[bluesfan]

Okay...I currently have DTV whole home DVR with 4 DVR's and 2 HD receivers and I'm thinking about making the switch to Dish Network which I'd be getting 2 Hoppers and 4 joeys. Just wanting to get some feedback before I make the switch, I've been with DTV for 11 years but I can save about $50 month the 1st year and then about $20 per month after that.

Thanks.
Dennis

 

[mweathers]

I also was with Direct: since 1997. It wasn't an easy decision to come over. I had no problems with Direct except for not having BBCHD (which they now have) and a few other HD nationals that they seem to be catching up on. I was always happy with their HD picture quality. But I wasn't a huge sports fan. Never subscribed to any additional sports package or NFL package. Their monthly costs kept creeping up each year and it just got to be too much. Plus my HR21-100 was pretty slow.

So I started doing research about the Hopper/Joey promotion (free to new customers). After MUCH reading I decided to take the plunge on July 18. And I've not been happier! What a great system. (I have the Hopper and 3 Joeys). The Hopper has a 2TB hard drive, as much as you will ever need. (I guess you know that if you DON'T turn on PTAT you can only use 1 TB, but that's still most likely all you'll ever need). I had no issues with my install, which took about 5 hours. I love the interface of the Hopper and the way it works with the Joeys. Only issue: heat. The Hopper runs hot. You will need to have excellent ventilation or it will get very hot. The Joeys get hot no matter what. But so far I've had no issues.

As for picture quality, I was pleasantly surprised with Dish HD...I have a 58" Samsung plasma and I think it looks at least as good as Direct HD, maybe even better on some channels. So don't worry about that.

I could go on, but if you are worried about jumping over that fence...come on over! You will be very happy! And, like me, save money!!!!!

 

[sregener]

I Hopped in April after two long years with a very slow and unresponsive DVR. I did so in part for the Hopper, but in part because channels I wanted in HD are on Dish and not DirecTV.

The DVR has been almost perfect. There was a brief problem with one firmware version, but it was patched and fixed within a few days. The 30-second skip is slower now than it was when I got it. No idea why.

Some channels are not in HD on Dish that are on DirecTV (ESPN U, Disney, ABC Family, for instance.). And Dish has dropped AMC, Sundance, We and another channel I can't remember completely from their lineup. Since those channels don't matter to me, I'm still a happy camper.

Worth knowing is that if you are a pixel peeper like me, DirecTV's HD quality is better. Dish's is very good, but it is a bit softer. You will need a 1080 set and good eyes to spot the difference.

If you use an Antenna, DirecTV's interface has 2 OTA channels. The Hopper currently has none, and all indications are that when it does get a tuner, it will be a single-channel one. HD LiL quality on Dish is pretty poor for me, but I can't compare it to DirecTV since they don't offer HD locals in my area.

Would I do it again? Yes. Getting rid of my HR22-100 was terrific. Dish has met every expectation I had. And getting Blockbuster @Home has been a nice perk. A bunch of movie channels and a Blu-Ray disc out at a time for just $10/month.

The Dish fans will tell you that everything is better on Dish. I'm not in that camp. In some ways, I miss DirecTV for their professionalism and picture quality. But you could not pay me to use an HR22-100 again. Dish is different, and in some ways better, but in other ways not. You can always cancel in the first 30 days if it turns out to be horrible, and DirecTV sent me some pretty nice offers to try to win me back (which failed.)

 

[bluesfan]

Dish Network doesn't have the AMC channel? That's not good...my wife's top two favorite shows Madmen and Breaking Bad...switching could possibly be the end of my marriage...lol

 

[brett_the_bomb]

I had one question about hopper/joey setups. if you have 2 hoppers and 4 joeys, would 2 joeys be hooked up to each? if so can the joeys see both hoppers reccordings or just the one they are attached to? maybe someone with a similar setup can chime in?

