DISH HOPPER SPEC SHEETS

[theoak]

I am not sure if Dish is going to be keen on OTA. If they got rid of OTA, they would not have to worry about the guide information for the other local channels. It would be one less thing for them to worry about.

Really, considering with PTA it can record the main four anyway ... is OTA really needed?

Okay ... lets say there is a satellite outage ... your TV should have a tuner no? You could watch the programming live?

Okay ... you can't record off of your TV tuner ... but you could with OTA ... does that mean you are going to set up duplicate timers using PTA and OTA in case there is a satellite outage?

But I record the "other" OTA channels in my area you say. Okay ... you got me there. I don't think I EVER have though ... personally speaking.

I don't know ... at first I was a little concerned with no OTA tuners ... but with PTA ... I am not sure OTA is needed.

 

[n0qcu]

Then there are some areas where the satellite local is not really "local" so you'd want OTA to get your local news and weather.

 

[GaryPen]

Really, considering with PTA it can record the main four anyway ... is OTA really needed?

Yes.

You've heard of digital sub-channels, right?

Plus, a lot of people aren't that interested in the big four, or in PTA for that matter.

 

[dwarren2]

OTA is a must. Many of us have access to a 2nd DMA that is not on Dish. Plus as previously stated, Dish does not carry the sub channels. My Dish locals are Rochester, NY. I also can get Syracuse NY with my ota antenna. I record a lot of PBS off the sub channels. Syracuse carries different programing on some of it's sub channels. Right now, my ota antenna is broken. After a wind storm last week, the uhf end broke and is hanging down. It's still aimed at Syracuse so I can receive them. I have a new Weingard stting in the garage, waiting for the first decent weather day to go on the roof and change the antenna.

 

[redelephants]

I am in a split DMA where I receive my CBS affiliate from a different DMA than my other major networks. The question I have is whether PTA will work if the SV DMA is not in HD?

 

[Jhon69]

I am in a split DMA where I receive my CBS affiliate from a different DMA than my other major networks. The question I have is whether PTA will work if the SV DMA is not in HD?

By what we have heard PTAT is HD only.

Here's your answer read the fine print under Primetime Anytime:

http://www.dishnetwork.com/redirects/promotion/hopper/default.aspx

 

[ToddG]

In my case dish doesn't carry my locals in Hd which I am sure is the case for quite a few subscribers so prime time is worthless to people in that situation.

 

[keckge]

Well I guess we can all pull our old Tivo's out of storage LOL. For that extra OTA tuner.

 

[ScottChez]

I don't see how Dish could ever NOT have an OTA option as that would mean NO PBS in HD and no METV and no local weather channel from the digital sub channels. I would be missing about 18 channels that are OTA, but not on the SAT

What about Tornado season? I need the OTA option to watch local news to see when the Tornado is coming (I live in tornado alley).

====Dish I hope your reading all these posts =====

You need to get the OTA turner out ASAP, do it on DAY ONE or at least offer it to beta testers day one.
. If anything take the cartridge that you sell now and put it in a box with a USB connector on it, problem solved. Or go with a 3rd party solution that is already avl at the big box stores or amazon. There are several USB Tuners on the market today, go with a high quality one and add the drivers to the Hopper.

I am not sure if Dish is going to be keen on OTA. If they got rid of OTA, they would not have to worry about the guide information for the other local channels. It would be one less thing for them to worry about.

Really, considering with PTA it can record the main four anyway ... is OTA really needed?

Okay ... lets say there is a satellite outage ... your TV should have a tuner no? You could watch the programming live?

Okay ... you can't record off of your TV tuner ... but you could with OTA ... does that mean you are going to set up duplicate timers using PTA and OTA in case there is a satellite outage?

But I record the "other" OTA channels in my area you say. Okay ... you got me there. I don't think I EVER have though ... personally speaking.

I don't know ... at first I was a little concerned with no OTA tuners ... but with PTA ... I am not sure OTA is needed.

 

[dare2be]

Or go with a 3rd party solution that is already avl at the big box stores or amazon. There are several USB Tuners on the market today, go with a high quality one and add the drivers to the Hopper.

From what we read here earlier, they are currently evaluating/testing 3rd party tuners.

 

[navychop]

So you could record 4 things at once if you had PTAT turned off, 1 ota and 3 Dish?

Yes, once Dish releases an OTA tuner via USB module. I'm 98% sure they will. And they might even release a two OTA tuner rig.

 

[sparc]

====Dish I hope your reading all these posts =====

You need to get the OTA turner out ASAP, do it on DAY ONE or at least offer it to beta testers day one.
. If anything take the cartridge that you sell now and put it in a box with a USB connector on it, problem solved. Or go with a 3rd party solution that is already avl at the big box stores or amazon. There are several USB Tuners on the market today, go with a high quality one and add the drivers to the Hopper.

Scott already indicated they were testing the actual hardware now for OTA.

I still wouldn't expect it at launch time since it only affects a small portion of their customer base.

 

[theoak]

I don't see how Dish could ever NOT have an OTA option as that would mean NO PBS in HD and no METV and no local weather channel from the digital sub channels. I would be missing about 18 channels that are OTA, but not on the SAT

What about Tornado season? I need the OTA option to watch local news to see when the Tornado is coming (I live in tornado alley).

