721 slowness

[Braven]

This site is awesome. I've been reading the messages here for a week or so and you guys really know your stuff. Anyway, I'm a previous owner of a 501 and when I heard the 721 was out, I had to have it. My question is why is the 721 sooooo darn slow when changing from channel to channel? It's almost unbearable. It's like they're trying to force you to use the EPG. Most the time I do use the EPG to change channels, but sometimes I like to do it the old fashioned way and just channel up or down. Like I said, I've owned a 501 and before that an old JVC model 4500. Both of those receivers had respectable channel changing times. Is this something the folks at Dish can take care of with a software upgrade? And has anyone else noticed this?

Thanks,
Braven

[The Tick]

I believe it's re-starting recording every time you flip channels. This allows you to rewind up to the point you switched channels

[TomCat]

It is surprising, if not ironic, that a PVR that is so new would actually take longer to change channels than an older vintage. It's apparently not due to the processor speed, as navigating through the EPG is much faster than through my 3-year-old Replay. Having 2 tuners probably complicates such things a bit. Still, 3.5 seconds does seem a bit excessive. One would assume that stand-alones, which have to deal with changing channels on an external device as well as restarting the MPEG recording each time would be slower, but they're not. I have to admit I'm curious as to why it takes so long.

But I consider this a minor quirk and not really a problem. PVR users eventually begin to realize that surfing is an antiquated way to experience television anyway. Most of us left live TV behind a long time ago.

[Jacob S]

Someone had suggested to stop buffering on the hard drive during channel change allowing a faster channel change to happen. I do not know if this would take just as long or longer than it would right now, or if this is even possible. It might only take just as long as pressing stop to stop a recording.

[Braven]

Thanks for the responses.

Braven