Tech Forum Summary 4/9/01
Tony Suárez
information and because they aren't anywhere near as easy to make fun of!
But since several people have asked, I'll give it w whirl! I need to try
out the pause and rewind feature on my new DishPlayer. I don't have an
excuse to miss any details now!
Anyway, this is the most awaited Tech Forum in the last six months!
(Wait... the last Tech forum WAS six months ago!) Lets see what these
gurus have to say today!
8PM Tech Forum starts with their cool video intro!
Hi I'm Mark Jackson and with me is Dave!
Dish PVR 501 no longer called Dish Pro501. (These guys have been watching
ox Sports too much. These sound and video effects require John Madden!)
Mike says the PVR501 will change the way you watch TV. Here's a video.
PVR501 is a 4900 with a 40 GB hard Drive (30-35hours recording).
Pause up to 10 hour.
4 speeds ff & RW.
You can back up 1 hour in the buffer and record any program in that buffer
as long as you haven't changed the channel.
The interface for recordings (automatic) is similar to Dish. The options
given are PVR, AutoTune, Reminder and VCR. Once, Weekly, Daily and M-5 are
record options. You can also choose to start recording 1 minute early
except when recording PPV. (YES you can record PPV!) You can protect from
erasure ONE TIME recordings.
Manual Timers are available with same options.
Front panel controls and DD optical out as well as standard PCM outs in the
back.
The PVR 501 has an updated EPG with or without PIP.
4 Function "Platinum" Remote. Separate TV power button. IR/UHF.
PTV button on the remote to check your recordings.
Navigation button set radially around the center of the remote. Very
convenient. Dish Home button is there but the Dish Home portal will be
added some time in the future. (Weather, news, sports, etc...it'll be
available 1 month from the date you ask!)
Standard IR blaster for the VCR. Once again they bring up that the 501 has
manual timers.
(So far no mention o the 10 event limit!)
Expansion port may be used for a CDR and be able to purchase CD music from
Dish. Perhaps Ethernet adapter. It'll never happen, but that's what they
want to do.
Pricing $399 with a Dish 500
$349 stand alone.
Free PTV.
501 records DD. Starz, Showtime and PPV in DD
501 does NOT have a searchable EPG. We can upgrade it. We'll do it in the
future (one month from whenever you ask!)
Two upgrades planned...
Can you add a larger hard drive? NO. We like it the way it is. You change
the hard drive and you're on your own. We've done a few thing that makes it
hard to change the rive.
The 501 has a 44 hour EPG. We are looking to improve. We will store the
EPG in the hard drive. (one month from when ever you ask.) We're looking to
go to a 7 day guide.
Huh, hu, huh... he said fifo... OH first in first out! The 501 has a
protect feature to make sure you don't automatically delete stuff you want
to keep!.
Coming next... the 301. This is the new entry receiver. Updated EPG 2"
tall. Powered by Open TV just like the 501. Very fast microprocessor. The
info key is nearly instant. No lag time. Info is cached! More open TV
coming, but weather is available now. IR blaster and event timers,
favorites, themes, Universal remote. $199 for Dish 500 system and $149
stand alone.
A UHF remote upgrade kit is available for the Dish Network remotes. Great
for multi TV one receiver set-ups. (Folks it looks like the standard remote
pyramids available all over.) The difference is that this does not require
a receiver pyramid. He read my mind! Works with 100,1000, 27,28, 3000,
3700, 3900 and 301 NOT THE DISH PLAYER. (Figures! :-) The off the shelf
stuff does work with the Dish Player.
The UHF Upgrade kit $69
*VSB module for 6000.... Allows terrestrial OTA broadcasts to be received by
the 6000. HDTV and NTSC reception capable to make it seamless to change
from OTA to Dish. $149
Software 619P update Caller ID for the 6000. For all you morons out there
you must subscribe to Caller ID from your phone company!!! The 8VSB will
support analogue cable with this software update. (NOT Digital Cable)
The fixed in this package: Addressed the unauthorized pop-up bug. Fixed
the off air resets caused by OTA channels. Fixed color fading and video
break-ups due to some local channels not following the MPEG spec.
