external hard drive usable on multiple receivers?
- Thread starter Jim S.
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A single external hard drive can be used between and downloaded between any (not just yours) receiver that has the capability and has been activated by Dish. So, yes....
The EHD is tied to your account, not to the receiver, except that an EHD from a 211/411 will not work on a 612/622/722/722k and vice versa.
The reason I asked is because I was told by a local dealer that if I wanted to replace my 622 with a 722, I'd have to pay the EHD activation fee for both receivers. When I said that I thought that Dish was supposed to have changed it so it worked on every receiver on your account, she told me that another of her customers had been told that too, only to find that it didn't work. This particular dealer usually knows what she's talking about. So, what's going on?
Your dealer is simply mistaken. Once your account has the EHD feature activated, any and all EHD capable DVRs can use an EHD and the EHDs can be carried from one DVR to another DVR on your account.
PS As Jim5506 said, "except that an EHD from a 211/411 will not work on a 612/622/722/722k and vice versa."
I plan to upgrade my current 622 with a 722 and also will be adding a 612. Can I backup my 622 DVR to an EHD and view the recordings on the 722 and 612? According to Dish CSR I can't, they stated the 722 will reformat the drive, deleting my stored recordings from the 622, once I connect the EHD to the 722. Essentially they stated that an EHD can only be moved between the same model recievers, i.e. 622 to 622, 722 to 722, etc.
They misspoke or you misunderstood. As long as the receivers are on the same account, all is well.
211/211k cannot share the EHD with 612/622/722/722k.
I have not heard about Dish activating the EHD capability on the 222/222k.
I have a VIP 222K. Under the "My Equipment" tab on my online account there is a note indicating that my receiver can be converted (their term) to DVR with the addition of an EHD and activation of the USB port on the back.
I tweeted with a service rep who confirmed this option is available for a one time $40 fee.
I had been told the same thing by my installer when I first got my service, but I had not pursued it. But now that I have verification, I plan to do just that.
But as for the multiple receivers...I would expect the EHD will work on any receiver on the account as long as the USB port on each receiver has been activated.
I just got off the phone with Tech Support and they told me I cannot use the hard drive between two different models, including my two - a 612 and a 722k. I can use two hard drives, one dedicated to each receiver for the $40 fee, but cannot view material from one to the other. If that is really true, it is pretty lame that my two receivers cannot share material. I am waiting for my replacement 722k and as soon as it arrives, I hope to clarify this. Right now my 722k is on it's last leg, and if I reboot it to get it to see the external drive, it may not come back on at all.
Pretty sure you can share the EHD's between the 612/622/722/722k without problems. It is only the 211/211k that can't share with the others and require a separate $40 fee.
EHD for 612/622/722/722k is an archival device and the drive can be freely moved to any such device on your account.
EHD for 211/211k/411 is for conversion to a DVR and can be freely moved to any such device on your account.
EHD's cannot be moved between these two groups without the receiver re-formatting it.
EHD's cannot be shared among receivers of any type on different accounts.
EHD for 211/211k/411 is for conversion to a DVR and can be freely moved to any such device on your account.
EHD's cannot be moved between these two groups without the receiver re-formatting it.
EHD's cannot be shared among receivers of any type on different accounts.
Last weekend weekend I attempted to record bowl games using the EHD on both my 211VIP receivers. When I took the EHD from my bedroom to the living room to watch a game the living room receiver could not see the bedroom's EHD. When I plugged the original EHD back in it was no longer recognized either. When I put the bedroom's EHD back it was no longer recognized. After a half hour on the phone with Dish I was able to force both 211 receivers to download the DVR software again.
Fortunately neither drive had to be reformatted and I was able to view all previously recorded programming. I do think I lost all my timers.
While in theory it may be possible to switch EHDs between like receivers it maybe more complicated than just plugging them in.
Jim
Fortunately neither drive had to be reformatted and I was able to view all previously recorded programming. I do think I lost all my timers.
While in theory it may be possible to switch EHDs between like receivers it maybe more complicated than just plugging them in.
