Been waiting quite awhile for this, have been wanting to order one for my parents as a Christmas present. It's gone from being referred to as the "Echostar TR-50" to the "DTVPal DVR."

For any over-the-air TV users who want TiVo-like tv viewing without monthly fees, this is about the only way to go (shy of building a HTPC.)

DTVPal DVR

DVR Capabilities
View and record your favorite programs so you can watch them on your own time. Record up to 150 hours of standard definition (SD) programs, up to 30 hours of high definition (HD) programs, or a combination of the two.

Record, Pause, Skip and Replay
DVR “trick modes” include pausing a live or recorded program for up to 60 minutes, 30-second skip forward, 10-second skip back, four speeds of fast forward and fast reverse, slow motion and frame-by-frame forward and reverse.

HD display
View over-the-air high definition programming on your HDTV or HD-ready TV. HD display resolutions: 480p, 720p and 1080i (Standard display resolution: 480i)

On-screen program guide
See what’s showing on every channel with the FREE on-screen program guide. Displays up to seven days of TV Guide and PSIP (broadcaster-provided) program listings and information.

Software downloads
Keep your software up-to-date with available downloads

Programming search
Search by title, keyword or theme to find programs to watch

Event timer
Set a timer to turn your DTVPal DVR on and tuned to the desired channel before your favorite show starts playing

Parental controls
Block programs you deem inappropriate based on rating or channel

Analog pass-through
Switch between digital and analog channels with the push of a button

Alternative audio
Receive second audio feed in alternate language (broadcaster dependent)

Closed-captioning
Easily turn on closed captions using your DTVPal DVR remote control

Stereo audio output
Enjoy enhanced sound when connected to your stereo TV

Setup Wizard
Automatic channel selection and easy setup

On-screen program guide
See what’s showing on every channel with the FREE on-screen program guide. Displays up to seven days of TV Guide and PSIP (broadcaster-provided) program listings and information.

Any idea how this works. Is it something that is broadcast over the air with each station with the DTV signal? Or do you have to plug in the ethernet cable to download this data?

mmconhea said:interesting. I see that it has dual tuners.
i wonder if I can hook it up to basic cable.
It's my understanding it has neither an NTSC nor a QAM tuner, making it incompatible with cable whether its analog or digital.

You'd have to include tax and shipping as well, making it about $270 shipped. I'd wait till it comes out, hear what the reviews have to say, and by then Amazon or some other merchant would have the item for about the same price shipped. Just my 2 cents...

mmconhea said:interesting. I see that it has dual tuners.
i wonder if I can hook it up to basic cable.

This product is ATSC only (i.e. ONLY over-the-air DIGITAL TV signals.)

NOT for cable, NOT for satellite, NOT for old NTSC analog stations!

For what it does, however, there isn't currently anything like it available (outside of an HDTivo with a monthly subscription.)

*Answered my own question*

Per Dish's website...

"You can apply your $40 government coupon towards the purchase of approved converter boxes such as the DTVPal by DISH Network."

You cannot combine multiple coupon's though.

The government coupon won't work. They are specifically for basic converter boxes and the dvr would not qualify.

arnesr said:On-screen program guide
See what’s showing on every channel with the FREE on-screen program guide. Displays up to seven days of TV Guide and PSIP (broadcaster-provided) program listings and information.


Any idea how this works. Is it something that is broadcast over the air with each station with the DTV signal? Or do you have to plug in the ethernet cable to download this data?

I'm not familiar with the particulars of this system, but it sounds a lot like the GuidePlus system offered on TVs like RCA. These have an interactive program listing that goes out for a couple of weeks ahead and even lets you look at shows by category like sports, movies, etc. It is very speedy and doesn't suffer the lag that I see with some cable vision interactive listings. I liked the system enough that I limited choices the last time I went TV shopping to GuidePlus TVs and bought another RCA.

There is a downside however. As I understand it, the info for the channel listing gets sent to the TV piggybacked to a TV station broadcast, usually the local PBS channel. I get my channels over cable which worked fine for several years, but recently I think the local cable company has started to block the GuidePlus signal, so the system is now useless. Bottom line, this could be a great interactive channel guide, but make sure it works in your environment.

good luck.

mmconhea said:forbin4040 said:That is correct, it does not have a NTSC or QAM. It is only for people with a regular Antenna.

That's a shame- There's still not a reliable, non-subscription DVR for those with basic cable.
And Media Center doesn't count - it's garbage for the average user.

Sure there is, it's called ReplayTV. They were great till the cheaper-but-more-expensive-in-the-long-run TiVo with it's subscription model put them out of business. But if you can still get one, they still work.

RonR said:dj7houston said:I'd wait till it comes out, hear what the reviews have to say...Especially in light of all the problems the DTVPal (non-DVR) has experienced and the totally unsatisfactory way Dish Network has failed to address them.

If it's anything like their satellite receivers, stay far, far away. My mom is on her 4th DVR in 2 years.

kristinwold said:This was already mentioned above, but you should look into the Philips DVDR3576H, which is both a DVR and DVD recorder.

It records any analog, non-scrambled signal (such as basic cable) and there is no monthly fee.

Currently costs $294.10 at Amazon. I've seen it as low as $289 at Amazon.

too bad it looks like it only has timer-based, not programming-guide based recordings. i'd hate to go back to program slots 1-8, hard coded times, etc.