Tech Chat Recap, 2/11/08

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This all just underscored how poorly run Dish has become. It's still run like a bunch of upstart cowboys are at the helm. It's a damn shame Charlie is such a majority owner because it's time to get some people who know what they're doing in there to right the ship. It's listing a lot.
 
Wow I tuned in for new HD channels news and got a hour long infomercial on products I couldn't care less about. Nothing but ego stroking award show with a side order of more ego stroking... I even took the time to put in a "nice softball" new HD channels question but instead got a ton of scripted idiotic questions. I'm glad my GF called during the chat or my 622 would have been thrown to the street to make room for a D* box. Really throw us a frickin bone here...
 
Vip211 Dvr

Tech Chat Recap -- February 11, 2008
4th Award, Vip211, won award for hooking up a hard drive to the stand-alone receiver, to turn it into a DVR. One time enabling fee. Coming out in Summer 2008. Doing final testing on it. Does all the DVR features.

(never said what the award was).

So does this mean you can connect a Vip211 unit with an external drive, and only have the 1 time enabling fee? Or is there also a DVR fee as well? Anyone?
 
I kept thinking the same thing about the TR40. The only people watching this chat do NOT need it. :)

Oh well, it was par for the course.
It took charlie and company a looong time before they started advertising, they relied on word of mouth for sales and it worked very well back in the day in this instance I know what they are doing. About %10 of my installs were for old folks with well intentioned albeit non thinking adult children who would order dish for elderly parents that had no clue on technology and I'm betting they'll be offering the TR-40 and its big brother up as an alternative. Alot of accounts to elderly folks that couldnt work a dish system would get cancelled, this would cut down on poor shopping decisions.
 
I was really shocked:eek: when Mark Jackson or Dan Minnick couldn't answer the question about the TR-50 if it could output in HD when on the back it has a HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface):eureka and Dan's lips even said HDMI during the question.
 
shocked:eek: when Mark Jackson or Dan Minnick couldn't answer the question about the TR-50 if it could output in HD when on the back it has a HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface):eureka

Someone should have asked him if the TR-50 would work in conjunction with an D* HD Receiver. So when we all switch over, we can have the best of both worlds:mad:
 
Did I miss anything or were there no questions about DRM and how it might soon affect DVR & ext HDD archiving of premium channel HD & HD-PPV? Maybe they just weren't letting those type of questions through:)
 
That chat SUCKED.

They talked for a half hour about the ATSC conversion and pushed their TR-40 box down our throats and then after all was said and done they said that Dish Network customers don't need to worry about the ATSC covnversion. Thanks for wasting 30 minutes of our lives showing us something we don't need.

Tonights questions (and answers) seemed to be way to scripted.

Dish had an hour to tell customers whats going on at Dish and instead we got fluff and zero substance. The friggen president of the company is so stupid that he didn't even know that the TR-50 (his big award winning box) could output in HD. Where is this guys head? Maybe he was dreaming about Cheeseburgers or something.

Its sad they had an hour to talk yet said nothing, and that for Dish Network customer to find out anything about Dish Network that they must come here to learn whats really going on. (Not that I mind that, but god damn stop wasting your customers time with the BS chat we had tonight, thats an hour of our life we can't get back.

At least we had a good time in the chat room.


I'm sorry, but I totally disagree! I found the chat very interesting as always and was pleased with what EchoStar is doing to remain the leader in DBS.

I feel the TR-40 and TR-50 are wonderful additions to their already superior product line. I plan on being one of the first to purchase the TR-40 with my coupon and test it out. Before last night's show I did not know that I should wait until May to order the coupon, because they expire in 90 days.

I also was pleased to find out that there will be a firmware upgrade to allow DVR recording sorting by episode number.

It was fasinating to find out that channel 37 was never assigned to a broadcaster.

In all the chat was great and I am looking forward to next month's Charlie Chat on March 10th when he will be announcing many channel additions (including HD) to the already vast amount of programming choices available to us as subscribers.
 
