Will this setup work?

[genotaru]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but here it goes. I'm considering switching from Time Warner to Dish Network and would like to see how much of my current functionality I can maintain (or even expand) in the transition. Equipment costs seem higher for Dish and getting every TV functional seems a bit harder, but if the plan I've devised below works, I think I'll be saving money in the end with more channels.

On top of the general question "will it work?", I do have a couple specific concerns, things I'm not confident in at all:

Will the ViP612 work with a SDTV? I know it has S-video and RCA connections, but does it have simple RF/Coax out? That is my most important question here, because otherwise hooking it up to multiple TVs rooms apart could get pretty expensive with other cables. I think ideally the second ViP612 would be in TV#6's room with a Coax cable run from there to TV#3.

If I keep the 722 in Single mode, what kind of functionality will each of the TVs connected to that receiver have? Excluding the fact that TV's #4 and 5 won't be able to access HD channels, will they still have all the same functionality as TV#1, if just mirrors? For instance, assuming single mode, will someone with a UHF remote at TV#4 be able to use both tuners and change channels freely? (I don't mind if this changes channels for TV#1 and #5 as well.) Ideally, the box will almost exclusively be in single mode, but should be viewable from any of the three TVs listed above.

For reference sake, here is the general setup I'm trying to accomplish for as cheap as possible:

I also have some more general questions about Dish if anyone could answer them (they might be better suited for general, but I figured I was making a thread anyways):

When is the last time to cancel before I'm stuck with the cancellation fee on a 24mo agreement? A sales rep told me I would have to sign at install, but is that right off the bat? Will I at least have a chance to talk it all out with an install tech and make sure he can give me what I want before I jump into a 24 mo. commitment?

Will the install tech only run coax lines? I know I can save some money by hooking these boxes up to internet, and I'd be more than happy to if I had some spare lines run to those locations. As it stands only one of the areas has a connection near it, would the install tech be able to run a couple new CATV lines, and if so, would it cost me extra?

I think that's about it. I apologize if this is the wrong place to ask, but sales reps have gotten me nowhere on some of this stuff and I really want to make sure I'm not going to regret this switch if I follow through. Thanks in advance.

 

[bross]

Yes, it should work. TV's 4 and 5 will only be SD and will have to watch the same channel. If TV's 3 and 6 are in different rooms the remote will be a problem. Why not a second 722 for TV's 3 and 6?

Yes, the 612 has coax out.

With the 722 in single mode you have all the functions using #2 remote.

You can hook up the receivers to the internet with a home plug adapter. The receivers have the technology built into them, all you need is one transmitter that connects to your internet connection. Do a search on the Dish Network site for info.

 

[scoobyxj]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but here it goes. I'm considering switching from Time Warner to Dish Network and would like to see how much of my current functionality I can maintain (or even expand) in the transition. Equipment costs seem higher for Dish and getting every TV functional seems a bit harder, but if the plan I've devised below works, I think I'll be saving money in the end with more channels.

On top of the general question "will it work?", I do have a couple specific concerns, things I'm not confident in at all:.

Seems do-able.

Will the ViP612 work with a SDTV? I know it has S-video and RCA connections, but does it have simple RF/Coax out? That is my most important question here, because otherwise hooking it up to multiple TVs rooms apart could get pretty expensive with other cables. I think ideally the second ViP612 would be in TV#6's room with a Coax cable run from there to TV#3.

Yes the 612 will work on a SD TV, and yes it does have a modulated RF output. Also it uses a UHF Pro remote, and you would be able to control it from the SD TV as well.

If I keep the 722 in Single mode, what kind of functionality will each of the TVs connected to that receiver have? Excluding the fact that TV's #4 and 5 won't be able to access HD channels, will they still have all the same functionality as TV#1, if just mirrors? For instance, assuming single mode, will someone with a UHF remote at TV#4 be able to use both tuners and change channels freely? (I don't mind if this changes channels for TV#1 and #5 as well.) Ideally, the box will almost exclusively be in single mode, but should be viewable from any of the three TVs listed above.

Yes. In single mode all TVs hooked to the receiver will mirror. Both remotes will control the system. All TVs will have the same functionality, but only SD on the remote TVs.

For reference sake, here is the general setup I'm trying to accomplish for as cheap as possible:

I also have some more general questions about Dish if anyone could answer them (they might be better suited for general, but I figured I was making a thread anyways):

When is the last time to cancel before I'm stuck with the cancellation fee on a 24mo agreement? A sales rep told me I would have to sign at install, but is that right off the bat? Will I at least have a chance to talk it all out with an install tech and make sure he can give me what I want before I jump into a 24 mo. commitment?

Technically you are locked into the contract as soon as the receivers are activated even if you refuse to sign the paperwork. Some states laws may protect you for a few weeks, and you may be able to get out of it on some loophole. IIRC you can get out of the contract by paying the installation fee.

Will the install tech only run coax lines? I know I can save some money by hooking these boxes up to internet, and I'd be more than happy to if I had some spare lines run to those locations. As it stands only one of the areas has a connection near it, would the install tech be able to run a couple new CATV lines, and if so, would it cost me extra?

The tech is only gong to run coax to each receiver, and to one mirror on the 722 (if needed) unless you can get your mirrors added to the work order, and IIRC they are $59 a piece. (What I would do is just wait till the tech shows up then ask him about the mirroring. He may offer to do it under the table for a discounted price, or he will tell you they need to be added to the W/O) The tech will not be carrying anything in regards to the CAT-V. If you have the the CAT-V hardware there you may get the tech to run it for you if you offered to slip him a couple twenties. ON the flip side the only receiver that would save you money having hooked up would be the 722. Also while sometimes it still doesn't work you can also connect the receiver via Dish Com.

