# DishDVR 510 - Recording OTA, not DISH



## SouthernSky (Jul 15, 2003)

Will the new DishDVR 510 record what's on the screen if the TV is tuned to an OTA program or a cabled security-camera hookup? I couldn't find the answer elsewhere.


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## Pete K. (Apr 23, 2002)

No


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

THe Dish PVR's (ALL of them, as well as the DirectTivo's) will only record what they receive via DBS.

You'll need a standalone Tivo or Replay to record OTA / cameras with.


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## boba (May 23, 2003)

Southern Sky from your posting I pity your customers as a dealer you ask a lot of questions you should know the answers to.


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## Mike123abc (Jul 19, 2002)

The 921 is the only one I know of that will record OTA broadcasts, but it will only do the Digital OTA stations.

This should not be much of a problem since by the time the 921 actually gets out and has the bugs worked out the nation will have completely converted to all digital broadcasts :lol:


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## Bob Haller (Mar 24, 2002)

Mike123abc said:


> This should not be much of a problem since by the time the 921 actually gets out and has the bugs worked out the nation will have completely converted to all digital broadcasts :lol:


Are you sure? Digital might be obsolete by then, replaced by smell O vision


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## Bill R (Dec 20, 2002)

boba said:


> Southern Sky, from your posting I pity your customers. As a dealer you ask a lot of questions you should know the answers to.


My thought exactly. The DISH Network dealers and installers in my area seem to be just as clueless and it is just another reason that a lot of people are choosing DirecTV over DISH. In this area, Radio Shack is a DISH's biggest problem. Their sales people know almost nothing about what they are selling.


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## Cyclone (Jul 1, 2002)

Geeze, the guy was double checking here. You act as if this was a stupid question. I've asked questions here where I'd be 95% sure of the answer, but just wanted to double check.


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## SouthernSky (Jul 15, 2003)

Cyclone said:


> Geeze, the guy was double checking here. You act as if this was a stupid question. I've asked questions here where I'd be 95% sure of the answer, but just wanted to double check.


Bobo, I called DISH and asked both Customer Service and Retail Services. Neither knew the answer. PRG put me on hold longer than I wanted to wait. I knew the 501/508 did not but I needed clarification while I was on the road and couldn't get back to the store to test for myself.

No, I don't have all the answers. I'll bet there are a few godfathers here who "know-it-all" but even though I'm over 40, I have not quenched my desire to stop learning, asking, adapting or trying to share what I do know.

Thank you for your comments.


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## Bob Haller (Mar 24, 2002)

Bill R said:


> Radio Shack is a DISH's biggest problem. Their sales people know almost nothing about what they are selling.


Yeah Dish should train those folks directly. The radio shack salespeople have only blank stares :nono2:


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## dishrich (Apr 23, 2002)

Cyclone said:


> You act as if this was a stupid question. I've asked questions here where I'd be 95% sure of the answer, but just wanted to double check.


YES, this IS a VERY stupid question, since it is coming from someone who is "supposed" to be installing these things on a daily basis. First of all, I would think he would know that ANY PVR does NOT record from the TV itself. (Have you EVER seen a PVR or VCR record FROM the TV itself - HELLO???) They record from a "source" - & a TV is NOT a source - it is a destination.

BUT, in all fairness, I'm NOT a bit surprised - THESE are the people that Charlie wants putting in his service & he signs them up in droves. (you know that ANYONE can become a DISH dealer - as long as you have 1/2 a pulse & a credit card or checking account, you're all set) People like boba & I KNOW this because we get paid to clean up messes like this all the time. If someone wants to play satellite dealer, maybe they should be learning these VERY basic facts BEFORE they install their first system...  :eek2:


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## Cyclone (Jul 1, 2002)

Sorry, I thought that the 510 may have had a set of video input jacks like the 721. I just checked the Dish site spec sheet. They are not on the 510. So yeah, this is a dumb question. 

But your reaction was still more aggressive than needed on these friendly grounds of dbstalk land.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

IMHO - if the guy is a dealer - he shouldn't even be asking that question - he should be ANSWERING that question...


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## SouthernSky (Jul 15, 2003)

Thank you all for your kindness and support. I appreciate it.


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## DJ Rob (Jul 24, 2003)

Bob Haller said:


> Yeah Dish should train those folks directly. The radio shack salespeople have only blank stares :nono2:


My local Rat Shack told me a 508 could record HDTV and over the air broadcasts...but only if I used their "gold" cables.
LOL

I tried to explain to them that it only could record the signal from the dish - the sales guy then tried to sell me gold connector audio/video cables because obviously I wasn't using them so that's why I was misinformed...I laughed and walked out.


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## bunkers (Dec 16, 2002)

The 501, 508, 510, 721 CAN NOT record OTA -- they don't have a capture chip, they are just recording an encrypted bitstream from the satellite. They have a chip which decodes the mpeg stream on the fly -- so recording OTA is just not possible unless you have mpeg captur capabilities, which none of these recievers has. Thats why DISH (and D-TIVO) can store more hours of shows per gigabyte than TIVO or REPLAY can (D*TIVO excluded) -- because the compressed mpeg stream is much smaller than a captured mpeg and doesn't require any encoding, just a decoder needed for satelite viewing anyways. THats my $.02 worth.


