Closeups: new Echostar TR-50 OTA HD Digital to Analog DVR Receiver

[Mr Tony]

actually channel 37, not 38 is off limits...its used for military

 

[Dah-Henny]

...difference between LP/CA and translator is LP/CA stations have more "stay put" power when the other stations were doing DT channel assignment. Translator stations can be bumped (moved to other channels)..LP & CA cannot

Very interesting...THANKS!

 

[kb7oeb]

No way dish is going to include mpeg2 encoders for analog to support 13 more months of analog OTA. If it does have analog I bet they are going to support analog cable and TVGOS has guide data for most of the channels.

It does not connect to a Dish satellite. Entirely OTA. The mpeg-4 is "future-proof," but really just a marketing ploy, which will sadly confuse many.

Thats why I said "via the internet"

 

[jegrant]

This is HIGHLY incorrect. It pulls guide data from the PSIP stream, if there is no data it just lists programming as Digital Station.

I'll admit - I first got the idea that Echostar's upcoming TR 40 & 50 DTV STBs use TV Guide On Screen from other forums. Perhaps this is a case of incorrect rumors becoming widespread?

Dish Network (Echostar) enters standalone DVR market - TiVo Community
in the first post

At launch, the TR-50 will receive free guide data from PBS and CBS stations 8-VSB datacast. Guide data may also be made available via ethernet at a future date, but use of ethernet is optional.

in post number 19

The Echostar TR-50 isn't limited to analog guide data like most older TVGoS products.

The TR-50 appears to support the TVGuide's digital guide data service that is delivered with 8-VSB datacast by CBS O&O and other broadcasters. This is far more reliable than the guide data sent by PBS analog stations and received by older TVGoS products.

Now, the free TVGuide data obviously isn't as comprehensive as TiVo's. But it should be sufficient for season passes.

I found a CNET video that seems to add evidence to the TV Guide claim.

Video: EchoStar TR-50 DVR - CNET Reviews
In this CNET Video, the host says "Most DVRs have about 12 hours of programming information, but the Echostar, they've got TV Guide to back them up, so you're gonna have 7 full days..."
Perhaps the host was only using "tv guide" as a generic term, to indicate that the TR-50 did in fact have an EPG available. But given the context, to me, it seems like he is referring to "TV Guide" as a proper noun, and a source of listing information for a 7 day guide, not just as a generic term.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I'll admit - I first got the idea that Echostar's upcoming TR 40 & 50 DTV STBs use TV Guide On Screen from other forums. Perhaps this is a case of incorrect rumors becoming widespread?

Dish Network (Echostar) enters standalone DVR market - TiVo Community
in the first post

in post number 19


I found a CNET video that seems to add evidence to the TV Guide claim.

Video: EchoStar TR-50 DVR - CNET Reviews
In this CNET Video, the host says "Most DVRs have about 12 hours of programming information, but the Echostar, they've got TV Guide to back them up, so you're gonna have 7 full days..."
Perhaps the host was only using "tv guide" as a generic term, to indicate that the TR-50 did in fact have an EPG available. But given the context, to me, it seems like he is referring to "TV Guide" as a proper noun, and a source of listing information for a 7 day guide, not just as a generic term.

I saw the same thing you did and think that they will use TV guide data or they will pull from the CBS or PBS station from your area for guide data. IF they rely on Psip data we are sunk. In my area 2 or three stations have no psip data for guide data. I have an LG dvd player with a digital tuner and it can't read the data from those stations I mentioned.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I asked 3 different folks who all said it was pulling PSIP data.

Also as far as I know there is no TV Guide being transmitted via ATSC that I know of (I could be wrong), in the analog world TV Guide is trnsmitted via PBS much like Close Captioning is.

The majority of channels that they could pick up there did NOT have any guide data, which also has me beliving that its grabing PSIP.

 

[osu1991]

TV Guide has a new contract to provide onscreen data via local CBS digital stations now. Some of the digital versions are already broadcasting but not many.

CBS to Carry Gemstar-TV Guide IPG Data - 4/19/2007 11:33:00 AM - Multichannel News

 

[Tyralak]

this solves a problem with the whole TV2 issue Dish will have...

many nice, big HDTVs have horrible analog tuners. For whatever reason, they can't tune in modulated channel 3 or agile modulated worth a damn, and scale it horribly. Yet that same video tuned via a cheapo VCR and then sent to the same TV via a standard composite cable looks just fine. And HDTVs will be dropping the analog tuner altogether quite soon...

