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Thelucky1
Last reply · posted in DIRECTV General Forum

New HD channels coming!

Satelliteracer said:
Hopefully, and I stress HOPEFULLY, you can get the Festivus pole out fairly soon. I wouldn't mount the pole yet, but you may wish to get it out of the attic, dust it off, clean it up a little bit for a presentation before end of March. Not a large festivus and more is coming, but a warmup festivus for things coming in the next few months. :)
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From DBStalk today!

Yeah new channels :-)
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ProfStata
ProfStata
Too bad the movies are ruined by commercials. Does AMC spring for the HD conversions or do they upconvert what they have?
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Bruce
Bruce
adkinsjm said:
Too bad the movies are ruined by commercials.
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All movies on regular cable channels have commercials, that is why we have to pony up and pay for HBO, Starz, etc to get away from them.

Commercials do not bother me as long as I dvr the movie, but the editing drives me nuts.

adkinsjm said:
Does AMC spring for the HD conversions or do they upconvert what they have?
Click to expand...

Usually the studios provides the HD masters and yes most of the movies on AMC are in HD, also they don't have much older movies shown on AMC, most movies are from the last 20 years, the older stuff moved to TCM.

But the main reason for AMC HD is their TV Series, The Killing, Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead are considered grade A shows by the critics and getting that channel in Hd from Comcast keeps me from going back to DirecTV, that and BBC HD which D* does not offer either.
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joed32
bruce said:
All movies on regular cable channels have commercials, that is why we have to pony up and pay for HBO, Starz, etc to get away from them.

Commercials do not bother me as long as I dvr the movie, but the editing drives me nuts.



Usually the studios provides the HD masters and yes most of the movies on AMC are in HD, also they don't have much older movies shown on AMC, most movies are from the last 20 years, the older stuff moved to TCM.

But the main reason for AMC HD is their TV Series, The Killing, Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead are considered grade A shows by the critics and getting that channel in Hd from Comcast keeps me from going back to DirecTV, that and BBC HD which D* does not offer either.
Click to expand...

TCM doesn't have commercials during their movies. FMC doesn't either although their library is pretty small compared to TCM.
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JohnL
JohnL
Yes, many don't realize that a good quality film print will look vastly better than HD. Film has much higher resolution than HD. The only advantage to native HD is the lack of Film Grain, but then again Film grain gives the picture a better look.

John
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C
cypherstream
Depends on what modulation rate the transponder is using. Here are the possibilities:
Ka, DVB-S2D, SR 30 Msps:
QPSK 3/5 35 Mbps
QPSK 2/3 39 Mbps
QPSK 4/5 47 Mbps
8PSK 3/5 52 Mbps

New transponders are 8PSK. So let's take an average per channel bandwidth if you load 5 channels on that transponder.

5 HD Channel average bandwidth per service:
8PSK 3/5 - 10.4 Mbps
QPSK 4/5 - 9.4 Mbps
QPSK 2/3 - 7.8 Mbps
QPSK 3/5 - 7 Mbps

AT&T U-Verse fluctuates their MPEG4 HD from 5-6 Mbps (6 Mbps is average). Now we all heard they do have some picture quality issues. So I'm wondering if we bump that up to 8mbps, that should yield much better quality and fix the issues. So IF DirecTV wanted to put 6 channels per transponder you would get these average bitrates:
8SPK 3/5 - 8.6 Mbps (Much better than U-Verse quality)
QPSK 4/5 - 7.83 Mbps (Slightly better than U-Verse quality)
QPSK 2/3 - 6.5 Mbps (U-Verse quality)

In my opinion, I think it's worth a shot trialing 6 channels on an 8PSK transponder. Your still at a minimum 2.1 Mbps or more ahead of U-Verse which qualifies as HD service (though we know it's not nearly as sharp). With already being ahead of the average bitrate, if you statistically multiplex 6 services together at VBR rates where the channels picked are not all "action" style channels, but a nice mix of talking heads, stationary or slow moving, variety, already lower bitrate from the content provider, etc... I think 6 channels per transponder will work in most situations, provided they are using the state of the art encoders. Perhaps when there is a technology refresh, more efficient encoders will be installed at DirecTV to maximize bandwidth. There are even some channels that you could take all the way down to 4.5 - 5mbps, like QVC HD, HSN HD, CSPAN1&2 HD. These types of channels are very slow camera pans or stills, which translate to easier compressed MPEG4. You never see full blown action/explosion scenes, car chases and those types of encoder demanding pictures on some of these channels.

