Comcast DVR vs. Dish DVR (functional differences)

[Jgrimoldy]

I'm about to make the jump from Comcast to Dish since it makes financial sense and I'll get considerably more HD channels on Dish (in Santa Cruz, CA).

I've got a few technical questions about functional differences between the Comcast and the Dish (I guess I'll probably be "given" the 722 DVR by Dish):

On the Comcast DVR, live programming is buffered to the DVR so that you can pause. Can you do this on the Dish DVR?

If you get home, say, 20 minutes into a show that's being recorded, can you watch what's already been recorded while the DVR continues to record the rest? Or, is it more like a VCR where ya gotta wait 'till the whole thing has been recorded before you can watch it?

I understand that sharing the central DVR requires a point-to-point coax connection to the 2nd TV and then tune that TV to channel 60 (or whatever). Can you put a COAX splitter on the line and run that signal to more than 1 additional TV?


Thanks!
-jg

 

[TheKrell]

Yes. Yes. No. Yes.

 

[upsss]

Yes. Yes. No. Yes.

Wrong, its Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

 

[navychop]

You most certainly can start watching a program as you are recording it.

 

[pabeader]

yes, yes, no, yes seems correct to me.

Can you do this on the Dish DVR? yes
can you watch what's already been recorded while the DVR continues to record the rest. yes
ya gotta wait 'till the whole thing has been recorded before you can watch it? no
Can you put a COAX splitter on the line and run that signal to more than 1 additional TV? yes

 

[Jgrimoldy]

Thanks for the answers. This is all very encouraging!

 

[upsss]

ya gotta wait 'till the whole thing has been recorded before you can watch it? no

That is true, but that wasn't the question. The correct answer to the question is YES!

 

[pabeader]

That is true, but that wasn't the question. The correct answer to the question is YES!

so it IS like a VCR?

 

[Tyralak]

Stop confusing the noob.

 

[3HaloODST]

On the Comcast DVR, live programming is buffered to the DVR so that you can pause. Can you do this on the Dish DVR?

Yes.

If you get home, say, 20 minutes into a show that's being recorded, can you watch what's already been recorded while the DVR continues to record the rest?

Yes.

Or, is it more like a VCR where ya gotta wait 'till the whole thing has been recorded before you can watch it?

No.

Can you put a COAX splitter on the line and run that signal to more than 1 additional TV?

Yes.

 

[KAB]

How do things do simple get so complicated? Too many cooks in the kitchen. Chef Krell had it from the start!!

 

[Jgrimoldy]

This is flat-out entertaining, in a Python-esque, over-parsing of semantics sort of way.

While we're at it, is it true that .9 (repeating indefinitely) actually equals 1?


/please don't answer this

//thanks so much for the answers, folks. I know that these are relatively minor features, but they're something that we use all the time on the Motorola (Comcast) DVR, and they would be missed.

 

[Tampa8]

The answer to your questions are, it can do everything you asked, the "No" is that it is not like a VCR at all.

Depending which one you get, you can record two programs from Satellite at the same time, and also watch a recorded show at the same time. You can watch any program that is recording from the beginning while it is still recording.
If you have an antenna, you can record whatever channels you get from that too, also at the same time.(With either an add on module, or the VIP612 comes with it installed) You can add a second, external hard drive (or as many as you want) and save recorded programs to it in case you fill up the hard drive in the receiver, or just want to save the programs. There are many features, Dish has one of the best receivers out there.

 

[RT-Cat]

Press "1" for american, Press any other number to be disconnected until you learn american.


I agree with you 100%!!! But, it is called English. Maybe an American version of English, but still English.
(since all are looking for accuracy in this thread. . . . )

 

[pabeader]

america = american
england = english
mexico = mexican
spain = spanish

etc...

 

[TG2]

I would point out one thing on the buffering issue .... the moment you start playback of an event on TV1 ... TV1's buffer goes to zero for that channel you were on.

ie.. I'm on CBS (HD from Dish not OTA/Over The Air) I'm at TV1, if I start watching something that I had previously recorded .. and then stop watching that recorded event, CBS comes back to TV1 ... but the buffer is 0 and starts building up a "goback" buffer from that moment.

You can do tricks with some DVR's ... like with the 722/722k ... in Single Mode turn on Picture In Picture and you can switch between a buffered live feed, and a DVR event playback ...

 

[R0ss]

The answer to your questions are, it can do everything you asked, the "No" is that it is not like a VCR at all.

Depending which one you get, you can record two programs from Satellite at the same time, and also watch a recorded show at the same time. You can watch any program that is recording from the beginning while it is still recording.
If you have an antenna, you can record whatever channels you get from that too, also at the same time.(With either an add on module, or the VIP612 comes with it installed) You can add a second, external hard drive (or as many as you want) and save recorded programs to it in case you fill up the hard drive in the receiver, or just want to save the programs. There are many features, Dish has one of the best receivers out there.

The 722 includes OTA Tuner. The 722k requries the add on module.

Ross

Sent from my DROIDX using SatelliteGuys

 

[R0ss]

The OP asked if u coil "rewind" a program while it is being recorded to begin watching from the beginnig. I have never triedthis. Will the program continue to record if u do this?

Ross

Sent from my DROIDX using SatelliteGuys

 

[QCK]

The OP asked if u coil "rewind" a program while it is being recorded to begin watching from the beginnig. I have never triedthis. Will the program continue to record if u do this?

Ross

Sent from my DROIDX using SatelliteGuys

Yes it will continue to record.

 

[RT-Cat]

I would point out one thing on the buffering issue .... the moment you start playback of an event on TV1 ... TV1's buffer goes to zero for that channel you were on.

ie.. I'm on CBS (HD from Dish not OTA/Over The Air) I'm at TV1, if I start watching something that I had previously recorded .. and then stop watching that recorded event, CBS comes back to TV1 ... but the buffer is 0 and starts building up a "goback" buffer from that moment.

And the fact the buffer is at zero with the 722K is a problem. With my DVR from my ex-cable company that buffer could have as much as two hours in it. So if you discovered you were 10 minutes after the start of the local news and stopped the playback of a recording, you could just back up 10 minutes and watch the news from the start. MUCH better.
(firmware upgrade for the 722K, Hummmm . . . .)
RT.