RBBrittain said:
Hey, I've had my complaints (look at my title!), but all in all I'm very satisfied with E*. And even though IMHO the 522 is still in beta
, nonetheless it has incredible features for the price (just the $5/mo DVR fee). I'd much rather keep beta-testing the 522 than do without it.
The one caveat I'd have: If you're a Tivo lover or want NFL Sunday Ticket, then by all means go with D*. D*'s current deal for new subscribers (buy Sunday Ticket, get regular programming during football season for free) is incredible, and most DirecTivo users who switch to E* DVRs are disappointed. (Though perhaps not after E* finally gets NBR; the 522 is early on the list for that feature.)
I just got the DishNetwork less than a month ago (3 weeks about) so I guess you can call me a new customer. So far I have to say that I've been pleased with DishNetwork, but I do have the 522 and I'm coming from using a Tivo so I do have complaints. I don't feel like being a beta tester, but that's exactly what I am.
I was NOT aware of that NFL Ticket deal (posted above) and it may seriously get me to switch from dish to direct if I can get a free direcTivo, but it's going to depend on the programming costs.
Things I'm happy with are the cost per month. I'm not in a contract so that is good. I use the basic basic package with locals and I'm happy with the channels I receive, although I really wish it included the FX channel.
I'm also happy with the 522 receiver, or at least happy about what it COULD be in the future. Coming from Tivo, there are just a few things that I really can't deal with. I could understand the 522 lacking some "features" when compared to the Tivo, that would be fine. The problem I have with the 522 is that they can't even get the simple function of PLAYING BACK A RECORDING to work properly. The most basic, simple function is BUGGY, and by buggy I mean the recordings start to skip and the audio cracks, etc. This, to me, is just unacceptable. With my Tivo, I can't even recall having this problem EVEN ONCE (had it 1.5 years), but this 522 has these playback problems all the time. I've already been through 2 (3?) software updates in the past 3 weeks, but I don't even know what's getting fixed.
Quite frankly, this 522 DVR is what held the most appeal for me as someone moving to satellite. It's got 100 hours of recording time, one receiver works on two tvs AND both TV's can record (very cool), etc. It's got a lot going for it, but RIGHT NOW it's not even playing shows back properly.
I really hope things get ironed out with this receiver, but the fact that the NFL Ticket is DirectTV only, and that there may be a huge incentive to get it and possibly a free DirectTivo at the moment, and that I may still be under my 30 day guarantee with Dish means that I may be looking into switching over as early as this weekend.
The sad thing is, if the 522 even played back shows without skipping I probably wouldn't think twice about leaving dish, I wouldn't leave. WIth that said, if the DVR device isn't important to you, then dish is highly recommended. For me, it was the basis of my purchase.