Supporting DBSTalk.com and SatelliteGuys.US
Supporting DBSTalk.com and SatelliteGuys.US
Hosts for the November 2009 Tech Forum are Mark Jackson, President of EchoStar Technologies and Dan Minnick, VP of Engineering.
1-888-621-2078 or e-mail techforum@dishnetwork.com
Recap of features: 1TB hard drive, prepositioned HD movies you can watch on demand, new graphical user interface, internet browser, integrated Sling.
Big improvements in the ability to search. Easily find the next showing of what you are watching. Type-ahead search brings up results as you type. Can search by title, description or actor. All sources (guide, DVR list, online) can be searched at once or separately, with Dish Online results listed last since there are so many. Search by description doesn't fill results until you've typed a full word, but you can click More to get a partial word search. The results can be narrowed down by selecting a Theme (movies, sports, news, etc). Online content is marked by type (HD, 1080p); if not marked Free it's a pay event.
When the 922 launches a wireless keyboard will be available for sale.
The internet browser can be brought up in a PIP window, perhaps to search for an actor while you're watching a show.
Log in to control your DVR via PC, Mac or iPhone. Grid shows 9 days of programs. Click to create a timer. Search for shows by actor and watch a clip. Click on Manage Disk Space to see what's on your DVR and delete shows. Need to be connected to broadband. Available on the 612, 622, 722, 722k.
Later this month, satellite-based timers will be added. This is one-way communication, won't be able to make changes. 522/625, 612, 622/722, 722k
Dish Remote Access will be added to a new application for the iPhone and iTouch available in December.
Steve: Receiver doesn't seem to connect via a rotary line?
Paul: Receiver support both rotary and touch-tone. Go to menu-6-1-4.
Mike: Why can't I watch my external hard drive on my computer?
Mark: Programmers are very strict, don't want content ending up on the internet. Dish applies encryption so you can't do that.
Shiela: What view of Earth are we seeing on the Dish Earth Channel?
Mark: It's a camera on the satellite over the equator at 110°. More at www.givetheworld.com.
Richard: Are you able to broadcast in 3D?
Mark: Not a broadcast standard yet, 3 fighting for dominance. Will probably require a new TV, and also active glasses with LCD shutters. Passive glasses use the blue and green filters that don't provide that good an experience. Will probably take about a year.
Tony: Are all your HD channels in 1080p?
Mark: Some of the HD VOD on ch 501, usually 1 or 2 choices.
Wes: Record everything I watch, keep maxing on timers. Can hard drive space be set aside to increase it?
Dan: Limit is 96 timers. Increasing it requires RAM which is needed for other features.
Wes: When name-based recording was added you said if sport run long and regular programming was shifted, we'd be covered.
Dan: If I said that I was wrong. If the schedule is updated the night before it will be caught. If it's a dynamic thing like sports overtime, there is no update from the programmer and the schedule is not updated.
Bob: Will the 922 be very limited without a broadband connection?
Mark: You probably don't want it in that case. Same satellite-delivered VOD is available on other HD DVRs. Mark guesses the 922 business rules may require having broadband. Extra storage can be added with an external hard drive.
Jim: Details and availability of the wireless monitor?
Mark: Shown at CES last year, saw the finished goods for the first time today. It's 15" HD, only works with the 922 because it runs off Sling.
Alan Kraemer, Chief Technology Officer for SRS Labs. Have recently been working on TruVolume as they keep hearing complaints about volume shifts. Dish gets complaints about commercials and the difference between HD and SD channels. Alan explains that advertisers really aren't violating anything as they stay below the maximum level, the problem is that some commercials are kept near that maximum. SD channel sound uses MPEG and HD uses AC-3 or Dolby Digital, and the dialogue reference level between the two is different by about 10-12dB.
The fix will first appear in December on the 722k, the 922 will have it when it ships, and the rest of the ViP line will get it over 1Q10. The feature will be enabled by default with the option added to the Dolby Digital menu. Dish will be the first provider to roll this out.
Prize: iWow dongle that attaches to an iPod or iPhone to improve the sound, also an iPod Touch to go with it
Question: At what frequency range is the human ear most sensitive to volume shifts?
Employees of Dish, those who have won in the past year, and family members of recent winners are not eligible.
Video from Scott Higgins. Tetris, $2.99/mo, multiple levels and versions.
Allows use of a universal remote for TV2 or to connect a Sling to TV2.
TV2 installation: Remove the UHF antenna. Disconnect the TV2 output and connect it to the In of the supplied splitter. Use 2 of the 3 short lengths of coax to connect the splitter to the antenna port and TV2 coax output. At TV2, remove the coax coming from the receiver and plug it into the Receiver port on the converter, and the third short coax between the TV and the converter's To TV port. Connect the power. Place the IR sensor vertically (as opposed to lying flat) within line of sight of the remote. If using the TV2 remote, remove the battery cover, pop out the tab and flip it over to showing black.
Sling installation: Replace the current IR cable on the Sling with the one in the converter kit, running the other end to the converter. Remove the UHF antenna and connect it to one of the outputs of the splitter. Use 2 of the lengths of coax to run from the converter Receiver port to the splitter's other output, then from the splitter's Input to the receiver's antenna port. Connect the power. Connect the TV2 output to the Sling using RCA cables.
Press PIP repeatedly to change the size and get to side-by-side mode. Use SWAP to control the other window. (receiver must be in Single mode)
iPod Touch and SRS iWow winner: Rick Hills from CA. Answer: mid-band
Dave Bair, SVP, Space Programs & Operations, EchoStar. Nimiq 5 has replaced E*6 at 72.7° which is part of the Eastern Arc along with 61.5° and 77°. Capacity is leased from Telesat Canada. Lots of video clips of the satellite being built and launched.
The show will be rebroadcast throughout November.
Next Tech Forum: February 8
Next Charlie Chat: Monday December 14, 2009, 9pm ET, channel 101