Tech Forum Summary 10-8-01
BobaBird
Technical Forum
Oct 8, 2001
Hosts are Mark Jackson, Sr VP E* Technology Corp and Dave Kummer, VP
Engineering, no peanut gallery this time.
Phone calls will all be taken in the last 20 minutes.
Phone: 1-888-621-2078. E-mail: Tech...@Dishnetwork.com.
[Don't call now - the show's over!]
AGENDA
- TV shopping
- TV hookup
- 721/501/301 future features
- Q&A
---------------
TV Shopping
Mark and Dave walk through the TV section of a store discussing features.
Possibly beneficial to those who last bought a TV over 20 years ago. They
barely mentioned HDTV but plan to cover it on a future show.
---------------
Giveaway
Prize: DishPVR 501
Q: How many bits has Dish "served" across satellites at 119 and 110 since
its inception?
---------------
Hooking up TV
Mark and Dave back in the studio showing us the good/better/best ways to
hook up your receiver to your TV. By the time they're done about 44 minutes
of the 1 hour show have slipped away.
---------------
Q&A
Tony: When will we get the next revision of DISHPlayer software?
A: Download is going out sometime this month. Should fix:
- Sluggish PVR response
- Random EPG fetching
- Hard drive excessive noise/activity
- Last minute of shows cut off
- Losing all recordings
They looked at restoring the prior version but found that would have caused
more problems.
Charles: Does the 721 have coax or just optical digital audio out?
A: Just optical. Coax requires compliancy with FCC interference rules, also
most processors have more optical inputs.
E-mail: Time standard used by Dish?
A: Clock set by GPS which is updated by an atomic clock.
---------------
721
- 2 tuners
- PIP
- 120GB hard drive for about 100-hour capacity
- Enhanced user interface
- Available by end of the year
---------------
Alan: PIP on 721 require both LNBs?
A: Yes, 2 inputs from the dish. New line of switches coming early next year
will allow for more outputs from the dish.
Bernie: Is StarBand reliable? Speed?
A: Averages 350Kb down, 50-60Kb up. Mark uses it and is pleased.
Jeff: Broadcast DTS in the future?
A: Not planned, already have DD. Takes another 384Kpbs of bandwidth and
doesn't have enough difference.
Mickey: Slow motion on the 501?
A: They have a prototype but the feature isn't scheduled for release.
Upcoming 501 updates will provide:
- 7-day EPG before Thanksgiving
- Search by late January
- CallerID
- On-screen remote control low-battery indicator
Richard: 501 HD is always clicking, is it supposed to be loud?
A: It's quieter than the DP, unable to determine if this specific unit has a
problem.
Eric: Recording time on 721? A: Approximately 100 hours.
---------------
Giveaway
501 winner is George Waters. Answer: 147,000,000,000,000,000.
---------------
Jim: OpenTV upgrade schedule?
A: 4700 -> 4900 by end of year. 3800 -> 3900 by end of October.
---------------
301
Scheduled to get CallerID, remote low-battery indicator.
---------------
Next Technical Forum is Jan 02. Next Charlie Chat is Mon Nov 12, 9:00pm
Eastern
Steve
>- 120GB hard drive for about 100-hour capacity
Think this is really 100 hours, or a bogus figure like the 35 hour
501?
Matt Telles
"Steve" <st...@GAGSPAM.advocate.net> wrote in message
news:c5qpstc79u0u3chsf...@4ax.com...
That's not too far off from reality. 120 GB should be 90 odd hours.
Matt
Swamp
Alan: PIP on 721 require both LNBs?
A: Yes, 2 inputs from the dish. New line of switches coming early next year
will allow for more outputs from the dish.
Does this mean I need a new switch and a new cable run to the receiver to
use the two tuner capability or what? How will this work?
"Matt Telles" <mattt...@sprynet.com> wrote in message
news:9qipkl$tlk$1...@slb1.atl.mindspring.net...
Tom Lawrence
> use the two tuner capability or what? How will this work?
No - what it means is that you need two feeds coming into the 721.
Currently, there are several ways this can be supported:
1 - With a Twin LNB, both outputs going into the 721. Can't support any
other receivers.
