# Hopper Go



## Keniff (Nov 25, 2013)

I did a search and didn't see anything on this topic yet so forgive me if I missed a thread somewhere.

So whats the deal, I did a bit of reading and it looks like you can only use "Hopper Go" on a mobile device?

I cant plug it in to an actual TV apparently?

Only wifi enabled devices? I suppose many TVs are wifi enabled these days, but if I cant plug in to the back of a hotel TV; that removes half of the reason I would find this device desirable. I am not a fan of watching TV or movies on my laptop, let alone a tiny phone screen...I am a grown man.

Also I noticed you have to be connected to the internet to transfer stuff to the Go. That's a problem for me because Dish cant tell me how much data would be transferred...at least in the past they couldn't. I wanted to transfer some Dish on Demand stuff to my laptop but I have cell tech limited data (as far as cost at least, I can use all the data I want as $10 a GIG so its too expensive) and cant afford for my Hopper/Dish to go out and "play", doing stuff I dont know about on the WWW...and again Dish is so inept, it doesn't even know how much data their devices and functions use. They tell me its minimal (probably) to transfer and most of the movies, etc. I would transfer would use us my LAN wifi and not the WWW for the whole data package.

Since you have to use the dish anywhere app to use the Dish Go...is the Dish Go simply a portable hard drive that can be used where there is no internet? Wait...does it still require internet since the Dish Anywhere app is required? Why would I not just transfer stuff to my laptop hard drive? If I could have any trust in how much data Dish will use in the process that is...

I ask here because contacting Dish about technical stuff is about as fun as a root canal.


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## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

The issue with transferring to your hard drive is the proprietary encoding DISH uses. As to the rest...DISH can't tell you how much will transfer as every movie will be different based on resolution, length, etc. I think the only internet use is for control of the transfer process. The GO is hardwired to your Hopper for transfer so internet usage will be really minimal.

It would be really useful if the GO had an HDMI out.

You could get a transfer device for your phone. For instance, if you have an iPhone, you could get an Apple TV, older generation models are relatively cheap, and WiFI the GO to your iPhone then iPhone to Apple TV to TV via HDMI. Seems a pain though, doesn't it.

It seems the GO was designed for GO-ing. It's a convenience device. Too bad there's no hard output. There is a USB Output. I don't see any mention in the instructions other than "transfer movies to your laptop". I wonder if you could plug the USB output into a TV and watch.

Sorry for the rambling (still working on morning coffee) but I have similar questions as I was going to get one too.


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## Keniff (Nov 25, 2013)

Thanks for the reply. I guess no one in here has used the device.

Someday when I feel like I have the patience and tolerance to waste some time and still not know much more afterwards, I may contact Dish about it.

It's a danged shame the people they have to answer a phone know little about the technology they sell. They can take your money and set up or change something in your service and that's about it...you can hear/sense them referring to the same FAQs available to anyone online it seems when you ask them anything technical.

I would be more likely to buy more stuff from them if this wasn't the case. But they give me zero consumer confidence...especially after 15 years experience dealing with them.

I don't expect them to be able to tell to the kilobyte how much data would be used...but some idea rather than clueless would be helpful. Heck, Netflix can tell you approximately how much data an HD movie requires per hour...not that I have the internet to use it...

I'm in the minority with my internet situation, so they really do not care about my issues when it boils down to it.


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## SevenSixTwo (Feb 8, 2016)

I got mine for half price. Used my time as a customer to persuade them. It's barely worth $50. Kind of neat but limited.


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## Keniff (Nov 25, 2013)

SevenSixTwo said:


> I got mine for half price. Used my time as a customer to persuade them. It's barely worth $50. Kind of neat but limited.


Can you elaborate on the features and abilities for us?


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## SevenSixTwo (Feb 8, 2016)

Through the phone app you can choose items from your DVR to install on the Hopper go. Some things copy and some transfer and can't go back to your DVR. It then becomes it's own wifi Hotspot that you can connect to and watch the items that are on it without using data. It has a rechargeable battery that is recharged while connected to your hopper 3. It lasts about 5 hours and can support 5 streams off of it I think.


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## Keniff (Nov 25, 2013)

Thanks 762...I cant help but add x39 to your handle!

So its basically all just a wifi connection to the Go? There are no hardwire outs on it?

Do you think it would work on a smart TV? What devices and screens have you used it on?

Thanks for following up. It doesn't seem like many people have used this device.

