Results of playing around with the WDG1U5000N Essential connected to the VIP 622:
Plug it in, the 622 detects it no problem. After about 10 minutes of inactivity, the drive spins down to some sort of standby mode (green light stays on).
Tap the round button on front, it powers off completely (light turns off) and the 622 says "You have disconnected a multimedia device from the USB port. /OK/"
Tap the button again, the HDD turns back on, a few seconds later the 622 says " You've connected a multimedia device. Do you want to manage it? Yes/No/Help."
So, it looks like the 622 will play nicely with this drive, and the power management features should compensate for the lack of fan. Personally, I prefer it that way. Devices with fans need to be opened up and cleaned out more frequently as the dust bunnies accumulate much quicker. Now... if I could just archive some stuff to it!!! 5 more days...