ViP receiver screensaver nothing but Hopper advertisements now

[pattykay]

The screen saver is only on my TV screen for 1/2 second before I press select or the SAT button to wake the receiver.

I don't really even know what it says, I don't read it, perhaps I will sometime.

Subliminal advertising!

So, what's the problem?

I am not saying it is a big problem. I am just slightly annoyed that they took away the tips and the list of PPV movies that used to be there. If Dish had added these screens to the existing screensaver, instead of replacing it, I would have no objection, and I might not have even noticed the new messages in the first place. I suppose that is the point of this change, though: to give these new messages more air time and make them harder to miss.

Of course, Dish still has the old corny video on channel 101 with tips and tricks for ViP receivers, for people who need those tips. Also, as has already been pointed out, most people probably don't even read the screensaver, anyway. So, it seems to me that a more effective way to do this would be to open up access to channel 103 HD (the Hopper 3 Insider channel) to all HD receivers (not just Hopper / Wally receivers) and introduce a bug for ViP receivers to cause them to tune to channel 103 HD every time you turn the receiver on. Kind of like a "Do you want to make these messages go away? Upgrade to the Hopper 3, and we will stop auto-tuning your receiver to this annoying channel."

Much ado about nothing!

I would hardly call forty-something posts "much ado" compared to the length of the HBO threads.

There is an ado if it's the first sign of ViP obsolescence, which will be coming down the pike eventually. So yeah, we're allowed to discuss it.

For what it's worth, I still have a deactivated 512 hooked up, which is even more obsolete (and has been so for quite a number of years) and it still has the "classic" screensaver.

 

[dare2be]

I just scrolled thru all the messages on the screensaver. Not a single mention of the Hopper. They must know I'll never "upgrade" from my 722.

 

[glynnp]

I will never "downgrade" from my Hopper3 because it is the BossDaddy of al DVRs.

 

[pattykay]

I just scrolled thru all the messages on the screensaver. Not a single mention of the Hopper. They must know I'll never "upgrade" from my 722.

These messages have not hit that model yet. In fact, I don't think anyone with a ViP DVR has confirmed seeing these messages. (I know that the ViP211k is a DVR by adding an external hard drive, but it is primarily a non-DVR receiver.)

This move makes Dish seem desperate to get customers to upgrade to a DVR, and start paying more monthly fees. This is further evidenced (as I have already pointed out) by the fact that these messages do not even mention the Wally.

 

[renegade734]

I have noticed the changes to Hopper advertisements on the screensaver, and have NOT changed my mind since the first Hopper came about ... NOT INTERESTED! A minimum of $25 in FEES before charges begin for programming. My 211Ks only have a $7 fee for the second receiver with NO DVR FEES. If Dish Network decides to change that, I can switch to full time OTA.

 

[pattykay]

I have noticed the changes to Hopper advertisements on the screensaver, and have NOT changed my mind since the first Hopper came about ... NOT INTERESTED! A minimum of $25 in FEES before charges begin for programming. My 211Ks only have a $7 fee for the second receiver with NO DVR FEES. If Dish Network decides to change that, I can switch to full time OTA.

$22 minimum in FEES ($15 DVR + $7 Joey) for two rooms. The only way it would be exactly $25 for two rooms is if you use a Super Joey with a Hopper 1 or Hopper 2. ($15 DVR + $10 Super Joey)

Either way, it proves my point: a Hopper upgrade is going to be a hard sell for anyone using the particular ViP receiver models that are seeing these messages. (Apparently, just the ViP211 and ViP222 series at this point.) The part about 500 hours of HD recording is hardly a selling point, since anyone who is using a 2TB external hard drive with a ViP211 already has that capability. Dish would be better off using this space to advertise the Wally, which has the same fee structure as the ViP211 series. They might actually be able to convince more subscribers to upgrade to newer equipment that way.

 

[long_time_DNC]

Noticed last night that the screensaver on my VIP722k is now just Hopper ads as well... Hm...

 

[pattykay]

Noticed last night that the screensaver on my VIP722k is now just Hopper ads as well... Hm...

I guess that makes sense, since the ViP722k has the same basic software as the ViP222k, except that the ViP222k does not have DVR functionality enabled since it does not have a hard drive. I guess it just took Dish a little longer to get around to pushing this update out to the ViP722k. I wonder if anyone with a ViP612 is seeing this change yet.

 

[long_time_DNC]

My question is, are they going to phase-out VIP series support and push us all to Hoppers?

 

[navychop]

Yes.





Absolutely.








Eventually.


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[long_time_DNC]

Yes.





Absolutely.








Eventually.


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

Figures.




Hopefully not too






SOON.

 

[Juan]

In the old days...they would add new HD channels that obsolete HD receivers couldn't view..I believe it was the VIP411and 811..they forced everyone to switch to the VIP211

Figures.




Hopefully not too






SOON.

Sent from my SM-G950U using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[dishdude]

My question is, are they going to phase-out VIP series support and push us all to Hoppers?

Not me, I'll switch a Wally when forced to do something.

 

[long_time_DNC]

Not me, I'll switch a Wally when forced to do something.

I figure, if forced, I'll go to a Hopper Duo...

 

[navychop]

IIRC, the 411 was not part of the ViP series.


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[TheKrell]

IIRC, the 411 was not part of the ViP series.

Didn't VIP stand for "video over IP"?

 

[tanman]

Have a 622.99 percent sure I started seeing the Hopper info on the screensaver when this thread was started.Never would have noticed otherwise.Would upgrade if fee was say $10 instead of $22.There's only 2 of us so TV2 is just used for watching the 11 pm news.It gets much more use as a second timer.

 

[pattykay]

In the old days...they would add new HD channels that obsolete HD receivers couldn't view..I believe it was the VIP411and 811..they forced everyone to switch to the VIP211

Sent from my SM-G950U using the SatelliteGuys app!

A 411 would still work. It is MPEG-4. (Hence the 4 at the beginning of the model number, although Dish quickly abandoned that numbering scheme.) Maybe you were thinking of the 942. I think that was the DVR equivalent of the non-DVR 811.

 

[pattykay]

My question is, are they going to phase-out VIP series support and push us all to Hoppers?

Yes, that was also my question, which is why I started this thread.

Have a 622.99 percent sure I started seeing the Hopper info on the screensaver when this thread was started.Never would have noticed otherwise.Would upgrade if fee was say $10 instead of $22.There's only 2 of us so TV2 is just used for watching the 11 pm news.It gets much more use as a second timer.

That was my other reason for starting this thread, to give everyone a heads-up about the upgrade message and special phone number, if you hadn't already seen it.

As far as the fee, you could split the difference at $17 per month with a Hopper Duo and Joey. Hopper Duo's DVR fee is only $10 per month + $7 per month for the Joey. If TV2 is really only used that rarely, you could go without the Joey, and just mirror the output from the Hopper Duo to go to both TV's. That would be only $10 per month in fees, then.

 

[dishdude]

Well my 722k is now trying to sell me a Hopper.