Why no internet access on E* box? [Archive]

View Full Version : Why no internet access on E* box?

lee635

01-05-10, 06:13 PM

I have my 7200 connected to the internet. Gaming consoles offer internet browsing, why hasn't dish added an open source browser like opera to their machines? Seems like a cheap, no brainer...

puckwithahalo

01-08-10, 09:06 PM

P Smith

01-08-10, 10:11 PM

Still running ? 18 GB disk, best of ... back to 1997.

BattleZone

01-09-10, 11:02 AM

The "why" is largely because in the past, 99% of customers aren't willing to have their set top box connected to their home Internet connection, either because they are unwilling to pay to have it wired, or they are unwilling to invest in the wireless or powerline-conversion devices to do so. And no one is willing to accept dial-up speeds anymore.

BUT... this is finally starting to change, and Dish is renewing their emphasis on getting receivers hooked up, especially to the Internet/home network.

harsh

01-09-10, 11:19 AM

I have my 7200 connected to the internet. Gaming consoles offer internet browsing, why hasn't dish added an open source browser like opera to their machines? Seems like a cheap, no brainer...It isn't just a simple HTML browser that is required anymore. You must also have support for Java, various media formats and more annoyingly (but nonetheless importantly), Adobe's Flash. Because that support isn't built onto the DVR operating system as it is with many computers, you would have to provide that as well.

The storage, CPU and RAM resources of most DVRs is not sufficient to afford a satisfactory web browsing experience. Other issues like the limitations of the character generator hardware (the only way to put text on the screen) would also cut into the ability of the DVR to perform up to modern expectations.

I'm not convinced that the 7200 could cut it as a Lynx or Gopher client, much less a full-featured web browsing device.

BattleZone

01-09-10, 01:06 PM

The storage, CPU and RAM resources of most DVRs is not sufficient to afford a satisfactory web browsing experience.

Also true. DVR manufacturers are under huge pressure to reduce power usage as well as keep manufacturing costs low. They use highly integrated processors to do this, and these chips have to be very task-specific in order to be efficient. The "general purpose" CPU portion of the processor is very low-powered compared to a computer CPU.