# Info on Hopper



## Glenee (Sep 22, 2007)

I was reading on the dish forum where you can not back up live tv or a live show you are watching on the Hopper 3. What I mean is my wife likes to leave our DTV DVR on the News station when she goes to bed. The the next morning rewind it back a hour or so and then FF through commercials. Does it have to be recorded to do this on the Hopper 3 ? One of the great thing about a DVR is that you can pause LIVE TV and then start right back up where you paused it from. If anyone could please try rewinding a live TV show on their Hopper 3 they are watching( NOT RECORDED) and tell me how far you can rewind the LIVE show I would like to know this info.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

DOn't plan on doing that overnight. If she wants to catch last night's news - record it.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

I recommend an Auto Tune timer set for an hour or so before she expects to watch TV. That will turn on the receiver and tune to the requested channel - then she can hit the rewind and watch the last hour aired. I use an Auto Tune every weekday to turn on the evening news on a local station. Their newscast starts at 4pm and I am normally home around 5-5:30pm. When I get home I turn on the TV and hit rewind. (I could set a recording timer but I don't want to manage the recordings.)

My wife does use a recording timer for the morning news shows, but she often watches them in the evening when she gets home.


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## Glenee (Sep 22, 2007)

I don't think you understand or the Hopper won't do it. What ever channel we leave the Direct TV DVR on it will keep the last 1 1/2 hour of that channel available for viewing till you change the channel. No recording needed. The same thing happens with the Cox cable DVR's only it's only a hour. You can walk in from your night sleep or from work and rewind the channel it's been on for 1- 1 1/2 hour and start viewing from there. I just asked can you pause and rewind the current live channel you are viewing without setting a recording or timer. Just grab the remote and rewind it on any channel it's on currently. It has to have been on that channel for the allotted amount of time of course. If it's only been on the channel for 30 minutes you could only rewind 30 minutes.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

If the Hopper is in standby mode, the buffers are not saving what is being broadcast on the tuned channel(s). Set inactivity timeout off and set an auto tune timer for 1-1.5 hours after the nightly download/reboot.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

As scooper mentions, it isn't going to work if she tries to leave the receiver on all night long. DISH has an auto reboot that runs overnight. There is also an inactivity timer that will turn off the receiver (and clear the buffer) if no activity is seen. Setting an Auto Tune is a good way of allowing the receiver to reset itself, go in to standby and still be available with a buffer when you're ready to watch again. And with the timer one does not need to remember to change the channel manually. (I believe scooper missed that your wife wasn't looking for a specific hour of news - only the last hour of news on that channel.)

By design, one should be able to rewind any channel up to one hour assuming the receiver was on and tuned to that channel continuously for the hour. Any channel change clears the buffer. Being off (or in standby) clears the buffer. My suggestion makes sure that the receiver is ON and tuned to the correct channel - creating the desired buffer without creating a recording.

I recommend allowing the receiver to reboot and rest when not actively in use.


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## Glenee (Sep 22, 2007)

She turns the DTV DVR off each night when she turns the TV off. When she gets up the next morning she has about 1 1/2 hours she can back up and watch without commercials. We are thinking of leaving DTV for many reasons and we are looking for options. The Cox DVR works just like the DTV DVR so it is in the runnning. They supply our internet and have a very good package deal with price lock for 2 years. I wanted to try DISH for the features of the Hopper 3. I think I will find someone who has Dish and turn on her news channel let it run for about 15min and see if I can back it up 15 min. I will then turn same DVR off and back on and see if I can still back up 15 min. I know she is not going to set timers or recordings every morning just to watch the news with rew, ff and pause capabilities.


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## Glenee (Sep 22, 2007)

*Found it* and this is a BIG Consideration. Dish needs to fix this.
Rewind Live TV after watching a recorded show - mydish communities - 4503


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

The easy way to do what you want is to set an autotune timer 1-1.5 hours before she gets up.


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## patmurphey (Dec 21, 2006)

This is stupid. Why not just record what you want, There are plenty of tuners. There are also 2 live rolling buffers for an hour if you use PIP Swap and you want to back up a live show not being recorded. You can record shows back to the start of the live buffer. Dish is not going to redesign firmware in the Hopper3 to make it work the way some individual wants.


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## Glenee (Sep 22, 2007)

Most of the other DVR's from Directv, Cox, and others in the Business Don't think it's STUPID SIR. When you don't have something right, you will make all the excuses in the world why you don't need it and then show some drawn out work around solution. This is a simple feature that others( more than one) have and Dish needs to have. I don't think I am SOME STUPID individual according to the article link.


