921 = DVR fee!

[Darkman]

Just as i thought - it's official - 921s will have DVR fee (Charlie announced at today's Charlie Chat)

[Geronimo]

I could not receive Ch 101 does this apply to the other DVRTs in question?

[Jacob S]

Any and all future DVR's WILL have DVR fees. All info that was mentioned before is in fact true, was just reinforced in what was mentioned at the end of the Charlie Chat only when someone called in and asked.

[lastmanstanding]

Any and all future DVR's WILL have DVR fees. All info that was mentioned before is in fact true, was just reinforced in what was mentioned at the end of the Charlie Chat only when someone called in and asked.

This is very sad news. So should I buy a couple of 721s and run them until they drop? I really don't care about HD at this point.

Thanks,

LMS

[angiodan]

or pony up to the AEP plan.

[Mike D-CO5]

That's what Charlie wanted anyway. Higher average customer subscriptions. Good for the bottom line .

[sampatterson]

What are the odds that there will be no monthly fee on D* TivoHD?

[Lee L]

I would think the fee structure would be the same as it is now. $4.99 if you sub to a low package and free if you sub to the super duper platinum pack or whatever it is called. Of course the fee is pre account, not receiver and they did not make a name for themselves talking about their free pvr's like dish did. Oh and their hardware is cheaper up front and works better as well.

[Ken_F]

Perhaps I am one of the few, but I don't mind the 921 DVR fee so long as Echostar delivers on the program information (or 7 day guide) for local off-air DTV/HDTV signals that was mentioned in the technical answer thread (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=17394). I will be first in line to pay for that level of guide integration.

I guess I am willing to pay to help improve the DVR service. I am unwilling to pay for the status quo. If they want customers to pay, they'd better start talking up the improvements they are going to make; people don't like paying for stuff they already get for free.

[dennispe]

they'd better start talking up the improvements they are going to make;

Talk-Talk, Talk-Talk, All they want to do is Talk-Talk

[sampatterson]

I wonder if Dish has run into patent issues on the DVR and will need to pay royalties on any new units.

[dmodemd]

You all just gotta wait for all the facts... how much will the 921 be? how much will superdish be? how much will HD pak be? How much will the promotions save you?

Too many unknowns to worry about it now!

[Mike D-CO5]

I wonder if Dish has run into patent issues on the DVR and will need to pay royalties on any new units.


Probably, when you consider that Tivo patented the name PVR ,when Dish had been using the name for what 2 or 3 years.
You'd think that Dish would patent anything they created so that companies like Tivo couln't take their concepts off the market and call them their own. :rolleyes:

[Jacob S]

Dish used Microsoft's Dishplayer software not their own when they started the PVR service before Tivo started. By the time Dish started with their own PVR service Tivo had already been out.

[Unthinkable]

What are the odds that there will be no monthly fee on D* TivoHD?

Less then the odds Jim Carrey's Lloyd Christmas had in Dumb and Dumber with regards to landing Lauren Holly's character.

What are the chances of a guy like you and a girl like me gettin' together?
Not good.
You mean like one out of a hundred?
More like one out of a million.
So you're tellin' me there's still a chance?

[Mike D-CO5]

Dish used Microsoft's Dishplayer software not their own when they started the PVR service before Tivo started. By the time Dish started with their own PVR service Tivo had already been out.


So Dish had the dishplayer on the market before Directv or Tivo. Who came up with the word PVR first ; Dish or Tivo? I don't remember Tivo ever calling themselves pvr. In fact I am looking at the manual of my stand alone Series 2 DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER and no where do I see the word PVR. So in my eyes Tivo just ripped off Dish's use of the word PVR and took it off the market because they patented the word first and Dish didn't.

[kelliot]

You don't patent words. You register them as trademarks. If you have enough words you can copyright them.

[Mike D-CO5]

You don't patent words. You register them as trademarks. If you have enough words you can copyright them.


Sorry about the wrong word . Thanks teach. :grin:

[tahoerob]

I do not understand the fuss.
We are going to be willing to pay $800-1000 for the 921 to use with our $1000+ TVs & then COMPLAIN about $60 per year to record HD???????
PLEASE, enough already.

[Eyedox]

If you are spending a thousand dollars on their halfassed buggy equipment, you shouldn't have to be nickel and dimed to death with bullsh*t fees. That is the whole point.

[Orcatek]

My question is when I add the 921 as another reciever, now do I pay both a DVR fee and a Mirror fee? My guess is yup. Now this 921 is costing me $15 a month.

If I pay the fee, and it loses my recordings for timers don't fire, I should be able to get a refund like I do from my ISP. That should prove interesting. But if the charge a service fee, they need to be prepared to refund when the service fails.

[Jacob S]

I agree, if the DVR functionality does NOT work you SHOULD get a refund on the service until it works RIGHT! Being charged for buggy software is part of the point. Another part of the point is that you would end up spending just as much if not more for the HD DVR receiver and fees as you do the HD TV unless you get a more expensive one. The cost to watch HD goes up dramatically having to put all that additional money in the HD DVR receiver. I am glad that they are at least having a cheap nonDVR receiver available in the future.

[Jeff_R]

I do not understand the fuss.
We are going to be willing to pay $800-1000 for the 921 to use with our $1000+ TVs & then COMPLAIN about $60 per year to record HD???????
PLEASE, enough already.

