[mythtv-users] Considering switching to Dish Network from cable

[Phil Bridges]

On Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 3:39 PM, Brian Wood <beww at beww.org> wrote:
> On Monday, June 21, 2010 11:23:38 am Phil Bridges wrote:
>> Has anybody here done this switch?  I was hoping to pick up 2 HD
>> tuners and 2 HD-PVRs to connect them to.  Anything I should look out
>> for?
>>
>> Is the HD-PVR IR Blaster working properly through Myth?  Should I
>> anticipate problems if I use 2 HD-PVRs with blasters on the same
>> backend?  I can hood the IR blasters on the fronts of the Dish
>> receivers, so I'm not concerned about that part of it.
>
> I have both DISH and cable, and an HD-PVR.
>
> One problem with the DISH receivers is that they are set up for two TV sets. The first uses an IR remote but set #2 uses an
> RF remote, and "blasting" RF is a non-trivial thing.
>
> If you only want to use the main channel (TV #1) of the receiver you should have no problems, but controlling the second
> output of a dual-channel receiver is another matter. I have seen IR-to-RF converters, but they are expensive and I don't
> know how well they might work.
>
> So you may need to get an additional receiver, if you want to control two of them, and there may be a cost associated with
> that second receiver.
>
> With my main DISH receiver (a VIP 722) HD is only available for the first TV set, the second has SD outputs only.
>
> So the "second" output is very hard to control (needs an RF signal) and can't output HD.
>
> As long as you only use the first channel of each receiver, you should be OK, it's using the second output that's
> problematical.
>
> The HD-PVR needs component inputs, but only the first channel of a receiver has those outputs.
>
> You may be able to get an extra receiver for free if you tell them it's for an additional set. Your negotiating power is
> at max prior to the installation, after that you lose most of your clout. They sometimes advertise "4 set" deals, so you
> may be able to get 2 receivers for no additional cost. 4 sets to DISH equals 2 receivers.
>
> I can't say how well the HD-PVR's blaster works, I use a MyBlaster to control my DISH receiver and it works fine, but they
> are hard to find.
>

Thanks for the response.  I noticed they had those funky HD / SD
boxes.  I planned on getting a couple Solo VIP 211Ks to run
independently.