What is the receiver fee policy?

[Lbeck]

I just got a 722 installed and Dish allowed me to keep my old 622. What I want to do is to download programming from my activated 722 onto a hard drive, then port the recorded programs to the deactivated 622. My questions are:

1. Is the 2nd receiver monthly fee charged only for an activated receiver, or if even you use a 2nd receiver only as a drone (no programming), and

2. Will I need to pay the "one-time" $40 fee a second time to have the second receiver activated for HDD interface?

 

[KAB]

You did not say if you lease or own your 622. If leased, and you deactivate, they will make you send it back, so the issue is moot. If owned and deactivated, you should (I Think) be able to transfer programs. My bet is they let you keep it as an additional receiver which they will charge an extra fee for (or for the new 722). The $40 is a one time household charge.

 

[Jerryinvirginia]

Probably a good idea to review your questions by calling E*.

 

[Lbeck]

I haven't received any bills yet, and there was no mention of an additional fee, so I'm assuming that the comment about one-time fee per household is correct. I finally got the 622 activated for use with the HDD, but now I have some technical questions regarding how the file transfer works.

I can do what I wanted with the retired and deactivated 622, which is to use it as a viewer only. However, the HDD/622 combo works only when hooked up to the satellite wiring. In other words, if I remove the 722 and put the 622 in its place, I can do file transfers from HDD <-> 622. And I can do the same with the 722 when it is hooked to the satellite.

What I CAN’T do is to work with the HDD at all when it is not connected to a receiver that is wired to the satellite. I had hoped to simply download recorded programs from the 722 to the HDD, carry the HDD upstairs to the 622 and remote TV, and download the files to the 622. This surprises me. I thought that the transfer would have been as simple as using an external HDD to transfer files between computers.

Why does the HDD only work when coupled to a receiver that is connected to the dish? This is not a programming authorization issue since the 622 is deactivated and is not receiving programming information from the satellite.

 

[lakebum431]

Because they want you to have to keep your service in order to use the external hard drive. Thereby locking you into staying with Dish Network or losing all of your recordings. Pretty smart from a business standpoint,

 

[Lbeck]

Because they want you to have to keep your service in order to use the external hard drive. Thereby locking you into staying with Dish Network or losing all of your recordings. Pretty smart from a business standpoint,

I don't understand your/their logic. I would have to keep the DN service to use the HDD the way that I was hoping - as a portable device to move recorded programs from 722 -> 622.

I now am able to do that but much less conveniently than I had hoped - unless I find a workaround. Of course maybe they are hoping that the inconvenience of lugging the 622 up and down stairs will force me into having it reactivated and paying the second receiver fee.

 

[ccuser]

try following trick. It has worked with 510.
1. with no sat connection to vip622, turn it on
2. u would get acquiring signal....screen. Press menu 6-1-1
3. once on signal meter screen cancel out twice and then go to my recording.
4. once in my recording.

 

[steve4810]

try following trick. It has worked with 510.
1. with no sat connection to vip622, turn it on
2. u would get acquiring signal....screen. Press menu 6-1-1
3. once on signal meter screen cancel out twice and then go to my recording.
4. once in my recording.

Ditto what he said.

I had a 522 that I used just in this manner. When I turned it on and it started trying to acquire the sat signal I just went to the menus then from there went to my recordings.

 

[Lbeck]

try following trick. It has worked with 510.
1. with no sat connection to vip622, turn it on
2. u would get acquiring signal....screen. Press menu 6-1-1
3. once on signal meter screen cancel out twice and then go to my recording.
4. once in my recording.

Thanks.

Actually, I have no problems getting to my recordings. The problem that I was trying to explain is using my external hard disc drive (HDD) to transport recordings from one DVR to another. I believe that saving to HDD only began with the 622.

I can save/transfer programs from my 2 DVRs only when they are connected to satellite. Since one is in my family room DVR and the other in my upstairs bedroom, this necessitates carrying the bedroom DVR to the family room, swapping the sat connection to do my HDD transfers, and then carrying the decommissioned DVR back upstairs to watch the transferred programming.

What I was hoping to do is to leave both DVRs in place and only carry the HDD back and forth. This would be much simpler since it is smaller and the HDD connections are in the front of the DVRs.

 

[steve4810]

OK, I ran an experiment to see what the problem was and ran into this when I disconnected the dish and rebooted my DVR I found this error screen:

To manage recordings on your External Hard Drive this feature must be activated.

To activate please call 1-888-241-2205.

This is something I don't think hardly anyone knew about. In hindsight perhaps you might have mentioned it in your first post.

Sorry but it does mean the DVR viewing the EHD recordings must be actively connected to a dish. And though I didn't try it, probably has to be enabled too.