# Would you still have Hopped?



## bluesfan (Aug 25, 2006)

Okay...I currently have DTV whole home DVR with 4 DVR's and 2 HD receivers and I'm thinking about making the switch to Dish Network which I'd be getting 2 Hoppers and 4 joeys. Just wanting to get some feedback before I make the switch, I've been with DTV for 11 years but I can save about $50 month the 1st year and then about $20 per month after that. 

Thanks.
Dennis


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## mweathers (Sep 4, 2007)

I also was with Direct: since 1997. It wasn't an easy decision to come over. I had no problems with Direct except for not having BBCHD (which they now have) and a few other HD nationals that they seem to be catching up on. I was always happy with their HD picture quality. But I wasn't a huge sports fan. Never subscribed to any additional sports package or NFL package. Their monthly costs kept creeping up each year and it just got to be too much. Plus my HR21-100 was pretty slow.

So I started doing research about the Hopper/Joey promotion (free to new customers). After MUCH reading I decided to take the plunge on July 18. And I've not been happier! What a great system. (I have the Hopper and 3 Joeys). The Hopper has a 2TB hard drive, as much as you will ever need. (I guess you know that if you DON'T turn on PTAT you can only use 1 TB, but that's still most likely all you'll ever need). I had no issues with my install, which took about 5 hours. I love the interface of the Hopper and the way it works with the Joeys. Only issue: heat. The Hopper runs hot. You will need to have excellent ventilation or it will get very hot. The Joeys get hot no matter what. But so far I've had no issues.

As for picture quality, I was pleasantly surprised with Dish HD...I have a 58" Samsung plasma and I think it looks at least as good as Direct HD, maybe even better on some channels. So don't worry about that.

I could go on, but if you are worried about jumping over that fence...come on over! You will be very happy! And, like me, save money!!!!!


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## sregener (Apr 17, 2012)

I Hopped in April after two long years with a very slow and unresponsive DVR. I did so in part for the Hopper, but in part because channels I wanted in HD are on Dish and not DirecTV.

The DVR has been almost perfect. There was a brief problem with one firmware version, but it was patched and fixed within a few days. The 30-second skip is slower now than it was when I got it. No idea why.

Some channels are not in HD on Dish that are on DirecTV (ESPN U, Disney, ABC Family, for instance.). And Dish has dropped AMC, Sundance, We and another channel I can't remember completely from their lineup. Since those channels don't matter to me, I'm still a happy camper.

Worth knowing is that if you are a pixel peeper like me, DirecTV's HD quality is better. Dish's is very good, but it is a bit softer. You will need a 1080 set and good eyes to spot the difference.

If you use an Antenna, DirecTV's interface has 2 OTA channels. The Hopper currently has none, and all indications are that when it does get a tuner, it will be a single-channel one. HD LiL quality on Dish is pretty poor for me, but I can't compare it to DirecTV since they don't offer HD locals in my area.

Would I do it again? Yes. Getting rid of my HR22-100 was terrific. Dish has met every expectation I had. And getting Blockbuster @Home has been a nice perk. A bunch of movie channels and a Blu-Ray disc out at a time for just $10/month. 

The Dish fans will tell you that everything is better on Dish. I'm not in that camp. In some ways, I miss DirecTV for their professionalism and picture quality. But you could not pay me to use an HR22-100 again. Dish is different, and in some ways better, but in other ways not. You can always cancel in the first 30 days if it turns out to be horrible, and DirecTV sent me some pretty nice offers to try to win me back (which failed.)


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## bluesfan (Aug 25, 2006)

Dish Network doesn't have the AMC channel? That's not good...my wife's top two favorite shows Madmen and Breaking Bad...switching could possibly be the end of my marriage...lol


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## brett_the_bomb (Oct 24, 2009)

I had one question about hopper/joey setups. if you have 2 hoppers and 4 joeys, would 2 joeys be hooked up to each? if so can the joeys see both hoppers reccordings or just the one they are attached to? maybe someone with a similar setup can chime in?


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## mweathers (Sep 4, 2007)

Since AMC has been dropped by Dish, AMC ratings have taken a dive. A pretty big one....So I just bet AMC will be back in within the next few weeks. Just my opinion of course.....Funny though: I'm a true HD snob! Won't watch anything NOT in HD. Direct took so long getting AMC in HD that I just started purchasing the shows I liked on AMC so I could see them "correctly"....I did that for years.......So I'm still behind on Breaking Bad and Mad Men due to Direct being so slow to ad the HD feed. Not having AMC on Dish is no big deal to me right now. But according to an article I read yesterday, it shouldn't be long before it's back on Dish. If not, AMC is in trouble financially.


