« What about a non TIVO PVR? | Main | How did you choose your PVR? »

November 18, 2004

Dish Network DVR Hard drive ERASED

Hi. I have a Dish Network 522 DVR. This is the second time in a month that the hard drive has been totally erased. I had over 30 hours of shows on there. The Dish people are clueless. They have no idea why this is happening. There appears to be no way to retrieve the shows at all. I'm pissed.

Has anyone had this happen to them?
-- Chantel

November 18, 2004 in Dish Network

Answers

Happened to me once. Called Tech support looking for a cure. Their best trick was to have me unplug ut for 30 seconds and that didn't work. No reason why it happened or how to stop it. So your not alone, but it still sucks.

Posted by: Los at Nov 20, 2004 11:15:45 PM

Check the hard drive for corrupt-ness.

Posted by: kirbyMeister at Nov 21, 2004 4:06:09 PM

The DVR 522 is in trouble dishnet released a software upgrade about 3 weeks ago, end of december and it caused this problem on almost all their 522s, they are still dumb about it but at least advanced technical support knows the problem is there. Lets hope they get it fixed since 522s are selling like hotcakes

Posted by: Jeff at Jan 13, 2005 11:24:17 AM

I have a DVR 510. its a 1st gen (the 2nd gen is about 3 times as big (38 hours) my 921 HDVR is 180. But, my 510 is erased DAILY, so its completely useless, but I called dish (i was speaking with Saddam i think) but they said your SOL (first Toshiba, now Dish) but so im without a DVR in my bedroom. plus they wont give me a way to use Windows Media Center 2004 (figures) but im outta luck (if anyone got a 510 to work I will call you a GOD if you get it to work!

Posted by: Brad at Jan 26, 2005 5:26:52 PM

the prob w/ the hard drives erasing recordings is just something you have to deal with. if they are that important, transfer them to vhs or dvd w/ a recorder, as you'll have the same problems w/ aftermarket dvrs ike tivo, panasonic, or others. its just a fact that is a hard drive extremely similar to your computer's but much less user friendly? why? b/c a new computer anywehre from $500-$3000 dollars. would dish have any customer if before you got a 510 you had to pay $1000 to get it? or if you had to pay a $300 upgrade fee just to lease a 522?

Posted by: jason at Feb 1, 2005 3:24:43 PM

I work as a Dish Network installer for the RSP (Regional Service Provider) for upstate NY, VT, and MA. Some (ok, more than a few) of the 522's (and DVR's in general) are problematic. My suggestion - get them to RA (Return Authorization) you a new receiver. They ship you a new one, provide a pre-paid shipping label to return your faulty unit, and USUALLY this stops the headches. Not always - but usually. I have found that it's usually the individual unit. Not in all cases, but in a lot.

Posted by: Doug at Feb 13, 2005 5:07:10 AM

http://www.dish-network-hacks.com/

Dish Network - Disclaimer - Hackers - Programmer - Satellite - DSS - Receiver - Descrambler - Loader - Unlooper - Hot Card - Card

Posted by: Dish Network hacks at Feb 15, 2005 8:12:53 AM

I hope I didn't get onto this thread to late for some constructive feedback to come my way. I was a happy DirecTV customer before moving to Alaska in 2002. The DirecTV satellites are to low on the horizone for common consumer use in Alaska. So, I opted for Dishnetwork. I was installed in October 2003. Since then, I've gone through 3 replacement authorizations on my 510. Each time the problem was loss of recorded programming. Just last week the third receiver they sent lost all 80 hours...for the second time. I travel a lot and rely on recording my favorite programs. A VCR is not a suitable technology for my situation. One of the reasons I opted for satellite service is the positive experience I had with DirecTV in the past and the fact that GCI (cable provider here) in 2003 did not offer digital TV or PVR capability. They've since upgraded their system here. The last two times my 510 lost recordings, I attempted to end my relationship with Dishnetwork. They even admitted on the phone that loss of recorded programming was a documented problem with their equipment. Then they told me I was locked into a two year agreement with the local installer (The Satellite Guy). I called them and was told that the year long agreement I had was over with. Dishnetwork then told me that I had another year on my agreement. I could find no record of that in my paperwork. I told them that I didn't think they were honoring their part of said contract because their equipment is known to malfunction. The best they could do for me was offer to replace it again and throw in a month of free service. I told them it was unacceptable, that I couldn't deal with this happening again. All I want is to get out of my remaining 9 months of contract that they insist I have. I could ask for the install fee refunded. I could be nasty and ask for refunds on the programs that I lost. No. I just want out and they refuse to allow me that. I even offered to send their crappy equipment back to them. Then I asked if I could pay for an upgrade to a better PVR. They said no, but asked if I'd like to try the model that only records 30 hours of programs. What the hell kind of offer is that? I've thought of pursuing a class action lawsuit if enough people have had problems with Dishnetwork. Why don't they fix it? Why don't they wise up and offer better customer service. I can't believe I have to deal with this.

Posted by: Chris at Feb 17, 2005 2:55:29 PM

I just had the same problem with my 522. There is a twist with mine though. Got up this morning, and turned on the TV. Was greeted with a long error message explaining that "errors were detected on my hard drive" and that it needed to be "scrubbed". It warned that this procedure would result in the loss of all my recorded programs. It gave me the option to cancel, but said that if I didn't do this in 7 days, it would be done automaticaly. Obviously, I selected "Cancel", and now I have 7 days to figure out how to get several shows off the drive that I don't want to lose, and onto an external drive, or my iBook. I notice there is a USB connector on the back of the 522, yet they don't bother to mention what it is there for in the owners manual, or the tech support area. Had the same "lack of info" problem with the digital audio out. Why wouldn't they mention something like that in the owners manual? I'm wishing more and more each day I had gone with DirectTV.

Posted by: chughes at Feb 20, 2005 7:19:56 AM

I have a 508. I've had it for over 2 years without a problem. Well, actually a couple of times I had to take out the card an reinsert it after the hard drive got stuck in a loop. But I haven't lost any recordings. I was thinking of getting a 522 and moving my 508 to my bedroom, but after reading this, I'm not going to do it. After DN raised my monthly rate $3, I'm thinking of switching to DirecTV. Can DirecTV use the same satallite dish as DN? Maybe just point to a new location and replace the LNBs.

Posted by: KidHorn at Feb 23, 2005 6:34:30 AM

Sorry to here about all of the problems you guys are having with your DVR's.

Chighes, I have swapped my dish hardware between both DirecTV and dish network and vise versa with out having to swap the LNB's, only the recivers need be swapped.

Posted by: kleptow at Feb 23, 2005 3:55:12 PM

Does anyone know if you can open up a 510 box, remove the hard drive and plug it into a PC and copy the recorded videos directly to my PC? Is this possible, or is the data somehow encrypted?

Posted by: Jay at Feb 26, 2005 9:15:31 AM

Jay,
You can find info on this procedure at a Yahoo discussion group called "Dishrip". It doesn't seem easy to do, nor is the end result actual DVD video. As a result, the resulting video can't be played by just any DVD player. Dishrip has a database of cheap players that will work. HTH

Posted by: chughes at Feb 27, 2005 6:30:19 AM

chris, it doesn't mention the usb port because its not a hot (active) connections. duh.

Posted by: jason at Mar 2, 2005 3:28:22 PM

What Dish advertising of the 522 did not tell us when we installed the 522:

1. PIP only works on TV1;
2. PIP only works in single mode - if TV2 is constantly used, there is no PIP;

IN DUAL MODE:

3. DVR list is seen by both TV1 and TV2 which makes everyone who is used to their own DVR list plow through EVERYONE'S recording to find their own DVR show;
4. When someone changes their timers on TV1 for the same program, the 522 disrupts the timers on TV2 - for example: If TV2 has a timer set for the program CSI Miami to DVR and someone wants to only "Auto" CSI Miami on TV1, the TV2 DVR disappears!
5. If TV2 has a "Skip" show because of a conflict for timers, TV1 cannot watch the "skipped" show - for example: TV2 at 9:00 p.m. has a conflict with CSI and The Investigators. TV2 uses the "Priority" option to "Skip" CSI and record The Investigators. Now the program guide shows an X through CSI and will not let TV1 watch the CSI show!
6. The Timers have a default of "Start early 1 minute and End late 3 minutes." I continually have to change them to 0 and 0. If I forget, then I have a conflict on my scheduled timers for the next hour (and the preceding hour) and have to go through the whole process of changing the 1 and 3 to 0 and 0!!! What a pain!!!
7. If someone on TV1 watches something I have recorded on DVR, they have the opportunity to erase it BEFORE I WATCH IT!! Whether accidentally or on purpose, this opportunity is always there!!!
8. In the DVR list there is a “Sort” option for alphabetically list shows. If I use that option, why doesn’t it stay there? I have to continually “Sort” every time I want to see my alphabetical DVR list!!

Twenty four hours after I got the 522, I called the techs to tell them I don’t want the 522 and want my 501 and 510 back and they said I couldn’t do it without paying lots of money!!! If something doesn’t improve on the 522 - I’m going to show my disappointment loud and clear.

Posted by: Elaine at Apr 4, 2005 7:55:33 AM

I have a DVR 522, I turned on my TV this evening and found that the picture was frozen! Nothing worked! Was there an upgrade sent by dishnetwork today? My only choice was to power it off and on! Now all recordings are gone! over 80hrs!! I called tech support the lady told me there was no way to recover them! BS!!! I'm pissed! She told me that any recordings over 30 days maybe erased! What? And there was nothing she could do about losing them all! Nice service!
I'm ready to open up that unix and try to hack it and see if I can recover some of the recordings! UGGG!! I hate this thing!
I'm cancelling my service and going to use my PC for recording instead, at least I know how to recover when a drive crashes on my PC, there are ways to recover the data. But not with TIVO or DISH, since they are probably encrypted and proprietary! I'm throwing the 522 off my work building's 10th floor tomorro! Screw the contract! UGGG!!!

Posted by: R.R at Apr 14, 2005 12:21:49 AM

WOW!!! I'm sure glad I found this site. I responded to an ad to get Dish Net Work for $19.99 a month. It was a bait and switch scheme. All the stuff ( free local channels, DVR,etc. ) was just to get you to sign up. When they showed up they wanted to upgrade at a price. They denied the DVR was part of the deal. But after reading all the stuff on this sight I'm glad I didn't get it. As for the model 522 the installer said they have replaced it with a 625 model. They wanted an extra $19.95 to activate it,in addition to the $49.99 I'd already paid. I had to really yell to get my $49.99 activation fee back. Their Customer service is really the pits. Those people would be more at home riding the back of a garbage truck. They didn't have a clue about their product. I finally got some jerk to credit my credit card. Took me an hour and a half of calling. I then called my credit card company and put a block on them just in case. When I told the woman at the credit card company my problem she said she got the same ad as I did and was thinking about signing up but said not now. I have also written a formal complaint to the consumer protection dept with the state of Connecticut. Also am going to write a letter to the attorney general. That should get some action since I was in the Army with him. He'll get them. He just put the govenor of CT in jail. I guess I'll just stick with cable.Again WOW!!!! I guess I lucked out by not getting Net Dish Good luck to the rest of you.

Posted by: Bob at Apr 27, 2005 1:57:20 PM

I don't know what's going on with my 510, but it just died on me.
I don't have any picture or indication as to what is going on.
I can hear the HD spining but the green light stays on only for a few seconds and then although I can hear some noise from inside the box, I can see the green light go out and that's it.
I don't expect that I will get my recordings back, but can I get the DVR operational again?

I openned the box and removed the HD and put it in my PC but the PC sees it as "unformated" I just assume that it is in a different format so I did not touch it.
The whole idea is that the HD spins and can be "seen" in a PC, so I know that the HD is not bad. Any idea as to how to get it back up and running?

