Customer Reviews

VIP 622

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

It's high-tech with easy to use commands, good remote control/recording features, excellent HD picture quality and reasonable amount of HD recordable space.

Technical problems I've had:
* Once a month the sound stops working and I have to reboot, it happens while watching a program.
* Sometimes while watching a recorded show the receiver freezes and reboots itself. If I watch the same program again it reboots at the exact same position. If I fastforward ahead of the "crashing" position I can continue to watch the program.
* It runs hot, so make sure that it is not located in an enclosed space, or you may have more problems.
* Audio thru HDMI is only stereo and not 5.1. This is supposed to be fixed in the future with a software update.

I owned Dish PVR in the past, I would not buy the ViP622, rather lease it, it may be a little flakey.

I am always cynical when I see someone brutally slam an item, but the ViP622 is absolute garbage. It is a shame that Amazon won't allow you rate items with negative numbers because this product doesn't even rate one star. The box is very buggy and subject to crashing. The HDMI went out 2 weeks after hooking it up. Dish said that it was a known software problem and that they were developing a fix that would be out in a couple of weeks. That was 5 months ago and still counting. Even worse is the fact that they won't replace it because they claim that it is a software problem that affects all 622's. They couldn't explain why it worked fine and then all of the sudden stopped. They will also try and tell you that you have a bad cable or that the problem is with your TV. If you Google "ViP622 HDMI Problems" You will get 100's of pages of references to the problems that people are having with this box. Stay away!!!

If you are ordering this receiver from Dish Network, beware that they are selling refurbished units as NEW units without telling customers. I confirmed this today after spending 2 hours on the phone with their tech support. While pokeing around in the back checking connections per their support person, I noticed a sticker that said "Remanufactured." I asked why their installer gave me a reman receiver instead of New like I was told when ordering their service. Their answer? "When we run low on New stock we just give people Refurbished units." WHAT? Without even telling them? YEP! I have had this receiver for a week and it has worked a total of 3 hours in that time. JUNK!

I was concerned about getting this unit based on other's negative experiences, but after a month of use I would say I am a satisfied customer. As with any hard drive you have your occasional glitches, but fortunately it's rare enough to not interfere with the viewing pleasure.

I did have to disconnect the UHF antenna in the back and reprogram my remote because the thing was picking up stray signals from the next town. For a while I thought the unit had a mind of its own changing channels, turning off and on and recording random shows at will. Problem was easily fixed. Being able to record HD shows is what I like best with this unit.

Hopefully it will hold up with as hot as it runs, but so far so good even during the summer heat. I keep it off when I am not using it.

Learn from my experience. Dish Network provided the best television picture I have ever seen. The channel selection is terrific. Their dual TV receiver is a wonderful product. If anything goes wrong, however, don't plan to ever get it fixed. This is their Achilles' heel. You will be put through a never-ending gauntlet of irrelevant questions, delay tactics and stumbling blocks. There will be a transparent and desperate attempt to prove that the problem is not theirs. In the event they deign to favor you with a service call, expect to wait a month and expect to pay for it. Apparently, if the dish they installed is not aimed correctly, it is your problem, not theirs. If the receiver goes on the fritz, well, no TV for you. I was a top-of-the-line, premium HD service customer and this is how I was treated.

I placed an order for a DISH Network ViP622 DVR on December 14, 2010 and have not received the merchandise as of January 21,2011. I would have thought the order would have been fulfilled by now. I have attempted to contact the seller on 2 separate occasions to determine status of the order but have not received a response. My credit card has been charged so I will file a claim in 3 business days if I do not receive a response.

At this point I would definitely not recommend this seller. Amazon will be alerted so the seller's star rating can be lowered and/or request the seller be removed from their list.

This receiver worked fine for months until it started rebooting continuously and "Downloading Q-Box Updates" which never finished. We exchanged for a new one that worked fine for 2-3 days but is in a rebooting loop this very minute. Dish either needs to update the firmware or replace all of these receivers with a new model.

This box just died today. I had it for a week. It just keeps resetting itself. When it worked, it worked well but I think it should of lasted more than a week? Its not an overheating problem because its in a temperature controlled cabinet with lots of air circulation. It runs very hot so make sure its well ventilated. Kudos to Dish Network customer service. They are sending me a new one. No satellite for about three days..that stinks. I'll update with how well the second one works.
Update: I gave a whack to the side of this nonfunctioning component and it came back to life??? It just started working again until my new one arrived. The new one has been working great for the last few days...no resetting or overheating. Not sure what the original problem was but it started the day it was installed so I'll assume it was a bad unit. Just to mention, I didn't buy this unit on Amazon. It was free thru Dish with a 2 year contract. The units Dish gave me were refurbished...so good luck.
***On unit #3..It's been 3 weeks and everything is OK..the prior one lasted about 1 month. Dish Network replaced without a problem..just a trip to the local UPS store postage paid.

I thought this was a great HD receiver for the last year. Until this week, when it started shutting itself off and trying to re-boot for many minutes. Apparently this is a common issue, and its SOOOOOO annoying. I've lost at least three shows that I really enjoy and will probalby loose everything I've recorded for the last several months.
Dish needs to fix this or move on to something that is more reliable.
IMOHO.

I had HD receivers since 1998 and this is one of the best units I ever had. It does everything.. Records in HD while watching another HD program. Set timer for favorite HD programming. Stop live TV anytime and resume at your own pace ! Picture in Picture feature works great. Also can be used on two separate TV and to different programs. HDMI works great on my Sony 7.1 surround sound system. Once you run out of storage space , simply call dish network and purchase an external hard drive for this great receiver. Great quality unit! LOVE THIS RECEIVER 10+++++++++++++++++++