Dish Home Interactive not on 721

[120inna55]

This has probably been asked before, but the search won't work.

I can't get channel 100 (Dish Home Interactive) on my DVR 721. I called DISH and was told that the 721 doesn't offer this capability. Anyone know why not?

[Bob Haller]

They never got around to that software upgrade but its reported coming in the future.

[Bill R]

It is coming, DISH has promised us that. It seems that even though the 721 is suppose to be DISH's top of the line receiver it is the LAST to get software upgrades and fixes. One reason that I suppect that is true is that the 721 is a Linux based machine (none of DISH's other CURRENT receivers are Linux bassed) and DISH doesn't have enough software programmers trained in Linux to develop the interactive applications for the 721.

Charlie (during a "Charlie Chat") has mentioned "end of October" as to when they will be available. Scott, here at DBSTalk, has mentioned that he thinks it will be by the end of the year. Knowing DISH as we do (they OFTEN miss their own "goals"), I think Scott's date will likely be closer to when they are rolled out for the 721. Scott has beta tested the "interactive weather" already so it may be out before then.

[DmitriA]

Interactive weather that Scott has tested does not use OpenTV though - it's a native Linux app that they had developed. So the fact that it is perhaps done says absolutely nothing about their ability to deliver Channel 100 and other OpenTV interactive features

[AppliedAggression]

Is it just be or is OpenTV interactive way overrated? The thing is so slow on my 508 that i prefer just getting up and checking my PC. They need to make a fast app, kind of what it seems they did with the beta weather ont he 721, and ditch this OpenTV interactive crap.

[DmitriA]

I doubt OpenTV is going to be any faster on the 721 since apparently they are going to basically write an emulator for the OpenTV OS, so if anything it's probably going to be even slower.
And I doubt Dish is going to dump OpenTV anytime soon (though they should IMHO) - they've invested too much time and money into this direction now...