed the OTA tuner to try to lock onto 12.1. It almost seemed like TV2 can grab OTA, but there is something in the software that blocks it when it succeeds, or some such.

[ChuckA]

Interesting. I'll check it out when I have some time. Thanks.

[Stewart Vernon]

I won't bash the newbie for not searching the forum... but I am baffled a little by his original post.

He says he is new to DBS, thus he does not know much about DirecTV or Dish and hence the posting to ask questions for comparing the two services... BUT then he says he "knows for a fact" that the DirecTV receiver can record 2 HD at the same time.

So... my not-so-obvious question is... how does he know that for a fact?

Forget for a moment what actual facts are about Dish & DirecTV, and the various forms of misinformation about both companies that circulate the internet forums... but I was wondering how he knew that for a fact about DirecTV. My guess is he didn't search any more vigorously for DirecTV info than he did for Dish info... so it seems to me he should be equally doubtful about both companies at the moment.

[CABill]

I (mis?)read the question from the get go as he was aware that the HR20 had two OTA tuners and could record both Heroes and 24 in HD. In the Bay Area, HD Sat locals are available from either provider so it shouldn't be a problem. After reading some of the replies, I assumed he wasn't talking about the single OTA tuner in the 622, but just the fact that MANY MANY people are told by CSRs that only one HD recording at a time is possible. I really can't understand how that continues to happen.

[FrankieAlvarez]

Thanks all for the detailed responses!!!

HDMe - I "knew for a fact" that the DirecTV receiver could record 2 HD shows at the same time, because my friend has one. But I'm not tech savvy enough to figure out if the ViP622 could as well based on the literature available on the DishNetwork site.

As CABill mentioned, I called DishNetwork twice trying to verify if their box could, or could NOT record 2 HD signals at the same time. Both times they said that it could NOT. But thanks to this forum, I now know better.

Thank you again all. And I promise to try to use the search feature more often!

[biz]

I hope that some day (I haven't seen it, unless I've missed it) that the show info will say whether it is in HD or not.

Right now, I have to go to zap2it.com and double check for the shows actually in HD, so I can arrange my recordings. (I get locals in HD via OTA).

[Stewart Vernon]

Thanks all for the detailed responses!!!

HDMe - I "knew for a fact" that the DirecTV receiver could record 2 HD shows at the same time, because my friend has one. But I'm not tech savvy enough to figure out if the ViP622 could as well based on the literature available on the DishNetwork site.

That makes sense... Not that you owed us your life story :) But it does help knowing that you had some limited experience with a DirecTV receiver. I know the Dish CSRs sometimes get it wrong when describing the features... even upper level tech support is confused sometimes... so I can understand why you would be confused by reading specs about the receiver vs talking to a rep on the phone.

Hopefully we have helped you out a bit, and do search around on the forum because you may find answers to other questions that you haven't even thought of asking yet.