Latest on 721 Software Update

[MAllen]

WELL...............

As we have seen no software update............. AGAIN.

I called Dishnetwork TONIGHT (please understand, I am (WAS) a Staunch Dishnetwork customer). I bough my 1st 721 receiver 14 months ago and have been promised local weather and OpenTV (among MANY features that will never be), and my 2nd receiver over 4 months ago on the promise of a software update. WELL, tonight... MONTE (supposedly an advanced tech) with Dish customer support told me that there IS NO SOFTWARE UPDATE CURRENTLY in the works FOR THE 721. I asked him why features promised over a year ago have not come to pass (i.e. local weather, OpenTv... etc). he said that the 721 DOES NOT SUPPORT channel 100 Weather, opentv, etc. and probably would not support it, and WHO TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD. I guess I need to write down who, what, when, whatever, everytime that I call Dish so that I can recite WHAT, WHEN, and WHO told me WHATEVER. As you can tell I am Pi$$ed. Usually, I come out of a talk with customer service with at least a decent feeling....... NOT THIS TIME. It was as if it was MY PROBLEM THAT I SPENT OVER $1200 for equipment and about $90.00 a month service to get WHAT I WAS PROMISED OVER A YEAR AGO. DISH, if YER LISTENING THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO ENDEAR YOURSELF WITH CUSTOMERS. AAAUUUUGGGGHHHH, sorry I had to vent. Im too old fer this crap.

[DmitriA]

I agree with the general sentiment, but you probably got some clueless first level support person who doesn't know anything. The update with these features (except for OpenTV) is probably coming but it's the probably assigned the lowest priority and we may have to wait a couple more months before we actually see it. OpenTV, on the to the hand, I don't believe we'll ever see on the 721. That'll require a creation of an emulator of the OpenTV OS on Linux - a task that is sufficiently complicated and that I have 0 confidence the 721 Team is capable of creating in the next few years, judging by how long it takes them to even get these relatively simple features done and released..

[shortiemcgee]

I talked with support techs all week. After much frustration, I decided to write Charlie. Got a reply back in about an hour. It was followed by a phone call from Wendell B in Software Engineering. We talked for a while about all kinds of problems I'm having. He told me that they are waiting for a report before they decide if they will release software next week. He had good things to say about Scott and this site.
I really feel for the software guys at Dish. They do know the problems we are having with the 721 and are doing the best to fix them. Scott has always posted nice things about the software engineering group at Dish and I really understand why. I was assured that the new version is coming and IF it is not released next week, they will spool the latest beta to my machine (to see if it clears some obvious bugs on my 721).
Having said that, I have to say that the phone support people (advanced support) have totally soured my impression of Dish Network. I get more information after 15 minutes on this site than they give me after 30 minutes of conversation. Some tell me that the 721 has only been out for less than six months. Others tell me that the 721 has no known timer bugs. I've been told that any software will always crash and I'm expecting too much from my 721 (he used Windows as an example). I've heard that I should remove the card from the reciever at least once a week if I want it to work correctly. It's really bad. Since most people calling support are already having problems and the only time they have contact with a Dish Network rep is when they call support, I think it is a real problem for Dish. The last advanced support person I talked to asked if I wanted to be switch to the disconnect department. I was really tempted to say 'yes'.

[Bob Haller]

I will embrace new software. My latest box tends to record 12 or 17 second programs while the shows are a hour:(

[shortiemcgee]

I will embrace new software. My latest box tends to record 12 or 17 second programs while the shows are a hour:(

That's just one of the bugs I am having.

[Bob Haller]

Odd my previous boxes didnt do this. Ayt least its confirmed a known bug. I guess I should call and complain? Get another replacement box:(

[pjmrt]

... He told me that they are waiting for a report before they decide if they will release software next week. He had good things to say about Scott and this site.
.....

Normally I'm a pretty optimistic guy. But I've been hearing Dish say that the "Instant Weather" feature was coming "soon" since late winter/early spring. I've read Scott's thread hear about the "soon" release (and the "rock solid" beta version he's been testing - and that is several month old. What report could they be waiting on. In my business, we have to be careful of "requirements creep" - because if it gets going, nothing ever actually gets produced. And I'm beginning to wonder if this will be the case here.

Anyway, thanks for the update - I guess we can still cross our fingers and hope it really does happen next week.

[Sam Spade]

I've read Scott's thread hear about the "soon" release (and the "rock solid" beta version he's been testing - and that is several month old.
Scott just reported at SatelliteGuys.US ( see http://www.satelliteguys.us/forum/viewtopic.php?t=611 ) that there was a new beta sent out last night to 721 testers fixing something with the swtich check or something like that.