Give away... A Dish Pro 501 or a 6000 receiver! Wow! The question is a
statistical question.
HD Demo channel 9443 will be updated soon. You can get bored of some new
stuff now.
HDPPV on 9428 for $5.99 per movie
Showtime HDTV on 9430
HBO in HDTV on 9440. All these channels are on the 61.5° satellite.
HD Content IS going on 148 with the exception of the Demo channel. It will
be done before the end of this quarter (century? :-). Good news for SoCal
folks!
Now they're going to a video explaining 4x3 v 16x9 aspect ratio TVs and the
features of the 6000 allowing for many types of displaying the
picture....pardon me if I don't comment on this!
HEY! I caught up to live!!! I wasn't running too far behind!
All those folks in the west coast that were screaming for HDTV on 148 done
celebrating, or are people now going to complain that they are being ripped
off because they won't be getting the HDTV demo channel? :-)
It's 8:43pm. Do you know where your tech forum is? Video still running...
Jim Ochuto(sp) from Showtime is there to discuss how HDTV content is done on
Showtime. I hope he understands his explanation...I don't! :-) Showtime
does not change the aspect ratio from the film they receive! The content is
played back from HDTV Tape. Disk playout technology not ready for prime
time! DD sound takes a lot of extra processing. Not all content is
available in DD. Lip sync is also a problem. QC is required here. Some
content is not in HD. All feature programs are being done in 16x9 but not
in HD. It is a very good upgrade though. Hard to see the difference! 4x3
material is upconverted off line to 1080i. Dish lets the signal go through
unaltered.
Showtime is ranked #1 HDTV channels by HDTV channel. Same goes for DD.
Dish is the HDTV sat leader (Sound and Vision Magazine). Showtime is fully
committed and in the new contracts show is demanding HDTV content from the
studios.
Echostar 7 planned for 119° spot beam from Lockheed 15 Conus transponders.
and 25 transponders for 15 spots! Launch from the cape on Atlas 3B rocket
from the Cape with Russian engines!
E*8 spot beam from space systems Loral. 24 Conus transponders and 25
spotbeams for 15 "spots". Launched 1sh quarter next year from Kazakhstan.
Arizona will be used as a secondary location and not necessarily a back-up.
Model 6000 awards given.
Dish interactive OPEN TV upgrades coming for the 3800 and 4700 LATE this
summer (think September folks!)
Now Dave is talking about signal theft and piracy! I'll boil it down to the
essentials...Nancy Reagan came on the set and said "Just say no!".
"Go ahead and lock the TSUPS (whatever that is) see how far that gets you"
Call 303-723-2626 to report signal theft. Up till now we haven't been going
after this legally but now we are and then "you'll have to watch cable from
prison! :-)"
Some one just won the 6000 receiver. I'm jealous.
Showtime boxing Jacket is the second prize!
This question is cool. Three guys pay $10 each to share a bedroom in a
motel. Later the desk clerk realizes that the bill should have been only
$25 for all three. He gives the bell man $5 to give to the three guys. The
bell man on the way to the room realizes that he can't easily split $5 three
ways so he just gives $1 to each of the guys and keeps the other two
dollars. So...Each man paid $10, got one back to make it $9. The bell man
has $2. 3x9=27 + 2 for the bell man makes $29. What happened to the other
dollar. No the desk clerk gave the bell boy 5 of the 30 dollar he go so he
doesn't have it! (If you know the answer, keep it to yourself for a couple
of days! I love to watch people self distruct like a Star Trek computer on
this one!)
Dishplayer is being discontinued. Still free PPV.
