Hopper 1.0 is dying. Should I replace, upgrade to 2.0, or wait for new Hopper 3.0?

[hpman247]

My Gen1 hopper is acting up again. It just randomly shuts itself off with no warning and restarts a few times per day.

One of the DIRT team members replaced it about 8 months ago, for the same issue, and now it's happening again.

So, should I just go ahead and upgrade to Hopper with Sling (right now my Gen1 hopper has a sling adapter and OTA adapter), or should I wait until the new hopper comes out and just use my Protection plan to get a new Gen1 Hopper?

 

[ChadT41]

There is no reason to wait. There are not time periods for upgrades. Get your HWS.

 

[hpman247]

Oh really? I haven't paid a lot of attention to Dish policy for a while. I'm still used to the old days where new subs always got the new equipment for free and existing subs had to pay $300-400 for a new box.

So if I upgrade, I will be allowed to get the Hopper 3.0 when it comes out free of charge?

 

[ChadT41]

Oh really? I haven't paid a lot of attention to Dish policy for a while. I'm still used to the old days where new subs always got the new equipment for free and existing subs had to pay $300-400 for a new box.

So if I upgrade, I will be allowed to get the Hopper 3.0 when it comes out free of charge?

Not a single soul can tell you the qualifications for the new one until after release. If like the H2K, and HWS, there will be an upgrade charge for any existing customer upgrade until they have a steady inventory. Took about 7-8 months with the HWS, and 1 year for the H2K. They changed that from $300 I believe it was less than a week before its release(on release was $200 to upgrade for even the best customers. This was the rule, not the exception).

 

[Hall]

or should I wait until the new hopper comes out

Until it's actually available, I wouldn't base much plans on it.

 

[Tampa8]

Oh really? I haven't paid a lot of attention to Dish policy for a while. I'm still used to the old days where new subs always got the new equipment for free and existing subs had to pay $300-400 for a new box.

So if I upgrade, I will be allowed to get the Hopper 3.0 when it comes out free of charge?

Likely I would say yes but no one can know for sure. I don't know of anytime DISH has charged for an updated version of an existing receiver. What it may entail is a two year contract? If you replace your 1st version now I thought people were getting the 2nd version?

 

[Hall]

If you replace your 1st version now I thought people were getting the 2nd version?

If he/she does a replacement because it is "broke", there's no guarantee of what it will be replaced with. It certainly can be replaced with a 1st-generation Hopper though. This route will not re-up your contract.

You have to specifically request an upgrade (I'm not sure if they care that the current receiver has died or is dying) to the type of DVR you want and see what it entails. It will definitely include a new 2-year contract. Going from a 1st-gen Hopper to a Hopper w/Sling should be $0 cost though. Going from a 1st or 2nd generation Hopper to a 3rd generation, when it becomes available, will probably cost $ up-front unless you wait a while after the initial release ... or at least that's how it has been in the past. The amount will vary based on your standing with Dish too. Eventually, that 3rd generation Hopper can be upgraded to for no-cost (to some customers).

 

[Tampa8]

Hall I don't believe that is necessarily true going from 1st to 2nd generation. I think you can get a 2nd generation to replace a broken 1st, with no contract or cost. I have seen posts in the Hopper forum that seem to suggest that. I also know credit/how much you spend etc plays a role.

 

[Hall]

I think you can get a 2nd generation to replace a broken 1st, with no contract or cost.

That is Dish's call, I believe. It may simply depend on what's available at the warehouse if you do the replacement yourself. If you pay for a tech to replace it (or the service plan covers it), your odds of getting a "current" model do increase. They don't stock, or didn't used to, the older generation models on their trucks.

 

[hpman247]

I replaced this one back in January, and it's dying again. In January they sent me another H2K, so I bet they would do the same now, assuming they have them available.

 

[ChadT41]

I replaced this one back in January, and it's dying again. In January they sent me another H2K, so I bet they would do the same now, assuming they have them available.

If they are available, then they will send you a like model, no questions asked. It's only when there are none left in inventory at that time, will they give you an upgrade for free.

 

[mdonnelly]

I discovered yesterday that my Hopper 1.0 (no Sling) is also dying, the same way that the OP describes. Dish is sending out a replacement that should arrive Tuesday. I'll let you know what I get from them.

 

[mdonnelly]

I received the replacement Hopper yesterday. It's the original.

 

[Hall]

That is generally the rule. On occasion people get "upgraded" but no one should ever expect that to happen or count on it.

It's too late now, but if you don't have plans to leave Dish (in the next two years), you could have went through DIRT to get a replacement receiver and get a Hopper w/Sling at no cost. You may not care about the Sling feature but it also has a faster CPU and add'l RAM. It definitely feels faster.

 

[Troch77]

That is generally the rule. On occasion people get "upgraded" but no one should ever expect that to happen or count on it.

It's too late now, but if you don't have plans to leave Dish (in the next two years), you could have went through DIRT to get a replacement receiver and get a Hopper w/Sling at no cost. You may not care about the Sling feature but it also has a faster CPU and add'l RAM. It definitely feels faster.

I'll be honest, I don't think the Hopper with Sling seems any Faster then my Hopper 2000.
Only thing I like about the Sling version is the Netflix app, other wise. I wouldn't care which version I got.
I don't stream content from dish, when I have HBO go and Netflix on my phone.
I couldn't care less about streaming content from my DVRs.

 

[Hall]

I never proclaimed anything like "it's sooooo much faster" as I'm sure some have, but I definitely noticed an improvement with it. Not a night-and-day difference, but faster to me.

I forgot that the original Hopper can't run Netflix. Our TV has a Netflix so it wouldn't have been a deal-breaker for us. We have a Roku on our 2nd TV, where the Joey is, so we're okay there as well. The app on Dish is much newer though than the other two options for us.

 

[ChadT41]

The sling is great for those with small children in my experience. I download some shows and they are good on our cross country trips.