Interested in Dish-few questions about the service

[adamhochman]

Hello,

I'm a DirecTV customer, but I'm seriously thinking about coming to Dish, in part for the 622. However, I have a few questions about the service and Dish hardware. Thanks in advance if you can enlighten me.

1. Do the DVR's have to be hooked up to a phone line? DTV has this to, but in reality they don't have to be hooked up (I think it's only for PPV, which I don't get). I saw that the 622 has to have a phone line. Is that the case? If so, is there some sort of wireless transmitter on the market or something that can get a phone signal to the TV (my phone jack is across the room)?

2. I'm also looking a Fios, which apparently has a lot of Video on Demand. I can't tell from the Dish website about the quantity or quality of the VOD. Can you tell me?

3. I was told by a salesman at Radio Shack that in order to have PIP with the 622, the TV itself has to have PIP. That seems contrary to what I've heard since the multiple signals are coming from the sat, not the TV. Can someone clarify?

4. Also, if I have two 622's, will I be able to get PIP on each of the main TV's (TV1) for the 622?

5. Can someone tell me how the connection between the two TV's on the 622 works? Is it wireless? I need it to be because my TV1 and TV2 on the 622 are on separate floors, and the wife will not let me run cables between the two.

I hope some of you very knowledgable people can give me some great insight. Thanks in advance for your help.

Adam

 

[JimK2]

Hello,

I'm a DirecTV customer, but I'm seriously thinking about coming to Dish, in part for the 622. However, I have a few questions about the service and Dish hardware. Thanks in advance if you can enlighten me.

1. Do the DVR's have to be hooked up to a phone line? DTV has this to, but in reality they don't have to be hooked up (I think it's only for PPV, which I don't get). I saw that the 622 has to have a phone line. Is that the case? If so, is there some sort of wireless transmitter on the market or something that can get a phone signal to the TV (my phone jack is across the room)?

2. I'm also looking a Fios, which apparently has a lot of Video on Demand. I can't tell from the Dish website about the quantity or quality of the VOD. Can you tell me?

3. I was told by a salesman at Radio Shack that in order to have PIP with the 622, the TV itself has to have PIP. That seems contrary to what I've heard since the multiple signals are coming from the sat, not the TV. Can someone clarify?

4. Also, if I have two 622's, will I be able to get PIP on each of the main TV's (TV1) for the 622?

5. Can someone tell me how the connection between the two TV's on the 622 works? Is it wireless? I need it to be because my TV1 and TV2 on the 622 are on separate floors, and the wife will not let me run cables between the two.

I hope some of you very knowledgable people can give me some great insight. Thanks in advance for your help.

Adam

1. The Vip 622 does not have to be hooked-up to phone line but you pay $5 extra
per month by having a two tuner receiver not connected to phone line. If you have two vip 622 not connected to phone line you most likely will get a call from a DISH auditor making sure your not stacking your account and sharing a box with your neighbor.
Wireless Phone Jack
http://cgi.ebay.com/GE-Wireless-Pho...6QQihZ003QQcategoryZ58360QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

2. VOD, Its not HD

3. The VIP 622 has to be in "Single Mode" to have PIP on any TV. Coming soon PIP HD side by side. If your going to use VIP 622 in "Dual Mode", the VIP 622 has no PIP.

4. Yes, Single Mode only (TV 2 can monitor turner1 and turner2 but does not have real independent control in single mode.

5. You need to run coax. You might be able to find an amp or RF Video extender
to send video wireless. Tuner2 (TV2) does have composite video out.
2.4GHz WIRELESS Audio/Video CCTV TRANSMITTER & RECEIVER (340 lines of resolution, for $100 you can get 400-480
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-4GHz-WIRELESS...1QQihZ003QQcategoryZ48636QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[bderouen]

1. The Vip 622 does not have to be hooked-up to phone line but you pay $5 extra
per month by having a two tuner receiver not connected to phone line. If you have two vip 622 not connected to phone line you most likely will get a call from a DISH auditor making sure your not stacking your account and sharing a box with your neighbor.
Wireless Phone Jack
http://cgi.ebay.com/GE-Wireless-Pho...6QQihZ003QQcategoryZ58360QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

2. VOD, Its not HD

3. The VIP 622 has to be in "Single Mode" to have PIP on any TV. Coming soon PIP HD side by side. If your going to use VIP 622 in "Dual Mode", the VIP 622 has no PIP.

4. Yes, Single Mode only (TV 2 can monitor turner1 and turner2 but does not have real independent control in single mode.

5. You need to run coax. You might be able to find an amp or RF Video extender
to send video wireless. Tuner2 (TV2) does have composite video out.
2.4GHz WIRELESS Audio/Video CCTV TRANSMITTER & RECEIVER (340 lines of resolution, for $100 you can get 400-480
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-4GHz-WIRELESS...1QQihZ003QQcategoryZ48636QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Just a little more info than what's already given here:

1. The wireless phone jack works very well with the 622 and getting it thrugh Ebay saves you a HECK of a lot of money. I paid about $30 for my set of jacks, but if I had bought it in Radio Shack, I'd have paid about $100!! And to top it off, I have Vonage (VoIP), so it works well...easily pays for itself when you consider Dish charges you an extra $5 a month if it's not hooked to a phone line. Don't ask why this is the case, no one can say definitifly why Dish charges that. The best answer I can come up with is "because they can."