And VCRs that tune analog are done. Look around, and most have been discontinued. And DVDRs don't seem to tune analog too well, either. The few that are left that have analog tuners at all, well, suck. With the digital switchover, analog tuners will be a thing of the past.

So where does that leave the dish subscriber who wants the TV2/multiroom setup in the future? Dish isn't about to modulate a digital channel (it's supposed to be very expensive). Well, customers can keep using their old analog non-hd sets, but if you want a larger new HD LCD, you are gonna be basically SOL. Unless, of course, this box tunes and upscales analog TV signals with aplomb. Then it's a godsend. I've held off on a getting an LCD for my family room because the signal would look like crap from my 721 (now a 625 TV2). So my CRT is still hanging on, but it's going south quickly. If the TR-50 works as advertised, I may be a charter customer.

Only OTA analog is gong away. People will still need analog tuners for basic cable. Most cable systems will continue using analog for a good portion of their channels for many years to come.

 

[dlsnyder]

actually channel 37, not 38 is off limits...its used for military

I stand corrected on the channel number. My understanding was that the frequencies were used by radiotelescopes.

 

[Bulldog]

FCC will allow some very low power analog stations

Only OTA analog is gong away. People will still need analog tuners for basic cable. Most cable systems will continue using analog for a good portion of their channels for many years to come.

It is my understanding that the FCC will allow some very low power analog stations that are unique for a city in which they broadcast local government news, safety, traffic and other information will be permitted to continue to transmit in analog.

 

[dlsnyder]

There are a small number of niche LPTV stations in my area, none of which even make a blip on the ratings. Home Shopping Network operates a couple of them, two more are Spanish language religious broadcasters, a couple more have Spanish music videos and infomercials. Not sure who is watching them, but when analog shuts off in 2009 they will have much greater visibility.

I suspect 2009 will also be a huge year for Pirate TV.

 

[Mr Tony]

It is my understanding that the FCC will allow some very low power analog stations that are unique for a city in which they broadcast local government news, safety, traffic and other information will be permitted to continue to transmit in analog.

you should actually read through the thread next time
http://www.satelliteguys.us/1187862-post39.html

A Consumer Advisory issued by the FCC this week may bring a surprise to many: analog TV broadcasts will not be completely dead after February 17, 2009. The advisory says that while full-power stations will cease analog broadcasts on that date, low-power, class A, and translator stations may continue broadcasting in analog. There is no statutory deadline for the stations to convert to digital, but the FCC will require them to convert eventually.

 

[MikeD-C05]

TV Guide has a new contract to provide onscreen data via local CBS digital stations now. Some of the digital versions are already broadcasting but not many.

CBS to Carry Gemstar-TV Guide IPG Data - 4/19/2007 11:33:00 AM - Multichannel News

So it looks like they will use CBS & Pbs stations for psip data for all the locals in the dma . I remember the CNET guy saying as much in the video that they made for the TR50 dvr.

 

[Ken F]

I asked 3 different folks who all said it was pulling PSIP data.

Also as far as I know there is no TV Guide being transmitted via ATSC that I know of (I could be wrong), in the analog world TV Guide is trnsmitted via PBS much like Close Captioning is.

The majority of channels that they could pick up there did NOT have any guide data, which also has me beliving that its grabing PSIP.

At the moment, TVGuide service is only available via 8-VSB (ATSC) datacast in a handful of markets, but that will change. Within six months, the service should be up and running in most major markets.

One of the key features of the TR-40 not mentioned at CES is the ability to take the TVGuide 8-VSB datacast and output it as analog VBI for legacy products. That way, existing TVGoS devices such as TVs, DVD recorders, and VCRs can continue using the TVGoS service even after analog signals are shutoff.

Echostar worked with Gemstar for more than six months to bring this capability to OTA STBs. Until CES, I couldn't understand why Echostar would spend all that time working with Gemstar on a STB. But now it is obvious. Echostar wasn't just adding the TVGuide software to their boxes, they were modifying their STB and DVR software to accept the TVGuide datastream.