New Software: Hopper Duo (U990), Hopper 1 (....), Hopper 2 (....), Hopper 3 (....), Wally (....)

[pattykay]

Dish cannot be releasing bad software updates to some and making available to others to optionally download. Especially with the issues listed here. Forget beta testing, it makes you wonder if there was any alpha testing.....

As far as the specific issues listed here, I honestly think that it was an issue with the software that Dish's guide database uses. I am not sure exactly how Dish's guide download system works, but I am guessing that their guide uplink was still using software that is compatible with the "01" version. This may have worked fine for a couple of days on receivers with the "05" version that had already downloaded the guide before receiving the new software. However, as soon as each receiver tried to download a fresh guide, the problems started, since the guide database for the satellite stream was not yet using software compatible with the "05" version. This would go along with my theory that the "05" version was not actually intended for wide public release yet. So, the "05" guide stream was specifically targeted to individual receivers that are supposed to have the "05" version. When receivers that were not supposed to have the "05" version (but got it anyway) tried to access the guide data, the only data that was available was the "01" guide version, which will not work with the "05" software. That is as good of a theory as any, until we get an actual explanation that would disprove it.

 

[TheKrell]

Those of us who provided useful feedback get quietly contacted by Dish in private messages, and have the opportunity to enroll in their beta tester program. It is just a theory...

Did you get contacted?

 

[HipKat]

they officially rolled it back to H301 because of the timers issue

 

[pattykay]

Did you get contacted?

Years ago. My time came and went. It was just a suggestion that Dish should do something like this with some of the more loyal members who always come here to post about the software changes.

 

[Howard Simmons]

Maybe Dish is sticking it's middle finger up to those that upload updates when they don.t need too.

 

[Altitudinous]

Today, for the heck of it, I checked the H3's software level which was H301 and clicked on Update. The H3 rebooted a bunch of times, said it was downloading "information" for a while, finally rebooted again, and I checked the software version and it was...H301. Not sure what it did there. I guess I'm now running the "good H301" and you guys are running just regular H301.

 

[DJ Lon]

Today, for the heck of it, I checked the H3's software level which was H301 and clicked on Update. The H3 rebooted a bunch of times, said it was downloading "information" for a while, finally rebooted again, and I checked the software version and it was...H301. Not sure what it did there. I guess I'm now running the "good H301" and you guys are running just regular H301.

 

[pattykay]

Today, for the heck of it, I checked the H3's software level which was H301 and clicked on Update. The H3 rebooted a bunch of times, said it was downloading "information" for a while, finally rebooted again, and I checked the software version and it was...H301. Not sure what it did there. I guess I'm now running the "good H301" and you guys are running just regular H301.

I posted about this before. The aborted rollout of the 05 version tricked all receivers into thinking the 01 rollback was new software, even if the receiver never had the 05 version. Receivers without the 05 version probably did not automatically download the 01 version again, but can be triggered to do so (not actually changing anything, just wasting time) as you did. Even receivers that did have 05, and then automatically rolled back to 01, can be triggered one time to do the manual 01 "update" again.

 

[pattykay]

My sister received the (let's just call it) "05" update on Monday. Normally there is a one week delay before the (apparent) Soak release goes out to anyone in the general public at all, but members here were reporting receiving it (and/or forcing it) by Friday. I was able to force it myself, after others here reported receiving it. Now, even she has been rolled back to the old version. Hopefully, this means that Dish fixed this glitch with their authorization system, so that new releases are no longer going out to members of the public who should not be getting them.

Let's try this again. My sister received the W506 update on her Wally last night. (5/19/2021) So, if nobody else here has the 06 version yet, then it looks like she is still on the list to get Soak versions.

 

[Altitudinous]

I posted about this before.

I must have missed it. Thanks. I would've thought the H3 would have sufficient wiliness and gumption to be able to do this:
1. Person pressed update.
2. Check availability. Is H301 (available) later than H301 (installed)?
3. No - sit there and wait for further commands.
Yes - report myself to Dish headquarters due to loss of logic function, and reboot for good measure.

 

[pattykay]

I posted about this before.

I must have missed it. Thanks.

