Picker, how would you compare the existing Directv HD DVR to the VIP622 you had on Dish? I had TIVO (nonHD) on Directv before I switched to Dish, and it was great. Never have liked this Dish DVR much, I tend to lose programming due to conflicts that it doesn't warn you about. Plus the thing has bugs and just flat doesn't record sometimes and for no apparent reason. The software is quirky at best.
What I can say is that Dish HD quality is very good. Some have said its better than Directv.
I'm pretty picky about HD quality, and I can't see any difference in the quality of the actual HD signal between DN and DTV. IMO, differences seen are related to the
display rather than the input signal from the two services. I had a 42" 720P Vizio for the past couple of years. It was ok, and I couldn't really tell any difference on it when I switched services. However, shortly after that, I bought a new 55" Vizio LED/LCD that runs 1080P @ 240 Hz refresh rate and the difference was immediately noticeable with the 55". Much sharper and "crisper", smoother color blending and rendition, and no frame to frame jerkiness during action scenes and football games, something I had apparently subconciously learned to live with before. Don't know if the improvement was due to moving from 720P to 1080P or 60 Hz to 240 Hz refresh rate, or both--or just a higher quality display in general--but it IS certainly noticeable.
As for the DVR's, the DTV DVR software has so far seemed to be bulletproof and works exactly as expected every time, where I also had similar problems with the VIP622's software before. The remotes work differently, which took a little learning curve, but once that was over it was clear sailing. At first I liked the Dish remote setup better, but now that I'm used to the DTV version the change is no big deal.
I'm a sports fan, and one other unheralded feature of DTV has been a REAL bonus: If, for instance, I select a basketball game in the guide that's been blacked out in my area, it will automatically offer to hunt for that same game somewhere else in a non-blacked out area. And most of the time it finds it on some obscure channel like 676-1 or whatever that I almost never watch. IMO this is clever programming, and I love it.
The HD signal on the original 42" 720P Vizio (now moved to another room) is about the same as it was before--very good but not excellent, while the display on the new 55" is amazing. Overall, for me, moving back to DirecTV has been a total win-win, especially when I can now simultaneously watch HD on an independent receiver in another room (or several rooms if I want). Dish Network simply refused to upgrade their systems to allow that, and it was a constant irritant to us. Being restricted to standard def TV anywhere else in the house was a real thorn in the eyes once we got used to HD.
Dish has made a financial decision to delay (and delay, delay, delay) in investing in the next level of home equipment (HD in multiple rooms), and that's their choice. Now I've made my choice.
