Dish ViP 612 DVR a piece of junk!?

Are you providing adequate air movement/cooling? Hot boxes sometimes exhibit these types of issues.

My 612 was a little quirky when I first got it. Most of the minor problems got fixed with firmware updates.

The OTA tuner is definitely problematic. Some owners have reported fixing problems by disconnecting the antenna. I split the antenna to go to bot the receiver and the tv in case there is a problem with a local through the receiver.

You might try a power reset by unplugging the receiver for a few minutes and then plugging it back in. That usually resolves some problems. Some owners have also reported having to get multiple boxes from Dish until they get one that works correctly. You should probably check out the 612 forum at dbstalk.com. You should be able to get some useful information there.

Firmware updates are automatic so you should be current. To check, hit menu,6,1,3. The screen will display a firmware number. I believe the current version is L603.

I found some low loss splitters that work pretty well. Every time you split the cable/signal there is some loss. The lower the better. Usually there are numbers that can be compared and I believe the low loss ones are labeled as such. They cost slightly more.

The other thing I've done is get an amplified splitter from radio shack that has an adjustable gain. That helped a lot because I send the signal to three rooms once it enters the house. The 612 doesn't work as well with the OTA as a 211 or 622. The adjustable gain is important because too much gain can cause reception problems. Sometimes less is more.

I would also check your OTA cable. It may be RG59 which carries a lower bandwidth than RG6 which is required for satellite. I've found RG6 to work better with the OTA signals.

You might also try a rescan of your locals. There were lots of changes after the digital transition last month. Some people had to rescan, some didn't.

I hope you can get this figured out.

I called Dish yesterday and switched to the ViP722. They're doing it for free, but re-booted my 2-year commitment (thankfully I had only been on it for 3 months). The 612 had couple of issues: occasional lock-ups, auto-reboots following high fan noise, and picture freezing/pixellating when playing back recordings. Never had these sorts of issues on my previous 622 and 211 receivers when I had Dish in years past. Hoping the 722 is better.

I have been with Dish Network for many years, and have had my share of problem DVR's.
Certain models were completely problematic and unreliable.
My advise is you can stay with the model you currently have and continue to have nothing but problems, or get a 722 which works.
You can request to talk to the customer care department, and tell them you have been through four of these units already and want something that works.

My 722K with dual OTA tuner module works great. You should ask for the OTA module or it may not be included.

I've been with dish about three years as of last night I will be recieving our 8th dvr they are rebuilt crap. They should be as dependable as a pc but aparently they are not built by the pc manufacturers that build our highly used and abused indestructable pc's. Half of there customer service rep's are smart assed minimum waged brats half if them which don't speak english well. Thier billing stinks I have to call at least every other month because of charges added to the bill I didn't order or approve of ranging from programming upgrades to pay per view stuff. They will argue with you as if there personel monies they are defending. I am an honest person but at this point of anguish I'm ready to by a dvr from bestbuy and purchase a bootlegged/hotwired satellite box so I don't have the stress monthly of sitting on the phone with someone that doesn't speak english well telling me that it's all my fault and trying to make me feel as if they are doing me favors.We pay for tv which used to be free. it's just not worth it even though tv is the cheapest form of entertainment today. I'm ready to just put up an antenna and a decoder box and just watch local tv. I can buy cd's on ebay for a couple bucks and don't have to deal with idiots. I know the other services cable/direct have the same problems too. I wish there was an alternative besides the big three we are stuck with.

I have a Phillips 47" 47PFL5432D/37 and a VipDVR 612 sat reciever, I cannot get the LCD to keep video and audio going with any HDMI cable BUT it will work on a 37" Magnivox I have, and the one on the Magnivox I put on the Phillips 47" 47PFL5432D/37 and again that VipDVR 612 would not work either.

What it is doing it cycling on and off both video and audio goes from being on seeing and hearing it to totally black/blank no video no audio, Yet I can put my Sony DVD player, PS3, Xbox360 ect to HDMI and I have NO ISSUE. yet it some how the VipDVR 612 is not recieving signal back according to the DVR 612 when I went into diagnostics and analysis, then HDMI test saysHDMI enabled from TX(STB) side: true and HMDI sensed from RX(TV) side: lines inactive also RxKsv & TxKsv both are 00 00 00 00 00 (invalid!) as well as at:1, rp:0. au:0, v:1.1. ri:0. pj:0 EDID blocks to EDID 7 Checksum error.

Can anyone help me with this?

Use component video and l/r analog audio.

There is no different between HDMI video and component video quality for HD, and if your using the HDTV for audio (not an external audio system), analog l/r will be fine.

Thanks for all the input. I took the advise and called Dish who will be sending me a new 722 receiver and also informed me there was no longer a charge for me hooking up an external HD and downloading all my recordings so they wont be lost. Cool. This was my 4th 612 in less than 4 months and it had a variety of freeze ups requiring restarts, but when it did it during the Bristol Cup Race last Sunday, that was the last straw.

This is mostly true, except, when you want to order a PPV 1080P movie. You must be connected via HDMI to access this programmming. Granted, there is only one 1080P movie available at a time and they are a bit pricey, but, if a subscriber wants to see this programming they must have HDMI hooked up.

I also have had many random skips with my DVR that I never used to experience with my TIVO.

The most frustrating thing is that it is constantly making a loud fan noise that can be heard through my downstairs living room and dining room. I had this replaced once by Dish Network and the new one has the same problem.

The DVR is not enclosed and the noise is constant (it never gets higher or lower). The fan goes even when the unit is supposed to be powered off, when it shows its screensaver.

I'm extremely displeased with this DVR and really wish Dish could fix it.

Is this your primary stb? If it isn't then my advice is to exchange it for a 211/211K. Buy an external hard drive for it (1tb would be the best), activate it to the 211/211K for a $40 fee. And you now have a single tuner (two if want to record ota also). And if this isn't the primary stb for you, then it's only a $7 fee instead of $10.

If this your primary stb, then you might as well try it anyway. It will eliminate the monthly $6 dvr fee too!

I would drive to a video store and rent a BD @ $1.99 - $2.99 before I would pay $6.99 for a 1080p VOD. Unless you live miles away from a town or you're a shut-in, you can always incorporate a store visit when running errands or coming home from work.

Agreed. But you could also go to a Redbox for around $1.50 per DVD. Then again, you could put that $6.99 for ONE VOD towards a one DVD out at a time Netflix plan ($7.99 a month IIRC), get 5-8 DVD's a month delivered to your door (depending on your post office). When I was with DirecTV, I got a free VOD movie and the quality was decent, but it had to buffer several times. Hassle. Don't have any problems with Netflix or Amazon streaming of similar quality. Why people ever buy VOD from their cable/satellite is beyond me.

Yep, the only time I've ever "bought" a VOD was when I had free VOD credit. Hmm, I still have $5 from Amazon from registering the Roku box I bought for Christmas. Maybe I'll put that to good use next weekend.