Hopper question

Long time dish user with three DVR's and one non-DVR receiver, all HD, and way more programming than I need. :eek2:

Considering switching to the Hopper, but looked at the specs and was surprised to see only three receivers (plus OTA, which is sporadic here). I am a bit concerned, given two of the three DVR's are very active, that this is going to be a step down in terms of what we record. Can someone help cut through a bit of the advertising hype and answer a question about how those receivers work?

If we have (say) four scheduled things to record, and two of them are on the networks, will the "prime time network" feature be able to use one receiver?

Does it matter if it's in "prime time" or not, can all four major networks always be recorded on one receiver, regardless of how scheduled? Or does that four-in-one recording only work when you schedule it to record all four as a separate schedule (i.e. not two items for two different programs that just happen to be on the networks)?

I was very surprised to see the Joey's were wired, somehow I had the impression this was wireless. Right now all my receivers are wired to one DPP44 which is in the attic. I assume to switch, I'm going to have to run coax (right? or ethernet?) from the location I put the hopper to each receiver. I don't want to put it up where the DPP44 is (which would be easy wiring wise) as it's in a hot attic. In other words, three of the four receiving are going to need new coax run, is that correct?

I see others have more than one hopper, but I can't find how Dish handles pricing for that (and I never want to call Dish without knowing most of the answer before I call). Anyone know how that would be priced, then I'd swap one DVR for a hopper, use it to go to two other rooms, and on the more active other DVR replace it with a second hopper. Still need to run two additional coax runs I guess.

Can two hoppers work off of one coax each coming from one DPP44?

If there's a better place to find this information please point. I read the FAQ, which is where I learned what I think I know, but didn't see much about installations and wiring.

 

Thank you "harsh", I mis-spoke with the terminology, and thank you for the general advice, though I had already realized I have an issue of recording conflicts which is why I am asking.

Any chance you know the specific answer? Take the scenario as described: I have four overlapping recordings scheduled, two are from other sources (let's say HBO and Showtime), and one is on ABC and one is on NBC. I have them set up as regular recording timers (or whatever the hopper calls them), I do not have the Prime Time feature turned on (or perhaps they are playing at a time outside the window).

Will all four record (because it is able to use one tuner for both ABC and NBC), or will only three of the four record?

Same scenario with the prime time enabled, and assume the overlap was in prime time: will it record AND SAVE the two explicitly scheduled shows more than the 8 days? I often travel for weeks at a time, and while I don't want every show in prime time for several weeks, I do want the ones I explicitly requested. (And no, I really don't want to remember and log in remotely and save them each week, even if that's an option).

 

Perfect! Thank you.

Am I correct about the wiring? Replacing 4 receivers I have now that are wired to a DPP44 in the attic will mean running new coax to 3 of those from wherever the hopper goes, instead of from the DPP44 (or conversely running 3 additional runs back up to where the DPP44 was and splice it from there, which is largely the same thing? Or are there alternatives?

Also, any ideas on what happens if I want two hoppers, cost wise?

 

Thank you Godfather (gosh, I always wanted to say that ).

I also did some reading after posting (my apologies to all who helped that I didn't read before) and stumbled across wiring diagrams, and it all makes sense now. It seems to me the safest thing (to keep from conflicts with my wife's timers) is to get two hoppers, and two joey's to replace the 4 current receivers. That means in the primary points of use we have 3 tuners instead of 2, and more when timers are for network shows. It was that Node Duo that I needed to see to understand. I don't know if I have RG6 to all locations (it's what I run but I think some is original home wiring) but without tabs it seems likely it will work.

One last pre-order question: the OTA adapter. Right now I have a diplexer bringing the OTA signal from the antenna to each receiver (which is near where the Node Duo will go). Can the Diplexer be used with the Hopper just as a regular receiver?

 

Painful, but I understand, thank you.