612 receiver

[Boobie1998]

Hi all,

Thinking about switching to dish from directv. I would like to get the American top everything package with protection plan, dvr service and of course hd as I have 2 HDTV. When I went to the site it says I would get 2 VIP 612 receivers. Can anyone tell me if these receivers are good?

 

[3HaloODST]

The general consensus is that the 612s tend to be a little more buggy than the 622/722/722K and they are usually the last to get updates. Other than that they are well-rounded receivers with plenty of time for DISH to get the crippling bugs worked out. Back in the day the 612 was pretty awful but that was due to buggy software which has sense then been fixed for the most part. At $10 a month (plus the single $6 DVR fee) compared to $17 a month, they are definitely a better value when not using the TV2 (SD) outputs. In your scenario, it would be $6 + $10 in receiver fees, versus $6 + $17 for the 622/722/722K.

The 722K has the ability to record 2 OTA + 2 SAT (612/622/722 are only 1 OTA + 2 SAT.) Whether or not that is worth $7 extra is up to you, plus it needs a $30 OTA module to accomplish such. The thing is, DISH, "considers" the 622/722/722K "equal" therefore you may end up having to play "tech roulette." When the tech calls to inform you that they are on the way ask them if they have 722Ks on the truck. If not, spare them the trouble and tell them to cancel the install. You will need to set up another appointment and hope they have 722Ks on the truck next time.

EDIT: Oh, forgot, 622/722/722K support PiP, 612 does not. Again, is that worth $7 extra or not, up to you.

 

[Boobie1998]

The general consensus is that the 612s tend to be a little more buggy than the 622/722/722K and they are usually the last to get updates. Other than that they are well-rounded receivers with plenty of time for DISH to get the crippling bugs worked out. Back in the day the 612 was pretty awful but that was due to buggy software which has sense then been fixed for the most part. At $10 a month (plus the single $6 DVR fee) compared to $17 a month, they are definitely a better value when not using the TV2 (SD) outputs. In your scenario, it would be $6 + $10 in receiver fees, versus $6 + $17 for the 622/722/722K.

The 722K has the ability to record 2 OTA + 2 SAT (612/622/722 are only 1 OTA + 2 SAT.) Whether or not that is worth $7 extra is up to you, plus it needs a $30 OTA module to accomplish such. The thing is, DISH, "considers" the 622/722/722K "equal" therefore you may end up having to play "tech roulette." When the tech calls to inform you that they are on the way ask them if they have 722Ks on the truck. If not, spare them the trouble and tell them to cancel the install. You will need to set up another appointment and hope they have 722Ks on the truck next time.

EDIT: Oh, forgot, 622/722/722K support PiP, 612 does not. Again, is that worth $7 extra or not, up to you.

If I would place an order of dish site it say I would get two 612 receivers. It doesn't let me change that to another receiver. As a new customer what receiver would be better for the next two years. I mean if I'm going to agree to two year service I might as well get the receivers with the less problems.

 

[boba]

With DISH there is no such thing as a safe receiver, each time new software is released it could cause problems in your previously perfect receiver. My 612 is fairly stable right now but it has had problems, some rescent posts may suggest the 722 has some problem software. It's your choice for features.

 

[Tampa8]

I have three 612 receivers and they are overall good. I have a timer on each to force them to reset every night, and have had virtually no problems with them since the very begining when they were buggy at that time. My opinion - the 612 might actually be a little more stable than the 722 has been over the last couple of months. You will save money, have two TV's with HD, have the built in Over the Air receiver/module and between the two receivers have up to six recordings at one time possible if you use an outdoor antenna, four without . The downside is as 3Halo0DST described - no PIP and only one tuner can be watched at at time. (722 can supply two different tuners/programs to two TV's) Most people probably don't need that with two TV's and two receivers.

I have one other HUGE suggestion. Don't call dish or use the website. Contact one of the CSR's here (DIRT TEAM) to set up your account.

 

[oldengineer]

I did the same thing a month ago. If you are using the website say you have 3 tvs, 2 HD and 1 SD. This will give you a 722 and a 612, which I have. The 722 monthly lease is free and the 612 is $10. Both of my receivers work fine, much better than my old D* HR-21(pre HD GUI). The installation was great. I got a pole mount and the installers removed the D* dish from the roof of my 2 story house, no charge. All in all I'm very happy with E*, but one thing I see is that their customer service policies are much more rigid than D*s. After having service for 2 weeks I wanted to add a 211 but E* wanted $50.00 plus $15.00 for a tech to install. It would have been free if I included it in the original order. I did that with D* when I first signed up and they simply sent me the additional receiver for no charge and got 4 years of lease fees from me.