DishPlayer Reciever Software 1.21P Is Now Spooling

[Bill R]

This afternoon DISH started spooling RECEIVER software version 1.21P for the DishPlayers (models 7100 and 7200). From the little testing that I have done so far it appears that it fixes the lost sound problem when using PTV functions.

There will be a another software update (CLIENT sw 2.3.4.5) next month (March) and it will change the DishPlayer from the 7 day EPG to the 9 day EEPG (the same one that the 501, 508, and 721s use).

[Scott Greczkowski]

Thanks Bill for the news!

Does this mean when the 9 day guide is ready Dishplayer users will need a Dish 500 so they can get the 9 day guide from 110?

[Bill R]

Scott,

Yes, the 9 day EPG is only going to be spooled from 110. I have heard that DISH is providing a dish upgade (to a dish 500) for DishPlayer owners. I don't know if there is any commitment (like AT150 or credit card auto pay) to get it for free.

[Geronimo]

What do you mean by an upgrade? A software upgrade? An upgrade to another platform?

[Bill R]

Sorry, I should have made that clearer (I'll edit my post). I was talkiing about a dish upgrade (to a dish 500) so that the DishPlayer owner could get the 110 satelllite.

[Lee L]

Bill, any idea whether Dish will send us a little instructional screen with the 9 day guide update telling us exactly what we have to do to keep getting the guide? Currently, it does not matter what I do with the thing every night, I still get the guide (aside from whatever SNAFU is currently befalling us DP owners ;) ) From what you have stated earlier, the DP will now have to be left in a particular state each night to keep getting the guide (off, I believe).

For people around internet forums, this is not a problem but for everyone else, hello high call volume on day 8 after the uprade.

[Geronimo]

tahnk you Bill. What is your source?

[Bill R]

Lee,

You bring up some good points. I'll see what I can find out.

Geronimo,

As you likely know from reading this and other forums I never reveal my sources, but, if you go by my past record, you will see that they are very reliable.

[Scott Greczkowski]

I can vouch for Bill and his sources, he has been an incredible resource for Dishplayer News.

I know there are quite a few people here who own Dishplayers and can not receive the 110 satellite, this is going to be a big problem for them when this change is made.

This is one problem now for 721 and 501/508 owners. I do hope they consider moving the guide data to 119.

[Nick]

Software version 1.21P update received on both DishPlayers. Invoked after power-down. Testing shows no audio/video drops so far...

Hooray!! :)

[John Walsh]

mine hasn't gone through yet

[Randy_B]

Originally posted by Scott Greczkowski
I can vouch for Bill and his sources, he has been an incredible resource for Dishplayer News.

Bill's info has always been spot on. I am pretty sure I know who Bill talks with and they are good (Bill AND his source).

I don't have any DPs anymore, but my fingers are certainly crossed for this upgrade.

I still think that had the DP not been SO plagued by software bugs, it would have been the PVR darling. We will never know.

[Lee L]

Scott, interesting point. One of the selling points of the PTV service with the DP is the 7 day versus 2 day guide. If I can't see 110 for whatever reason and get cut back to a 2 day guide I'm darn sure going to be looking to Dish for the PTV fee being eliminated.

Or, say you bought a 3 year or lifetime (or whatever it was on that day) PTV. You paid that money with the promise of a 7 day guide and it is being taken away.

[Bill R]

Lee's post brings up another question about the 9 day EEPG. When DISH sold the 7100 it came with a 7 day EPG even if you didn't subscribe to PTV. When the 7200 came out they decided to make the 7200 seven day EPG part of PTV service. This brings up the question: is everyone going to get the 9 day EEPG (if they have a dish pointing at 110)?

[STXJim]

Originally posted by Bill R
Lee's post brings up another question about the 9 day EEPG. When DISH sold the 7100 it came with a 7 day EPG even if you didn't subscribe to PTV. When the 7200 came out they decided to make the 7200 seven day EPG part of PTV service. This brings up the question: is everyone going to get the 9 day EEPG


Sounds like a real class action law suit it E* doesn't provide us with what we are paying for.
Any attorneys want to comment? (Eric M...Please???)