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## patmurphey (Dec 21, 2006)

brett_the_bomb said:


> I had one question about hopper/joey setups. if you have 2 hoppers and 4 joeys, would 2 joeys be hooked up to each? if so can the joeys see both hoppers reccordings or just the one they are attached to? maybe someone with a similar setup can chime in?


Up to 3 Joeys can be connected to each Hopper side of the node. That doesn't matter - you can link any Joey to either Hopper.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

_Moderator note... Let's not get too bogged down in specific programming disputes. It is a fair point, given the topic, to point out channel differences for someone considering switching providers... but we have dispute threads to discuss the disputes themselves.

Thanks in advance for staying with the topic..._


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## brett_the_bomb (Oct 24, 2009)

"patmurphey" said:


> Up to 3 Joeys can be connected to each Hopper side of the node. That doesn't matter - you can link any Joey to either Hopper.


Yea I did know that but my question is can a joey connected to hopper A see recordings on hopper B?


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## garys (Nov 4, 2005)

It is an easy switch going from A to B and back.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

brett_the_bomb said:


> Yea I did know that but my question is can a joey connected to hopper A see recordings on hopper B?


To make sure you are understanding what is being said...

Assuming you wire things in a non-isolated way (there are ways to wire up Hoppers and Joeys that would prevent the Joeys from seeing both Hoppers)...

The Joeys are not connected specifically to a particular Hopper by the wiring... rather, they are on the MoCA network...

So, you "connect" by linking in the menu a Joey to a particular Hopper... and then you see recordings on that Hopper. You have to un-link and then link to the other Hopper to see those recordings.

You cannot simultaneously be linked to both Hoppers.


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## puckwithahalo (Sep 3, 2007)

Stewart Vernon said:


> To make sure you are understanding what is being said...
> 
> Assuming you wire things in a non-isolated way (there are ways to wire up Hoppers and Joeys that would prevent the Joeys from seeing both Hoppers)...
> 
> ...


But, you don't have to link to the other hopper to see the recordings on it anymore. In "My Recordings" there is a drop-down to let you pick which Hopper's recordings to look through. Same for at each Hopper now too.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

puckwithahalo said:


> But, you don't have to link to the other hopper to see the recordings on it anymore. In "My Recordings" there is a drop-down to let you pick which Hopper's recordings to look through. Same for at each Hopper now too.


Probably just semantics, then... the main thing I wanted to be sure he was understanding was that he wasn't specifically cabling a Joey to a specific Hopper... so asking if a Joey connected to Hopper 1 could see recordings from Hopper 2 is a difficult question to answer.

You could wire things in a way (with taps) such that Hoppers and their Joeys are isolated from the other Hopper... but as long as you don't do that, the Joey isn't tied to any particular Hopper and can see the contents of either and use tuners on either Hopper.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

Yes.

A Joey hooked to Hopper 1 can see the recordings on Hopper 2 - quite easily. Switching a Joey to be pointing to a tuner on Hopper 2 takes a few more buttons but isn't bad.

One caveat... If your Joey is linked to Hopper 1, you can easily see Hopper 2's recordings on it's INTERNAL drive. If Hopper 2 has an external drive, you can't see that from a Joey linked to Hopper 1.


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## eddwall (Feb 9, 2012)

"bluesfan" said:


> Okay...I currently have DTV whole home DVR with 4 DVR's and 2 HD receivers and I'm thinking about making the switch to Dish Network which I'd be getting 2 Hoppers and 4 joeys. Just wanting to get some feedback before I make the switch, I've been with DTV for 11 years but I can save about $50 month the 1st year and then about $20 per month after that.
> 
> Thanks.
> Dennis


I had DTV for 12 years ......

I had 2 TVs w/DVR ...no HD ..no Movies for about 
$92 a month.

I now have a 2H/4J system (6 TVs, all DVR, all HD, 2 slings for remote viewing, movies, 250 package, Internet connectivity, two 2 terabyte hard drives) for $95 a month.

Very Happy !!! Very Happy. !!!!


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## kick4fun (Aug 9, 2006)

eddwall said:


> I had DTV for 12 years ......
> 
> I had 2 TVs w/DVR ...no HD ..no Movies for about
> $92 a month.
> ...


I've had DTV since 2005.. Moved and stopped DTV for 1 month.. They called and I've had EVERY SINGLE CHANNEL except the XXX for around $70 a month for the last year. 3 Receivers, 2 HDR and 1 HD with Whole House DVR. and just got Sunday ticket for $100.. Pro's and Con's, I think both offer the new customer some good discounts, but after 2 years, they are pretty similar.. You just have to be willing to call and change to cable for a month or 2 if you really need a good discount with new equipment. Sports are BIG for me as well as AMC. To respond about lower ratings with AMC, it's not because of Dish, but rather seasonal programs that should start back up soon. I love DTV, but to each their own.