2 - With two Dual LNBs, and two SW21's, each switch's output going into the
721. Also cannot support multiple receivers.
3 - With a Quab LNB, two outputs going into the 721, and the ability to
support up to 2 additional receivers.
4 - With two Dual LNBs, and an SW44/SW64, also supporting 2 additional
receivers in conjunction with the 721 (or 5 additional receivers if you
stack two SW44s/SW64s)
What I'm assuming they mean is that newer switches that emulate the
functionality of the parallel SW44 or SW64 solution, without the complexity,
will be available. Something with either 4 or 6 inputs, and maybe 8 to 12
outputs.
Steve
>If you fill your HD with premium movies and sports, you won't get 35
>hours.
>If you fill your HD with CNN and TechTV, you'll get a lot more than 35
>hours.
Hmmm, I've never recorded a program that didn't take up more disk time
than the program length.
Swamp
going to 2 DPs, as well as two old D* dishes and a sw21 going to a 3rd
recvr.)
If I bought a 721 like I plan, I would need a new switch and a 2nd cable run
to the 721 in order to run the two tuner. Right? I'm I missing something?
You will have to have two separate cables going to the 721 from the
appropriate switch in for full functionality.
Do we know if a switch will come with the 721 or is that going to be extra?
JR
"Tom Lawrence" <tlawr...@eNaOrtShPlAiMnMk.InNeGt> wrote in message
news:Jofz7.8403$cy.6...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
TNGTony
up to one TV for wiring purposes. So if you want the 721 and two other
receivers, you must have 4 total hook-ups to the dishes.
See ya
Tony
"Swamp" <nos...@posthere.com> wrote in message
news:HEjz7.10694$Hw3.1...@typhoon.southeast.rr.com...
Fred Viles
<k76rst8n6oh6vnc6p...@4ax.com>:
"disk time"? What is "disk time"?
I don't know what you meant to say, but what you did say makes no
sense.
- Fred
Tom Lawrence
> going to 2 DPs, as well as two old D* dishes and a sw21 going to a 3rd
> recvr.)
In your specific situation, yes - you need a new switch. Best thing for you
would probably be an SW44 to replace the 2 SW21s off your Dish500. Outputs
#1 and #2 of the SW44 would go to the 721, outputs #3 and #4 would go to
your DPs.
Steve
>>Hmmm, I've never recorded a program that didn't take up more disk
>>time than the program length.
>"disk time"? What is "disk time"?
If you go into the PVR Recorded Events screen, it tells you the approx
recording time you have left. If you then record a one-hour program,
in theory it should reduce the available recording time by one hour.
In my experience, it reduces the remaining time by more than one hour,
no matter what type of program I'm recording.
Fred Viles
<87ptsto4d1ubbnb3v...@4ax.com>:
Ah. Now it makes sense - sorry. Interesting observation!
- Fred
Matt Telles
some
overhead for the application and EPG guide, of course.
"Ken Stuart" <ken_s...@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:qt8qstsp5eovh16mk...@4ax.com...
> Steve <st...@GAGSPAM.advocate.net> was kind enough to mention:
> I thought we've been through this before.
>
> If you fill your HD with premium movies and sports, you won't get 35
> hours.
>
> If you fill your HD with CNN and TechTV, you'll get a lot more than 35
> hours.
>
> The 35 hour figure assumes you will do a little of both...
>
>
> --
> Cheers,
>
> Ken
> ken_s...@bigfoot.com
jbuff
Matt Telles wrote in message <3bd4...@news.microsoft.com>...
>I believe the standard estimate is 4 MB per second of recording. There is
>some
>overhead for the application and EPG guide, of course.
>
Sorry Matt, that can't be right.
4MB X 3600 sec/hr = 14.4G/hr
Since the hourly usage is more like 1.2G/hr, the actual number is more like
.333 M/sec, so perhaps you misplaced the decimal point and meant .4M/sec
--jbuff
Matt Telles
"jbuff" <jbuf...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:tt8qj35...@corp.supernews.com...
Um.. sorry. That's megaBITS. So, its around .2-.3 MB. I just forgot what
I was typing. We work primarily in megabytes so that's what I typed.
However,
its bits.
Sorry for the confusion.
Matt