It was in the other thread. Here it is:

Yes, that is the "01" release from March. This issue with the "05" release being aborted apparently caused all receivers to think that the "01" version is a new release and re-download it, even if they never had the "05" version.

... I would've thought the H3 would have sufficient wiliness and gumption to be able to do this:
1. Person pressed update.
2. Check availability. Is H301 (available) later than H301 (installed)?
3. No - sit there and wait for further commands.
Yes - report myself to Dish headquarters due to loss of logic function, and reboot for good measure.

Well, technically 2) is correct, since the re-rollout of H301 would have a later date than either the original rollout or the H305 rollout. If the software were only checking for a later (higher numbered) version number, then Dish would not have been able to do the rollback to 01 at all.

Now, for those who already got the re-rollout, you have a point, since nothing changed (version-wise or release date-wise) since then. However, I have seen the Update Software tool allow another (time-wasting) re-download for several versions late last year and early this year, at least on Hopper Duo. I could manually trigger the download, wait for the process to successfully finish, and then go back to Tools just to check, starting the download process all over again. Fortunately, it will only allow this re-download once. (So I figured it was best to just go ahead and immediately trigger it, rather than wait until some future date, get my hopes up that a newer version was actually downloading, and end up disappointed.) After that, the Upgrade Software tool actually will recognize that it has the latest software, until a new version is released.

This re-release of an old version is a unique situation, and one that we hopefully will not see again, or at least not very often.

 

[Altitudinous]

Now, for those who already got the re-rollout, you have a point, since nothing changed (version-wise or release date-wise) since then.

Indeed. I had H301, manually updated to H305, H3 rolled it back to H301, so I had H301 with a 5/15 7pm-ish time. Yesterday, check for update. It "updates" H301 5/15 7pm for a while and I end up with H301 with same 5/15 7pm timestamp. Maybe H307 or so will contain a fix that allows the complicated logic of comparing installed to available in an error-free manner. In the meantime, I can find consolation in the fact that I'm running the good H301, actually the excellent H301 because it's been installed 3 times now...very solidly installed.

 

[TheKrell]

I had H301, manually updated to H305, H3 rolled it back to H301, so I had H301 with a 5/15 7pm-ish time. Yesterday, check for update. It "updates" H301 5/15 7pm for a while and I end up with H301 with same 5/15 7pm timestamp.

That sounds very familiar. I believe this happened to me too for an earlier update. I dismissed it at the time because I thought I misread. But it sure did take a long time apparently updating, only to leave me right where I was before.

 

[SandFarmer]

OK, forcing it again. Let's see what today's lucky number is . . . it's halfway through . . .

Oh, my therapist said that she was not surprised that my 3H has issues. After all, look who it has to deal with.

. . . almost done. Different or gussied up download screen (061). Black screen and for once the unit is quiet.

. . . and the lucky number is - H301, 3/12/2021, 11:00pm. Nothing different. Is this a new feature of faking out the user to make them think that because they pressed the button, they're gonna get something?! "For another dollar you can spin again!"

 

[charlesrshell]

I did the manual update in my 2nd H3. Still says H301 15 May 2021 when it got done.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

You guys are gluttons for punishment!

 

[Altitudinous]

Is this a new feature of faking out the user to make them think that because they pressed the button, they're gonna get something?!

I think Dish has made calculations that collectively, if you have say 500 users pressing the button and then waiting say 20 minutes to see if they get something, that means 500x20/60= 166.67 hours that those users will not be complaining about some kind of malfunction. So it is a way of load-balancing the call centers.

 

[TheKrell]

. . . and the lucky number is - H301, 3/12/2021, 11:00pm. Nothing different. Is this a new feature of faking out the user to make them think that because they pressed the button, they're gonna get something?! "For another dollar you can spin again!"

You have to wonder! I have seen my H3 deny that there was an upgrade available on more than one occasion. So why aren't they doing this now? This is just a big fat waste of time for Dish's most avid customers.

 

[SandFarmer]

"avid customers" is all it took. So I go to update, and this time it says I'm "up to date" at H301.

Now was that "rabid" . . .

 

[Jim5506]

Just like doing Windows updates, wait a few days after they come out, until other envelope pushers have jumped in, to see if there are any "unforseen" issues.