811 - P3.38 (Non-support related discussion)

[Jason Nipp]

811 Software revision P3.38:

* Corrections for switch control of DishPro and DishPro Plus
switches when connected to multiple DishPro compatible receivers.

[Norm In Norman]

Is that the only thing it fixed?

I'm starting to think that they've broken the 811 to force us to upgrade.

[Ron Barry]

I love a conspiracy as much as the next guy, but I serious doubt it Norm.

If I was a developer (and I am) and I was told to break the code on purpose to force the customer base to move to new line of receivers, I would not do it and there are very few engineers that would from my experience.

This conspiracy theory gets brought up occassionally over in the 921 forum also. It is possible that as they add in the new MPEG4 functionality and add the new receivers and functionality to the architecture that something might break, but I am 100% confident that this is not occuring.

[Norm In Norman]

I love a conspiracy as much as the next guy, but I serious doubt it Norm.

If I was a developer (and I am) and I was told to break the code on purpose to force the customer base to move to new line of receivers, I would not do it and there are very few engineers that would from my experience.

This conspiracy theory gets brought up occassionally over in the 921 forum also. It is possible that as they add in the new MPEG4 functionality and add the new receivers and functionality to the architecture that something might break, but I am 100% confident that this is not occuring.
I'm a developer too, and if I break something I bust my butt to make sure it's fixed ASAP to make the customer happy. I generally test stuff before I release it too. Maybe they aren't introducing bugs to get us to upgrade, but maybe they aren't encouraged to fix bugs because they want us to upgrade.

About 3 or 4 versions ago was the best version they had. It wasn't perfect, but I rarely had to restart the receiver and I was somewhat satisfied with the picture (I use component). Now I restart at least twice a week and I have to adjust my brightness and contrast between switching from my DVD player to the 811. it's just not fair. It's not like these are things that aren't easily tested for.

I've learned my lesson though. If they ever get it back to it's previous non-perfect-but-better-than-now state, I'm going to never upgrade again. Well, unless they add the seemingly impossible 16x9 menu guide. But we all know that will never happen.

[Norm In Norman]

I guess that might have come off bad. I'm just frustrated. Please delete the post if it was out of line.

[Laverne]

(This isn't necessarily directed at just you, Norm In Norman.)

Well, the thing that needs to be remembered is that E* is not trying to make just a handful of customers happy. They have thousands and thousands of customers just for the 811. With all the different types of TVs and A/V receivers out there now, it's literally impossible to test for every single scenario. Unless all the TV and A/V equipment manufacturers start applying the same specifications to their components, which of course will never happen. And that's no one's fault either.

As Jason has said over and over and over again.... "UNBIASED FEEDBACK" is what's wanted in these threads. That helps the most. They do read it. And I imagine it could get kinda difficult to wade through some posts that are simply saying - 'such and such' was better, now it's "broke" again. They don't WANT people to be unhappy. They'd lose their jobs that way! :shrug:

Just remember, if you have a problem after a software release, clearly state your problem (IMO, there's no such thing as too many details, but maybe that's just me), your equipment and your hook-up arrangement. It IS read here at DBSTalk by E*.

Well, I've already taken up too much space in this thread myself. :)

[Ron Barry]

Norm,

Nothing wrong with your post. You stated what your experiencing and your frustration in a professional manner. I understand and echo Lavernes comments. All we can do on this side of the fence is let Dish know your experiences between releases.

The more detail the better.

[Jason Nipp]

Non support topic matter moved out of support forum.

Regards,
Jason