Comments Needed: DishONLINE Reviews

[Scott Greczkowski]

Are you one of the lucky folks who live in the Denver, CO or Atlanta, GA area who got the new DishONLINE software on your Dish 622?

If so I want to hear from YOU!

I want your honest feeling and comments on the DishONLINE service. Tell me what you like and don't like about it as well as your overall views on this new service.

In addition if you have DirecTV and have been testing their new Video on Demand service compaire them side by side.

I want YOUR HONEST THOUGHTS!

Please post them here to this thread. (By posting them here you give me permission to possibly use your comments in The MultiChannel News and to post your SatelliteGuys username)

Thank you for your help! I look forward to hearing what you think of the new DishONLINE for the 622!

 

[AdamGott]

Yes, I 'live' in Denver but my review is simple - I am not going to go to the trouble to hook up an ethernet cable to my DVR just to pay more money for VOD when, with two DVR's (622's) and two external drives, I already have a quasi VOD solution that is even in HD.

Probably not what you wanted but I thought I would throw in my 'review' of why I have not even looked at it.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Keep it coming guys.

(BTW if you dont want to be named in the article just mention it as well)

 

[crappieguy]

I just want to say BE CAREFUL if you have sat INTERNET service, WB or HN due to FAP. I bet you will FAP fast with this service.. There needs to be a way to cut it off.

No I do not live in on of the areas, just want to give a warning of the possible consequences..

Please remove if deemed inappropriate.

 

[steve4810]

WB or HN due to FAP. I bet you will FAP fast

WTF does this mean?

 

[navychop]

Fair Access Policy. A euphemism used by Wild Blue and others to justify limiting the amount of data you can download. Makes it difficult or impossible to download much video. Reach some generally unpublicized limit, and they throttle your speed back or cut you off entirely.

 

[steve4810]

Fair Access Policy. A euphemism used by Wild Blue and others to justify limiting the amount of data you can download. Makes it difficult or impossible to download much video. Reach some generally unpublicized limit, and they throttle your speed back or cut you off entirely.

Ah so.

I use Verizon Wireless for internet connection and they will dump you if download too many bits in a month. They claim it violates their TOS.

 

[RedSavina]

Scott,

If it is any help, I did a little digging on a Denver metro-based receiver when the software first arrived. My notes are at http://www.satelliteguys.us/1078877-post33.html. Not exactly a review, but I haven't seen much in the way of a detailed review or analysis.

I realize that you are probably most interested in the movie rental aspect and not the software/UI. Sorry. I'm not a big movie renter, but occasionally order a PPV. I can't see the DishONLINE working for me since the rentals expire and PPV does not. Note to Dish: If you decide to expire PPVs, you will lose me as a PPV customer.

At the same time, the DishONLINE seems pretty cool. What I would most like it for is missed episodes (Heroes, etc.). Older series would be cool, too if commercial-free (M*A*S*H, etc).

Cheers,
Red

 

[tnm]

Ok My take. I'm in the Atlanta area. Downloaded 2 movies so far and watched them. Overall I'm happy to have a first look and know most of the "cons" I am listing will be corrected. Hopefully sooner than later.

Pros:
Good quality standard def picture. Acceptable 2 channel sound quality. Relatively easy to use the feature. Convenient. Once the choices improve this will be an improvement over ordering from Netflix or Blockbuster and waiting for the Postal Carrier, providing the cost is competitive.

Cons:
1. I was surprised that Event Horizon came down without 5.1 audio (which is available on the DVD version) I hope this was a fluke as I would at least like good quality audio if I can't have HD Pic on my 622.

2. Slow Download speed even though I have fast DSL. Over 3 hours per movie. (I understand you can start watching after some point in the download process but we started watching a DVD once we realized the download was going to take so much time. I did not see this pop up myself)

3. Poorly rolled out Dish Online site. Very buggy and not ready for prime time. Does not function correctly from a Mac running Firefox or Safari. Must use IE on a PC to use the site correctly, but again, the site does not work properly yet and accept my account number for the future remote downloads I understand are coming. I assume this site, CinemaNow - Movie Downloads - Online Movies - Download DVD Movies - Download TV Shows - Movie Site is the source of the films.

4. Only a limited window in which to watch the downloaded content. Once you start to watch you are further limited to 24 hours to complete your viewing. If I have to answer a work call in the middle of the movie, I may never make it back to watch the rest of the film before it's expired.

5. Dish 622 menus. Hard to navigate. Hard to scroll through through the selections as there is a pause while it seems to cache more titles.

6. Not enough films, need more choices more categories. Could care less about the porn.

 

[tigershere]

I await it but I have a xbox 360 and it has HD content on top of SD so I would have to compare but......uh, if I am going to eat up the bandwidth to get a program there are many
ways to get it.

