PVR 721 L1.05 Software Preview

Scott Greczkowski · 11-25-02, 08:08 PM

I am excited to announce that the Dish PVR 721 team has really been paying attention to all the comments made by 721 owners here at DBSTalk.COM and within the next few weeks will be releasing the long awaited L1.05 software to 721 owners!

L1.05 will give 721 owners a bunch of exciting new features and will fix a number of problems some 721 owners have experienced.

Here is what I know about L1.05 so far.

Whats New?
- Slow Motion
- Frame by Frame advance
- New Games
- New Color Scheme in Guide and Menus
- New Guide Mode (Transparent & Normals modes)
- PVR listing sorting (By Name or Date)
- Timers can be sorted by Occurrence, Theme etc...
- New On Screen Keyboard (Dish and Original)
- The Ability to shut off the Time Icon
- Receivers Temperature is listed on the Sysinfo screen
- Low Battery Support
- Ability to adjust the screen position of the menus
- New Search (New Layout)
- Aux Input (On Channel 0) You plug your DVD Player or XBOX up to the AV Jacks on the Front and switch to it by tuning to Channel 0
- Search for Title Specific Shows by highlighting the show in the guide and by pressing the # button

Whats Fixed in L1.05?
- Kick to Live Bug is gone (No more being thrown to Live Mode when watching a delayed show)
- Automatic Switch to unused Tuner (instead of going to PIP then SWAP to get to the second tuner)
- Many Timer Bugs Squashed
- Black Out Error on Adult Channels fixed
- Time left on view banner is now accurate instead of displaying 0:00
- Text on view banner is easier to read and larger (Especially the Channel number)

Dish Network has agreed to send me a complete list of new features and bug fixes within the next day or so, so I will update this list once I have a complete list of changes. (note the list I have now is subject to change)

Dish Network has also agreed to let me test L1.05 before it is released to the General public, I should get the L1.05 update on Wednesday. The Dish Network folks have agreed to let me post my findings here on DBSTalk so everyone will know what to expect with this update.

Overall I can tell that the 721 team has put a lot of time and effort into this release, yes it took them a little longer to get this version out but they wanted but they wanted to make sure everything was correct with this release. I am told I will be impressed with the updates made in this software revision and from the sounds of it I probably will be.

I can't wait to get the update and you can bet that I will report my findings here for you.

My thanks to the 721 team and the folks at Echostar for paying attention to our members here at DBSTalk, I find it exciting that they are closely watching our comments so they can make the 721 the best it can be. I also thank the 721 team and Echostar for including me in the process.

John Corn · 11-25-02, 08:16 PM

Wow......looks great Scott.

Doesn't look like a a fix for my "acquiring satellite signal" problems, but none the less, alot of nice features thats for sure.

jcrash · 11-25-02, 08:47 PM

Well, seeing as how I'm still on L103 for some reason, I don't have my hopes up.

alanek · 11-25-02, 08:51 PM

Will the timers still be based on the time of the show or by the name?

Scott Greczkowski · 11-25-02, 08:51 PM

Jcrash call support and ask for advanced tech support. They should be able to help you out.

Scott Greczkowski · 11-25-02, 08:52 PM

Alanek, I wont know for sure until my 721 gets the beta software Wednesday, but I would assume that it is still time based.

sampatterson · 11-25-02, 08:55 PM

Sounds great. Thanks for the report and always being on the cutting edge!

Bill D · 11-25-02, 09:38 PM

Scott, this is great info, I think it's great that Dish is giving you this info to pass it along and a preview of the software is even better, especially if there are any problems. The features and fixes will be great as long as nothing new pops up that will be a great christmas gift..
I'm curious of one thing on the tech chat it seems during slow motion the big lower 3rd banner was gone, that would be nice, often covers tickers and other important stuff..
thanks again

SParker · 11-25-02, 09:57 PM

Wow nice! I hope it does squash my timer bugs!

sneakymoose · 11-25-02, 10:07 PM

Sounds great! I just ordered a 721 system today at Sears ($434 after price match and before tax!). So it's actually a JVC branded 721 -- hopefully it's exactly the same as an EchoStar branded 721 so that it will download the same updates once they are released to everyone else.

I'd like to add this to the feature wish list:

- Allow uplink communications over ethernet (through USB port and a USB->Ethernet adapter).

I would like to eventually replace my local telephone service with a cell phone. The only thing that stops me right now (besides cell phone service prices) is the receiver's need for a telephone line.

I think that once Dish starts doing more impressive things with the "interactive" capabilities on their receivers, they will start requiring feedback from the receiver to their servers more and more frequently, anyway. Eventually they could even have services that benefit from high speed connections, like multi-player games. Given that the 721 is running Linux and X/Windows, it seems like not-such-a-huge-challenge to add on some very impressive games.

SParker · 11-25-02, 10:08 PM

Wow that turning the clock (timer) icon off is another huge plus.

11-25-02, 10:23 PM

Thanks for the info. Scott! Was anything mentioned about changing the default on "3 minute after program ends" on timed recordings (I would prefer 0). Also, if "start recording 1 minute early could be defaulted to "no"

Scott Greczkowski · 11-25-02, 10:38 PM

Nope no mention of that jabbanat. Don't forget that the additions and fixes is not a full list, we can still hold out hope for that feature.

rowdymon · 11-25-02, 10:56 PM

Sneakynoose, where did you pricematch to to get that $434 price? Are you a new customer?

