Dish DVR vs Tivo?

[jhobbs]

I'll probably convert from cable with a standalone Tivo to Dish or Directv. I like Dish because it offers 4 TV hookups plus a dual-tuner DVR, the 625.

Is the 625 a "good" DVR, and does it allow selection of upcoming shows in a manner similar to Tivo?

Am I correct in assuming that DishTV and DirecTV offer very similar quality signals, prices & DVRs, so it's reasonable to select on advertized features? Anything a newbie needs to look out for, when switching from cable to Satellite?

Jack.

 

[kbohip]

If you currently have Tivo I don't think you'll like the Dish DVR as much. For one thing the Dish dvr's are full of bugs. Take a quick scan through this forum and you'll see what I mean. I had a Dish 522 for about a month before I couldn't stand it anymore and got rid of it for the Directivo's. It locked up 3 times, constantly had audio dropouts and video artifacting, and even lost a couple of timers.

I've only had the Directivo since Friday but so far I'm very happy with it. It has a lot more program info and features than the 522 did. Searching for programs to add to the Season Pass is a LOT easier than Dish. I especially like the Wishlist feature for recording shows that aren't on for another month or more. Case in point I like the show "Arrested Development". It isn't on right now but is scheduled to come back on sometime this summer. I put it under the Wishlist so that no matter when it comes back on I'll get it.

Keep in mind that you must also have the 625 plugged into a phone jack to avoid an extra $5 a month fee. You will also pay another $5 a month for any dvr you get in addition to the 625, in addition to the extra receiver fee. Adding another 625 (if they'll even let you) could result in another $15 a month on your bill if it's not plugged into a phone jack.

Directv charges $5 a month for ALL Directivo's in your house. They do charge an extra $5 for every receiver like Dish does. There is no $5 monthly fee for not having the Directivo plugged into a phone jack.

I'd go with the Directivo. More features and a lot more stable.

 

[maximum]

I don't have a 625 but I have a 522 which is pretty much the same except it doesn't have the VOD movie feature.
When you say "good DVR" what do you mean? If you're talking about features it is a good DVR. From what other's have said, it doesn't quite measure up to Tivo but it still has most of the same capabilities. As far as I know the 625/522 are the only DVR receivers with dual tuners and dual outputs.

If you mean it doesn't have any problems then it's not a good DVR. Read enough posts on the board about the 522 and you'll see that it has been plagued with bugs and glitches that Dish is still trying to correct. I imagine the 625 will have the same types of problems.

Dish does have the cheapest subscription I've seen so I guess you get what you pay for.

 

[jhobbs]

Well, I'll have to hope the 625 has fewer problems. I signed up for DishTV via RadioShack. It will be installed in two days. My big reason for Dish vs DirecTV was the dual-tuner DVR. Maybe that wasn't a good decision at all, but I wanted to be able to record program A while watching or recording program B. To do that with DirecTV would have required at least two DVRs, and I'm not sure that's supported, or cost-effective.

I appreciate the help. Too bad I made a hasty decision while at RadioShack. I hope it isn't something I'll regret.

Jack.

 

[Kaydigi]

Well, I'll have to hope the 625 has fewer problems. I signed up for DishTV via RadioShack. It will be installed in two days. My big reason for Dish vs DirecTV was the dual-tuner DVR. Maybe that wasn't a good decision at all, but I wanted to be able to record program A while watching or recording program B. To do that with DirecTV would have required at least two DVRs, and I'm not sure that's supported, or cost-effective.

I appreciate the help. Too bad I made a hasty decision while at RadioShack. I hope it isn't something I'll regret.

Jack.

I thought Direct TV has a 2 Tuner Tivo box?

 

[jhobbs]

Blast, you're right about the DirecTV Tivo having two tuners. That two tuner thing was my major consideration in deciding on Dish Network. Somehow I got the impression that DirecTV offered only a single-tuner Tivo. From my 5 minute Dish run-through at Radio Shack, I think I prefer Tivo. Now I'll have to go think about whether I want to cancel the Dish install ...

Jack.

 

[GaryPen]

DirecTV gives you a 4 receiver install for free, just like Dish. The only diff will be the $50 for the 2-tuner DirecTivo. (most people would say it's worth it for more reliable hardware.) Plus, you are already used to the Tivo interface. Seems like any easy choice to me.

kbohip's comments carry a lot of weight, as he's "been there, done that" with both.

 

[geobernd]

I am currently there and doing both.

I have D* with 2 DirecTivo's for US programming
I have E* with a 508 for two international channels
A friend of mine has the same with a 522 and while he has NBR (not even close to the accuracy of SeasonPasses) his 522 is a lot more unstable then my 508.
In terms of reliability of the DVRs there is no comparison. D* wins hands down... I never had to reboot my DirecTivo's for anything but a software upgrade. They run connected to UPSes and have uptimes >6 month without a hickup. My 508 takes a dump every 1-2 weeks and my friends 522 isn't much better....