Just got a tast of WINK-type features

[music_beans]

I was suprised when i tuned in to TNN tonight. A Dish-On-Demand preview came on, and about the middle of it a transparent box pops up along the bottom saying 'Now on Dish On Demand Pay-Per-View. Press Select for more information." Pressing select takes you to channel 500, which is the PPV guide.

All in all, I just got a little spray of WiNK interactive type features tonight. Did any of you get one yet?

[Jacob S]

Hopefully that crap can be shut off. I remember the Dishplayer that had the i icon pop up and you could do nothing about it, along with the interactive information along the bottom.

[Darkman]

i think one can control that from one of menu options with "ON/OFF"....
Let me check - ya - it's on the menu: - i think it was MENU/6/4

[Jacob S]

OK, that is what someone had said before I believe, just wanted to make sure because when I had a dishplayer you could not shut that functionality off and it drove me nuts.

[Geronimo]

NEVER sub to Web TV. A DP without it does not get those banners.

[rych]

You can turn off the interactive on a dishplayer in the new software upgrade...

[Jacob S]

I thought I seen the popups even without a subscription to webtv on the dishplayers in the past. I have heard for a good while about turning off the interactive popups in a new software upgrade but it looks like they are just now finally getting that out. What a long wait.

[music_beans]

Just wait till CNN starts popping up boxes during Larry King Live. :D

[Geronimo]

The pop ups on the DP have been gone for a long time. However if you EVER subbed to Web TV they remain. That si why I said NEVER sub. Some say they are gone now. I cannot say. I have deactivated my DP.

[music_beans]

Good riddance. Micro$ucks! :D :)

[Geronimo]

I never understood why people want their TV to be interactive. If you do more power to you. But i prefer a passive TV experience.

[wildzeke]

Originally posted by Geronimo
I never understood why people want their TV to be interactive. If you do more power to you. But i prefer a passive TV experience.

I think people wanted interactive TV before the Internet took off. Today it just makes more sense to web browse for interactive material.

[hikerak]

I like the idea of getting customized sports scores and weather info right on a channel instead of hving to go to the dish home channel... I realize that there will be a lot of other junk along with it, I will just have to wait and see...

[TopCat99]

It'll be interesting to see where it goes. At least we have the option of turning it off if it gets too annoying

I have closed captioning turned on on my one TV. I probably wouldn't even notice popups after a while :lol:

On a side note, anyone remember when RadioShack was giving away the :CueCats? There was a TV adapter for them that would pick up audio cues and go to a website. Can you imagine watching, say, the Super Bowl and returning to the computer later to see 47 popup ads for every advertiser you just saw? I think I prefer Dish's approach :D

[Steve Mehs]

Interactive tv is a cool concept, but will turned into marketing fluff. Interactive weather is a nice idea to make up for the lack of a localized Weather Channel. But a lot of the information can be found out the net just as easy. I do like the Showtime interactive application, that has some great potential. ITV is a nice novelty, but by no means an essential, IMO.

[Nick]

iTV is as essential as teats on a bull. Whatever you think you may want, don't pay for any form of iTV capability. You will come to regret wasting your money.

IMO, 99% of American TV viewers are technically unsophisticated and extremely passive in their TV viewing habits. They bring an empty mind to their tv god, begging "FEED ME! FEED ME! Are these the viewers advertisers expect to respond to on-screen gimmicks? For the other one percent, those who think they want some kind of interactive features, I predict they will soon tire of the gimmickry.

I usually watch TV while online. With my laptop on a pedestal at my side, I don't even bother to participate in on-screen votes or polls. To do so might cause programmers and advertisers to think that I am one of the mindless 99%.

[Scott Greczkowski]

When I had DirecTV my receiver had WINK on it, and I found myself using it a lot.

On Bloomberg I had my own stock ticker on the screen, on ESPN I did not have to wait to find out the sports scores, on the Music Choice Channels, I could see the album cover of what was playing and even order the album.

Let's hope Dish uses the technology in a productive way and not just for marketing.

[hikerak]

I just looked that the showtime app, and that got me thinking that WINK will probably be much more used if it ever starts to work. Dish home is too clutzy to use while watching T.V.

Matt

[Steve Mehs]

Yes it does. Haven't tested it (since I haven't seen and of the ITV popups yet), but it's a pretty sure bet that the TV Enhancements menu will control the ITV popups.

[Jacob S]

Someone gave me a great big bagful of those Cue packages as you have described that came from RadioShack.