You have to look at it like this... uplinks cost money. Bandwidth is a finite commodity, as is fuel, water, food, etc. In any resource there is a devotion to conserve and use that resource in the most efficient manor so 1) you don't run out, 2) you keep costs down. Just as we look to install more energy efficient appliances, heating and cooling or buy more efficient cars that get better MPG's... it is in DirecTV's intrest to invest in more efficient encoders. They can't keep launching satellite after satellite at the cost and time it takes to do so.

The other thing they could do is start to migrate some MPEG2 to MPEG4. However with the millions of MPEG2 only hardware out there, this is a huge task. Seems a little more efficient to start with the encoders at the head end and maximize what is currently out there until D14 is launched. Hopefully they learned from the mistake of D12 and build D14 with more available bandwidth.

Here's a link to a thread of people discussing U-Verse HD quality for reference:
http://www.uverseusers.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=2&topic=11888.0
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C
cband
joed32 said:
TCM doesn't have commercials during their movies. FMC doesn't either although their library is pretty small compared to TCM.
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AMC used to be commercial free way back when. Had them on C-Band. As for HD on TV vs Blu Ray?? Not even in the same galaxy. PQ on Blu Ray will blow away any HD on TV. Depending of course on the transfer of the film to Blu Ray!

Jeff
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D
dishrich
cypherstream said:
The other thing they could do is start to migrate some MPEG2 to MPEG4. However with the millions of MPEG2 only hardware out there, this is a huge task.
Click to expand...

What MPEG2 HD are you talking about? They already did this WAY some time ago, & there is NO MPEG2 AT ALL on the Ka birds - where all the HD is anyway.
If you are talking about MPEG2 SD, unless D* decides to put HD on any of the Ku birds, it's NOT going to matter on HD capacity anyway, so that's a moot point as well.
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cypherstream
Dishrich, i meant migrate mpeg2 SD to mpeg4. The ku frequencies could better utilized for HD as KU works better with rain fade and SNR / BER with 8psk modulation than Ka (which is why they aren't using 8psk and can only pack 5 HD's a transponder now). I still think it's worth a shot adjusting power levels and FEC to see if 8psk or turbo coded 8psk would work to improve bandwidth for more efficient HD transport per transponder (whether its on a Ku or a Ka bird).

Interesting poll on EngadgetHD (along with comments):
DirecTV's latest HD add is Telefutura in Miami, but who needs more channels anyway? -- Engadget HD
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osu1991
osu1991
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club

USA Healthcare Costs are Ridiculous

:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Pissed off at the crappy healthcare costs

My health Insurance renewal for 2027 just came in. Going from $827 a month to $1,187 a month. Deductible going up a $1k to $9,350. Max out of pocket also going up $1k to $11,000. Doctor co-pay of $40. Urgent Care co-pay $50. ER 50% coinsurance after deductible. That's all in network. Out of network is double, should it be needed.

Have to think about this. I'm really tempted to just go without now. I only go to the doctor once or twice a year. I pay out of pocket for Tirzepitide and can do without the Rosuvastatin (crestor) now. Really tired of spending over $10k a year and getting nothing out of it.

After years with Blue Cross I switched last year to Ambetter as my Blue Cross premium was going from $1200 to $1800 for a Silver plan and the Bronze plan was still going to be $1300 at BCBS. Ambetter was $827 for the same coverage with a Bronze plan. Didn't think it would jump this much so soon.

