BobaBird
11-12-02, 10:03 PM
Technical Forum
Nov 12, 2002
Hosts are Mark Jackson, Sr VP E* Technology Corp and Dave Kummer, VP Engineering.
AGENDA PVR501/508, 721 Features
Wireless TV Transmitter
Interactive Update
EZ Remote
E-VIII and new locals
Q&APhone: 1-888-621-2078. E-mail: Techforum@Dishnetwork.com .
Technical questions only, please.
PVR501/508, 721 Features
Slow-Motion and Frame Advance for 501/508, 721
Slo-mo: Press Pause, then FF or Rew repeatedly to adjust speed in either direction. Press Play to resume normal playback.
Frame: Press Pause, then Skip or Replay. Press Play to resume normal playback.
Not out yet, should be by Christmas. The demo they showed will be part of another New Features video.
PVR501/508 Features
Timer screen will have sort options and show titles.
New 1-touch Record menu with options for Record to End, Record past End, Record Weekly, Record until manual stop.
721 Features
Will be able to select a different channel while recording without having to use PIP to get to the other tuner.
Wireless TV Transmitter
Simple to hook up using A/V cords. Transmitter is connected to the Dish set-top box, receiver is connected to the distant TV which could be in a bedroom, garage, or visiting RV.
They suggest using it with a receiver with UHF remote to allow control of the receiver from the distant location.
A UHF-to-IR remote and converter package is available for $49.
The model demonstrated is the Wavemaster 20 Leapfrog (http://www.terk.com/multiroom/product/wavemaster.html) from Terk. Wireless transmitters can be used with many types of video sources.
Downsides: Distance can increase interference, also need to minimize the number of walls.
Picture not quite as good as a wired connection.
Has to be the same channel on both TVs.They show a hard-wire option feeding the receiver's RF output back through the house's existing cable TV wiring. Disconnect the cable from the street at the in-house splitter. Disconnect the cable at the splitter for the room with the Dish receiver and use it as the splitter's source. The remaining legs of the split will then be able to watch the same channel. The signal may not be strong enough if multiple splitters are used.
Giveaway
Prize: Wavemaster 20 Leapfrog.
Question: What frequency does the Wavemaster 20 transmit on?
Q&A
PJ: What caused the 301 outage problem? Is it common? Why were CSRs giving different answers?
A: Last Thursday (11/7) a corrupted data file led to the shut-off of about 1% of our customers, mostly Model 301 users. Most were back on within 4 hours. Mark says "something slipped through our fingers on this one." Dave says early CSR responses were different from later ones because they initially thought the problem was smaller than it turned out to be. They say it is the first time they have had this type of problem and that they have identified the cause and taken steps to prevent it from happening again.
E-mail: When will an HD PVR be available? Price?
A: The (codename) 921 will be out 2Q03 with a 200GB+ hard drive. Figure roughly 1GB/hr for standard channels and 6GB/hr for HDTV. A prototype has already been demo'd for dealers. It is very expensive to build and should be expected to be priced accordingly.
David: Dish Home and weather on the 721?
A: Not until 2Q03 when OpenTV (ekb.dbstalk.com/68) should be ported to the 721.
Jeff: Will the 6000 OTA module get local channels?
A: Absolutely, both digital and analog, and they will show in the guide. The other adapter for the 6000 is an advanced modulation adapter which is required for DiscoveryHD and future HDTV channels.
Ray: AC/DC receiver for RV?
A: No. Can use a 25W power converter.
Cory: Basketball coming to Dish Home sports menus?
A: (Scott Higgins, Dir Interactive Services) You can now pick 5 favorite teams under My Scores, scores appear within 5 min of the end of the game. They are working on an application for the Sports menu but don't expect to have it until next season.
James: Is an original owner, wants to know why program info can now take minutes to appear if the receiver doesn't time out first.
A: They are unhappy with the guide performance for non-PVR receivers. Because Dish added locals, then more locals as a result of must-carry (http://ekb.dbstalk.com/19#MC), the guide has become much larger and thus takes longer to loop around. They plan to compress the guide by about half in 1Q03 and may later split locals info from the main guide. Some bugs were found in the receiver software that were causing the "time-out with no info" problem, fixes are on the way.
Eugene: Can't get NM locals when he goes to AZ anymore.
A: It's because of spot beams that allow more cities to be carried. Each city has an approximately 350 mile diameter spot beam and you must be within that spot to get any of the channels carried on that spot beam.
Robert: KTEH San Francisco was removed due to not providing a quality signal. Aren't you required under must-carry to assist them in delivering the signal?
A: (Eric Sahl, Dir of Programming) We would like to put the station back up. The law states it is the station's obligation to provide the signal.
Rick: Any receiver have a DVI HDCP interface?
A: Some in design, they are monitoring HD copy protection and connection standards. Some providers may require encryption technology. The 921 will have DVI.