2. The VoD offerings currently through Dish are very...VERY limited right now. But if you check around this site, there is wind that there will be some new offerings coming very soon...DishOnline, I think it's called, as well as other VoD offerings. Now, will they be HD? I don't think so, but it's not cler at this point.

5. The cool thing about the way the one tuner gets to the 2nd TV (My TV2 is on a different floor too) is it uses what I'm told is a "diplexor". That allows the signal to travel up and back down the same cable. So in my case, for example, how I believe it works (the installers did this...not me) the line runs from my switch in my attic to my 2nd floor bedroom where it hits a splitter and then back down to a diplexor on the back of my 622. The diplexor covers both TV1 and TV2. As I understand it, the signal for TV2 travels back upu the same coax and goes back to my bedroom TV. I may not have this explained very well, but trust me, it works and it's very interesting!

When the Dish rep told me the one box services 2 TVs, my response was "yeah,but both have to watch the same channel, right? He said that it did not. He laughed and said "I know it sounds wild, but it works!" And he's right on both accounts. It's wild and it works! :haha

Bruce

 

[adamhochman]

bderouen ,
Thanks for information.
I have a question about #5, as it seems you contradicted JimK2. Are you telling me no connection is needed between the two boxes in the house (JimK2 said a coax has to run between the two boxes, inevitably through the house)?

Also, the RF video extender JimK2 mentioned, do these work well? I'm not that familiar with them.
Thanks again.
Adam

 

[primetimeguy]

bderouen ,
Thanks for information.
I have a question about #5, as it seems you contradicted JimK2. Are you telling me no connection is needed between the two boxes in the house (JimK2 said a coax has to run between the two boxes, inevitably through the house)?
Adam

A coax is not needed between the boxes, they re-use your existing coax wiring. Assuming you have a coax line coming in to each room already you will have no problems. The send the output of the 622 out on the same line coming into it that then gets pushed arounf your house coax distribution.

 

[rad]

One thing to mention, in case you didn't catch it, the 622 has only one OTA ATSC tuners in it, vs. D*'s HR10-250 or HR20 which has two. That might be a problem if you don't have your local HD channels via E*.

 

[JimK2]

A coax is not needed between the boxes, they re-use your existing coax wiring. Assuming you have a coax line coming in to each room already you will have no problems. The send the output of the 622 out on the same line coming into it that then gets pushed arounf your house coax distribution.

:up VIP 622 TV2 out, if the OP does not have existing coax wiring runinng to each room or the Dish installer used the (one) coax cable that was already installed to
bring signal to VIP 622, you can use diplexer's to run 'two signal's. Satellite up and TV2 down, on a single coax.:up
http://img262.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tv2cro1.jpg

I hook this up for my Dad from his computer video card S-Video out to his TV about 30 feet through 2 walls and works fine. Television (or other video display device) with Composite Video -OR- S-Video (S-VHS) and RCA audio inputs also works.
http://www.grandtec.com/ultimatewireless.htm

Also look at this
MyVideo/5.8 Wireless Sender and Receiver
http://www.mytvstore.com/product_id_038.html

 

[bderouen]

Yes...what Primetimeguy said is correct. As I said, I may not have explained it correctly. All I know is I originally had coax from cable coming into my 2nd floor bedroom and then it was split from there going downstairs to my living room. They used the existing cabling and connected it. I know they did not run another coax from my bedroom to the living room, as the way everything was run originally, it would not have been possible. So I know they used what was there.

Bruce

 

[mtwykstr]

Hi everyone. I am in the same boat as Adam, DTV customer thinking about switching to Dish. I'm on the verge of purchasing my first HDTV and am wondering if I should pay extra for a TV with PIP...until I saw that the 622 will do it internally. So I have one more question - if you're viewing PIP (or split screen, when available), is there any way to get the audio out for both signals, or do you just get one only. My ideal situation is that my wife can have her Food Network program up or whatever with audio, while I have my basketball game on the PIP, but I'd like to get my program's audio out to some wireless headphones. Is this possible?? If not I may consider still getting a TV with PIP and run both dish receiver outputs into the TV so I can also make use of both audio signals. Thanks in advance!!

 

[mkmkmk13]

Oh boy
regarding coax cables and running lines and the wife's openion
lol
i am a dish network installer to be honest just order it and when the installer shows up tell him exactly what u want to do and will him i dont wanna see any cables its doable plus the phone line u can get the wireless phone line ordered from dish itself for $40
as far as 622 pip u need one 622 for each tv to have pip on both tvs
1st 622 is $199 2nd 622 is $450 i beleive and i dont think u need to spend that much money on the second one one is cool
maybe u guys forgot to mention this TV2 on the 622 is not HD. u will see HD programming but the detail is good but its a regular 480 i