After LESS Than Two Weeks, I'm Canceling My Dish Network...

[arwalden]

... and going to DirecTV.

I loved the quality of the picture. I loved the variety of the full lineup. I loved the music channels. I loved not paying high cable prices. BUT...

What I cannot live with is the quality (or lack thereof) of their satellite tuners. And I'm not alone in my assessment either.

Their tuners have a screen saver feature that kicks in after 4 hours of not changing the channel. WTF?? The screen saver also kicks in immediately after the tuner picks up its new on-screen channel-guide & TV schedule listings. WTF??

To make matters worse... once the screen saver is activated, there is NOTHING that will make it go away OTHER THAN pressing the "Select" button on the remote control.

Unfortunately, when my ReplayTV (and other people's TiVo recorders) want to change the channel to begin recording a new show, they simply send the command to change the channel. --- HOWEVER, when the Dish Network 322 receiver is asleep in screen saver mode, it COMPLETELY IGNORES all signals EXCEPT FOR a human pressing the "Select" button on the remote control.

And... you guessed it... everything that was scheduled to record overnight recorded NOT the show... but the Dish Network logo bouncing all over the TV screen. WTF!!!

I wish I had done more research on this problem before diving in head first and choosing Dish Network. I've visited DBSForums.com and DBSTalk.com and have discovered that this is an ongoing problem that Dish has known about since January and apparently it isn't on their top priorities to be fixed (or to have this 'feature' disabled). Grrrr.

I seldom watch "live" TV anymore. It's digitally recorded and we skip thru commercials instantly and pause for bathroom breaks and instantly rewind for those "what-did-he-say" moments (or when we're laughing so hard that we miss the dialog).

Fortunately I'm not in a contract with Dish Network, and I can cancel anytime without penalty. HOWEVER, as part of the startup requirements, I had to pre-pay two months in advance. I hope I can get a refund.

Anyhow... Murdoch or not... DirecTV, here I come. I simply refuse to pay for something that is so buggy that it's rendered useless. (And it's not like ReplayTV is something that's "brand new" and Dish Network is just now hearing about them. Clearly, very little testing went into their new "322" receiver. I feel like *I'M* the Beta-Tester... only I'm not getting the service for FREE.)

Call me a traitor for supporting the enemy... I don't care. I can't reward incompetence.

-- Allen

<WHEW... I feel better now. Thanks for listening.>

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=25164&page=1&pp=25
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=25368
http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34746&highlight=screen+saver
http://www.dbsforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35038

[ZenLefty]

1. Not long ago, we used to have three channels

Four, if you counted the snowy UHF channel that played local access crap 8 hours a day. And we had to get up off our bums to change the channel.

Funny how new technology can be so irritating sometimes. :+

[PartyPooper]

5. That's why Al Gore invented the internet!

And, then DU was invented...so, we'd all have a fun place to educate, play, and entertain ourselves-without TV!

:D

[arwalden]

12. I Remember Being THRILLED With ASCII-ONLY BBS's

with one-line dialup, at 300 baud... no chat... just read and reply... with 15 minute per call limits and one hour per day limits.

Remember GEnie? Kind of like the ascii forefunner to AOL, Prodigy and Compuserve. I loved them back then. I just KNEW that it couldn't get any better.... then I got a 2400 BAUD modem. Oh. My. God. The SPEED! Text appeared faster than I could read it. All that power!!

-- Allen

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

13. Ahhh, yes, the power of BBS!

[ZenLefty]

18. I was just happy to get a tape drive.

A way to save all the "programs" I wrote in Basic on the Commodore Vic 20. I loved it!!

And there are days this Pentium 4 with its 80 gigabytes pisses me off to the point of homicidal fantasies.

Ironic, no?

[shadu]

2. SO WHAT I S BEST

[arwalden]

10. I guess it's a matter of viewing habits and the equipment you have...

other than this major issue, I was DELIGHTED... SIMPLY DELIGHTED with everything about Dish Network. But, since I never (almost) ever watch "live" TV... the performance issues of their receivers are something that I cannot live with.

But for someone else, they might be fine.

-- Allen

[kiahzero]

3. Why do you have a separate device to record?

Never had a "screen saver" come on mine... it's a DishPVR... not sure of the exact model. Your post indicates you've researched this... there's absolutely no way of turning the "screen saver" off?