Thanks.

Posted by: Chris at Apr 28, 2005 8:45:31 PM

My problem is the audio recording level. At the end of "Veronica Mars" they do a voice-over of hilights for the next episode. The 522 records the background music so loud I can't hear the voiceover. "Star Trek Enterprise" is a total loss since I can not hear the dialoge, just the background noise.

I was told this was a known software problem and they switched out 522s but the new one does the same thing. Can't complain about customer support.

I also have sound that drops out on playback but doesn't drop out if I just step back and replay it.

I'd go back to my TIVO if it were not for the international channels. Hopefully DirecTV will add more international channels.

Posted by: FtWorthGuy at May 9, 2005 1:13:15 PM

Wow. This is the first site board I've found with so many people sharing the *miserable* experience I have had with Dish receivers. After multiple failures and replacements, I've lost more than 150 hours of archives, and have recently found that panicked dumps to tape/DVD (to save before they are unexpectedly deleted by crappy hardware) are corrupt and unwatchable.

Wasn't the whole point of DVR to be done with the 25 year old video tape technology?!?!

I've got lots of rant to offer - just not enough time right now. I will post extensive details of my misery soon.

Bottom line: If they'd let us defrag the drive somehow, life would be a *lot* better...

Posted by: Len at May 10, 2005 12:42:03 AM

Wow again. This board shows problems similar to Dish hardware's inability to associate bytes. I'm not FtWorthGuy, but it put my post under that name...

Posted by: Len at May 10, 2005 12:44:23 AM

OK, got it - if you're going to separate posts with a full dotted line, put the text & sig in the *same* block - don't confuse us by putting the previous post's sig above the next post's text, framed by horizontal lines! Sheesh.

Posted by: Len at May 10, 2005 12:48:29 AM

Okay. For the second time my 522 has completely wiped the HD clean. Not only do I lose all my shows but all my timers are gone, too! That's a lot of work in itself. I think there's something wrong with the hard drive. Sometimes when I am watching a show and hit back or rewind and am watching it slightly delayed, I get artifacts, moments of no sound, and sound squeals. That hasn't happened too much lately, so they may have actually fixed that with a software upgrade. Maybe they need to get some Mac programmers over there to do some programming. :-)

If I'm still under contract, will they replace my DVR for free or do I have to pay them something? I mean, I pay an extra $4.98 a month for the DVR service! And what does it do? Totally erases itself! Even computer HD's aren't this self-destructive.

I agree with the earlier poster who said that occasional defragging would probably work miracles.

Posted by: DocX at May 14, 2005 1:58:36 AM

I have had Dish for quite some time and I like the channels I can get with them (super stations that Direct TV doesn’t carry). But I have to agree that they have the crappiest equipment I have ever seen. I have had the HD erase it’s self a couple of times and although I wasn’t happy about it, it didn’t bring my world to an end (in fact it got rid of some stuff my kids have had on there forever). BUT NOW it has gotten worse. I can only watch things live. It will not let me pause at all, it records but I can’t get it to play back any recordings, and when I change from one channel to another, I goes through this whole routine where it shuts down completely and then comes back up and has to find the satellite signal again (which takes about five minutes). Can anyone tell me if I can get a RA (Return Authorization) if I am no longer under contract? I have had this PVR (not sure what model but it has 30 hours of record time) for two or three years.

Posted by: Robert at May 14, 2005 8:32:11 PM

I've been a Dish Network customer for about 6 years now. Have not had any problems with Customer service or Tech. Support. I started out with a 301 receiver and most recently have a PVR 501 and PVR 510. I have not had any problems with the 501 and have been using it for 2 or 3 years. The 301 is just to old now and only gets the 'free programming'. Now the 510 is a different story completely. I've had it for over a year now, almost 2 and the first one I received did not work at all. Dish Network replaced it within a week. The new unit worked right away, but, over time I have had several problems. Once, it completely deleted all of my recorded programs. The directory still listed everything, but the files were gone. Now, occassionally it locks up; stops recording; will not let me set a timer unless I am very persistant. Sometimes the recordings are not the best but I believe that may have more to do with the actual incoming signal. One of the things I have been able to do is connect my receivers by coaxial cable to a PC TV tuner and transfer programs and movies to my computer. ( I used to copy movies to VHS, but that took a lot of tapes. )

I think that it might be more appropriate to complain to JVC about the actual receivers since they are the actual makers of the PVR units that Dish Network uses, sells.

I would like to be able to use my units in the UK, since I am moving there soon but found out that the best I can do is remove the hard drives and set them up with my computer.

Posted by: TAD at May 16, 2005 11:32:22 AM

I’ve been a DN customer for 7yrs, I have a 510 and just ordered my 3rd RA unit. I've lost my recordings each time and last night's Customer support tech suggestion floored me. I was told that I should have been backing up to VHS. I asked her if she was still listening to cassette tapes. Completely absurd suggestion. What is the purpose of the DVR? My experience with customer service was the worst I have had in my life and has certainly gone downhill in the 7yrs I've been a customer.
Only after 2hours of arguing did she finally admit that it is a known issue and that even when I receive my replacement unit it will only happen again. Her recommendation was to keep the drive under 50% full. Engineering is supposedly working on a SW patch but could not provide an ETA.
What astounds me is that it’s a known issue and DN is pretending it will just go away and in the mean time collecting shipping and other fees for replacements. Not to mention the DVR monthly charge! Which is just a fluff charge anyway because is costs them nothing for users to record.
I’m in agreement that DN needs to acknowledge and take action in response to this situation. Even if it take a class action to get a response!

Posted by: JJK at May 19, 2005 1:12:48 AM

The 522 is an absolute piece of shit, period. I signed up in October 04' and it went hay-wire in May 05'. I talked to the moronic technical support people and they said I was out of warranty. So, then I asked, how long is the warranty? She said "3 months". I damn near fell out of my chair laughing at her. Don't let them guide you through their BS procedures, if it's screwed up, you will know. Just get them to "R A" you a new one.

I started noticing when my hard drive decided it wanted to reboot itself every 2 minutes. I called them, talked to a robot (basically) and got nowhere. The second time I called (referenced above), they RA'd me a new system. However, I have to pay the $14.95 for the shipping to me.

One thing the Robot did tell me though, that I should turn the 522 off every night.... I had no clue. Its not like the punk-thug kids who installed it for me would ever clue me in on that.

Caveat Emptor!

Hope this helps everyone.

Posted by: Diggler at May 19, 2005 8:11:18 PM

Can anyone tell me how to copy my movies, etc. from my Dish Network DVR625? I keep hearing about erasures and I'll admit it - I'm scared. Thanks.

Posted by: kql at May 20, 2005 1:01:06 AM

Get an inexpensive (about $175.00) dvd recorder-recommend a Lite-On 5005 model, very user friendly, simply hook up cables that come with it to one of the two TV1 outputs on the back of your pvr unit and you're good to go.

Write Once disks (+R or -R) are cheap
(50 cents or less in bulk).

You'll have no problem recording any content off Dish-as far as I know, the dvd-recorder will not pick it up as 'protected content' and refuse to record it as would happen with a macro-vision protected dvd you were trying to record from a dvd player.

Let me know if I can further advise or inform you.

Superb Guy

Posted by: Superb Guy at May 22, 2005 7:07:50 PM

Knock on wood, but I have not had recorded shows wiped out. However, my 522 (and not the 311) has constantly lost the satellite connection, at which point I would roll the dice and "check satellite switch," which sometimes solved the problem. The signal loss happened almost entirely on local channels and,if the check switch didn't work, I would give up until the next day after doing the usual power down. The problem seemed to happen in batches, despite shutting off the power every night. Customer service was worthless, and noted that, given that I never call Dish but rather the installer (as advised by the installer), they had no record of any problems and therefore no problems existed! The 522 came very close to a violent death ...

Foolish me, but now the problem is that I want to add an additional 522 or equivalent to hook up two additial TVs. Any thoughts on how a existing customer can get "new customer" services without having to pay outrageous money for an additional box? After reading all this, I may just go back to Direct TV and get free boxes.

Posted by: Tony at May 25, 2005 6:11:03 PM

I have a 508 DVR that just crashed - the disk makes a ticking sound - all my recordings were erased, can't record or pause, etc. - now just a receiver only. About 6 months ago I thought it was done since resetting it by pushing the power button for 5 seconds caused the green light to go off, then on, then off for good. Miraculously - I had a timer set for that evening - it recorded it and the DVR was restored (resurrected) to life with all recordings intact.

Now it's really dead. Glad to hear all the news about the 522... I called tech support and they will sell me a restored 508 for $69.06 including shipping which is much less then eBay! No monthly charge. But I may check with DirecTV after reading all the horror stories above.

Posted by: rnw at May 26, 2005 4:33:46 PM

I just had the same problem as a poster above.
My 522 is dead. You turn it on, the green light comes on for about 25 seconds and then it just shuts down, no menu comes up, all you hear is the fan. tech support was useless. All they know is "unplug it and try again". One idiot over there said,"oh it is probably trying to download software, just plug it in and let it sit for 20 minutes. then turn it on. I said, "how can it download software if it is off?" She said, it does download when it is off. Gee,that would be a good trick.
The local place I bought it from said I could bring it by tomorrow for a replacement. I'll see if they are having this problem with other units.

Posted by: Ron at May 26, 2005 9:17:50 PM

how can i download all the programs i recorded on my 522 to my pc?

Posted by: mike at May 29, 2005 6:58:31 PM

I copy from my 522 to my PC using a Dazzle 150. I have to play the recording so the MPEG gets converted to analog and the Dazzle changes it back to MPEG. Did read that TIVO now allows you to copy the MPEG off of their device directly to a computer but for some reason a 1 hour file takes 1 hour to copy and you can not copy everything. I do not think I have ever had more than 30 hours recorded.

Posted by: ftwguy2 at Jun 2, 2005 11:19:05 AM

Can anyone tell me if you can transfer recorded shows from the dvr 625 to a pc using the usb port?

Posted by: corin at Jun 2, 2005 12:42:31 PM

I just got a 625, and was really disappointed when they said the USB port doesn't "do anything yet".. as I also wanted to connect to my PC to make DVD's.. I have a Sony Vaio with Media XP and it will record programs like a DVR., even control a cable or satellite digital rec'r.. so I am making them take out the 624 and set up another rec'r by the PC.. Its really lame they don't have an output for a computer. You have to use the RCA/S jacks and connect it to a DVD recorder, or even worse, tape it on a vcr and then play into computer.. ugh..

Posted by: Rob at Jun 6, 2005 10:27:56 AM

I just finished reading all the posts here, and I got to say I haven't had a single problem with my DISH Player-DVR 625 dual receiver. I've had it for about 2 months now and the shows I recorded on the first day of ownership have not been erased at al, despite the fact I have never watched them yet.

I think the 625 series have had major improvements done to it over all the 500 series. The only real complaint is that recorded shows sometimes freeze for a second during playing, but I've had friends say the same thing about their TiVo systems and such. And it does suck having a USB port on the back that really doesn't do anything yet, but the receiver does have ample Out RCA jacks to transfer to a recordable DVD drive without any problems.

Posted by: Flash at Jun 8, 2005 10:39:10 AM

My 522 was replaced yesterday. One of the tuners went out. The tech said he has replaced a lot of 522s but no problems with the 625 yet. He also said the only difference between the 625 and the 522 was the size of the harddrive. (More memory for video on demand.) He also said there were problems with the multiswitch in hot areas like attics. I have a SuperDish.

