Probably going to upgrade to Hopper/Joey. I have some questions / concerns.

[120inna55]

I've been a DISH customer for 16 years. I subscribe to AEP (or whatever they're calling it now). I have a 622 & 722 (both leased). They are going to separate HDMI inputs to an AVR going to the same TV. I periodically use an external HDD with both receivers (I can hot-swap between both). I use a Harmony One remote.

The 622 has been acting a bit dodgy lately. I wanted to keep my 722 and just upgrade the 622 to a Hopper.

I just chatted with customer service. She told me I would have to give up the 722 as well, and would be upgraded to a Hopper and Joey. I'm not sure I want to do this. I think the only real advantage would be cooler/slicker software.

She said there is no one-time fee, but that my monthly bill would go up by $19. I currently pay about $185.

Here are my questions:

1. Apparently, my Harmony will work with the Hopper, based on what I see in these forums. Since the Hopper and Joey will be a couple feet away from each other (not in separate rooms, but actually going to the same TV), will they interfere with each other using the remote? I guess what I'm asking is will they have separate addresses? How difficult is it to do that with the Harmony? (I'm adept at programming my Harmony One).
2. With my current setup, I have 4 tuners and 2 OTAs. In reality, I only use 1 of the OTAs. Will the Hopper/Joey combo change decrease my amount of available tuners?
3. I currently have Cat5 going from a wireless bridge to both receivers. Will the Hopper and Joey work with this like the two ViPs are?
4. I have a DLP TV with overscan that I cannot disable. How close to the edge are the logos, etc. in the Hopper/Joey software? Can anyone else with overscan chime in on this? It's been a long time since I had a DISH receiver that actually allowed you to move the image around.
5. Does the Hopper/Joey have 1080p output? Will I notice a picture improvement? (I have a 1080p DLP HDTV)

I'm sure I'll thing of other questions as soon as I post this.

 

[n0qcu]

I've been a DISH customer for 16 years. I subscribe to AEP (or whatever they're calling it now). I have a 622 & 722 (both leased). They are going to separate HDMI inputs to an AVR going to the same TV. I periodically use an external HDD with both receivers (I can hot-swap between both). I use a Harmony One remote.

The 622 has been acting a bit dodgy lately. I wanted to keep my 722 and just upgrade the 622 to a Hopper.

I just chatted with customer service. She told me I would have to give up the 722 as well, and would be upgraded to a Hopper and Joey. I'm not sure I want to do this. I think the only real advantage would be cooler/slicker software.

She said there is no one-time fee, but that my monthly bill would go up by $19. I currently pay about $185.

Here are my questions:

1. Apparently, my Harmony will work with the Hopper, based on what I see in these forums. Since the Hopper and Joey will be a couple feet away from each other (not in separate rooms, but actually going to the same TV), will they interfere with each other using the remote? I guess what I'm asking is will they have separate addresses? How difficult is it to do that with the Harmony? (I'm adept at programming my Harmony One).
   The Hopper & Joey use IR remote address of 1 only. Why would you want both in the same room.
2. With my current setup, I have 4 tuners and 2 OTAs. In reality, I only use 1 of the OTAs. Will the Hopper/Joey combo change decrease my amount of available tuners?
   The Hopper has THREE tuners + OTA if you get the module
3. I currently have Cat5 going from a wireless bridge to both receivers. Will the Hopper and Joey work with this like the two ViPs are?
   yes
4. I have a DLP TV with overscan that I cannot disable. How close to the edge are the logos, etc. in the Hopper/Joey software? Can anyone else with overscan chime in on this? It's been a long time since I had a DISH receiver that actually allowed you to move the image around.
   you can adjust the "size" of the guide so it fits the visible screen area.
5. Does the Hopper/Joey have 1080p output? Will I notice a picture improvement? (I have a 1080p DLP HDTV)
   Just like all other DISH HD receivers live content is 1080i only DEMAND programming is available in 1080p

I'm sure I'll thing of other questions as soon as I post this.

see answers in quoted area

 

[navychop]

I only wish to emphasize that you can adjust the overscan as sent by the receiver. It worked for me. I moved from two ViP722s. Very happy.

 

[KAB]

I only wish to emphasize that you can adjust the overscan as sent by the receiver. It worked for me. I moved from two ViP722s. Very happy.

Ditto.

 

[KKlare]

Ditto. To give a feeling for the overscan go to the TCM up-converts and watch some of their fullest screen pictures. I get 1/2" or a little more of background edge on that picture. I have a Samsung 5687 DLP (LEDs, no wheel) and it matches well to the normal output. No noticeable loss on any HD recording on edge. Nor is it under-scanned. I run it as 1080p.

Even my wife commented, unprompted, that the picture was sharper and it is noticeably so.

Some will say there are limitations that would be solved by list format instead of tiled. Most of the time you will appreciate the tiles once they get the cover image instead of the initial channel ones--a day or two--not all fill in for the older EHD shows. It may have to be on-line for when they come by again. This delay for the HwS upgrade of H2000 recordings.

