[mythtv-users] Dish gotchas?

Jeff Simpson jeffsimpson at alum.wpi.edu
Mon Apr 10 19:30:15 UTC 2006


On 4/10/06, Michael Tiller <michael.tiller at gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm seriously considering a move to Dish Network in my attempt to get a
> better picture than I currently get with analog cable.  I thought about
> digital cable but it is really just analog cable for the channels I watch.
>
> Are there any "gotchas" for Dish Network?  Is there a preferred receiver?
> Obviously, I don't want a DVR unit but are there any important differences
> in terms of channel changing, firewire potential, etc?
>
> The main "downsides" I'm considering at the moment are:
> 1) Need for receiver on every TV
> 2) The fact that I'll still have to capture in analog mode with my PVR-150
> (firewire?)
> 3) Hassles with getting program guide data?
> 4) Need to deal with IR blaster issues (both for MythTV and my mom's TiVo).
>
> If I'm missing something (vs. analog cable), let me know.

You should also consider digital cable and other satellite cable providers.

1). Yes, you will need an STB for each concurrent channel, but they
don't need to be linked up to every TV, you can have them all
connected to the Myth Backend and just run ethernet to each frontend.
If you had normal connected TVs separate from myth before, you would
need to either put an STB there or a mythfrontend.

2). Unfortunately, analog capture still makes the most sense, even for
digital cable / satellite. HD can be recorded digitally over firewire
in some cases, but HD recording and playback is really a different
bird altogether.

3) Program guide data isn't any more of a hassle with sat/digital
cable than it is with analog cable. Assuming you're in the US, zap2it
provides all the major satellite and digital cable lineups as well as
analog, and they are accurate for the most part.

4). IR blasters are a bit of a pain, but you can usually find an STB
that can be controlled via serial, which makes it much more accurate.
I had comcast cable in the past and controlled that via serial. I
currently have DirecTV, which I control via serial (usb) as well. I've
heard that Dish Network doesn't have serial-control boxes, though,
unfortunately, so you may be stuck with IR if that is your choice
provider.

As far as the cost of STBs, usually they are free with the signup and
you pay a per-month fee for each box ($5 or so). If they aren't
offerred for free, you can buy them off eBay for under $20 each
usually.

All said and done, the switch to a digital receiver isn't all that
bad, the only real difference is the per-month cost per TV/tuner,
compared to being able to just throw a cable splitter on the line and
plug in another capture card / TV. I only have a single tuner because
I don't watch enough TV to warrant an extra $5/month for that extra
STB.


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