"Home Media" App removed?

[GotNoRice]

We have DISH, and one feature that we have been making very frequent use of is the "Home Media" app. This "Home Media" app allowed you to access media (videos, etc) from any DLNA server on your network.​

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After a recent software update to our Hopper, this app now seems to be gone.​

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We have a fileserver on our network with countless videos on it, and accessing it directly from the Hopper was the most convenient option. We also have a dedicated HTPC, but switching the audio & video inputs over to the HTPC each time is not very convenient for the less technically inclined users in our house compared to simply accessing the content via the Hopper.​

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Does anyone know if this functionality has simply been removed from the Hopper, or is there a different/new way to access DLNA content?​

 

[pattykay]

With the latest software version U827, Home Media is still very alive and well on the Wally. (For now?) Home Media seems to have been removed from all Hoppers in order to make room for the new ability to access the Amazon Prime app on Joey 3 and 4K Joey clients connected to a Hopper 3.

 

[Jim S.]

Home media never worked right for me, I suspect my collection was too large and diverse for it to handle. (I only tried whatever free servers were available, no commercial options.) I don't even use DLNA on anything else, because all my other systems are good enough to play directly from a shared drive. Funny how a Dish receiver costs more than a general-purpose computer but can do LESS -- I mean, deleting apps to make room for new ones? In 2020? They should be embarassed!

 

[ekilgus]

I found the home media app to be useful and wonder; since I haven't yet received the updated software for my HWS will the Home media app remain after I receive it? After all, the Prime app is not available on the HWS.

 

[pattykay]

I found the home media app to be useful and wonder; since I haven't yet received the updated software for my HWS will the Home media app remain after I receive it? After all, the Prime app is not available on the HWS.

I would assume that the new version will remove Home Media. It removed Home Media from both of my Hopper Duos, and the Hopper Duo does not have the Amazon Prime app, either.

 

[GotNoRice]

Home media never worked right for me, I suspect my collection was too large and diverse for it to handle. (I only tried whatever free servers were available, no commercial options.) I don't even use DLNA on anything else, because all my other systems are good enough to play directly from a shared drive.

Yeah I found that it was fairly picky. But I use Mezzmo as my DLNA server and you can customize transcoding settings for every client device to increase compatibility. The DLNA server basically transcodes the movie on-the-fly into a format that the client device will accept. I even upgraded the CPU in my fileserver (which runs the DLNA server) to increase my transcoding options.

I too prefer accessing content directly from the shared drive, usually using my HTPC, which removes any need for transcoding, etc, but it is/was just too much hassle for others and so no one ever used it. I was excited that I had FINALLY found a solution that people were actually comfortable with, familiar with, and were using almost every day. Then DISH removed the app.....

But thankfully I found that my Samsung TV can access DLNA content directly. The interface is a bit different and there will be a bit of a learning curve, but so far it seems to actually work better than the "Home Media" app on the Hopper did, and does not require transcoding in order to play most movie formats. That will probably be better in the end, as it will make the transition easier when we eventually cancel DISH.

 

[navychop]

My regards to your cat.

 

[DishSubLA]

In the early days of the Home Media apps, it seeme to be sufficiently functional that I did use it, even with its limitations and warts. However, over time it has become less and less functional for me to the point that it is truly useless to me. That is pretty sad as the VLC app on FireTV works fairly well, with lots more control than Dish's Home Media app, but even that is not what it should be.

However, I have to say that NONE of these media apps provides the functionality and control that a one get from either a PC or some specific media device designed specifically for home media use.

Agreed! I had hopes with each update for Dish's Home Media to at least be as workable as it was in its earlier days, but sadly, that is not the case, but ALL the mere Apps for home media have also been lacking quite a bit.

 

[riderj]

I question their motive. Does it cost Dish money to allow us to have that feature? I'll chip in if so. I'm still waiting for 4X FF, another I'd chip in on. Why is it necessary to remove these and others? Not like old Charlie Chat days

 

[bookworm370]

I used the Home Media app to play music from my iTunes library on my NAS. But luckily the Denon does have the functionality. I see no reason to remove it unless crodrules is correct they are running out of internal memory to keep it.

 

[CubsWin]

I rely on DLNA quite a bit, but I always found the Hopper Home Media app to be a buggy mess. I finally gave up and moved on to other options. It became obvious that Dish wasn't going to dedicate any resources to supporting the Home Media functions, so I eventually gave up and moved onto other options for streaming my local content.

