How bad is the Hopper

bkushner

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Apr 2, 2005
681
2
Audubon, NJ
Thought about upgrading to a Hopper then saw 22 bad Amazon Reviews versus 6 Good. Is the machine really that bad? Should I stand pat?

Brian
 
I think the better reviews are posted on forums like this one. The Hopper blows away any box out there, in my opinion. Sure it has a few bugs and they are being worked on but overall this box is pretty awesome. The Hopper w sling is the way to go.
 
Thought about upgrading to a Hopper then saw 22 bad Amazon Reviews versus 6 Good. Is the machine really that bad? Should I stand pat?

Brian

The Hopper IMO is the best DVR out there. Amazon has become infected with a Ton of trolls where now you can't get much of an honest feedback on many items,this being one of them. As lucky86 mentioned, go with the Hopper with Sling.
 
I have to check out these "bad" reviews on amazon, have people had some issues, yes they have. As others have mentioned Hopper is best DVR out there! If you are new to the hopper read Scott's reviews

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The reviews on Amazon consist mainly of minor issues, user error and trolling. I don't know what you have now but the Hopper and Hopper with sling is better.

Read the forums here but keep in mind that here you are dealing with "super" users not average Joe's. Any feature or flaw in the Hopper is dissected to the nth degree but you will learn to use it and appreciate it to it's fullest.
 
Sorry but Amazon has become a dumping ground for angry trolls. Try looking at TV's there, most of the negative reviews are obvious, but back to the Hopper. I have 2, I was one of the early upgrades, I had the 922 previously, it was a trial run for the Hopper, kindly it was challenging.
The Hopper is the best Dish unit so far, in my opinion. I've had the 622, 722k, 922 and Hopper. Dealers choice.....but what's any better?:coffee
 
The same thread based on the same reviews on Amazon was posted a couple of months ago. Some of us thought the reviews were poste by trolls to discourage Hoppers. As others have said, the Hopper is one of the best dvr/receivers made. I've been with Dish for over 18 years. Very satisfied.
 
I have had MOST Dish DVR's coming since the DishPlayer. I now have 2 HWS's. I love it. BEST DVR ON THE PLANET.

Read the reviews/problems HERE, not on Amazon.

Plus, if you have a problem DIRT here can help address it.
 
Does Amazon allow anyone to post a review or do they verify that the person actually bought the item ? Also, and I haven't looked at these reviews, did you READ them or just count them ? Quite often, people ding an items because a) they're incapable of hooking it up - so it's the item's fault, b) it doesn't match their other components, c) it doesn't operate exactly like a device from a competitor, etc, etc. Get the idea ? Those are just made up, but my point is, those are "user" issues, not issues with the item.
 
Anyone can post on Amazon. If the poster bought the item thru Amazon, the post is labelled "Amazon verified purchase" or similar.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys
 
Anyone can post on Amazon. If the poster bought the item thru Amazon, the post is labelled "Amazon verified purchase" or similar.
I filtered the reviews to only see the (22) 1-star reviews and was thinking, nope, you're wrong. NONE of them are labeled as "verified". I even looked at the 5-star reviews and missed it the first time I scanned down the reviews, but then I looked again and saw (1) with that label. I suspect some of the 2, 3, and 4-star reviews will have it as well.

So, to the OP, there's no real proof that ANY of the reviews on Amazon are legitimate, including the good reviews..... In fact, I just clicked the "Create your own review" for the Hopper, but Amazon has no idea if I know the first thing about this device, nor do they seemingly care.
 
I have read the majority of the reviews on Amazon and have commented on a lot of them. I can't stand negatives reviews based on ignorance. If someone has a legitimate problem then I understand.

Most of the negative reviews stem from a poor install that was never corrected or they were sold something they didn't need/want. I actually feel sorry for the customers that were sold the Hopper and didn't need it. Dish is pushing the Hopper system so hard right now, they want every new customer to have it and that's not right. You need to qualify the customer and give them what fits their needs. Dish has had many different receivers just for this purpose and they could solve just about anyone's need. The Hopper is awesome but is not for everyone. Not everyone wants a DVR. (Crazy, I know) The Hopper can be too confusing for some.

Dish even sells it wrong when the customer actually does want the Hopper. A Hopper and 2 Joeys is not the proper configuration for a family of 3 with 3 TVs but that's what Dish says they need. This family needs 2 Hoppers and 1 Joey so they can watch live TV and still be able to have their own recordings. It's not rocket science but they don't seem to get it.
 
I have read the majority of the reviews on Amazon and have commented on a lot of them. I can't stand negatives reviews based on ignorance. If someone has a legitimate problem then I understand.

Most of the negative reviews stem from a poor install that was never corrected or they were sold something they didn't need/want. I actually feel sorry for the customers that were sold the Hopper and didn't need it. Dish is pushing the Hopper system so hard right now, they want every new customer to have it and that's not right. You need to qualify the customer and give them what fits their needs. Dish has had many different receivers just for this purpose and they could solve just about anyone's need. The Hopper is awesome but is not for everyone. Not everyone wants a DVR. (Crazy, I know) The Hopper can be too confusing for some.


Dish even sells it wrong when the customer actually does want the Hopper. A Hopper and 2 Joeys is not the proper configuration for a family of 3 with 3 TVs but that's what Dish says they need. This family needs 2 Hoppers and 1 Joey so they can watch live TV and still be able to have their own recordings. It's not rocket science but they don't seem to get it.

Good Points, not to steer this thread another way, but I dont even think on Dish's website you can configure a One HD/One SD set up where a 722K would be a nice fit. Yes many have HD, but many also still have HD/SD combos in the house
 
Good Points, not to steer this thread another way, but I dont even think on Dish's website you can configure a One HD/One SD set up where a 722K would be a nice fit. Yes many have HD, but many also still have HD/SD combos in the house


We continue to put in 722k and 222k receivers for new installs even though we are continuously told to push the Hopper. We actually make more money if we install Hopper systems for new customers but I prefer to give the customer what fits their needs. I have to see these customers and hear from them directly when they are unhappy. We do not make millions of dollars to cover service calls when a customer is unhappy so we need to make sure it's done right the first time. Dish can do whatever they want and eat the cost of whatever they want but I can't afford it.

Like I've said before, I truly believe the Hopper is the best receiver out there but you can not just push it on every customer. It is not a very good business practice but Dish seems to be doing it anyway.
 
I have had one or more Dish receivers ever since the very first one in the early '90s. The HWS is far and away the best ever. The receivers just keep getting better. Don't hesitate.
 
I'd down score the Hopper/Joey system based upon some niggling stuff like little bugs and feature (non) implementation. No options for tile vs list view. Search function could be better implemented (read about SW S438 here). The Hopper interface is a wholesale change in UI from the past receivers. This UI change has some struggling with the learning curve, but it's not bad. SWMBO has no issues with the Hopper system.

For watching TV, recording TV it does all that well, just some of the details could be better. But, this is by far the best DVR I've had from DISH (and I've had a bunch). I haven't seen anything that I'd rather have from others either. I'd agree with the 8.5 and 7 comment above.
 
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