 

[mweathers]

Since AMC has been dropped by Dish, AMC ratings have taken a dive. A pretty big one....So I just bet AMC will be back in within the next few weeks. Just my opinion of course.....Funny though: I'm a true HD snob! Won't watch anything NOT in HD. Direct took so long getting AMC in HD that I just started purchasing the shows I liked on AMC so I could see them "correctly"....I did that for years.......So I'm still behind on Breaking Bad and Mad Men due to Direct being so slow to ad the HD feed. Not having AMC on Dish is no big deal to me right now. But according to an article I read yesterday, it shouldn't be long before it's back on Dish. If not, AMC is in trouble financially.

 

[patmurphey]

I had one question about hopper/joey setups. if you have 2 hoppers and 4 joeys, would 2 joeys be hooked up to each? if so can the joeys see both hoppers reccordings or just the one they are attached to? maybe someone with a similar setup can chime in?

Up to 3 Joeys can be connected to each Hopper side of the node. That doesn't matter - you can link any Joey to either Hopper.

 

[Stewart Vernon]

Moderator note... Let's not get too bogged down in specific programming disputes. It is a fair point, given the topic, to point out channel differences for someone considering switching providers... but we have dispute threads to discuss the disputes themselves.

Thanks in advance for staying with the topic...

 

[brett_the_bomb]

Up to 3 Joeys can be connected to each Hopper side of the node. That doesn't matter - you can link any Joey to either Hopper.

Yea I did know that but my question is can a joey connected to hopper A see recordings on hopper B?

 

[garys]

It is an easy switch going from A to B and back.

 

[Stewart Vernon]

Yea I did know that but my question is can a joey connected to hopper A see recordings on hopper B?

To make sure you are understanding what is being said...

Assuming you wire things in a non-isolated way (there are ways to wire up Hoppers and Joeys that would prevent the Joeys from seeing both Hoppers)...

The Joeys are not connected specifically to a particular Hopper by the wiring... rather, they are on the MoCA network...

So, you "connect" by linking in the menu a Joey to a particular Hopper... and then you see recordings on that Hopper. You have to un-link and then link to the other Hopper to see those recordings.

You cannot simultaneously be linked to both Hoppers.

 

[puckwithahalo]

To make sure you are understanding what is being said...

Assuming you wire things in a non-isolated way (there are ways to wire up Hoppers and Joeys that would prevent the Joeys from seeing both Hoppers)...

The Joeys are not connected specifically to a particular Hopper by the wiring... rather, they are on the MoCA network...

So, you "connect" by linking in the menu a Joey to a particular Hopper... and then you see recordings on that Hopper. You have to un-link and then link to the other Hopper to see those recordings.

You cannot simultaneously be linked to both Hoppers.

But, you don't have to link to the other hopper to see the recordings on it anymore. In "My Recordings" there is a drop-down to let you pick which Hopper's recordings to look through. Same for at each Hopper now too.

 

[Stewart Vernon]

But, you don't have to link to the other hopper to see the recordings on it anymore. In "My Recordings" there is a drop-down to let you pick which Hopper's recordings to look through. Same for at each Hopper now too.

Probably just semantics, then... the main thing I wanted to be sure he was understanding was that he wasn't specifically cabling a Joey to a specific Hopper... so asking if a Joey connected to Hopper 1 could see recordings from Hopper 2 is a difficult question to answer.

You could wire things in a way (with taps) such that Hoppers and their Joeys are isolated from the other Hopper... but as long as you don't do that, the Joey isn't tied to any particular Hopper and can see the contents of either and use tuners on either Hopper.

 

[djlong]

Yes.

A Joey hooked to Hopper 1 can see the recordings on Hopper 2 - quite easily. Switching a Joey to be pointing to a tuner on Hopper 2 takes a few more buttons but isn't bad.

One caveat... If your Joey is linked to Hopper 1, you can easily see Hopper 2's recordings on it's INTERNAL drive. If Hopper 2 has an external drive, you can't see that from a Joey linked to Hopper 1.