 

[kugumby]

This really steams me. I hadn't been able to get it to play ripped Blu-rays for quite some time, but I tried a different media server based on a recommendation here and it worked like a champ. Went to watch a movie today and the stupid app was gone.

Removing apps to make room for other apps? How about giving us the options of the apps we want to use since there's a finite amount of space? I can do that on the computer in holding in my hand right now.

 

[Bobby]

This really steams me. I hadn't been able to get it to play ripped Blu-rays for quite some time, but I tried a different media server based on a recommendation here and it worked like a champ. Went to watch a movie today and the stupid app was gone.

Removing apps to make room for other apps? How about giving us the options of the apps we want to use since there's a finite amount of space? I can do that on the computer in holding in my hand right now.

How 'bout you get streaming devices that are made specifically for streaming instead of wanting a satellite receiver to be an everything device. Yeah, I know it was there. It didn't work all that well to start with so Dish made it go away. I think the Hopper was a wonderful device at its birth but all these continual additions have made it way less than what it was.

 

[pattykay]

How 'bout you get streaming devices that are made specifically for streaming instead of wanting a satellite receiver to be an everything device. Yeah, I know it was there. It didn't work all that well to start with so Dish made it go away. I think the Hopper was a wonderful device at its birth but all these continual additions have made it way less than what it was.

At least I no longer have to listen to you repeating this same refrain every time I post about apps (or the lack thereof) on the Hopper Duo and/or Wally. I am getting Rokus for my TV's for Christmas.

 

[bookworm370]

I rely on DLNA quite a bit, but I always found the Hopper Home Media app to be a buggy mess. I finally gave up and moved on to other options. It became obvious that Dish wasn't going to dedicate any resources to supporting the Home Media functions, so I eventually gave up and moved onto other options for streaming my local content.

If I may ask, what did you move to and how do you like it? Does it give visuals previews and icons?

 

[Jim5506]

I suspect that very few people took advantage of the Home Media app so it was or will be replaced by something else that might get more traffic.

 

[pattykay]

I suspect that very few people took advantage of the Home Media app so it was or will be replaced by something else that might get more traffic.

...like YouTube on Hopper Duo!

At least I no longer have to listen to you repeating this same refrain every time I post about apps (or the lack thereof) on the Hopper Duo and/or Wally. I am getting Rokus for my TV's for Christmas.

This is Christmas Eve. So, I had to take one last crack at it.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Yup its gone.

My understanding was less than 1% of Hopper users were using it. And that some of the backend software that it used needs to be upgraded for other things that the Hopper uses, and updating those backend components would have broken the DLNA home media client (that was using an older version of the DLNA standard) the company that made the DLNA stuff for them is no longer in business so DISH would have had to rewrite the entire things from scratch and since less than 1% of the Hopper owners used it, they decided to scrap it.

I would love to see them add Apple AirPlay 2 Support or Google Chromecast support (or both) it should be doable after all the Hoppers already support DISH music which is using the DTS Play-Fi standard.

 

[pattykay]

the Hoppers already support DISH music which is using the DTS Play-Fi standard.

Dish still hasn't gotten this to work on Hopper Duo. Every time I try, I get the Unable to Load Application 619a pop-up. With this pop-up on screen, the music actually will play for about 30 seconds or so. Then, the music stops on the TV connected to the Hopper Duo, and I get a Primary Device Lost pop-up in DTS Play-Fi on my laptop. If I leave the 619a pop-up on screen long enough (or select the OK button to close it) then all I have is a black screen with no audio. The display banner will still come up as if I am on a Live TV channel, but the TV Activity screen does not show any tuners in use. I have to change channels and change back, to actually get back to Live TV. Then, I can select the Hopper Duo from DTS Play-Fi on the laptop again, with the same results as above.

 

[CubsWin]

If I may ask, what did you move to and how do you like it? Does it give visuals previews and icons?

Android TV on all my TV's, either through their native apps or an Nvidia Shield Pro. It is definitely much more reliable than the Home Media app was. But I am also currently on Dish Pause and I'm getting all my content through Android TV apps. For the most part, I haven't missed Dish since I have been on Pause. The only feature I wish I still had is PTAT on my locals.