Hopper Plus Reports Good/Bad

[Josephinelcajon]

I agree there are lots of good and bad techs out there both in house and contractors. I personally have had the best luck with in house.

The tech may or may not come within the time given. They may fall behind at another install. I would get a first AM appointment or an appointment after your timers are done.

 

[navychop]

What!!! You want me outta bed before the crack of noon?

 

[HipKat]

Wow, 7 hours in the worse case scenario based on your case for the visit but does that mean the timers will not be able to record for all those 7 hours since that is what I am trying to figure out as I have multiple timers running that each will record the same chapter of the tv series a few times a day so just trying to schedule it so even if it does kill one of the recording timeframes, there will be time for the other timers.

It's not going to take 7 hours. You already have a Hopper 3. Do the tech a favor and go into the Tech Tools section and pre-download the ATV Files. That will save time.
Once the plus gets hooked up, as long as your Hopper is connected to the internet, it will do everything on it's own and you should be watching TV in an hour, at best

 

[Almighty1]

I agree there are lots of good and bad techs out there both in house and contractors. I personally have had the best luck with in house.

The tech may or may not come within the time given. They may fall behind at another install. I would get a first AM appointment or an appointment after your timers are done.

That's the problem. My timers basically run around the clock which is why I was asking how much downtime for the box is there where the box would be unavailable to record as wouldn't it be more the time it takes for the Hopper H3 to download the software and reboot and not the time it takes for the Hopper+ to actually work as the later is more of when the TV is available to watch the content.

 

[Almighty1]

It's not going to take 7 hours. You already have a Hopper 3. Do the tech a favor and go into the Tech Tools section and pre-download the ATV Files. That will save time.
Once the plus gets hooked up, as long as your Hopper is connected to the internet, it will do everything on it's own and you should be watching TV in an hour, at best

Where is the Tech Tools section on the Hopper 3 and how do I pre-download the ATV files? Thanks!

 

[HipKat]

Where is the Tech Tools section on the Hopper 3 and how do I pre-download the ATV files? Thanks!

Home Button 3 times, Tools, Tech Tools (or something like that)

 

[Almighty1]

Home Button 3 times, Tools, Tech Tools (or something like that)

Thanks, it's Home Button 3 times, Tools which I do usually and then it's Technician Settings which I never use, then Download ATV Files, and then it has three things I can select: Joey, Wireless Joey, Hopper Plus. I don't have either the Joey or the Wireless Joey so Hopper Plus is the only one I need. Hopefully it doesn't update often.

 

[Almighty1]

Just wanted to write about my Hopper Plus installation earlier today which was interesting...
I sent a e-mail at 2:00AM Pacific Time to DISH Corporate Executive to schedule the appointment in response to what days I am available for the Hopper Plus installation. At 8:52AM, I get a response but I did not check the e-mail until now and basically it said:
"They are booked Thursday and Friday this week. If I am home this afternoon (and let him know fast enough), they could get someone out today; otherwise, he has set it for next Wednesday, May 31, 2023 The timeframe will say that the tech will arrive between 8-12. He will request that they make me the first AM appointment of the day but sometimes it depends on the customer locations and their route.

Again, if this afternoon works, please let him know ASAP as the appointments can be filled at any moment."

So at 10:27AM, I hear knocking on the door, my Ring Doorbell Pro was offline for some reason so the only thing available was in the dashboard which I was able to pull the video and screen shot it:

I didn't look earlier. But anyways, he said he came to install the Hopper Plus as I was not prepared for it:
1) The first thing I told him was I already downloaded the ATV files and he asked how I knew about it and I said HipKat who is well known and knowledgeable and the regional manager told me about it a few days ago. Thanks HipKat!
Before looking for the video a few minutes ago, I asked if he was a in-house tech or from a reseller and he said he was in-house even though I think he isn't from his van in the background. I asked him how long it would take and he said 20 minutes since I already downloaded the ATV files.