Posted by: ftwguy2 at Jun 13, 2005 10:01:54 AM

Listen, you crybabys all need to get off the couch and get a life. I worked in E*'s sales confirmation and Tech Support, and now I work for the evil Radio Satan (now go ahead and hate me for being right :-p)

If you think you can class action over lost recordings, you're probably in for a surprise. I'm no lawyer, but I'm thinking unless you get a recording of the conversation (which is not admissible unless you get the permission of Customer Service) then it's gonna boil down to he-said she-said. And MAYBE having lots of people yelling the same thing, it will pan out to a $5 credit.

Okay, face it. You're gonna lose recordings on ANY system. Maybe less on TiVO cause Sony builds all their own stuff, so you might get a better product for the price- though most of the stuff I see from Camp Sony now is amounting to crap.

As far as not being told about the upgrade fee being charged for the 625, I'm pretty sure if you would have listened to the Sales Confirmation rep, you would've heard that. They read from scripts, people. It's their job to be repetitious (rep-uh-tish-us, sound it out!).

Your DVR system, if you get any knowledgable TS on the phone (like Advanced Tech), will perform far better if you do a Front Panel Reset on it once in a while. Hold the power button down for 5 seconds and violà- no more shutdowns and lost recordings! You can do this anytime that you can bear the TV being off for 7 minutes or so. If you have these problems like freezing, call and ask for AT and they will get info from you on the software version, what you were trying to do with your box, etc. This will make your 522/510 whatever stronger, faster, smarter! Now it can work better!

You can also try to put your box somewhere it will not be disturbed by movement in the house and by following the instructions on the top of the box and unplugging, letting it sit for 30 seconds before you move it.

To be honest, I haven't reset my box for several months. I've had a 522 since July '04, and I've never lost recordings. Maybe I got a special one cause I was with the company at the time, but I doubt it. The installer didn't know anything about it until I mentioned my employer to him afterward.

Anyway, sorry for the rudeness, and remember that *you* make your experience better by helping whoever your satellite provider improve service... Death to Cable!

Posted by: Dana at Jun 13, 2005 9:07:19 PM

I have been reading this site and was happy to know that I was not the only one having problems. The last post/flame, by Dana, was uncalled for. You worked in "E*'s sales confirmation and Tech Support", big deal. I am a software engineer with a background in electronics, who cares. Most of us have had problems with with the hardware and that is the experience we are sharing.

Posted by: ftwguy2 at Jun 14, 2005 10:35:21 AM

Listen, you've obviously missed my point. I have seen these problems in multiple systems every day while I was with E*. If you truly have a problem, ranting in this blog will do nothing. You need to call them (Dish Network). Be persistent and make sure you hear typing when the rep says that they are noting this in the account- yes, there are good reps and bad ones. Bad ones will promise you the world for nothing. I agree that sometimes you have to be brutal to get what you want from DN, but they will bend to keep good customers. There are things you can do that will help your getting what you want, things I can't really share other than think of the old moral "You must spend money to make money".

Also, ftw, did you get your system installed by DNSC (Dish Network Service Company) or a local installer? I could give you horror stories about some of the installers. If I had to venture an uneducated guess, I'd say it was a shady local guy that did it.

Posted by: Dana at Jun 14, 2005 1:55:55 PM

SOLUTIONS Ive found work with my DVR-522:

1> P: B&W Color issues during playback
S: Let latest software download

2> P: Videos briefly pausing during playback while recording/viewing on second TV
S: Let the unit do its HDD maintenance each night at a time you arent awake, sine I quit interupting it my videos dont freeze anymore, however I did the below around the same time, so it might have something to do with it also.

3> P: Unit Freezing, once unplugged and plugged back in recordings gone or some corrupted
S: I plugged a Radio Shack voltage meter into my outlet and let it log via serial voltages, waiting for the video to lock up. After 4 days it did it and my voltage had dipped to 107 right before. So I then did testing and found if the voltage dips below 109 the DVR locks commonly.
By placing a 650va APC Battery bakup ($60) on the unit the voltage is kept nicely at 117-121 (even when the AC kicks on). Since doing this I had not lost one single recording nor had the unit lock up or need to be rebooted. BTW I purchased the APC with cable/phone protection and use it for the sat cable (with no signal loss) and phone to protect from surges there. Six months and I now love my DVR 522, except the useless USB port of course.

*** NOTICE ***
I do want to note, a friend purchased a cheap Triplite on sale for $20 at home depot, although it does keep the power from cutting out on his during brown/black outs it doesnt seem to keep the voltage leveled like the APC. I dont have any comparison with a $40+ Triplitte however. Once he replaced it with the APC (American Power Conversions) 350va unit it worked great for him as well.

APC Part Numbers and MSRP:
Part Number : BE650BB
Estimated Resale Price* : $79.99

Personally I have the following plugged into this working great, black out life about 40 minutes when only DVR is on:
Xbox - Battery Plug
DVR522 - Battery Plug, Coax and phone plug
Home Audio Receiver/Decoder - Surge Plug
31 Inch CRT TV - Surge Plug
JVC VCR - Surge Plug

Part Number : BE350U
Estimated Resale Price* : $39.99

My friend has the following plugged into this:
DVR 522 - Battery Plug
PS2 - Battery Plug
Xbox - Battery Plug
25 inch TV - Surge plug
During a black out life about 13 minutes when only DVR is on.

Posted by: ParisDragon at Jun 24, 2005 11:37:08 PM

I've had a 522 for iver a year now. I got it in June of 2004. I haven't had any problems with it at all. it's still got a ton of stuff I recorded on it in the last year. I no longer have dishnetwork but I still have the reveiver/dvr. Now I have regular cable tv. Is there any way I can record off of cable into this thing? Is there a video input in this thing somewhere?

Posted by: Paul at Jun 28, 2005 3:40:51 PM

Hi folks. I had a 501 crap out on me after a couple of years (yeah, lost everything) and got it replaced. Now my 510 is acting flaky. The only time it records properly is when it is on a timer and I leave the unit completely alone while it is recording. If I try to watch another recording, then the current recording is messed up. If I try to record on the fly (hitting the record button while a program is starting), it messes up. Messed up means when I select the program and hit start, everything freezes for awhile, the program eventually starts (sometimes with the menu overlayed) and then plays along while occasionally jumping ahead a few seconds. Stopping the playback also results in a freeze and then I am able to eventually delete the program. So far, none of my previously stored programs have been damaged, but I am currently copying them off to a DVD burner I have hooked up just in case. I called tech support once to report the problem because it happened right after the latest software upgrade, but the 501 (same software, same upgrade) doesn't have the same problem. So I think it's this particular 510 unit. I'm going to call tech support again and requst an RA, but has anyone else ever had this problem?

Posted by: Laurie at Jul 9, 2005 6:30:16 PM

Does anyone know the universal code for the dvr 522. I am trying to use my TV remote instead of thiers. I call dish network, they new everyone elses code but not thier own.

Posted by: steve at Jul 11, 2005 8:13:26 AM

I also have had 522 failures. 1st was after 6 months. Erased everything when I was gone on vacation. Prior to that only indication was poor synchronization between audio and video in playback mode. Looked like a bad lypsync. DishNetwork replaced it. New (remanufactured) one failed in 2 months. Complete crash no way to access it. Customer service authorized another return but wasn't sympathetic to my inconvenience. I have taken Dana's (6/14/05 post) advice and purchased the APC BE350U battery backup/surge protector. Got it at Circuit City for $39.95. It's a shame DishNetwork doesn't recognize and correct this. Regular computers don't seem to have this problem. When I called in to register the new unit the tech confirmed that most hard drive failures are due to voltage fluctuations. Hope this works. I'd appreciate hearing constructive feedback from anybody else re: this issue. I'd also like to figure out a way to get the message to DishNetwork that they need to proactively deal with this issue and in a customer friendly manner. I sent e-mails and snail mail to Charlie Ergen et al. Anybody got any other ideas?

Posted by: MC Golfer at Jul 13, 2005 6:16:49 AM

DirecTV is the only way to go!!! I am counting the days (I have exactly 89 to go) until I can go back to DirecTV. Dish has been a nightmare, and I have been trying to find ways out of it since October when I was tricked into this whole deal.

For the guy that mentioned the class action lawsuit, let me know. I am all in when you decide to do it. Dish SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Jay at Jul 14, 2005 8:25:53 PM

Wow...for all of you who are actually paying these jerks for literally no service, why don't you cancel your services with Dishcrap and hack it - it is sooooo easy. All PPV's everything is wide open and it doesn't really go down - maybe once every 4-5 months...That's what these fuckers deserve for the service that they are offering !

Posted by: Dada at Jul 16, 2005 1:55:10 PM

We have a 625 and just woke up this morning to find that 55 hours of programming was gone. Some of it is practically irreplaceable. I called the local company and they had never heard of this problem. I searched the Internet and found this site. I am waiting for a call back from tech support, but I am not optimistic. How can I trust a system that deletes all my programming now and then?

Posted by: Robert at Jul 20, 2005 5:53:59 PM

What the F#&$!!!!

I hate this piece of $hi###!!!!

Posted by: Snodd Shellfish at Jul 27, 2005 2:23:38 PM

So, I got dish network in december, only because my mom moved in with me and couldn't live without tv. First we sign up for $34.99 deal free dvr, free local channels blah blah blah. Almost every month since, the bill has steadily climbed, and we are now at $67 something per month. We were upset, but didn't really think of cancelling the service. We called customer no-service and told them, we can't pay the bill right now, but we will in 3 days. 2 days later, the checking account get's charged $500, when we call to complain they said it was because they hadn't received the equipment yet, when we received the lables, we should have sent the equipment right away. WTF, we never got any lables because we weren't going to cancel the service. HMMMM I think that has changed. So they send us the lables for us to return the equipment, while reading the stuff in the packaging, there is something about a l-somthing that needs to be returned, when I called customer service they said that was the arm on the dish. They want me to climb up on the roof, and take the arm off the dish, and mail it to them.... F IT. I'm not going to, if they want the damn thing back, they can come get it. That is not my responsibility. FCC, BBB here I come!

Posted by: Diz at Jul 30, 2005 1:04:05 AM

Dish Network, Direct TV, Tvio these are companies that just want to ripp you off and stick at you with out soporific relief at every acute angle possible. They do not think of us as human beings, instead, consumers who need to be wiped off every single cent we might hold or earn with our hard work. They know that this technology is not perfect, still they make contracts seemingly representing that these apparatus are in excellent function, and that if something happens its not their fault but ours. Humm, what kind of planet we live in??? I wonder how many people are caught in this cituation!! The worst thing is that all of these machines are assembled in Mexico or Korea, and "Made" in China. So both ways its a win win cituation for them, and who is them? Multi billionares who all they care is about their money and how to make more money with the least expenditure possible. Which is how this country is being, and has been run since around the 1800s. Incredible to know that with 1000 poeple using the service with a simple contract that compiles you into paying monthly at a rate of about $39.99, will give an income of 39990 $ per month to these companies, and now multiply that times 12 for 1 year. And this is Just an example. Now with the CAFTA free commerce deal we got with the Central America countries, Industries will benefit by using the cheapest labor possible there to decrease their cost, and charge it here at a 400 to 700 % more than its real value. Is it fair? Lots and lots of laws commanding us here, yet people with money govern these laws because it is easy for them to loose one million in taxes in orther to make 5. But tell that to the millions of Americans who barely have enough to live day by day, and those who actually makeit , forget that stage and are fool and blinded by this burocracy that actually works in a sense that we can all live, but live in a cage like an animal in a circus. What bothers me is that Dish Network is one example of all of this paranormal world by Using legal lies to supposely make our lives more bearable. ahhhh I am tired of this BSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. aren't you? I want to be able to get off a contract whenever I want, for the companies to have common sense, for them not to see us as working human beings, and not as consumer statistics.... is it fair??? Sorry guys I just had to let it all out....

