Ok, I've seen endless threads on peoples gripes with this receiver. Now, would like to hear from some folks who actually like theirs and have good things to say about it. Since they are around 500$ now I went ahead and ordered one and hoping I didn't mess up really bad. Would like to hear from you guys with positive things to say.
Would like to hear from the peeps that ENJOY their 921
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I love mine...I get the occasional hiccup, but all in all I love it. I am having the dpp44 problem of not getting some transponders, but my HD is not affected and that is what I bought it for. A bonus over my 6000u is that I can archive to my Replay and keep the aspect ratio instead of "letterboxing" the downrezzed HD... Right now I am archiving HD net stuff to the Replay (sex files from monday), already today I have put this weeks CSI's in also... only thing I wish is for a bigger hard drive. I erased the Cowboy vs Giant game today (espn hd) for more space... I have about 4 hours ava and stay around there for HD space... Off the top of my head this is what is on my 921
T-3 from Hbohd
Sheryl Crow Come on America
2 Csi NY's
2 Csi's
1 Csi Miami
Ncis
The sex files
Bikini Destinations
Get out Perfect 10 boxing
Broncos vs Colts playoff game
music video clips from Hdnet concerts ( Gloria Estefan, Heart, etc...)
50 first Dates
T-3 from Hbohd
Sheryl Crow Come on America
2 Csi NY's
2 Csi's
1 Csi Miami
Ncis
The sex files
Bikini Destinations
Get out Perfect 10 boxing
Broncos vs Colts playoff game
music video clips from Hdnet concerts ( Gloria Estefan, Heart, etc...)
50 first Dates
I love my 921.
I still have a couple of gripes with it. I want them to fix the pause to slow motion bug. I want them to have the fan & hard drive to spin down. I want Dish Home / Open TV.
I occasionally have software glitches, but recording HD makes it all worth while.
If someone bought the 921 and didn't read these sites, they would probably be very happy with their purchase.
I still have a couple of gripes with it. I want them to fix the pause to slow motion bug. I want them to have the fan & hard drive to spin down. I want Dish Home / Open TV.
I occasionally have software glitches, but recording HD makes it all worth while.
If someone bought the 921 and didn't read these sites, they would probably be very happy with their purchase.
My 921 works great ( but not perfect ). I use it everyday and haven't had anything major go wrong since before L122
Not "perfect" but not useless either...
I like my 921. Yes, it has some "issues", but I guess I've gotten used to them. When I got my 501 (really early software version), it had "issues" and I got used to them and now, the software is basically rock-solid. I also have a Model 6000 and I (eventually) got used to the fact that you NEVER hit the "Guide" button after landing and staying on an OTA station unless you wanted to wait for a couple of minutes while the expired guide data got refreshed. I now have a 921. It has a problem talking to my DPP44 switch: it doesn't "see" 61.5 and it doesn't see the even transponders on 110/119. But I borrowed a DP34 switch and did a switch check with the DP34 switch and then replaced the DP34 with the DPP44 (withOUT doing another switch check) and the 921 sees all transponders on 110/119/61.5! If I have to do a switch check for any reason, I'll be "sunk" (until this bug is fixed), but it otherwise works. Yeah, I'm seeing most of the other "annoyances" others are seeing, but I "accept it" and am patient that these issues will be fixed. What helps me to accept things is the fact that I'm an engineer and can understand (to an extent) what to do (but yes, I am disappointed that there are these bugs and in a "production" unit no less). So yeah, I very MUCH like the fact that I can time-shift HD programming! It's the "cat's meow!"
I like my 921. Yes, it has some "issues", but I guess I've gotten used to them. When I got my 501 (really early software version), it had "issues" and I got used to them and now, the software is basically rock-solid. I also have a Model 6000 and I (eventually) got used to the fact that you NEVER hit the "Guide" button after landing and staying on an OTA station unless you wanted to wait for a couple of minutes while the expired guide data got refreshed. I now have a 921. It has a problem talking to my DPP44 switch: it doesn't "see" 61.5 and it doesn't see the even transponders on 110/119. But I borrowed a DP34 switch and did a switch check with the DP34 switch and then replaced the DP34 with the DPP44 (withOUT doing another switch check) and the 921 sees all transponders on 110/119/61.5! If I have to do a switch check for any reason, I'll be "sunk" (until this bug is fixed), but it otherwise works. Yeah, I'm seeing most of the other "annoyances" others are seeing, but I "accept it" and am patient that these issues will be fixed. What helps me to accept things is the fact that I'm an engineer and can understand (to an extent) what to do (but yes, I am disappointed that there are these bugs and in a "production" unit no less). So yeah, I very MUCH like the fact that I can time-shift HD programming! It's the "cat's meow!"
