Answers to your Hopper Questions

[MikeD-C05]

Two cents, sure. But I think we're up to $20 worth of your two cents.

I want OTA too, although I actually watch little OTA (at home). I also have a DTVPAL DVR and a Sony DHG500. But it's easier to record to the Dish DVR. So I'll wait, and watch, and maybe upgrade later this year. Or not.

I won't consider upgrading until full 2 Hopper integration is here, and OTA. But I'm not posting endlessly about the lack of these features at intro. I understand the value of getting a product out the door that meets most needs. To post the same complaints over and over, especially after the reasons why have been presented makes one look like they are just interested in complaining.

Well my two cents don't cost you anything to read . Besides I was answering to another poster who asked why ota was so important. If you don't like my posts then I suggest you hit IGNORE. I 'm kind of getting tired of the DISH pom-pom waivers attacking anyone who distracts from the fact that DISH does make mistakes . Releasing a cutting edge receiver like the Hopper without ota support is a mistake. So was the Entire 922 experience I went through. If ya'll want to over look the negatives of the Hopper and only see good , then more power to you. I learned from the 922 that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

But one (or two or three people) who bitch about something equals 1-3 complaints about feature "x" (or lack of feature "x"). They aren't taking multiple complaints from the same person or people and accumulating them !

It's almost like asking for FearNet every day.

 

[MikeD-C05]

LOL

http://www.satelliteguys.us/hopper-zone/278138-hopper-poll-2-a.html

+1

 

[dare2be]

It's almost like asking for FearNet every day.

FeeNet?

 

[navychop]

I can't understand why a feature that DISH has added to their receivers for years , is now not being included in their latest receivers. Why take away a feature that people like and do use ,just because certain subs don't take advantage of ......

I don't understand why there are those out there that think removing an existing feature is a good thing, on newer receivers.....

This has been answered many times. Why include the cost in every receiver when most don't use the function? In a roughly similar (IMHO, better) way as the ViP722K, OTA Will be available to those of us that want, and are willing to pay for, it. Get the box most want out the door and take advantage of its expand ability later.

A good thing? Well, maybe good to save some costs. But I think most of us view the decision as a reasonable thing, not a "good" thing.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Well my two cents don't cost you anything to read . Besides I was answering to another poster who asked why ota was so important. If you don't like my posts then I suggest you hit IGNORE. I 'm kind of getting tired of the DISH pom-pom waivers attacking anyone who distracts from the fact that DISH does make mistakes . Releasing a cutting edge receiver like the Hopper without ota support is a mistake.

How many times are you going to post the same thing?

Your name is MIKE not Bob.

You make some very good and valid points but to constantly keep posting the same thing again in almost Hopper thread is getting to be too much. I don't know if we should start moving your posts to the war zone or just deleting them.

With that said please take this message in the kind way it was meant, we dont want to see you be a Bob.

 

[MikeD-C05]

This has been answered many times. Why include the cost in every receiver when most don't use the function? In a roughly similar (IMHO, better) way as the ViP722K, OTA Will be available to those of us that want, and are willing to pay for, it. Get the box most want out the door and take advantage of its expand ability later.

A good thing? Well, maybe good to save some costs. But I think most of us view the decision as a reasonable thing, not a "good" thing.

As I said before , I was answering a post about why ota is important to subs. I understand why they didn't include the ota in the receiver ,because of costs, but not to include a way to let the sub add an ota module or usb ota tuner at the release of the receiver is another mistake that DISH continues to make . Does anyone remember the long history of the 922 and it's continued mistakes,software problems, lack of features. Remember how long it took to get the same archiving features the 722k had? How about tv 2 and watching something different on tv 2? How about the promised sling extender? Manual /Dish pass timers over the actual receiver? My point is once again DISH is releasing a receiver in the wild ,without all the features it needs to have , or that their older receviers already have. Anything to get it out the door . This is another example of their way of doing business. Aren't ya'll just a little tired of having to defend these type of decisions?

