Dish Network VIP 722 DVR Preview

By Clint DeBoer — January 11, 2008

Dish Network VIP 722 DVR

Summary

Product Name: VIP 722 DVR
Manufacturer: Dish Network
Review Date: January 11, 2008 18:15
MSRP: $TBD
First Impression: Mildly Interesting

Specifications

Current software: L4.48 12/4 (previously L4.47 10/30)
Independently watch and record DISH Network programming on two TVs
Record up to 350 hours of standard-definition (SD), up to 55 hours of high-definition (HD) entertainment or a combination of the two
Enjoy expanded storage capacity with the addition of an external hard drive (EHD)
View and record HD over the air digital broadcasts on TV
Supports Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Convenient On-Screen Caller ID4 with history
Widescreen Electronic Program Guide with easy search features
DishHOME Interactive TV for watching six screens at once and on-demand entertainment, games, shopping, news, sports, weather and customer service
Dimensions: 16" W x 13" D x 3.5" H
Weight 11 lbs

Executive Overview

The slightly updated Dish Network ViP722 HD-DVR was on hand for our viewing pleasure and we noted that the primary improvement was in the storage department. The new ViP722 is MPEG-4 (and MPEG-2) compatible and stores around 55 hours of 1080i or 720p HD video and a whopping 350 hours of standard definition programming. That's like 16 seasons of House! They added the ability to add a second USB-connected Hard drive externally for almost unlimited storage. For users who really like to archive, this means you could theoretically buy cheap drives and swap them out as you go... You can output video to a second television using the new system provided one is HD and the other is not (only one SD and one HD output are capable of having discrete tuning capability.) DishHOME Interactive TV support means that you can access games, shopping, news, weather and account info. It is also compatible with DishONLINE, allowing users to active Internet-based content.

Quick Features at a Glance

Current software: L4.48 12/4 (previously L4.47 10/30)
Independently watch and record DISH Network programming on two TVs
Record up to 350 hours of standard-definition (SD), up to 55 hours of high-definition (HD) entertainment or a combination of the two
Enjoy expanded storage capacity with the addition of an external hard drive (EHD)
View and record HD over the air digital broadcasts on TV
Supports Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Convenient On-Screen Caller ID4 with history
Widescreen Electronic Program Guide with easy search features
DishHOME Interactive TV for watching six screens at once and on-demand entertainment, games, shopping, news, sports, weather and customer service

For more information please visit www.dishnetwork.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.

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Discuss This Article

AVRat posts on January 20, 2008 14:20

I guess announcements on upgraded pre/pros was skimpy/non-existent since nothing was reported, eh?

The Chukker posts on January 16, 2008 00:28

Tom Andry, post: 358149
Scratch that - when I wrote that article, I was converting from Yen to $ and came to $1800. Turns out it will cost more like $2500 according to Sony.

Yikes. It would be interesting if someone used the average price points for LCD or Plasma tv's (from say 27“ to 60+”) and then applied that sliding scale model to OLED tv's to give a “rough” idea of what the larger panels would cost in comparison. I know this logic is inherently flawed but geez, $2500 for an 11" tv? pfffff.
Do you get the feeling these guys are just showing off for it's own sake?

Tom Andry posts on January 15, 2008 11:10

Scratch that - when I wrote that article, I was converting from Yen to $ and came to $1800. Turns out it will cost more like $2500 according to Sony. I'd love to see this tech mature but I have a feeling that no one is going to want to invest in it enough to get the infrastructure to the point were they can be produced cheaply. With the majority of the public rolling their eyes at me when I tell them that there is a difference between SD and HD, I can't believe that we're going to convince them that a high contrast ratio is reason enough to spend 5x on an OLED display.

Tom Andry posts on January 15, 2008 09:43

The Chukker, post: 357718
So what kind of price differential are we talking about here? Did Samsung actually have an MSRP for the 31" model? If mass production were to indeed start in 2010 of mid to large sized models, what price point is Samsung shooting for and what was the maximum size they were touting?

Sony just released their first 11" OLED at $1800
Toshiba isn't going to release any at all based on manufacturing costs
[read more]

Samsung didn't talk price (heck, they didn't have a price tag on a single item in their booth) but many times these tech showcases are just stuff they are exploring.

The Chukker posts on January 14, 2008 18:44

“there is ample evidence that OLED will never come down in price enough to be a serious contender against LCDs.”
So what kind of price differential are we talking about here? Did Samsung actually have an MSRP for the 31" model? If mass production were to indeed start in 2010 of mid to large sized models, what price point is Samsung shooting for and what was the maximum size they were touting?

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