# Anyone ever see a working 921?



## Peluso (Sep 11, 2002)

Just a thought, but I realized no one has spoken like they have 1st hand knowledge of the product. Is there anyone here who has actually seen a working 921?


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

No, because there are no working 921s yet. None. I'm being serious here...


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## Peluso (Sep 11, 2002)

It stands to reason that the development team would have one working in the lab. I've worked for industrial manufacturers and they always seem to have a model working in the lab up to a year before release dates. 

Do you have proprietary information that Dish doesn't have one working yet? Has the hardware even gone gold yet?


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

I don't know much about the manufacturing process, so I don't know exactly what the hardware going gold means. I'm assuming it means is the hardware set and not going to change. From what I've heard, yes the hardware is now set. The software is being worked on, but isn't there yet. 

Consider this rumor, as I do have a source for the information, but can't reveal who it is.  And no, I'm not under an NDA for anything having to do with the 921.


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## Phil T (Mar 25, 2002)

I know - the cats got your tongue.


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## Peluso (Sep 11, 2002)

Mark Lamutt said:


> I'm assuming it means is the hardware set and not going to change. From what I've heard, yes the hardware is now set. The software is being worked on, but isn't there yet.


Yes, that's what I meant by gold. I know the general term for software going gold is that it is ready to send to production. Hardware going gold should be the same thing. I would think that it's going to take time to manufacturer all of the boxes that Dish will probably sell. If the hardware has gone gold, then why don't they just start making the boxes. Then they can ship as soon as the software goes gold and when you hook it up have the box automatically download the final software version.


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

From what I've been told, that will be the plan...except I doubt the software will be at the "gold" stage when the boxes do ship.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

I sure hope you are wrong Mark. If there is no working prototype for the 921 yet, I sure have my doubts that it will ship before Xmas. Having worked on a number of software/hardware projects they will need at least 1 month of internal testing and 1 month of external testing for a device like this. Possible more.

They should have something working by now.. If not, WOW. They talked about releasing this in Feb of this year so I would think they would have major functionality by now and are working on the glitz. If they dont have something recording and playing back on the shipping hardware Santa won't be coming to anyone's house this year.


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

I really hope that the info that I've gotton isn't correct as well. I want my 921 dammit!


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## Bob Haller (Mar 24, 2002)

Gee I tried to post as Charlie Ergen asking where mine is. I see that name is taken 

Actually I didnt try but still thought it funny.


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## toad57 (Apr 23, 2002)

Peluso said:


> Do you have proprietary information that Dish doesn't have one working yet? Has the hardware even gone gold yet?


Maybe they could team up with Microsoft like they did on the DishPlayer... then they could quickly get the product out the door- they could call it 'Gone Lead' !Devil_lol


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## Peluso (Sep 11, 2002)

cute.


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## clapple (Feb 11, 2003)

Maybe a dumb question; but how could they win a best of show award, with a mock-up? perhaps it wasn't the finished version; but didn't it have to work?


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## DmitriA (Aug 6, 2002)

Because they paid the most money to the show organizers. Standard practice with these trade shows


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## Peluso (Sep 11, 2002)

How big is the Dish tradeshow booth? How many Dish employees go to the CES show? With Dish's vaunted spending pressures, I can't see them shipping in every single area rep to the show. 

I seem to remember screen shots of a 921 menu on an HDTV. Maybe it was pre Alpha.


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## dmodemd (Jul 5, 2002)

I would imagine at this point of time they have or are making the first test production hardware run. These will be the "beta" boxes. When they get them, they will load them with beta software and send them out to the beta testers and see what more they have to work out. Obviously wiht beta you already have a long list of known issues you are working and send them out to beta test as they complete. Round and round until you think you have a stable build  ....

Once they receive the first test production hardware run, they will evaluate the hardware as well and if it seems good and stable, they will start up the main production run while beta is in progress. Xmas is VERRRY optimistic at this point. If they are STILL working out kinks in the 721 it does not bode well for the 921. I am very heavily leaning to skipping this generation of equipment.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Well at this point I would settle for a HDTV package that is around 12 bucks and give me a decent amount of good HD content at a reasonable price. If it takes 300 bucks to get that, I dont think I will be too happy about it at all. I am very cautious on the 921 and dont think I will be an early adapter. So I see this as a two stage update. Get more HDTV content and then the 921. But all depends on if a 921 deal will be offered for current 6000 users. 

Guess we are less than a week away where hopefully all will be revealed.


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## Eyedox (Nov 25, 2002)

I asked Charlie Ergen how he comes up with his numbering system for the new models that come out. He said that it was the number of times they expect to delay the release of a certain product multiplied by the number of design flaws and software bugs ... that becomes the model number.


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## boba (May 23, 2003)

On todays Dealer Charlie Chat, Charlie gave a date of Nov. 1 or there about for the 811 and 921. Don't hold your breath but here is another date they may live up to.