New software for Dish Player this quarter. Manual Timers!!! Instant
messenger. Flash 3.0 PVR function from the keyboard, Channel change will
always go to the nearest valid channel, faster channel changes, Favorites
list will be saved when exiting the favorites set-up page, and a new Screen
that describes the features of this upgrade!
Quad LNB is FINALLY here! Allows reception from 110 and 119 to up to 4
receivers. All internal, no power inserter! Can be used with an SW64 or
cascaded with SW21s for 61.5° reception.
Price from Dish is $199 (WOW!!!) Limited availability now, but will be
ramping up production through the year.
Question time!
E-mail From Ben Chan. "Is there a way to reduce the fan noise from the OTA
module on the 6000?"
A: NO Module is always on.
E-mail from Buzz "When can you watch one channel and record another."
When the 721 comes out later this year.
The recording stopped on the dish player and I went live. I missed the
questions in the buffer! HEY that shouldn't happen! WAAAAA..... Sorry
folks. I missed several questions here.
Q on the line: Jen asks : "Does it directly delay what the TV is showing?"
A You're an idiot. You have to record or pause the PVR first.
Can you record one channel and watch another.
Not until the two tuner item is out. And no it does not preserve the
buffer.
Ed From California: Thanks for the 148 HDTV. When you get future HD will
it go on 148.
Yes. But it will be a case by case basis.
Program guide update sucks! Are you going to fix it or will it get Open TV?
No Open TV, but we are doing a new generation of HDTV receivers coming next
year.
The guide is slow because of all the local channels all being streamed for
everyone. There's memory issues with the 6000. We're looking into some
thing but not soon.
PVR HDTV capable? We're working on it. Possibly early next year. Not sure
about the record time yet.
Last question. How does the module figure out percent of signal?
Answer... (It's magic!) I ain't typing all that!
Tech Forum extended 15 minutes.
Q: If I'm viewing standard definition TV will the 6000 help pix quality?
No. Same as other receiver then.
Q:Will the updated EPG be upgraded on the 2800
A: Are you insane???? No .. No memory.
Q: Can the 501 pvr tune locals like the 5000
A: No unless you get them from satellite. The high def product next year
will be able to do this?
Q: Will the 4000 ever have cascading switching?
A: No! No and no... quit asking!!!! No memory.
Q: Light green letters on a dark green background is hard to read, can Bob
Squinty Campbell get this changed somehow?
A: No. We'll get back to you
Q: Alternate audio in the program guide?
A: Just turn it on. If its not there, you'll get it in English if its
there you'll get it.. No plans to do this.
Q will the 501 pass through RF when the unit is on?
A: Yes. TV/Video button on the remote.
Q Does the 501 support caller ID.
A. Hardware is there, but it's not going to happen soon.
Q: From "the website". If the 8VSB spec goes away is the module
upgradeable.
A; Only minor changes available if they go to COFDM your SOL, but the
chances are slim for that to happen.
Customer care application on Open TV coming now. Cool screen.
Channel additions can be purchased
View billing statements
Pay via CC if you wish right on the screen
and a FAQ
Thanks for watching! Replays throughout the month quarter. Lots of info!
4/10 10pm
4/11 7pm
4/13 12pm
4/17 9pm
4/21 2pm
4/26 4pm
5/2 11pm
5/13 4pm
5/24 9pm
6/6 10pm
6/20 3pm
All times Easter Daylight Time.
Next time I know not to record the event and have it delayed on the
playback! :-) Either record it or pause it. lest I miss important
questions.
See ya
Tony
Samuel Fang
<ken_s...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
>On Mon, 9 Apr 2001 22:00:13 -0400, "Tony Suárez" <to...@theword1.net> wrote in
>alt.dbs.echostar:
>
>>The recording stopped on the dish player and I went live. I missed the
>>questions in the buffer! HEY that shouldn't happen! WAAAAA..... Sorry
>>folks. I missed several questions here.