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## SouthernSky (Jul 15, 2003)

Thank you, bunkers. That is just the answer I was looking for. I appreciate it.


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## HTguy (May 7, 2002)

SouthernSky said:


> Bobo, I called DISH and asked both Customer Service and Retail Services. Neither knew the answer. PRG put me on hold longer than I wanted to wait. I knew the 501/508 did not but I needed clarification while I was on the road and couldn't get back to the store to test for myself.


*boba* and *dishrich* like to gang up on customers, dealers & installers with "dumb" questions, *SS*. I'm sure you'll survive the rudeness but their point is well taken. By now you should be aware that the 510 works in exactly the same manner as the 501 & 508. They are all identical except for the size of the hard drive and the fact that the 510 is flagged to generate DVR fees on the acct by R00#.

If you need technical information on any product or service you are wasting your time calling the CS & RS departments. That is not their function. You may get lucky with tech support @CS but don't bother asking RS any engineering questions.

All the technical info you need is on the retailer website. Why don't you log in and dig around a bit? You should also read the "Facts Blasts" because they actually cover new product info.

(Incidently, you _are_ aware that the PVR/DVRs will record local channels if the customer gets them from DISH, aren't you?)


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## bunkers (Dec 16, 2002)

HTguy, good post. Esp. your last comment about the local channels.

Back when I was considering DISH for the first time, I was wondering how the locals would work ... and it is true that if you get your locals from DISH, then they are recordable just like any other channel, but if you use your own locals (via. an OTA antenna), then you can't record them using a PVR/DVR product unless its a third part product like TIVO or REPLAY which does analog capture based recordings. Its important to understand that before someone purchases a system or designs a system for their home.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

bunkers said:


> HTguy, good post. Esp. your last comment about the local channels.
> 
> Back when I was considering DISH for the first time, I was wondering how the locals would work ... and it is true that if you get your locals from DISH, then they are recordable just like any other channel, but if you use your own locals (via. an OTA antenna), then you can't record them using a PVR/DVR product unless its a third part product like TIVO or REPLAY which does analog capture based recordings. Its important to understand that before someone purchases a system or designs a system for their home.


Actually, Tivo and Replays record the incoming signal DIGITALLY, using cheaper MPEG2 chips than Dish or Directtv are using. The SIGNALS that S/A Tivo and Replay capture are standard NTSC, either via the built in RF / cable tuner or via the S-Video / RCA jacks.

The recorded quality of your Locals on DBS is straight from how good your DBS provider is getting them to you , and this can vary by both your location and which provider you're using. My Raleigh / Durham Locals on Dish look pretty good (at least on my setup) - perhaps not quite as good as OTA, but still quite acceptable. Some of you in the crowded Northeast will look at my statement and say I must be smoking something. As I said , it varies.


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## dishrich (Apr 23, 2002)

HTguy said:


> *boba* and *dishrich* like to gang up on customers, dealers & installers with "dumb" questions, *SS*. I'm sure you'll survive the rudeness but their point is well taken.


Kind of like *HTguy* will make you a saint, as long as you worship the ground Chucky walks on...


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## HTguy (May 7, 2002)

dishrich said:


> Kind of like *HTguy* will make you a saint, as long as you worship the ground Chucky walks on...


 :sure:

Oh, yeah.

Me -> :bowdown: "Chucky" -> :angel:

You got that right. :thats:


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## Guest (Nov 16, 2003)

dishrich said:


> YES, this IS a VERY stupid question, since it is coming from someone who is "supposed" to be installing these things on a daily basis. First of all, I would think he would know that ANY PVR does NOT record from the TV itself. (Have you EVER seen a PVR or VCR record FROM the TV itself - HELLO???) They record from a "source" - & a TV is NOT a source - it is a destination.


I didn't think it was too stupid. There are coax in and out connections on the back of the 510 and it could easily go through the box prior to the TV, just like a VCR. The VCR can then record that signal. I wondered the same thing myself when I clicked on the pics of the 510 on the Dishnetwork website and saw those connections before mine arrived a few days ago until I had a chance to hook it up and got to know how it works.


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## Mark Holtz (Mar 23, 2002)

Jeff W. said:


> I didn't think it was too stupid. There are coax in and out connections on the back of the 510 and it could easily go through the box prior to the TV, just like a VCR. The VCR can then record that signal. I wondered the same thing myself when I clicked on the pics of the 510 on the Dishnetwork website and saw those connections before mine arrived a few days ago until I had a chance to hook it up and got to know how it works.


With the current receivers, the output from a Coax output is a mono output. There is no MTS encoder in the boxes. If you want to record in stereo, you will need a stereo A/V cables going from the receiver to the VCR, then, of course, from the VCR to the TV.


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