It needs to be stuff we download off the birds and it needs to be CHEAP

edit

i got it at 3 am and so far it does not load even any data to the menus/screens. It's not throwing any error it's just not loading crap. Says 0 items

I am connected and dhcp was reset and I have all that my xbox on which is on a switch with my slingbox and those items work perfectly.
I didn't see a flicker of a light when I clicked the Dish Theater button, hum...........

I have to look around here to see what's up. Surely i don't need to open a port as that's not a easy deal for a non tech person. I can do it but the avg user would be lost inside a router. I don't even like going in there, lol

Too tired and going to bed so I will figure this out tomorrow or find someone that can

 

[tnm]

Tigershere brings up another point. I have a PS3. It plays and up converts SD and plays Blue Ray DVDs. Also sees my media server I have set up but the type of media it will work with is limited unless it is converted to the proper format. Supposedly the capability to download movies is being developed by Sony. Depending on what becomes of that service and what they charge for it, could make it a direct competitor for Dish PPV, Dish On Demand and Dish Online, for us anyway.

 

[techfan]

utter crap. I got the update, but when I go to the menu screen and select an option (DISH Theater for example) it sits there on "processing your request, please wait".. but nothing gets populated. After 2 mins it times out and the screen goes back to the TV.

Ans yes I am connected correctly, tested all that. No I dont have Comcast, so they are not blocking me! I have 6Mb ATT.

Anyone else get this lovely "feature"?

 

[tigerfan33]

I just got the software update. I live in Alabama. From what I am reading here, I am not going to bother with it. Not until they put up something worth watching. Cable has this same feature and most of it is free. Looks like dish is going to charge for most of it. Shame on you dish.

 

[gdarwin]

Got it. Times out here also. Glad I don't use the TV or VCR buttons, that popup would drive me crazy. Get rid of it.

 

[Tyralak]

utter crap. I got the update, but when I go to the menu screen and select an option (DISH Theater for example) it sits there on "processing your request, please wait".. but nothing gets populated. After 2 mins it times out and the screen goes back to the TV.

Ans yes I am connected correctly, tested all that. No I dont have Comcast, so they are not blocking me! I have 6Mb ATT.

Anyone else get this lovely "feature"?

Same thing happened to me. I just got the update this morning, and I also have ATT. I get the same screen when I try any of the features. I tried it through the router and through the modem directly. No dice. In fact, the light on the ethernet port of the 622 doesn't show any activity, or the modem. I wish I could say I was surprised, but I'm not.

 

[tigershere]

Seems it's not my setup but something else. I don't recall anyone mentioning this last week so is it the new ones added that just get no data ?

and Iwas going to unhook my switch but since you already went right to the modem I will not bother messing with that. The switch works perfect with the xbox and slingbox but I just see NO data at all. It does not see to even 'see' my network when I click around inside that menu system. The tests say my network is 'connected' so it's something else.

Now for one of us to find the problem here. I assume it's a port issue / firewall deal or just why are the new ones complaining of the same problem or at least a few of us.
I also do not use any 3rd party firewall. I just use XP's. No nortons security either as I know what than can do as I am a software tech and that program is the cause of most of our problems.

Is this a common connection as I get that 'not available' or whatever it says for the after dark stuff as Bama does not like porn it seems ( yea right )

Now is there a chance all of those having this problem also get that message when you click that feature ? Is that blockage blocking the rest of it ?

Tig

 

[VinceT3]

If dish worked with amazon unboxed they would have a more positive response, amazon offers alot of movies at 99 cents specials.. some are even free.. but at 3 bux a movie especially for an older movie isn't going to make anyone jump to dishOnline anytime soon..

 

[ralfyguy]

Same happens here, with no activity/function at all. In fact, I went did a search by keyword and my 722 locked up and rebooted, and threw a WILD number of WatchDogs and errors in the diagnostics screen. It looked so bad, that I did a NVRAM reset, because I couldn't stand to look at this crap.

 

[tigershere]

I went to check it at noon and it locked up as soon as I clicked it ( the #5 dishonline ).
Then I waited and waited and the 622 rebooted which takes 5 minutes at least.
Then I tried it again and another lockup but I saw a partial load of art in the menu system screens like a poster.
Then it locked up
The third try it worked and I clicked a few things and cancelled out but I assumed it was good to go after a hard birth process of the new toy

So just now I went to see it in detail and the first click total lockout of the screen on the 5 option. I could see the pip window and still watch the show I was on but I was 'stuck' and I just loaded my sling up and it's still stuck and has not auto rebooted.

I will have to manually reset it it appears

I am not going near this damn new feature as I had not had a reboot in weeks and now 4 out of 5 in a row........i ain't happy!

 

[ralfyguy]

Seems I'm not alone with the reboots. I don't understand why this ever got released to the public. This has NEVER been running through beta testing, no WAY!