Theory about why DISH disabled 922 Sling

[Mike]

Apparently the 922 sends out the Sling video stream with no encryption at all.

Here is a screenshot of me playing a short ASF file I was able to obtain.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ytfmo036s1s7xqr/Screenshot 2015-03-07 00.32.29.jpg?dl=0

I am not offering any other details since it's probably considered "piracy". But at least it's a real theory as to why the Sling was disabled for new customers.

I don't condone ripping off the video files, etc, etc, I was just wondering if I could get a smoother video to play when compared to the website. (If I wanted to rip off the video files I wouldn't be posting about it and I would probably sub to something better than the Welcome Pack)

 

[TheKrell]

Appears to require a dropbox account. So... Was the playback smoother?

 

[ChadT41]

My theory has always been because the 922 has failed at so many points for both customers and the business. I hear some people got a solid machine, but those receivers do truly suck.

 

[AZ.]

Still being a 922 owner and using the sling side daily....I never understood, those of us that paid $200 for it were never changed over to a hopper sling for free?....The first almost 2 years the sling part was non functional to most of us... So now if you buy one, all you relay get is the newer guide software..

 

[ChadT41]

I went from 2 722's and a 612 to 2 h2ks on release and paid for both of them. Then upgraded to the HWS on release and paid for it. The only one I didn't py for was the one I got a couple weeks ago. If you want to be early in on it, it's going to cost. No matter the equipment.

 

[AZ.]

I went from 2 722's and a 612 to 2 h2ks on release and paid for both of them. Then upgraded to the HWS on release and paid for it. The only one I didn't py for was the one I got a couple weeks ago. If you want to be early in on it, it's going to cost. No matter the equipment.

I would agree if it was reliable!.... Instead I have had 4 of them....this last one has been working for 2 years....Early is one thing....Unreliable piece of crap is another!

 

[ChadT41]

I could tell you how I feel about the 922 but I would be banned from the forum. Possibly the Internet. Lol

 

[Bobby]

I went from 2 722's and a 612 to 2 h2ks on release and paid for both of them. Then upgraded to the HWS on release and paid for it. The only one I didn't py for was the one I got a couple weeks ago. If you want to be early in on it, it's going to cost. No matter the equipment.

My Hopper-Joey installation took place on March 17, 2012, day 2 of release to the public. It cost me a 2 year commitment, that's all. I even had the installation charge waived....

 

[mike123abc]

I could tell you how I feel about the 922 but I would be banned from the forum. Possibly the Internet. Lol

My 922 convinced me to buy a TiVo... I had to unload all the OTA/Local recordings to the TiVo since the 922 would miss half of them... It was so frustrating to see it indicate it was recording a program, but after the recording was done - poof - it just disappeared...

 

[MikeD-C05]

The worst receiver I have ever owned , and I have owned all of my DISH receivers for the last 18 years, is the 922. The 921 was right behind that one and the original dishplayer 7100 /7200 version was the third worst . It went bad only after the Microsoft/ DISH legal fight ended their partnership. The 922 had so much potential and it never lived up to even a 1/3 of the hype that surrounded it. This one receiver taught me the most valuable lesson I learned with DISH: Never , never, buy or sub to a new receiver based on what "might come in the future". They promised the sling extender would be made available ,that would give you tv 2 in HD. Then they took it off the market before it ever debuted. The sling feature never worked well the entire time I had it and I was an early adopter. Now no sling at all if buy one. This receiver was nothing but a testing device for the future hopper. DISH should go ahead and take all the 922's off the market because they are nothing but a continual disappointment to not only those that have one ,but to DISH & Echostar that made them. Now that being said, the Hopper with sling is the best receiver I have ever owned from DISH. I hope that they continue to improve it and make it even better with time.

 

[ChadT41]

I think they had hopes of improving the 922, then with all its faults and the thought of a whole home hd dvr hitting the market, they just scrapped the idea. The 922 has been pulled quite a few times and reintroduced, but the day will come when it is removed for good.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Worst receiver was the 811's. I literally took a hammer and beat the crap out of it, I was so frustrated. Then I setup an RMA and made dish send me a replacement and was never charged

I had a customer who we replaced the receiver 8 times. Would have gone on much longer but he had the 9th receiver replaced by dish and then I used that as an excuse not to replace the receiver anymore as we didn't give it to him.