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## brett_the_bomb (Oct 24, 2009)

"Stewart Vernon" said:


> To make sure you are understanding what is being said...
> 
> Assuming you wire things in a non-isolated way (there are ways to wire up Hoppers and Joeys that would prevent the Joeys from seeing both Hoppers)...
> 
> ...


Thanks, im use to dtv equipment and RVU so I was wondering about how similar things are.


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## Marlin Guy (Apr 8, 2009)

I switched because 

1. DirecTV's hardware / software had my turned my formerly responsive and capable HR20 into a crippled slug with brain damage.

2. Dish offered me free hardware, installation, and reduced monthly rates when DirecTV offered me nothing to stay.

I have since received numerous offers from DirecTV to come back to them. The latest one, from two days ago, offers me a $200 prepaid credit card to switch back.
It ain't happening. Not even for a $1000 prepaid card.
I love the Hopper / Joey system and I'm staying.

There are two points to this post for the OP.

1. Make the switch and enjoy the best DVR on the market today.
2. If you don't like it, just give DirecTV some time and they'll do some pretty crazy things to try to woo you back. They won't make those kinds of offers in a retention situation, because their policies are apparently written by morons. But they will eventually offer you something you'll like.
You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.


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## RasputinAXP (Jan 23, 2008)

Marlin Guy said:


> I have since received numerous offers from DirecTV to come back to them. The latest one, from two days ago, offers me a $200 prepaid credit card to switch back.
> It ain't happening. Not even for a $1000 prepaid card.
> I love the Hopper / Joey system and I'm staying.


:joy::joy::joy:


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## mweathers (Sep 4, 2007)

I just got the same offer from Direct after being gone a little over a month. $200 card to help pay termination fee for Dish. I'm like poster above. I LOVE MY NEW SYSTEM!!! Much better than Direct hardware. So far I've had no issues at all with it. 

Another thing that will make me NOT go back. After 5 weeks I still have not recieved a refund on my last month with Direct. I did get a new bill saying I have a credit with them. Guess I'll have to call them again (maybe that's part of the plan). Leaving a pretty bad memory of Direct.


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## garys (Nov 4, 2005)

If you are only 1 month into your Dish contract, termination will cost over $400. "Yes, we will help you come back by taking care of half your contract. Ah, Gee. Thanks."


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## bluesfan (Aug 25, 2006)

Thanks to all for the feedback, I am so close to hopping to Dish Network. I have one last question. I'd be going with 2H and 4J for a total of 6 rooms. There is 4 people in our household so I'm a little concerned on how all the devices communicate with each.

Are you able to watch any of the 6 tuners from all devices? 

Thanks
Dennis


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## puckwithahalo (Sep 3, 2007)

bluesfan said:


> Thanks to all for the feedback, I am so close to hopping to Dish Network. I have one last question. I'd be going with 2H and 4J for a total of 6 rooms. There is 4 people in our household so I'm a little concerned on how all the devices communicate with each.
> 
> Are you able to watch any of the 6 tuners from all devices?
> 
> ...


The joeys can watch from all 6 tuners (though you do have to switch which hopper they are looking at to access the other three). The hoppers can only see their own tuners. However, all 6 units can see all recordings.


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## bluesfan (Aug 25, 2006)

puckwithahalo said:


> The joeys can watch from all 6 tuners (though you do have to switch which hopper they are looking at to access the other three). The hoppers can only see their own tuners. However, all 6 units can see all recordings.


Okay...I'm trying to talk this out so say the wife is watching TV from a Joey and the Hopper that it is tied to doesn't have any available tuners would she be able to switch to the other hopper (from that Joey) and watch from that tuner and if so how difficult will it be?

Thanks
Dennis


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## puckwithahalo (Sep 3, 2007)

bluesfan said:


> Okay...I'm trying to talk this out so say the wife is watching TV from a Joey and the Hopper that it is tied to doesn't have any available tuners would she be able to switch to the other hopper (from that Joey) and watch from that tuner and if so how difficult will it be?
> 
> Thanks
> Dennis


yes, she would be.

Menu - settings - network setup - whole home - select the other hopper from the list


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Viewing DVR recordings is relatively easy... a dropdown on the My Recordings screen... so whether you are on a Joey or a Hopper viewing recordings on any Hopper is relatively easy.

IF you attach an external hard drive to a Hopper, any Joey can link to that Hopper and see them BUT only the Hopper attached to the drive can see the external drive.

Tuners... Hoppers only see their own tuners, but a Joey can link to either Hopper. That is a little more complicated than a simple button push since it requires going into the Networking menu to link to the other Hopper.