Using his flashlight for #2-#5 below
2) He unplugged the Dish OTA Dual Tuner from the upper USB 2.0 port on the back of the Hopper H3 and plugged it into the front USB 2.0 port on the front of the Hopper H3 because the cord on the Hopper Plus was too short with the Hopper Plus on top of my portable 2.5" external HDDs.
3) He plugged the Hopper Plus with the USB-C to USB-A cable to the front USB2.0 port on the Hopper H3
4) He unplugged the HDMI from the Hopper H3 and plugged it into the Hopper Plus
5) As I was not prepared for his visit today, I didn't have a empty AC Outlet available for him so he basically without asking just decided to unplug something else from the Surge Protector which I could tell was a AC Adapter and plugged the
Hopper Plus AC Adapter in it's place.
6) The Hopper Plus booted and then said Waiting to download, he said he can't shorten the time and I mentioned the USB software download method and he agreed with me that it's for receivers only but the Waiting for download still did not download even after 10 minutes so I think he only disconnected the HDMI cable on the Hopper Plus and connected it to the Hopper H3 to check and test the internet connection which was successful before power cycling the Hopper Plus after reconnecting the HDMI cable to the Hopper Plus again.
7) The Hopper Plus was still doing the Waiting for download where I said maybe there are lots of people on the download queue which is probably true as there was a new software update for the Plus that came out today. The Hopper Plus then rebooted a minute or so later.
8) After the Hopper Plus rebooted, it was a the Waiting to download again.
9) After about 10 minutes, the software began to download and it was 10:53AM where he said, he will now go and work on another guy down the street and left me his text number and said it should reboot a few times and to contact him if there are any issues.
10) So he left at 10:53AM and got into the van in the background of the above photo and drove off a 10:57AM.
11) After he was gone, the Hopper Plus was still downloading software and reached 100%, rebooted, downloaded software and rebooted, then downloaded software updates then rebooted and by the time it was finished it was 11:38AM. It would probably have been faster because I was using the 50.0 remote to enter my password for the Google Account, I finally realize why the touchpad is bad and slow compared to using actual arrow buttons, similar to why I hate touchpads on computers compared to the eraser head point stick mouse used by IBM/Lenovo/Toshiba/Dell. The first time, I confirmed it on my mobile phone's Gmail app for the 2FA but the Hopper Plus said my password was incorrect so this time I grabbed the 52.0 remote and entered the password half way when it automatically logged in. So the entire installation would have taken 1 hour and 10 minutes except in this case, he only did half of the installation while I did the other half.

I discovered what he unplugged for power to plug the Hopper Plus in. It was the AC Adapter which did have the Xfinity logo on it for Comcast/Xfinity Flex 4K XiOne Streaming Box made by Broadcom which is free for the first box and included with xFinity Internet.

Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity

Watch 250+ of the top stream apps in one place on your Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity. Just plug your streaming box in to watch the TV you love, fast!

www.xfinity.com

Before I posted, I went to MyDish.com and found out that it shows the appointment is for today, May 24, 2023 between 8AM-12PM and the name of the technician is Tony which reminds me of FIAT (Fix it again Tony!)

I didn't spend much time on the Hopper Plus yet but some quick observations:
1) The audio is now louder at lower volumes
2) The Apps button on the remotes does not do anything as I guess the Hopper H3's apps no longer functions after the Hopper Plus has been connected
3) Hitting Home from 1x-3x only brings the Hopper Plus's home screen
4) The TV Setting on the Hopper H3 only allows centering the image, there is no longer allowing to specify the ratio or the output resolution probably because the Hopper Plus is the one handling the tv output.
5) For the video output, there is no longer the option to format the video where one can select between Normal, Stretch, Zoom, Partial Zoom. Is there a way to stretch video that has black bars on both sides so the video fills the entire width of the screen?