Sam

[Mike D-CO5]

And the wait continues.............. :(

[greylar]

Hey what is charlies e-mail address? I'm getting jacked around on the 6000 receiver deal.

Thanks,
G

[Chris Blount]

Hey what is charlies e-mail address? I'm getting jacked around on the 6000 receiver deal.

Thanks,
G

ceo@echostar.com

[pjmrt]

And the wait continues.............. :(


... and continues and continues,.....

does anyone have any late breaking new whether the latest beta release (last week's) will actually get cleared to download sometime this week -- or should we wait for a Halloween trick or treat from Dish? (Ok cynicism mode off)

[Bob Haller]

I hear sometime before NEXT september.

JUST JOKING! ( I guess )

[Jacob S]

I think it will come right before the SuperDish roll out in the middle of the month because they need the SuperDish software on the 721 (unless they choose to release SuperDish software alone without all the other software that is being beta tested).

[lonnman]

I was thinking a while back that Santa may be coming by with it, but I might have to think that he passed it off to the Easter Bunny.

I can tell you that I will never buy an Echostar box with any promised features to be released later, just what they have when I buy it. I think that EchoStar should also be put on Ritalin for ADD. They will spew numerous future HW/SW possibilities on the Charlie/Tech chats, but they will never materialize. Then they are on to the next box. I would be happy with just SW bug releases right now.

I assume the SW is more stable with a DTivo, which I'm considering after this years NHL Center Ice is over with. I've never used the DTivo interface, and would like to see it before I buy it. I had planned on buying a 921 before all the fee's and lack of a SW update on the 721.

Jeff

[tm22721]

I have been with Dish since their first receiver (model 1000) on which they promised a special comm link that never materialized. Then on the 6000 OpenTV which never materialized. Then on the 721 with Internet access...on and on.

At E* the hype never stops and that mentality comes from the CEO who got his start by selling C band satellite systems door to door so what do you expect ?

Charlie knows how to string along the tech junkies by promising vaporware.

The only solution is to churn the h*ll out of them by switching back and forth every year or so to get the latest H/W at new subscriber prices.

[DmitriA]

And change your address & phone# every year as well (to get the new subscriber discounts)?

[l.i.t.e.]

yeah, E* is nothing but a joke, only reason ive stuck with them for the last 7 years is that their spanish programming is much better than Directv, but this bullsh*t with the 721 is just too much, im going to weigh my options on directv and digital cable so i can switch as soon as possible. They cant even release a small fix (the screensaver) for something they screwed up in the first place. Something like that should have been fixed immediately without waiting for some stupid patch that is going through beta testing...im a moron for giving this company my money all these years...ok, i guess i should stop venting, this is pointless

[TomCat]

Tech support told me this morning that L113 has spooled.

[Bill R]

Tech support told me this morning that L113 has spooled.

You can't always believe what tech support tells you. The next version that WILL be spooled to the non beta testers sometime latter this week is version L115 according to Scott.

[jerryyyyy]

Waiting for an E* update seems like waiting for a Microsoft update. Things are not much better afterwards, yet some people seem to feel the next update is the Holy Grail of fixes.

[Neil Derryberry]

I'll believe the update is out there when somebody actually gets it, and as long as my 721 continues to function, I don't really care.

[Tony Trent]

Got it. V115. Believe away.

[aperry]

Ditto. Another believer here!

[Atomizer]

The L115 software is the worst ever. I have numerous PVR bugs

Select PVR to watch something that was recorded, the picture shows up but the audio is from live TV. Only solutions is to reboot

Select something to record from the guide, the PVR records forever until it runs out of disk

Select something to record from the guide, the PVR records multiple events of the show (strange, almost like tivo)

PVR shows are not recording the full amount of time, shows get cut off by 1-2 minutes (even though I have added 3 extra minutes

[retiredTech]

The L115 software is the worst ever. I have numerous PVR bugs

Select PVR to watch something that was recorded, the picture shows up but the audio is from live TV. Only solutions is to reboot

Select something to record from the guide, the PVR records forever until it runs out of disk

Select something to record from the guide, the PVR records multiple events of the show (strange, almost like tivo)

PVR shows are not recording the full amount of time, shows get cut off by 1-2 minutes (even though I have added 3 extra minutes

Have you been on the phone with tech support?
I have had NO problems like you are describing with the new software.

You may need a new unit. Any time you THIS many problems and others aren't reporting the same, you should GET on that Phone!