isaacmorseMI said:
Thanks for the reply! I thought the Hopper would do what I needed.
Ghpr13
Sent from my iPad using SatelliteGuys
SatelliteGuys FIRST LOOK - DISH's Hopper and Joey
- Thread starter Scott Greczkowski
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Thanks for the reply! I thought the Hopper would do what I needed.
Ghpr13
Sent from my iPad using SatelliteGuys
As chance would have it, I called Dish Thursday and they installed 2 Hoppers and 3 Joeys the next day. I was replacing 3 DVRs. Originally I had wanted just 1 Hopper with 4 Joeys but there is a limit of only 3 Joeys per Hopper. I had made it very clear when placing the order that I had 5 TVs and was assured that I could get a 1H/4J configuration. Alas, that was not to be. I see no obvious reason for not allowing a 1H/4J configuration and I'm sure that there is probably some upper limit on "clients" but I suspect that it is significantly > 3.
I have to admit that I am very impressed with the Hopper/Joey configuration but the installation did not go seamlessly. I believe that one BIG "gotcha" you need to watch out for is that you have to connect the Joeys ONE-AT-A-TIME. This was the first Hopper/Joey installation for the two techs that arrived. And, I'm sure, that they simply followed what they would normally do. That meant that they ensured all the cabling was correct; unboxed all the equipment; called in all the registration numbers; and then proceeded to fire up the first hopper. Unfortunately when they called in the number for that hopper, it was put in the system incorrectly so it never registered but we didn't know that at the time. So, while waiting for the hopper to come up they connected and powered up the joeys ( which turned out to be a really bad idea ). Nothing worked so at this time, so they fired up the 2nd hopper. The 2nd hopper came up flawlessly but none of the joeys would come up. What was expected to be just a couple hour job had now turned into an all day event. Several default reboots of the 1st hopper never corrected what we didn't know was the problem, the incorrect registration number. That was finally identified late in the afternoon and corrected but none of the joeys would work. They didn't have any extra joeys with them so the primary tech said that he would come back first thing in the morning with 3 new joeys and a new hopper since the 1st hopper still hadn't authorized even though the incorrect number had been corrected.
As we had plans for the evening I didn't get a chance to play for a couple hours. When I returned that evening, I called Dish and asked that they resend the registration number for the 1st hopper and almost immediately that hopper came up. The next morning our tech returned first thing ( turns out this was his day off ) with 3 new joeys, he replaced the old ones one at a time and they each came up as expected. Maybe 10 minutes per Joey and everything worked. The key turned out to be that you MUST connect each joey only after you have your hopper working and each joey MUST come up completely before you plug in and connect the next joey. Do it in order and you're golden.
A couple items that I'll point out:
1) The hoppers see each other but are not linked together. Another item that I suspect is just an artificial limitation that some future software update will allow.
2) The remotes are extremely easy to set up and they are paired to either a hopper or a joey. However, I cannot find a way of getting the remote to control the volume on the stereo receiver instead of the TV ( which worked perfectly on the old 622 DVR remote ). Probably just me. If I figure it out I'll update this post.
3) The hoppers are supposed to be capable of bluetooth audio but I cannot find any reference to bluetooth anywhere in the menu and nothing in the HELP ( there are no detailed printed manuals for either the hopper or the joey and I prefer that but the documentation provided "online" isn't as useful as I would like to see. I'm sure it will get much better until then I'll just continue to "wish" for bluetooth support
4) one of joeys is connected to an old, rear projection wide screen toshiba. That tv predates HDMI so until I get an HDMI-to-Component switch we plugged it in using the standard def video/audio connectors. I am impressed. That is the best standard definition I've ever seen on that TV.
5) The speed of this system is truly impressive. Whether it is moving around through the guide or skipping forward/backward within a video, it is VERY snappy.
6) If you have an external drive connected to your existing DISH DVR, no worries. Just connect your drive to any one of the 3 usb ports ( two in back and one in front ) and go to Menu->Recording Transfer and copy what you want onto your hopper ( doesn't currently work with a Joey but, again, that is probably coming ). And obviously, you can transfer recording onto your external drive. You should move all of your recordings to an external drive prior to your hopper installation as they will take your old DVRs away and I know of no other way of getting them onto your hopper other than by using an external hard drive. A couple of nits here. You're limited to 1TB or less for your external drive ( a bit of a problem when you have a 2TB drive in the hopper ). And, you still can not use an external drive that doesn't have its own power supply. Both of these limitations baffle me. But, being able to simply connect your old external drive to a hopper and have it just work is very nice.
