# ASK DBSTALK: 1394



## gsartori (Jul 13, 2004)

Did anyone really test the 1394 output? I've a JVC DVHS VCR I was wondering if DISH (although they proclaim not to) has 1394 somewhat working.

when will they support it officially?

Thanks
Gabriele


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## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

Simple answer is they won't.


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## Mike123abc (Jul 19, 2002)

Too bad they do not keep it around just for disk expansion. It would be nice if Dish were to sell 300MB expansion disk boxes. They could encrypt the disks so it would not be a big deal security wise.


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## DonLandis (Dec 17, 2003)

If anyone is serious about 1394 from dish Network HDTV programming. You need to stop whining about the 921 discontinuing Dishwire and just get a 6000 and have it modified for 1394. 

The problem as it stands today is two major blockades to having Dishwire on the 921.
The first is that they just can't do it technically. Considering E*'s talent for lieing all the time to its customers about technical capability, I now doubt all those who told me they had it working. 
The second blockade to this is corporate policy now to not support the feature at all. 

Much easier is to just buy the system that does what you want.


Disk expansion is ready on the 921 but once again, E* is a closed architecture and secure. You will have to wait for them to make something and that won't happen until everyone demands it, AND, they figure out how to integrate it into the current software system. Heck, they can't even get a cut down version of the softwasre working yet and it's been 7 months. Last update made things worse for me than before. 

Again, if you are serious about archiving to tape the technology is available. Just buy it.


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## Jerry G (Jul 12, 2003)

DonLandis said:


> If anyone is serious about 1394 from dish Network HDTV programming. You need to stop whining about the 921 discontinuing Dishwire and just get a 6000 and have it modified for 1394.
> 
> Again, if you are serious about archiving to tape the technology is available. Just buy it.


Sorry, Don, but that's just plain unfair.

People spent a lot of money on the 921 with expectations of Firewire working. A $1000 may not be much to you, but it is to many others. Now you want them to spend money on a 6000 and spend additional money for the modification. And the modification is from a company that seems to have a great deal of trouble fixing the bugs in their software and having timely updates, as I believe you have commented on in another forum. And the modification involve yet another external box if I'm not mistaken.

Don, people expected the 921 to have functional firewire. They have every right to be upset and express it. Yes, at some point they need to realize that Dish screwed everyone and the complaining won't get you anywhere. But to scold them and suggest they spend more money on a hack job really isn't fair. Am I wrong about this?


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## DonLandis (Dec 17, 2003)

But Jerry, when are you going to wake up and realize that 1. They can't do it, and 2. they now say they won't do it. 3. There is another way TO do it if one is so moved to make that happen. I wanted it(921 dwire) too but I'm putting it all in perspective and doing what I can to do what I want. Everybody should make the choice and get over it.

Why do all things need to be "FAIR". ? People can cry till dooms day about this and that isn't going to force 1394 magic miracles on their 921. There may be a 921 solution someday but it won't be from E*

Would it have been better for me to say it like Bill Clinton? - - 
I think this is how he would have handled it:

_"Man I feel your pain. I'm crying with you and hurt so bad inside that we all got screwed by that big bully in Englewood Co. Here's my hankie, now wipe those tears and we'll hold each other tight for a few minutes. ...
OK feel better now? I thought so. 
Oh Hillary is calling me , says we have to go, now! You take care and I'll be thinking about everyone who doesn't have a way to do Dishwire on their 921. I'll see what I can do but you know those on the other side of the isle probably won't care about us without Dishwire, especially that meanie Don Landis, who didn't vote for me either and he called my wife a a a bit**. I didn't say anything at the time because, he he he's right about that part. Of course, now that I'm rich I can afford another receiver with 1394 and I was going to send Richard Adams a thank you for making all that possible but then I had to think of you all poor folks who are stuck and can't better yourself because you just don't have the good looks and charm that I do, nor the brains that Hillary has and so I didn't send that note to Richard. Well got to go. She's yelling at me now. Need to set up my 6000 to record to DVHS tape. I heard Charlie was showing Monica in HD tonight./ I gave him a call the other day and he said he would rerun the tape for me every 6 weeks and its the only time I get to see her.. Oh I do miss her in the oval orifice...  Hillary: Yelling loudly now- "BILL GET your ass on this helicopter neowl! Let those poor trailer trash people alone. " and that's the way Bill Clinton would have said it 

So we now have a choice- My meanie version or Bill's compasionate version. Take your pick!_


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## AVJohnnie (Jul 27, 2004)

