I am in exactly the same situation (622 with no contract) and have the same question (922 vs 622/722).
I don't particularly want to switch providers but I really like the whole house DVR that D*TV offers. I was hoping the Sling Catcher in combination with 922 would have given me an equivalent solution. Now that the Sling Catcher has been dropped, I am very frustrated.
Why does DISH have to make it so difficult to stay a happy customer.
I have learned from the 922 experience. About 6 or 7 years back I bought the $1000.00 921 pvr that was nothing more than a digital vcr . I had to baby sit that receiver daily and power reboot it to avoid screw ups while I was recording programming. After this failed and now bricked ,discontinued receiver, I waited till they came out with the 522 dvr with name based recording. I leased it for a few months till the 942 hd receiver came out and I jumped on that receiver. It was wonderful and feature filled box. I had two of them. Then the 622dvr , 722 dvr, 722k dvrs and all were based on the 522/942 dvrs with name based recording. I owned all of those versions and still have a 722k on my parents account in my name.
SO the 922 came around and I fell for all the hype and press releases associated with CES last January, and paid to buy a 922 last May. Since then for many ,many months I suffered the many software glitches, power reboots , missed recordings , non released features like Archiving to external hard drive and tv 2 independent viewing, etc. I really thought that DISH had this main frame of this receiver down after this many receivers released with name based recordings. Even Scott G. said the 922 would have the 722k insides + sling. So I figured it wouldn't be that much different than a 722k. But I was WRONG.
It is almost like DISH had to reinvent the whole receiver from the ground up. Which is why it took so long to get the 922 to function almost like the 722/722k receivers already do. Since last month and this month , they have updated the 922 to have external hard drive archiving as well as tv 2 independent viewing. But I made a decision that I was through with this receiver, after I learned the sling extender for tv 2 in hd ,was not going to be released and had been pulled from the DISH site. I now have a new 722k dvr, that I swapped my 922 out for, from the online retailer that I bought my receiver from.
So the point of this story is to remember this: Never buy or upgrade to a receiver based on promised unreleased features or you will be terribly disappointed. Also never buy a new receiver unless you are prepared to ask GOD for patience. Lots and lots of patience.