I think that's about it. I apologize if this is the wrong place to ask, but sales reps have gotten me nowhere on some of this stuff and I really want to make sure I'm not going to regret this switch if I follow through. Thanks in advance.

The only last thing I can think of that you may not be aware of is even though you're still under the four viewing locations (the mirrors won't count) you will be paying extra to get the two 612s.

Something else that would be nice for you to do for the tech is to set it up as a PM have a note added to the dispatch notes asking to be called first thing in the AM due to difficult install. That way you would be able to pre inform the tech as to what extra work he may be getting into, and he can adjust his route to accommodate you time wise.

 

[Haysoos]

This is completely doable if you have prewire/existing cable going to all TV's. However, mirroring TV's is not part of a standard installation and, like others posted before, you may be asked to pay for the mirrors.

If you get a contractor or retailer doing your job, he will likely have a pricing sheet outlining how much for each mirroring location. If you get an in-house tech, he might insist on having it added to the work order which is $59 per mirror.

For the most part, the tech will only run coax cable. I hear some techs will run phone cable too, but I'm certain that would be at an add'l cost and more importantly, it's not something to expect. A phonex kit or Dishcomm modem would probably be cheaper.

 

[llzel]

does a 612 have coax out?

 

[Haysoos]

612 does have coax out. 722k does not, unless you add an OTA module.

 

[n0qcu]

The 722k does have a home distrobution coax out for both TV1 & TV2 any channel from 21 to 69, the OTA module adds an additional output for channel 3 or 4.

 

[genotaru]

If TV's 3 and 6 are in different rooms the remote will be a problem. Why not a second 722 for TV's 3 and 6?

Quite simply, cost. The first 722 (actually, now that I look at it, I think they'd give a 722k under the lease, though I'm not quite sure of the difference) would be provided as a free upgrade, but the other two DVRs will have an upgrade fee (at least according to the DishNetwork current online ordering page). $200 upfront is higher than we'd like to pay, but it is manageable. $300 we'd like to avoid, particularly if another 722k won't make that big a difference over a 612.

As for the remote, I was pretty certain the 612 came with a 6.3 UHF Pro remote, am I mistaken? I was working under that assumption and intended to buy a couple more for some of the mirrors in our setup anyways. Scooby's post below yours seems to confirm my assumption.

You can hook up the receivers to the internet with a home plug adapter. The receivers have the technology built into them, all you need is one transmitter that connects to your internet connection. Do a search on the Dish Network site for info.

I'm not sure if this is the same as what you were talking about, but it just reminded me that we are already using some internet over power line technology right now. My brother's Cat-V connection was damaged (we think there is some damage to the cable under the house), so the AT&T guy gave us some PlugLink adapters for free (instead of having to run new lines for a fee). Is it possible to make use of this for the boxes as well and if so, how could I go about doing that?

ON the flip side the only receiver that would save you money having hooked up would be the 722.

Are you certain of this, because it would make the install even easier. The place where we are putting the 722 happens to be the only location where we DO have a spare internet port.

Looking at a specs .pdf for the 612 DVR that I found awhile ago shows an ethernet+phone port on the back on the box, so I'd definitely like some confirmation of this if possible. I'd like to avoid seeing any hidden fees on my bill that aren't appearing on their online ordering site and this is one that I know I should be able to avoid. If having one box connected DOES avoid the fee, would I still be wise to find a way to hook up the other two? What kind of features would that provide?

The 722k does have a home distrobution coax out for both TV1 & TV2 any channel from 21 to 69, the OTA module adds an additional output for channel 3 or 4.

This is good to hear and confirms what took me a lot of research to conclude. Speaking of the OTA module though, I've had some trouble finding out exactly what that does. My understanding of it right now is that it will add an extra 2 streams to the box that can only receive over the air digital channels. Is this correct? If so, would I need to do anything to make sure these two additional streams would be active & viewable on the mirrors in the setup as well, or would simply having the OTA module hooked up be enough? If this is easy enough to setup, I may take advantage of it and purchase one as well.



As for the mirror wiring mentioned a few times, even if the tech can't do it for me, I'm actually not too worried about it. It seems fairly simple to hook up just by myself assuming the install tech handles the hard part of running wire directly to each of the three boxes. Because of the existing cable network (which my brother and I ran ourselves more than a couple years back), I think I can just run a coax from the 722k's modulated output to the wall right by the TV which heads directly to a wiring hub we have. From there I could simply hook it directly to the IN part of a splitter that heads to the rest of the house (replacing the former Time Warner IN cable from outside (luckily the cables are all tagged making this even easier). I should be able to do something similar with the 612 if it has Coax out to get it to TV#3.

By the way, thanks again for the help everyone, its much appreciated.

edit: oops forgot a question. How will I be sure I get the boxes I want? The online ordering tool simply says HD Solo DVR or HD Duo DVR, do I need to call ahead of time to make sure the tech brings a ViP722k and 2x ViP612s or will those be the only options anyways.

 

[genotaru]

Bump. Any chance I can get some confirmation on some of my questions in the above post? I'm really finicky about details when it comes to switching things like this, particularly if it involves a long contract so I want to make sure I understand what I'm getting into.