who has the better Hd Dvr

[jappleboy]

Who has the better Hd dvr ? Dish, or Directv. Who has used both. Let us know.

 

[cybertrip]

Dish has the best one by far. When I had DirecTV I had the R15 and it was HORRIBLE, even though it is a SD DVR the HR20 has basically the same software . Slow slow slow, lost recordings, changed channels for no reason, froze in the middle of a recording, etc. The only problem I've had with my ViP 622 is that it has frozen once on playback and some times the audio stutters on playback which is supposed to be fixed in the new firmware. It is blazing fast and 30 second skip kicks arse!

 

[scooby2]

Dish does. The 622 would be perfect if it had two OTA tuners though.

The HR-20 has not been out as long so it is not as stable. It does have 2 OTA tuners though and you can use an external sata drive (replaces the internal).

 

[jeffincolo]

CNET has them rated as follows:

Dish Network VIP 622 rated 8.7 (Editors choice)

Direct TV HR 20 rated 7.8

Check out CNET.com for details

Jeff

 

[ronfelder]

Dish does. The 622 would be perfect if it had two OTA tuners though.

The HR-20 has not been out as long so it is not as stable. It does have 2 OTA tuners though and you can use an external sata drive (replaces the internal).

I believe the 622 does have two tuners.

Ron

 

[navychop]

The ViP622 has two satellite tuners, but only one OTA tuner. The OTA tuner picks up ATSC digital stations only.

You can record simultaneously from all three tuners, and watch 2 separate programs on two separate TVs from what you've previously recorded onto the DVR. That's 5 streams at once.

External drive support for this DVR is in the works, and will probably be available this summer. Other enhancements, such as DishOnline, are also in the works.

I have one. I love it.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I must admit that I have the better HD DVR. It was sold to me. Just lucky I guess.

 

[scooby2]

I believe the 622 does have two tuners.

Ron

Unfortunately it does not have two OTA tuners. It does have two satellite tuners but that does not do me much good since 95% of the HD my family watches is local channels. I do have the "HD" locals from Dish for Detroit but they look terrible compared to OTA. For example: Lost last night was unbelievable looking OTA. On Dish it looked dvd like at best with lots of macro blocking.

 

[jeffincolo]

I get local HD out of Denver just fine out of my 622 via satellite 129 TP2 (no macroblocking or other issues). Maybe thats because Charlie lives here??

Jeff

 

[VinceT3]

my brother has directv I have dish, tivo, media center, and I've used mythtv.. out of dish, direct, and tivo I pick dish .. they are missing a few things that tivo has, but they are all minor.. direct is a bit painful and clunky at best..

the one thing any of them could do to stand 3 steps ahead of the rest would be the feature mythtv has where any box can record preferences.. tivo, dish, and direct could network (either via eithernet or powerline) and tell the other boxes (if you're not recording something at this time record it because I can't) .. that would make the dual tuner thing less needed.. also watching tv from other boxes is a nice feature tivo & myth have that the others dont...

 

[rad]

For me the two ATSC tuners in the HR20 is a big plus for folks that don't have their local HD channels via DBS. Another plus for the HR20 is that the EPG has all the local ATSC channels, including the subchannels. You can also stream MP3's and JPEG's from a ViiV system (official line) or some 3rd party software products.

Yes, it does have some bugs in it still but it's a brand new receiver, both hardware and software. It's not based on the R15, so it's basically a start from scratch receiver. Looking back IMHO, the HR20 is a lot more stable then the 921 was when it first came out and the 622 has been out a lot longer and has the experiences from the earlier E* DVR's to help eliminate some of the bugs.

 

[kstuart]

I get local HD out of Denver just fine out of my 622 via satellite 129 TP2 (no macroblocking or other issues). Maybe thats because Charlie lives here??

Uh, the entire Engineering staff lives in Denver, so that might explain why PQ is pretty good there.

But, there is a natural question brought up by this thead:

Is there a good OTA HD DVR (standalone) ? It sounds like someone who wants the better quality and quantity of E* HD channels (FoodTV HD comes to mind) by using a VIP-622 might want to record more than one of the OTA HD at the same time (such as scooby2 above).

A standalone OTA HD DVR might fill the bill - is there a good one?

 

[navychop]

The LG LST-3410A has quite a following. Same for the Sony DHG-HDD250 and DHG-HDD500. All are discontinued, good luck finding one. I hate to recommend Sony, but I have one- got it so cheap I couldn't pass it up. Only complaint, other than endless menu steps, is it doesn't really tell you how much space is left for recording. And it only has one tuner.

I don't have that particular LG model, but I understand you cannot record and watch a previous recording at the same time. Might want to confirm that, it might be a big drawback for you.

I'll leave it to others to discuss the Tivo Series 3, and how much per month you must pay.

You may want to consider an HTPC solution, such as the ATI HD Wonder. Or record using a DVD recorder vice a hard disk.

 

[Need]

I got the Dish 622 and the DirecTV R-15. The DirecTV one is so much worst than the Dish DVR. If you are going for DirecTV, do not get the DirecTV branded DVR, get one with Tivo instead.

 

[rad]

I got the Dish 622 and the DirecTV R-15. The DirecTV one is so much worst than the Dish DVR. If you are going for DirecTV, do not get the DirecTV branded DVR, get one with Tivo instead.

D* doesn't sell Tivo based DVR's anymore, you'd have to get a used one. And the R-15 is a POS, IMHO but it has gotten better then it was, but thankfully it's being developed by a completly different group then the HR20 which is much better.

 

[nazz]

Aren't the used Tivo based D* DVRs MPEG-2 only? I know the one that I sold was.

 

[rad]

Aren't the used Tivo based D* DVRs MPEG-2 only? I know the one that I sold was.

Yep, if you need MPEG4 then the HR20 is the only one.

 

[bigthrust]

Yep, if you need MPEG4 then the HR20 is the only one.

In your dreams.....

the VIP622 is MPEG4 and does MPEG4 extremely well.

 

[rad]

In your dreams.....

the VIP622 is MPEG4 and does MPEG4 extremely well.

Gee, the 622 works on D* since the prior post was asking about D* and the Tivo HD DVR.

 

[Pakbackr]

I owned a D* HD Tivo for 2+ years and recently switched to E* and now have the 622. Before coming over, I test drove the new D* HD DVR so, I have a feel for all three. IMHO, the 622 is hand's down the winner. I love having both sat tuners and the OTA tuner all feed in from one coax in my wall! I also love the 2nd independent TV feed, which is perfect for my small Sharp EDTV in the kitchen. I love the 30 second skip button and how the remote is designed. The new D* HD DVR requires you hit "guide" twice to get to an actual guide...that alone would drive me bonkers!