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## Peluso (Sep 11, 2002)

boba said:


> On todays Dealer Charlie Chat, Charlie gave a date of Nov. 1 or there about for the 811 and 921. Don't hold your breath but here is another date they may live up to.


well this is promising info.


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## lonnman (Nov 16, 2002)

I would assume that if the 921 were released on Nov 1, or most likely later, that it would be in limited supply. Didn't they do this with the 721? I know I waited 6 to 9 months after the 721 were released before buying. I was thinking that most of the bugs would be worked out, but was wrong.... At least I have been lucky and I still have my original 721. I am waiting for the final current customer price with fee (currently AT150). Hopefully if I pay a fee I can get the box much cheaper???

Jeff


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## Chris Freeland (Mar 24, 2002)

lonnman said:


> I would assume that if the 921 were released on Nov 1, or most likely later, that it would be in limited supply. Didn't they do this with the 721? I know I waited 6 to 9 months after the 721 were released before buying. I was thinking that most of the bugs would be worked out, but was wrong.... At least I have been lucky and I still have my original 721. I am waiting for the final current customer price with fee (currently AT150). Hopefully if I pay a fee I can get the box much cheaper???
> 
> Jeff


The rumor is that the 522 will replace the 721. It will be interesting to see how much for the 522?


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## Bill D (May 11, 2002)

Chris Freeland said:


> The rumor is that the 522 will replace the 721. It will be interesting to see how much for the 522?


Considering I can't see the 721 ever getting the internet access I hoped it would, that would be a logical thing for them to do. Although I would like them to make their products a little more 'mature' before replacing them. There is still a long list of features, mainly just ease of operation which should be easy to implement, but since they are already like 6 months late or more on this latest ver that we are waiting for who knows.

What I find to be really bad is that they announce these receivers so far in advance, you have to wonder what they are working on all this time because the 1st ver of the 721 was nothing special.


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## toad57 (Apr 23, 2002)

Eyedox said:


> I asked Charlie Ergen how he comes up with his numbering system for the new models that come out. He said that it was the number of times they expect to delay the release of a certain product multiplied by the number of design flaws and software bugs ... that becomes the model number.


I don't buy it... that may have held true for stuff like the Dishplayers (7100/7200), but the new models only have 3 digits... :dance:


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## lonnman (Nov 16, 2002)

Chris Freeland said:


> The rumor is that the 522 will replace the 721. It will be interesting to see how much for the 522?


I'd assume that once my 721 needs to be replaced, they will try to replace it with a 501, 508, 510, 521 box?

I would also suppose that this could be the last SW upgrade on the 721? I was thinking today that a great new feature for these PVR/DVR boxes would be a simple log of what has been watched over the last N days. I caught my 8 year old daughter watching something inappropriate on MTV, and told her she couldn't watch that channel. It would also be great to see what channels I'm actually watching so I can easily had to my favorites. I also don't subscribe to AEP because skinMAX seems to turn on around 10 PM. I haven't tried the security options in over a year because if I remember they made me punch in the code on each channel change, and it annoyed me, and more importantly, my wife, when we are surfing.

Jeff


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## Peluso (Sep 11, 2002)

I wonder what the sales targets are, and lifetime expectation is for the 921. The more out there the more attention the product will get.


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## StevenZ (Aug 15, 2003)

Peluso said:


> Just a thought, but I realized no one has spoken like they have 1st hand knowledge of the product. Is there anyone here who has actually seen a working 921?


I used a 921 today.

At the CEDIA show in Indianapolis, there were two or three working 921 units. I was able to fly one of them, check out the OSD, view some HD and some SD. The booth personnel were all saying 'November' rather than October, and $999.

One unusual feature I had not yet heard mentioned: a remote-control button marked 'R' that sequences throught the inputs of a TV and channels 3 & 4, for those costomers who suddenly "lose" programming. Not of much use to the folks here, but good for lots of folks who don't really get the idea that TVs have multiple inputs.

Incidentally, a JVC guy said the JVC version of the 921 will arrive just after the Dish-branded box, and he was told "within 60 days".

The Dish Network Product Collection 2004 [a fold-out brochure] shows a feature comparison of the 111, 311, 322, 510, 522, 811, and 921.

By the way, there were several 921s turned around with rear panels showing. All had product labels with production serial numbers. It seems like it's finally "real soon now".


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## Mark Lamutt (Mar 24, 2002)

Ok, I'm firing my source of the obvious misinformation that I posted above tomorrow...


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## Ken_F (Jan 13, 2003)

There have been working 921s for some time now. The fact that Charlie did not have one really didn't mean much, as he doesn't receive units until the very late beta stages.


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## Peluso (Sep 11, 2002)

StevenZ said:


> I used a 921 today.
> At the CEDIA show in Indianapolis, there were two or three working 921 units. It seems like it's finally "real soon now".


Yeah!  Yippie!  I'm Happy! :lol:


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