I'm guessing a Silver plan is probably over $2,000 a month for 2027.
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b4pjoe
b4pjoe
osu1991 said:
Pissed off at the crappy healthcare costs
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Are you employed with no work insurance or that is what you are paying for your workplace insurance? Or is that through Healthcare.gov? Retired? Eligible for medicare?
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vazhog
vazhog
that cut is only for illegals to get off the rolls and I was being sarcastic before -
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T
telstar_1
The 2030s will likely bring renewed health reform
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osu1991
osu1991
b4pjoe said:
Are you employed with no work insurance or that is what you are paying for your workplace insurance? Or is that through Healthcare.gov? Retired? Eligible for medicare?
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Started my own business in 2006, been self employed for 20 years this year.
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meStevo
meStevo
vazhog said:
that cut is only for illegals to get off the rolls and I was being sarcastic before -
Click to expand...

Even sarcastically it's wrong. Undocumented immigrants already weren't eligible for federal Medicaid, so there's no one to "get off the rolls." The immigrant-related pieces are a small part of the ~$1 trillion. They cut the federal match for emergency care from 90% to the state's regular rate and end eligibility for some lawful immigrants like refugees. Most of the "savings" come from work requirements, more frequent eligibility checks, and provider tax limits, which hit citizens.

Either way, the cost doesn't disappear. It shifts to states, hospitals, and everyone else's premiums and will only serve to make issues like those raised in this thread worse.
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dishstaller
dishstaller
meStevo said:
Undocumented immigrants already weren't eligible for federal Medicaid, so there's no one to "get off the rolls."
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That's only part correct. Actually I had to look it up to make sure. There is NO Federal money going to Medicaid for illegals but there ARE some states that use State money to pay for Medicaid for illegals. Here's the list

    • California: Covers all income-eligible undocumented adults. [1, 2]
    • Colorado: Covers specific adult demographics (with upcoming budget caps in 2027). [1]
    • Illinois: Covers specific adult age brackets. [1]
    • New York: Covers specific adult demographics. [1]
    • Oregon: Covers all income-eligible undocumented adults. [1, 2]
    • Washington: Covers specific adult demographics. [1, 2]
    • Washington, D.C.: Provides adult coverage through the D.C. Health Care Alliance. [1, 2]
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meStevo
meStevo
dishstaller said:
That's only part correct. Actually I had to look it up to make sure. There is NO Federal money going to Medicaid for illegals but there ARE some states that use State money to pay for Medicaid for illegals. Here's the list

    • California: Covers all income-eligible undocumented adults. [1, 2]
    • Colorado: Covers specific adult demographics (with upcoming budget caps in 2027). [1]
    • Illinois: Covers specific adult age brackets. [1]
    • New York: Covers specific adult demographics. [1]
    • Oregon: Covers all income-eligible undocumented adults. [1, 2]
    • Washington: Covers specific adult demographics. [1, 2]
    • Washington, D.C.: Provides adult coverage through the D.C. Health Care Alliance. [1, 2]
Click to expand...

Fair point, but it's consistent with what I said: no federal Medicaid money goes to undocumented immigrants. Those programs are state-funded, so the federal ~$1T cut can't touch them. Whatever states decide to do with their own programs is a separate budget decision.
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Scott Greczkowski
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
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gms49ers
gms49ers
Can't You Hear Me Knocking - The Rolling Stones
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long_time_Dish
long_time_Dish
I Can Hear Music - The Beach Boys
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dishstaller
dishstaller
Boom Boom ( Out Go The Lights ) - Pat Travers
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sdfntx
sdfntx
Palisades Park - Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon
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RaiderPower
RaiderPower
Cherry Hill Park - Billy Joe Royal
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TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Apple's New Touchscreen MacBook Pro with Tandem OLED Display

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Obg_1yMsldU


Direct YouTube Link - Apple's New Touchscreen MacBook Pro with Tandem OLED Display
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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dishstaller
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Claude's site is still up and running. New link required

I figured some of the guys would be looking here for an answer. You'll need to use this link

DishRetailer

America's Oldest Satellite Forum!
satelliteretailer.com satelliteretailer.com

I'll mention what happened over there. I don't want to cause Scott any issues or put him in a bad spot.
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dishstaller
dishstaller
If any of you know some of the guys from the board and you have their contact info, please reach out to them....many failed to update their contact info and some even had starband email addresses.
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Linus Tech Tips
· posted in Linus Tech Tips

Ep. 35 - Best Tech for a Deserted Island...

