Dishnetwork Hopper or VIP612

[TheKrell]

I have Hopper Duos that have been deactivated for months, and those recordings still work just fine.

Well, that's a pleasant surprise. Did you pull them off the antenna to prevent them from getting the kill signal?

 

[pattykay]

Well, that's a pleasant surprise. Did you pull them off the antenna to prevent them from getting the kill signal?

No, although I have done that in the past with an original Hopper, to preserve access to old PTAT recordings while the receiver was deactivated and I was still waiting for the box to return it to Dish. That was a leased receiver, and my Hopper Duos are purchased, so that may make a difference. The only antenna I disconnected from a Hopper Duo was the OTA antenna. I moved my Lark dual-tuner OTA adapter over to a Wally, to try to help with the OTA issues I had been having on that receiver. It didn't help.

Someone claimed the Hauppauge dual-tuner OTA adapter that I offered to give away for free. I still have the Lark if anyone wants it. I am not using it that much these days, so I might as well pass it along to someone else who might be able to make use of it.

 

[NorCal Joe]

Nope. Those won’t work for long without phoning home. Or so most report.
[/QUOT

That is my experience with the ViP612, unfortunately. Ironically, I have Hopper Duos that have been deactivated for months, and those recordings still work just fine. I have mine hooked up exactly like NorCal Joe said, with an HDMI cable to a secondary input on each TV. So, NorCal Joe's proposed solution may work just fine with the new receivers, but not with the old ViP612's. Transferring any important recordings would still be advised.

So far, the VIP's are still providing the DVR recordings as is my dinosaur 501. I have that hooked to an older tv in my shop that has the S-Video and RCA jacks. Still have an 8 track that works too! Have to be careful with the cassettes though, the rubberized pinch wheels have completely degraded. Ugh, can be a mess! A nearly mint bag phone too. Keeping them around for nostalgia, more than anything else. I probably sound like a hoarder (wife thinks), but if it works, it's hard to part with!

 

[pattykay]

So far, the VIP's are still providing the DVR recordings as is my dinosaur 501. I have that hooked to an older tv in my shop that has the S-Video and RCA jacks. Still have an 8 track that works too! Have to be careful with the cassettes though, the rubberized pinch wheels have completely degraded. Ugh, can be a mess! A nearly mint bag phone too. Keeping them around for nostalgia, more than anything else. I probably sound like a hoarder (wife thinks), but if it works, it's hard to part with!

I hear you. I still have some deactivated 512's, that I keep for the existing recordings. I am guessing that your ViP612's are old enough that they still have the purple G3 Smart Card. When I had the problem with my ViP612 not working for playing back recordings while it was deactivated, it had the newer white G4 Smart Card. So, that can make a difference with the way the authorization works.

 

[NorCal Joe]

I hear you. I still have some deactivated 512's, that I keep for the existing recordings. I am guessing that your ViP612's are old enough that they still have the purple G3 Smart Card. When I had the problem with my ViP612 not working for playing back recordings while it was deactivated, it had the newer white G4 Smart Card. So, that can make a difference with the way the authorization works.

My VIP's didn't come with any cards, Dish said that they were internal. I called Dish one day, inquiring about the ala cart packages that they were offering some time ago and they said that I would need to add cards in order to receive those packages. I wasn't thinking that I'd go that route (was just analyzing cost and the programs) but they sent them anyway, in case I decided to add packages. Since I elected to just keep the AT250 package, I never installed them. Had I installed them, I might be experiencing the same problem as you. Could be luck? Have you tried removing the cards to see if that will allow you to gain access to your DVR? When I turn on the VIP, it starts looking for the satellites and I hit the DVR button and MY Recordings loads right up. Same with the 501. BTW, I just checked, they sent me the white G4 cards.

 

[NorCal Joe]

Hit guide, then hit guide again and edit favorites to make a Custom Guide list.

For locking out channels, go to parental controls, choose channels to lockout then select hide locked channels and you won't even see them in the guide.

Isn't that a bitch you have to go through all of the screens to get to autotune! I'd be nice to have that option right at the record or autotune button.

 

[pattykay]

My VIP's didn't come with any cards, Dish said that they were internal. I called Dish one day, inquiring about the ala cart packages that they were offering some time ago and they said that I would need to add cards in order to receive those packages. I wasn't thinking that I'd go that route (was just analyzing cost and the programs) but they sent them anyway, in case I decided to add packages. Since I elected to just keep the AT250 package, I never installed them. Had I installed them, I might be experiencing the same problem as you. Could be luck? Have you tried removing the cards to see if that will allow you to gain access to your DVR? When I turn on the VIP, it starts looking for the satellites and I hit the DVR button and MY Recordings loads right up. Same with the 501. BTW, I just checked, they sent me the white G4 cards.

The internal cards are G3. Once the new cards are installed, the old ones get de-authorized, so I doubt that removing the card would have helped in my case. In any event, the last time I activated the ViP612, my sister watched all of the recordings that she had wanted to watch from it, and then we deleted all of them. So, now it is sitting in my closet, completely empty and unused.

 

[HipKat]

Isn't that a bitch you have to go through all of the screens to get to autotune! I'd be nice to have that option right at the record or autotune button.

Yes, it is. It's ridiculous.