Are there any differences between the 54.0 and the 54.1 remotes? (Other than the logo on the bottom of 54.1)

[pattykay]

I have an extra, if you want to review one PM me your shipping address.

Thanks, dishdude! Give me a couple of weeks to really play around with it, and then I'll post my review here. That way, we'll have a thread for comparing all of the Dish voice remotes.

 

[pattykay]

I received the 50.0 remote today. Thanks again, dishdude! So far, I like it well enough that I'll modify my earlier offer from post number 33:

Updating the list from the originally-quoted post, I do have a spare 54.3 and a 40.0 available. Take your pick, first come first served. I am only offering one of these remotes, so whichever one goes, I'll keep the other one.

Now, I am making both of these spare remotes available to whoever wants one. First come, first served. The 50.0 remote is at the very least adequate as a spare remote, and in many ways I like it even better than the other models. I'll take some more time to play with the 50.0 and get used to it, and make sure that I really like it. Then, I'll give my in-depth review below. Stay tuned!

 

[pattykay]

Do you still have any of those 50.0 remotes? That is one model I have never tried. I might enjoy testing it out, and comparing it to the newer models.

I have an extra, if you want to review one...

Thanks, dishdude! Give me a couple of weeks to really play around with it, and then I'll post my review here. That way, we'll have a thread for comparing all of the Dish voice remotes.

As promised, here is my in-depth review of the 50.0 remote. This is going to be a long one. So, here is your warning to flee while you can!

No love for the 50.0? ...

Trackpads don't belong on remote controls! I do like the size of the remote though.

The trackpad is by far the most divisive feature, so I'll start there. It does take some getting used to, so it is definitely not for everyone. Some people may love it, while others may hate it. Here are my thoughts:

I like how the trackpad makes it very easy to scroll quickly through the guide, without needing to repeatedly press (or hold down) any buttons. This should definitely save on any wear and tear of the buttons, compared to other remote models. You can control the rate of scrolling by doing a long swipe (similar to a page up / page down, or a skip forward / skip back) or a short swipe (similar to an up arrow / down arrow / right arrow / left arrow).

I do find that to have more exact control over the navigation, I tend to use my index finger (the way I would on a smartphone or tablet) rather than my thumb (the way I would normally press the arrow buttons). However, with a little practice, I have learned to be able to use the trackpad either way quite effectively.

To enter numbers, you must first press the "123" button in the upper-right, directly above the trackpad. This causes the number pad to appear both on the trackpad itself, and in the middle of the TV screen. From there, you can obviously press each number directly, if you are looking at the remote. To make it easier to use this feature without looking at the remote, the on-screen number pad cursor tracks your thumb's movement. When the desired number is highlighted, press the trackpad to enter it. As long as your thumb remains in contact with the trackpad, the number pad will wait until you have entered every digit, before acting on the command. There is also a back arrow on the number pad, so you can correct any numbers if you press the wrong one by mistake.

In small print below that "123" button, there is text that says "abc" which to me would seem to indicate that a long press of that button should pull up a text keyboard. That would make sense, considering how the other buttons are labeled. (A long press of the Back button takes you directly to Live TV, for example, and a long press of the skip forward button is a fast forward.) However, I have not been able to get a text keyboard to appear. In fact, a long press of the "123" button does absolutely nothing. This does not appear to be context-sensitive, either, as even in the Search menu (which has an on-screen letter and number pad) a long press of the "123" button does not give any different options for entering text. You simply navigate the existing on-screen keyboard just as you would with any other remote. I have no clue what that "abc" is supposed to indicate. It is not a shortcut to go directly to your local ABC affiliate, either.

The trackpad does have one major difference compared to other remotes, when it comes to navigating through the Menus. With other remotes, you can move the cursor off the left side of the screen to wrap around to the right side of the screen, and vice versa. I call this feature "Pac-Man Navigation" since it reminds me of the way the Pac-Man maze works. With the 50.0 remote, there is no Pac-Man Navigation. However, a long swipe right or left easily gets you to the other side of the screen quickly, with no need to use the wrap-around feature to save on button presses (or swipes). So, this accomplishes the same purpose. It does take some getting used to, though, if you are used to being able to have the cursor wrap around to the opposite side of the screen.

Now, on to some other 50.0 remote features. The size of this remote is just about right. It is as tall as my Roku remote, and as wide and thick as the 54-series remote. This makes the 50.0 the right size to fit my hand comfortably. I also like the placement of the buttons (microphone, diamond, backlight) on the upper-right side of the remote. I am used to pressing buttons in this area of the Roku remote, so I find this placement handy on the 50.0 remote.

I especially appreciate having a button to manually turn on the backlight, as opposed to the motion-sensitive backlight of the 54-series remote. I always felt that was an unnecessary drain on the batteries in the 54, if you are using the remote in a well-lit room, and do not need the backlight. With the 50.0, I can use the backlight when I need it, and leave it off the rest of the time.

Having said that, the placement of the buttons on the 50.0 is laid out well enough that I can easily find which button I want without having to look down at the remote or use a backlight in the first place. I especially like having the channel up/down buttons all the way in the lower-right corner of the remote, which I find quite convenient for channel surfing.

There are also some additional buttons on the 50.0 remote, that the 54-series remotes do not have. Most important among these is the TV Power button in the upper-right corner. (That is also where that button is located on the 52.0 remote.) This makes it very easy to independently turn the TV on or off, without also controlling the satellite receiver, and without needing to put the remote in TV Mode before pressing the single Power button of the 54 remote. I have no idea why the TV Power button was not put on the 54 remote, but it is a major drawback of that series, in my opinion.