Posted by: JJ at Aug 2, 2005 8:51:31 AM

To the moron squealing that he's a tech, and that we should just get used to the equipment malfunctioning, screw you.

It's not the customers fault that dish tv can't get their equipment to operate as represented.

Posted by: booboo at Aug 2, 2005 6:24:08 PM

BAIT & SWITCH:
$19.99 for 12 months for America's Top 120 with Locals

If anybody has the original ad for the Dish Network promo active from April-June of 2005, could you please scan it for me and email it to javajoeyp@aol.com?

I signed up for this May 31, 2005. When upgrading my equipment later, a customer support representative asked me if I would like to add HBO/Showtime for three months free. She assured me this would not include any additional fees including cancellation fees. I agreed.

Now, upon reviewing my billing statement, I discover that upon signing up for the 3 months of free HBO/Showtime, I have been switched to another package for America's Top 120 Channels with Locals for $30.99 a month for 12 months (with 3 months of HBO/Showtime free).

Why would any customer agree to that package when HBO and Showtime only cost $22.99 a month? By switching packages, I am paying an extra $10 per month for 12 months, totalling $120, for only three months of HBO and Showtime. It would only cost me $69.00 if I paid for HBO and Showtime separately for three months on my original package at $19.99 for 12 months.

I called Dish Network to complain and they are denying that they ever had such a special promotion. I am trying to find the original advertisement to prove it as there is nothing on my receipt or contract. Please if you have any info, email me at Javajoeyp@aol.com. Thanks!

Posted by: KCostanzo at Aug 5, 2005 3:25:55 PM

Well, my new 625 not only lost all my recordings it totally won't work. I can't even watch TV now with the system.
Dish is sending me a new one and giving me five days credit but I want something that works, ALL THE TIME.

Posted by: Tom at Aug 8, 2005 9:52:25 AM

I just want to know if I can, or how I can, connect the 522 to my pc and download the 40 hours of DBZ and DBGT. I have a TV card in one of my PC,s but dont feel like controlling the many hours it will take to record the shows.

Posted by: Another FW dude at Aug 12, 2005 11:33:54 AM

Hey BooBoo
They still have that promo running. My mom works for Dish in denver so I know for sure. Where i live there is no cable so if i want tv i either deal with 3 stations or get a dish. Sucks to be me huh. and i dont even like them i used to work for comcast so.....

Posted by: Katie at Aug 15, 2005 8:44:46 AM

I have had nothing but problems with my 510 box since day one and there seems to be no solution in sight. After you complain enouugh they send you out a refurbished box that is just as screwed up as the one before it. Instead of admitting all the boxes are no good they say a refurbished box will solve the problem. Three boxes later they all have same problems, even the one I got this week only worked for three days before it screwed up. After all this they will not send me a upgraded box just the old boxes which are very flawed and frustrating to use. What can I do get a box that works?

Posted by: Bruce at Aug 17, 2005 12:11:22 PM

Free Dish Network Satellite TV System
http://www.1-dish-network-satellite-tv.com/

Free Direct TV Satellite TV System
http://www.direct-tv-now.com/

Posted by: Free Satellite Dish ! at Aug 18, 2005 8:34:33 PM

My 510 reciever had all of the problems that other people complained about (erasing etc.) This last time I did all of the resets and also pulled the smart card out for awhile leaving the unit on. I havent had anymore problems for the last month (cross my fingers). I think leaving the unit on with the inactivity power down enabled seems to work the best for me. Still wish there was an easier faster way to record to disk rather than having to play the program in real time to a recorder. I have had Dish in Alaska now since it was first available (many many years) and still love it.

Posted by: Eddy at Aug 19, 2005 12:14:46 PM

I have a Dish network PVR reciever and when I connect it to a capture card either through a VCR composite Video or straight to the card with a s video cable , the picture quilty is bad , but when I play a VCR tape the quilty is as good as a vcr can be.

Does anyone have a solution ?
I have a v-stream DVD PCI capture card.

Thanks for any info

Posted by: JRThomps at Aug 20, 2005 5:37:17 PM

Yep i said it! FUCK YOU DISH NETWORK and DIRECTV TOO!!! both of them suck... i just spent the last hr reading everyones complaints only to find out that i have made damn near every complaint to "Customer Service your bank account and break it off in your ass real hard and deep" and get nowhere cept really pissed off!!!!! Some of the shit has happened more than it should.. like replacements... get this fuckin dish has been bitchin that its the end user that fucks up there shit(receiver) its not them... but when you look and read maybe thats just not so... i DO KNOW that the fuckin hard drives are fuckin shit!!! especially the 522's i have the EXACT same hd the 522 uses in my computer.. bought it form the comp usa... have had it replaced 6 times.. but on the 5 time i was told that they would not honor the replacement anymore because i have had excessive replacements... and each time i had to pay a 20 dollar service fee... well this last time after an hr of cussin and threatning to sue they dropped the charges and made a note that i would be able to get free replacements... yeah yeah i know it dont look relevant but it is... trust me!! the only way to fix the hard drives w/o replacements was to format and start over well fuck that... it did it once it will doit again.. now back to the 522.. since i have the same hard drive in both of my fucked off 522's... that is in my pc... i thought hmm.... so i looked in the system setup and went to diagnostics... geee guess what i see something for hard drive but you cant access it... but if you go to counters and use your page up and down buttons you will CLEARLY see on number 26 that it says and i quote "Reformat Partition" which means you lose all your shit when this happens.. why does this happen you ask? well its easy... its called fuckin junk!! or rather faulty parts.. specifically the hard drive... something messes up on the linux partition that dish and dtv use on the dvr/tivo's and it causes the system to not read the drive.. therefore it begins a diagnostic when no one is looking ( i think this only runs when it has been inactive for a while) and the end result to fix the problem is number 26 reformat .. you lose all your shit at the cost of being able to record again.. (See how the part about my pc was relevant?)

well i say FUCK THAT SHIT HOW HARD IS IT TO JUST SWITCH OVER TO ANOTHER HARD DRIVE THAT IS A 120 GIG THAT DOES NOT HAVE A KNOWN PROBLEM????? then sell your product.

Directv is just like dish ... they read that little book that is given with steps to that are supposed to benifit the customer when in reality it just pisses us off!! they always claim that what you say is incorrect and that you need to turn it off .. well fuck i got news for em!! that dont work!!!!!! i hate to say it to those that use dtv but guy and girls.. they really are NO better than dish.. cept that there shit dont fuck up AS much... but when it does i can promise you that you will go through the same shit as you will or have with dish... something that none of them will tell you... well they have promos for existing customers just like the new ones ... that bait that sucks you in?? but unless you ride on them they wont admit the offer like.. say you see on the tv hbo/show free for 6 months for new ppl... bug the fuck out of them and they will admit the do that for existing customers too... trust me i know i bugged em!! they dont tell you this because they have been told not to because that greedy fat fuck will lose money!!!

and yeah i have been charged money that i wasnt supposed to be charged.. and they have taken money out of my account after then said they wouldnt.. which in the first place most of us (unless you do auto bill pay) never gave them permission to access your bank account. granted you have to give credit card info to get the shit in the first place but if you listen real close they ask you for permission to use that info this "ONE" time only ... yep one time not when they please like they seem to do anyways... but the funny shit is i can say whatever i want to hear and it doesnt do anygood.. but i bet when those fuckers read my emails and shit i sent to them they will at least give it some thought.. though the final outcome to the service providers is fuck him... let him cancel we will get his 500 for cancelling. and still make money off everyone else... well to everyone that has posted on here very very few ppl make complaints to the main office... thats what ya gotta do... but just 1 or 200 ppl doing it wont be enough... so my suggestion is talk to aas many ppl as you can find out if they got a satellite and tell them your problems listen to theres and tell them to mail and email the complaints to the main offices and make sure they do them same with as many ppl as possible. then you get the mass audience of customers that are like me and fuckin pissed off bitchin at the owners they will pay heed and hopefully the problem will be addressed... but i must warn... if lotsa ppl do this and then they get mad and go fuck it and cancel the contract (if you are still under one) all that's gonna do is make them more money... which is what they want and then they still ignore us...

anyhow yeah i got tivo now and is fuckin blows worse than the dish... and they really do fuck you on the phone when you call with a problem or tell them i cant make this payment its gonna be late...

the fuckers turned me over to a collection agency.. and then swore up and down that they did not!!! but then fucker ass collection agency says otherwise and the fact that my service and account was shut off says otherwise also!!

so i say fuck it if you can find a satellite system that only costs money ONE time to buy the equipment and there is no monthly charge to watch... then cut your loss fork out that extra money for it and fork out that extra 150-800 to cancel your contract and shove there equipment right up there smelly asses
and just so you all know i did run across a company not to long ago that sold such satellite equipment.. and it didnt use any wafer(smart) cards BUT you had to pay for PPV that was the only extra charges... shit i cant complain and the prices looked reasonable too!!

Sorry to anyone i offended... im just really pissed cuz im tired of paying good money for practically nothing... shit i would rather literally burn my money once a month than give anymore to the satellites sluts!!!

Posted by: Fuck Dish at Aug 21, 2005 10:36:00 PM

oh yeah and for those that would still say my bitching does no good on here.. go back and read cuz i already said i sent email and mail to the fuckers saying the same shit i said here

Posted by: Fuck Dish at Aug 21, 2005 10:43:49 PM

Hey, I know it's hard to find places to complain, but what good does complaining do here?

I've had the DishDVR 625 for a couple of months, and I love it.

Works great, and for cheaper than the price of Comcast I get a DVR (PVR) AND TiVO-like service thrown in for (what is in effect) free. Hard to complain about that. MUCH better than cable. And MUCH easier than my attempt to use my computer as a DVR (I wasted months doing this).

My only complaints: 1. not being able to take a digital broadcast and save it as a digital broadcast (without pass through to analog first). (This is no more a threat to Copyright than recording to VCRs were.) 2: picture quality could be better. Often looks like a bad jpeg due to Satellite company's over-compression of video.

Posted by: John Sullivan at Aug 26, 2005 12:49:02 AM

I switched from Cable to Dish network in late March- 522 dumped all recordings about two months ago, I got the, We are sorry here is $4.95 credit. Well it just dumped another 40 hrs. of recorded shows yesterday. I got two months of dvr credit this time and they are sending me a new one. I told the guy on the phone I would like the 625 to replace the 522 - not gonna happen. I like dish's programming and the DVr 522, but another dump I'm not sure what I'll do. Another note is the first time it dumped recordings I lost local programming on the 301 receiver, same thing this time, tech support didn't think it meant anything. Also my 522 locked up before the dump as i was accessing their new interactive software so?

