Dish just shut down my 942 without notice !

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Claude Greiner

Claude Greiner

SatelliteGuys Master
Original poster
Supporting Founder
Sep 8, 2003
13,213
3,776
Detroit - The Paris of the Midwest
I got all newer MPEG4 equipment in my house, but I still have a 942 receiver that I use in the bedroom that sits along side my 722.

I have been meaning to replace this receiver for years, but I have had it since 2004, it runs quiet as a mouse, I got all my shows saved on it and I never had any technical problems with it. I figure if it aint broke, why replace it.

So Dish has been on my case for months to replace it with a 622, but they refuse to ship me a replacement receiver and insist they send out one of their technicians to bring the receiver to me. I would take them up on their offer, but im not about to sit at home all day long to wait for a technician when im more than capable of installing the receiver myself.

I get ready to go to bed yesterday evening, and the receiver is shut off and all the channels are in Red.

I didn't feel like calling and bitching at some CSR at 2 o'clock in the morning, so I just watched some stuff I had recorded on my DVR and went to bed.

So this morning I call retail services, thinking my account was under an audit or something and have them send me the notes on my account and sure enough someone at Dish decided to disable the receiver because the 942 is being discontinued.

I get off the phone with retail services, and I call customer service to see about getting a new receiver shipped out to me since if they are going to shut off my receiver which I paid almost $600 for back in 2004 they owe me a replacement if they are no longer going to support it.

Talked to a nice guy in technical support, and they issued me an RA number and apparently they are shipping me a replacement smart card.

I don't care either way what Dish decides to do. If they want to send me a 622, FINE! If they want to send me a replacement card, thats fine also.

My question is why did they take it upon themselves to shut off my 942 receiver to begin with. They just should have shipped me the replacement G3 card like they did every other reciver in my house.
 
Actually Claude, honestly speaking - they cut authorization from your smart card ( is it old style N2, ie DNASP 206 or 103 ?), not the 942 itself. They are still pushing to N3 encryption in hope it will stop unauthorized viewing their channels over-infested by ads.
 
I think it may have to do with that TIVO lawsuit. It was one of the models they did not change software to avoid patent infringement. They sent me a notice last summer about need to change my 942 (done).
 
I just got a 942 recently, no amount of prostrating myself at the feet of the CSRs would get them to activate it on my account.

Makes a great ATSC HD DVR though. Likely more functional and stable than the DTVPal DVR.
 
Pepper said:
I just got a 942 recently, no amount of prostrating myself at the feet of the CSRs would get them to activate it on my account.

Makes a great ATSC HD DVR though. Likely more functional and stable than the DTVPal DVR.
Click to expand...

Except that on the 942 you probably don't have guide info which makes setting recordings less than straightforward. Doesn't the DTVPal have guide info?
 
The 942 interestingly gets guide data only the "primary" channels, i.e. only one per station, the rest of the subchannels say "digital service".

This is not consistent, I could swear that at least once I've seen data on the subchannels, it could be related to the fact that I have severe drift on several of my LNBFs and haven't bothered replacing them yet because the ViP622 does an excellent job of compensating for drift, which the 942 doesn't appear to handle at all.

Interesting I can get locals info on an unsubbed receiver that's in the wrong timezone because of where it was last subbed, but the subbed one HAS to be subbed to locals to get guide data.

Oh well, I've got a nice OTA DVR until the inevitable next software update when it turns into a brick.
 
One of the reasons I got rid of the 942 was guide data was no longer showing up. Strange that your guide data is showing for my zip code.
 
Claude Greiner said:
So Dish has been on my case for months to replace it with a 622, but they refuse to ship me a replacement receiver and insist they send out one of their technicians to bring the receiver to me. I would take them up on their offer, but im not about to sit at home all day long to wait for a technician when im more than capable of installing the receiver myself.
Click to expand...

I'm a DNS installer and its stuff like this that just makes me shake my head. Management at Dish gripes and gripes and gripes and gripes about cutting cost and saving money. Yet, "another hand" (and that's a major problem in this company: too many hands) refuses to send you, who is a retailer with installation experience, a replacement receiver. This would save the cost of the truck-roll and the labor for the tech to make any necessary changes.

!sadroll!sadroll!sadroll
 
Yeah, they jacked me, too. My 942 is fairly worthless right now. So, what would you guys recommend? Should I get a replacement smart card? I've also been having troubles with the disappearing guide info. Some days it's all showing up, and other days I can only see forward a few hours. Rebooting the receiver (pain in the butt) almost always gets the guide info back.

Should I buy the 625 (current unit)? It doesn't seem to have any HD capabilities (480 only). I'd love the upcoming Sling equipped unit, but who knows when this is coming? Or should I buy the 722?

thanks for advice before I start screaming at Dish to take care of me. I think I've been a customer for about 10 years.
 

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