Jim
First let me apologize for any misleading information you may have received from anyone here at DISH Network regarding the 222/222k being able to activate as a DVR. As of right now, this is not possible. Rumors floating about have added to the problem. Again, the 222/222k is not capable of activating as a DVR. I believe you referred to this paragraph on the "My Equipment" tab at dn.com
External Hard Drive - With DISH, you can purchase an external hard drive to convert a non-DVR receiver into a DVR receiver and enjoy benefits such as recording your favorite shows or pausing live TV. You can also use the external hard drive to expand the storage capacity of an existing DVR receiver or watch a recording on another receiver on your account. Go to dish.com/ehd to learn how to enable this feature.
If you follow the link in the paragraph, it tells you about EHD on the DVR on the account. As many people have posted, right now the only receivers that can go from non-DVR to DVR are the single tuners (211/211k/411). Speculation as to why you cannot change the HD DUOs (222/222k) to DVR is the management of the dual-tuner setup when recording to the EHD. As soon as I saw the post, I not only checked my receiver at home to see if it was capable, I also went to the engineering account receivers we have here at work to see if it was even in trial phase. Both sets of receivers do not support it. The only feature I could was ERD which allows the unit to control a VCR if connected and schedule recordings that way. There is not even word that an EHD update is even planned for the future (potentially due to managing both tuners without an actual DVR).
To further this conversation, the EHD activation on the 211/211k/411 receivers does not make it a true DVR, with multiple tuners and the capability to watch one show and record another. It simply allows the receiver to record one show and rewind that show. If it is not a scheduled recording, the receiver only operates as it always has, unlike the true DVRs that allow you to pause/rewind/playback any show, regardless of scheduled timers. It is more like a VCR, except that it records digitally.
I am surprised to hear that switching the EHD from one 211 to the other 211 did not allow it to have access to the content. I will submit this to our engineers for correction or clarification. I do hope the other information in this post proves useful.
What you are saying about the lack of capabilities for an EHD installed on a 211 or 211K is not entirely accurate.
1. First you can play back a previously recorded show while recording another show. As you stated with a single tuner you can only tune or record a single program at a time. The single tunner limitation can be mitigated by feeding the off airs directly into the TV and by connecting to my SlingBox linked to my other receiver. I in effect have three video service channels available at one time. The disadvantage of this setup is that I can only use the DVR on the satellite channels feeding both by receivers, one of which I am Slinging. The off airs can't be recorded onto the DVR.
2. The EHD on a 211 or 211K does allow you to pause live video and then resume it. One you resume you can skip or fast forward content you are not interested in watching. I did this just this past weekend during the Bears vs Packers game. After watching the first half I paused the game then went out to dinner. When I returned I watched the second half quickly by skipping all the commercials, official reviews, etc.
3. The primary limitations is that an EHD on a 211 doe not allow you to purchase VOD and store it to your EHD. As close as I can come to this is purchasing a PPV movie and recording for later viewing. I also can not program my DVR remotely through Dish. I accomplish the same thing by using my SlingBox and my Iphone or a remote PC.
To me the minor limitations are more than offset by the fact that I don't have to pay a monthly DVR integration fee,
Jim
For point 1, this particular setup is not installed at every 211/211k/411 installation, and therefore I made no mention of this. I also made no mention of the fact that you can watch a previously recorded show while recording another, as I specifically mentioned tuning and not playback. I also limited my response to a "standard" installation that everyone would get, and not the possibilities of using multiple pieces of equipment to add capability. Not everyone has the SlingBox, and therefore the capabilities were not discussed. I could have made mention that ANY receiver can be used as a DVR if slinging to a Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows 7 PC as the media center has built in DVR capability and with proper setup, shazaam! You have a DVR on a 311. I was limiting my response to the box itself and the EHD.
To announce a possibility I will say that using the OTA tuner on the receiver allows access to recording a second show at the same time (one on OTA, one on satellite) while still being able to watch a previously recorded. Not everyone has the OTA antenna, nor the ability to get OTA signal, and I left this out of my response as again, I was looking at a "standard" installation.
Lastly, you are correct that you can pause live TV. I was wrong here as I thought you must actively be recording live TV in order to use this feature. I was not aware with EHD activation, and an EHD connected, it automatically buffered the show you were watching to allow for this, as the actual DVR's list a spec for buffered time and this setup does not. My apologies on that note, and if you could let me know what the spec is for buffered time automatically allowed on EHD, I would be grateful.
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