Hopper vs direct tv

[ericmorosic]

I have Directv coming out Friday for an HR-34 upgrade (along with a free HD-DVR). That will give me 3 HD-DVR's and 1 34. Trying to decide if u should cancel and wait fit the hopper details. Any advice from the experts?

I'm a tech in Lincoln, NE and I'm calling for my upgrade the day it comes out. I also have a friend who has directv and hes switching the same day for a hopper and Joey setup.

 

[ericmorosic]

I am keeping an eye on this... I will need to connect to 4 HD TV's in my house. Will one Whole home DVR be enough??? This is going to be a tough decision.

One hopper can run 3 joeys. This gives you 4 hd tvs and 3 tuners. Or you could do 2 hoppers and 2 joeys if you want more recording at once, but 9 recordings at once is a bit much. I doubt 2 hoppers would be cost effective.

 

[ericmorosic]

What is relevant is the hopper will not talk to each other its a mrv system that will not mrv.
I know its coming and their polishing the software but why would I believe it will work when a software bug on the 722 that keeps it disconnected from the internet has went on for months and two updates later and no fix.
I wish they would see each other but they do not.

It would be nice for 722s to cross communicate. I see this need a lot when I'm installing. I do assure you, 2 hoppers do cross communicate. Or you can isolate them so the hoppers can't see what the other is watching.

 

[JM42]

9 shows at once?
its 6 unless you use ptat then its 12
then subtrat 1 for each joey watching tv

9 shows - 5 on non pta tuners + 4 pta.

Your focusing on the fact the Joeys don't have tuners, but to get the functionality I want (full trick play at each location) with Directv I would have to have an HR34 and then an additional DVR at each viewing location. I'd have twice the number of tuners, but would never need half (or more) of them. It would be two to three times the up front cost or more.

 

[mdram]

9 shows - 5 on non pta tuners + 4 pta.

Your focusing on the fact the Joeys don't have tuners, but to get the functionality I want (full trick play at each location) with Directv I would have to have an HR34 and then an additional DVR at each viewing location. I'd have twice the number of tuners, but would never need half (or more) of them. It would be two to three times the up front cost or more.

the ptat is only 3 hours a day, dont forget that part
granted that is when most people record

and they dvr at each location may be more upfront
but i still say the lack of joey tuner will cause some issues down the road
similar to the issue direct is having with people not realizing they need a dvr in the second location to pause/rewind

1hopper+2 joey will cause issues

 

[ericmorosic]

9 shows at once?
its 6 unless you use ptat then its 12
then subtrat 1 for each joey watching tv

It will b 9 recordings at once for 2 hoppers with 1 hopper doing ptat. 6 without ptat 4 recordings for ptat and 5 for the other 5 tuners.

 

[Mochuf]

9 shows at once?its 6 unless you use ptat then its 12then subtrat 1 for each joey watching tv

You would only have one Hopper set-up for PTAT (no need to have both Hoppers doing this) . The other one would have all three of it's tuners available for other shows. That would give you a total of nine shows being recorded or watched at once.

 

[patmurphey]

Won't a Hopper cost more to have than a Joey? I'm sure I won't need more recording capability than one hopper.

Same fees for hoppers and Joeys (Initial outlay depends on your circumstances).

 

[JM42]

the ptat is only 3 hours a day, dont forget that part
granted that is when most people record

Of course, I really only think of it as six, but even then it's more than I will need. PTA just takes it a step further.

1hopper+2 joey will cause issues

That scenario is no worse than a current two location duodvr install. 1H+3J is more problematic, but Dish should start to push the second Hopper at that point. At the end of the day the customer has to take some responsibility for what they are signing up for, knowing their own viewing habits, and choosing an option that fits.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Which provider has the programming you want? Thats the most important decission.

 

[mdram]

At the end of the day the customer has to take some responsibility for what they are signing up for, knowing their own viewing habits and choosing an option that fits.

i agree, but its not always the case

 

[ericmorosic]

Of course, I really only think of it as six, but even then it's more than I will need. PTA just takes it a step further.

That scenario is no worse than a current two location duodvr install. 1H+3J is more problematic, but Dish should start to push the second Hopper at that point. At the end of the day the customer has to take some responsibility for what they are signing up for, knowing their own viewing habits, and choosing an option that fits.

This is the best post I've seen yet. As a technician, it is important for the customer to understand what they need and what they're getting. There is nothing more frustrating than a customer that doesn't know what they want or what they are getting.

 

[harshness]

The system performance was very good - the MRV ethernet loop had data xfer rates of over 245 MBps.

Don't confuse PHY rates (in Mbps, not MBps) with data (MAC) rates. The practical top end of DECA is said to be 175Mbps.

The difference between DISH and DIRECTV setups is that DISH requires a client where DIRECTV support for clients (RVU) doesn't seem to be going very well. DIRECTV is using their proven, albeit less flexible, MRV configuration.

 

[whitewolf8214]

I have direct and the rvu is working great here

 

[lparsons21]

I have direct and the rvu is working great here

I believe he was referring to the non-existent RVU box that has been rumored, and not the miniscule list of RVU TVs out there.

 

[rickwhoo]

I just got the HMC from Directv. Still trying to figure it out. I had DishNetwork before this. Does anyone know how large the hard drive is on the HMC?

 

[isaacmorseMI]

I just got the HMC from Directv. Still trying to figure it out. I had DishNetwork before this. Does anyone know how large the hard drive is on the HMC?

1TB.

Sent from my iPad 2 using Forum Runner

 

[sparc]

1TB.

i think that was still less hours of HD than the Hopper box though in real hours of recordings??

with the Hopper you have 500GB and 250 hours of HD (even though it's technically a 2Tb drive).

with the 1tb directv drive, how many hours is that allocated for space and hours?

 

[isaacmorseMI]

i think that was still less hours of HD than the Hopper box though in real hours of recordings??

with the Hopper you have 500GB and 250 hours of HD (even though it's technically a 2Tb drive).

with the 1tb directv drive, how many hours is that allocated for space and hours?

Correct. Only 200 hours vs. the Hopper's 250.

Sent from my iPad 2 using Forum Runner

 

[rickwhoo]

Which one has the better DVR? I had DishNetwork for years. I feel the DVR is smarter and much faster with DishNetwork. What does anyone who had both think?