Echostar's new DVR UI kills the number pad, long live the touch pad

At the Echostar press event today the new 922 UI and remote was unveiled and what do you know the number pad was replaced with a touch pad. So now instead of direct dialing a number you select the numbers on the screen (pictured after the jump) with a touch pad which is similar to a touch pad on most laptops. We're not sure how we feel about this, it has promise, but we admit it'll be hard to give up the numbers.

[Stu L Tissimus @ Jan 8th 2009 1:42PM]

Good idea, but I'd have to test it out first to see if it worked well.

The rest of the remote is unnaturally ugly, though. Wow.

[Charlie Calhoun @ Jan 8th 2009 3:38PM]

Yeah, the main buttons look like... a padded vinyl of some sort, like they wouldn't even have a nice tactile 'click' to them.

[Max @ Jan 8th 2009 1:42PM]

needs more click wheel.

[Casper42 @ Jan 8th 2009 9:07PM]

+ for you, great reference.

[Dr. Tran @ Mar 3rd 2009 10:44AM]

I'll buy almost anything if it's shiny and made by Apple

[kjb434 @ Jan 8th 2009 1:42PM]

I don't like this!

I need my numbers.

[Jimbo @ Jan 8th 2009 1:45PM]

Seems to be reinventing the wheel for no reason.

[Phour ZwanZig @ Jan 8th 2009 10:14PM]

Exactly.. Why not touchsceen like the Logi Harmony One.. Im gunna guess thou that they will be including the Web on TV too.. Only reason to have a pointer touch pad..

Otherwise its just so they can say THEY have it...

[chezzo @ Jan 15th 2009 7:45AM]

@ Phour ZwanZig
Hahaha... adding a touch pad to a remote control seems to be reinventing the wheel... So why not add a touchscreen instead?! Can you not see the irony there?

[Brent @ Jan 8th 2009 1:49PM]

Glad to see them innovating and all, but I think I'd prefer the number keys until they come up with the device that knows which numbers I'm thinking for input - now that would be cool and scary at the same time.

[Rick @ Jan 8th 2009 1:49PM]

So rather than pressing a large tactile button with a 5 on it, I have to find it on a tiny touchscreen and aim my finger just right to get it to register correctly? Seems the cool factor is ruining the function factor.

[Dinsdale Pirahna @ Jan 8th 2009 2:13PM]

No I think the channels appear on your TV set and you use the touch pad as a mouse to select one.

[Harkonian @ Jan 8th 2009 3:23PM]

I couldn't agree more. Usability will be far inferior to number buttons.

[TRAFFICBLOWS @ Jan 8th 2009 1:49PM]

i feel the same way about my cell phone & touchscreens

[scott baker @ Jan 8th 2009 1:56PM]

the click wheel IS the future ("less than a 100 clicks")

[brandon @ Jan 8th 2009 2:01PM]

i like the idea of the track pad but how about just add gesture support? gesture the number u want... etc.

[Tim @ Jan 8th 2009 2:30PM]

I would gesture "1" a lot... If you know what I mean

[drewdoog @ Jan 8th 2009 2:12PM]

Why not make this so that you have to press the pad the number of times for the channel you want to go to! 196 channels, start tapping.

[Arex @ Jan 8th 2009 2:19PM]

All I know is that when I need to use the calculator on windows, and I'm working on a keyboard with a number pad, I usually try my best to avoid using the mouse to input numbers. This is entirely pointless.

[Galley @ Jan 8th 2009 2:29PM]

DirecTV's Quick Tune implementation might be better. Press the up arrow on the remote, and you have one-click access to nine channels in a 3x3 grid.

[FILA @ Jan 8th 2009 2:43PM]

yea i dont like this, they just need to keep actual buttons for certain things like remotes, cause theres no way you'll be able to change a channel fast enough

[img eL @ Jan 8th 2009 2:41PM]

Looks like a long Openmoko, Maybe one day I would be able to use my Openmoko as a remote for this 922. Regardless Im in! I can't wait to get this thing. I wish I could record Voom networks with this.

[YourFriend @ Jan 11th 2009 2:55AM]

I never knew how much I hated buttons untill I saw this remote! (swaying dangerously close to the punchline)

[Jamus @ Jan 8th 2009 2:57PM]

No, thank you.

[Timerider @ Jan 8th 2009 3:12PM]

Noo! They be stealn' mah numbers!

[DustoMan @ Jan 8th 2009 3:40PM]

Universal remote, FTW!

[ssoltero @ Jan 8th 2009 3:52PM]

Wow, that's a terrible idea. Just awful.

[glenn s @ Jan 8th 2009 3:54PM]

Way to go. Invent a device that cannot be used with any universal remote on the market today. Next...

[engadget @ Jan 8th 2009 4:20PM]

And they couldn't have fit number buttons in that giant space with the logo on it? Sad.

[Placeman @ Jan 8th 2009 4:07PM]

As long as my Harmony 880 can still control 922, I'll be happy. If not, I'll be ticked. The remote looks gimicky to me.

[Stan @ Jan 8th 2009 5:22PM]

Unlikely the Harmony will work, as this new remote is RF (you don't want to try and do trackpad-like control over IR...)

[Brian @ Jan 8th 2009 4:34PM]

I'm down with this. Entering numbers to go to a channel is frankly pretty stupid in the age of 300-channel satellite TV.

You have to think in terms of "use cases". Let's look at the most common use cases:

1. Watching a favorite channel. Most people have 10 or so of these (CNN/MSNBC/Fox for news junkies, ESPN/ESPN2/FSN for sports junkies, etc.). These are channels that we flip to regularly just to see what's on. Most people remember these channel numbers, but with the new Dish UI, you don't have to (you can just add them as favorites).

2. Watching a specific program. With a DVR, the number pad doesn't really help a lot here because you set timers for your 'regular' programs (e.g. House, American Idol, Heroes, etc.) and watch them from the program list. I think the new Dish UI will work well here, too.

3. Channel surfing. This is an exercise in futility with 300 channels, so "channel surfing" really means "looking at the guide". Again, the new Dish UI should work well here.

[kajonga @ Jan 11th 2009 10:20AM]

The other use case with 1M extensions is controlling all the other devices normally associated with watching video such as a receiver/amp, DVD/VCR, TV/Monitor. These interfaces generally depend on numeric input resulting in vendor-specific IR codes. The other option (the old faithful standby) is to have a myriad of remotes or a third party programmable model that supports everything such as then Harmony One.

[Jayenkai @ Jan 8th 2009 5:00PM]

*cough* Wiimote Pointer style would've been better..