Bottom line: DISH has really hit it out of the park with the Hopper/Joey setup. 2TB storage; MoCA enabled; very, very small footprint ... Fantastic!
I have to admit that I am very impressed with the Hopper/Joey configuration but the installation did not go seamlessly. I believe that one BIG "gotcha" you need to watch out for is that you have to connect the Joeys ONE-AT-A-TIME. This was the first Hopper/Joey installation for the two techs that arrived. And, I'm sure, that they simply followed what they would normally do. That meant that they ensured all the cabling was correct; unboxed all the equipment; called in all the registration numbers; and then proceeded to fire up the first hopper. Unfortunately when they called in the number for that hopper, it was put in the system incorrectly so it never registered but we didn't know that at the time. So, while waiting for the hopper to come up they connected and powered up the joeys ( which turned out to be a really bad idea ). Nothing worked so at this time, so they fired up the 2nd hopper. The 2nd hopper came up flawlessly but none of the joeys would come up. What was expected to be just a couple hour job had now turned into an all day event. Several default reboots of the 1st hopper never corrected what we didn't know was the problem, the incorrect registration number. That was finally identified late in the afternoon and corrected but none of the joeys would work. They didn't have any extra joeys with them so the primary tech said that he would come back first thing in the morning with 3 new joeys and a new hopper since the 1st hopper still hadn't authorized even though the incorrect number had been corrected.
As we had plans for the evening I didn't get a chance to play for a couple hours. When I returned that evening, I called Dish and asked that they resend the registration number for the 1st hopper and almost immediately that hopper came up. The next morning our tech returned first thing ( turns out this was his day off ) with 3 new joeys, he replaced the old ones one at a time and they each came up as expected. Maybe 10 minutes per Joey and everything worked. The key turned out to be that you MUST connect each joey only after you have your hopper working and each joey MUST come up completely before you plug in and connect the next joey. Do it in order and you're golden.
A couple items that I'll point out:
1) The hoppers see each other but are not linked together. Another item that I suspect is just an artificial limitation that some future software update will allow.
2) The remotes are extremely easy to set up and they are paired to either a hopper or a joey. However, I cannot find a way of getting the remote to control the volume on the stereo receiver instead of the TV ( which worked perfectly on the old 622 DVR remote ). Probably just me. If I figure it out I'll update this post.
3) The hoppers are supposed to be capable of bluetooth audio but I cannot find any reference to bluetooth anywhere in the menu and nothing in the HELP ( there are no detailed printed manuals for either the hopper or the joey and I prefer that but the documentation provided "online" isn't as useful as I would like to see. I'm sure it will get much better until then I'll just continue to "wish" for bluetooth support
4) one of joeys is connected to an old, rear projection wide screen toshiba. That tv predates HDMI so until I get an HDMI-to-Component switch we plugged it in using the standard def video/audio connectors. I am impressed. That is the best standard definition I've ever seen on that TV.
5) The speed of this system is truly impressive. Whether it is moving around through the guide or skipping forward/backward within a video, it is VERY snappy.
6) If you have an external drive connected to your existing DISH DVR, no worries. Just connect your drive to any one of the 3 usb ports ( two in back and one in front ) and go to Menu->Recording Transfer and copy what you want onto your hopper ( doesn't currently work with a Joey but, again, that is probably coming ). And obviously, you can transfer recording onto your external drive. You should move all of your recordings to an external drive prior to your hopper installation as they will take your old DVRs away and I know of no other way of getting them onto your hopper other than by using an external hard drive. A couple of nits here. You're limited to 1TB or less for your external drive ( a bit of a problem when you have a 2TB drive in the hopper
). And, you still can not use an external drive that doesn't have its own power supply. Both of these limitations baffle me. But, being able to simply connect your old external drive to a hopper and have it just work is very nice.Bottom line: DISH has really hit it out of the park with the Hopper/Joey setup. 2TB storage; MoCA enabled; very, very small footprint ... Fantastic!
Great observations. I am really glad you already did a lot of the Broad strokes and hands on research for me!!
I like to know if the JOEY offer Picture in Picture? How does this effect what others watch?
I have a pair of VIP622's (bedroom living room)and they work pretty well. other than the 922 like apps and the primetime recordings is there any advantage?
what about 1080P output to the TV? is that there? The 622 is 1080i.
I was an early adopter of Dish HD gear and that transition was not without problems.
Can the same be true of this transition?
I am thinking about a the Hopper and Joey or maybe Hopper and Hopper....
BUT they seem to want to discourage this...