The 50.0 remote has a dedicated Apps button, which takes you directly to the Apps Bar (bottom of the screen) with a single press. (If you prefer the full-screen Apps Menu instead, just press the Apps button a second time.) This button is missing from the 54-series. The 54 remotes do make up for that by having two diamond buttons that can be customized for just about any function you may want, including acting as an Apps button. The buttons located in the equivalent place (on each side of the zero number button, at the bottom of the remote) on the 52.0 remote can also be customized. However, they are not labeled as diamond buttons, so that is not as intuitive as the other remotes.

As I mentioned before, the 50.0 remote only has one diamond button that can be customized, and it is located on the upper-right side, between the microphone and backlight buttons. Only having one customizable button may be seen as a drawback of the 50.0 remote. For comparison, the 40.0 remote (which has a lot more dedicated function buttons already) also has one customizable button, the Format (*) button in the lower-left corner.

I really don't have much to say about the voice functionality of the 50.0 remote. This works exactly the same way I expect it to work, from experience with the 54-series remotes. The only difference is the placement of the microphone button on the 50.0 remote, on the right side instead of on top. I find this placement on the 50.0 convenient, to help prevent it from accidentally getting pressed.

That is my review. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Hopefully this will serve as a convenient place for people who may be unfamiliar with the 50.0 remote to find out more about it, and how it compares to the other Dish remotes. Another big thanks to dishdude for letting me play with this, as it is much appreciated! Have a nice day, everyone!

 

[pattykay]

By the way, some people here like to rag on me for constantly criticizing Dish. While I am certainly much more motivated to post when I have something to rant about, the above post proves that I can (and do) give a positive review of Dish when they get something right. So, my coverage is fair and balanced.

The 50.0 is an older remote, but it is new to me. Overall, I really love the 50.0 remote, and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite Dish remotes of all time. It has a nice combination of buttons and features from other remote models, while also having features (such as the trackpad and backlight button) that are unique to the 50.0 remote. This post is the short summary, for those who did not make it all the way through reading the above post.

 

[TheKrell]

A long press of the Back button takes you directly to Live TV, for example, and a long press of the skip forward button is a fast forward.

I did not know that; very handy. Does this work on the 54 as well?

 

[dweber]

I did not know that; very handy. Does this work on the 54 as well?

Yes a long press of the back button on the 54 remote takes you to Live TV

 

[HipKat]

I did not know that; very handy. Does this work on the 54 as well?

Yes, that's why it says Live TV beneath it

 

[TheKrell]

Yes, that's why it says Live TV beneath it

Aha. I never notice that somewhat light printing under the buttons. Does a long press of the Info button also give you Help? I haven't tried that either.

 

[pattykay]

Does a long press of the Info button also give you Help?

Yes, it does.

 

[ethanlerma]

Does a long press of the Info button also give you Help?

I can confirm this doesn’t work. I tried holding the Info button and it didn’t help me get off of the couch.

 

[HipKat]

Aha. I never notice that somewhat light printing under the buttons. Does a long press of the Info button also give you Help? I haven't tried that either.

It gives you a 4-page guide of the remote buttons and long-pressing the skip buttons goes to Fast Forward.Rewind

 

[TheKrell]

It gives you a 4-page guide of the remote buttons

Haha! How is one to get to this 4-page guide before seeing the 4-page guide first? I know, I know. Come to Satelliteguys first.

 

[pattykay]

I can confirm this doesn’t work. I tried holding the Info button and it didn’t help me get off of the couch.

"This couch is part of me.
I'm growing cobwebs on my knee."

- Weird Al Yankovic, Inactive

 

[pattykay]

It gives you a 4-page guide of the remote buttons...

The number of pages varies according to the remote model being used. For the 50.0 remote, it is seven pages. For the 40.0 remote, it is four pages, but accessing it only requires a short press of the pound (#) button.

 

[TheKrell]

The number of pages varies according to the remote model being used. For the 50.0 remote, it is seven pages. For the 40.0 remote, it is four pages, but accessing it only requires a short press of the pound (#) button.

I checked it out just now. The 54 has 5 pages.

 

[pattykay]

I checked it out just now. The 54 has 5 pages.

They've added a page since the last time I had to beta test this feature, years ago. I remember when the 40.0 only had three pages, and the 54.0 had four pages at that time.

 

[pattykay]

Updating the list from the originally-quoted post, I do have a spare 54.3 and a 40.0 available. Take your pick, first come first served. I am only offering one of these remotes, so whichever one goes, I'll keep the other one.

Now, I am making both of these spare remotes available to whoever wants one. First come, first served.

Both of these remotes are going to a member named HopperGenie. Enjoy your new remotes!

 

[sfrasher]

Yep, I already have a 54.3 remote. I got it free from Dish. One place where there really should have been a difference (but there isn't) is the number shown on the battery cover door. All three types have 54.0 printed there. You have to actually open the battery cover and look at the sticker inside to determine the exact model. (Or, you can go to the Diagnostics screen on your receiver, to see your remotes listed on the right-hand side.) I guess it would have cost too much to make brand-new battery cover doors to make it easier to tell the remotes apart though. So that would have defeated the purpose of making the cheaper 54.3 model.

Wow! I just opened our original 54.0 remote and it says 54.1! I had no idea! Thanks. I just ordered a 54.3 last night.