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Stargazer said:

I wonder if the MPEG-4 HD DVR will be a 942 with a different model number or if they will make a completely new revamped receiver since it will be the first of its kind.

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If Dish were smart they would just keep the existing 942 case and change out the motherboard. They could even offer an upgrade to the older Mpeg 2 users, changing out the motherboard for the newest Mpeg 4 revision.

Of course I don't know if this is actually feasable or not, but it makes more sense to me than the current method.

kbohip said:

Of course I don't know if this is actually feasable or not, but it makes more sense to me than the current method.

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Making the customers on the bleeding edge shell through the nose for the soon-to-be-outdated "latest thing" makes a lot of sense. I think all the electronics companies and technology companies do it.

Heck, I payed $1000 for a 921 that is now $549 at the same store I bought it from 6 months ago and under $500 on E-bay NIB. I knew that was going to happen. And when MPEG 4 hits it could be crippled, approaching a doorstop. BTW, Steve Jobs also took me for $3500 for an Apple IIe (w/48k or RAM) in 1980, but I'm still not cured. My circa-1999 $900 JVC DVHS receiver/recorder makes digital tapes that will work on the new HD DVHS machines, how cool is that! Sometimes bleeding edge has its advantages.

Going back and switching out major components on functioning equipment to make them up to date is folly.

Microsoft does this all the time. They've been doing that to customers for a couple decades now...E* is just following the same business model.

Software bugs are a way of life. Get used to it. No matter how much testing is done - bugs will still be found later.

I've seen updates to software on simple little MP3 players due to bugs. What does a MP3 player need to do. Not much. Funny thing is I read about the fixes and think how did someone find it. I've been using my mine for months without a problem. I suspect that this is the same with the DVR's - the bug hits fewer people than we think.

Even on BMW, Mercedes, Ford, Dodge etc have all had software problems with their cars. I know these are tested to death and the bugs still make it out.

The hardest part, is when a bug is found in the wild and you cannot recreate it in the test lab. It can takes many months to recreate a bug that has made it thru testing. Once it is created in the lab, fixes are quick and the condition that created it is added to the future testing process (at most companies).

I understand everyones frustration - as I've had problems too. But you have understand that the complexity of software is making it harder and harder to fix it.

Until Dish decides to add more HD channels, I'm not going to be interested in a DVR that's just a tweaked 522 without MPEG4 upgradability.

Looks like Dish has essentially announced that folks will wait until 2006 before they'll get more HD content and a MPEG4 HD-DVR.

I've had Dish for nearly 5 years and have been very happy with their SD content and service; however, they sure seem to be dragging their feet in moving to HD -- they certainly seem to have decided not to lead the industry toward HD, but to spend as little money as they can get away with in this new area without losing customers. They are trying to hang onto an old business model -- that of selling sat units to the customer rather than leasing them. People have grown weary of buying technology, such as HD receivers, that they know will change significantly over the next year or two. If competitors offer lease options on their HD receivers and HD-DVRs, and offer more HD content, Dish will eventually start to bleed subscribers.