So does this mean you can connect a Vip211 unit with an external drive, and only have the 1 time enabling fee? Or is there also a DVR fee as well? Anyone?

If you have paid the enabling fee already, it won't cost anything; as it is a per-account fee. If you haven't paid it yet for a 622/722, it will cost $40.

But its not available yet. This summer, or as we like to say... "soon" :)

As far as I am concerned, it was the best $40 I have spent in a long time. Sitting with 1TB of storage, 750GB used; on two drives...
 
I'm sorry, but I totally disagree! I found the chat very interesting as always and was pleased with what EchoStar is doing to remain the leader in DBS.

I feel the TR-40 and TR-50 are wonderful additions to their already superior product line. I plan on being one of the first to purchase the TR-40 with my coupon and test it out. Before last night's show I did not know that I should wait until May to order the coupon, because they expire in 90 days.

I also was pleased to find out that there will be a firmware upgrade to allow DVR recording sorting by episode number.

It was fasinating to find out that channel 37 was never assigned to a broadcaster.

In all the chat was great and I am looking forward to next month's Charlie Chat on March 10th when he will be announcing many channel additions (including HD) to the already vast amount of programming choices available to us as subscribers.

ummmm. ok, what exactly did they annouce to remain the DBS leader during the chat?
 
I'm sorry, but I totally disagree! I found the chat very interesting as always and was pleased with what EchoStar is doing to remain the leader in DBS.

I feel the TR-40 and TR-50 are wonderful additions to their already superior product line. I plan on being one of the first to purchase the TR-40 with my coupon and test it out. Before last night's show I did not know that I should wait until May to order the coupon, because they expire in 90 days.
And what does that which you were pleased with have to do with DBS? Not a damn thing.

Did you know that with the government coupon program those with cable tv or satellite tv are supposed to be ineligible for the government coupon program? Is Dish telling people to apply for these coupons defrauding the government since those with Dish Network are not technically eligible to receive one of these coupons?

I also was pleased to find out that there will be a firmware upgrade to allow DVR recording sorting by episode number.
That was one of the few actual DBS things they talked about on last nights chat.
 
I agree all the time spent on the TR-40 was stupid, the TR-50 though... even though it is OTA, is a great addition. I intend to have one, right next to my 622. It will enable me to free up timers for more OTA recording. Together that will give me the ability to never miss anything.... :)
 
People with DISH Network, DirecTV abnd cabkle ARE eligible. ALL US Households are eligible. You do not have to be dependent on OTA to be eligible for a coupon. Many of su ahve one or more sets that get programming OTA and we are eligible for the coupons.

This is from the NTIA webite

Starting Jan. 1, 2008, all U.S. households will be eligible to request up to two $40 coupons to be used toward the purchase of up to two, digital-to-analog converter boxes, while the initial $990 million allocated for the program is available.

If the initial funds are used up, the Act permits funding to increase by $510 million, upon certification to Congress that the initial allocated amount is insufficient to fulfill coupon requests. If the additional funds are needed, eligibility for those coupons will be limited exclusively to over-the-air-only television households. Consumers requesting coupons from these contingent funds must self-certify to NTIA that they do not subscribe to cable, satellite or other pay television services. This program is structured to monitor demand to help ensure that over-the-air reliant households will not lose total access to television broadcasts after the Feb. 17, 2009, transition date.


I think that tbhey used the tech forum to push the Echostar product. I think that it was a bit excessive but it is untrue that DISH customers are not eligible.
 
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I agree all the time spent on the TR-40 was stupid, the TR-50 though... even though it is OTA, is a great addition. I intend to have one, right next to my 622. It will enable me to free up timers for more OTA recording. Together that will give me the ability to never miss anything.... :)

I am interested in the TR-50 also. I want one so I can get rid of my older 622.
It's primary duty is to record OTA. With the TR-50 and can lose a receiver fee
on my Dish bill.
 

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