Posted by: Roger at Aug 30, 2005 4:03:17 PM

You know, I never thought I'd be adding to a blog, but here I go. I have had Dish Network since we moved into our new home in Southern California last July. Two guys came to the door with Dish Network logos on their van and shirts and next thing you know we have Dish Network installed. One 522 controlling master bedroom and living room, two 510s in the guest and exercise rooms. Over the last year, we have had our hard drive on the 522 wiped out at least 5 times. After the second time, we called Dish and complained and they send us a "new" 522. We had that for about two months before it took a crap also. After the second time the second 522 crashed, we called Dish again and they sent a "new" one. Then last week that one went south also, and instead of just dumping the hard drive contents, it completely stopped working altogether, no TV no nothing. Dish said all they could do was send us another one in the mail again, but this time they were kind enough to mention (during my ranting and raving and cursing them all to hell and back) that this is a "known issue" and they get calls like this all the time from people who had the same problem. So, here I was yesterday reading this whole blog page about the DVRs crashing all the time and hoped my luck had turned this third time around. I got home, opened the box from Dish, put in the "new" 522, and guess what, the piece of crap gets TV but the hard drive is totally inaccessible and according to Dish, is "irreparable" and "failed out of the box". This time they were nice enough to clue me into the fact that we have not been getting "new" boxes, but "reconditioned" boxes which "should have been tested prior to being sent out by our engineering department". I'm an engineer. I can guarantee the quality processes we use at my company versus at Dish are worlds apart. So this time I called Dish, asked for a supervisor immediately, and told them I know I'm not under contract anymore and that I was going to cancel my service if they could not make me some offer I couldn't refuse. I told them that for 100 bucks a month (we have 4 DVRs and every freaking channel) I would think they would want to keep me as a customer. Their response, "let me transfer you to our cancellation department." Honestly, they don't care one way or the other what we do. The only thing I was able to get out of them was to send me another not-new 522 in the mail and credit us for "time without service". At least this time I told them I was NOT going to pay 14.99 for shipping, they can eat that. I also asked if I could upgrade to the 625 which is essentially the same box I think but seems to be less problematic. They said that's not an option, and trust me I pressed the issue. Then I asked if they could take their 522 back and send me two 510s as my other 510s have had no problems. This, of course, was not an option either. She mentioned something about the equipment you get being under lifetime exchange only not upgrade or swap for different models. I am totally fed up with Dish Network. I called Direct TV immediately and asked them to give me the rundown and guess what, they would cost me at least 15 bucks a month more than I'm paying now for less features, less recorders, and they will require a 2 year contract instead of 12 months. What happened to how satellite was supposed to be so much better than cable??? If someone is actually going to start the ball on a "class action" lawsuit, sign me up. I'm all for it.

Posted by: Tim at Aug 31, 2005 9:22:35 AM

I've never had my hard drive reformat itself but I always keep it near empty. Could the problem be that once you have written to the end of the disk (and deleted behind yourself) the machine does not know how to go back? No garbage collection? Has anyone actually had the disk full and the box start deleting/overwriting previously saved programs? This question is just the engineer in me that sees areas that were not fully tested.

Posted by: ftworthguy2 at Sep 1, 2005 10:12:35 AM

Ugh. My Dish DVR just crashed and erased my shows too. Had 100 hours of media.

Sometimes i just call their 1800 number to tell them how much I hate them. You should do that too.

Posted by: Jay Smith at Sep 2, 2005 12:36:15 PM

The unumrous compliants I see here are, for the most part not part of my daily grind. I do, however have two problems that are repetive; one is the DVR 522 freezes up when I attempt to review what is coming next. The other unit, in my bedroom loses lock (signal) on a regular basis, about every two or three minutes. If I go and check singal strength it is low, so i change transponders and it is good to go for a half hour or so. If I were to switch it with another receiver the new one does the same thing after a week or so. I believe it is a impedance match problem, but try to discuss it with Dish. The other 5 receivers throughout my house work find and have for a year, so, I guess I'm much better than the rest of you, but it doesn't make me feel any better. I believe the problem lies eith using software that is from the dark ages. If Mac was the core of the receivers we would not have this problem for long.

Posted by: Ed at Sep 3, 2005 9:02:34 PM

I'm new to Dish (I’ve had it three days now) and I hate it already. I had DirecTV and I miss it. It looks like Dish Network started changing the encryption algorithm over to Nagra2 for certain channels in March of 05. From some of your postings it appears quite a few people had their drives wiped out during this time. Dish has been converting small blocks of channels at regular intervals and maybe the software updates that come with these changes cause the drive to be "wiped out"; I don’t think the files are completely gone, they just cant be read by the new software.

The two other obvious problems are line voltage sensitivity (someone already covered this one) and the high temperatures the hard drives are exposed to. I have two 522's and they both get very hot. I would be surprised if this didn't cause data corruption from time to time.

Or maybe Dish just likes to wipe out your favorite shows to piss you off.

Posted by: Brian Millspaugh at Sep 7, 2005 9:10:28 PM

Just had another wipeout. My first happened on July 20th, and I lost 55 hours of programming. It just happened again tonight, and we lost around 40 hours. My wife was watching a show, and the screen froze. She got a message that Disk Diagnostics was running, and it would take 45 minutes. So, she hit cancel, and it proceeded to clean the hard drive. That's 2 times, on 2 different receivers, in 2 months. I want my money back.

Posted by: Robert at Sep 8, 2005 6:56:12 PM

My wife just informed me that we lost 78 hours of programming on our 625. 78 hours, not 40! We had DirecTV for 2 years, and never a problem. I had several episodes of Lost, which is in reruns, that I have never seen. The new episodes start in a couple of weeks, and now the episodes are gone.

Posted by: Robert at Sep 8, 2005 7:00:55 PM

The Dish Saga continues....
So after this last crash of the 522, and after having the one that was sent as a replacement crash on us out of the box due to hard drive failure, we got yet another one sent to us and so far it's worked for about 10 days... I can only wonder when it's going to take a dump next on us. I would have to say that although losing tv shows is a pain in the butt when you can't get them back again, the biggest pain is redoing all the timers. That's a job in itself. If you watch a lot of shows as we do, then you know what I mean. It's pretty sad that I had to make a spreadsheet for each day showing what all needs to be set up so that next time this happens I'm not wondering what I forgot about. All in all, when it works, it's great. When it crashes on you, it's the pits. But Direct TV can't match the features and options we have (when it's working) for nearly the price we pay now. Plus we're not under contract anymore and I'm not about to sign away another 2 years with Direct TV or anyone else for that matter. My advice in a nut shell is this: If you can get the same or better features/channels/options from Direct TV or elsewhere as you're getting now, for a lower price or maybe even the same price, and don't mind signing up for another year or two with that company, then do it. Otherwise if you're like me and in it for the long run, then keep these tips in mind:
1) 522s WILL crash and are more problematic then the single tuner models, period.
2) Be prepared for that day to come... write down the timers you have set up and that way you won't have to take so long to set them up next time.
3) Don't make it a habit to store shows and/or movies on your DVR like you can keep them there forever. If you watch something and are done with it, erase it or burn it to DVD or VCR tape, then delete it. If you tape something that you missed while away from home, watch it and get it over with. You never know how long it's going to be there.
4) When your unit crashes (it's inevitable in my opinion), call Dish and be prepared for the fact that everyone there is an idiot and they aren't going to do or say anything miraculous like "oh guess what we fixed that problem in the latest build" or "don't worry your pretty little head, we'll upgrade your system to a new model for free" or "oh, that happened because of xyz which next time you can do to prevent this". It won't happen. Just get to the point and tell them your unit crashed (again) and that you need a replacement unit sent ASAFP.
5) Do not let them charge you for shipping. If they don't bring it up then they are probably going to stick it on your bill. It was 14.99 on ours until we threw a hissy fit. It's their problem and shouldn't cost you anything just because it crashed.
6) Make them credit your account for "time without service". And more importantly, don't let them credit you for the same amount as the shipping so that you zero out. Make them waive the shipping and also credit you for time without service.
7) Get details about who you're speaking with (first and last name or employee number or something of substance) and write it down so that you can get back to that person if there's a dispute about the terms you agreed upon.
8) Check your bill. Make sure they credited you for what was promised.

Other than that, I can't say much else. Good luck!

Posted by: Tim at Sep 13, 2005 4:06:26 PM

Wow, thanks everyone for posting, and thanks to the person who set up this post. We have Directv, and my wife told me to look into switching to Dish Network, taking advantage of the bundle for $85 (DSL, Dish Network w/DVR, Local Phone).

I AM SO GLAD that I found tons of information about the problems with Dish Network. I found that the bundle SBC is offering includes the 522 model - - the worst model ever created on planet Earth.

I guess SBC is doing this to clear out the 522 from their warehouses. (SBC bought Echostar).

I learned something very critical this evening -

Dish Network is a crappy company, who's only regard is purely economics - Buying the cheapest hard drive to include in the 522 DVR model, with no regard to the performance of the hard drive, and the satisfaction of their customers.

It makes sense, however, that this would be their business strategy. When people sign up, they sign contracts for one to two years. Dish Network's only business plan is to get these contracts signed, to generate a future revenue stream.

Dish Network is not an honest company by lying to consumers about the quality of the equipment they are leasing. Yes, Dish Network is actually lying by withholding information that they already know to be proven, through numerous customer testimonials, and through the numerous replacements they've performed on the 522 model.

Dish Network engineers are simply recycling the same 522 models that people are returning. Dish Network knows that the models work for some time, then they will break. So, they don't even need to check them. All Dish Network needs to do is to continue shipping out the "defective models" coming in. They know that the reason people returned them was because the 522 erased their shows, but they continue working (except in the cases where they froze).

I would encourage each person who experiences this problem to contact their state attorney general, so an investigation can be made. This is not the only blog I came across. You can Google and find tons of information relating to the 522 malfunctioning. And, the state attorneys general will do the same, however, they will see possible criminal acts in a company recycling 522 models with a documented defect.

Thanks, evryone for posting. It does serve a purpose. There are many people who read these posts and do not reply, since they are only browsing, and have not been affected. But, these people will stay clear of Dish Network.

Sure, in the back of my mind, I thought I could still order a newer model and switch to Dish Network.

But, my common sense thwarts any nonsensical action.

From what I have observed, on this blog, and on many, many others, is that Dish Network does not provide support for their customers.

Dish Network is not on my side as a consumer, ensuring that I receive only the highest quality sattelite service, and the highest quality customer service.

Dish Network is actually confused about what customer service really is. I worked for 11 years with AT&T International billing, and I have a very good sense of what customer service is.

Customer service is not having an action plan that covers specific scenarios that customers may encounter.

Customer Service is not having a representative available to answer your call, and respond to your concern with a solution that meets their business needs.

Customer Service is not about saying, "Sorry," "Here's credit," and other similar comments.

For those who do not (like Dish Network) know what constitutes excellent service, I can inform you.

It is being the customer's advocate!

It is making the customer's problem, the representative's problem, and, thus, the company's problem.

This recognition would have a big impact on the satisfaction levels of many of their customers, and on the company's tarnished reputation.

Dish Network could make the customer's problem their problem, and decide to find a final solution.

Dish Networkl could decide to take a loss and replace all the DVR models that have "known issues."

The very weak-minded exceutives at Dish Netowkr cannot imagine the impact this would have on their company.

How much money is spent for each caller who dials into their 800#?

How much money is spent on having representatives available to handle these recurring and similar concerns?

How much future revenue is lost from existing customers who may decide to never use Dish Network again?

How much are the total shipping costs, especially for the repeated shipping costs for customers who experience recurrent malfunctions?

How much are the total costs for the "time of service" credits being issued while the replacement (reconditioned) DVR is on the way to the customer's home?

How much revenue is lost for complementary goods not being purchased by their existing customers? (Their existing customers are not going to purchase additional services, based upon the inferior service currently being provided to them.)

Most importantly, how much immediate revenue is never gained by prospective consumers learning about the ineffectiveness of Dish Network to properly care for their existing customer? (news spread by word of mouth, blogs, etc.)

A company may be dire straits when all these costs are considered as true costs. But, the reason Dish Network has not budged in becoming the customer's advocate and changing it's current practices, is because these costs described above are hidden with the structure of the business.

For example, Dish Network may attempt to upsell their existing customers more boldy, to counter a drop in sales of complementary goods.

Dish Network may streamline the call flow by their representatives, to more efficiently handle an increased call volume regarding the same problem (malfunctioning DVRs). This would be done by stricter measurements of representative's talk times, stricter adherence to representative's work schedule, etc.

I do not want to discuss each item that was outlined above, however, I would not be surprised if Dish Network is currently attempting to solve all these problems in the manner I've begun to describe.