I run a software engineering division of a relatively large tech company. So, though I'm OK with some defects, I'm not OK with the lack of quality and the complete lack of reliabilty I've had. Further, since it's been out a year, they've had far too long to fix this. Adelphia just installed digital cable today, with all my locals in HD except FOX. So far I like it, but the jury is still out. What I do know is that my 921 continuously locked up when I tried to use the OTA locals. I can't live with that.
davhol said:I like my 921. Yes, it has some "issues", but I guess I've gotten used to them. When I got my 501 (really early software version), it had "issues" and I got used to them and now, the software is basically rock-solid. I also have a Model 6000 and I (eventually) got used to the fact that you NEVER hit the "Guide" button after landing and staying on an OTA station unless you wanted to wait for a couple of minutes while the expired guide data got refreshed. I now have a 921. It has a problem talking to my DPP44 switch: it doesn't "see" 61.5 and it doesn't see the even transponders on 110/119. But I borrowed a DP34 switch and did a switch check with the DP34 switch and then replaced the DP34 with the DPP44 (withOUT doing another switch check) and the 921 sees all transponders on 110/119/61.5! If I have to do a switch check for any reason, I'll be "sunk" (until this bug is fixed), but it otherwise works. Yeah, I'm seeing most of the other "annoyances" others are seeing, but I "accept it" and am patient that these issues will be fixed. What helps me to accept things is the fact that I'm an engineer and can understand (to an extent) what to do (but yes, I am disappointed that there are these bugs and in a "production" unit no less). So yeah, I very MUCH like the fact that I can time-shift HD programming! It's the "cat's meow!"
wmhjr said:
Agreed! I think I stated that the fact that a production piece of software that has these issues is not good (but I can "handle" them since I'm also an engineer). I've not seen any of the OTA locals problems you've seemed to encounter. I have CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX HD OTA locals and they all work wonderfully! I guess it depends upon the locale. I'm in the Salt Lake City DMA and all digital broadcasters have formed a consortium to ensure the best digital signals and quality available. There is the occasional PSIP generator failure on one of the channels and the 921 just doesn't "see" the channel. On my 6000, it would "hang" and then reboot or just go to the base frequency channel and I would have to manually remove and re-add the channel once the PSIP problem was resolved. For _me_, my 921 works wonderfully (now) with OTA digitals. Sorry you've had issues. This disparity between one user and another is what raises the "temperature" of the fury over the 921. I guess I'm one of the "lucky" ones. Good luck to you and your choices! (at least we DO still have choices!)
OK, as someone who has had one since 1/2004, a few observations.......
1. The picture is amazing. I migrated from a 721 and even SD programming looks better when upconverted. I watch mine on 1080i through the DVI port on my Sony RPTV (KP57WV600). Watching Smallville on HDNet or one of the HD camera programs on DiscoveryHD is awe inspiring (Watch the HD Demo channel when you first get it hooked up.... assuming you haven'tused a 5000/6000 or 811 and are jaded re: HD pictures. When I had hooked mine up it was the first HD pictures I had seen in my room.
2. "Doctor. it hurts when I do this......" "Then don't DO that".
OK, if you want to try and trip up the 921 you can do so. Most of us engage in this behavior when we get a new download and we want to see if the old vulnerabilities still remain. An Example.... Setting up two HD timers for 8pm, another for 9pm, AND watching a recorded program, while jumping back and forth, etc..... these things quickly max out the resources of this glorified PC and invite crashes and glitches. In a perfect world, it work out of the box, but it is not as stable as we wish it to be. Compared to the Grey Screen of Death lockups that happened daily for some people, the system is much more stable. As stable as a Tivo? No. But if you are locked into E* for whatever reason (Superstations, Grandfathered Distants, etc.) this is the best there is for now, as far as HD Capability. The 942 will be DOA in that it is not compatible with Mpeg4, and it has only one HD tuner onboard for $200 MORE than the 921 is selling for right now.
3. I have about 20 active timers a week and on average I get a glitch once or twice a month, usually of the ZSR variety on CBS-HD when King of Queens airs. It used to happen on HDNet when I was taping Odyssey 5 at 2am as well, but has not hit me when Smallville is on. The failure rate is NOWHERE near as bad as the Dishplayer had during its infamous trouble period 3-4 years ago. I've got 2 SW64s feeding 5 receivers, so my setup is fairly complex and might be inviting the problem during random times.
4. You are already in good shape by being here as the CSRs are clueless in most cases and try to imply that the problem is on YOUR end when glitches occur. Always ask for an advanced tech as soon as you get through to save yourself some headaches dealing with the CSRs.