About the only hidden feature is the EHD transfer page on the main menu instead of the DVR page. Learn a few colored button shortcuts.

Enjoy, -Ken

 

[larrykenney]

While the 622 and 722 are nice DVRs, you'll be blown away by the advancements in the Hopper and Joey. It's worth the extra expense for the convenience and ease of operation, plus all the added features you get. The EHD used with the 622 and 722 will work with the Hopper, too. Go for it... you won't be sorry!

Larry
SF

 

[120inna55]

I appreciate the feedback. My concern is the "downgrade" to only 3 tuners. As it stands, with both the 622 and 722 on the same TV, the 622 may be recording 2 programs and the 722 is programming another while my wife is wanting to watch football in buffer. This doesn't happen often, and just so you don't think I'm DVRing too much, the potential conflicts are usually just a result of having the tuners record early and late to ensure I get all of a program. The interruption would be brief, but annoying nonetheless.

I wish they would just let me keep my 722.

Also, how is the Joey connected to the Hopper? Does any coax actually connect to the back of the Joey?

 

[Martinash]

Since both your dvr's are in the same room and connected to the same tv, Joey does nothing for you.
I assume you record a lot ( 2 dvr's, 6 tuners, EHD) so getting 1 Hopper will cut on your tuner quantity. You mentioned you have 6 and use 5. Hopper offers 3 + 1 OTA.


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[Tampa8]

You don't need the Joey if it's going to be in the same room, I think it would be a waste of $7. It does not have it's own tuner, the Hopper works as a server with the Joey using tuners from the Hopper. Actually the Hopper will be doing what you are presently doing - all tuners on one TV, with two less tuners. (Three Sat, one OTA VS four Sat and two OTA.) All will be HD. If you presently have three Sat tuners recording (And I understand that overlap may sometimes be the issue) and use one for live viewing, you may miss not having the fourth tuner. However, if primetime network recording causes much of it, all four networks (ABC NBC FOX CBS) can record all at the same time all on one tuner. That may make the difference for you.

I will mention DISH allows a 211K on your account if you own it. (Not lease it) But they will not install it in your home, they allow it for RV use. Some have also used it in their house but I believe installed it themselves.

 

[120inna55]

I wonder why DISH isn't willing to let me keep my 722, then? Why would they care? It's just another fee they can collect.

Sent from my Samsung GS3

 

[dare2be]

I think either the rep misspoke, or you misunderstood. Your bill would not go up $19, instead you should save $5. $19 is the fees you would pay for 1H 1J ($12 + $7), while you should currently be paying $24 ($7 DVR + $17 622).

 

[dwarren2]

The remotes for the H/J are also uhf remotes. If you are using the 2 dvr's to separate inputs on the avr, are you trying to simulate PIP? The Hopper has built in PIP. Does not work on the Joey. Each remote is paired with the specific device.
While there are 3 sat tuners, if you record a lot of local network shows, you can turn on PTAT and use 1 of those tuners to record the big 4 network prime time schedule, leaving you 2 more sat tuners plus ota if you get the module. The ota module will let you record all the sub channels plus PBS and any other non network local.
The H/J will output 1080i since that is what almost all of Dish's hd programing is broadcast in.
I have 2 Hoppers and 3 Joeys. I can watch what I've recorded on 1 dvr on the other dvr and each Joey. This give me 6 sat channels and 2 ota that I can record at once.

 

[theoak]

Do you record a lot of CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX? With PTAT (Prime Time Any Time) ... any simultaneous recording of these channels will actually only use 1 tuner.

 

[120inna55]

...If you are using the 2 dvr's to separate inputs on the avr, are you trying to simulate PIP?...

No, both the 622 & 722 have PIP. I'm using 2 inputs on same AVR with 1 HDMI going to TV in order to have at my disposal 4 tuners and 2 OTA (when in reality, I only use 1 of the OTAs).

So, as I understand it, there's no point in getting a Joey since it's just a Hopper slave, and I only have 1 TV.

I'm going to sacrifice, in practice, 1 tuner, but the PTAT may take care of that. The reason, I got two ViPs years ago was because I was having an occasional conflict. I don't even remember what show it was and it may not even be airing anymore. I may be able to live with only 3 tuners plus OTA. (I don't really count OTA since I have my antenna aimed such that I only bring in a single local station to which we tune to monitor weather. If I point the antenna the opposite direction, we lose the local station [Tyler, TX] and gain all the network stations [DFW, TX] that are already provided by DISH to begin with.)