The main failure of Dish Network's exceutives is that they have actually been solving the wrong problem.

What Dish Network has done is identified the wrong problem. This results in decreased efficiency of their resources, and with no improvement in the perceived problem.

The perceived problems are all the "costs" described above.

The real problem all centers on their refusal to pull off the market the DVR model 522.

"Costs" would go down, as their business improves in all aspects described above.

Their current practice most likely is getting customers to sign agreements, "churn".

But, the way that Dish Network is handling their business, it's more like "churn" and "burn." The customers are getting burned by the lack of advocacy expressed by Dish Network towards resolution of their problems, and Dish Netowkr is getting "burned" by all the costs associated with this lack of advocacy.

Hope this helps everyone, especially Dish Network, understand that there is a better way to do business. There's always a better way. You have to be creative, and think outside the box. You must identify and solve the REAL problem, not a percived problem.

Andrew

Posted by: andrew m at Sep 17, 2005 12:04:19 AM

i used to work for the company as an advance tech, and i know the ins and out of the system. the first thing is do not look at just numbers, look a percentages. that is more meaningful. if you were incharge of quality at a plant and 99.99 percent of a batch of receivers were good, would you ok it? yes you would. now is you made about 2 million recs a year, how many of your recs would be bad? that would be 20000 recs that are no good. now for any rec to be replaced, sign up for warranty and the rec will be replaced at no cost, you can cancel the warranty after 1 hour since there is usually no term to keep the warranty, this will work 100% of the time when you want a rec mailed out to you. if you want someone to come out to your house for free, after you signup for the warranty, leave the warranty on your account and when they try to charge you the 29$ for the service call, ask to be trasfered to the cancelation department called "winback" usually with a good billing history, rather than losing your money, they will send some one out to your house free, this will work 99% of the time provided you have a good billing history, and once this is set, you can call back in 1 hr and remove the warranty, because there is no term to hold the warranty you can call in 1 hr and take it off, the free trouble call will still stand, with the warranty on your account, anyhthing can be ****shipped***** to your house for free, no s&h fees.
also guys the 921 rec amongst adv tech is known as a piece of shit. sold for 700-1000, but not work $10, we have this thing called known rec issues list or kri list, and the 921 has more unfixable problems than all the other rec combined. the change fromt the 522 to the 625 is that the 625 has a bigger hard drive which allows it to download movies so you can have a video on demand experience. and also guys please do not go blaming dish for your lazy behavior, before you get dish, go online and learn more about the system and its various recs, or call and ask to talk to adv tech and be patient once you get one, ask them about the features of any rec that you might be interested in, trust me guys we love these calls, it is a nice break, from dealing with guys who think they know the whole world and try to threaten you over the phone, everytime your phone loses all sound but when you speak we reply, we are putting you in and out of mute and cursing at you or just laughing at you, so please dont be an ass when you call. as an adv tech the difference between charge for a 301 that is 3 years old and a free recs shipped over night with s&h fees waived, and an additional $19+ for time without service, was the way the guy at home talked. regardless for billing history or how long they had been a customer. so please be nice when you call. when it comes to hard drives, like computers, they will fail, sorry, but that is the truth, deal with it, there is not a single computer company that insures the recordings on a hard drive, they all tell you to back up your data, its life. but since you are reading the words of a former for about 2 weeks i will tell you how to have your 625 or any harddrive rec replaced, first the correct way, ask the tech if the software version is correct, if it is, go through all the steps he tells you to and if it works good, if the prob returns, when you call again ask him what the software is if it has since changed, then the problem can not be blamed at all on software because happened on old software and is happening again on new software and the rec has to be replaced, if the software is still the same, then insist that it happened once (they have the history) and that it would happen again, be firm not rude, tell them that you want another rec and if it was leased, it would be replaced for 14.95 at which point if you get the warranty, would be free, then the bad to have a rec replaced, we call it power none, thats when rec, just stops working. just tell the tech that there is a green light on rec that stays on for about 3-7 second after you plug it into an ac outlet, and then it goes out, end of story, do not sugar coat it or you will be caught. stick to this simple plan, if they ask you totake the rec into another room, explain to them that you can not however, there is a power strip and that everything else works on that strip and even put him on hold while you verify and swap the cables on the power strip. stick to this and the rec will be replaced if you are talking to adv tech in 3 mins. gauranteed, if done right. also dont have dish channels blasting in the background while you have adv tech on the phone. also only use this is you hard drive or rec has failed and you are tired of going through trouble shooting every 2 days. got to go now, if you need help, post and i will reply

Posted by: eric at Sep 19, 2005 1:13:51 AM

Mine was erased the EXACT same DAY! Sunday monring (november 18) woke up to find my (almost full) DVR recordings completely erased. I think they did some sofware update that night that totally screwed everything up.

Posted by: serge at Sep 19, 2005 2:56:23 PM

oops should have said september 18...

Posted by: serge at Sep 19, 2005 2:57:09 PM

To Robert,
I saw the disk diagnostics screen a couple of days ago, it specifically says if you do anything it will wipe the disk. So, pressing cancel is not a option. I would assume that a power glitch while this is running would also wipe the disk. If they fixed this "feature" I would think a lot of problems would go away.

Posted by: ftworthguy2 at Sep 20, 2005 11:45:23 AM

http://cssearche.com/food.html
http://cssearche.com/shipping.html
http://cssearche.com/psychic-reading.html
http://cssearche.com/register-a-domain-name.html
http://cssearche.com/mens-health.html

http://cssearche.com/computer-services.html
http://cssearche.com/auto.html
http://cssearche.com/personal-finance.html
http://cssearche.com/services.html
http://cssearche.com/marketing.html

Posted by: max at Sep 20, 2005 3:46:28 PM

I just cancelled Dish after 2 1/2 years, was going to leave in june but was convinced to stay w/free DVR and another system. Turned out wasn't free, and I specifically said that this in no way would extend my contract and they said no problem. I have cancelled and they now say I owe $200 for cancellation, anyone else w/the problem let me know. Hopefully they will bill my credit card so they can duke it out also would be interested in any sort of class action, was totally misadvertised, also never told I was leasing the DVR, WTF!

Thanks for letting me vent,

Patrick Flynn

Posted by: Patrick Flynn at Sep 21, 2005 1:15:59 PM

I am a current dish network customer. I have had many problems with dish, but as yet none of them involve a DVR. I would switch, but directv does not carry local channels for me. Cable is not an option and unavailable for me. So I am stuck with dish. I have been dreaming of a DVR for some time and boy am I glad I found this because I was leaning toward a 522. Since I am stuck with dish and don't have any other options and still want a DVR, what would anyone recommend. I have read this thread a couple of times and so far it seems that the 501 works well without the problems of the others. Can anyone offer me advice on this. Also, when you refer to the RA - Are there any special requirements to be able to do this? Does it have to be a leased unit? Do you have to be under contract? If you purchased the unit can you still get a RA? I'd appreciate any help you can give me. I'm tired of my VHS tapes piling up.

Posted by: Taragirl at Sep 22, 2005 10:33:09 AM

I am currently running a Bell reciever with dishnet software loaded on to it. As all of you know Bell dishnet and directtv have all taken measures to eliminate hacking they`re systems.

Your PVR`s keep crashing because A) they`re systems are still changing over to nagra2 and confusing the hell out of the software thats on they`re hard drives and B) All hard drives on pretty much every computer in any format out there do not like to be filled. They are extremely suseptible to problems when more then 50% memory capacity is used. If you have a 160 gig hardrive in your machine do not exceed 80 gigs. Probably 70 gig just to be safe. Notice how there is not one post refering to losing 5 hours of saved progams? this is not because that loss is to insignifigant to post here it is because it does not happen. Should the company that sold you a device with a large sounding number of "160 gigs" really fess up to never recommending that you actually use all the space? Rule of thumb is half your storage capacity. Also once a hard drive has encountered this problem it is screwed for life. No amount of cleaning or this or that will fix it. It will always remain weak to this type of reoccurence. Refer's will not help you out. Request a new one.

The other hope you have is that Dishnet is the first company to have made a mistake with they're new conversion to nagra2. They will be the first to be rehacked. Beautiful isnt it. :) I will have to buy a new unit from dishnet to take advantage but i will never have to pay them a penny untill they go through the trouble of another mass card swap (lol, so unlikely and prohibitively expensive). Forget the lawsuits. Just get it for free.

Posted by: Joey at Sep 22, 2005 12:14:16 PM

To Andrew, former Dish tech:

We know about mute buttons, hon.

And 99.99 percent of your DVRs are not good. Dish is getting a reputation of having very flaky DVRs -- your service reps know it, your customers know it.

It is very difficult to decipher or read what you wrote, and as a tech, you don't sound like a very knowledgeable one. But most of the problems with your DVRs are software issues, not the hard drives. Hard drives are easy to replace; new manufacturers are easily found. Writing software to run a dual-tuner DVR is extremely difficult -- and your DVRs are very buggy.

Unlike you said, hard drive failure is an extremely rare issue when it comes diagnosing computer problems, DVR issues, and so on. Unfortunately, in lieu of training or advanced knowledge of how these products are engineered, Dish techs and reps suggest about two things: reset the unit or replace the unit. I laughed when Dish suggested I exchange my flaky 522, because as someone in engineering and computing for 25 years, I knew that replacing the unit was an absolute waste of time. I could tell exactly when the problems started and after I pressed enough, the rep admitted there had been a software update coinciding with my problems (and the problems of many others).

The reason that Dish is so gung-ho about replacing units is because it is a quick placation of the customer in lieu of actually solving the problems. Which I don't believe your engineers are up to doing, unfortunately. This also has resulted in the hilarious "back up your recordings" script given to reps.

Hon, we got DVRs for a reason. You know what that is? Do ya KNOW what the point of a DVR is? Have you TRIED a TiVo? Have you HEARD about a lot of hard drive failures on those?

No?

Posted by: snowpuff at Sep 25, 2005 9:59:19 PM

To Eric, the former "advance teh" guy ... you might be a tech dude, but your writing is hard to follow and your math is no better. You say "look at the percentages": if 99.99% of receivers were good, and you make 2 million, that would mean 20,000 bad receivers. Not sure what the hell that's supposed to mean--is this meant to make us all feel better? I guess what you really mean is, 99.99% is a good quality rate but at high volumes, that's still a lot of bad receivers. Like, so what can anybody do about this? But your numbers don't add up. 99.99% success means 0.01% failure. 0.01% of 2 million isn't 20,000, it's 200.

If there were only 200 bad machines out of 2 mil, that would be insignificant. But 20,000 out of 2 mil is a failure rate of 1% and no respectable volume-manufacturing plant would sign off on a failure rate that high.

I don't know how many units were made or what the real failure rate is, and I bet you don't either. But the point is, you can't say an acceptable failure rate would still produce a high volume of bad machines, because it wouldn't. An acceptable failure rate (in the region of 0.01%), would produce an insignificant number of bad machines even on a volume of 2,000,000.
Last night I recorded Law and Order SVU (new series). It was on too late for me to stay up, as I had to get up at 5 this morning for a business conf call. It was also the first part of a two-part episode that concludes tonight. This morning, I checked the DVR and the show was there--I even watched the first 30 seconds or so. But this afternoon, the show was gone. And I know no-one else touched the machine meanwhile. Not only did I lose this show, but now tonight's conclusion will be meaningless to me.
Not the first time we have lost something, either, though we haven't had a full disc wipe-out (yet).
The rest of your post was basically unintelligible. But as for those others who say "if you use more than half the disc capacity, you should expect to lose stuff, because this is a general and known problem with hard drives", please, that is total nonsense. Even if that was true, how would it be the consumer's fault?