 

[HipKat]

Just wanted to write about my Hopper Plus installation earlier today which was interesting...
I sent a e-mail at 2:00AM Pacific Time to DISH Corporate Executive to schedule the appointment in response to what days I am available for the Hopper Plus installation. At 8:52AM, I get a response but I did not check the e-mail until now and basically it said:
"They are booked Thursday and Friday this week. If I am home this afternoon (and let him know fast enough), they could get someone out today; otherwise, he has set it for next Wednesday, May 31, 2023 The timeframe will say that the tech will arrive between 8-12. He will request that they make me the first AM appointment of the day but sometimes it depends on the customer locations and their route.

Again, if this afternoon works, please let him know ASAP as the appointments can be filled at any moment."

So at 10:27AM, I hear knocking on the door, my Ring Doorbell Pro was offline for some reason so the only thing available was in the dashboard which I was able to pull the video and screen shot it:

I didn't look earlier. But anyways, he said he came to install the Hopper Plus as I was not prepared for it:
1) The first thing I told him was I already downloaded the ATV files and he asked how I knew about it and I said HipKat who is well known and knowledgeable and the regional manager told me about it a few days ago. Thanks HipKat!
Before looking for the video a few minutes ago, I asked if he was a in-house tech or from a reseller and he said he was in-house even though I think he isn't from his van in the background. I asked him how long it would take and he said 20 minutes since I already downloaded the ATV files.

Using his flashlight for #2-#5 below
2) He unplugged the Dish OTA Dual Tuner from the upper USB 2.0 port on the back of the Hopper H3 and plugged it into the front USB 2.0 port on the front of the Hopper H3 because the cord on the Hopper Plus was too short with the Hopper Plus on top of my portable 2.5" external HDDs.
3) He plugged the Hopper Plus with the USB-C to USB-A cable to the front USB2.0 port on the Hopper H3
4) He unplugged the HDMI from the Hopper H3 and plugged it into the Hopper Plus
5) As I was not prepared for his visit today, I didn't have a empty AC Outlet available for him so he basically without asking just decided to unplug something else from the Surge Protector which I could tell was a AC Adapter and plugged the
Hopper Plus AC Adapter in it's place.
6) The Hopper Plus booted and then said Waiting to download, he said he can't shorten the time and I mentioned the USB software download method and he agreed with me that it's for receivers only but the Waiting for download still did not download even after 10 minutes so I think he only disconnected the HDMI cable on the Hopper Plus and connected it to the Hopper H3 to check and test the internet connection which was successful before power cycling the Hopper Plus after reconnecting the HDMI cable to the Hopper Plus again.
7) The Hopper Plus was still doing the Waiting for download where I said maybe there are lots of people on the download queue which is probably true as there was a new software update for the Plus that came out today. The Hopper Plus then rebooted a minute or so later.
8) After the Hopper Plus rebooted, it was a the Waiting to download again.
9) After about 10 minutes, the software began to download and it was 10:53AM where he said, he will now go and work on another guy down the street and left me his text number and said it should reboot a few times and to contact him if there are any issues.
10) So he left at 10:53AM and got into the van in the background of the above photo and drove off a 10:57AM.
11) After he was gone, the Hopper Plus was still downloading software and reached 100%, rebooted, downloaded software and rebooted, then downloaded software updates then rebooted and by the time it was finished it was 11:38AM. It would probably have been faster because I was using the 50.0 remote to enter my password for the Google Account, I finally realize why the touchpad is bad and slow compared to using actual arrow buttons, similar to why I hate touchpads on computers compared to the eraser head point stick mouse used by IBM/Lenovo/Toshiba/Dell. The first time, I confirmed it on my mobile phone's Gmail app for the 2FA but the Hopper Plus said my password was incorrect so this time I grabbed the 52.0 remote and entered the password half way when it automatically logged in. So the entire installation would have taken 1 hour and 10 minutes except in this case, he only did half of the installation while I did the other half.

I discovered what he unplugged for power to plug the Hopper Plus in. It was the AC Adapter which did have the Xfinity logo on it for Comcast/Xfinity Flex 4K XiOne Streaming Box made by Broadcom which is free for the first box and included with xFinity Internet.

Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity

Watch 250+ of the top stream apps in one place on your Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity. Just plug your streaming box in to watch the TV you love, fast!

www.xfinity.com

Before I posted, I went to MyDish.com and found out that it shows the appointment is for today, May 24, 2023 between 8AM-12PM and the name of the technician is Tony which reminds me of FIAT (Fix it again Tony!)

I didn't spend much time on the Hopper Plus yet but some quick observations:
1) The audio is now louder at lower volumes
2) The Apps button on the remotes does not do anything as I guess the Hopper H3's apps no longer functions after the Hopper Plus has been connected
3) Hitting Home from 1x-3x only brings the Hopper Plus's home screen
4) The TV Setting on the Hopper H3 only allows centering the image, there is no longer allowing to specify the ratio or the output resolution probably because the Hopper Plus is the one handling the tv output.
5) For the video output, there is no longer the option to format the video where one can select between Normal, Stretch, Zoom, Partial Zoom. Is there a way to stretch video that has black bars on both sides so the video fills the entire width of the screen?

Thanks for the mention and you're welcome. Everything you posted is accurate, including the new 10 minute wait to start the download, thanks to the newest software.
No way he's inhouse with a plain white van and no inhouse or sub tech would leave before it was finished.

 

[Almighty1]

After a few hours trying playback of recordings and live tv, charlesrshell and others are right that the Hopper Plus is extremely laggy. Skipping forward and replaying seems to either register the request a few seconds later or not at all. It sure performs slowly for something that uses the Broadcom BCM 72160 Quad-core 2.6Ghz processor.

 

[Almighty1]

I just go the Hopper Plus responding faster...

Basically, this is what needs to be done...

1) Turn on Developer Mode on the Hopper Plus

1) Press the Home button once on the DISH Remote
2) Select Settings which is the cogwheel on the upper right of the screen
3) Click on Device Preferences
4) Under Device Preferences, select About
5) Under About, select Build
6) Once Build is selected, press the Select button on the remote seven (7) times  or until it says something that says "Congratulations you are now a developer" as I forgot the exact wording

2) Speed fix

1) After you did the above, Press the Back button so you are at the Device Preferences
2) Select Developer options
3) Under Developer options, go down to the Drawing section
4) Note down the default settings under the Drawing section for Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, Animator duration scale by either writing it down or taking a photo of it
5) Select Window animation scale, select Animation off by using the up/down buttons, then press the Select button and press the Back button so you are at the Device Preferences and under the Drawing section
6) Select Transition animation scale, select Animation off by using the up/down buttons, then press the Select button and press the Back button so you are at the Device Preferences and under the Drawing section
7) Select Animator duration scale, select Animation off by using the up/down buttons, then press the Select button and press the Back button so you are at the Device Preferences and under the Drawing section
8) Press the Home button once on the DISH Remote

Test and see if things are faster.

Can someone post what the default settings for 4) under 2) Speed fix above?

 

[charlesrshell]

I just go the Hopper Plus responding faster...

Basically, this is what needs to be done...

1) Turn on Developer Mode on the Hopper Plus

1) Press the Home button once on the DISH Remote
2) Select Settings which is the cogwheel on the upper right of the screen
3) Click on Device Preferences
4) Under Device Preferences, select About
5) Under About, select Build
6) Once Build is selected, press the Select button on the remote seven (7) times  or until it says something that says "Congratulations you are now a developer" as I forgot the exact wording

2) Speed fix

1) After you did the above, Press the Back button so you are at the Device Preferences
2) Select Developer options
3) Under Developer options, go down to the Drawing section
4) Note down the default settings under the Drawing section for Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, Animator duration scale by either writing it down or taking a photo of it
5) Select Window animation scale, select Animation off by using the up/down buttons, then press the Select button and press the Back button so you are at the Device Preferences and under the Drawing section
6) Select Transition animation scale, select Animation off by using the up/down buttons, then press the Select button and press the Back button so you are at the Device Preferences and under the Drawing section
7) Select Animator duration scale, select Animation off by using the up/down buttons, then press the Select button and press the Back button so you are at the Device Preferences and under the Drawing section
8) Press the Home button once on the DISH Remote

Test and see if things are faster.