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## patmurphey (Dec 21, 2006)

Yeah, and there are lots of features that Dish has that they don't. It is what it is. That was my point. You have to deal with what you have, perhaps listen to suggestions.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Glenee said:


> I will then turn same DVR off and back on and see if I can still back up 15 min.


A pointless test as it has already been stated that the buffer is cleared when the DVR is turned "off" (placed in standby). The TV can be off - but the receiver must be on for the live buffer to work.

You also cannot be watching something else. So if you're watching a DVR event don't expect live TV to be buffering in the background. (I have seen a live channel buffer in the background while I watch a DVR program but I'd consider it a fluke, not a guaranteed feature. I believe it was caused by picture in picture keeping the background tuner active.)

Other company's receivers may do things differently. Please understand that not buffering when "off" or watching something else is part of DISH's design for their receiver. If you think that design is unworkable, stick with DIRECTV.



Glenee said:


> I know she is not going to set timers or recordings every morning just to watch the news with rew, ff and pause capabilities.


Setting the timer is a one time action. She would not need to set it every day. Just set the "Auto Tune" to an appropriate time as discussed. (I realize that some companies do not put Auto Tune on their DVRs - DISH does.)


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## Glenee (Sep 22, 2007)

This is all I wanted when I asked the original question. Now I know that Dish will not work for me and I can eliminate their service from my consideration. I thought it was a very simple question and I did not mean to step on anyone's toes. When we ask questions like this we need straight answer's so we can make decisions for ourselves. This was a Big feature to us and we choose not to live without it if we don't have to. If the tables would have been turned, I would of said, nope won't do that so if it's important to you this won't work for you. We do have a some what work around if this would work for you.
Sorry if I upset anyone. I just came with a question to a place I trust.
Thanks to all of the Helper's in this forum.


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## n0qcu (Mar 23, 2002)

If you would follow the suggestion you would find DISH would work perfectly for you but since you're too stubborn.


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## Glenee (Sep 22, 2007)

Yep Kevin. I am sure am.
I'm just not going to go all in for 2 years. just in case it don't work.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Fear is paralyzing. But I assume that other differences between DISH and DIRECTV would be even more annoying so I agree that it is better that you stay with the system you know and understand.


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## Glenee (Sep 22, 2007)

You are right James. Everyone knows that the Hopper 3 is the best DVR in the business. There are plus and minuses to each weather it be Cox, Directv, Dish, Comcast, or who ever. I just have other people to think about other than my self and I could see that one being a biggie with my wife, and I didn't want to go there.
It looks like if we have to leave Directv, it will be cox and their lousy picture quality and reliability.I was actually looking forward to the hopper and the joey's.
Thanks anyway James


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## compnurd (Apr 23, 2007)

I would say the Tivo Bolt is the best dvr in the business


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

Glenee said:


> It looks like if we have to leave Directv, it will be cox and their lousy picture quality and reliability.I was actually looking forward to the hopper and the joey's.
> Thanks anyway James


Pick your poison. 
Glad to be of service.


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

FWIW...MY inactivity timer is worthless. Mine is set for 6 hours yet it consistently goes into standby sometimes in less than an hour. When I turn the TV off (not the receiver) after viewing the morning news and return a couple of hours later the receiver is consistently in standby.


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## Jim5506 (Jun 7, 2004)

It seems like a simple recording would be the solution the the problem.

Relying on the system buffer is a crap shoot, even with TiVo and DirecTV.

Any kind of electrical blip wipes out the buffer every time but a recording would either miss nothing or only what transpired during the reboot.

With this work-around, you could have your cake and eat it, too.


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## n0qcu (Mar 23, 2002)

Jon J said:


> FWIW...MY inactivity timer is worthless. Mine is set for 6 hours yet it consistently goes into standby sometimes in less than an hour. When I turn the TV off (not the receiver) after viewing the morning news and return a couple of hours later the receiver is consistently in standby.


Maybe you need to turn HDMI-CEC off.


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

n0qcu said:


> Maybe you need to turn HDMI-CEC off.


What functions go away if I do that?


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## n0qcu (Mar 23, 2002)

Jon J said:


> What functions go away if I do that?


Your Receiver should quit going into standby when you turn the TV off


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

According to other sources other control functions also go away.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

It depends on how integrated your receiver is with your TV. Simple power on the receiver when the TV is powered on or power on the TV (and possibly select the correct input) would be lost along with any "turn off the receiver when the TV is turned off" functionality. The level of integration may be higher depending on the capability of the TV.


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

Thanks for your response. Better leave well enough alone.


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