Tech Chat Recap - August 13, 2007

**rockymtnhigh** · 08-13-2007 09:05 PM

SatelliteGuys.US Technical Chat Recap
August 13, 2007
Hosts, Mark Jackson and Dan Minnick
Tonight on Tech Forum:
.Product UUpdate
..Guest: Seagate Technology
. ITV Updates
. Trivia Giveaways
. Q&A

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Call or E-Mail
1-888-621-2078
techforum@dishnetwork.com
Only technical questions, please!
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1. Two new HD Receivers

Vip222 - dual-tuner, two-tv box, HDTV for tv1, SDTV for tv-2, PiP in Single Mode

Mpeg 4

Vip722 DVR, replacing the 622

dual-tuner, two-tv box, HDTV for tv1, SDTV for tv-2, PiP in Single Mode

500GB Hard drive, 55 hours of HD programming, or 300 hours of SD recordings

HOW DO I GET THE 722 or 222 as an existing customer?

Dish'n it up promotion. $100 redemption bonus when you update.

Go to dishnetwork.com; login to your account and see what your dish'n it up price is.

No orders until 8/15

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NEW HD PROGRAMMING!!!
Launching six new HD channels on August 15th. Extending HD leadership.
America's Top 100 and Dish HD
9492 - MHD - Music High Definition
9487 - Discovery HD
9488 - The Learning Channel

America's 200
9489 - Animal Planet HD

America's Top 250
9468 - Golf/Versus
9490 - The Science Channel

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NEW SOFTWARE - Vip622

1. Group by Titles. You can group DVR recordings by titles and and see how many items under the same title

2. Ability to connect 622 to the Internet using ethernet port.

a. ability to buy PPV without phone-connection

b. eliminates $5 fee if you don't have phone connection.

If you connect only through the ethernet, Dish Home will not work

c. Two ways to connect the box to broadband. Go to tech portal for home network installation instructions. Go to website, search on home networking, see how to connect your receiver to the ethernet

Direct-connect from router/switch to set-top box with a cable.

Or use Home-plug. Plug directly into the wall,or plug into a HomePlug surge power strip, go into home find internet router, and connect to a HomePlug ethernet adapter. $20 for a single connection. Get at a local retailer.

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GIVE-AWAY:
A Vip722 with an installation of a new dish.

Question: What is the true amount of space on a new 100GB hard disk drive, rounded to the nearest 1000th. First to call at 1-88-662-3474 wins. Can't have won in the past year.

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Q&A

Email:
1. Jason - Have more than one 622, can I move my external storage from one to another? If you have 622 and 722s you can move them in the household between receivers. You can do it three times. Initially just three times, until a new software update. Within your own household. Will roll it out to other HD models end of the year.

2. Martin: PocketDish, My archos PocketDish worked fine until HBO and Cinemax has been changed to prevent copying. Rendered the Pocket Dish useless.

Have to do this because studios have requirements on DRM. Work-around, re-record it.

3. Richard: Do you need a landline to subscribe to Dish Network? No. But to take advantage of all features, you do need a landline.

4. Scott: Is it possible to download recorded programs to computer? Not directly allowed to do it. If you want to do it, record to a DVD recorder, then use software to convert to PC format.

Call:
Tracey: Upgrade from 322 to 222. Trying to get screen-saver turned off. Is the 222 internet capable? Should be able to disable the nightly standby on the 322. On the 322 go through Setup, installation, nightly standby option. Other receivers through preferences menus. 222 has the same things; Or set an auto-tune timer.
Can 222 be hooked to ethernet? Yes, but not yet. Hopefullyy by the end of the year.

5. leah: Will the 722 have an ATSC RF Output? No. That would output the signal in pure digital form, which would run into copyright form.

WINNER of 722 - Kim R.

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External Storage Feature
Included in the new software for 622 and 722.

Ability to connect an external Hard Drive.

Video explaining the external hard drive storage option. Move programs to an external USB HDD. Open up more space on DVR. Important for those recording HD programs.

Purchase any off-the-shelf HDD, between 40GB and 750GB. Dedicate it for DVR storage.

Connect to USB port. Follow connection instructions with the Hard Drive.

Will see message if you want to manage it. You will have to format the drive.

One time archiving activation fee, $39.95. contact dish at 1-888-241-2205 to activate.

Follow onscreen prompts to move programs.

Keep the Hard drive cool. Don't move it while powered.

Available 8/15.

Buy single Hard drives, not "dualies." Only one drive will work at a time. Can plug in different drives. Eventually can daisy chain drives. Don't support USB Hub yet.

Use a empty drive. Or lose everything when it is reformatted. It will be a dedicated video drive.

Only content from my recordings list can be transferred. Rental recordings will not transfer.

You can not share the drive with other Dish users, OR connect it to your PC.

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SPECIAL GUEST - Rob from Seagate hard drives

Amount of hard drive space in a DVR will run out. So external hard drives are useful. Now moving ability to scale your storage to the dish network DVR.

How do you choose a hard drive? Pocket book? Lots of ways to differentiate drives.