Thanks
Yaesumofo
I like to know if the JOEY offer Picture in Picture? How does this effect what others watch?
I have a pair of VIP622's (bedroom living room)and they work pretty well. other than the 922 like apps and the primetime recordings is there any advantage?
what about 1080P output to the TV? is that there? The 622 is 1080i.
I was an early adopter of Dish HD gear and that transition was not without problems.
Can the same be true of this transition?
I am thinking about a the Hopper and Joey or maybe Hopper and Hopper....
BUT they seem to want to discourage this...
Thanks
Yaesumofo
- The Joeys do not do PIP ( yet ).
- The Hoppers and the Joeys do NOT support 1080p.
- The advantages of the hopper/joey setup over the 622 are many. 2TB storage, HD everywhere, single point of recording, etc. I'm very happy with the switch.
- The Hoppers and the Joeys do NOT support 1080p.
- The advantages of the hopper/joey setup over the 622 are many. 2TB storage, HD everywhere, single point of recording, etc. I'm very happy with the switch.
Just had my install this morning. Took exactly 2 hours. Took a while to activate the Hopper and 2 Joeys. The software downloads didn't take as long as I thought they would.
Two questions:
How long does it take to download programming guide info?
How do I move my recordings from my external hard drive over to the Hopper?
Two questions:
How long does it take to download programming guide info?
How do I move my recordings from my external hard drive over to the Hopper?
Awesome! Transferring now! I had no idea there were more options down there, but now I notice the scroll bar. Nice. Thanks!
No but you can ad WIFI to it using a USB WIFI Stick (note this does not work at the moment but will with a software update that is coming shortly.)
Thanks Scott! One more question if I may. Once the Hopper is wifi enabled; do you know if it will work with my Samsung Allshare which allows me to stream to my pc or other Allshare enabled devices?
That I can't answer as I dont know anything about Allshare.
If it is a DLNA server then it should work but if its own propiatary streamer then probably not.
If it is a DLNA server then it should work but if its own propiatary streamer then probably not.
Just a quick note: It turns out that I did not have HomePlug. I had some Sling connection (can't remember the name of it.) The installer did not want to mess with the HIC (even though he had it) because of my OnQ setup. He ended up putting another Sling power adapter on the power outlet next to the Hopper and connected to it using a CAT5 cable. It worked like a charm.
Now if I could just find my darn Sling Adapter so I can browse TV and recordings on the go. Misplaced it during the move.
Now if I could just find my darn Sling Adapter so I can browse TV and recordings on the go. Misplaced it during the move.
Scott,
Great Report!!
Maybe I missed it, but can shows recorded on the external hard drive of my 722VIP be played through Hopper?
JerryB
Great Report!!
Maybe I missed it, but can shows recorded on the external hard drive of my 722VIP be played through Hopper?
JerryB
I thought the Hopper & Joeys were supposed to support 1080p. Is it 1080i instead? Scott, can you verify this?
I can confirm that content saved from the 622 & 722 on an EHD will play back on the Hopper.
However, I can't figure out how to pause a show in one room (Joey) and then go to another TV (Hopper) and start the playback at that point. Where can I find the view of all Hopper and Joeys. This UI is good, but kind of all over the place.
However, I can't figure out how to pause a show in one room (Joey) and then go to another TV (Hopper) and start the playback at that point. Where can I find the view of all Hopper and Joeys. This UI is good, but kind of all over the place.
Pause the show in one room, then go in the other room, press the Red Button on the remote, and you will see the show you paused. Now select it and you will be connected to that stream. Now click play to resume watching.
Thanks Scott. Is this documented somewhere? Pressing the red button doesn't seem to be very obvious to most. Does the room in which we are moving to need to be in the standby mode when the red button is pushed? Are there other cool color shortcuts that we consumers should be aware of?
Some additional thoughts on Prime Time Any Time: I like it because it records everything. And, even though I know you can click on a program and select "Save" to keep it longer than 8 days, there needs to be a "subscribe to save" feature that allows me to select certain shows to keep longer than 8 days WITHOUT having to set up specific timers. For instance, 2 Broke Girls came on last night and it would be great to select it and make sure that it gets "saved" automatically. If we go on a 2 week vacation, I don't want to have to monitor it remotely in order to save our specific shows. The show will automatically get deleted after 8 days (while we are gone on vacation). But, I also don't want to have to set up specific timers for one show that PTAT is already recording. I see a huge opportunity for shows we want to watch getting deleted.
Does that make sense?
Anybody else have any thoughts on this with PTAT?
Does that make sense?
Anybody else have any thoughts on this with PTAT?
