Good for the basics...
Written: May 10 '02
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Picture Quality: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
|
|
| Customer Service: |
 |
|
|
Pros: PVR capability, faster guide, search feature, Picture Quality blows cable away
Cons: UHF Remote has zero range, software often unstable, Customer service quite poor.
The Bottom Line: Although this receiver has its share of troubles, it is the best of DISH's lineup of receivers.
|
|
|
| net100k's Full Review: Dish Network DishPVR 501 System |
I have owned DISH's PVR 501 since October 2001. I signed up as part of the Digital Home Plan and received a 301 and a 501 for a $49 activation fee. With that, here's the review:
AS A DECODER
The 501's picture quality is great. Obviously there are other variables other than the receiver (like the dish), but the 501 comes with some nice features. It has two RCA jack ports (the white, yellow, and red cables), one S-Video port, and a simple coax output. I recommend the S-Video - the PQ is MUCH better and I have experienced interference with the picture over the RCAs and the coax line. Its function as a decoder of the DISH signal is excellent.
AS A GUIDE
The guide on the 501 is also one of its strong points. Unlike the 301, the 501 has the ability to store a nine day guide and has instantaneous access to it. Note that the 9 day guide requires DISH 500 (The dish capable of receiving info from the 119 and 110 satellites). The 301's guide is slow to download and access (we're talking about 30 seconds here), making the 501 the better choice even excluding the PVR features. The 501 also has a search feature meaning that you can lookup any phrase that may appear in the program's title AND description. Pretty nice. If you subscribe to Caller ID, the 501 will pop up the name and number of the person calling while you are watching a TV show - pretty nice.
AS A PVR
Surprisingly, this is where I'm a little dissapointed in the 501. The features of pausing, rewinding, and jumping ahead in a LIVE program are great. No problems or complaints here. However, the timers to record programs often skip! VCRs have been around for over twenty years and I have never had one that has forgotten to record a program! Albeit it is rare, but it is annoying to come home and find out that your favorite program didn't record. The software crashes about once a month as well, but your recordings are luckily not erased. The ability to skip commercials on a recording is invaluable, though. I'm literally addicted to it. Please note that you CANNOT record a program and watch another live show at the same time. Since it only has one input from the satellite, it is unable to turn to a different channel. You of course can watch the program you're recording currently.
DISH SERVICE
I am also a little disappointed in the service that I have received from DISH Network, in particular, the fact that they do not yet have the YES network for Yankee baseball. They claim to be in negotiation even though the CEO has said that all negotiation is over and YES will not be on DISH. The CSR's stories have also been inconsistent - come on, this isn't a mom and pop operation. Be a little more professional! They will also replace your equipment with FACTORY REFURBISHED materials, something to take into consideration.
Overall, the PVR 501 has some great capabilities, but some of them are often on the fritz. Furthermore, the service received is subpar. Perhaps with the possible merger these issues would be solved. If you want to go with DISH, you really can't go wrong with the 501, though. Even though there are problems with this receiver, the features and capabilities of this one make the other receivers look like cardboard boxes.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 49
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
net100k
|
|
Member: Michael Sullivan
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 1 member
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.