First Look: Dish Network's DTVPal Digital Converter

[pabeader]

the easiest way is to delete the cbs stations in the channel list. What I suggest you try, and let us know if it works, is this.

restore to factory original
after it's all ready to opoerate, delete any CBS stations that were found.

Setup timers, and then see what happens

It's driving me crazy, not being able to duplicate this. I don't get 'random' EPG reloads. Then again. I never actually turn off my unit, and I'm starting to think that might be important.

[eacalhoun]

eacalhoun -
everybody -
It would be helpful to know what cities everyone finds DTVpals at their local Sears.
and it would be helpful to know what cities everyone is in when they review their boxes, of any kind.
Here in the Los Angeles area, we get 50+ sub-channels, so keeping track of every one with every box, is quite a challenge!

I edited my "review" post to add my hometown of Morganton, NC. I also called a couple of local Sears stores -- my local small locally-owned store was not aware of the DTV Pal/Sears partner announcement but she seemed interested; the large Sears store down the road in Hickory, NC, said they are not carrying the DTV Pal and the lady said they had no plans to carry it.

[partsman_ba]

I edited my "review" post to add my hometown of Morganton, NC. I also called a couple of local Sears stores -- my local small locally-owned store was not aware of the DTV Pal/Sears partner announcement but she seemed interested; the large Sears store down the road in Hickory, NC, said they are not carrying the DTV Pal and the lady said they had no plans to carry it.

That's interesting, considering this press release today:

Sears Now Selling Dish Network's DTVPal(TM) Converter Box


NTIA Certification Approves Retailer to Accept Coupons for Digital TV Conversion HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., July 17 /
eMediaWorld

/ -- In preparation for America's transition to digital television on Feb. 17, 2009, Sears announced today that it will sell the DTVPal(TM) digital-to-analog converter box by DISH Network(R) in 511 of its full-line stores nationwide and at 194 Sears Dealer stores. DTVPal converter boxes are eligible for the TV Converter Box CouponProgram and have a retail price of $59.99....

[pabeader]

and isn't Sears like Walmart and Kmart and the rest? They don't get a choice about what they do and don't carry. All they can do is request stuff.

[Anole]

Yea, and Radio Shack, too.
They just get SENT new things, and they put them out.
If it's an existing item that the manager likes or sells well, he can order more or sooner, etc.
But, if corporate want to send you some, that's the end of the story.
The only way you won't get more, is if you don't sell the ones you have (or the warehouse runs out).

Sometimes high-end items go first to stores with a history of selling such items.
Say, LCD TV sets would probably be sent in larger quantity or selection to a store that's been selling a lot, vs a store that sells just a few a year.
But, a low cost, high demand item like a converter box? Everybody will take those.

[pabeader]

"everybody will GET those"?

hehhehehe

sorry, just in one of those moods today.

[DallasGuy]

the easiest way is to delete the cbs stations in the channel list. What I suggest you try, and let us know if it works, is this.

restore to factory original
after it's all ready to opoerate, delete any CBS stations that were found.

Setup timers, and then see what happens

It's driving me crazy, not being able to duplicate this. I don't get 'random' EPG reloads. Then again. I never actually turn off my unit, and I'm starting to think that might be important.

Why would deleting the CBS station fix the problem? And what if I want to record something off of CBS?

Do you know if Dish has admitted they have a timer problem yet?

[pabeader]

i can't say why. it's just a test. your Pal seems to do the EPG thing more then most people

[A guy who read the manual]

I know this is an issue where people would actually like some real help, so, at the risk of taking the edge off the humor, I am going to clearly label the satirical suggestions and the actually helpful ones. . .

First, some satirical suggestions, guaranteed to make your DTVPal timers work!:

• Call all the stations in your area daily to make sure they are all transmitting the correct date and time of day.
• Convince all channels in your area to broadcast from the same tower, then aim your antenna at that tower.
• Achieve a rock-steady 70% or stronger signal on all stations around the clock. Enroll your DTVPal in as many Pilates and yoga classes as are necessary to achieve this state of perfection.
• If possible, live in an area with no CBS affiliate.
• If you must live in an area with a CBS affiliate, be sure it is one that is NOT transmitting TV Guide data.
• If your CBS affiliate IS transmitting TV Guide data, delete it from your DTVPal's channel list, or sell your house and move to another area.
• Once DTVPal upgrades are ready and are being transmitted over the air, be sure that you DO live in a city that DOES have a CBS affiliate which DOES transmit TV Guide data.

You may ask, "rrrrrrobert, what makes you so sure CBS is such a big factor in all this? Do you have inside information?"

I can only say that I have inferred the CBS relationship from statements made by someone who claims to live in the northern part of a southern state, but his screen name reveals he is actually a Pennsylvanian Macrame Artist. I think. Anyway, I believe the conclusion to be reliable.

