Dishplayer is AMAZING!!! But, it does have lots of bugs.
Written: Sep 23 '00
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Pros: Pause Live TV, Record digitally, skips ads, DISH receiver, WebTV, EPG, Dolby Digital
Cons: Bugs, Fees, WebTV banners, Hot
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| srturner47's Full Review: EchoStar DishPlayer 7100 Satellite System |
The Dishplayer completely changed the way I watch TV! I hardly ever watch live television, and television ads have become a thing of the past. I just set my Dishplayer up to record the shows I like on a weekly or daily basis. Then, I search the electronic program guide for topics that I am interested in every week and record those programs. Whenever I want to watch TV, I have the pick of the litter recorded in 100% digital quality, with NO degredation.
Tivo and ReplayTV can not compare to the Dishplayer for one simple reason: Tivo and ReplayTV encode analog signals digitally, and attempt to reduce the size of a broadcast by compressing the data. The Dishplayer is a satellite only unit. So, it receives data that is already digital and has already been compressed by DISH Network. It just spools that data onto its hard drive. In other words, the signal you get from your satellite DISH is EXACTLY the same as the signal the Dishplayer records. There is no other Personal Video Recorder (or Personal TV) unit that can do that! (Although there are a few other products scheduled for the market around the end 2000 that will do the same thing for both DirecTV and DISH Network)
OK, now for the bad part. The technology that the Dishplayer uses is very new. Thus, we must expect some bumps in the road...and there have been ALOT of them!!! The Dishplayer is plauged with bugs. However, it is software upgradable through your dish. This has come in handy for this unit. DISH Network has released several updates, correcting many of these problems. But some remain, so be forewarned.
The other big problem with the Dishplayer is that you are forced to see the WebTV "Go Interactive" banners while watching TV, even if you don't use the WebTV features of the unit. This can be really annoying. But it is a small price to pay for a such a great machine.
Another problem with the DP is that it gets REALLY hot. Be careful with the unit. Be sure to provide proper ventilation.
The hard drive for the Dishplayer can be easily upgraded. Search around on the net and you will find info about doing this. But, be forewarned, people who have upgraded to hard drives larger than 45GB have had problems. Stick to 45GB hard drives and lower. Also, when you upgrade your hard drive, your warranty will be void, so be careful. The 17.2 GB that now comes with the unit holds about 10-12 hours of programs. A 45GB upgrade can pull you up to about 30 hours.
The hard drive in the Dishplayer can also be a problem if you are sensitive to noises. The hard drive can be a little loud, and often runs when you are not watching TV (to either record a program or to get the nightly EPG download).
And then, of course, there is the fee. $10 will seem cheap for what you get from PTV when you buy the unit. But, it is still a recurring fee, and everybody hates that. It seems especially unfair when you recognize that the PTV functions are 99% hardware, and really, only the 7-day EPG is an add-on that the Dishplayer must fetch every night. But, then again, Dishplayers are soooooo cheap, they have to make money somewhere!
All in all it is a great unit and you will not regret it. It has lots of extra goodies like a Dolby Digital sound decoder in it (By the way, you can actually record a program in DD sound!!! Cool, eh?). And, this unit is a bargain for what it costs. I just wish that they would put another tuner in it so that you can watch one program while you record another, but I am just being picky...BUY IT! It's really changed my life despite all of the bugs I have to put up with!
Sorry I don't have more to say about the WebTV part of the unit, but I don't use WebTV so I don't know anything about it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200
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Epinions.com ID:
srturner47
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Member: Scott Turner
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 1 member
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