[arwalden]

7. Because I Already Have Two PVR's...

and I'm not about to throw them away so that I can lease (at additional cost) Dish Networks (substandard) integrated PVR's.
Mine are completely functional with DirecTV's converters, Comcast cable converters, Cox Cable converters, Comcast DIGITAL converters... there is no reason that Dish Network should purposely make their receivers UNfriendly to PVR's or VCR's.

Ah... maybe that's it... they want to encourage others to abandon their investment in other PVR's. Clever bastards, eh?

Nope, there's absolutely NO WAY to disable the screen saver. Apparently it's only in the 322 model receiver and will soon be added to the 301 model receiver.

There are "tricks" that I've found in other forums... but that involves setting an internal "change-channel-timer" every three or four hours. This would force the 322 unit to change channels on schedule to simulate activity, and the screen saver would (indeed) not kick on.

HOWEVER... by setting a timer like this, the 322 receiver is likely to change channels automatically WHILE you're recording some late night west coast feed of HBO.

Thanks for the feedback, kiahzero! I'm glad you're NOT having trouble with your unit and that it fits your TV watching habits. (AREN'T PVR's GREAT????) :D

-- Allen

[kiahzero]

11. Indeed, they are wonderful

I'm sorry your's isn't working so well. That sucks so hard that there's no way to turn it off... is Dish working on maybe patching the software to allow it?

[Maestro]

4. Never

had a problem with my dish except for the two days that Viacom and Dish were fighting recently and I several channels were blocked. And I have no idea what screen saver you are talking about.

[PartyPooper]

6. I've never had a problem with my Dish receivers, either.

Of course, they were installed a few years ago...and, maybe...they "updated" the technology since then.

:shrug:

[arwalden]

8. Maestro & PartyPooper... Yep, it's the latest equipment and software...

and from all accounts that I can find, this was a "rushed" release that wasn't Beta tested very well. When the programmers test their own stuff, they know what "dumb" mistakes to avoid. It's ONLY when something gets in the hands of actual consumers do they REALLY discover what needs fixing.

-- Allen

[jayfish]

9. My .02

I have been a DirecTV sub. for seven years and they can have my DirecTiVo when the pry it from my cold dead hands. The only complaint I have is that the compression on D is awful. If you have a big screen you might be disappointed. Comcast just got HDTV in my city and if they get the PVR option I just might try it.

Jay

[UTUSN]

14. I'm Clueless AND Contracted with Dish for a Year

As a Dem/Lib I tortured over whether to renew with Dish (FS) or pay tribute to MURDOCH-DirecTV. Anyway, I'm tied down to Dish. We're all tied down to SOMETHING, no?

[Supormom]

15. Does DirecTV have

Free Speech TV or World Link?
The two channels I watch most often.

[SoCalDem]

16. They have neither..

and they have Murdoch and lots of "Foxes"..

I love my DishTv and have had no problems, but then I am using THEIR equipment.. I love the PVR thingie.. I always fall back to sleep watching Washington Journal (it comes on here at 4 AM), so it just records automatically for me and I can watch it whenever..

[arwalden]

20. I Liked FSTV (what little I got to enjoy of it)

and even though I'll miss it (a little), I won't miss it enough to make me stay with Dish Network.

FSTV was just a bonus for me, not a primary selling point. Unfortunately it didn't counterbalance all the other negatives about Dish that didn't work with my particular equipment and viewing habits.

-- Allen

[DemBones DemBones]

27. We have World Link on DirecTV and

just don't watch the FOX channels. Murdoch didn't own DirecTv when we first got it. If something doesn't happen soon, Murdoch will own everything, including DishTV. Some things are hard to escape.

[nclib]

22. DirecTV does have World Link,

at least for now. It does not have Free Speech TV.

[buff2]

17. Do you or anyone else with Dish have a problem

with changing channels? When I change my channel,it takes a few seconds for the picture to come back on......this annoys the heck out of me. I like an instant picture when I change channels.....I hate to wait those few seconds because in those few seconds you might be missing something. :grr:

[arwalden]

19. That's Because The Digital Signal You Receive Is Not Truly "Live"

in the same way you watch an analog signal.

It first has to be received by the dish, then "reassembled" in your receiver unit then streamed out to the television. All things considered, it's almost instantaneous... but I know what you mean. It's not the same as switching channels on the TV itself or switching channels with an old analog cable box.

-- Allen

[buff2]

30. I don't suppose there is anyway to change it,is there?

Besides getting rid of dish network? :shrug:

[U2Fanatic]

21. what annoys me to no end about dish network to no end is when..

you lose the sattelite signal. It's been happening to me all day off an on. It makes me homicidal. I don't have the screen saver problem because I've had mine for a few years.

