VIP722 power consumption and Power On/Off button

[dwarren2]

When its time to record, you turn everything on and when done recording you return to standby mode. You do the same when the Guide or software needs to be updated. I am sorry to say that but this receiver was designed by amateurs.

Let's see, I want to record something a 2 AM. You expect me to get up at 1:45 AM to plug my 722 back in so it has time to reacquire the sat's? When was the last time you unplugged your receiver every night? You seem to think that "Standby Mode" is powered off. Even if you've "powered it down" to stand by mode, it's a computer and can still record in the stand by mode and will do a reboot over night to download the EPG and any software update.
Remember, the receivers are made for the masses.

 

[upsss]

Let's see, I want to record something a 2 AM. You expect me to get up at 1:45 AM to plug my 722 back in so it has time to reacquire the sat's? When was the last time you unplugged your receiver every night? You seem to think that "Standby Mode" is powered off. Even if you've "powered it down" to stand by mode, it's a computer and can still record in the stand by mode and will do a reboot over night to download the EPG and any software update.
Remember, the receivers are made for the masses.

I didn't say that you would need to plug and unplug the receiver when you want to records something? I thought this was a technical forum.

The Clock/Timer circuit will turn On and Off the rest of the receiver when it is scheduled to record something and you are not watching TV. To perform this function you need about 1W of power not 50W.

 

[Dah-Henny]

...As far as the LNBs, they don't need to be powered when the you are not receiving signals...

Let's not forget that other than the nightly EPG update, you also need the LNB's to be powered for the VOD's that take up roughly half of your HDD, IIRC.

 

[upsss]

Any nightly updated should be scheduled which they are probably anyway. Again, that doesn't justify leaving all the receiver circuitry and the HD On 24/7.

 

[dnero]

I just looked at my electric bill and it tells me that it costs 14¢ a kilowatt. So it costs 14¢ a day to run my DVR. That equates to $4.20 a month. Maybe I should unplug my refrigerator.

Dont do that Bobby your beer will get warm

 

[joewalker1999]

Using 50W when you are not watching TV or recording is ABSURD. I am an EE and designed many low power computer systems. You don't need to waist a 1000W a day to record an hour of programming. In standby mode all that needs to be running is a clock/timer circuit and the remote control receiver. Everything else should be turned OFF and for that you need less than 2W not 50W!

When its time to record, you turn everything on and when done recording you return to standby mode. You do the same when the Guide or software needs to be updated. I am sorry to say that but this receiver was designed by amateurs.

People are constantly complaining about the cost of programming, they don't tell you that you are spending about $6 a month on wasted electricity. When was the last time you touched the receiver case? Why do you think the receiver is so hot???

You're absolutely right. The VIP622 and VIP722 are energy beasts. The VIP622 is worse .. I have both of these. The VIP622 uses 60 watts constantly whether it's on or off. The designers of these were idiots as they could have enabled the drives to spin down when not recording and then have the drives spin up when it's time to record.
The older DVRs from Dish Network did exactly that ..when you pressed the power off button, the drives would actually spin down and it'd go completely quiet. It would wakeup automatically when it needed to record a program.
The VIP622 and VIP722 generate a massive amount of heat too. They have already ruined things in the vicinity such as my HDMI cables after about a year. Not only that, I have to make sure that the shelf above and below are now empty due to the massive amount of heat generated. Other than this aspect of it, the DVR's are very nice .. but some moron designed the power aspect of it.

 

[KAB]

There's not question they run warm, but I dispute most of your statement. Keep it out in the open, NOT in a shelf. Nobody ever claimed they were "green". If they were, they would probably be less reliable.

 

[TG2]

There's not question they run warm, but I dispute most of your statement. Keep it out in the open, NOT in a shelf. Nobody ever claimed they were "green". If they were, they would probably be less reliable.

not "green" but Dish *does* claim they save you 50% energy costs based on "two room functionality" (see screen shot ... direct from 722k on dishnetwork website)



Marketing... Give them Hitler, and they'll sell you on progressive change.

 

[KAB]

Go hibernate for the winter, TG2.

 

[Jhon69]

Well I know I like to go green and my Dish Network VIP722k/wMT2 is the last thing I worry about.I have invested in my home, new windows,new appliances,more insulation,CFL light bulbs,higher SEER AC,all more energy efficient and someday soon maybe all solar,or geothermal.

 

[3HaloODST]

Actually it is recording something, it's the buffer of the channel that was last tuned. All DVRs do this. I actually never turn my 722 off. No reason to.

My 722Ks lose their buffers when the "power" is turned off.

Kind of hard for a dvr to record shows, if they are turned OFF, don't you think? That sort of defeats the entire purpose of even having a dvr... They aren't VCR's, and this isn't 1985 anymore.

Even DISH Network's non-DVR receivers show little or no difference in power consumption with the "Power" on or off. Probably (as was stated) to keep the LNBs powered so that you don't have to stare at an "acquiring signal" screen every time you turn on your receiver.

 

[Mike88]

Just adding to the conversation, yesterday I checked my DVR and it used 47W in Off/Standby and 50W when ON per my Kill-A-Watt meter.

If you basically recorded prime time TV and also changed the default 3:00am update time to an earlier time, is there any reason why you could not use a regular light timer & power off the DVR for 12 to 15 hours or more? Just make sure the DVR powers up in enough time to acquire signal before it needs to record.