Posted by: Alistair at Sep 28, 2005 6:23:54 PM

To Eric, the former "advance teh" guy ... you might be a tech dude, but your writing is hard to follow and your math is no better. You say "look at the percentages": if 99.99% of receivers were good, and you make 2 million, that would mean 20,000 bad receivers. Not sure what the hell that's supposed to mean--is this meant to make us all feel better? I guess what you really mean is, 99.99% is a good quality rate but at high volumes, that's still a lot of bad receivers. Like, so what can anybody do about this? But your numbers don't add up. 99.99% success means 0.01% failure. 0.01% of 2 million isn't 20,000, it's 200.

If there were only 200 bad machines out of 2 mil, that would be insignificant. But 20,000 out of 2 mil is a failure rate of 1% and no respectable volume-manufacturing plant would sign off on a failure rate that high.

I don't know how many units were made or what the real failure rate is, and I bet you don't either. But the point is, you can't say an acceptable failure rate would still produce a high volume of bad machines, because it wouldn't. An acceptable failure rate (in the region of 0.01%), would produce an insignificant number of bad machines even on a volume of 2,000,000.
Last night I recorded Law and Order SVU (new series). It was on too late for me to stay up, as I had to get up at 5 this morning for a business conf call. It was also the first part of a two-part episode that concludes tonight. This morning, I checked the DVR and the show was there--I even watched the first 30 seconds or so. But this afternoon, the show was gone. And I know no-one else touched the machine meanwhile. Not only did I lose this show, but now tonight's conclusion will be meaningless to me.
Not the first time we have lost something, either, though we haven't had a full disc wipe-out (yet).
The rest of your post was basically unintelligible. But as for those others who say "if you use more than half the disc capacity, you should expect to lose stuff, because this is a general and known problem with hard drives", please, that is total nonsense. Even if that was true, how would it be the consumer's fault?

Posted by: Alistair at Sep 28, 2005 6:26:00 PM

I'm on my 4th 510 this year.

Dish denies there are any common problems with 510s.

One rep explained that the 510s have to be turned off each night so that they can download nightly, between 2 and 3 AM. I assume they have to download new code. I've also wondered if the problems aren't built into the software to thwart hacking?

I've been turning my unit off around 1 AM. It worked fine for about 5 weeks, but it is now doing what all the other units did.

It has only been recently that the total recording time approach 5 hours remaining recording time.

Think I'll try a UPS to see if that solves the problem.

The rep I talked to tonight, suggested I call ERT and aske to be upgraded to a 522. The theory is that the 522 can be forced to download, and that a dual receiver can download even if the unit is in use, or on.

After reading the 522 rave reviews here, I think using a 522 would create more problems.

Posted by: Bob at Oct 3, 2005 2:36:49 AM

Just had a long conversation with a rep at ERT., and eventually wound up with a supervisor.

He admitted they have a software problem with the 510s. The problem is with the software accessing information on hard drives larger than the 35 Gigs on prior models.

He offered to find a 501 and swap it for my 510 which I own. But, he refused to let me hang onto my 510 past 10 days so that I could verify the replacement unit is reliable.

If the 501 became unreliable, they wouldn't send me a 510 to replace it.

The did offer me the opportunity to buy another model DVR with dual receive. When I asked if it would be reliable, they wouldn't answer my question. The supervisor finally admitted they weren't allowed to specify if any model was more or reliable less than another model.

Since the 501 and 522 run the same software, and the software problem is with the larger drive, I asked if I couldn't simply install a smaller hard drive.

I was told a smaller driver couldn't be installed, and if one installed a smaller drive, it wouldn't solve the software problem.

The supervisor also admitted that there were other people higher in DisnNetwork that could help me but he would not let me talk with them.

One of the stories I was told that the reason why Dish couldn't tell me if any other model was more reliable was because the unit could be damaged in transport, it could be dropped, or it could have a component failure. The 510s don't have a reliable issue. Likewise the 522s don't have a reliability problems. They are all reliable.

The supervisor also stated that all electronic items are unreliable. Yes. That assertion stunned me also.

If any of the information a variety of people have given me can be trusted, Dish has software problems with all of their DVRs.

They are well aware of the problem, but do not know how to solve it. However, it seems as if one can luck out and receive a 510 that actually is reliable (if it isn't used to record and play back a lot each day?).

My next step is to contact the Sate Attorney General to see if Lemon Laws apply theses products, and see what other complaints they have about DishNetwork.

Bob

Posted by: Bob at Oct 3, 2005 2:52:53 PM

Lost local channels on both 522 and 322. Signal strenght on 105 is 68. Run the swithch test and sat 105 fails on port 3. Swap the inputs 2 to 3 on the DP34 swith and the swith fails on Sat 105 but on port 2 now. Powered down the units overnight, unplugged,and also held power button in for 10 sec. Nothing helps. In details under swith test it say all have even, odd, except 105. Could that have something to do with it. I don't want to be charged $99 for a survice visit..
Thanks

Posted by: Al at Oct 4, 2005 5:00:37 AM

I never knew so many people could complain about one thing so much. I've never had a problem with my 522 and Ive been a customer for almost a year now. *knock on wood*

Posted by: Sam at Oct 4, 2005 6:15:23 AM

For what it's worth, seeing as this blog is entirely full of complaints, I've never, in 5 years with Dish Netowkr, had a bad receiver, lost any PVR recordings, or had a bad customer support/technical support experience.

Rock on Dish. I'll never go back to DirectTV.

Posted by: James at Oct 4, 2005 11:47:17 AM

I am an installer/repair tech working for Dish and i used to work as an installer/repair-tech for Directv, and even before that I was an advanced tech-support rep for Dish. It is my experience that all customers of Dish Network are feeble-minded, helpless, and disgusting. It is rare to find even one exception. It seems that the people who end up subscribing to("being fucked over by")
Dish Network fit into 3 neat stereotypes:
1.) Old People - Old people shouldnt even have a tv, because due to aging, what is left of their rotten brains is not nearly enough mental capacity to operate a remote control (or a toaster or a toilet or a car). They should read a book.
2.) Arabs and other middle-eastern creatures - This is by far the worst category of dish customer. I think they are not even human, just based off of how different their thought processes and strange mannerisms are from normal people. First of all, you'll never see a middle class arab. They are all snotty, upper-class cocksuckers that think (just like the rest of you people who voiced opinions on this page) that the world owes them a favor and they should get everything for free. That is not the way the world works. They stink, they like to stare at you, they are over-particular about trivial bullshit, and their efforts to act american are sickening. All they want is to watch anti-american (AL JAZZEERA) channels from the desert and plot against us while watching tv. People like this should be put out in the woods(not the desert the woods) for a while with no food or water and see how long they last without their precious al jazzeera.
3.) Rich SBC FUCKS - God I hate these fucking people. It's always the same horror story every time with them. Starts out that they get this mysterious phone call at some odd hour of the night promising them fantastic tales of savings and dreams come true and fucking fairy tales from SBC (Dish's phone-company business partner) and these people say "oh yes this is wonderful i can get my phone and DSL on the same bill and oh yeah my cable will be on the same bill whoopee" . So then the technician gets there (ME) and the customer is unhappy because they werent' told about any dishes going to be screwed into their precious houses and the fuck on the phone didnt say that they were going to have ugly receivers and gross wires actually attatched to their gleaming houses. People like this should be killed. Actually, they just need to get cable. Definitely can afford it, and their are no ugly wires, receivers, and dishes involved. Their hopes come crashing down as they realize the wonderful promises they heard over the phone are actually just a sinister lie, one that will lead to the ruin of all the petty things that they hold dear. After the abomination is attatched to the once pure house, (with holes actually DRILLED through the roof and the house holy fuck), then the installer takes on a new role. He is now the horned devil of SBC, a lesser demon that satan has entrusted with the task of stealing the souls of Dish customers by having them sign a long contract against their will, and the contract has lots of fine print that mentions that the customer is fucked and completely taken advantage of (if only the smart often homosexual customer reads it) When the inevitable problem (like defective equipment or an ugly wire here and there) arises, they get to talk to dish network's shitload of foreign bastard sales reps that are there only to frustrate the customer (who has been through hell allready it seems). That is the same horseshit story these helpless cocksuckers tell me through their tears when i get to their houses to fix a tv that is on the wrong channel. Every time.
Some of the threads on this page are unbeleivably stupid and trivial. I just wanted you guys to know what us installers think of you :)

Posted by: Blood Red Pestilence at Oct 4, 2005 11:49:06 AM

i had a 522 go bork on me when i first signed on about a year ago. would not record at all, and lost everything.

they RMA'd it for me (sent a box and a shipping label along with a new 522, and even said if i'd sign up for the service plan, they'd wave shipping)

the new one did the trick, but it has lost my recordings a couple of times in the past year.

well, tonight, i tried to play something, and it gave an error (had regular tv, but couldn't play recordings.)

NOW...it is caught in a loop of telling me the hard drive needs to be cleaned, after which the system will restart. it cleans for a while, system restarts, and right back to the message...i've unplugged, switched outlets, reset, everything...looks like it is time for another trade.

in my opinion, this is just horse shit. if you are going to make this thing, make it right.

ugh.

Posted by: daveinKY at Oct 5, 2005 8:32:00 PM

Had 522 fail, sent out new unit asap. No problems since! Dish has been a pain, but I would never go back to DirecTV. I wish the USB port was active and we could archive our recorded programs. Sounds like it would help alot of us.

Posted by: Robert at Oct 6, 2005 10:48:14 PM

Hello community. I stumbled upon this website and decided to respond to a couple of these posts. I am an advanced tech support agent for dish network. I also have dish network service, and can tell you from 2 years with 2 522 dvr recievers, have never had to replace them. With proper care, these things will last a long time.

Keep your dvr plugged into a battery backed surge protector at all times. large drops (and increases) in voltages can cause errors and corrupt data on the hard drives. When you are done watching something that you have recorded, delete it. do not be a digital packrat.

no, actually, not all dish tech support reps are not idiots. If you do get put on hold for 20 minutes, please do not act like a two year old. this will get you nowhere. while you expect to be treated like a human being, we can only pray that we are. 1 out of 3 calls i take on a daily basis, are from elderly people that have a snowy screen, because their tv is on the wrong channel.

another 1 out of 3 calls i recieve are from arabs that have been caught for account packing, wondering why their services have been interrupted. this is because you are being investigated by our audit dept.

the rest of the calls that i take usually arent bad. i often have great conversations with rational people over the phone while i fix their systems from my comfy chair.

here are some tips...

do not ever have a superdish installed. everytime i take a call for a superdish, i know i am gonna have to roll a truck for a service call.

do not ever modify your installation unless you have every clue about what you are doing. Grounding problems with your cables will cause you to lose signal, i see it every day. using anything other than rg6 coaxial cable from the dish to reciever absolutely will not work.

Dish network does in fact have the lowest all-digital programming price in america. you will pay more money for fewer channels everywhere else... no matter what direct or comcast tells you.

dont ever remove a hard drive from a leased reciever. if its defective, let us replace it for you. taking it out will just void your warranty, and incur further charges on your account.

In order for us to help us to our fullest potential, do not lie to us. if you are experiencing signal loss, tell the truth. we deal with this everyday, and we know what causes signal loss, whether or not you think we do.

THE USB PORT ON 522'S 625'S, 721'S AND 921'S IS NOT USELESS. It is in fact used for file transfer. we have just released a product called pocket dish. if you google it, you can read further about the product, and purchase one if you want. It is basicly an ipod with a dish network logo. You can transfer recorded programs from your dvr reciever to the pocket dish, via usb cable, and watch them whenever, and wherever you want. you can connect it to any tv via rca cables and watch your dvr on any tv. you can also save jpeg and mp3 files on it. there are 3 different models. the latest software update that all of you complain about so much actuall optimizes the dvr's for file transfer via usb cable.

