So I just read the 942 review on dbstalk...

[kbohip]

And I'm now convinced this is nothing more than a 522 with HD capability. The whole review read like my 522's owner's manual. With the exception of the HD tuner's, silver front, and HDMI output, it performs exactly like the 522. The menus are all identical as well as the timers and the way the Dish pass works etc.

This is not a bad thing, but I wonder if the 942 will have the same bugs as the 522. The pixelization and skipped timers come to mind. I know Mark said he didn't encounter any of this, but only time will tell. If the 942 works like a bug free HD capable 522 it would make me happy. I might even stay with Dish if they lower the price on it.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

That is what it is, and yes it appears to suffer some of the same bugs as the 522.

 

[korsjs]

so they are going to release it with the bugs?

 

[MikeD-C05]

Well of course they will. That is the Dishnetwork Way. We are all beta testers of all their receivers. When and If they every get them stable that receiver is then discontinued . Which means the 942 should be stable by the beginning of next year when the new mpeg4 hd receivers will be coming out. OF course they too will be full of bugs as well.

 

[korsjs]

sad they will do this to everyone again.

 

[Larry]

sad they will do this to everyone again.

Even more sad...we allow them to keep doing it to us.

 

[bobj2004]

How else are they ever going to Solve the Bugs if they DONT release it to the public?

They only have a Dozen beta testers, thats not enough to find all the bugs. They need our help!

I am glad to help and be a Beta tester. I figure it will take about 6 months to solve most of the major bugs.

 

[tonyp56]

How else are they ever going to Solve the Bugs if they DONT release it to the public?

They only have a Dozen beta testers, thats not enough to find all the bugs. They need our help!

I am glad to help and be a Beta tester. I figure it will take about 6 months to solve most of the major bugs.

First of all, beta testers shouldn't have to buy the product that is being tested!


Secondly, I'd be more than willing to sign up and be a beta tester for free, and I am sure several other people here at SatelliteGuys.us and DBStalk.com would be happy to do so as well. But they don't make it that easy. In other words, if they want more beta testers there are people that would be willing to do so, and since they don't have a public beta testing program it's their own fault that they only have a dozen beta testers like you say. Relying on your customers to be your paying customers and your beta tester is bad business! Of course every piece of hardware/software is going to have bugs, but Dish Networks equipment has more than most! So for this customer, I don't want to be a beta tester/customer! If they want to give me receivers for free for me to test I'd do it, and I'd sign what ever kind of contract they wanted me to, and as soon as I got done testing their receiver I'd send it back to them. That is a beta test program, not releasing a buggy receiver, allowing your customers to be the beta testers, then find out whats wrong and slowly fix the problem(s)!

Six months? Yeah right, my 811 still is buggy and I've had it for 13 months, and its been out since December of 2003! Thats longer than six months!

 

[chastulsa]

How else are they ever going to Solve the Bugs if they DONT release it to the public?

They only have a Dozen beta testers, thats not enough to find all the bugs. They need our help!

I am glad to help and be a Beta tester. I figure it will take about 6 months to solve most of the major bugs.

Only a Dozen? How about 10,000 at least every member of satguys and DBSTALK. These websites save Dish millions. We give them better feedback than the ones on their payroll. Maybe Charlie just click the DONATE button on the homepage and write off Scotts hosting fee's (hardware too). If these forums were to close, Dish's receiver's would be far worse! (if you could imagine, LOL) Besides bugs usually pop up after we get them not the payrolled testers! They say their good thats how we get them!

 

[kbohip]

How else are they ever going to Solve the Bugs if they DONT release it to the public?

They only have a Dozen beta testers, thats not enough to find all the bugs. They need our help!

I am glad to help and be a Beta tester. I figure it will take about 6 months to solve most of the major bugs.

I see. Can I interest you in some fine Arizona oceanfront property sir?

 

[Stargazer]

I wonder if the MPEG-4 HD DVR will be a 942 with a different model number or if they will make a completely new revamped receiver since it will be the first of its kind.

 

[rocatman]

That is what it is, and yes it appears to suffer some of the same bugs as the 522.

Has someone else tested the 942 and provided a review that the 942 has the same bugs as the 522? If so, I would certainly like to see it posted or a link provided to the review. I hope this information about bugs is not based on that other post from someone who knew someone whose second cousin twice removed brother-in-law who claims to have worked on the software for the 942.

 

[kbohip]

I wonder if the MPEG-4 HD DVR will be a 942 with a different model number or if they will make a completely new revamped receiver since it will be the first of its kind.

If Dish were smart they would just keep the existing 942 case and change out the motherboard. They could even offer an upgrade to the older Mpeg 2 users, changing out the motherboard for the newest Mpeg 4 revision.

Of course I don't know if this is actually feasable or not, but it makes more sense to me than the current method.

 

[CRB]

Of course I don't know if this is actually feasable or not, but it makes more sense to me than the current method.

Making the customers on the bleeding edge shell through the nose for the soon-to-be-outdated "latest thing" makes a lot of sense. I think all the electronics companies and technology companies do it.

Heck, I payed $1000 for a 921 that is now $549 at the same store I bought it from 6 months ago and under $500 on E-bay NIB. I knew that was going to happen. And when MPEG 4 hits it could be crippled, approaching a doorstop. BTW, Steve Jobs also took me for $3500 for an Apple IIe (w/48k or RAM) in 1980, but I'm still not cured. My circa-1999 $900 JVC DVHS receiver/recorder makes digital tapes that will work on the new HD DVHS machines, how cool is that! Sometimes bleeding edge has its advantages.

Going back and switching out major components on functioning equipment to make them up to date is folly.

 

[long_time_DNC]

Microsoft does this all the time. They've been doing that to customers for a couple decades now...E* is just following the same business model.

 

[orcatek]

Software bugs are a way of life. Get used to it. No matter how much testing is done - bugs will still be found later.

I've seen updates to software on simple little MP3 players due to bugs. What does a MP3 player need to do. Not much. Funny thing is I read about the fixes and think how did someone find it. I've been using my mine for months without a problem. I suspect that this is the same with the DVR's - the bug hits fewer people than we think.

Even on BMW, Mercedes, Ford, Dodge etc have all had software problems with their cars. I know these are tested to death and the bugs still make it out.

The hardest part, is when a bug is found in the wild and you cannot recreate it in the test lab. It can takes many months to recreate a bug that has made it thru testing. Once it is created in the lab, fixes are quick and the condition that created it is added to the future testing process (at most companies).

I understand everyones frustration - as I've had problems too. But you have understand that the complexity of software is making it harder and harder to fix it.

 

[David Dietzel]

Until Dish decides to add more HD channels, I'm not going to be interested in a DVR that's just a tweaked 522 without MPEG4 upgradability.

Looks like Dish has essentially announced that folks will wait until 2006 before they'll get more HD content and a MPEG4 HD-DVR.

I've had Dish for nearly 5 years and have been very happy with their SD content and service; however, they sure seem to be dragging their feet in moving to HD -- they certainly seem to have decided not to lead the industry toward HD, but to spend as little money as they can get away with in this new area without losing customers. They are trying to hang onto an old business model -- that of selling sat units to the customer rather than leasing them. People have grown weary of buying technology, such as HD receivers, that they know will change significantly over the next year or two. If competitors offer lease options on their HD receivers and HD-DVRs, and offer more HD content, Dish will eventually start to bleed subscribers.