DVR508 v. Dishplayer Features

The Dish Network User's Resource

Originally posted by Ken Stuart in response to a question on the alt.dbs.echostar newsgroup. Used by permission.  Updated 5/13/07 with other points from that discussion.

As of today (8/6/02), the only advantages of the DISHPlayer over the 508:

• Better looking interface
• Built-in internet access (aka “WebTV”)
• Possibility of replacing the HD with a larger one.
• Timer conflicts resolved by priority rather than deletion
• Available keyboard
• Master channel list, can remove subscribed but undesired channels from EPG
• Games (removed)
• New event timer can override an existing one w/o having to delete either
• Sound on almost all menus, PIP on many
• Event timers in chronological order with program title
• EPG in list form for single channel by using search (feature has been removed)
• On-screen help, remote control device code look-up
• Program info displayed on EPG w/o having to press Info
• EPG w/PIP has 6 lines vs 4 on 501 (501 can show 6 w/o PIP & sound)
• Pause to length of free HD capacity (501 up to 1 hour, considering more)

Current advantages of 508 over the DISHPlayer:

• Ability to record the program you just watched (up to one hour in the past)
• Ability to edit a timer in progress (for example, you notice that your usual program started 15 minutes late due to a sports event, you can then edit its timer to add 15 minutes)
• The 508 receiver can record the music channels, and you can rewind a current playing music channel to hear the song again, and you can record the song that you just heard by rewinding, pressing record, and then pressing stop after the song. AND, while with DISHPlayer you cannot see the song titles once the screen saver kicks in (after 15 minutes??), the 508 scrolls the song titles up and down to save your screen and thus is visible continually.
• UHF remote
• Search Function has a “history” so you don't have to re-type frequent searches.
• Caller-ID capability
• Red “recording in progress” in LED on the front panel (useful for less-tech-savvy family members)
• Readout of approximate amount of recording space left on hard disk
• 8 1/2 days of guide listings instead of 6 1/2 days (which allows you to watch a new program's premier, and then if you like it, you can set a timer for next week's showing - DP requires you to write down a note to do that tomorrow). UPDATE: DP now uses the same Extended EPG as other Dish DVRs.
• “On Demand” download of guide listings (turning off the 501 will refresh the Guide back to 8 1/2 days, so you are not dependent on anything happening just right at 3 am, as is the case with DP)
• 4x FF speed instead of 2x (one of the biggest advantages, the 4x has equal visibility to the 2x, but only takes half as long)
• 10-second replay button instead of 7-second (by the time one picks up the remote and presses the replay button, several seconds have gone by, so you always have to press the DP replay button 2 or 3 times to actually get back to what you just saw)
• FF and REW buttons respond instantly (overall much easier to scan for some small segment you want to see)
• Front panel reset button
• Software upgrades every month or two instead of every six months or so
• HD comes from the factory with 80GB of space (“70 hours” on average)