>
>You missed the entire series of questions by Russell about the 501, including
>the ones about the capability - unique to the 501 - to record 1 hour out of the
>buffer, and then continue to record until you stop or until your run out of disk
>space.
>
>The 10 event timers being upgraded (the number currently being evaluated is 20)
>was his next question.
>
>His third question was about the DishPlayer PTV promotion confusion (is Russell
>a member of DBSForums ?) and their response was that they wanted to do one
>thing, but MS would not let them give existing customers the sort of deal they
>wanted to give them (I assume they are saying that MS would not let them offer
>the $99 deal to existing customers).
>
>YOU ALSO MISSED THAT METRO25 WON THE JACKET !
Question:
I've been a little confused by some of the stuff posted on here. Some
of the posts concerning the buffer have given the impression that you
can be watching, say, CNN (chnl 200), then switch to HBO, realize
you've missed the first half-hour of the Sopranos, hit rewind, go back
to the beginning, and then record the entire episode of the Sopranos.
I just don't see how that'd work.
Is that the way it is, or am I just reading some of these posts wrong?
Thanks.
--
Samuel Fang
sf...@vt.edu
"Think where man's glory most begins and ends
And say my glory was I had such friends."
- William Butler Yeats
JM
it, but my bottom line impression is that Tony's summary is accurate - it's
not going to happen.
"Ken Stuart" <ken_s...@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:bps4dt4c5426ntg9p...@4ax.com...
"Tony Suárez" <to...@theword1.net> was kind enough to mention:
>Q: Will the 4000 ever have cascading switching?
>A: No! No and no... quit asking!!!! No memory.
You are FF-ing through this too fast.
What they said was entirely different "we've never even considered this,
we'll
have to go and look it and evaluate if this is possible".
Angel Antonio Suárez
>Dish. Perhaps Ethernet adapter. It'll never happen, but that's what they
>want to do.
"One of the questions you missed was on the number of timers on the 501.
Dave said 'some people on the Internet told us 10 doesn't cut it and we are
definitely going to upgrade this. The number we are looking at right now is
20,
but we are still evaluating that number.'"
Thanks for filling in the blank!
"PS You also missed that they are thinking about using the 501 expansion
port to
connect to a CD/RW to allow you to download music from Dish Network and burn
a
CD."
Oh no I didn't! I even had a chance to make a wisecrack! :-P
Thanks again.
See ya
Tony
--
Cheers,
John Lodge
No, the program buffer can buffer a maximum of 1 hour, but only on the channel
you are on. Once you change channels the buffer is dumped.
Your Example; you start watching CNN at 9:00 pm at 9:30pm your realize you have
missed the first 30 minutes of Sopranos. At this point before a channel change the
program buffer is holding 30 minutes of CNN. Once you change channels to HBO the
entire program buffer is dumped and starts fresh at the point in time of the Channel
switch to HBO.
Once you missed the start of a show from a different channel your done. The only
chance of recording the Sopranos in the example above is to record the later West
Coast Feed of HBO or catch the program on another night.
The program buffer only stores the program for the channel you are currently
watching for up to 1 hour. If you are under the one Hour buffer limit and were
watching the same channel the entire time then yes you can rewind back to the
beginning and record the entire show without missing a second of the program.
John
Angel Antonio Suárez
> Question:
>
> I've been a little confused by some of the stuff posted on here. Some
> of the posts concerning the buffer have given the impression that you
> can be watching, say, CNN (chnl 200), then switch to HBO, realize
> you've missed the first half-hour of the Sopranos, hit rewind, go back
> to the beginning, and then record the entire episode of the Sopranos.
>
> I just don't see how that'd work.
>
> Is that the way it is, or am I just reading some of these posts wrong?
there was a question like that on the forum so you're not alone! What
happens is, if you are watching HBO and you hear nature's call, you can do
one of two things. You can either pause HBO. the program is being recorded
to the buffer. Go do your thing and when you get back press play and watch
the rest of the show. Or you can let the movie continue to play in your
absence and when you get back you can "rewind" the movie to the spot when
you left. The movie continues to be recorded either way.