[Dmitriy]

Bill's source is his first name + Gates ;)

[BobaBird]

Lee, my parents have a 7100 with original 18" dish, never ordered PTV. They got a letter from Dish with a special 800 number to call for a free Dish500 upgrade to prevent loss of the 7-day guide feature. No commitment required, also no mention if this applies to all DP owners.

BillR, good question. STXJim, I believe it would be Microsoft blocking access to the guide included with an Echostar subscription in order to prop up the value of their PTV "service." We're jumping the gun on this point but I wouldn't put it past them.

My question is will the PTV fee be lowered after we stop buying the guide through M$ ?

[djlong]

Guess I haven't gotten lucky yet. No update after power down & up.

[Bill R]

Djlong,

After you turn off your DishPlayer it may take a little while to get the new software. Try leaving it off for 10 minutes (or longer) and you should get it.

[Bill R]

Originally posted by Lee L
Bill, any idea whether Dish will send us a little instructional screen with the 9 day guide update telling us exactly what we have to do to keep getting the guide? Currently, it does not matter what I do with the thing every night, I still get the guide (aside from whatever SNAFU is currently befalling us DP owners ;) ) From what you have stated earlier, the DP will now have to be left in a particular state each night to keep getting the guide (off, I believe).

When the new CLIENT update is sent out there will be a red NOTICE indicator (on the TV HOME page). The notice will say what 's new in the release with details in the HELP pages.

The DishPlayer will NOT have to be turned off to get the 9 day EEPG. It will be able to retrieve the guide during the nightly download (3 AM local time).

DISH is currently contacting DishPlayer owners that only have a dish for the 119 satellite offering them a dish 500 so that they will be able to get the EEPG from the 110 satellite.

[buzzdalf]

How is this new EPG going to be different from the one we have now?
I don't have, and have never seen, a 508 etc.

[Bill R]

The guide will LOOK the same as it does now but the EEPG will be 9 days instead of 7 days . To me, the most important thing about the EEPG is that the guide is FAR more accurate than the current DishPlayer guide. It is updated more frequently than the current DishPlayer guide too. All you will have to do is turn off the DishPlayer to get updated guide information. You won't have to wait for the 3 AM download or use any special codes (like 722500 and wait 8 minutes) to get it. The EEPG is spooled at a much higher data rate (but ONLY from the 110 satellite) and it takes a much shorter time (about 2-3 minutes) to update.

Another point is that this is the same guide that all the other DISH PVRs (501, 508, 522, and 721) use. In the past there was often a problem with the DishPlayer EPG and it did not work correctly (or we didn't get it) for days and weeks at a time. This should NOT happen with the EEPG. Also, there was often problems in the guide data itself which caused the DishPlayers all kinds of unpredictable problems. I can remember a time when, if you looked at the EPG, that it caused the DishPlayer to re-boot.

[Geronimo]

I hope the new guide gets the CNN schedule right. The current DP one does not.

[Randy_B]

It will be very interesting to hear from the remaining DP owners on how it performs with the 9 day guide. I think a good many of the DPs problems have always been a result of guide tables that were fundamentally flawed. Many of the deletes, reboots, PSOD always seem to be occur when either the user or the DP software interacted with the guide.

[George312]

T just got a call and got a free dissh 500 and the said if you got a a dishplayer you got one for free .from what i understand if you have dishplayer you get a dish 500 at no charge.They told me every one with a 119 dish gets a free dish 500 .
f F
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[Kerry High]

With the new guide, and the other previous bug fixes, will the Dishplayer finally be stable? I certainly hope so. It looks like it finally will be what it should have been a few years ago. The only serious problems I've been having (since they fixed the delete all programs bug list year) have been caused by a corrupt or missing guide. If the new guide fixes it, and the new client software fixes the HTML bug, and no new bugs are introduced, then I'll finally be happy with the Dishplayer.

[Nick]

Ten days and still ticking. Must be those new batteries. Thanks Energizer Bunny! :D

[Geronimo]

My guide still freezes periodically. I hope that goes away.