Wish: Create times from the web

[kvhollis]

I have a Dish-721 and would fine it very valuable to be able to create a time from work and have my dish record the event I programmed remotely.

Anyone know if dish has a "feature request"?

 

[maximum]

That would be cool, being able to program your DVR over the phone. But then it would have to answer the phone and act like an answering machine. Sounds possible though.

Even better; being able to send programming instructions to your receiver via satellite. You could log onto your Dish online account, enter your programming information and submit. The web site would then send the info up the the satellite and down to your receiver. Of course you wouldn't know if the request actually took place until you got home. Probably not feasible but we can always dream can't we . . .

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

This should be something that is EASY to do! I remember when UltimateTV had this for awhile. I would LOVE to see the feature.

Just think it would MAKE people WANT to go to DishNetwork.COM and use their website.

 

[yellowdragon]

Well, the PVR has been commanded remotely to record even when nothing is selected... Remember the 7 minute Dish infommercial?...

Maybe the idea of using the web to remotely program the PVR isn't so far-fetched after all...

 

[Tony S]

This is a really great idea, but I don't think that it will ever happen. Most people can't figure out how to program a VCR. Heck...most people can't even set the clock on a VCR. Do you think that they will be capable of using the web to program their satellite receiver?

I think sometimes we forget that most of the people reading this forum are not your average joes.

Also, when you really think about it, how useful would this really be? How many times do you wish that you could set a timer when you are not sitting in front of the TV?

 

[GaryPen]

Dish can't seem to enable simple programming changes through the web. So, this doesn't seem likely. (Yes, I know you can ADD programming via the web. But, it doesn't seem to be automated. Probably just geneartes an email to a CSR.)

 

[kvhollis]

This should be something that is EASY to do! I remember when UltimateTV had this for awhile. I would LOVE to see the feature.

Just think it would MAKE people WANT to go to DishNetwork.COM and use their website.

Absolutely! As someone else said, once you do your programming it would send the instructions over the satellite.

 

[Joe6pak]

I love this idea!!!!

That would be awesome to remotely direct the PVR to record an event/show that I found out was on while I'm at work.


VERY VERY COOL!!!

 

[yellowdragon]

I think with the right interface, even the most technophobe could program their PVR via the web...

Maybe it could consist of a grid much like the current guide. Every program would have a tick box. The user would click on this tick box for every program he/she wants to record. When they are done, they click on a ' send' button. At this moment, a script would check for conficts. If everything's okay, the information is beamed to the PVR via satellite... Of course, the user first would had logged in using their account info, that way the system would know where to beam the data.

I know it's wishful thinking... But I think given the current state of technology, this could be implemented...

Hum... Guess I should patent this method for remotely programming a device to record information received via electromagnetic emissions...

 

[gfr437]

It would be a very nice feature, and I think many people would use it.
For instance: I find out I'm going to be stuck late at work at the last
minute, so I just go online and tell my dvr to record whatever show
I thought I'd be home for.

However...when I worked as a Customer Service Rep, I was told that
every time we sent a 'reset' hit to a customer, it was very expensive,
and to avoid issuing them if possible. It was expensive in terms of
the transmission of the signal up, expensive in terms of use of satellite
time, expensive in terms of backing things up, so that new activations
take longer, leaving installers waiting when they could be moving on to
the next job...
I don't know if they actually have the band width to be sending out
individual instructions to individual dvrs. And yes, I know they snuck
that commercial onto all the dvr's--but that was an "all dvrs" done
in the middle of the night (low band width usage time.)

 

[imstriker]

ReplayTV has/had this. I assume they still do. You could program it via the web tied to your account and it would update that night with program updates. Came in handy quite often. Should be even easier with the satellite feed I would think.

 

[Stargazer]

People can check their messages on their answering machine when they are away from home by pressing the star button then a code. I even seen a device where you could use your cordless phone as a remote control for controlling different things in your house or changing channels on a satellite/cable receiver. Perhaps if there was such a device that would emit the selections by phone to the receiver then it would be able to do what you want it to but you would need to know the conflicts and what is showing up on the screen. If one had a broadband connection to view the screen with a webcam and do the changes away from home on the phone then that would work.

 

[SimpleSimon]

It would be so trivially easy to do if friggin' E* would just give network access to the damn box. Freakin' $50 network boxes at WalMart like a WiFi access point have web servers builtin to control their configurations, view logs, and dang near anything else.
Heck - the Linux DVRs already have the server-side software available on-the-shelf for free. Just write some web pages. Denver has hundreds - maybe thousands - of unemployed programmers that would do it cheap. It ain't brain surgery. But nnooooooo, E* won't allow that to happen.

 

[Stargazer]

Is it possible to have a box connected to the receiver externally to allow this or would this have to built in to do as you have described? Perhaps it could still be done but in a little different way. How about those usb connectors where you can connect a wireless keyboard up to it? Perhaps someone could make a device where you could control it that way over the internet. Too bad the 510 does not have a usb port but one could make a hardware device that works like a remote to control it.

 

[GaryPen]

I understand there is a simple hack for DirecTivo boxes that allow it. I saw a DirecTVer post it in another thread.

I know my son has hacked his DirecTivo for ethernet connectivity to his broadband Internet connection.

Hmmm. Two tuners, network connectivity, and upgradable hard drives for $99 vs. $249 for the 721. I just can't figure out which is the better value, it's so close.

 

[Stargazer]

Perhaps if someone got a standalone Tivo/Replay/etc whichever ones I have seen that would allow you to do this. Has any standalone versions come out yet that would act as the two tuner DVR's do? At least with those you could upgrade the hard drives and I read that in the future they will be able to put the content onto an external hard drive.