Thread: Dishplayer 7200 search -vs 501/508/510 search

In one of the alt.dbs.echostar posts, someone said:

And as long as some other receiver I get to replace the Dishplayer has as robust a search feature as the Dishplayer, I'll be happy.

Does anyone know what the functional difference is between searching on these two different DVR/PVRs? I know the DP 7200 because I have one, but have never used at 501/508/510.

Thanks!

The DP's search capabilities HAVEN'T been matched by any of the other receivers best as I can tell. The DP let you banish unwatched channels from your guide as well as your searches (Do I REALLY need to see a Russian movie that I can't watch pop up in my listings?). Also there was no limit as to ho many results you could get, so you could look a week out for movies that interested you instead of the 12-18 hours that I can get now with my 721 (which maxes out at 600 results BUT it includes many movies that started 2 hours BEFORE the time you started the search (thanks... that's real useful) AND it includes in the results PPVs that I don't buy and foreign language channels that I don't subscribe to, so you can whittle those 600 choices down to about 350 when you cut away the chaff.

I don't have one of the 5xx receivers so I don't know how well THEY handle searches.

What I liked about the Dishplayer was.....

> Deselect channels you do not want to search through on the "All Channels" list (Dishplayer 7100/7200 Exclusive)

> Search by channel in which allows you to see all the programming on one particular channel in the order that the events are playing by doing a search under the channel name. (Another Dishplayer 7100/7200 Eclusive)

The question is, can they put this same functionality in the 5XX, 721, and all future DVR receivers or are there hardware limitations to allowing them to do this? I would think that it would have something to do with the software and that it would be possible.

Hiding channels is no longer a DP exclusive. On the 5xx you can lock channels and now can "hide locked channels."

The DP lost the ability to search by channel name. The vertical listing was handier and much faster than scrolling across the guide.

The 5xx lets you restrict your search to just program titles or can search title and description.

It will search a word or phrase, it will not match on keywords that are not adjacent in the description.

Program title will auto-fill on the search screen when you press the remote's search button while viewing the EPG, DVR list, and a few other places. Useful for finding the next showing.

Searches are saved in history so you don't have to re-type them every time or keep a list to remind you. There is still not a way to delete a single history entry.

Programming is not viewable during any part of the search process.

There is no keyboard but manual entries can be made either with the on-screen keyboard or telephone style with the remote.

See http://echostar.swiki.net/291#Search for more 501/508/510 tips.

Good info - thank you all!!

Originally Posted by BobMurdoch

...that I can get now with my 721 (which maxes out at 600 results BUT it includes many movies that started 2 hours BEFORE the time you started the search (thanks... that's real useful)

I think it's valid to list matches for programs that are already underway.

Example: It's 8PM Saturday and you enter 'NASCAR' as a search to see what time the race is on tomorrow and poof! you discover the race is on now because it's a night race (which they usually run on Saturdays). You happily tune in and watch the race to the end. If the box hadn't shown that listing then perhaps you'd miss seeing any of it and then you'd cuss the box the next day for not revealing to you that it was currently on and available to view.

I agree, that's fine....... But let me have more than 600 results then....

When I get a free moment, I used to like to scroll the movies for the week looking for a hidden gem being shown at 3AM five days out. Now I get one day TOPS.

Hiding channels is no longer a DP exclusive. On the 5xx you can lock channels and now can "hide locked channels."

You mean my 501 can now "remove" all the home shopping channels and a few other useless channels from ALL my guides? Please?

I REALLY miss the ability to search by channel name! Too bad, the first time my 501 and 721 allowed me to actually scroll over to the channel name/# box I thought I would be able to do an autofill search on it. Alas, no!