DISH Network's DTVPal DVR unboxed and previewed

For the longest while, we couldn't figure out who let the standalone HD DVR die. To this day, we're still scrambling to find an answer, but thankfully DISH Network has stepped in to revive the niche while the search continues. The outfit's DTVPal DVR has been circulating for almost a century now (okay, just a year and change, but there's hardly a difference in the grand scheme of things), and Mr. Dave Zatz has done us the honors of unboxing one and setting it up. The unit actually doubles as a DTV converter box and an HD DVR, and Zatz found setup to be almost too painless. Everything seemed to be humming along just fine at last check, so feel free and have a look at the gallery in the read link below before pulling the trigger.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 1st 2009 1:32PM]

So far, mine has been flawless since 12/26/2008 when it was put into service.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 1st 2009 5:57PM]

I've had mine for a couple of weeks now and I absolutely love it! So far no major technical issues with the exception of 1 reboot. Otherwise I highly recommend this thing.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 1st 2009 7:17PM]

One of the pictures shows a smartcard. Any idea what that's for?

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 1st 2009 8:54PM]

I've been wondering this myself. However the linked article speculates that it may be for Dishnetwork's Cinamanow. Honestly, I think this makes logical sense since the DTVPal DVR can be hooked up to the internet. I think it's logical to assume it may be there for VOD services.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 8th 2009 11:54AM]

I have an old dish that was installed previously before I moved in. I am not using any box or something. I can get some 5-6 public broadcasting stations, with not a great quality. My TV is old too. I installed a Zenith convertor. It can not detect any station at all. Any suggestion??

Thanks