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Anole

Last reply Sep 28, 2008 · posted in Free To Air (FTA) Discussion

HD OTA recording only

About three months ago, I asked these questions in a Diamond 9000 thread.
At the time, I was considering that FTA receiver, just to use for recording off-the-air Hi Def.
These three months later, I have no more faith in any of the boxes as FTA satellite receivers, but I will ask the questions again, just to use one for OTA work.

Will any FTA receivers do the following with HD OTA?

Some questions for anyone who has the PVR functions going, and hi def Off The Air, too.

- can you have 1080i feeding out the HDMI or Component connectors and regular video on the S-video or RCA composite connector at the same time?
Or, does the mode of the receiver dictate which outputs are live?

- if the STB is playing a channel, and you decide to record it, can you backup the documented 30 minutes and begin the recording from there?
In my Dish PVR, you can. In the Visionsat FTA PVR, you cannot.

- since the manual was published, has there been a change to the 30 minute buffer?
In another PVR I have, that length defaults to 2 hrs, and is user-settable.

- for OTA, the ATSC stations broadcast an EPG.
It's at least a week long, and may be two weeks (I'm not sure).
Does any receiver display the EPG?

- if the EPG is displayed, can you scroll through it and mark a show to record?
Can you set weekly timers? (capture all my episodes of NCIS, for instance?)

- how does that OTA EPG update? Overnight while the unit is turned off?
Or, do you have to do something special to get it to populate?

- when recording OTA ATSC, is just the selected sub-channel recorded?
Or the entire transport stream?.

Obviously, the recordings on such a receiver, should be easily transferable to a computer for making into DVDs.
I have the DVD part of the technology, as long as I can get to the files.

Experience with the recent rash of digital TV converter boxes has opened my eyes as to what a proper receiver CAN do !

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techno935

Sep 26, 2008

Their use of the English language is horrible! Big company or not, they should be paying better attention to how things work.

empiretc

Sep 26, 2008

my diamond worked great for recording my wife shows in HD yesterday. Freaked me out though. 1hr HD = 160GB. dang. it was all from OTA and looks fantastic!! well worth every penny of the $100 the box cost me.

Shawn95GT

Sep 27, 2008

Hey all! Long time no FTA lurking!

I went the Tivo route (2x Series 3s + a TivoHD) for my OTA needs and they do the job great, as they should for the money.

The EchoStar TR-50 is due out any time now and seems like a good fit for your needs.

Anole

Sep 27, 2008

Shawn95GT said:
Hey all! Long time no FTA lurking!
. . .
The EchoStar TR-50 is due out any time now and seems like a good fit for your needs.

Good to have ya back ! - :up

At the time I started the thread, the TR50 was just another hollow promise, much like the Fortec Passion.
And until it's here , debugged, and available from various dealers, it's a big zero.
I was in hopes that something was on the market at the time which would satisfy my needs.

Also, Dish/Echostar seems to be in the pocket of the providers, and I don't trust their disk format would be useful for making DVDs.
On the other hand, any FTA receiver should be useable in that regard.

Let's hope history proves me wrong! -

49studebaker

Sep 27, 2008

empiretc said:
my diamond worked great for recording my wife shows in HD yesterday. Freaked me out though. 1hr HD = 160GB. dang. it was all from OTA and looks fantastic!! well worth every penny of the $100 the box cost me.

I thought HD was 6gb an hour. 160gb wow!

49studebaker

Sep 27, 2008

Since Panarex claimed they had no "resource information on ota channel EPG" I emailed them back with a link to this book:

Amazon.com: PSIP: Program & System Information Protocol: Mark Eyer: Books

"Making digital and interactive television work depends up on the ATSC's new PSIP standard. This book, written by one of the standard's primary architects, annotates and explains the complex standard document, breaking it down into practical, usable checklists and methods for broadcast, cable, satellite, and product design."

more psip infomation:
http://www.dtvinnovations.com/pdf/PSIP ATSC.pdf
http://www.bitrouter.com/pdf/tutorial-psip.pdf

A ota guide should not be that difficult to implement. All they would really have to do is write software that extracts the guide data and puts it in a table. They would be the only fta receiver on the market with a ota guide if they could accomplish that.

I suggest everyone who has a pansat 9200 email Panarex and request that they implement a guide for OTA. Maybe if enough people request it they will add the feature.

Tron

Sep 28, 2008

techno935 said:
Their use of the English language is horrible! Big company or not, they should be paying better attention to how things work.

That's why the manuals supplied with most FTA equipment are only useful in the fireplace...

Well, in one other room too

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Scott Greczkowski

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge

Last reply 31 minutes ago · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne

Get it?

An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....