DON'T get me wrong, I like the entire concept of the hopper/joey system. But the main reasons I don't upgrade to it:


1. Higher Monthly FEES and the cost associated with upgrading to it.
2. Ota support not there on release.

If DISH would work on fixing these two issues, I would be all over the Hopper. I don't see this happening, at least on the cost of FEES, but they might address the ota support. Either way I will wait it out till I see where they go with it.

 

[Hall]

True enough, but removing features that work and people do use, no matter how small they are...

So what is the threshold that the number of users of the OTA tuner/module has to go below before it is justified in removing ? Or, I guess you're saying that as long as 1-2 people still use it - you said, "no matter how small" - Dish shouldn't remove it.

 

[Scherrman]

I actually like reading Mike's posts. Always has good input even if I don't agree.

 

[dwarren2]

I want a 2/2 system, but I want ota so I'm just going to wait till the ota module comes out.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I actually like reading Mike's posts. Always has good input even if I don't agree.

I do too, it just seems like he posts the same thin in each Hopper thread.

As I said he made some VERY valid points and said some of them better then I ever could!

 

[jrapps]

I think my question got lost in the middle of the entire OTA hijack of this thread..so I will ask again (and apologize for double posting if there really is no answer)

While Dish has said they are hoping to have OTA by summer, they didn't give any time-frame on when 2 Hoppers can see each other. Can we assume this would be before OTA? It would be nice if they could give some sort of an estimate, however rough it may be.

 

[fuzzy]

Scott you said they hadn't worked on the ota feature, but at CES Dish said they were working on it as we speak. Which is true?

 

[sparc]

While Dish has said they are hoping to have OTA by summer, they didn't give any time-frame on when 2 Hoppers can see each other. Can we assume this would be before OTA? It would be nice if they could give some sort of an estimate, however rough it may be.

Scott has mentioned that the seamless integration of two hoppers is their highest priority after the product is launched. So, it will definitely be before OTA. They already have it ready in a rough format, but according to Scott it needs polishing before release.

No specific date was given, but late spring/early summer seems like a reasonable guess. (If OTA will show up in the summer)

of course with anything, there's no guarantees and delays are common in the consumer electronics world.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

There came a time when they realized that they needed to stop working on OTA and start working to finalize the product so they can get the product out.

I am sure they were fooling with OTA, but it was put on the backburner to get the Hopper out.

 

[Scherrman]

I think the full integration of the two Hoppers is the most important thing. It should be much more important that OTA. It appeals to more people and actually has to do with satellite. Get the Hoppers to work together and then spend time on OTA and everyone will be happy.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I think the full integration of the two Hoppers is the most important thing. It should be much more important that OTA. It appeals to more people and actually has to do with satellite. Get the Hoppers to work together and then spend time on OTA and everyone will be happy.

I agree, as if they dont get the sharing working then your going to need 2 OTA USB tuners for be able to watch OTA on your joeys.

 

[navychop]

Full integration may be more important, but I suspect OTA implementation will be easier, so we shouldn't be too certain which will appear first. They may have 2 or more teams at work: Hopper integration, OTA, future enhancements, known bugs....

 

[cosmo_kramer]

Full integration may be more important, but I suspect OTA implementation will be easier, so we shouldn't be too certain which will appear first. They may have 2 or more teams at work: Hopper integration, OTA, future enhancements, known bugs....

Yep, I'm no expert, but I would have to believe integrating an OTA tuner into the setup is a helluva lot easier task than getting 2 Hoppers to work together "seamlessly"....

 

[MikeD-C05]

Yep, I'm no expert, but I would have to believe integrating an OTA tuner into the setup is a helluva lot easier task than getting 2 Hoppers to work together "seamlessly"....

Since DISH already knows how to integrate ota on the Vip series of DVRS , I agree it should be much easier to do so on the Hopper. I suspect the hopper integration will take much more time to accomplish, if at all.