I was quite reluctant to upgrade from a 2 DVR (VIP 722K)system to Dish Hopper after reading all the reviews. But finally I decided to take the risk because I wanted HD viewing in all TVs and also be able to watch any recorded show from anywhere in the house. I didn't have to pay any equipment fee with 2 year agreement. It has been a month since I switched to 1 hopper and 2 joey system and to my surprise I've no issues so far. Very happy with it. They keep on fixing the bugs as they find I guess. I also use sling adapter. And we also have external media with many recorded movies over last many years.Only complaint so far is that we can't see shows on external media using sling anymore (that is why 4 out of 5 stars). This feature was available with VIP 722k. With hopper, you need to move your shows from external media to hopper in order to watch it via sling. Other than this, I love the new hopper !! Waiting for their wireless Joey to come in the market...
The biggest thing lately is that the DVR seems to drop recorded shows. It doesn't happen with any pattern but it will display that a show has recorded and when you to watch it, there is nothing there. Or it will show that it recorded and then it disappears from the listings the next day. Gone. And even though DISH added a 'deleted recordings' folder that holds them for a day, it is not in there. This seems to be picking up in frequency and has probably happened about 5 times in the past two weeks. Given that we recorded at least 100 things in that time period (including the prime time anytime recordings) it is a lower percentage. But if it is your show, it is frustrating. I'm not sure if this happens with other systems, perhaps it is just part of having a more complicated DVR. Overall, I'm still pleased with the system but it has a set of flaws.***
We had DirecTV for years and switched to Dish about four years ago. We just updated to the HOPPER and two Joeys. So far it's all going really well.
In the past, we had two receivers for three TVs. One was a dual DVR and the other a stand alone. So the stand alone didn't have access to anything recorded nor did it have the ability to pause live TV or record. The dual DVR had HD ability on one TV only since the other transmitted via UHF signal.
But we lived with it. But when it started to crap out, it was time to either replace it with the same unit type or change to the Hopper. It was a no brainer. With only 50 hours of high def recording available on the old receiver (350 hours standard def) it was silly not to change to the Hopper.
The Hopper has (from what I can calculate) 250 hours of high def recording it's a 2TB hard drive. The Joeys are small and allow you access to the main DVR at any time. Even though we have two Joeys, you can put up to three on the Hopper. For each Joey, you can record another program. So, we can record three programs at a time one for the DVR Hopper, and one at each Joey.
One of the things I really like is the availability of Prime Time Anytime. This acts similar to On Demand. If you chose to turn it on, it will automatically record all major networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX) or whichever ones you choose, for all prime time hours (8:00 pm 11:00 pm) and store it for as long as you set. It defaults to 8 days but you can keep it for less if you want. You can also dictate which days of the week including weekends. This setting takes up one of your recording slots so now we can only record two other programs at any given time. Since I tend to record a lot of prime time network shows, this is a great feature for me. I don't have to set a timer for every one of them and because it is recording all networks, I'm not taking up two record slots if I want two shows in one night.
You have the option of selecting a program and permanently saving it as well, treating it like any other recording. If you don't want it, it will automatically disappear after 8 days.
I also like that you can create folders for recordings. I created a "kid's movies' folder, one for me, for each child and for my husband. You can set a timer to record directly to a folder so that you don't have to sort it later. You also have the option of viewing all recordings by genre, network, or by program title.
What I don't like is the lack of options. I am very used to looking through the DVR recordings as a list. On the Hopper, it shows icons. This makes it awkward to go through a list and find a show. If you're looking from across the room, the text can be small to read. The only way to get a listing is to look by show title and then open that folder. So if you record every episode of Pawn Stars and you open the Pawn Stars folder, then you can look at a listing instead of an icon. I really don't like the icons and I'd prefer to have the option to go back to all listings but there are very few ways to personalize the DVR interface.
I do like that it shows how much has been watched in a clear green bar. You can still personalize favorite channels and the interface for doing that is great since it is clear to see what the channel is that you are selecting. You have to set up favorite channels for each Joey though.
Transferring content from an external hard drive was easy and as before, you can add an external hard drive for additional recording storage. There are some apps available (which run through your internet). We connected to the internet via WiFi using the provided antenna. There are games, Pandora, Facebook, MLB Network, Photo Sharing, etc all via the internet. You can access regular On Demand via your internet as well.
If you have caller ID and hook up your phone line, you'll get a listing on the screen (if you set it on) that a call is coming in and who it is.
So overall, we definitely upgraded. I am really pleased with the quality of picture and flexibility of the Joeys not to mention the Prime Time Anytime.
We got all our equipment and installation for free since we renewed a two year agreement. And even though Dish dropped AMC (a bone of contention with my husband) overall, we are really pleased.
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I've had Dish for many years and was very satisfied with all aspects of their system. I foolishly signed up for Hopper about 3 months ago. I have four TVs (two Hoppers and two Joeys).There are many things I like about Hopper such as;
1. Being able to record three programs at once.
2. The 2 terabyte DVR (I've been recording like crazy and haven't made a dent in it
3. The ability to attach my 2 terabyte hard drive giving me a total of 4 terabytes
4. Having HD on all my TVs
5. The many functions on the Main Menu
Things I don't like;
1. ICONs of programs I have recorded are difficult to read (do away with these or make them larger)
2. The text of all screens are too small for no reason
3. The gray text on a gray background sucks (all text should be black on white)
4. The old Dish allowed me to list 4 channels on Guide which made the text larger (restore this)
I believe the programmers were more concerned about creating a more modern format at the expense of functionality. The old Dish text was easy to read, so why fix something that wasn't broken.
I'm sorry I ever went to Hopper and am locked into a two year contract. Don't sign up until they fix the text problem (look at someone that has a TV the size of yours with Hopper installed and you will see what I mean). I guess I am fortunate, in that I have not had any of the problems others have mentioned such as black screens and lost recordings.
I would have rated Hopper five stars if it wasn't for the text problem. If you have difficulty reading what is on the screen, then what good is it?
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What a mistake. 5 seconds between each channel change. A menu system of icons and illegible titles. the same with dvr menu. On a 50" tv sitting 8 to 10 feet away impossible to read. Channel guide is even worse! Only one sickly, gray screen which is near impossible to read. When all TVs are off and I turn on one I have to read a warning that this will interupt viewing at another location and then selct from an offering of 2 choices. This thing is a piece of crap and I hate dish for beta testing me for $120 a month. I could gripe more but what's the use.Want DISH Network HOPPER Whole Home DVR System Discount?
I switched to Dish in December 2012. Direct TV wouldn't add the Pac 12 network so all of the football and basketball games were unavailable. No provider in my area other than Dish offers the Pac 12 Network. I was concerned over a number of the posts here and elsewhere regarding quality and issues with the Hopper Software and Joeys. So far, after more than 2 months, find the quality to be at least as good as DTV. The process for recording is different but equally as good. The wireless connection is a radical improvement over DTV and the menus(etc.) are different but much better and more intuitive than DTV. Also, I have the Sling Box option which is far superior to DTV's "anywhere" or whatever option they have. DTV only lets you use devices that are logged onto a network which is that same network as your TV. The remote itself is less intuitive than the DTV remote but manageable. If you are getting older like me and having issues with reading in low light or smaller print, the remote will be a little bit annoying. I know where all the buttons are now without looking so no problem.Perhaps I am later coming to Dish than others but it is equal or better quality at a substantially better price. I also get way more content than DTV for a way lower price: as many or more HD channels than DTV for sure.
Good luck and I hope your experience is as good as mine. I recommend Dish and the Hopper wholeheartedly.
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