More questions:

1. Does PTAT occupy one of the 3 advertised tuners?
2. What's the fat black plastic antenna on the back of the Hopper for? Is that just the UHF antenna for the remote? (If it's WiFi, I want to be able to turn that off because I only want to use the cat5 from my wireless bridge.)
3. The guide re-sizing is actual re-sizing, correct? We're not talking about different guide configurations, but rather shrinking the guide so nothing is cut off by overscan, correct. Does this re-sizing only apply to the guide or does it affect programming as well?
4. I only see 1 coax input on the back of the Hopper. My current setup has dual coax coming in from my 1000.4. Each of those goes to a (diplexor - not sure if that's correct terminology) such that both tuner inputs are occupied on each receiver. Will we now just remove the "diplexors" and cap-off one of the coaxes coming into the house?
5. Where does the OTA module come into play? How much does that cost me. The CSR didn't mention that. I'd just assumed it was built in as with my 622 & 722 (I don't have 722k).

 

[theoak]

Do you have two televisions in the same room watching different programs? That is the only reason I see for the need of a Joey. Otherwise, the Hopper should do you fine.

(This to a degree has already been covered.)

 

[theoak]

PTAT only uses one tuner.
Black antenna is for remotes and probably built in wireless N. Yes, it can be turned off.
OTA signals cannot be combined with Satellite when using the Hopper. For OTA, you will need a dedicated OTA feed to the Hopper.
The Hopper has its own adapter that both cables from the dish get plugged into. A single cable then goes to the Hopper.
The Joey cable goes out from this adapter also. The Joey out however can be split using a splitter to individual Joeys.

 

[boba]

Have you thought of getting 2 hoppers then with OTA you could have 8 tuners?

 

[n0qcu]

No, both the 622 & 722 have PIP. I'm using 2 inputs on same AVR with 1 HDMI going to TV in order to have at my disposal 4 tuners and 2 OTA (when in reality, I only use 1 of the OTAs).

So, as I understand it, there's no point in getting a Joey since it's just a Hopper slave, and I only have 1 TV.

I'm going to sacrifice, in practice, 1 tuner, but the PTAT may take care of that. The reason, I got two ViPs years ago was because I was having an occasional conflict. I don't even remember what show it was and it may not even be airing anymore. I may be able to live with only 3 tuners plus OTA. (I don't really count OTA since I have my antenna aimed such that I only bring in a single local station to which we tune to monitor weather. If I point the antenna the opposite direction, we lose the local station [Tyler, TX] and gain all the network stations [DFW, TX] that are already provided by DISH to begin with.)

More questions:

1. Does PTAT occupy one of the 3 advertised tuners?
   Yes PTAT uses one of the three
2. What's the fat black plastic antenna on the back of the Hopper for? Is that just the UHF antenna for the remote? (If it's WiFi, I want to be able to turn that off because I only want to use the cat5 from my wireless bridge.)
   That is the antenna for the remote
3. The guide re-sizing is actual re-sizing, correct? We're not talking about differnt guide configurations, but rather shrinking the guide so nothing is cut off by overscan, correct. Does this re-sizing only apply to the guide or does it affect programming as well.
   Yes it is a resizing of the guide not a different configuration and NO it doesn't affect the programming overscan at all.
4. I only see 1 coax input on the back of the Hopper. My current setup has dual coax coming in from my 1000.4. Each of those goes to a (diplexor - not sure if that's correct terminology) such that both tuner inputs are occupied on each receiver. Will we now just remove the "diplexors" and cap-off one of the coaxes coming into the house?
   The Hopper will require two cables from the dish to a solo node and a single cable from the node to the Hopper.
5. Where does the OTA module come into play? How much does that cost me. The CSR didn't mention that. I'd just assumed it was built in as with my 622 & 722 (I don't have 722k).
   The OTA module connects to the Hopper by USB and is $30

When I had my 722's I had two connected to my main Tv to get every thing recorded. Since the upgrade to The Hopper I have just the one on the main TV and have never missed a recording due to conflict so losing a tuner did not hurt me at all.

 

[JM42]

I think either the rep misspoke, or you misunderstood. Your bill would not go up $19, instead you should save $5. $19 is the fees you would pay for 1H 1J ($12 + $7), while you should currently be paying $24 ($7 DVR + $17 622).

Or looked at another way, two Hoppers would be the same as what you are paying now ($12 + $12 = $24). 6 tuners with PTAT + possible OTA, certainly that should be enough.

 

[120inna55]

PTAT only uses one tuner...

So, during prime time I only have 2 free tuners, correct?

...OTA signals cannot be combined with Satellite when using the Hopper. For OTA, you will need a dedicated OTA feed to the Hopper...

I have a separate coax coming from my OTA antenna into a splitter from which a coax goes to each receiver. The OTA and the satellite signals never share the same coax. Is that what you're talking about? Where is the OTA module? I don't see where it is on the Hopper pics. I assume it is a card that slides in somehow. How much extra will it [the module] cost me?

Have you thought of getting 2 hoppers then with OTA you could have 8 tuners?

Yes, that occurred to me when I read dwarren2's reply a few posts back. I'm still recalling data from when the Hopper was first introduced. At which time, I don't think you could have 2 Hoppers. If that can now be done, how much will it cost me?