Dish Autohop--sometimes works, sometimes doesn't

[Charise]

I love autohop!!! I will many times wait the 8 days to watch CBS and Fox programs in order to use autohop. Then, after waiting 8 days for it to be enabled, I am quite angry when autohop isn't available.

I have tried twice today to call Dish customer service to complain, though this has been happening for years. I got people in Mexico who are not customers and don't even know what autohop is, although they say they do. One told me that autohop is available on other channels other than PTAT. I told him I don't believe that, and he said I was wrong. Then he refused to talk to me any more, though he didn't hang up. In fact, after 54 min and 0 sec, I am still on the line with him, though he won't say anything.

Then I tried chat on the mydish web site. First person didn't know what autohop was. She said she was transferring me to technical. That person told me she would walk me though the steps to get autohop. I told her I've been a Dish customer for over 20 years and I know how to work the equipment. I asked her to answer a question: Do people cut out the commercials or does software cut them out. She again said she would walk me through the steps to get autohop. I asked her one more time to answer the question, and she again said she would walk me through the steps. I ended chat.

I just want the feature I was promised and look forward to using on certain shows. I get autohop on some programs on all the channels I'm supposed to, but not consistently. I just want to know why it's not available when it should be and who's at fault if I don't get it. But I can't even talk to a Dish rep who actually uses their product.

Can anybody here help me understand?? Thanks!

Charise

 

[Bobby]

Maybe it would help if you explained what specific programs you aren't getting auto hop on. Is it always that programming and others work fine?

 

[Charise]

This week it's FBI on CBS, but it was PTAT recorded on 5/11/21. I don't always wait the 8 days and just skip through the ads, but this week I waited. It works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't, as I put in the title of this thread. Sometimes autohop on 60 Minutes doesn't work, though most of the time it does. Problems are most often on CBS out of Springfield, MO.

I always restart the receiver, even though it does restart every night.

Usually when it's just an overnight wait, autohop is enabled, so that's ABC and NBC.

 

[pattykay]

One told me that autohop is available on other channels other than PTAT. I told him I don't believe that...

Technically, that is correct, although it only happens in rare cases when a cable channel re-runs a specific episode within one week of that same episode airing on one of the major broadcast networks. The other obvious exception is if you record the programs from the OTA locals instead of the satellite-delivered feeds that PTAT records. AutoHop does not care from what channel the show was recorded. It is only looking for that specific episode of that specific show, recorded within a certain time window, in order to insert the flags for when each commercial break begins and ends, so the commercials can be skipped. PTAT still has to be enabled for AutoHop to work, as I am sure you already knew.

 

[DishSubLA]

Each broadcast network has requirement that Auto-hop NOT be available for specific number of days. Advertisers will only pay for ads on recordings if they are played backed no less than a certain number of days. For example it could be 3 days (C3) or 7 days (C7), etc.

There is disagreement in that broadcasters have been fighting to be granted greater number of days for a recorded show to be played back so as to count for revenue, but the advertisers prefer FEWER days as a period for payment. Each major broadcaster has their own, separate agreement with the advertisers, so the number of days varies among the major broadcasters.

On the other hand, you may be citing that it seems like Auto-hop is inconsistent with a single broadcaster as to when Auto-hop is available. Perhaps the broadcasters have various C# agreements with advertisers per SHOW, now, as to how many days before Auto-hop can become available. Considering that Dish had a system of preparing a show for Auto-hop just hours after broadcast, I have to think the delay in Auto-hop being available is more about agreements with broadcasters causing delays than it is Dish's system. I suspect all the bookmarks have been set and Auto-hop ready, but can't allow it to function until the required number of days pass.