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dishstaller

Today at 9:56 AM

Mississippi Squirrel Revival - Ray Stevens

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Bobby

Today at 10:25 AM

Mississippi Cotton Picking Delta Town - Charley Pride

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harshness

Today at 11:29 AM

Delta Dawn - Tanya Tucker

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dishstaller

Today at 12:33 PM

Can't You See - Marshall Tucker Band

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sdfntx

31 minutes ago

See You in September - The Happenings

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dfergie

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!

Last reply Today at 2:04 PM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Gas Price Info With National Gas Temperature Map

Stumbled across this ... http://www.gaspricewatch.com/USGas_ZipSearch.asp
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy

Ethanol Free Stations

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Bobby

Thursday at 11:20 AM

Regular$6.099
Premium$6.599
Diesel$7.999
at Costco, Rohnert Park.

Bobby

Today at 10:27 AM

Regular$5.999
Premium$6.399
Diesel$7.999
at Costco, Rohnert Park.

Reactions: harshness

harshness

Today at 11:30 AM

I wonder if California is getting into the Winter formula.

dishstaller

Today at 12:32 PM

Bobby said:
Regular$5.999
Premium$6.399

Odd that out there, Prem is only 40 cents higher. Here it's a full dollar more.

Last night it was about $4.17 gas, $6,19 diesel.

harshness

Today at 2:04 PM

dishstaller said:
Odd that out there, Prem is only 40 cents higher. Here it's a full dollar more.

On the West Coast, a 40-cent differential is common. It used to be 30 cents before the prices rose above $3.

A "full dollar more" sounds like it may be boat gas (non-alcoholic), which is a whole different discussion.

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klang

Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 2:00 PM · posted in TV Shows

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy - Paramount+

Season 2 order already in hand:

'Star Trek: Starfleet Academy' Renewed for Season 2, Tatiana Maslany to Guest Star in Season 1

I've not been optimistic about this show based on what I've read so far. Seems to be aimed at a younger audience. Interesting though that Tatiana Maslany will have some sort of role.

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klang

Jul 28, 2025

I'm sure I will watch at least the first episode but I am not optimistic.

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klang

Oct 11, 2026

klang said:
I'm sure I will watch at least the first episode but I am not optimistic.

Here i am over a year later and just finished season 1. Not great but not as bad as I was expecting. Did not care for the barefoot captain stuff but overall ok. Actually looking forward to see what they did for season 2.

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MikeD-C05

Oct 11, 2026

klang said:
Here i am over a year later and just finished season 1. Not great but not as bad as I was expecting. Did not care for the barefoot captain stuff but overall ok. Actually looking forward to see what they did for season 2.

Yeah, the foot stuff was just nasty. I kept thinking of how dirty her feet would get traipsing around shoe-less. Funny, I love being shoe less at home and never wear shoes indoors in my home for long, but seeing her laying on all her furniture with her bare feet hanging out just kind of grossed me out.

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harshness

Tuesday at 11:28 AM

MikeD-C05 said:
I kept thinking of how dirty her feet would get traipsing around shoe-less.

Where would this "dirt" come from? Dead skin and dandruff?

MikeD-C05

Today at 12:51 PM

harshness said:
Where would this "dirt" come from? Dead skin and dandruff?

There would still be dirt ,dust in the future I am sure. So walking around the station like she did she would get stuff on her feet. I am sure the robot vacuum is still going to miss stuff, with all those different alien species running around there.

harshness

Today at 2:00 PM

MikeD-C05 said:
There would still be dirt ,dust in the future I am sure.

Where is it going to come from -- specifically?

Why do you think cleaning technology won't improve in the next few hundred years? HEPA filtration was invented as part of the Manhattan Project.

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JohnGalt1234

Last reply Today at 1:49 PM · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

H3 EHD lists upcoming airings instead of recordings on EHD and often won't recognize EHD is connected after reboot

This started a couple months ago. I have 2 H3s on one network, both with 2 EHD identical 3 TB seperately powered so all recordings are accessible by all 4k & J4s (8 of them).

On one H3 (not the main one that controls the MOCA network), after it reboots, it doesn't recognize it has two EHDs plugged into it. Rebooting the EHD by their power source doesn't fix it. Resetting the network doesn't. Software h3 reset doesn't fix it. Rebooting MOCA h3 doesn't fix it but so far, after 3+ cold boots (unplug pwr to H3 with unrecognized EHDs), it finally it figures out they are plugged into it. BUT.... Then when you open a program it only partially shows series and episodes, but instead of showing recordings, it only shows upcoming airings. HELP!!!!

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navychop

Yesterday at 3:40 PM

It'll only see two EHDs at a time.

