Networking DISH receivers

[mogold]

My current home configuration includes 2 VIP211's in the living rooms and 3-301's in the bedrooms. Each receiver is connected to a TIVO, because 1) it is hardware I own and know and 2) it has been really easy to network them and share recorded content across the devices.

DirectTV has their new Whole Home setup. but I don't need or care about playing LIVE TV in multiple places. What I do need, though, is the ability to record TV in, at least, the 2 living areas, and playback in the 3 bedrooms.

I am not opposed to replacing/upgrading ANY hardware I currently have...including getting rid of the Tivo's, since they only record in SD. I do not particularly care and HD playback in the bedrooms, but it would be a bonus.

Can Dish receivers "share" their content over a home network, like my Tivo's can? If so, is the VIP 612 networkable? Is the VIP 922 networkable?

Is what I want to do even possible to more than 2 TV's at a time?

I don't care if I have to have a DVR in each living area, but I need to be able to access the RECORDED stuff on either DVR from any TV, including the other DVR connected TV.

I appreciate any help the "brain trust" here can provide.

 

[Tampa8]

The way dish handles this is with the external hard drive. Record from one DVR, then put the hard drive to another DVR. It's what I do when something is recorded downstairs, and I want to watch upstairs.
The other way is a 722 receiver, that supplies two TV's, one in HD, one in SD.
Your current setup would allow the 211's to have an external hard drive, but one drawback is they will not work with any of the other receivers that can have a hard drive. Short of running wires, I do not know of a way to do what you want with the 301's.

Dish does not have what Direct calls a whole home solution, as Direct TV does. In my case, I like the external hard drive solution, as use it as both a way to watch on any TV, and an archive of programs/movies I want to save.

 

[whatchel1]

With the 922 (Sling built in) and the 722k (with added Sling extender) you could add Sling box to the bedrooms to watch off the main box (or maybe even the 2 main boxes in the house).