FIRST LOOK: 622 Review!

[Scott Greczkowski]

What if you are subscribed to an HD package, or if you payed the $6/mo HD enabling fee, *and* you don't subscribe to locals.....

Do you see guide data for OTA digital channels under that scenario?

I can't answer this one, as before I activated the receiver the OTA channels were not in the guide, and after I activated the receiver it had guide data as I subscribe to locals.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Scott, thanks.

I have a question. With the "Dish on Demand" so called feature, does that mean that on this receiver every time you press the PVR button you are not taken to you PVR list, but instead an option screen where you are presented a menu where the default is cancel?

This is quite annoying, as it requires multiple button presses every time you want to watch a PVR program.

I would love Dish to offer the ability to turn this on demand thing off via setup menus like you can turn a lot of things off. Who do we talk to about suggesting this? Or at least defining how much space the VOD can take up. I wouldn't mind if it only kept 10 movies or something small like that.

Also, have you been able to play with the Sound Syncing feature to see how it effects the output via the coax modulator? I would hate to think that one has to choose between being in sync on your 1 HD TV, or being in sync on all your SD TVs...

As for the this being a 962 with potential MPEG4 issues, do you have confidence the MPEG4 problems are at the uplink end, or are we taking a risk getting these early 962s reborn as 622s?

Thanks.

PS - that black screen on start thing before you finally get a picture, I get that on my 721 ever since the last software update. Grr. How is the 4x fast forward? is it smooth? My 721 went from smooth to unwatchabel at 4x with the last software update as well. 15x is watchable however. Just wondering if the 622 does 4x right or wrong.

IF it works like the 625 , you can hit the dvr button twice and it will take you directly to your recorded shows. It is two button pushes with the dvr button instead of hitting the dvr button and the number two button.

 

[CivicOnBoostEK]

^^ I was about to mention that.. Once youre in the dvr screen, it even tells you to press it again to go to my recordings.. unlike the 625.

 

[boy921]

Excellent job Scott. This is great information about the 622. Thanks.

 

[sonic2000]

Excellent review Scott
Will definitely be placing my order for a 622 when I return from vacation.

 

[Nice2know]

Scott, your review is so complete that maybe it should be use for tonights(13FEB) TechFORUM! I had the chance to make a comparison of MPEG-2 against MPEG-4 being edited and felt that for the "HD" screen sizes below 30" does not hurt the visual perceptions, but on the 40" and 50" 'HD" monitors, the MPEG-4 did not appear to me to be as "vivid" nor "detailed. (Gamma or Res?). My bias remains with the model-811 that allows the additional of two(2) video inputs I found useful for external-security camera monitoring.

 

[jrfuda]

Hmm, those remotes look exactly like the remotes for my 522, as do the menues (minus DOD stuff) since the 291 update.

I did not see discrete "on" and "standby/off" button on the remotes, but recall reading that the 622 would have discrete on/off power capabilities... Are we required to obtain those discrete codes elsewhere?

Not having the the discrete commands on the included remote compicates createing macros to power-up & configure all my AV components triggered by the discrete on/off commands I was hoping the included remote would have (since I use my MX700 from the living room and Dish's remote from the dining room, both in viewing range of TV1).

I may have to connect the 622 directly to one of the extra component/RCA stereo inputs of my set, bypassing my reciever, in order to keep WAF at an acceptable level (she hates having to configure components "just to watch TV"). I could replace the Dish remote with another MX700, but that's too pricey an option.

Anyway, am I correct about the availability of discrete on/standby commands, or am I mistaken?

 

[brfmn]

Great review Scott, Thanks

 

[The Big Wood]

Anyway, am I correct about the availability of discrete on/standby commands, or am I mistaken?

Since Scott said his Harmony remote that had 942 codes worked after he synced his remote addresses, I would imagine you could just copy a 942 file into your MX-700 and be able to operate the 622.

I copied the discrete codes from a 6000 for my 811, and it has worked great for over three years.

I plan on working on my 622 file for my MX-700 before next week (hopefully when my 622 arrives). If it's successful, I'll post the file to remotecentral.com unless someone beats me to it.

Anthony

 

[jrfuda]

Since Scott said his Harmony remote that had 942 codes worked after he synced his remote addresses, I would imagine you could just copy a 942 file into your MX-700 and be able to operate the 622.

I copied the discrete codes from a 6000 for my 811, and it has worked great for over three years.

I plan on working on my 622 file for my MX-700 before next week (hopefully when my 622 arrives). If it's successful, I'll post the file to remotecentral.com unless someone beats me to it.