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Almighty1

Yesterday at 7:18 PM

JohnGalt1234 - So you basically have 2 Hopper 3's. The CasinoH3 is the one that is Hopper 3 only while Master Bedroom is a Hopper 3 with Hopper Plus setup.
Master Bedroom uses Android TV (ATV) software so the DISH part is actually a app and will behave differently as you can probably tell the Guide's are different on the Master Bedroom which will resemble the same guide used on other ATV devices such as the Joey 4 and Wireless Joey 4. If I am correct, the CasinoH3 is the one with the problem since you did say the one dated 09/05/2026 is the naughty one while 08/15/2026 named Master Bedroom is the nice one. Usually I would expect the CasinoH3 to be the one without the problem because it's Hopper 3 only and Master Bedroom would be the one with problems because it has the Hopper Plus involved. That is why they behave differently because CasinoH3 is running the native Hopper 3 software while Master Bedroom is running the Android TV software and also it runs a app called DISH known as package com.dish.atv.launcher, the version for mines is P15403 2026100917 so it's probably the same version as the Hopper Plus software version with the date of October 9, 2026, not sure what the 17 means except maybe revision 17?

This explains it better than I can. Sorry, had to take all the ads out.

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JohnGalt1234

Yesterday at 9:02 PM

Almighty1 said:
JohnGalt1234 - So you basically have 2 Hopper 3's. The CasinoH3 is the one that is Hopper 3 only while Master Bedroom is a Hopper 3 with Hopper Plus setup.
Master Bedroom uses Android TV (ATV) software so the DISH part is actually a app and will behave differently as you can probably tell the Guide's are different on the Master Bedroom which will resemble the same guide used on other ATV devices such as the Joey 4 and Wireless Joey 4. If I am correct, the CasinoH3 is the one with the problem since you did say the one dated 09/05/2026 is the naughty one while 08/15/2026 named Master Bedroom is the nice one. Usually I would expect the CasinoH3 to be the one without the problem because it's Hopper 3 only and Master Bedroom would be the one with problems because it has the Hopper Plus involved. That is why they behave differently because CasinoH3 is running the native Hopper 3 software while Master Bedroom is running the Android TV software and also it runs a app called DISH known as package com.dish.atv.launcher, the version for mines is P15403 2026100917 so it's probably the same version as the Hopper Plus software version with the date of October 9, 2026, not sure what the 17 means except maybe revision 17?

This explains it better than I can. Sorry, had to take all the ads out.

View attachment 194857

As I understand it, the android is just the display signal from the hopper+. I can disconnect the H+ and plug the hdmi directly into the master hopper3.

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Almighty1

Today at 12:02 AM

JohnGalt1234 said:
As I understand it, the android is just the display signal from the hopper+. I can disconnect the H+ and plug the hdmi directly into the master hopper3.

It is not just a display signal as explained above. When you have the Hopper+ connected, it uses Android TV for pretty much everything except for the satellite signal which is why it uses the DISH app for the standard Hopper 3 functions. But that should not matter because in your case, CasinoH3 is the Hopper 3 with the EHD which is what you call the naughty one based on the dates you mentioned and Master Bedroom which has the Hopper Plus connected to the Hopper 3 that does not have the problem. So one way to test the theory is disconnect the Hopper Plus from that Hopper 3 and then use the EHD's connected to CasinoH3 currently to see if the same issue exists. That way you will know if the problem is there without a Hopper Plus connected or if CasinoH3 is just a bad hopper to begin with.

Normally when you disconnect the Hopper Plus, it will be 30 minutes or more before you can use the Hopper 3 again.

What you want to do is:
hold the POWER button in, not the red reset button, for about 45 seconds or so while disconnecting the power to the Plus and moving the HDMI cable and it will reboot to the normal Hopper only immediately.

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bookworm370

Today at 1:41 PM

navychop said:
It'll only see two EHDs at a time.

Yes, I have only two online at a time.
One comes online, the other one consistently will not come online

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bookworm370

Today at 1:49 PM

bookworm370 said:
Yes, I have only two online at a time.
One comes online; the other consistently won't. Also, when I connect the EHD, the USB Detected status light on the EHD itself changes from Red to Green. But the Hopper (713) does not start the EHD read process. The light changes to indicate that the EHD has detected a valid USB cable, but the Hopper does not recognize it.

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iJustine

Today at 1:12 PM · posted in iJustine

Microsoft Surface ultra unboxing

Time for another AWESOME video from iJustine!

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uJiZVGQC3Gc

Direct YouTube Link - Microsoft Surface ultra unboxing
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!

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TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Today at 1:12 PM · posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

OpenAI Sued by 8 U.S. States

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bs1MNA6jlm4

Direct YouTube Link - OpenAI Sued by 8 U.S. States
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed

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Peter Parker

Supporting Founder Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 1:01 PM · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

DISH Hopper 3 Software Version 713 Is Out

No idea what improvements might be involved.