I didn't want to do that, but we where eating the shipping costs and I was paying my tech to go out there every time.

Besides that the 921 was bad along with the 922 and Dish player 7100.

The model 6000, 942 and 722 where pretty solid receivers.

I used a 942 for years after they disabled the HD when everything went to MPEG4.

 

[bobvick]

I had a 922 and a 722K at the same time a few years back. I hated the 922 so much a few months after I got it and went though 3 or 4 of them, that I brought the 722K into my den where I watch TV the most.

 

[DishSubLA]

I believe sending out streams of program content UN-encrypted would be a violation of every contract Dish has with every media company channels that Dish offers, and has been the case pretty much from day one. Further, encryption is what keeps Sling products and ANY and ALL MVPD's streaming program content from its device or website, etc.LEGAL, as an UN-encrypted stream is NOT considered "private" nor "personal" by the courts, and could be further construed to be a "public performance" of such programing. Either would be ILLEGAL.

OP, are you saying that the streamed content is "in the clear" that ANYONE can access it without any special steps or software or process? That would NOT be piracy and you ought to be able to tell us how this is done, and any "in the clear" signal would certainly be CEASED by Dish as they would be in violation of both contract and the LAW.

Or are you saying that it is NOT in the clear and that with the use of some special "process" or "steps" to achieve this regardless of how possibly WEAK Dish's attempts at keeping the content "private and personal" you able to circumvent it? Then that would be PIRACY.

Since you seem to suggest that you achieve access of the data to clearly view and hear, then you would seem to be practicing the latter.

So, to be certain, is the stream "in the clear" or are you saying Dish's attempts at keeping the data "private and personal" are weak?

 

[DishSubLA]

FWIW, my 2 years as a 922 owner were completely POSITIVE. It was a great box while I had it, but the Hopper is clearly much better. I found the biggest limitation was only 2 tuners with Sling. The 3 tuners of a Hopper makes more sense using the Sling feature that takes over 1 of those tuners and still leave 2 for the viewer at home.

IMHO, Dish is ending the 922 because it was buggy (legions on this forum complained about it; clearly the majority of others were having terrible experiences with the 922), they NEVER built many of them, and it was a bridge to the Hopper. Dish would rather have subs pay the fees of the Hopper and not have to deal with the pesky low number made 922.

If the data being Slinged were UN-encrypted, Dish would kill the Sling feature on the 922's as of yesterday. But considering how the Sling tech is ALL ABOUT ENCRYPTION and the best encoding, on the fly included, baked into it, it seems highly unlikely that the steams from the 922 are "in the clear" as suggested. The OP states he "obtained" a file. This is hardly saying that he or someone else without a 922 intercepted a stream from the 922 and was able to crack it.

As for Dropbox:. Ironic that if we are concerned about encryption and piracy, anyone would keep their data with a service that holds the key to the encryption they use and can access your data ANYTIME it wants, and gets worse from there. Of course if you encrypt your data BEFORE handing to Dropbox, that would be wise. There are other secure services out there that don't keep the key.

Details about this file, OP, please. It would help eradicate apocrypha.

 

[KazooGuy]

Once I got a stable unit I loved my 922, but it took 5 replacements over the course of 4 months to find that one receiver. I found keeping the unit as cool as possible helps a great deal and used an exhaust fan for that purpose.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Worst receiver was the 811's. I literally took a hammer and beat the crap out of it, I was so frustrated. Then I setup an RMA and made dish send me a replacement and was never charged

I had a customer who we replaced the receiver 8 times. Would have gone on much longer but he had the 9th receiver replaced by dish and then I used that as an excuse not to replace the receiver anymore as we didn't give it to him.

I didn't want to do that, but we where eating the shipping costs and I was paying my tech to go out there every time.

Besides that the 921 was bad along with the 922 and Dish player 7100.

The model 6000, 942 and 722 where pretty solid receivers.

I used a 942 for years after they disabled the HD when everything went to MPEG4.

Yes the 811 was the worst regular receiver I have ever had and I do understand the frustration and the hammer thing. The 922 was the worst Dvr receiver I have ever had. I had two of the 942 receivers back in 05 and loved them. They worked very well and you could even watch analog ota stations.