====Dish I hope your reading all these posts =====

You need to get the OTA turner out ASAP, do it on DAY ONE or at least offer it to beta testers day one.
. If anything take the cartridge that you sell now and put it in a box with a USB connector on it, problem solved. Or go with a 3rd party solution that is already avl at the big box stores or amazon. There are several USB Tuners on the market today, go with a high quality one and add the drivers to the Hopper.

Don't you have a TV with a tuner? Are you saying that you are going to want to set recording timers for your tornado alerts that you can watch later???

 

[dare2be]

Don't you have a TV with a tuner? Are you saying that you are going to want to set recording timers for your tornado alerts that you can watch later???

OMG.

ION is a local OTA HD channel (all my Sat ION channels are SD). MeTV, ThisTV, MyTV are all local OTA channels, a lot of DMAs don't have CW or PBS available via Sat, let alone all the subchannels. Way to ignore the main reason for an integrated OTA tuner and just focus on the absurd.

 

[navychop]

........ at first I was a little concerned with no OTA tuners ... but with PTA ... I am not sure OTA is needed.

In addition to the comments above, OTA is flat out better in the PQ department.

There is only one OTA show we watch (actually, DVR for future viewing). But I certainly want to record OTA on my DVR, for convenience of others. That way, they don't have to learn how to work my other two OTA recording devices.

 

[ScottChez]

DirectTV sells there Dual OTA USB tuner for $69.99 I hope Dish matches or beats that price. Yes it has Two tuners. Most 3rd party Tuner USB sticks only have One tuner in them.

Link to manual:
DIRECTV AM21 OFF AIR TUNER Manual

Model- AM21

Yes, once Dish releases an OTA tuner via USB module. I'm 98% sure they will. And they might even release a two OTA tuner rig.

 

[Jhon69]

Yes, once Dish releases an OTA tuner via USB module. I'm 98% sure they will. And they might even release a two OTA tuner rig.

I was hoping you were going to say they went back to the drawing boards to design a 6 tuner whole house HDDVR with a MT2 Module inside.

 

[ScottChez]

Your right, I forgot about that. That is the issue, I would have to split my OTA signal making it weaker AND myself and the rest of the family would have to remember to switch inputs.
Sure is better to just go to say channel 6-0 or 7-0 on the guide.

Don't you have a TV with a tuner? Are you saying that you are going to want to set recording timers for your tornado alerts that you can watch later???

 

[chicagonettech]

I am not sure if Dish is going to be keen on OTA. If they got rid of OTA, they would not have to worry about the guide information for the other local channels . . .

. . . but with PTA . . . I am not sure OTA is needed.

Not to start a war here about OTA and the Commission, but I believe that one of the reasons that OTA was designed into the Hopper/Joey is that the writing is on the wall that the OTA carry mandate will be enforced by the FCC in the very near future.

In fact, in one of the recent filing blogs about cross ownership, several of the suggestions are that the FCC force ALL RETRANS facilities to carry OTA for ALL PRIMARY and SUB channels at NO COST to all subscribers and that the owners of the stations NOT be allowed to charge the retrans facilities to carry the OTA channels.

While was a COMMENT posting on something which is still in the comment stage for an issue on cross ownership, the comment was that the Commission is listening and watching the fights which are developing between the retrans companies and the OTA broadcasters with the eye on the intent that the air waves are publicly owned and retrans has turned into a huge profit column for locally owned stations. There is at least one commissioner, if not two, who is sympathetic to the comment.

Whatever happens, we may see some major changes in OTA within the next couple of years. The catalyst for the changes may well be Disney and others who are looking to make huge profits from retrans units to justify maintaining local OTA stations and keeping the high-cost talent on the air. I have seen many comments in these forums about the fact that "cable" was initially intended to provide premium content without commercials and that concept was lost a long time ago.

Public air waves were intended to "remain free and under the control of the public." The retrans companies have seriously modified that in the name of profit over the last 25 years and some at the FCC are finally starting to raise eyebrows about issues.

I do not think OTA will leave satellite or cable at any time in the near future.

 

[navychop]

I was hoping you were going to say they went back to the drawing boards to design a 6 tuner whole house HDDVR with a MT2 Module inside.

Well, from the above, I thought someone might be having a nice pleasant little smoke.

And then I saw the below. Err- shall we say, stronger stuff?

...... the writing is on the wall that the OTA carry mandate will be enforced by the FCC in the very near future.

.... several of the suggestions are that the FCC force ALL RETRANS facilities to carry OTA for ALL PRIMARY and SUB channels at NO COST to all subscribers and that the owners of the stations NOT be allowed to charge the retrans facilities to carry the OTA channels.

....

Whatever happens, we may see some major changes in OTA within the next couple of years......

Public air waves were intended to "remain free and under the control of the public." The retrans companies have seriously modified that in the name of profit over the last 25 years and some at the FCC are finally starting to raise eyebrows about issues.

I do not think OTA will leave satellite or cable at any time in the near future.

I hadn't heard of this. Is there really a likelihood that local stations may be stopped from charging satcos for retransmission? I never understood why they should be able to do that (so long as the satcos can't insert commercials).