[DemBones DemBones]

23. We had DirecTV long before Murdoch bought it

and we use TiVo a lot, even if we start watching the recorded program on TiVo before it's completely recorded (that allows us to zip though commercials.) Often, we TiVo two shows at once.

I think you'll like DirecTV. My only complaint at present is that we're not getting a PBS channel that shows Nova and Masterpiece Theatre, only a PBS channel that shows distance learning type programs (Spanish, Business English.) But I'm not willing to pay more to get it unless it comes with other channels I want, NOT a hundred sports channels! I could get along fine with just IFC, BBC, TCM, LINK-TV, C-SPAN 1 & 2, and NWI.

[arwalden]

24. I'll Be Combining It With My "Local Channels (Only)" Cable Signal

Why? you may be asking...

Well, event thought I got rid of my cable boxes, I kept Comcast's most basic of basic services (at $10.00 per month). That service provides local channels only and if I didn't subscribe to SOMETHING, the cost of my cable internet service would have jumped MORE than the cost of having basic-basic cable TV.

In other words... what they are saying is subscribe to the minimum (and keep our customer count artificially inflated) or pay an extra $15 per month for your internet access.

So... as long as it's hooked up, I might as well blend it with the satellite signal and add it to my ReplayTV's onscreen channel guide.

-- Allen

I get 4 PBS's. It's very nice.

[Piltdown13]

25. We used to be able to get that kind of savings, too

The cable bill has been going up so rapidly the past year and a half or so that we decided to look into getting satellite TV while keeping bare-bones cable for local channels. That way, there's no need to pay DirecTV or Dish the $5/mo for local channels, and we'd get the $10/mo "multi-service discount" on our broadband. Unfortunately, Insight has changed things, at least in our area, to where you only get the "multi-service discount" if you're subscribing to *digital* cable (a minimum of something like $45/mo). I'm pissed at Insight, but even more I'm pissed at our local government, which negotiated the arrangement with Insight that allows them to jack up the rates by $3-$4 every six months, as well as including nice little gouges like Insight charging my town $2-$3 more per month for movie channels than they charge ALL of the neighboring towns. :mad:

[arwalden]

26. By Switching To Satellite Service I'm Saving Almost $20 per month

that's $240 per year. So... I get more for less. I can live with that.

AND... a BIG FAT AND... I now get Turner Classic Movies again. According to Comcast my DC suburb county doesn't have the right market to warrant their purchasing and providing TCM. (The bastards!)



-- Allen

[Piltdown13]

28. Wow, I'm impressed!

Although, if the cable bill continues to climb the way it has been, we may soon see that sort of savings by switching to satellite! :-)

Weird about Comcast and TCM -- I thought TCM was one of the channels that typically gets included as a package with a few others (both for subscribers and from the content provider to the cable network). Not that it should come as a surprise that every cable company has its own bizarre little deals for each market...

[Gopens]

29. I had to ditch the Dish, too

Pretty much over the same problems arwalden had. We were looking into getting TIVO, but apparently our dish receiver was not compatible, but the Dish guys said, "Don't worry, you can use our PVR!"

Later, we found out that our receiver apparently WAS compatible with TIVO, but by that time we had already switched. Plus, our crappy receivers were always cutting off inexplicably and refusing to come back on, and we would inevitably lose our picture if someone spat on the roof.

We've had no such problems with DirectTV so far. No blackouts, no picture losses in storms, and DirecTIVo is wonderful!

Yes, I hated to lose Free Speech TV, but otherwise I wasn't getting my money's worth from Dish.

[geniph]

31. Screen saver?

We've had DISH for about a year now, and I have yet to see any kind of screen saver. Weird. I've been nothing but delighted with the quality of the picture and the sound. The programming is the same stupid shit that all the other services has - TV sucks! It drives me berserk - all I want is to sit down for awhile and find some mindless entertainment, and with nearly 100 channels, I still can't find anything I'll sit through. Maybe that's why I've never seen the screen saver. Maybe I never left it on long enough.

I don't record anything, so can't comment on that part of the problem. I haven't found anything worth that much trouble.

[RebelOne]

33. Yes, I was going to ask the same question.

What screen saver?

[ronnykmarshall]

32. I guess I'll stick with cable

SBC (my phone company and internet) is partners with Dish. I was thinking about changing.