16 Replies · 704 views

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bookworm370

Yesterday at 3:17 PM

Has anyone noticed an FF stutter with 713? I used to be able to hit FF a few times and skip smoothly. After 713 (maybe 712), when I skip forward, there is a definite stutter for as many times as I have pressed FF.

Can anyone check on this and report back? Recorded programs and then press skip forward a few times to see if it's smooth? Normally, it just jumps to the right place after the skips.

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reubenray

Yesterday at 6:40 PM

I got the 713 update yesterday.

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naptime

Today at 1:05 AM

I'm getting fabulous picture on Ch. 148 4k, but zero audio with H713. This is with a recorded show (Notre Dame game). Anyone else have this? Audio is fine on every other channel.

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reubenray

Today at 6:14 AM

bookworm370 said:
Has anyone noticed an FF stutter with 713? I used to be able to hit FF a few times and skip smoothly. After 713 (maybe 712), when I skip forward, there is a definite stutter for as many times as I have pressed FF.

Can anyone check on this and report back? Recorded programs and then press skip forward a few times to see if it's smooth? Normally, it just jumps to the right place after the skips.

My wife mentioned that her remote is acting strange this morning. She hit FF and it went to 15x FF.

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Bobby

Today at 10:32 AM

naptime said:
I'm getting fabulous picture on Ch. 148 4k, but zero audio with H713. This is with a recorded show (Notre Dame game). Anyone else have this? Audio is fine on every other channel.

This has been an ongoing issue. A fix is coming, probably in the next software version.

Reactions: naptime and charlesrshell

dishstaller

Today at 1:01 PM

reubenray said:
My wife mentioned that her remote is acting strange this morning.

Had a customer call recently saying their remote was really acting up, some buttons no longer functioned. Told them to reboot the Hopper....problem fixed.
Wife bought me a t-shirt that has "have you tried turning it off and on again?"

https://www.amazon.com/Have-Tried-Turning-Again-T-Shirt/dp/B07G1ZV9W9/ref=sr_1_11?crid=3NNRAEED195WV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.86TxUTPcw48CRYlDcLntwpMxbPDBfjiLu4wMZGX3VN6ajG_cFCuoDBJT7pS9CW2mjThKlke5Z6dlXH8bJKkQF4s892wGVU1ca_00S0BQz6F15V30_4szIdWeycvw3_zoVtsULQASM8bGcgvsKms930xApC43y_-YBVN0Q8Xsf_csSqXcmhWpresARdXHfx2VazllrXI8asduvrbnk9S3CGnzjqnVTkjzFSpSQLdQKA6Dx_7UfbQIBBJsqAmQwwtDGqM0YKVIkjV4ARgVJvJ69vLPhxV0m8pkJQd_2w_QX_A.-jSy9OqrqWdxPBsgZGia1hHMbvDAKxxhRn9kK1EBdCc&dib_tag=se&keywords=have%2Byou%2Btried%2Bturning%2Bit%2Boff%2Band%2Bon%2Bagain&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1792342839&sprefix=have%2Byou%2Btried%2B%2Caps%2C265&sr=8-11&customId=B0752XJYNL&customizationToken=MC_Assembly_1%23B0752XJYNL&th=1&psc=1

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telebiker

Last reply Today at 12:54 PM · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Dish Hopper and Dish Hopper Plus No Alexa in settings

I have Dish Hopper and Hopper Plus and also have Alexa Echo. I link the Alex skill to Dish and it asks me to enter the pairing code shown on the TV. I go into Dish Settings and there is no Alexa shown. Not sure what to do.

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HipKat

Mar 15, 2026

Guys,
Android is Google. Google is Android. Android OS and Google TV are the same thing.
The Hopper+ and Joey 4's run Android TV, which is Google's television version of Android.
That means under the hood, you have:

Linux kernel
Android framework
Google TV / Android TV interface
Google Play Store for TV apps

Alexa is the competition. Google is not going to host their competition.
The old Hopper Carbon UI is NOT Google so that's why Alexa was on there.

Reactions: KAB, tanman, Cold Irons and 2 others

Harryhaggle

Mar 18, 2026

Understood. But here's the rub - Google Assistant setup is ALSO missing from the Hopper Plus setup. I'm a paraplegic.and need to use voice controls as much as possible but I can't press a button on the remote to activate Google Assistant. I prefer ALEXA (or ALEXA+) but I have one older google device and will go that route IF they make it available. BTW calling Dish Customer Service is no help- they just say they have no info on if/when there will be an update.

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navychop

Mar 18, 2026

Ungood.

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reubenray

Today at 10:17 AM

What is the purpose of connecting Alexa and the H3?

Reactions: charlesrshell

navychop

Today at 12:54 PM

Tell Alexa verbally what to do.