5. In the "an apple a day" vein, I recommend buying a UPS to feed clean power to the unit, and give you an easy on/off button to do regular hard power resets, which I do twice a week. Regularly check your timers list to make sure they are lined up in the order they are scheduled to fire. If they are not, do a hard power reboot. This will usually keep the bug away that causes the wrong program title to be listed (it is usually the program that was on directly BEFORE your recorded program. Not a major bug, but it makes it hard to easily find your programs if you have a lot of them)
6. If the remote isn't responsive for a sec, DON'T keep hitting buttons. Some of these glitches go away after a few seconds. Wait 10 seconds and try moving the direction key to the right until you see one of the buttons highlighted, then do what you want. Don't forget to swap out the batteres at the first hint of trouble as well to eliminate that as a problem.
7. Set reasonable expectations (think Microsoft..... I expect my computer to crash once a while, so I'm not too upset when it does). When glitches occur, a hard pwer reboot usually brings it back fairly quick. If this DOESN'T cure a problem. Try unplugging the antenna feeds (tuner 1 and 2) and reverse them and then run the check switch again. One time, I got stuck with a tech trying to fix a nasty bug (I couldn't get a picture at all, but the menu was coming up) and this cured it instantly. Something about forcing the reinitializing of the tuners that made the bugs go away.
I've only had to call E* about 5 times about this unit and I am still using one of the originals that has the firewire ports still on the back of the unit. If ANY machine should have problems it should be me. Yes, it would be "nice" if E* could get their act together. In the meantime $550 buys you an HD PVR with two HD tuners, an OTA HD/SD tuner, 180 hrs of SD (25 hrs. of HD) recording, and HD pictures in all their glory. Not a bad deal, even if it is only for 1-2 years while they bring Mpeg4 online.
If you are NOT tethered to E*, then D*'s upcoming HD offerings might be more "compelling" (to steal Charlie's word) in the mid term. V*s could be as well, if you can wait for their PVR, scheduled to arrive in March (assuming Cablevision hasn't pulled the plug by then - I can't see how much longer Cablevision can afford to lose $50 million+ a MONTH on this service).
The 921 can be aggravating at times, but the unit can also be a joy to use, WHEN it is working without a glitch. You just have to get past the greyed out Internet and DVhs setup menus that tease you about what might have been as do the memories of that Keyboard with the remote buttons they teased us with a year ago that never materialized (JUST Like the 721).
1. The picture is amazing. I migrated from a 721 and even SD programming looks better when upconverted. I watch mine on 1080i through the DVI port on my Sony RPTV (KP57WV600). Watching Smallville on HDNet or one of the HD camera programs on DiscoveryHD is awe inspiring (Watch the HD Demo channel when you first get it hooked up.... assuming you haven'tused a 5000/6000 or 811 and are jaded re: HD pictures. When I had hooked mine up it was the first HD pictures I had seen in my room.
2. "Doctor. it hurts when I do this......" "Then don't DO that".
OK, if you want to try and trip up the 921 you can do so. Most of us engage in this behavior when we get a new download and we want to see if the old vulnerabilities still remain. An Example.... Setting up two HD timers for 8pm, another for 9pm, AND watching a recorded program, while jumping back and forth, etc..... these things quickly max out the resources of this glorified PC and invite crashes and glitches. In a perfect world, it work out of the box, but it is not as stable as we wish it to be. Compared to the Grey Screen of Death lockups that happened daily for some people, the system is much more stable. As stable as a Tivo? No. But if you are locked into E* for whatever reason (Superstations, Grandfathered Distants, etc.) this is the best there is for now, as far as HD Capability. The 942 will be DOA in that it is not compatible with Mpeg4, and it has only one HD tuner onboard for $200 MORE than the 921 is selling for right now.
3. I have about 20 active timers a week and on average I get a glitch once or twice a month, usually of the ZSR variety on CBS-HD when King of Queens airs. It used to happen on HDNet when I was taping Odyssey 5 at 2am as well, but has not hit me when Smallville is on. The failure rate is NOWHERE near as bad as the Dishplayer had during its infamous trouble period 3-4 years ago. I've got 2 SW64s feeding 5 receivers, so my setup is fairly complex and might be inviting the problem during random times.
4. You are already in good shape by being here as the CSRs are clueless in most cases and try to imply that the problem is on YOUR end when glitches occur. Always ask for an advanced tech as soon as you get through to save yourself some headaches dealing with the CSRs.
