# Setting up timers for future events (not on guide), possible?



## umbertob

My 4-month old 922 died suddenly last week and was replaced by Dish over the weekend with a new unit. Everything is hunky dory again, but I had set up a bunch of timers on the old machine and was trying (by memory...) to recreate those timers on the new unit. I can't seem to do it anymore, not sure if this is a recently implemented limitation of the scheduling software on the unit or if I am just dumb. I also tried the "new" Dish Online web site - Remote Access is gone - but that seems to be ever worse for scheduling timers in the future, unless the program you are interested in happens to show only on one channel and only at a specific time.

A couple of practical examples:

- I'd like to set up a timer for all "new episodes" of Formula One racing. Qualifying rounds and races are usually shown on Speed, but sometimes on Fox or other networks, sometimes they are in the middle of the night and sometimes during the day. Can I set up a timer to catch all new Formula One racing events, regardless of channel and time they will be shown? I swear I was able to do so via the "old" Dish Remote Access only a few months ago, but unless I am dense I don't see a way to set that up on Dish Online (or on the receiver) anymore. 

- I also had a timer set for Desperate Housewives' new episodes on ABC. I don't know if, when and what day or time this series will be back on this fall, and don't much care either, but I'd like to set up a timer for it as my wife will kill me if a new episode airs and I end up not recording it. How do I do that? There are no new episodes showing on the guide (yet), except repeats of the series on Lifetime, which I don't want to record. 

Please take me out of my misery and tell me how to do it... Be gentle, I did search the forums.


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## azjimbo

Don't know about the Racing, but the new season of Desperate Housewives starts on Sunday, September 25th... Make yourself a reminder for sometime next week to set up the timer.


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## Stewart Vernon

Two things...

Did you know that the 922 remote can be used to store things like your timers? You may have been able to use that feature to backup and then restore your timers to the new receiver. In that case, it would restore the timers just as they were before even if those programs weren't currently in the EPG.

As for "future" timers... there are no options for manual or DishPass on the 922 directly. You may still be able to set those through Dish Remote Access (the apps on iPhone, iPad) or DishOnline.


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## BobaBird

umbertob said:


> I don't know if, when and what day or time this series will be back on this fall,


Look at the top of this screen for the "TV Shows" tab which will take you to the calendar of season premieres. From there you can request an e-mail reminder up to 3 days in advance. Also follow the associated sticky thread in the TV Show Talk forum to catch new additions.


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## JimD

Stewart Vernon said:


> As for "future" timers... there are no options for manual or DishPass on the 922 directly. You may still be able to set those through Dish Remote Access (the apps on iPhone, iPad) or DishOnline.


Yes, through "dish online" app on iPad you select "my DVR" at the bottom, then "DVR Options" at the top - which opens a selection box. Choose "Add a Recording", then the selections are "DISH Pass" or "Manual".

Why don't they have this in the 922 itself? Weird.


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## Stewart Vernon

JimD said:


> Yes, through "dish online" app on iPad you select "my DVR" at the bottom, then "DVR Options" at the top - which opens a selection box. Choose "Add a Recording", then the selections are "DISH Pass" or "Manual".
> 
> Why don't they have this in the 922 itself? Weird.


For whatever reason (and believe me I complained about it) it seems like Dish doesn't think their customers want the DishPass feature and seem to be phasing it out.

I count us as lucky that we still have it via the Web.


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## umbertob

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.

Stewart, where can you set up a Dish Pass via the web? I can't find such an option on Dish Online. The "timers" you are able to set up on that site are a joke, unless the program you want to record appears on the guide you have to pick a specific channel and a specific time, and that's about all the freedom you have in scheduling recordings from what I can see, it's like setting up a VCR from the 1980s... The Android version of Dish Remote Access on my Honeycomb tablet doesn't even have an option to create any type of timer, Dish Pass, manual or otherwise. The only solution left appears to be Remote Access on my wife's iPad, where I can still set up a Dish Pass the way I meant to do it to begin with (e.g. record all future new episodes of Formula One Racing on any channel, any future new showings of Desperate Housewives on ABC-HD, whether they start airing next week or next year, etc.) But seriously, it shouldn't be this complicated. And if I didn't have an iPad in the house I'd be screwed.


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## Stewart Vernon

Dish Remote Access on the Web used to have the same options as the iPhone/iPad apps for DishPass timers... I don't have an Android, so I didn't know that app was different. Sorry about that.

Now that Dish has switched to Dish Online on the Web and stopped Remote Access from the Web, others have complained that they took away a lot of features.


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## umbertob

Yeah, that's how I remember setting up those timers months ago, through their Remote Access section of the Dish Network web site... Oh well, I hope Dish Online is a work in progress and basic features like DishPass will be added back eventually. Without them, there goes a good portion of the convenience of having a DVR "catching" anything you are interested in watching, regardless of schedules or channels. Thanks again everyone, I don't feel so dumb anymore.


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## olguy

I just set a manual timer for my 922 for Sept 25 on my Xoom with Honeycomb. As you know the app doesn't let you. Using Dolphin HD browser (should work with the native and Firefox also) I logged on Dish On Line, selected My DVR>Timers and scrolled all the way to the bottom and clicked the Set Manual or whatever it's called.


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## umbertob

Thanks olguy, I understand you can access Dish Online from almost any web browser (Android devices included), that's great. But, setting up a bunch of manual timers for specific channels and specific times involves lots of work on my part... , and kind of defeats the purpose of having a supposedly "smart" DVR that should and could do most of that work for you, no? 

I would be happy if Dish just gave us Android owners - as well as users of their "new" DOL web site - the same interface and scheduling capabilities that right now appear to be available only in their iPod/iPad app, namely DishPasses. They are so convenient to set up.


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## olguy

I agree it should be easier. That's why in the 16 mos I've had the 922 I've only set 2 timers for something before it appeared in the EPG. 













i agree with you.


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