[TheNit]

I'm confused as to which box is the newest. Is it the DC550D or the DCX700? I just went to the Limeridge outlet to replace my DCT6200, saying that I wanted to replace it with the newer Pace but I was in a hurry and didn't realize until I got home that I was given the DCX700 so I'm holding off installation until I determine which one that I want. Is there really any difference between the two? Is any one causing more problems than the other? Are the "stretched" menus a problem only on the Pace?

I see much more discussion about the new RNG200N DVR which I will be replacing my DCT6412 with soon but not much about the standard HD boxes.

 

[DavidT]

The DCX700 was released by Motorola in October, 2009, whereas the DC550D was released by Pace just a few months ago (I think Cogeco might be the first to carry it). But both boxes were actually launched by Cogeco around the same time, so neither is newer in that sense.

The specifications of each box are pretty much identical. I haven't used a DC550D, so I can't comment on it, but all of our DCX700s run very well. If you like how your current Motorola STB handles picture scaling/stretching, you're probably better off with the DCX700.

 

[sailmaker]

From personal experience with Pace (got the 700 two days after Cogeco started issuing them) and from a zillion posts by others my advice would be to go to Pace as a last resort. That's just me FWIW. sailmaker

 

[TheNit]

I just talked to someone in Cogeco Tech Support and she said that she has less trouble calls for the DCX700 so she would recommend it. She also recommended the Pace RNG200N (I have a Motorola DCT6412 as well).

 

[Millstone]

6416 > rng200n

 

[solidsnake3467]

dcx700!!! don't even think of the pace dc550d!! it's a pos!

 

[DavidT]

6416 > rng200n

While your experience with the RNG200N may not have been the greatest, you are the odd one out. The general consensus at the moment is that the RNG200N is a fairly significant upgrade over the 6416 and no serious bugs have been discovered with the model.

Personally, I would recommend the RNG200N.

@solidsnake3467: What problem(s) did you have with the DC550D?

 

[solidsnake3467]

While your experience with the RNG200N may not have been the greatest, you are the odd one out. The general consensus at the moment is that the RNG200N is a fairly significant upgrade over the 6416 and no serious bugs have been discovered with the model.

Personally, I would recommend the RNG200N.

@solidsnake3467: What problem(s) did you have with the DC550D?

i have an rng200n, and i love it btw.

the Pace DC550D was horrific. The VOD feature wouldn't work, the quality of the HD was not good either, very choppy.*I returned the box in exchange for another DC550D and same thing. I had a tech out, and he said the boxes were garbage. That's how I got to the RNG200N. I work for a cable company (not COGECO) and we had tested this box, and it got great results, but we didn't end up supporting it. I'm glad COGEGO chose to go this route.

 

[CamDAB]

the Pace DC550D was horrific. The VOD feature wouldn't work, the quality of the HD was not good either, very choppy.

VOD works here OK. Had a problem with VOD of Y&R of a most recent episode my wife wanted to see, kept getting errors. Tried an older episode, worked just fine. Seems Cogeco doesn't have enough capacity to "serve" popular items for VOD titles.

HD here looks fine, no chop. Component vs. HDMI = no noticeable picture quality differences. The DC500D picture was noticeably clearer than the DCT6200 we returned (promo). The pace populated the guide much more quickly then the 6200 too... Interesting.

My main beef is audio... massive level differences between SD and HD channels. Must have the box set to maximum compression to bring levels somewhat close without blowing the TV speakers.... :-( That's a Cogeco issue, not a box issue.

Cameron