1. Look for style. What do you want it to look like?
2. Making the right connection; Dish requires USB 2.0; you want to make sure it is 2.0
3. Make sure the drive can operate in temperature conditions that might not be ideal. Look for high heat tolerance. Seagate tolerances are at 35 degrees celcsus.
4. Want it to be quiet.
5. Rubber-Feet
6. Lots of drive features are irrelevant for Dish DVR.

How to take care of a hard drive. Seagate believes it is robust. Things you can do.
1. Remember heat is the enemy
2. stay in the air flow
3. Don't drop it.
4. Get enough gigabytes.

Technical components of a Hard drive.
1. Main components is the spindle/motor. Spin at 7200rpm. Provides the performance needed to playback multiple streams of HD content.
2. Data on platters. comprised of aluminum or glass substrate with a microscopic thin layer of a coating with the bits, magnetized, 1 or 0.
3. Actuator - arms extended from it - the read/write head. In a four platter drive, there are eight actuators with a read-write head. Kind of like a record player.
4. How it finds information: read/write heads float over the surface, and never touches the surface. It can accurately count data. Each track on a drive, a concentric circle, provides the first part of the address for the data. The next part is the cylinder. Sector is the final part of the address. The beginning and end of the file. It all tells the HDD where the data is.

Where can you buy these drives? Just about everywhere. Showed a list of retailers where you can get a maxtor or seagate drive.

Prizes! A Maxtor 1-touch drive, and a Seagate Free-Agent Drive. Both are 750Gigabytes. Go to first two people: what was the max capacity in gigabytes of the world's first commercial hard drive using perpendicular technology?
Call at 1-88-621-2078

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Other updates

1. New software; make point-dish signal strength consistent across models.
video explains.

strong signal helps prevent signal interuptions. Numbers might be different then in the past. Possibly up to 30% less. But the strength has not changed, just the numbers.

You want a green bar, not a yellow bar (number under 17). A red bar (under 10) means no signal.

External factors can affect your signal strength. Make sure there aren't obsctacles affecting your signal strength.

Shows how to adjust the dish up to 40 degrees.

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Update with Scott Higgins on iTV.
1. goofy skit with golfing.

Showing the Dish Home, multi-cams for sports coverage; example from the US Open this June, and then showed example from the X Games from two weeks ago.

Six screen events shown periodically on Dish Network.

2. Other interactive media features. DishOnline.com. Added new feature to allow you to see the EPG on the web.

3. Thinking of adding TV search feature for an episode or series, with schedules, and recommendations of similar shows.

4. Dishonline.com added new trailers that you can watch. Can order pizza online.

5. Will stream the air new zealand cup. Other streaming events on Dishonline. Rugby, Tennis, Motocross, Bands and artists "on tour" etc...

6. New games on Dishonline.com; The Apprentice: los Angeles. Can compete with others. Arcade games, kids games.

Hopefully by October, we will have ability to set timers from the PC to control the Dish DVR timer.

Winners from Seagate- -Brian and Pam from Rhode Island and CT. Answer: 160GB Seagate HD in 2005

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MORE QUESTIONS

1. Gary: What format should the HDD have? It doesn't matter, we will reformat. Either port will work.

2. Mike - Have an old Dish 300 antenna want to hook up for 61.5. Have DishPro LNBs. How can I hook up all of them. If new dish has Dish pro, need Dish pro LNB on all of the dishes. Can't use a legacy and Dish Pro LNB hooked to a dish pro switch.

Out of time...

That's it for tonight.

Next CHARLIE CHAT, September 10th, 9pm, Channel 101. SatelliteGuys.us will be there to bring you a detailed recap as always.

Thanks to Digiblur for the accompanying screen-caps!

**rdinkel** · 08-13-2007 10:25 PM

Good summary. And done quickly!

**ralfyguy** · 08-13-2007 10:38 PM

Nice thank you! Dishn it up for the 722 for existing customers is not for current 622 leasers right?

**Soulwhat** · 08-13-2007 11:20 PM

OK I know "it doesn't matter" but what is the format used by Dish? I am curio :-)

**rockymtnhigh** · 08-13-2007 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by ralfyguy

Nice thank you! Dishn it up for the 722 for existing customers is not for current 622 leasers right?

You are all welcome.

Re: Dishin it up for current 622 leasers. Sure it is. But the price depends on when you last dish't it up. I'll be calling on Wednesday to change out my lease; depending on the price.

**rockymtnhigh** · 08-13-2007 11:30 PM

Originally Posted by Soulwhat

OK I know "it doesn't matter" but what is the format used by Dish? I am curio :-)

No one knows yet. One of the mysteries of the universe.

**SarKen** · 08-13-2007 11:55 PM

Thanks for the recap!

**larrykenney** · 08-14-2007 01:23 AM

Originally Posted by rockymtnhigh

Dishin it up for current 622 leasers. Sure it is. But the price depends on when you last dish't it up.

To give you an idea of the cost, I've had my 622 for a year and a half (got it in February 06) and for me to upgrade to the 722 will cost me $149 initially, then I get a $100 rebate, so actual cost is $49. Your price may be different - all depends on what you have now and how long you've been a customer, etc.

As far as I can tell, the only advantage of the 722 over the 622 is the larger hard drive.

Larry
SF