DishDude1 · 11-25-02, 11:36 PM

I love the temperature being added to the sys info screen! Now that is cool!!

sneakymoose · 11-26-02, 12:12 AM

I've been a subscriber for about 2 years... But Sears doesn't care whether you are a new subscriber or not -- they will charge $600 for a 721 "system" (includes dish, etc.) either way. However, they do have a price match policy where they will match the price of a retail store competitor in your town and then reduce the price by 10% of the difference. On-Site Satellite quoted me (and the Sears employee) a price of $450 for a 721 system (for new subscribers, but like I said, Sears does not differentiate).

So the Sears price is $450 - $15 (10% of difference). Also, Sears has a mail in rebate going for all Dish Network "systems" (not standalone receivers), to where you get a $50 Sears gift card 8-10 weeks after mailing in the rebate coupon, copy of receipt, and UPC from box.

So in the long run:

721PVR System: $600
Price Match: -$150
Price Guarantee: -$15
-------------------
Subtotal: $434
Tax: $33.85 (Mesa, AZ @ 7.8%)
Total: $467.85
MIR: $46.38 ($50 Sears Gift Card minus taxes assumed for future purchases)

Effective Total: $421.47

When I originally spoke to someone yesterday at a different Mesa store, I saw a sign above the Dish receivers that offered interest free financing until January 2004... But when I made the purchase after work today, the sales clerk pointed out the fine print that the interest free offer is for big screen TVs (and a few other items) only. So I couldn't take advantage of that. If I signed up for a Sears card, it would be another $10 off, but I didn't think that was worth the hassle of having to close out that card and request that they don't share my info, etc, etc.

BTW, neither location had the 721 on display. They had all the other current models on display, though (301, 501 or 508, 6000). The first store's employees (Superstition Springs Mall) didn't know much of anything about Dish Network. The employee who rang me up at the second store (Fiesta Mall) at least knew a little bit about the 721 and was eager to receive them into his store. They gave me an expected arrival date of 12/9.

lonnman · 11-26-02, 02:28 AM

I'll believe it when I see it. My vote will be the end of January, beginning of February. I hope I'm wrong, but that's my prediction for L1.05.

I also hope they put more emphasis on fixing bugs than new features though, with the exception of sorting timers and pvr listings. I would also like to see better stability than the current weekly reboots. I should be able to get a month or two if not more without doing a hard reset. I can think of about 6 more minor bugs just off the top of my head. Hopefully they will go away, some I am thinking of are in the search screen and maybe others are corrected or replaced in the new features as well. Those that are listed are the big ones for me though and should tie me through till L1.06.

Jeff Lonn

thomasmaly · 11-26-02, 08:45 AM

Scott, do you know if the timer conflict bug will be fixed?
Thats where it says you have a conflict but none really exists.

Scott Greczkowski · 11-26-02, 08:56 AM

Thomas it is my understanding that most if not all the timer bugs are fixed. I will let you know for sure when I get my update.

It is great to see so many folks are interested in this upgrade and product.

Greg Haynes · 11-26-02, 09:30 AM

This is very exciting news Scott! Thanks for sharing it with us! Hope you enjoy the new update soon

My only suggestion to Dish would be if they could give us folders in the PVR section to allow us to sort our shows. Or give us the option to retitle the show.

I guess after this the next major new addition would be OpenTV and Internet support.

Scott Greczkowski · 11-26-02, 09:43 AM

Greg, I agree 100% with your folder idea!

It would put the "Personal" back in the P of PVR.

I would love to sit down press the PVR Button, click on my name and see my folders which holds only my shows.

When you have a PVR that can record 90 hours of video, the PVR list can get cluttered quickly, while the new PVR sort feature will make things easier to find, I still think that adding folders will make the experiance more personal and thus more pleasent.

Bill D · 11-26-02, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Greg Haynes
This is very exciting news Scott! Thanks for sharing it with us! Hope you enjoy the new update soon

My only suggestion to Dish would be if they could give us folders in the PVR section to allow us to sort our shows. Or give us the option to retitle the show.

I guess after this the next major new addition would be OpenTV and Internet support.

Greg great point on the re-naming, often I think if a recording starts early it takes the pgm name from the program before, very annoying, it be nice if we could rename, the new sort by shows will be nice, but folders should be a no brainer...
My stuff
My wife's stuff
Kid's shows,
and then sub folders for each show.

DarrellP · 11-26-02, 11:10 AM

Scott, in regards to the 501/508, will any of these features be included for it?

- New Color Scheme in Guide and Menus
- New Guide Mode (Transparent & Normals modes)
- Timers can be sorted by Occurrence, Theme etc...
- The Ability to shut off the Time Icon
- Receivers Temperature is listed on the Sysinfo screen
- Ability to adjust the screen position of the menus
- New Search (New Layout)

Thanks.

dbronstein · 11-26-02, 11:20 AM

Why are they wasting their time with games? This is a PVR not a game machine. The biggest issue IMO is still making the recordings show-based instead of time-based. Then after that, the "personal" features would be great, or at least grouping and displaying the shows better.

The way ReplayTV does it is with a 2-D grid listing the show names down the side and then the episodes you have across, so it's really easy to see what you have. Providing that along with the option to group shows within folders would be an awesome interface.

Dennis

Mark Holtz · 11-26-02, 11:22 AM

Now you're making us 50x owners envious.

Can't wait for our upgrade.