This was my exact reasoning for leaving Dish in the first place. Yes, I paid a lot for my TV. Yes, I paid a lot for my 6000. Yes, I paid for my 8VSB mod. Yes, I paid for my 8PSK mod. When the 921 comes out, I would buy it. I would also have to buy (even if discounted I'm still going to have to buy) the SuperDish. And now, since I've already spent all that money, I should just bend over and hand them another 5-10 a month just so I can actually use the equipment that I paid for?

That's just plain nuts. Tivo software is much, much less buggy, it has many more features, and I know that Direct will do everything they can to make any future technology upgrades as painless as possible.

It remains to be seen whether they will even use 8PSK for the Superdish HD channels, so I bought that for no reason. They have completely changed their HD strategy, and they think I should just be happy to buy anything they say to use my existing equipment?

The HD package on Directv looks just fine, thank you!

Jeff

[lastmanstanding]

I must question the validity of repeatedly preannouncing products and then delaying their delivery ad infinitum. I had been waiting for the 721 for a long time, and I was ready to pull the trigger, but while the ink was still drying on the 721, they announced the 921, which was to arrive originally in June.

I was ready to say the heck with it and buy the 721 anyway, but then they announce Superdish. But the 921 still isn't here, is it?

All the while, I've been buying DVDs and watching TV less. I think I will skip the entire upgrade and put in another surround sound system, or something.

I know Microsoft does the same kind of things to keep people from buying competitor's products. But I also remember the Osborne computer, which impaled its own sales with the premature announcement of the Osborne 2. Buyers wanted to skip the Osborne 1 and wait on the 2, which never made it to market.

So what do you guys think?

LMS

[ericha]

The thing I don't get about the DVR fee, is what do I get for it? I already get the program guide; I already bought the product. So what am I getting? A chance to pay more? I guess I could buy 2-tiered pricing--so I could get a discount now if I'm willing to pay $5/mo. for the future. But to only have the option of paying $5/mo is extraordinarily irritating!

[Bob Haller]

Well the 921 is getting old while never being released. take that matter of its chipset which prevents hd and SD from being outputted at the same time.

[toddjb]

[repost - first didn't seem to take]

Did Charlie give a firm date on the 921?

Does anyone have a transcript of his DVR fee answer?


I just want to know how much time I have to compare pricing of a
superdish + 921 + DVR fee + HD programming purchase at Dish vs. the
equivalent w/ D*. Oy!

-todd

[Eyedox]

Meanwhile ... Cable HD and DirecTV HD pull farther and farther ahead. I would be embarrased to work for DISH right now.

[Scott Greczkowski]

921 will be released in October (this according to todays Charlie Chat.)

[tahoerob]

921 will be released in October (this according to todays Charlie Chat.)

That would be great if TRUE!!!

It also makes sense to have the 811 & 921 available when SuperDish & new HD channels come online.

My local retailer VP is going to a big summit in Sept. to learn about all the new stuff. He thinks it is truly a prelude to product release soon after.

He actually talked me out of getting a 6000 now!

Robert :hurah:

[HTguy]

921 will be released in October (this according to todays Charlie Chat.)Well, actually he said "probably" in Oct, "almost definitely" for Christmas (or something like that.)

[Nick]

Dear Santa,

Here is my 2003 Christmas wish list,
which I have considerately put in
alpha order for your convenience.

- 16:9 HDTV
- 921 PVR
- HD programming package
- Superdish

I know that is probably too much for your sack,
but I've been a real good boy all year and I think
I deserve a nice reward for not already coming
up to da North Pole and busting a cap on yo ass,
dog. Dis is wut me and my homies will do if you don't
cough up all dis chit, you unnerstan what I be sayin?

I will do dis if you don' come up wit dat chit, man....

[kstevens]

Dear Santa,

Here is my 2003 Christmas wish list,
which I have considerately put in
alpha order for your convenience.

- 16:9 HDTV
- 921 PVR
- HD programming package
- Superdish

I know that is probably too much for your sack,
but I've been a real good boy all year and I think
I deserve a nice reward for not already coming
up to da North Pole and busting a cap on yo ass,
dog. Dis is wut me and my homies will do if you don't
cough up all dis chit, you unnerstan what I be sayin?

I will do dis if you don' come up wit dat chit, man....

Pretty worthless post.

[Peluso]

depends on your definition of worthless. It put a smile on my face so it was worth my time reading it. :)

[tahoerob]

Pretty worthless post.

Amazing comment considering us geeks are wasting valuable time reading posts!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nick]

Pretty worthless post.Thanks, kstevens. I value your opinion.

Your post put a smile on my face this morning. Since I live alone and don't have many friends close by, it's nice to know someone actually reads the stuff I post. Being retired, it is difficult for me to avoid feeling irrelevant and insignificant at times.

Most of my posts would fall in the "worthless" category. You don't think I have cluttered the board with almost 2,500 posts by being brilliant and significant every time, do you? Gosh, I just don't have that much material to contribute.

I promise I will try harder to make my posts more significant. It seems my nonsense is inadvertently reaching an ever-widening audience as this board grows in readership, so I need to get with the program and cut back on posting worthless stuff.

Thanks again for your comment. I really appreciate it.

Have a nice day! :)

Oh, and I probably should inform you that I am the self-appointed DBSTalk spelling "coach". If you should ever make a small error in spelling, I will be happy to point it out to you in the interest of self-improvement. Think of it as my small contribution for a better world.