Open Letter to DISH Management Re: Lack of Manual Timer and No-VIP receiver policy on Hopper account

[smooth28la]

To Dish Management:

Charles W. Ergen, Chairman of the Board
Joseph P. Clayton, President and Chief Executive Officer, DISH Network
Jim DeFranco, Executive Vice President
Bernie Han, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Tom Cullen, Executive Vice President
W. Erik Carlson, Executive Vice President, Operations
Roger Lynch, Executive Vice President, Advanced Technologies

(If anyone knows their direct email addresses or postal mail address, please reply)


I'm an high-end loyal DishNetwork customer for more than 10 years. I'm also a lover of high end audio and video technology as I am usually the first one in line to purchase the latest electronic gadget the day they're released. Several years ago, I had to beg your executive department to allow me to purchase the first HD DVR 921 receiver when it first got released in limited supply.

Unfortunately, my search for the greatest Dishnetwork receiver has stopped with your the last 2 flagship receivers - the 922 and the revolutionary Hopper/Joey system.

There are two reasons for my recent cancellation of the Hopper/Joey order:

The lack of OTA turner and the ability to record programs manually.

Currently I record all the network shows on the excellent 2-turner OTA turner of my 722 receiver because the picture quality is superior on my $3500 HDTV screens and I watch a lot of shows on certain OTA sub-channels that are not carried on Dishnetwork's local HD lineup.

I understand the OTA turner will be available later this summer though it unfortunately will be a downgrade from the dual turner capability of the 722 receiver.

More importantly, I timer record many excellent radio shows off the Sirius music channels. Currently using DISH DVRs is the only flexible to time shift Sirius music channel radio shows. Since there is no program guide on Sirius channels, it would be impossible for me to record any specific time period for the Sirius shows I want to listen. Similarly, once OTA turner becomes available, I would be unable to record shows on the OTA sub-channels since there are no program information on the majority of those channels.

I understand changes in receiver features would take time to become reality and I was willing to activate an additional VIP receiver just to record OTA and Sirius channels. However, since it is not possible to add VIP receiver to a Joey/Hopper account, such compromise would require me to open up a secondary DISH account and purchase the American Top 120 ($44.99 a month) AND paying a separate $6 DVR fee to accomplish the manual recording of OTA and Sirius channels that I can already do on the 2-years old 722 receiver.

If I were allowed to add one VIP receiver to use the Manual Recording feature to my existing account, it would only cost $10 additional receiver fee.

I'm writing to plead the DISH management to allow the talented Echostar programmers to restore the manual recording capability on the excellent Hopper/Joey system or at least allow VIP receiver on Hopper/Joey account during the interim before the program coding is complete.

Sincerely yours,

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

1) OTA is coming this Summer
2) There are no plans for manual timers for the 922/Hopper. I do know that SiriusXM does not want people recording their programming from DISH.

 

[smooth28la]

I understand Sirius channel recording IS possible from the guide using the random 8-hour time block.. just not the specific manual-timer way.

Manual timer record is still needed for OTA sub-channel recording.

I know there's no 'present plan' to add the manual record but what can I/we do to convince the management to change that plan?

 

[Riah]

+1 manual timers

 

[seminole2001]

Dish has million dollar content from the Sirius music stations, and 2 cent worth of effort to deliver and program that content to the receivers. Here Here, for programming the Sirius stations with guide info!

 

[smooth28la]

Ya! That would work too.. if program info is available on Sirius channels!

 

[sethwell]

I understand Sirius channel recording IS possible from the guide using the random 8-hour time block.. just not the specific manual-timer way.

Manual timer record is still needed for OTA sub-channel recording.

I know there's no 'present plan' to add the manual record but what can I/we do to convince the management to change that plan?

You do know you can go to DishOnline.com or Dish Remote Access on a smart phone/device and set a manual timer for the Sirius channels?

 

[smooth28la]

I'm aware of the Dishonline.com way to set manual timer but does it work Hopper?

I've read conflicting reports whether it works.

I tried to do 3 events to my 722 last Friday.. only 2 events were successfully set up.

Can someone with Hopper test it?

 

[Tampa8]

Using Dish online is for setting timers while I'm sitting in front of the TV with my remote??

