First Look: Dish Network's DTVPal Digital Converter

[A guy who read the manual]

Sure, TrinaTrina, I'd still recommend the DTVPal, despite the timer problems (especially since you don't expect to be recording much).

The remote control for the DTVPal is not bad, and I've also had no problem setting up my (under $25) Sony RM-VL600 Universal Learning Remote to control a DTVPal. (I use the an original DTVPal remote with the Kitchen DTVPal, and the universal remote with the other DTVPal hooked into a VCR.) I don't have any Sony components, by the way, I just liked that remote.

The DTVPal is good at pulling in signals, has good picture and sound quality (in my opinion), and, of course, the Guide feature beats all the other "Electronic Program Guides" out there. You'll have no need for the newspaper or internet TV listings once you have the DTVPal's Guide, unless you need to plan your viewing more than a day ahead. (And that day-ahead limitation is only because most broadcasters only send out one day's worth of data; they could send up to 7 days and the DTVPal would display it all.)

Also, you're getting interested in the DTVPal at a good time, when more buying options are becoming available, such as Sears. You can avoid the shipping costs I had to pay. And Ultimate Electronics stores have already sold some DTVPals for $40 ($0 after coupon, sales tax only), so it's possible you'll be able to find it for less than the $60 price now charged by most places (including Sears).

I've been predicting there will be a version of the DTVPal, simply relabeled with the Sling Media brand (in place of Dish Network), and selling for as little as $40 (the "Secret Agent Box" in my signature), but I wouldn't count on that happening. It's just something else to watch for.

[pabeader]

A Guy- My wife is mad at you!! You made me wake her up with my laughter so early in the morning!!!

[TalkingRat]

After the CECB approved list change, it looks to me like Sling is not going to be on the label. In addition to the Echostar TR-40 (no asterisk) there is this box now:

DISH NETWORK TR-40CRA by Dish Network *

Hard to miss that this model is by Dish Network.

[DallasGuy]

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!

Can you explain why leaving the DTVPal on all the time prevents the timer problem? I tried that and it seems to fix my problem where the event timer channel was being changed after I turned the DTVPal back on (and after the guide was loaded), but I hate the idea of having to leave it on all of the time...I hate wasting energy if I don't have to.

I'm guessing that the reason that the timer channel change doesn't occur when the DTVPal is left on all of the time is because the Guide is not re-loaded when it is left on all of the time....and the guide re-load is what actually causes the event timer channel to change.

[pabeader]

yepper!

[Malouff]

yepper!

For the "yepper!" are you disabling the inactivity timer?

Would letting the box go into maintenance mode also qualify for the "yepper!"?

I didn't get anything digital from my house so can't try for myself and don't want to waste gas and time driving closer to San Antonio Mtn. to see if they are broadcasting anything digital yet.

[pabeader]

dallasguy said, """"I'm guessing that the reason that the timer channel change doesn't occur when the DTVPal is left on all of the time is because the Guide is not re-loaded when it is left on all of the time....and the guide re-load is what actually causes the event timer channel to change."""""

i said, "yepper"

[Malouff]

pabeader,

I know dallasguy said, "when the DTVPal is left on all of the time"
This would mean that he disabled the inactivity timer and you of course said "yepper!"

I just wanted to know if letting it go into maintenance mode would also fix the problem like dallasguy said.

You should know this box better than anyone else and that is way I asked you if it would also give a "yepper!" response.

I can't test anything with my DTVPal so have to ask others.

[TrinaTrina]

A Guy . . .

Thanks for the thoughtful response. I appreciated hearing your opinion. BTW, I recently had to buy a new universal remote, but it's not a 'smart' one. Do you recall roughly how much your learning remote cost?

[DallasGuy]

pabeader,

I know dallasguy said, "when the DTVPal is left on all of the time"
This would mean that he disabled the inactivity timer and you of course said "yepper!"

I just wanted to know if letting it go into maintenance mode would also fix the problem like dallasguy said.

You should know this box better than anyone else and that is way I asked you if it would also give a "yepper!" response.

I can't test anything with my DTVPal so have to ask others.

I disabled the inactivity timer AND leave the DTVPal on all of the time....that has fixed my problem where the event timer has it's channel changed incorrectly.

This solution is not very good because you have to leave the DTVPal on all of the time. Leaving the DTVPal on all the time is not acceptable in my opinion. I sure hope I can get the software fixed OR exchange the DTVPal for a version that has the software fixed. This is definately a case where the software is bad!