What happened to me was that there was so much info at some points that I
couldn't keep up. I paused the live playback to catch up on my typing.
Then when I was ready, I pressed play to continue watching the program from
where I left off. The time I paused the program was being buffered in the
hard drive. During the video about the 4x3 - 16x9 TVs, I was able to fast
forward to "live". At that point I was watching the show just like everyone
else. Again once they started talking about stuff that mattered, I had to
pause the live show for a few minutes here and there.
Anyway I also selected to "record" the tech forum on the PVR. When I
started watching the tech forum I selected to watch it from the actual
recording (as it was being recorded). When the time slot for the show was
over, the PVR stopped recording and I was thrown into "live" TV. The couple
of minute buffer I had built up by pausing from time to time for a few
seconds vanished. Had I not recorded the program, I would not have been
thrown into real time and lost the buffer.
Confused?
Well you wont be after this episode of Soap!
Dap da-dap, dap da da da da....
See ya
Tony
Jeff Burris
> Dish PVR 501 no longer called Dish Pro501. (These guys have been watching
> ox Sports too much. These sound and video effects require John Madden!)
> Mike says the PVR501 will change the way you watch TV. Here's a video.
> PVR501 is a 4900 with a 40 GB hard Drive (30-35hours recording).
> Pause up to 10 hour.
> 4 speeds ff & RW.
> You can back up 1 hour in the buffer and record any program in that buffer
> as long as you haven't changed the channel.
> The interface for recordings (automatic) is similar to Dish. The options
> given are PVR, AutoTune, Reminder and VCR. Once, Weekly, Daily and M-5 are
> record options. You can also choose to start recording 1 minute early
> except when recording PPV. (YES you can record PPV!)
I thought I heard there promo video say that the "Start-One-Minute-Early"
feature was only available for PVR and not for VCR and the other types of
timers. Is this true? I can see no reason they would have to set it up this
way. This was before they said it wouldn't work on PPVs.
Thanks,
Jeff Burris
Salina, Kansas
Jeff Burris
>
> The interface for recordings (automatic) is similar to Dish. The options
> given are PVR, AutoTune, Reminder and VCR. Once, Weekly, Daily and M-5 are
> record options. You can also choose to start recording 1 minute early
> except when recording PPV. (YES you can record PPV!) You can protect from
> erasure ONE TIME recordings.
> Manual Timers are available with same options.
> Front panel controls and DD optical out as well as standard PCM outs in the
> back.
They seemed to go on and on about these manual timers. First in the promo
video, then they went over each one again live.
It seems like they think they entire user base must have DISH Players who have
never seen manual timers. Other than adding the PVR option, there is nothing
new there that needed this much explanation. They have had timers like this
since the model 4000 (except the PVR event type). Do some of the lower end
receivers (i.e.. 1000) not have timers either?
It sounded to me like they were really pushing these as an upgrade path for DISH
Player.
Jeff Burris
Salina, Kansas
Pond Scum
>dollars. So...Each man paid $10, got one back to make it $9. The bell man
>has $2. 3x9=27 + 2 for the bell man makes $29. What happened to the other
>dollar. No the desk clerk gave the bell boy 5 of the 30 dollar he go so he
>doesn't have it! (If you know the answer, keep it to yourself for a couple
>of days! I love to watch people self distruct like a Star Trek computer on
>this one!)
It's been two days, right?
Spoiler...
The three men paid $27 for the room. The bell boy has $2 of what they
paid. $27 - $2 = $25, which is how much the room cost, and how much
the desk clerk put in the cash register.
For whatever reason, people just accept adding the $2 to the $27, rather
than subtracting it.
-Jonathan jh...@geocities.com