Guest
Jasper Smith, CEO of Static, an OpenTV subsidiary in the UK
About 1-2 million of B-Sky-B's 6 million subscribers use interactive features each week.
They have a total of 900 applications, 70 games available at any time.
Enhanced TV uses data added to documentaries. For sports it could be multiple camera angles, player stats, gambling options.
Interactive TV can generate a sense of community by getting people involved. There were more votes in the British version of Big Brother than in their last election. Gambling interests are some of the biggest investors.
The receiver must be connected to a phone line to take advantage of interactive features.
Interactive Update
TV Mag: Headlines, soap summaries, trivia games, more.
College and Pro football: favorite teams, schedules, team leaders, polls.
My Scores: Pro and college sports.
Dish Home: will be on all remaining OpenTV receivers on 11/19.
Dish News by Reuters: coming 11/20.
College Hoops: coming in December.
What's New on Dish: coming "later," maybe late December.
EZ Remote
A large-button remote for the technically challenged. Available in December for the 301, next year for other receivers.
E-VIII and new locals
Dave Bair, VP, Space Operations
E-VIII had several launch delays, is now up and running at 110 with spot beams turned on.
Cities that get some or all local channels on spot beams from 110 are:
Sacramento, Tampa, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Austin, Nashville, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland, San Antonio, and Albuquerque.
Newest cities added are Jacksonville ($5.99) and Las Vegas (no NBC, $4.99).
Future cities: Buffalo (11/21), Des Moines (11/21 w/o ABC).
On 11/1 Harrisburg got its CBS and UPN channels. Also Fresno got CBS with KGMC-Ind coming 11/14.
Giveaway
Prize: PVR721.
Question: What is the down link frequency range of Echostar satellites?
The Terk winner is Nick Peshterianu from Chattanooga, TN.
Q&A
Robert: Has a 5000 in Los Angeles, still has to tune locals in the 8000 range.
A: The 5000 doesn't have local channel remapping because it has an OTA tuner and there isn't a way for it to handle duplicate channel numbers.
Barry: Customer Support on the 501?
A: Should be part of the December upgrade.
Mike: How important is it to have DVI on a new HDTV?
A: Hard to find now but is wave of the future. Dish wants their receivers to be able to still use RGB and component connectors.
Giveaway
721 winner is John Hotsenpillar (sp?) from Reading, PA. Answer: 12.2-12.7GHz.
---------------
Next Charlie Chat is Mon Dec 9, 9:00pm Eastern
Nov 12, 2002
Hosts are Mark Jackson, Sr VP E* Technology Corp and Dave Kummer, VP Engineering.
AGENDA PVR501/508, 721 Features
Wireless TV Transmitter
Interactive Update
EZ Remote
E-VIII and new locals
Q&APhone: 1-888-621-2078. E-mail: Techforum@Dishnetwork.com .
Technical questions only, please.
PVR501/508, 721 Features
Slow-Motion and Frame Advance for 501/508, 721
Slo-mo: Press Pause, then FF or Rew repeatedly to adjust speed in either direction. Press Play to resume normal playback.
Frame: Press Pause, then Skip or Replay. Press Play to resume normal playback.
Not out yet, should be by Christmas. The demo they showed will be part of another New Features video.
PVR501/508 Features
Timer screen will have sort options and show titles.
New 1-touch Record menu with options for Record to End, Record past End, Record Weekly, Record until manual stop.
721 Features
Will be able to select a different channel while recording without having to use PIP to get to the other tuner.
Wireless TV Transmitter
Simple to hook up using A/V cords. Transmitter is connected to the Dish set-top box, receiver is connected to the distant TV which could be in a bedroom, garage, or visiting RV.
They suggest using it with a receiver with UHF remote to allow control of the receiver from the distant location.
A UHF-to-IR remote and converter package is available for $49.
The model demonstrated is the Wavemaster 20 Leapfrog (http://www.terk.com/multiroom/product/wavemaster.html) from Terk. Wireless transmitters can be used with many types of video sources.
Downsides: Distance can increase interference, also need to minimize the number of walls.
Picture not quite as good as a wired connection.
Has to be the same channel on both TVs.They show a hard-wire option feeding the receiver's RF output back through the house's existing cable TV wiring. Disconnect the cable from the street at the in-house splitter. Disconnect the cable at the splitter for the room with the Dish receiver and use it as the splitter's source. The remaining legs of the split will then be able to watch the same channel. The signal may not be strong enough if multiple splitters are used.
Giveaway
Prize: Wavemaster 20 Leapfrog.
Question: What frequency does the Wavemaster 20 transmit on?
Q&A
PJ: What caused the 301 outage problem? Is it common? Why were CSRs giving different answers?