Time for another AWESOME video from Linus Tech Tips!


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9st7OYkUHJk


Direct YouTube Link - Ep. 35 - Best Tech for a Deserted Island...
Linus on Facebook
The LTT Store
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dfergie
dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in What's Cooking?

What's For Lunch?

We have a Breakfast and Dinner thread so... :)
Continuing from the Breakfast thread, found Cornbread mix so ...
Yellow Cornbread Mix
2 Hatch Green Chiles -diced
1 Egg
2/3 cup of milk
add to greased pan
Bake for 400f 20-25 minutes(From instructions)
now to put together and try... this to go with pinto beans...
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dfergie
dfergie
Chili dog bowl, water… (homemade chili)
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TRG
TRG
Leftover wanton soup and pork fried rice. Water.
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dfergie
dfergie
IMG_5955.webp

Sweet tea…
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TRG
TRG
Tuna salad sandwich on toasted honey whole wheat bread with a handful of kettle chips. Water.
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TRG
TRG
Breakfast for lunch. Crispy corned beef hash, home fries, two over easy eggs and sourdough toast.

1653.webp
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dfergie
dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section

Auto Racing 2026

New thread or keep this one?

View: https://www.youtube.com/live/AgOI9DNCmPg?si=l-YcZmHl7GXXF8fX
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dfergie
Foxbat
Foxbat
Weird F1 weekend is already over with a Saturday race.
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dfergie
dfergie
Tried to watch the truck race but the stage c**p is why I don't watch NASCAR anymore…
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Y
Yespage
Today is the anniversary of Dan Wheldon's passing at Las Vegas in a dreadful crash that luckily didn't take more drivers' lives. I vaguely remember the crash, but I more strongly remember Paul Tracy trying to keep it together as he left the Medical Center knowing that Dan most likely wasn't going to.

The safety in these vehicles is beyond incomprehensible, especially relative to what it was 60 years ago, when dying wasn't unexpected. But it is still very dangerous. I always scoff at the prayer invocations, but never scoff at the risks these drivers take and the emergency workers out there who might need to pull short of a miracle to save a driver's life.
dfergie said:
Tried to watch the truck race but the stage c**p is why I don't watch NASCAR anymore…
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HBO Max has the live in car streaming without commercials, which provides an interesting take, but you are driving blind, knowing only what the team is telling the driver about what is happening on the track. The stages definitely ruin the NASCAR set up.
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Yespage
NASCAR is an abject mess, but at least it has Kyle Larson. Guy had the lead on the green/white checker, fell back to 12th or the like, kept his cool, and charged back to win with room to spare at the line. And win very cleanly!

NASCAR needs to stop racing at Talladega. Especially if they are going for elderly Sunday drives at the track! Stage racing is real stupid, but NASCAR should consider one half point a second per group gap as a bonus.
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TWiT Tech Podcast Network
· posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Cyberattacks Are Coming—Is Your Company Ready? #shorts

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!


View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4JfcPctpQmk


Direct YouTube Link - Cyberattacks Are Coming—Is Your Company Ready? #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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Tom Speer
Tom Speer
Staff member Pub Member / Supporter Cutting Edge
· posted in DIRECTV General Forum

Looking for former DIRECTV Cutting Edge testers who have now subscribed to DIRECTV Stream.