Using this on travel would be the idea for me but I'm not a fan of watching movies on a phone screen.


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## Blowgun (May 23, 2008)

SevenSixTwo said:


> ...some transfer and can't go back to your DVR.


Wow, that sucks. Does it at least inform you prior to the transfer which events will get copied and which ones will be permanently move?


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## SevenSixTwo (Feb 8, 2016)

Yes it does give you a warning that it will be moved and taken out of your dvr. I have only tried it on my phone but a tablet will work too. You need the dish anywhere app for it to do anything at all. Transfers are controlled and selected through the app. It has a mini USB and a standard USB and the standard is labeled "output". I'm not sure how this works as I've only used it though it wifi output.


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## Blowgun (May 23, 2008)

That's good to hear that the user is given a warning prior to the transfer. If it didn't and you found out afterwards that would royally suck. Probably some stupid rule, it's not a technical reason, that says this can copy, but this must move and not move back. As to the ports, I checked the DISH website. The input is for charging the HopperGO and transferring content, and the output is for connecting to a mobile device.

Thanks for the clarification.


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## chriscpmtmp (May 13, 2006)

I thought I'd jump in on this one. I've used the Go for a while.

I think the Go is an upgrade from transferring shows directly to your mobile device. I've tried that and it is pretty slow. Unless I'm missing something, you need to occasionally keep your device from sleeping or else the transfers stop. My Hopper is in the basement, so that is a pain With the Go, it plugs into the Hoper, then you initiate the transfers from your device. Even if they take a long time, you just let it crunch through.

As far as watching on a TV, I’ll need to try next time I travel. I can’t seem to cast to my Android TV at home. I have an apple TV on the road and have successfully streamed from my Hoper to an iPhone, then watched through the Apple TV. That setup has OK results. The picture quality is better than I expected, but not great. Basically a 4 Mbps stream even though both locations have 30 Mbps Internet. If the Go has a higher quality, that would be great.


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## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

I can see the appeal of the HopperGO, buy have realized you can transfer your recordings to a mobile device. Obviously I can't transfer 50 movies to my iPhone, but I could throw a movie or two onto an iPad or laptop and watch it directly, or AppleTV it to a hotel room TV. I wonder what qualifies as a mobile device?


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## mcdian (Mar 30, 2018)

Don't bother waisting time calling tech support. I asked them what I needed to do to get access to the Hopper Go on my MacBook pro. (I want a bigger screen than my phone) All the could tell me to do was to use a different browser. Those idiots really make me mad. He also told me to log in to dish anywhere, when I already told him that I could not get that far because it said no connection on the browser.

The truth is that they don't have a proper app for the Mac or PC. They also have not set up the proper ip access for any of the browsers to access the Hopper GO. frustrating. I suppose there would have to be a "dish anywhere" app for the Smart TVs to work as well. You would think that would be a priority for Dish to work on these things.

The only way I can think of is to use some kind of a phone emulator for the PC/Mac. I might have asked them what the IP addresses that can be used on the Hopper Go, but I am sure they don't know that either.

I have been working with computers since the early 80s and I can fix computers to the chip level. It really makes me mad when they answer my questions with something I know is WRONG.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

mcdian said:


> I can fix computers to the chip level


Can you replace chips in BGA package too ?


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## NYDutch (Dec 28, 2013)

mcdian said:


> The truth is that they don't have a proper app for the Mac or PC. They also have not set up the proper ip access for any of the browsers to access the Hopper GO. frustrating. I suppose there would have to be a "dish anywhere" app for the Smart TVs to work as well. You would think that would be a priority for Dish to work on these things.


Dish Anywhere has worked well for my wife and I on our laptop PC's, Android phones and tablets, and our FireTVstick everywhere from upstate NY to southern Florida using an AT&T cell hotspot for our Internet data service. For short overnight stays with our motorhome we often don't even bother to deploy our dish, and just use DA streaming from the Hopper at our upstate NY cottage for TV service. And the DA app is also available for the FireTV of course, although we don't have one.


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## drjake (Jun 12, 2002)

mcdian said:


> The truth is that they don't have a proper app for the Mac or PC. They also have not set up the proper ip access for any of the browsers to access the Hopper GO. frustrating. I suppose there would have to be a "dish anywhere" app for the Smart TVs to work as well. You would think that would be a priority for Dish to work on these things.


Customer support may not be able to help you but you are wrong that there isn't a HopperGo app for PC. I use it all the time on my PC. They introduced the PC app a while ago.


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