DISH HOPPER SPEC SHEETS

[GravelChan]

The 921 could indeed record from its ATSC tuner (probably wouldn't have gotten one if it didn't), but when doing so only 1 of the satellite tuners was available for recording. IIRC, I could watch OTA live while the sat tuners were both recording.

Was that before the digital switchover?. I remember being disgusted about not being able to record OTA. I'm on translators here and they didn't get digital running until just a short time before the switchover. In fact I traded for a 622 right after they came out because the hard drive in the 921 went by by and I traded up rather than get another hunk of junk!

So I guess I need to defer to your correction.

 

[GaryPen]

You have to load software to the PC. That makes me think that Dish would have to settle on a single usb tuner. It would be a nightmare for tech if everyone could chose which tuner to use.

Which is where the command set commonality comes in. Modems seem to have condensed to a rather small pool of instructions- why not tuners?

That is why most of these usb tuners work with Windows Media Center.

 

[Smith P.]

You have to load software to the PC. That makes me think that Dish would have to settle on a single usb tuner. It would be a nightmare for tech if everyone could chose which tuner to use.

No such thing in Linux world. Having correct drivers for each USB device [OTA tuner] would be done by reasonable effort SW Dept.

 

[navychop]

No such thing in Linux world. Having correct drivers for each USB device [OTA tuner] would be done by reasonable effort SW Dept.

Thank you.

 

[UTMTech]

No such thing in Linux world. Having correct drivers for each USB device [OTA tuner] would be done by reasonable effort SW Dept.

Haha Scott you used a reasonable comment in reference to Dish.

Sent from my fingers.

 

[navychop]

Wouldn't it be a shocker if Dish came out with the policy that ONE and ONLY ONE ViP could be on the Hopper network? And it HAD TO BE a ViP211 series (for tailgaters) OR a ViP922, which would marry up to the Hopper (to thwart account stacking) AND that ViP922 would act as a part of the network, thereby adding tuners and more DVR space (& redundancy, as CSRs could suspend the "marriage" when a defective Hopper is returned)? What a great marketing boon this would be for Dish. And you couldn't get the grins off ViP922 owners' faces with sandpaper. Yes, it's being phased out. But this could change things, even if no more were to be built.

What do you guys think of this idea?

 

[Smith P.]

Don't make our life more miserable by giving such hints to the company!

 

[navychop]

Why miserable? Wouldn't this be welcomed by many?

On edit: BTW, I posted similar in Questions to get to Dish, and here to actually discuss it, as discussion in Questions is not allowed.

 

[TheKrell]

Wouldn't this be welcomed by many?

Not by me since my owned receivers are neither of those!

The whole idea of prohibiting older receivers on H/J accounts (to inhibit account stacking) is spurious at best, if you ask me. They can "see" all my receivers are on the same broadband connection and also on the same phone line right now. What's the issue here, anyway? What problem is Dish trying to solve by this prohibition?

 

[navychop]

Not by me since my owned receivers are neither of those!

The whole idea of prohibiting older receivers on H/J accounts (to inhibit account stacking) is spurious at best, if you ask me. They can "see" all my receivers are on the same broadband connection and also on the same phone line right now. What's the issue here, anyway? What problem is Dish trying to solve by this prohibition?

Perhaps we will hear "the rest of the story."

 

[John Kotches]

I wonder if it has to do with the use of newer switches (I seem to recall there are solo and duo node switches) that is the real issue here? Don't know, just speculating.

In theory, I don't see why you couldn't cascade off of a DPP44 though... so that the cascade outputs would feed the solo/duo node switches and the receiver outputs would feed the VIP receivers.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Its because moving forward they dont want to keep writing software to support old hardware, lnb's, switches and dishes.

Its more then just account stacking, its about making everything uniform.

 

[Smith P.]

It would be very expensive way to get rid of SD/MPEG-2 boxes by pushing H-J zoo to customers... while I see it as good excuse, I'm no buying it.

 

[BobaBird]

I wonder if it has to do with the use of newer switches (I seem to recall there are solo and duo node switches) that is the real issue here? Don't know, just speculating.

In theory, I don't see why you couldn't cascade off of a DPP44 though... so that the cascade outputs would feed the solo/duo node switches and the receiver outputs would feed the VIP receivers.

The Solo and Duo nodes take 2 and 3 of the receiver outputs of an existing DPP switch. If there's an output open, it should be able to go to any receiver even going back to legacy. One of the install diagrams shows a ViP receiver on that output, and I spoke to an employee using such a setup,

Its because moving forward they dont want to keep writing software to support old hardware, lnb's, switches and dishes.

The XiP design already eliminates use of legacy LNBs and switches, and also the more recent DP switches though a DP34 could still be trunked off a DPP44.

Its more then just account stacking, its about making everything uniform.

I suppose they could come out with an integrated LNB/DPx switch/node, but the 2-piece solution of DPP outputs to a node placed at the wiring entry probably makes things simpler overall.

Suddenly I'm taken back to the introduction of the Dish 500, followed by the release of the 7100 which shipped with, wait for it, the original 18" dish. At least Hopper won't be similarly hobbled.

 

[steve4810]

Its because moving forward they dont want to keep writing software to support old hardware, lnb's, switches and dishes.

Its more then just account stacking, its about making everything uniform.

But how big a "lease-able" inventory of VIP equipment do they have to write off as junk if they do that?

 

[sparc]

But how big a "lease-able" inventory of VIP equipment do they have to write off as junk if they do that?

you don't write off anything.

That old equipment will be refurbed and sent right back out to customers who either need a more basic setup or as replacement receivers for customers who won't upgrade.

They save money as they won't have to manufacture legacy equipment.

 

[Lt Disher]

you don't write off anything.

That old equipment will be refurbed and sent right back out to customers who either need a more basic setup or as replacement receivers for customers who won't upgrade.

They save money as they won't have to manufacture legacy equipment.

Yes. It may also be used to bring the WA up to the MPEG4 standards. Instead of a write-off, it may actually make their WA transition easier on the bottom line.

 

[navychop]

Its because moving forward they dont want to keep writing software to support old hardware, lnb's, switches and dishes.

Its more then just account stacking, its about making everything uniform.

Thank you for this bit of information. Surely they see this as a 5 to 10 year plan. Or did they intimate any timeline to you?


I suspect there will be more receivers in the Hopper/Joey XiP line. Perhaps something more suitable to a single TV non-DVR installation, and others.

 

[A_Noland]

Hopefully they will add an "Auto Save" to the PTA feature that way I don't have to have "Timers" for the shows that I am behind on.

 

[steve4810]

you don't write off anything.

That old equipment will be refurbed and sent right back out to customers who either need a more basic setup or as replacement receivers for customers who won't upgrade.

They save money as they won't have to manufacture legacy equipment.

Perhaps it was another thread but the implication of obsolence came from wanting all the WA transponders using the latest compression that Hopper can use and VIP can't(or that's how I understood the comment).

Add to that Scott's suggestion that they would no longer update VIP software, lnbs, switches and dishes, which if true means it's clear Dish wants VIPs gone not just in different houses.