To all of you 733t hax04z out there, im sure you will find a way to exploit the above technology.

just try to keep in mind that not all tech support reps are not alike. if you do not like the way you are being treated on the phone. ask for a supervisor, or hang up, call back and hope that you get an english speaking rep. I cannot speak for all of the company's reps, but I am a rational person, and i to everything i can to help our customers, because i really do care about their problems. Take steps to be an educated consumer, and take care of your sensitive, electronic equipment.

also, keep in mind that people start buisnesses to make money, so when you get upset that they are taking it from you, just remember that it was their intent in the first place. thats why contracts exist.

feel free to reply, as an ATR of high merit, i can probably answer anything you throw at me.

Posted by: ANON at Oct 10, 2005 1:17:57 AM

OK, I have a question for ANON the DN techie. If recording programs to VHS(like we have all done for.... well forever) is legal, as long as your not selling the copies, only keeping for your own viewing pleasure. Then why make it so hard to record to DVD and do the same, it is no different just better tech. Shure there is the Pocket Dish now, but it will only let you transfer programs to your computer as a backup source (at least thats what I read about it). Anyway, why not let us buy a utility for use on a computer where we can use a USB cable to transfer our recordings directly to our computer and view/edit/burn DVD's. After all, as you said yourself in your post, some hacker will figure out how to strip the software used on the pocket dish and then we will have that utility that I suggest above. I would be willing to pay for a legit software utility from DishNetwork that would alow me to transfer my recorings to computer then burn DVD's but since they want to be so hard headed about it, then screw 'em. I'll just wait for someone to hack it.

Posted by: MadDog at Oct 17, 2005 7:29:00 PM

maddog- Its not really an issue of honesty, they just dont want people taking copyrighted material and seeding it on torrent sites, or distributing it over the internet. digital media makes a pirates job easy- i mean, if you really wanted to make hard copies of your programming, just use your computer as a dvr. get a tv tuner pci card from ATI, a big ass hard drive, run your tv out coax cable to your computer, and you can record/make as many copies as you want. the dvr is meant to be a storage unit for pre-recorded material, not a replication unit. Companies do this on purpose. just think, nobody would buy seasons of their fave shows on dvd's if everyone could just download it off the internet for free, right?

Posted by: Anon at Oct 17, 2005 10:10:35 PM

I have a dish 921 that I have had for a couple of years now and a 501 that works pretty well. The 921 has had some problems with freezing and I have had to reboot it on several occassions, usually not more than once or twice a month, but it seems to go in spurts where it will work fine for a while than I'll have to reboot it several times over a couple of days. This last weekend I was trying to watch a program recorded in Hidef. It wouldn't let me access the program and instead froze the system. Several reboots later, I went to try again and much to my surprise, ALL my programs were erased. Granted, there were several items my wife had on there I was happy to see go, but this caused a great amount of consternation. A call to Dish said that they were experiencing this as a non typical problem over several recievers and it was a software glitch they were working on. This is the first time this has happened to me in over two years. My question, is there ANY way at all to retrieve erased programs? Please help. I really actually enjoy dish, but am not happy about this circumstance. Thank you all.

Posted by: bill at Oct 18, 2005 3:55:26 PM

bill, sounds like you have a corrupted recording. the best thing to try would be to go thru each of your recordings, find the corrupt one, and delete it. about 1/2 of the time, this will cause the data that "disappeared" to reappear. give it a shot, if not, you might have even more serious probs w/ your dvr, and should have it replaced by dish.

Posted by: Anon at Oct 18, 2005 11:11:11 PM

Does the 921 work different than the 522? How does one "go through" erased programs? I assume Bill, when he said they were erased, means they are no longer visible for him to "go through".

Posted by: ftworthguy2 at Oct 19, 2005 4:54:42 AM

the 921 is a high def. dvr.

Posted by: dirk at Oct 20, 2005 1:27:43 AM

I have a 522 dish reciever, problem #1 the must have the worst hard drive ever, must be Maxtor or Quantum Crap, because wants to run diagnostics for hard drive problems even when getting a new one by way of RA or RMA. It is the result of running all these stupid tests (not started by me) that results in the loss of 20hours or more worth of video. Seems all you have to do is go in to the history file and press ok, vollia a new hard drive diagnosic test that clears the satillite link and makes you wait another 10minutes if not canceled right away. I like Plextors idea of a dvr converter ConverterX but do not know much about actual usage. I have heard their is a way to clear the History file, is really possible?

Posted by: Jason at Oct 21, 2005 12:02:06 PM

does any body know that is there any way to put a new Hard Drive in my DVR, like in my DVR I have a 40gb Hard Drive & I want to put my 200gb in it.
Does anybody have any clue that how to format new HD ?

Posted by: Aamir at Oct 22, 2005 6:30:45 AM

Well here I am two months into an 18 month contract and my 625 just crashed and lost all content on the hard drive!!! From what I am reading this is a serious problem that Dish should be addressing. When they installed they told me that since I was a past customer they wouldnt give me a rebate on the installation but would give me a two year service contract free....THANK YOU DISH NETWORK...Now all the expense is theirs. I will copy to dvd quickly so as not to lose all my recordings. Dave Smith

Posted by: Charles D Smith at Oct 26, 2005 7:13:18 AM

I am so glad that I read this site. Robert, I do know that many of you techs are great people.

We have been with DN for eight years w/o problem until now. We want to upgrade to a DVR, but only have a choice of the 522, but a new customer can get the 625, with name-based recording. Customer loyalty means nothing and an email resulted in a standard form reply. I'm very disappointed.

So, our dual-tuner choices are the 522, which are problematic according to a DN employee or pay for the expensive 942.

If DirectTV had a great offer for new customers, I'd be gone. It appears that their DVR is single-tuner. I think I'll call to make sure.

As I told DN in my email: Please motivate your customers to remain loyal to you.

Posted by: MSM at Oct 26, 2005 8:29:43 AM

Hey MSM
Ihave had a tivo 2 with dual tuner for a year with no problems. It has an 80 hour recording time. You can record one program while watching another but only has one video out. You cant watch two tv's from the tivo.

Posted by: Charles D. Smith at Oct 26, 2005 7:42:34 PM

My 510 started went screwey last evening, going through steps 1 - 5 aquiring signal, then green light going out and restarting in a continuous loop. As I was out of contract, warranty and patience, I figured I would see if I could replace the hard drive, etc. What I found was the following.. 1.) The Dish PVR 510 will function as a normal receiver without any hard drive installed. Giving up any hope on retaining my recorded programs, I took the 120GB drive out and partioned it in my PC using fdisk to "wipe out" the existing partion info. Then I reinstalled it in my 510 and tada! The system booted normally! There was no initial download or anything to the drive. I did try to install a larger 200GB drive, but this proved unsuccessful... In another forum I read something about a 18XGB limitation on a linix version... not sure if I'll be successful in putting in a larger drive, but I know that a new replacement maxtor 120GB works just fine without any cloning or prep!

Posted by: Randall at Oct 27, 2005 1:53:08 AM

I'm glad I found that other people are unhappy with Dish. I have been with them for 10 years. Today they called and audited me I have 6 recievers 3 are being used and 3 are not. They took the nubers off the 3 being used and the 3 not being used have been cancelled and according to them no can use them again. A freind cancelled his Dish account last week they did the same to him he spent $900.00 for his equipment and he can't sell it. These guys are out and out crooks.

Posted by: Jim at Oct 27, 2005 7:42:29 PM

Got my replacement 625 receiver today. After having it activated it lasted two hours!!! They are sending me another replacement???!!! Boy I Miss My TIVO......

Posted by: Charles Smith at Oct 31, 2005 7:58:30 PM

I have a question for Robert-
I have been trying for a month to get some SIMPLE information from DISH about their receivers. I would like to plug my receiver into a UPS tha I use for other electronic devices.
All I want to know is the power requirements, both STANDBY and ACTIVE, for the basic receiver and for a 508.
I would also like to know the power requirements for the newer receivers as I am thinking of upgrading.

Posted by: KC at Nov 1, 2005 7:43:41 AM

Dish networks unauthorized programmed recording of a 30 min NBC preview commercial on all DVR's

On September 20th at 4:00AM, Dish Network transmitted a 30 minute NBC/USA preview advertisement which was automatically recorded by every digital video recorder receiver in the Dish network system. I am offended by this invasion of privacy & the unauthorized use of my disk space. Dish neither asked permission or advised any of their customers that they would begin transmitting promotional material to DVR's in people's homes. It would be reasonable to assume that this Corporation received substantial compensation from NBC to "place" their commercial on everyone of their DVR TV customers, in the middle of the night.

I have been a Dish Network customer for 8 years & fortunately, they have never pulled a stunt like this before. The odd 7 minute video about the remote control would appear, but never 30 minutes of PAID PROGRAMMING into every paying customers DVR TV's.

I believe that this a terrible precedent & that no satellite or Cable should be allowed to displace an individual's future recordings by unknowingly putting commercials on our recording devices. I copied the FCC on my complaint to Dish Netowrk & got the below lame excuse after 6 weeks. I personally was not "injured" in this transmission, nor were any of my shows displaced, but since this seems to be the place where you dump on dish, I thought I'd add my comments. Feedback?

You are receiving this email in response to your inquiry to the FCC.

* The FCC does not regulate the cost charged for satellite programming, nor does
it control how this programming is sold or packaged.

* Satellite-delivered video programming is transmitted on a nationwide basis using
satellites owned and operated by private companies. The two major providers
currently serving customers are DIRECTV and Echostar (Dish Network.)
In addition, Dominion provides a limited number of channels, primarily religious
programming, from a satellite owned and operated by Echostar.

RULES: None; the FCC does not regulate the cost charged for satellite programming.

Rep Number : TSR33

Posted by: Eric at Nov 2, 2005 11:45:48 AM

I have had dish for one week and i love it, but my neighbor had it installed yesterday (because of me), and she is NOT happy. Doesn't she have a 3 day cooling off period for signing a contract in her home so she can back out?

Posted by: robin at Nov 2, 2005 10:55:31 PM

I have a 921 that is a piece of crap. I bought the original one last December, and got a replacement 6 months ago and ever since the first 921 I've had nothing but problems. The main beef is that when pressing "info" and then "done" when finished viewing, the screen goes black. You have to turn the 921 off/on then it usuaally resets itself. That works for about half the time then you end up having to do a hard reboot which takes about 5 minutes and terminates any recordings in progress. Lately (the last two months or so) it will record a program and then when you watch it it will be a different program that you didn't even record (the info and everything describes the show you wanted but the actual is quite different). I've discovered that if I set a program for channel 4 at 10pm Monday, the timer goes off at 10pm channel 4 Sunday, and so on. I called Dish tonight and they acknowledged that this was an issue and that they were aware, but there were no fixes, no timelines for a fix and they weren't issuing any credits (a software update caused this problem - go figure). Basically I was told that they do not guarantee service in the 921 (or other boxes) and as long as I can view a program, then that's all that matters to them. Thank God almighty that I bought my 921 from Costco because they will take it back without a box or receipt! Tomorrow I take it back, cancel my other boxes and service and sign up for cable (I never thought I'd ever say that again)!

Posted by: Robbie at Nov 8, 2005 8:40:08 PM

As a former dish network tech support rep ...I was personally disgusted with the overall quality of any dish equipment. It was a common joke among us that people calling in to activate any, ANY Dish Pro 510 reciever should tune to channel 101 (DNFYI) to get a good look at the guy who just screwed them over...

Dish network equipment is of very poor quality as a whole, it is not uncommon to see just about any model reciever show up as dead on arrival. Oh and another little known fact, there is no longer a such thing as "new" reciever if exchanged throug