any forum on Dish Network / ATT Homezone?

[johnmcm]

I am a new Dish user, through ATT Homezone, which is a co-branded 622 DVR box. Things I don't like so far:

channel guide is slow
channel guide only lists by channel
program search is nearly useless - no search by program type, one character at a time, etc.
Remote control programming of audio devices doesn't seem to work


Is there a Homezone forum, or is there not very much difference between Dish without ATT and just Dish?

[Michael P]

program search is nearly useless - no search by program type, one character at a time, etc.
Have you tried pushing the left arrow on the remote (Themes)? While I rarely use it, that is the way E* receivers can search by "program type" (i.e. "sports" "news" "children" etc.).

There is also a search by title in the menu.

[James Long]

Is there a Homezone forum, or is there not very much difference between Dish without ATT and just Dish?The new 622HZ is a lot like the E* 622/722 ... I have not seen a lot of discussion on it and really don't expect to. Not really critical mass for its own forum. The E* HD and 622 forums would be the best place to start (or here).

[DishTSR3Mentor]

The Homezone Receiver is ENTIRELY different than the Dish Network Receivers they are modeled after. Unfortunately, there isn't much information available through E* without external help provided by the company 2Wire which is the support company for ATT's DSL service. You can Google Search 2Wire Homezone for more info or contact 2Wire at ATT's DSL Department.

[schneid]

Satelliteguys.us has the most info on the Homezone HD receiver, the 622HZ. Search AT&T Homezone there. It is a modified ViP722 running 2Wire software. The hype about the product sounds compelling but the execution falls very short of one’s expectations.

My main gripes are the box crashes often, you cannot search via Web Remote, Photo Screensaver is limited to a 4:3 pillar box, numerous remote keys are dead, Movielink has no HD offerings, and External USB Hard Drive Storage is not implemented. There is no web, chat, or email based customer support. If you need something, you must call AT&T. At first I thought their customer support was great but I have now realized they are just giving lip service. They know the product is a mess and nothing is being done about it. Their solution is to send you another box just as buggy as the last. I am on my third since late July. It fails just like the others.

I thought of going to real Dish but they have lost the lead in HD which was the reason I left DirecTV after ten years. I will probably be going back soon. Homezone is a great idea but it just doesn’t work.

[mspace]

I thought of going to real Dish but they have lost the lead in HD which was the reason I left DirecTV after ten years.

:thats: !rolling

[schneid]

"Have you tried pushing the left arrow on the remote (Themes)? While I rarely use it, that is the way E* receivers can search by "program type" (i.e. "sports" "news" "children" etc.)."

Homezone has none of these advanced tricks.

[schneid]

:thats: !rolling

Maybe funny to you but in my market D* has my locals in HD and D* has more premium movie channels that I pay for in HD. They seem to be on schedule to have more HD that I am interested in than E* by the end of this month.

I certainly don't need anymore HD PPV. Netflix is much cheaper.

[V-Train]

I have tons of problems with my 622HZ box, quite tired of it. As soon as I get my wireless gateway rebate I'm dumping it for a regular 622/722.

[schneid]

I have tons of problems with my 622HZ box, quite tired of it. As soon as I get my wireless gateway rebate I'm dumping it for a regular 622/722.

I read over at satelliteguys.us an unhappy 622HZ victim was allowed to swap to a ViP722 for $99.

What specific problems are you having with your 622HZ? I have had a conversation with an AT&T CEO rep who listened to me for a long time and promised to get back with answers. They were not aware of the service's shortcomings. I'd love to have some complaints from others to provide them.

If you want, drop him a note yourself:

Randall L. Stephenson
CEO, AT&T
175 E. Houston
San Antonio, TX 78205-2233

[V-Train]

I read over at satelliteguys.us an unhappy 622HZ victim was allowed to swap to a ViP722 for $99.

What specific problems are you having with your 622HZ?

LOL, where do I begin. The DD 5.1 doesn't work over HDMI, I have to use an optical cable. Almost every time I rewind or fast forward a recorded program, I lose my audio, and have to go through menus and "resume" the recording to get the audio back.

As far as the Homezone "features," the Mediascout application is useless on both of my Macs, it never finishes starting up. Apparently they don't even have the most recent version on the support site, as the version on the CD that came with the box was newer. The Web Remote feature is useful, but it is so crippled, i.e. the search issue already mentioned. It also often loses connection with the box and has to be reloaded, and doesn't put you back where you were. Very frustrating if you were setting up a recording days in advance, and you have to then go check to see if the change you made was actually received. The downloadable movies is a nice idea, but the lack of HD movies makes it useless to me.

The box sometimes suffers from extreme lag, it doesn't react for literally 10 seconds. That is only fixed by doing a reset. A couple times a week, it freezes up when starting, it just shows the "Homezone is starting up" window and does nothing and I have to force a reset.

I don't know if this is true of the 622/722 as well since I came from a Comcast DVR, but I find the inability to browse the guide (and set up recordings) while watching a recorded program to be really annoying.

There is no way to swap from one tuner to the other, which I'm relatively sure is possible with the 622/722. I used to use this feature often on my Comcast DVR, so I can skip between two programs while each one is in the buffer.

When I signed up, they made it seem like the box had all the features of the 622, plus the Homezone features. They don't mention the fact that it doesn't have DishHOME, PiP or EHD support.

I've only been a Dish customer for a month, I don't see any reason I should have to pay $99 for a box I could have had free a month ago, especially considering the 622HZ is supposed to be a "better" box. Thankfully I'm not locked into a commitment.

[V-Train]

Just had a long conversation with Dish Network. Regular customer service was not helpful, so I talked to cancellations (an "Account Specialist"). First wanted me to pay $149, then said half, and finally agreed to give it to me for free.

Her "coach" was telling her that the 622HZ has all of the features of the 622 (which is what the sales rep told me when I ordered, too, since I specifically asked). I told her that certainly was not true, and she called Homezone support who told her the same.

Apparently it took some overrides from her "coach", as the system wanted to stick me with a commitment.

While the process was long and annoying, she was very helpful. I didn't threaten to cancel or get angry, I just explained that I wouldn't have gotten the box in the first place if the sales rep had given me the correct information, and that I shouldn't have to pay for their mistake.

Heh, I just realized I'm not sure whether they are sending me a 622 or a 722, but I don't really care.