It isn't rocket science, but it isn't a simple button push.


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## brett_the_bomb (Oct 24, 2009)

"mweathers" said:


> Another thing that will make me NOT go back. After 5 weeks I still have not recieved a refund on my last month with Direct. I did get a new bill saying I have a credit with them. Guess I'll have to call them again (maybe that's part of the plan). Leaving a pretty bad memory of Direct.


Should only take 30 days. Something else is wrong


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## mweathers (Sep 4, 2007)

I'll be giving them a call tomorrow. If memory serves me correctly, I sent their box back to them on July 21....I'll call to see if there's an issue with crediting my CC, since I was on auto pay.


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## Snichols1026 (Apr 28, 2008)

One difference between Dish and Directv is I miss the feature where I press the Play button and a bar shows up displaying the program time and where I am in the program.

Does the Hopper have such a feature?


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

If you pause the program the bar will show ... otherwise, press the select button and the number of minutes remaining will be on the top of the screen.


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## mweathers (Sep 4, 2007)

Got my refund from Direct. Now I'm a happy camper again!


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## arvetus (Sep 18, 2012)

I recently hopped to Dish and got a Hopper and 2 Joeys. I had 3 months on my DTV contract left, so the ETF was only $60. I'm saving $50/mo with the 12mo new customer promo, so my ROI is a little more than a month. Not bad.
After the 12mo pricing, I'm still saving almost $20/mo with Dish.

The only thing that is taking some getting used to is if I am mid-way into a program and want to DVR it, I have to rewind it to the beginning before hitting record. DTV would just automatically go back to the beginning of the program, so long as the beginning of the program was still in the buffer.

The UI on the Hopper/Joeys is taking me a bit to figure out, but only because I've had DTV since we bought the house 5 years ago. The Hopper/Joey system IS faster and I have full DVR functionality on ALL sets, not just the living room. Yes, I could access DVR programs on the LR receiver from any room with my DTV setup, but I did not have full DVR functionality in every room.

The Hopper is NICE.

Dish has more of the channels that I watch in HD. My kiddos can deal with Disney in SD...


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## Ray [email protected] Network (Dec 28, 2010)

Glad to have you as a DISH customer. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. Thanks.



arvetus said:


> I recently hopped to Dish and got a Hopper and 2 Joeys. I had 3 months on my DTV contract left, so the ETF was only $60. I'm saving $50/mo with the 12mo new customer promo, so my ROI is a little more than a month. Not bad.
> After the 12mo pricing, I'm still saving almost $20/mo with Dish.
> 
> The only thing that is taking some getting used to is if I am mid-way into a program and want to DVR it, I have to rewind it to the beginning before hitting record. DTV would just automatically go back to the beginning of the program, so long as the beginning of the program was still in the buffer.
> ...


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## arvetus (Sep 18, 2012)

Ray [email protected] Network said:


> Glad to have you as a DISH customer. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. Thanks.


I will send you a direct PM - I had an issue that I posted a thread on here in this forum. This is the first that I have seen the issue - it may have just been a fluke.
Look for a PM shortly.


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## sregener (Apr 17, 2012)

arvetus said:


> The only thing that is taking some getting used to is if I am mid-way into a program and want to DVR it, I have to rewind it to the beginning before hitting record. DTV would just automatically go back to the beginning of the program, so long as the beginning of the program was still in the buffer.


It's a different philosophy, and frankly I prefer the Dish way. Why? Because say I start watching something and realize I can't stick around for the end. I hit record and it starts recording right away. When I come back and do playback, it starts right where I pressed the record button. With the DirecTV way, I'd come back and then have to "find my place" in the program to resume watching. Icky.

If I start watching something and think, "Gee, so-and-so would love to see this" then I can make the conscious choice to go back to the beginning, hit record there, and get the whole thing.


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## randob (Jul 15, 2012)

But I was disappointed to find when switching from 722 to Hopper/Joey that you STILL can't watch something while it's recording, stop watching while it's still recording, and be able to resume where you left off later. At least on the 722 you could do that if the recording was taking place on the other "TV." My other disappointment is the loss of PIP on my main TV due to having to hook it to a Joey since I needed Hopper to connect to the component video of my older TV.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

Having now been with the 2 Hoppers and 3 Joeys for over a month now, I can say the following things.

- I absolutely WOULD do it again. Unquestionably.

- I would have the installation done a little differently, putting a Joey in another room upstairs instead of right next to the Hopper in the main TV room.

- I *might* return the 2nd Hopper. Of course, I won't know until after dealing with a "new fall season", but PTAT has made it so that 3 tuners seem to be enough.

- I would love it if the "Transfer recordings" option was active for the Joey.

All in all, very happy here.


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