 

[smooth28la]

Also I noticed that it's impossible to manually timer on OTA sub-channels that don't have any guide information via Dishonline. Those channels are simply not listed.

Of course, since there' no OTA turner on Hopper, this issue is currently moot.

Regardless, I'd definitely give up a LOT of features from the 722 to the Joey/Hopper system.. still undecided on what to do at this point.

 

[eurosport]

1) OTA is coming this Summer
2) There are no plans for manual timers for the 922/Hopper. I do know that SiriusXM does not want people recording their programming from DISH.

This is one of my favorite features. We used to have DirecTV years ago, and if you hit record on the Tivo, on a music channel, it would pop-up a screen sayin "feature currently not available" ...when we got Dish, and the 722 about 4 years ago, that was one of the first things I tried and was very pleased at the result!

 

[dangue]

1) OTA is coming this Summer
2) There are no plans for manual timers for the 922/Hopper. I do know that SiriusXM does not want people recording their programming from DISH.

Is there a reason why there's no plan for manual timers? I believe initially it wasn't added to the 922 during the TiVo dispute, but since then, the suit was settled and the tech was licensed to Dish, so why aren't they adding this feature back in? It seems silly to force people to schedule something over the Internet instead of directly on the receiver. If they have a reason for it, they should let us know why.

 

[ronfelder]

I have an idea sub to Sirius. Works much better than whe dish has to offer.

 

[smooth28la]

You can't time shift Sirius with their current receivers.. plus the bit rate and sound quality on DISH is a LOT better than ANY Sirius receiver out there.

 

[budda]

Is it just Sirus that can't function with a manual timer or there is no programming with the Hopper that can be recorded with a manual timer?
If so that is one more feature that makes me look around for better service. Appears the Hopper is drunk. Two steps forward, three steps back.
First time I saw the CES promo's I was can't wait. Now it's like whatever. Really why pay more get less. Who pitched a state of the art DVR, minus two of it's best or used feature's? FUBAR

 

[ronfelder]

You can't time shift Sirius with their current receivers.. plus the bit rate and sound quality on DISH is a LOT better than ANY Sirius receiver out there.

They still have time shifting Rx. Plus you will get non music channels included.

 

[dmaul3300]

I have a hoppet and when I go to dishonline.com to add a manual timer with sirus channels it still shows the old channels 6000s.

At times I enjoy listening to the top 40 songs in a decade our maybe record an interview of an artist when I am at work.

It would be nice to not have to record an 8 hour block.

One thing that could be done is to display when the top 40 countdown is on.it plays at the same time multiple times throughout the weekend.

Another option is to have the option to stop a recording early. You can start to record a program early or extend the recording.

 

[smooth28la]

Is it just Sirus that can't function with a manual timer or there is no programming with the Hopper that can be recorded with a manual timer?
If so that is one more feature that makes me look around for better service. Appears the Hopper is drunk. Two steps forward, three steps back.
First time I saw the CES promo's I was can't wait. Now it's like whatever. Really why pay more get less. Who pitched a state of the art DVR, minus two of it's best or used feature's? FUBAR

Because there's no programming info provided in the guide for the Sirius and/or the OTA sub-channels, you can't record anything without the manual timer feature. The generic 'digital programming' guide blocks are either 8 hours to 24 hours in length... so that's what you'd have to deal with trying to record without manual timer.

Since it extends the record time indefinitely, you would have to give up other real timers just to record the Sirius or OTA sub-channels.

 

[smooth28la]

I have a hoppet and when I go to dishonline.com to add a manual timer with sirus channels it still shows the old channels 6000s.

At times I enjoy listening to the top 40 songs in a decade our maybe record an interview of an artist when I am at work.

It would be nice to not have to record an 8 hour block.

One thing that could be done is to display when the top 40 countdown is on.it plays at the same time multiple times throughout the weekend.

Another option is to have the option to stop a recording early. You can start to record a program early or extend the recording.

Are you saying that manual timer on Sirius channels with Hopper/Joey IS possible using Dishonline??

 

[sethwell]

Are you saying that manual timer on Sirius channels with Hopper/Joey IS possible using Dishonline??

yes
Look at the first pic.