 

[eddwall]

Okay...I currently have DTV whole home DVR with 4 DVR's and 2 HD receivers and I'm thinking about making the switch to Dish Network which I'd be getting 2 Hoppers and 4 joeys. Just wanting to get some feedback before I make the switch, I've been with DTV for 11 years but I can save about $50 month the 1st year and then about $20 per month after that.

Thanks.
Dennis

I had DTV for 12 years ......

I had 2 TVs w/DVR ...no HD ..no Movies for about
$92 a month.

I now have a 2H/4J system (6 TVs, all DVR, all HD, 2 slings for remote viewing, movies, 250 package, Internet connectivity, two 2 terabyte hard drives) for $95 a month.

Very Happy !!! Very Happy. !!!!

 

[kick4fun]

I had DTV for 12 years ......

I had 2 TVs w/DVR ...no HD ..no Movies for about
$92 a month.

I now have a 2H/4J system (6 TVs, all DVR, all HD, 2 slings for remote viewing, movies, 250 package, Internet connectivity, two 2 terabyte hard drives) for $95 a month.

Very Happy !!! Very Happy. !!!!

I've had DTV since 2005.. Moved and stopped DTV for 1 month.. They called and I've had EVERY SINGLE CHANNEL except the XXX for around $70 a month for the last year. 3 Receivers, 2 HDR and 1 HD with Whole House DVR. and just got Sunday ticket for $100.. Pro's and Con's, I think both offer the new customer some good discounts, but after 2 years, they are pretty similar.. You just have to be willing to call and change to cable for a month or 2 if you really need a good discount with new equipment. Sports are BIG for me as well as AMC. To respond about lower ratings with AMC, it's not because of Dish, but rather seasonal programs that should start back up soon. I love DTV, but to each their own.

 

[brett_the_bomb]

To make sure you are understanding what is being said...

Assuming you wire things in a non-isolated way (there are ways to wire up Hoppers and Joeys that would prevent the Joeys from seeing both Hoppers)...

The Joeys are not connected specifically to a particular Hopper by the wiring... rather, they are on the MoCA network...

So, you "connect" by linking in the menu a Joey to a particular Hopper... and then you see recordings on that Hopper. You have to un-link and then link to the other Hopper to see those recordings.

You cannot simultaneously be linked to both Hoppers.

Thanks, im use to dtv equipment and RVU so I was wondering about how similar things are.

 

[Marlin Guy]

I switched because

1. DirecTV's hardware / software had my turned my formerly responsive and capable HR20 into a crippled slug with brain damage.

2. Dish offered me free hardware, installation, and reduced monthly rates when DirecTV offered me nothing to stay.

I have since received numerous offers from DirecTV to come back to them. The latest one, from two days ago, offers me a $200 prepaid credit card to switch back.
It ain't happening. Not even for a $1000 prepaid card.
I love the Hopper / Joey system and I'm staying.

There are two points to this post for the OP.

1. Make the switch and enjoy the best DVR on the market today.
2. If you don't like it, just give DirecTV some time and they'll do some pretty crazy things to try to woo you back. They won't make those kinds of offers in a retention situation, because their policies are apparently written by morons. But they will eventually offer you something you'll like.
You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

 

[RasputinAXP]

I have since received numerous offers from DirecTV to come back to them. The latest one, from two days ago, offers me a $200 prepaid credit card to switch back.
It ain't happening. Not even for a $1000 prepaid card.
I love the Hopper / Joey system and I'm staying.

:joy::joy::joy:

 

[mweathers]

I just got the same offer from Direct after being gone a little over a month. $200 card to help pay termination fee for Dish. I'm like poster above. I LOVE MY NEW SYSTEM!!! Much better than Direct hardware. So far I've had no issues at all with it.

Another thing that will make me NOT go back. After 5 weeks I still have not recieved a refund on my last month with Direct. I did get a new bill saying I have a credit with them. Guess I'll have to call them again (maybe that's part of the plan). Leaving a pretty bad memory of Direct.