A: Last Thursday (11/7) a corrupted data file led to the shut-off of about 1% of our customers, mostly Model 301 users. Most were back on within 4 hours. Mark says "something slipped through our fingers on this one." Dave says early CSR responses were different from later ones because they initially thought the problem was smaller than it turned out to be. They say it is the first time they have had this type of problem and that they have identified the cause and taken steps to prevent it from happening again.
E-mail: When will an HD PVR be available? Price?
A: The (codename) 921 will be out 2Q03 with a 200GB+ hard drive. Figure roughly 1GB/hr for standard channels and 6GB/hr for HDTV. A prototype has already been demo'd for dealers. It is very expensive to build and should be expected to be priced accordingly.
David: Dish Home and weather on the 721?
A: Not until 2Q03 when OpenTV (ekb.dbstalk.com/68) should be ported to the 721.
Jeff: Will the 6000 OTA module get local channels?
A: Absolutely, both digital and analog, and they will show in the guide. The other adapter for the 6000 is an advanced modulation adapter which is required for DiscoveryHD and future HDTV channels.
Ray: AC/DC receiver for RV?
A: No. Can use a 25W power converter.
Cory: Basketball coming to Dish Home sports menus?
A: (Scott Higgins, Dir Interactive Services) You can now pick 5 favorite teams under My Scores, scores appear within 5 min of the end of the game. They are working on an application for the Sports menu but don't expect to have it until next season.
James: Is an original owner, wants to know why program info can now take minutes to appear if the receiver doesn't time out first.
A: They are unhappy with the guide performance for non-PVR receivers. Because Dish added locals, then more locals as a result of must-carry (http://ekb.dbstalk.com/19#MC), the guide has become much larger and thus takes longer to loop around. They plan to compress the guide by about half in 1Q03 and may later split locals info from the main guide. Some bugs were found in the receiver software that were causing the "time-out with no info" problem, fixes are on the way.
Eugene: Can't get NM locals when he goes to AZ anymore.
A: It's because of spot beams that allow more cities to be carried. Each city has an approximately 350 mile diameter spot beam and you must be within that spot to get any of the channels carried on that spot beam.
Robert: KTEH San Francisco was removed due to not providing a quality signal. Aren't you required under must-carry to assist them in delivering the signal?
A: (Eric Sahl, Dir of Programming) We would like to put the station back up. The law states it is the station's obligation to provide the signal.
Rick: Any receiver have a DVI HDCP interface?
A: Some in design, they are monitoring HD copy protection and connection standards. Some providers may require encryption technology. The 921 will have DVI.
Guest
Jasper Smith, CEO of Static, an OpenTV subsidiary in the UK
About 1-2 million of B-Sky-B's 6 million subscribers use interactive features each week.
They have a total of 900 applications, 70 games available at any time.
Enhanced TV uses data added to documentaries. For sports it could be multiple camera angles, player stats, gambling options.
Interactive TV can generate a sense of community by getting people involved. There were more votes in the British version of Big Brother than in their last election. Gambling interests are some of the biggest investors.
The receiver must be connected to a phone line to take advantage of interactive features.
Interactive Update
TV Mag: Headlines, soap summaries, trivia games, more.
College and Pro football: favorite teams, schedules, team leaders, polls.
My Scores: Pro and college sports.
Dish Home: will be on all remaining OpenTV receivers on 11/19.
Dish News by Reuters: coming 11/20.
College Hoops: coming in December.
What's New on Dish: coming "later," maybe late December.
EZ Remote
A large-button remote for the technically challenged. Available in December for the 301, next year for other receivers.
E-VIII and new locals
Dave Bair, VP, Space Operations
E-VIII had several launch delays, is now up and running at 110 with spot beams turned on.
Cities that get some or all local channels on spot beams from 110 are:
Sacramento, Tampa, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Austin, Nashville, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland, San Antonio, and Albuquerque.
Newest cities added are Jacksonville ($5.99) and Las Vegas (no NBC, $4.99).
Future cities: Buffalo (11/21), Des Moines (11/21 w/o ABC).
On 11/1 Harrisburg got its CBS and UPN channels. Also Fresno got CBS with KGMC-Ind coming 11/14.
Giveaway
Prize: PVR721.
Question: What is the down link frequency range of Echostar satellites?
The Terk winner is Nick Peshterianu from Chattanooga, TN.
Q&A
Robert: Has a 5000 in Los Angeles, still has to tune locals in the 8000 range.
A: The 5000 doesn't have local channel remapping because it has an OTA tuner and there isn't a way for it to handle duplicate channel numbers.
Barry: Customer Support on the 501?
A: Should be part of the December upgrade.
Mike: How important is it to have DVI on a new HDTV?
A: Hard to find now but is wave of the future. Dish wants their receivers to be able to still use RGB and component connectors.
Giveaway
721 winner is John Hotsenpillar (sp?) from Reading, PA. Answer: 12.2-12.7GHz.
---------------
Next Charlie Chat is Mon Dec 9, 9:00pm Eastern