Switching to Dish - seeking advice on choosing DVR's

[bluegrill]

I have decided to switch from DTV, mainly for a few HD channels I have gotten tired of waiting for (such as Cooking, DIY, TMC, AMC). I have 3 rooms with HD TV's. I need DVR's with dual sat tuners and OTA capability. I plan to use EHD's and want to be able to move them between rooms (another reason for the switch). I don't care about the TV2 feed on the Duo DVR's because extra the SD feeds are, in my case, worthless. It seems from what I've read here and on DBSTalk that the 612 would do what I need but I don't see very many positive comments about it (not many comments of any kind, actually) and it seems that the consensus is that the 722K is the best receiver Dish offers, but if I understand Dish pricing correctly, the first DVR is free and the 2nd is $99 whether it is a Duo or non Duo, but the monthly fee is $10 vs. $17. So it seems my choice for room #1 would logically be a 722k, but for rooms 2 and 3 would the 612 be a good choice and save $14 a month or should I bite the bullet and go for the best product. Also, is it true that EHD's are interchangeable between 612 and 722K? Sorry if this was a bit of a ramble, but I wanted to be sure I posed the question fully. I would be grateful for any opinions/advice from anyone.

 

[lparsons21]

I have a 612 and am very happy with it. In the past there seemed to be some issues with it, but you don't read of many these days. And yes, the EHD that you use on the 722k can also be used on a 612.

 

[mike123abc]

The first DVR is free, so you may as well get the 722 for it as you thought.

The second DVR a 612 is $10 and can record 2 shows at once and you can share an EHD with your 722.

The only other option would be a 211/211k for the second/third TV which you can hook up an EHD and make it a DVR (one time $40 fee). But, you cannot share the EHD with a 722 (or 612/622/922). The 211 would be $7/month.

Don't underestimate those fees... $14/month (2 722s vs 2 612s) is $168/year, $20/month (2 211s vs 2 722) is $240/year.

 

[whatchel1]

OK here is another possibility. Get the sling extender for the 722k and send the signal to a 2nd room that you don't use as much as the main room. So then you would have a 722k in one room w/ EHD and a 612 in another room. Also you may consider the 211 in each room mentioned above if you only need to record 2 things at once (1OTA & 1 sat). So you have several choices. There is a one more choice but it would mean waiting a few months and that will be the new XIP set of DVR's for whole house system.

 

[jerryez]

The XIP receivers will not be out this year and who knows when. Go with existing receivers. If you do not need dual recording capability, you could go with 211s and get each an external hard drive for a one time fee of $40 for all 211s. Also, no DVR fee.

 

[mike123abc]

3 211s $40 EHD fee $14/month (first free) = $208 first year, $168 second year
1 722, 2 211s = $40 EHD, $6/month DVR, $14/month = $280 first year, $240 second year
1 722, 2 612s = $6/month DVR, $20/month = $312 first year, $312 second year
3 722s = $6/month DVR, $34/month = $480 first year, $480 second year

The fees can really add up...

 

[bluegrill]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think for me, the 612's will worth the extra cost. 2 sat tuners to avoid timer conflicts and the ability to swap EHD's with all units in the house. Thanks for the help. This site is sure a great resource.