Now, some actually helpful suggestions:

• Leave your DTVPal turned on. (The timer bug usually takes effect after the DTVPal has been turned off.) You might NOT have to disable the Inactivity Standby, so your DTVPal WILL go into standby mode after 4-8 hours, depending on the setting. (It's not clear yet how badly the bug affects DTVPals which are left on but go into standby mode.)
• If you still have the timer problems, try disabling the Inactivity Standby and leaving the DTVPal on. If you have to resort to this, you may want to periodically unplug the DTVPal for 30 seconds and plug it back in to clear up the DTVPal's memory, which may get cluttered or corrupted after it has been left on for a few days. You should not lose your settings, even the timer settings, from doing this 30-second unplug, but you should check the timers after you do it to be sure.
• Use the best antenna and cable that you have available. Signals that sputter or frequently break up may make the effects of the timer bug more likely to occur. (I was able to improve my signal strengths by about 5 points on every channel by replacing an RG-59 cable with an RG-6 cable. And that's with only about 20 feet of cable; longer runs could gain more. I also gained a few more points and got more stable readings on the strength meter by replacing an old 5-900 MHz splitter with a new 5-2400 MHz splitter.)
• Watch out for power interruptions and fluctuations. I don't think they are a major factor, but since they can cause your DTVPal to go "off," and the bug is more likely to happen after the DTVPal has been off, they are something to be aware of.
• Before leaving the DTVPal unattended, make sure the DTVPal is showing the correct time (as shown in the upper left when you press the "Select" button, or in various places on several other screens). If you find the clock is wrong, one sure way to get the DTVPal to take another stab at setting the clock is to do a 30-second unplug.
• Also before leaving the DTVPal unattended, it may help to tune the DTVPal to a channel with a strong, steady signal.
• If you find your DTVPal's clock often becomes a few minutes slow or fast, edit your timers to start early (and end late) with that extra margin of error. You don't have to add the same margin of error to your recording device, since it probably has a reliable clock. On back-to-back recordings, you'll have to take your best guess for the best time to end one timer and start the next.
• Even if you really only want to do a "Once" timer setting, consider setting it as a "Weekly" timer instead. This way, after the timer has been triggered, it should remain in the timer list, and you can look at the setting to see what, if anything, has changed. (Then delete it if you no longer need it.)
• If you have set a timer in the past and it has disappeared unexpectedly, there may be a "ghost timer" hiding in your DTVPal which will cause it to turn on and off at apparently random times. (It's not certain that this is the cause of these random on and off events.) One way to clear out the timers may be: Set all five timers (for, say, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 hours in the future) then select Done. Then go back to the timer list and select all five and delete them all at once. However, simply leaving your DTVPal turned on (the first suggestion above) may be a more effective way to reduce or eliminate the random on and off events.
• If all else fails, wait for an over-the-air upgrade or a DISH mail-in exchange program. It really should happen, eventually.

Good luck!

[TrinaTrina]

On the other hand, internet access is more of a necessity than a new TV if you have kids in school. A lot of people on tight budgets may have a new computer and an old TV. Or at least an old VCR.

I'm talking about people that have OTA TV + dial-up internet, or OTA TV + cheap DSL, etc., and are avoiding the expense of cable or satellite for TV and internet. You can't say someone who has been using dial-up for, say 10 years, doesn't understand the internet. They might not understand Google Maps or YouTube

~~~ no progress to report yet on my July 2 coupons ~~~

I'm a perfect example of this; I'm on Soc. Sec. disability plus a bit of extra income, have DSL and previously have had cable internet, cable tv, though never satellite tv so unfamiliar with that technology. At this stage & perhaps always, I'll only be able to afford OTA tv, but want the best converter I can get (w/ coupons, of course; I'm planning to get 2 so I have a spare in case my converter dies before my tv). So, hours online reading reviews . . . I think I've spent more time on this than my brother, who's a retired phone equipment engineer (he's gotten a converter as a backup, and I think to use for his little tv that he keeps in the kitchen).

So I'm going to take this fascinating but complex thread back to a few basics, and ask for advice. Those of you who've gotten the DTV Pals recently, would you recommend it (not including the timer problem; I don't anticipate recording much, if at all) to a fairly basic OTA tv viewer? What I'm looking for is ease of use, sensitivity of signal, good picture & audio. My coupons expire July 29, so I'll need to purchase by then. I'm unsure of whether the Zenith or DTV Pal would be a better choice for me, for one of the units. As it's a more of a known quantity and the only brand I have personal experience with (see next paragraph), I'm at this stage planning to get a Digital Stream as my other converter. Unless someone can convince me otherwise - feel free to consider that a challenge, my decision isn't set in stone.

Currently, I'm trying-out my brother's Digital Stream (unsure of model number; it's nowhere on the unit), along with his spare Terk antenna. I'm using these with my Sony 27", about 7 yrs old but still (knock wood) working well. I'm not fond of the remote, mainly for aesthetic reasons - it's an ugly gray thing that screams "I'm cheap!" As to function, however, I really don't have complaints about the remote. It does what it's supposed to, though I still have to use my tv remote to turn the tv itself on & off (I need to look at the manual to see if I'm missing something, but just trying the buttons, the DS remote isn't performing that function).

Remote aside, with digital there's a noticeable improvement in reception on most channels, though the DS won't pull in a couple of weak signals well (I looked at TV Fool's signal-strength info for my location, those are indeed weak signals here). Unfortunately, they're channels I'm fond of. I probably don't live 10 miles from the transmitters, but am in an apt., big trees right outside, and interestingly I find that there's a big difference in reception of those 2 channels depending on whether my vinyl miniblinds are open or closed. I'm a night owl, and it's far from convenient to keep the miniblinds open all night, so I'm hoping to get a converter that's more sensitive (if I still have problems, does that mean I'll have to go to an active (amplifying) antenna?).

I'd appreciate any input you think appropriate. Sorry to disrupt the main current conversation going on, but whatever you could add will come in handy, not only to me, but I'm sure to others doing similar research.

Happy viewing!