Can someone post what the default settings for 4) under 2) Speed fix above?

Where did you get all this info? So all this will help the skip back / forward lag time issue?

 

[Josephinelcajon]

Where did you get all this info? So all this will help the skip back / forward lag time issue?

I posted similar months ago, It only makes the menus feel faster. Fast forward and such has little to no effect.

 

[Almighty1]

Where did you get all this info? So all this will help the skip back / forward lag time issue?

It's by trial and error since the first thing people usually do with a Android device is enable developer options and then turn on USB debugging except this is greyed out so I don't think one can even sideload things. This explains it better...

How to speed up animations on your Android phone

Gotta go fast

www.androidpolice.com

As for your other question, now the skip back and forward shows up on the screen instantly without the lag except it might be only one of the three settings and not three as I only did this quickly and forgot to note down the settings even though I think it was set to 1x for everything. I originally changed it to 10x and it drove me nuts as everything was even more laggy.

 

[Almighty1]

I posted similar months ago, It only makes the menus feel faster. Fast forward and such has little to no effect.

It seemed faster for me because atleast when I hit the back and skip buttons, it immediately responds without that lag but haven't thoroughly tested it yet. I probably figured out why the USB Debugging can't be turned on as I am sure it does not have a direct IP address but basically firewalled behind the DISH Hopper receiver itself which has the private LAN IP address.

 

[bobc469]

I just go the Hopper Plus responding faster...

Basically, this is what needs to be done...

1) Turn on Developer Mode on the Hopper Plus

1) Press the Home button once on the DISH Remote
2) Select Settings which is the cogwheel on the upper right of the screen
3) Click on Device Preferences
4) Under Device Preferences, select About
5) Under About, select Build
6) Once Build is selected, press the Select button on the remote seven (7) times  or until it says something that says "Congratulations you are now a developer" as I forgot the exact wording

2) Speed fix

1) After you did the above, Press the Back button so you are at the Device Preferences
2) Select Developer options
3) Under Developer options, go down to the Drawing section
4) Note down the default settings under the Drawing section for Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, Animator duration scale by either writing it down or taking a photo of it
5) Select Window animation scale, select Animation off by using the up/down buttons, then press the Select button and press the Back button so you are at the Device Preferences and under the Drawing section
6) Select Transition animation scale, select Animation off by using the up/down buttons, then press the Select button and press the Back button so you are at the Device Preferences and under the Drawing section
7) Select Animator duration scale, select Animation off by using the up/down buttons, then press the Select button and press the Back button so you are at the Device Preferences and under the Drawing section
8) Press the Home button once on the DISH Remote

Test and see if things are faster.

Can someone post what the default settings for 4) under 2) Speed fix above?

Default Settings attached

 

[Josephinelcajon]

It's by trial and error since the first thing people usually do with a Android device is enable developer options and then turn on USB debugging except this is greyed out so I don't think one can even sideload things. This explains it better...
As for your other question, now the skip back and forward shows up on the screen instantly without the lag except it might be only one of the three settings and not three as I only did this quickly and forgot to note down the settings even though I think it was set to 1x for everything.

It will sideload.

It shows up faster but has no effect once its open

 

[charlesrshell]

It seemed faster for me because atleast when I hit the back and skip buttons, it immediately responds without that lag but haven't thoroughly tested it yet. I probably figured out why the USB Debugging can't be turned on as I am sure it does not have a direct IP address but basically firewalled behind the DISH Hopper receiver itself which has the private LAN IP address.

Do you do same procedure in the Joey 4s?

 

[Josephinelcajon]

Do you do same procedure in the Joey 4s?

yes itwill work

 

[Almighty1]

It will sideload.

It shows up faster but has no effect once its open

Does it behave the same way for Live TV and Recordings? Probably the only way to sideload is to download the apk directly to the Hopper Plus since there is no external storage to bring apk's.