If you are a former Cuttinge Edge member who has converted to Stream, please contact me.
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M
mheisen
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

Hopper 3 with Hopper plus internet connection problems

Over the past few weeks, I have had problems connecting to streaming services (Netflix, HBO et al). When I go to the TV's native Channels, I have no problem. The Dish internet troubleshooter shows I have a good internet connection. I'm wondering whether it's an issue with my internet provider or a problem with the Dish software on the Hopper Plus. Anyone else seeing this?
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Almighty1
Almighty1
mheisen said:
Over the past few weeks, I have had problems connecting to streaming services (Netflix, HBO et al). When I go to the TV's native Channels, I have no problem. The Dish internet troubleshooter shows I have a good internet connection. I'm wondering whether it's an issue with my internet provider or a problem with the Dish software on the Hopper Plus. Anyone else seeing this?
Click to expand...
I have a DISH Hopper 3 (Software H713) with Hopper Plus (Software P15403). I have not tried streaming services but I primarily watch TVB Jadeworld international package which is only available by streaming and when I have an issue, I usually have to go to a non-streaming satellite channel first before the streaming channels will work again. What software versions do you have and what is the error message if any are showing on your screen? or is that Dish downloading logo just stuck and never finishes?
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mheisen
Almighty1 said:
I have a DISH Hopper 3 (Software H713) with Hopper Plus (Software P15403). I have not tried streaming services but I primarily watch TVB Jadeworld international package which is only available by streaming and when I have an issue, I usually have to go to a non-streaming satellite channel first before the streaming channels will work again. What software versions do you have and what is the error message if any are showing on your screen? or is that Dish downloading logo just stuck and never finishes?
Click to expand...
I'm on H713 on the Hopper and P15403 on the Hopper Plus. It shows internet connection issues and doesn't finish loading the various services. I see the "loading circle going around. Sometimes I get a message saying that the service is having trouble loading my content and to check the internet connection.
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Almighty1
Almighty1
mheisen said:
I'm on H713 on the Hopper and P15403 on the Hopper Plus. It shows internet connection issues and doesn't finish loading the various services. I see the "loading circle going around. Sometimes I get a message saying that the service is having trouble loading my content and to check the internet connection.
Click to expand...
Did it ever work correctly before? Hard to say what the problem is. Usually for streaming, it will show the Dish logo with lines sweeping down to show downloading, never seen the circle issue. Did you try a manual reboot, red button reset, power cord unplug/replug to see if it makes a difference.
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S
slow_poke_pete
Almighty1 said:
Did it ever work correctly before? Hard to say what the problem is. Usually for streaming, it will show the Dish logo with lines sweeping down to show downloading, never seen the circle issue. Did you try a manual reboot, red button reset, power cord unplug/replug to see if it makes a difference.
Click to expand...
Might be worth just to ditch the hopper plus. No issues here on h713
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S
slow_poke_pete
mheisen said:
Over the past few weeks, I have had problems connecting to streaming services (Netflix, HBO et al). When I go to the TV's native Channels, I have no problem. The Dish internet troubleshooter shows I have a good internet connection. I'm wondering whether it's an issue with my internet provider or a problem with the Dish software on the Hopper Plus. Anyone else seeing this?
Click to expand...
Buy a roku and dump the hopper plus you'll be better off. If you have a smart tv you don't need either one. No hopper plus here and no issues!!!
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Almighty1
Almighty1
slow_poke_pete said:
Might be worth just to ditch the hopper plus. No issues here on h713
Click to expand...
I have a Hopper Plus and no issues either. charlesrshell has both a Hopper 3 with Hopper Plus and one without, he doesn't have the same issue. Before blaming it on the Hopper Plus, he should see if the problem still exists without the Hopper Plus connected as it could be the Internet connection itself or some setting in the router itself. There is someone in another thread who has EHD issues on the Hopper 3 only setup but does not have the EHD issues on the Hopper 3 with Hopper Plus and he has already tried swapping the EHD and it did not make a difference so like the saying, YMMV.
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Almighty1
Almighty1
slow_poke_pete said:
Buy a roku and dump the hopper plus you'll be better off. If you have a smart tv you don't need either one. No hopper plus here and no issues!!!
Click to expand...
The Roku costs $$$, Hopper Plus is free. That may not be the only costs as it depends if the TV in question still has available HDMI ports and if not, it will require a HDMI switch and HDMI cable which adds more to the cost.

I have a LG 3D OLED Smart TV and I still need either of them because it does not have Android TV built in. Add a Hopper Plus and see if you actually have issues or not as until you actually tried it, it means nothing.
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