5. In the "an apple a day" vein, I recommend buying a UPS to feed clean power to the unit, and give you an easy on/off button to do regular hard power resets, which I do twice a week. Regularly check your timers list to make sure they are lined up in the order they are scheduled to fire. If they are not, do a hard power reboot. This will usually keep the bug away that causes the wrong program title to be listed (it is usually the program that was on directly BEFORE your recorded program. Not a major bug, but it makes it hard to easily find your programs if you have a lot of them)
6. If the remote isn't responsive for a sec, DON'T keep hitting buttons. Some of these glitches go away after a few seconds. Wait 10 seconds and try moving the direction key to the right until you see one of the buttons highlighted, then do what you want. Don't forget to swap out the batteres at the first hint of trouble as well to eliminate that as a problem.
7. Set reasonable expectations (think Microsoft..... I expect my computer to crash once a while, so I'm not too upset when it does). When glitches occur, a hard pwer reboot usually brings it back fairly quick. If this DOESN'T cure a problem. Try unplugging the antenna feeds (tuner 1 and 2) and reverse them and then run the check switch again. One time, I got stuck with a tech trying to fix a nasty bug (I couldn't get a picture at all, but the menu was coming up) and this cured it instantly. Something about forcing the reinitializing of the tuners that made the bugs go away.
I've only had to call E* about 5 times about this unit and I am still using one of the originals that has the firewire ports still on the back of the unit. If ANY machine should have problems it should be me. Yes, it would be "nice" if E* could get their act together. In the meantime $550 buys you an HD PVR with two HD tuners, an OTA HD/SD tuner, 180 hrs of SD (25 hrs. of HD) recording, and HD pictures in all their glory. Not a bad deal, even if it is only for 1-2 years while they bring Mpeg4 online.
If you are NOT tethered to E*, then D*'s upcoming HD offerings might be more "compelling" (to steal Charlie's word) in the mid term. V*s could be as well, if you can wait for their PVR, scheduled to arrive in March (assuming Cablevision hasn't pulled the plug by then - I can't see how much longer Cablevision can afford to lose $50 million+ a MONTH on this service).
The 921 can be aggravating at times, but the unit can also be a joy to use, WHEN it is working without a glitch. You just have to get past the greyed out Internet and DVhs setup menus that tease you about what might have been as do the memories of that Keyboard with the remote buttons they teased us with a year ago that never materialized (JUST Like the 721).
I'll bet that for every Dish Basher on these forums, there are hundreds that don't agree. I've had my 921 since Jan. and love it. It does everything I want of it with no problems. With the latest updates a few of the earlier problems have been corrected. For 500 dollars this is a real bargain. Just price the Direct unit!(which I hear has problems of it's own) Hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine.
WRONG...The 942 has TWO HD satellite and one OTA HD tuner just like the 921. It has two seperate outputs and can feed two TVs at the same time similar to the 322/522. One OUTPUT is HD and one OUTPUT is SD.BobMurdoch said:
Now back on topic.
Yes, I like my 921's they mostly do just what I want them to do. The current software has created some new problems, most are minor and can be avoided. Of course I don't use my 921 for any SD programing just HD.
Yes, I like my 921's they mostly do just what I want them to do. The current software has created some new problems, most are minor and can be avoided. Of course I don't use my 921 for any SD programing just HD.
n0qcu said:
My apologies, I knew it could only output one HD feed. Must be only one HD output then since they will split this to two TVs a la the 522...... I stand corrected and regret the error.
dfergie said:
Try running a ground line to the DPP44 switch. I have a DP34 was having the same problem on only one receiver. I ran the ground line cleared up the problem.
Ive tried about everything else, it is grounded, but will ground to power pole ground...I lost them during the xmas charlie chat... got 4 sats before then only get 148, and partial 119 and 110's since...6000u gets 61.5, 110,119 with no problems...
wied said:
I had the problem as well...I switched out my DPQuad to a DPTwin and it fixed it for me. The issue was something with the Quad and the 44 switch.
I enjoy the 921. It is far more stable than the 811, and the picture on the 921 DVI is much better than the 811 DVI in my opinion. I don't care about Dish Home, but NBR is a must.
The only thing that really bothers me about the 921 is the fan noise. Has anyone had success getting Dish to replace a noisy unit or replace the fan with a quieter one?
The only thing that really bothers me about the 921 is the fan noise. Has anyone had success getting Dish to replace a noisy unit or replace the fan with a quieter one?
Yeah there is a thread a dbs about this, may do that...but I dont really miss the channels I dont get with the 921 and if i want to see them I can record with a sd D* or watch here in my livingroom...All I record is hd with the 921Paradox-SJ said:
JAL said:
The 921 is a computer. SO the fan is standard 80mm. If you look on the net you can find all types for varying rpm, noise levels, etc. I'm sure it would be an easy swap if it really bothered ya, could b worth it. Maybe I'll put a cool Blue LED one in mine!