Anthony

Thanks! I was hoping to get a leg-up on getting the MX700 setup too. My only disapointment, as I said before, is that the included remote does not include discrete power buttons, thereby making it useless to trigger a macro on my Ocelot (I would have the Ocelot look for the discrete on command and power-up/switch my components for the 622, and look for the discrete off command and power everything down - it's a way to add macros to a non-macro capable remote, however, since the 622's included remote does not have discrete buttons, I'll have to think of a WAF-approved alterantive).

I wonder if my existing 522 setup will work with the 622 since the remotes look the same? If so, then I'm already ready to go!

 

[iKramerica]

IF it works like the 625 , you can hit the dvr button twice and it will take you directly to your recorded shows. It is two button pushes with the dvr button instead of hitting the dvr button and the number two button.

Thanks. I have the 721, and it goes straight to the PVR list, so I was not aware that 625s, etc. did this double screen thing, as well. Pressing PVR (DVR) twice isn't really a hassle. Pressing PVR+2 or PVR+up+up+select is more a pain.

 

[rd001]

Many think the new channels (ESPN2HD, Universal HD and the new VOOM channels are MPEG4, they are not, they are actually standard MPEG2 channels which can only be seen by the new MPEG4 receivers.

A great review. But a correction: I'm receiving UNIHD on 9426 with my 811. Strange, I had thought I couldn't get any new HD channels and I just noticed it today.

So did Dish actually do something nice for us or is this merely a technical error which will soon be corrected?

 

[RobertsD]

A great review. But a correction: I'm receiving UNIHD on 9426 with my 811. Strange, I had thought I couldn't get any new HD channels and I just noticed it today.

So did Dish actually do something nice for us or is this merely a technical error which will soon be corrected?

All HDDish customers get UNIHD until after the olympics are over, then only MPEG4 recievers will get it.

 

[NightRyder]

A great review. But a correction: I'm receiving UNIHD on 9426 with my 811. Strange, I had thought I couldn't get any new HD channels and I just noticed it today.

So did Dish actually do something nice for us or is this merely a technical error which will soon be corrected?

UHD is available to us non-upgraded HD subscribers for the duration of the Olympics. After that it will only be viewable on the new MPEG 4 receivers.


NightRyder

 

[gdarwin]

A great review. But a correction: I'm receiving UNIHD on 9426 with my 811. Strange, I had thought I couldn't get any new HD channels and I just noticed it today.

So did Dish actually do something nice for us or is this merely a technical error which will soon be corrected?

The MPEG2 channel is 9426. The MPEG4 channel is 9427. They are both on right now carrying the same programming. 9426 will probably be turned off after the Olympics

 

[Smith P.]

That's NOT true, both of them in MPEG-2, just different system ids - one for regular HD receivers, other - for ViPs.

 

[jallen]

Can anyone tell me how picture in picture will work with the 622? Is it possible to watch two things at once in PIP with the dual-tuner (i.e., one live and one recorded show) with just one input? I suppose I could run TV2 into the same TV as TV1 and make that happen, but then would I still be able to watch TV2 somewhere else?

Also curious - I'll be going over HDMI into my new Sony SXRD - has anyone noticed a delay in the audio? Several owners of this set have complained about a delay when watching DVDs...

 

[jrfuda]

jallen, just use a splitter on the coax out, run one to TV1 and the other to TV2.

You should then be able to watch TV1 on TV1 via your HD connection and TV2 via PIP on TV1. On the TV2 end, depending on how your TV there is set up, you should be able to see both TV1 and TV2. The TV I use as TV2 with my current setup (522 and 322) has 2 antenna inputs, so I have to split the signal again on the TV2 end. I have all my "stuff" interconnected in the house, with the 522 TV2 on channel 21, the 322 TV2 on channel 50, My 400-disc DVD Changer on Channel 62, and our video baby monitor on channel 64. With this setup I can view any of these video sources from any TV in the house, including viewing 2 sources at once via PIP or SPLIT if the TV supports the feature.

I'm really glad that the 622 will allow us to use something other than channel 3 or 4 for the TV1 modulated output, and have the option to turn it off.

 

[jallen]

Thanks, John.

 

[BobMurdoch]

OK then.......

Since they DIDN'T include the HDMI cables, what do I need to use with my existing DVI cable to my TV that I bought for the 921?

Is there only one type of HDMI-DVI converter cable, or do I need to get a special type? I want to have it at my house ready to go when the installer shows up, so he doesn't try to install it SD only or something stupid like that......