# DP EPG Bug and $149 Upgrade



## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

I have been having guide problems. Odd ones. Channels disappear from the guide then reappaear. Four digit channels appear mysteriously. Etc. Tonight I was offere d the on again off again $149 upgrade. Should I take it?


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## Bill R (Dec 20, 2002)

That is really a personal decision that each DishPlayer owner has to make on their own. Having said that, here are some things that may help you decide: 

If you are not already paying $9.99 a month for PTV you _may_ have to start paying it after June. The 508 does not have any PTV (PVR) fee.

The stock drive for the DishPlayer (at the most) only records 10-12 hours of programming. The 508 will record 25-30 hours.

The DishPlayer can easily be upgraded to a larger hard drive (up to 120 GB to record about 95-100 hours of programming). The 508 hard drive can not (that I know of) be upgraded.

The DishPlayer has one of the better user interfaces of any PVR/DVR on the market (IMHO, the 721 has the best user interface). The 508 user interface is good but a lot of DishPlayer owners don't like it as much as the DishPlayer's.

The DishPlayer has been (and for some contiunues to be) buggy. There is a new CLIENT software release that is suppose to fix some bugs and also give it the DISH EEPG (9 day guide). There is also a question about future software updates (from MSN) for the DishPlayer. The software for the 508 is stable and continues to be improved by Echostar.

The $149 price _may_ be the best price you will be able to buy a DISH PVR for in the foreseeable future.

You should be able to sell your DishPlayer for over $200 (I assume that DISH doesn't want them back, I never have got straight information on the "$149 deal" and if you need to send back the DishPlayer).


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## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

Thanks. One note it can be a 501 or a 508


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## Bill R (Dec 20, 2002)

G,

I don't think so. Everyone is now getting a 508 in the "special" offer. I am also hearing that people that have to have their 501s replaced are getting 508s.


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## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

You might be right but they went out of their way to tell me it could be a 501.


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## Bob Haller (Mar 24, 2002)

Just be home when they come. If its a 501 refuse it. Or get the name and phone number oif the installer call and ask what they are putting in.


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## MrAkai (Aug 10, 2002)

I was able to get a $99 refund for my "lifetime" PTV charge when I switched from DPs to 501's on the "special offer" so you might see if they'll do that for you.

Of course I was swapping out two units, so maybe they did something different for me.


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## Geronimo (Mar 23, 2002)

What special offer are you referring to? They normally will not even acknowledge there was a "lifetime" fee. But I guess the relevant question is what did you pay?


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## MrAkai (Aug 10, 2002)

I did the email to [email protected] and got a call back within 24 hours from a nice lady (name misplaced in memory) who replaced my 7100's with 501's for a bit less than they are offering you, and they also refunded my $99 I paid for PTV.

I want to abide by my vocal agreement with them not to discuss exact price details, so I can't be more explicit with the per-unit costs.

This was about 10 months ago, so their policy may have changed since then.

Basically tell them you've been a subscriber for x-long and don't want to quit the service, but those shiny directivos are looking better every time your dishplayer eats 30 hours of recordings.

Good luck


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## cyberized (Mar 7, 2003)

I too within the past month or so EMailed ceo as in last post - have been with DISH for 5 years and 9 months and was about to switch to DTV for DirecTIVO - - - DISH kept me for the duration, gave me a PVR 508 for $149 (included shipping and install) and I then sold my DP on EBay for $200+.
I did love the interface of the DP BUT with all the bells and whistles of the 508 I can definitely live with it's interface - isn't all that bad. This PVR 508 is GREAT though - I love this thing and can hardly wait till next football season to re-run plays as much as I want.
I for one say "Thumbs UP to DISH Support"!

Michael


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## Jacob S (Apr 14, 2002)

If you can get the $99 refund for lifetime PVR and get the 501/508 for $149 I would take it and then sell the 7100/7200 for $200+ and then you made out because you made $50 on the receiver plus another $99 back to you so you made out a total of $149+.


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