 

[JimK2]

.
In 2010, these set-top boxes ate up nearly 27 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity
NRDC: Your Set-Top Box Sucks More Power Than Your Fridge | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

 

[tnsprin]

Do any of the newer model Dish DVR's use less power. I know many of the competion newer models use much less power.

 

[TG2]

Just adding to the conversation, yesterday I checked my DVR and it used 47W in Off/Standby and 50W when ON per my Kill-A-Watt meter.

If you basically recorded prime time TV and also changed the default 3:00am update time to an earlier time, is there any reason why you could not use a regular light timer & power off the DVR for 12 to 15 hours or more? Just make sure the DVR powers up in enough time to acquire signal before it needs to record.

The issue would be when you don't want to record prime time TV ... or the "one offs" which do happen more than people might admit .. pay per view events ... or people with Sling Adapters ... certainly a wakeup on lan type option would hopefully allow the unit to go lower power and then come up to do things ...

And then there is the whole "remove power" ... technically that's what the physical power timer does ... it cuts power from the device .. that isn't going to harm something like a toaster, a microwave ... etc.. but when it comes to some devices it could really harm them.

Recent reports show that quick cycling compact florescent bulbs shortens their lives... its long been known that incandescent bulbs blow either at power off or power on ... so certain devices need to have a "better way" to apply or remove power.. and Dish Receivers do fall into that category ... as they have a physical moving device inside.. the hard drive. It may not be actively writing anything... but it being given the command to park for power off... and emergency park for power loss can be different. And that's part of the whole "windows shutdown" so that you don't lose data ... you flush cache, go park, power off..

I cringe every time I must pull the power on my receiver.. because I know it could glitch out, it could wipe the drive, it could die .. and low power states help alleviate that fear ... but an external "cut" to the power is dangerous.

And from another technology ... removing power from a soft power device .. like most bubble jet printers.. will kill your supply of ink. On power up, the printer will go through a longer cleaning routine to make sure it doesn't have clogs, etc.. because the printer doesn't know how long it was without power and there seems to be no capping method that would preclude long cleanings..

different technology but again why hard line power killing can be bad ... low power states good .. and Dish *could* do more to lower the power during non-crucial times. Hard drive does not need to be spinning 24/7, LNB does not need 19v power 24/7, unit doesn't need to check every 5 minutes for updates/fixes/etc, especially if the receiver is internet connected

ie. with 20 different models of receivers out there, 20+ different firmwares, different guide data formats, etc there's an arguement that the receiver needs to be listening to know when *its* turn is, but on internet connected devices, it could check there once an hour, "oh your update time via satellite is in 35 mins" and issue wakeup timer for 25 mins from now.. etc..
​

you just have to think alternatively, and dish doesn't do enough of that.

 

[upsss]

Powering on/off HD is just another lame excuse. That may have been a problem 10-20 years ago, NOT today. Look at our laptops, they turn on/off practically instantaneously every time you open/close the lid. I wish my receiver was as reliable and dependable as my laptop!

 

[whatchel1]

There are really only 2 reasons that it doesn't power down. The buffer and communications. Yes it has a LAN on it but it really isn't a LAN device as it can be used only w/ ph line or no connection what so ever other than sat. Yes it could be made to power down and told to power back up at a certain time but I don't think that those are high priorities for them at E*. It would be nice but that means that they would have to write power down and power up routines. Since there is going to be a wide spectrum of different types of users. I think that is one of the major reasons it is done this way. I know when I was running a TV station IT I tried to get news dept to not power down. I did the maintenance on systems when they weren't there. We also wanted to have access to the units using remote access to the units 24/7. E* may want the later type of access. I say this after the crap that just happened w/129. My bro said that it did the usually reboot over night. Then early in the AM it did another. That was E* dialing in via remote access in an emergency situation to update. So I would guess right there they will say that it is justified to have them all run 24/7.

 

[TG2]

But again... for EVERY reason you can think of to have the device on... there is a programmable way to handle it.

Schedules and scheduling .... they aren't just some ethereal concept, they are hard fact. *we* get the chance to decide a time that we want our units to reboot ... etc.. if dish wanted to address things, they could pick several chunks of time, giving the users a chunk of times to deal with for options, and give the user options *not* to reboot every day, etc.. thus dish schedules their firmware push on M,W,Fr for 722k's to be available in 3 - 4hour chunks ... on T,Thu,Sat they do 3-4hr chunks for 922's, and in the space between they have what ever other devices, etc. scheduled options...

ALL of this can be done, could be done quite easily but the one thing you're right on, is that dish doesn't care to make it a priority. They think 100 watts 24/7 in an average house with two receivers is perfectly fine ... when again, 75% of that time is wasted on *nothing*.

Did your mother or father ever tell you to turn off the bathroom light when not in use? ... Do you not have that kind of sense that its wasteful for something you aren't using to be using its life up doing nothing, oh and costing you money every day in doing so?

And that arguement that its only 4 to 10 dollars a month ... well guess what.. the Platinum pack is an add on for 10 bucks a month .... but people dont buy it because they don't see a need or can't justify the cost.. save yourself half the electric cost that is wasted in nearly full power state on a device and you can then save yourself enough to get that extra luxury if you want... or pocket the extra coins, or not feel so guilty for a caffeinated beverage at starbucks.. etc...

Its the attitude that it doesn't matter, and the attitude that its such a difficult endeavor that needs to be changed, because it DOES matter, and it isn't so hard ...