For what it is worth, I think the 921’s Firewire/Dishwire/1394 ability has been rendered mute by the “powers that be”. My 921 was finally installed on 6/10/04 after a long wait of many, many months. Part of my reason for wanting the 921 was its supposed 1394 ability. My HD monitor has 1394 and component HD inputs (no DVI). All the published literature of that time period about the 921 (at both the Dish and JVC websites) specified that it had (or would have with software update) 1394 capability – Well, my 921 does not even have 1394 ports (their location on the rear panel is blanked over). I also see that all references to this now missing “feature” have now been deleted from both websites. So any hopes I might have had of being able to either record the 921’s HD output to a DVHS or DVD-R unit, or to connect it to the 1394 inputs of my HD monitor, are gone.


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

Welcome aboard AVJohnnie!

Yes, what you post is correct.

E* has taken a long pole and is using it to "elevate" their big-$$$ spending early adopters. Never again, and someone needs to cover over Charlie's 1394 ports - "If ya know what I mean".


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## FarNorth (Nov 27, 2003)

Not every 921 owner is concerned about 1394 or Firewire. It never entered my mind when I bought the machine and if it never gets activated, it won't bother me in the slightest.


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## DonLandis (Dec 17, 2003)

AVJohnnie-
Hope this might make you feel a little bit better but there never, ever was any intention for the Dishwire to support 1394 monitor capability. The hardware circuitry would not work in this way and the software was never designed to accomodate monitor support.

The only possible way one could use monitor support on 1394 is to attach a monitor to the Dishwire connection hub (2 Dishwire ports on the 921) and then watch the dump process while it was ongoing. But even then we are not sure that would be allowed in the operation. What we do know is that unless you were dumping the hard drive content sans graphics, the 1394 Dishwire would not have any video output. For some reason there were a huge number of people who got the idea that this Dishwire on the 921 would support their monitors. There was never any promise either written or verbal from E* or Eldon to support this use. Several E* reps were baffled as to why there was even discussion and didn't know where it came from. Most of the written references simply stated it was for "future use" I do have one early 2003 statement in a private e-mail from Eldon that said it would be for archiving hard disk content to DVHS only. I believe the misconception that this would work as a monitor port was started by a misinformed forum poster and other picked up on it with blind rejoice. The fact is that the Dishwire would function much in the same way as a firewire port on your computer. If you connected your 1394 monitor to your computer's firewire jack, would it have video on it as does your regular computer monitor? 

I would be curious if you have pulled the top off your latest made 921 and checked out if the 1394 jacks on the inside are still there but covered over. Earlier April shipped units just had metal foil tape over the ports. The latest PDF shows a newer cabinet design that is not cut out for the ports and has no tape shown. 

The only hope of having a 1394 archival use on the 921 rests with 3rd party developers. It is quite likely that a 169Time retrofit board could be added to the 921 and then be used in conjunction with the AVX-1 device for recording HD channels direct, much in the same way we do now with the 6000. But, this is a development project and as far as I know it is not even under consideration at this time due to 921 problems and population in the market. 

I still say that if the goal is "I have to archive to DVHS tape" then there is a technical solution that can be had. The choice is yours.


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## tm22721 (Nov 8, 2002)

I had no intention of recording HD until HD-DVD was available anyway. Tapes are just too much of a hassle. I am doing **everything** possible to get rid of my remaining VHS (and D-VHS) tapes due to reliability issues.


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## AVJohnnie (Jul 27, 2004)

DonLandis said:


> AVJohnnie-
> Hope this might make you feel a little bit better but there never, ever was any intention for the Dishwire to support 1394 monitor capability. The hardware circuitry would not work in this way and the software was never designed to accomodate monitor support.


Thanks for your input. I suspected using it for monitor support was a "pie in the sky" hope from the get go. It only slightly diminishes the actual enjoyment I'm getting from my 921 (other quirks aside.) Hopefully there will eventually be an ability to "offline" HD content, preferably to DVD-R - I'm trying to get away from using tape.

I've not opened my unit, and probably won't. The port locations on the back panel are taped over as you mentioned.

Perhaps there is hope that the USB ports may one day be useable to connect an external hard drive (to allow more HD record time).

Aside from all this, I still can't help but feel a little misled by Dish - the fact remains that something I thought I was getting was not delivered.


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## DonLandis (Dec 17, 2003)

You have every right to feel misled. So do all of us on the Dishwire snafu. But life goes on and I have decided it was more expedient for me to accomplish those archival goals with different provider and hardware. Everyone has to make that decision on their own.


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