1st Post. Need input on equipment for dish install.

[blspence100]

I have been with DirecTV for many years on SD equipment. The update charge for HD is absurd so I'm looking for advice.

I presently have a dual tuner SD dvr on 1 tv and a single SD non-dvr tuner on another. I am planning on moving to Dish and this is what I need in the form of equipment.

1- A dual tuner SD DVR on one tv downstairs. This is controlled by my wife and she needs both tuners exclusively to record shows.
2- A solo HD tuner, also downstairs, to connect only to my HD computer monitor which has an excellent picture.
3- A solo SD tuner for the upstairs bedroom.

When ordering from the Dish website, their suggested equipment is:

1- One 522/625 SD Duo (2tv) DVR
2- One 211/411 HD Solo

Seems to me this would output 1 stream to the downstairs tv and 1 to the upstairs tv so my wife wouldn't have exclusive rights. Is this correct?

In researching equipment, it seems I should perhaps add a 311 SD solo to handle upstairs, which would give me 3 receivers. Is this possible?

Or, should I just go with a Hopper and 2 Joeys? Are any of these options viable or is there a better solution?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Jhon69]

I have been with DirecTV for many years on SD equipment. The update charge for HD is absurd so I'm looking for advice.

I presently have a dual tuner SD dvr on 1 tv and a single SD non-dvr tuner on another. I am planning on moving to Dish and this is what I need in the form of equipment.

1- A dual tuner SD DVR on one tv downstairs. This is controlled by my wife and she needs both tuners exclusively to record shows.
2- A solo HD tuner, also downstairs, to connect only to my HD computer monitor which has an excellent picture.
3- A solo SD tuner for the upstairs bedroom.

When ordering from the Dish website, their suggested equipment is:

1- One 522/625 SD Duo (2tv) DVR
2- One 211/411 HD Solo

Seems to me this would output 1 stream to the downstairs tv and 1 to the upstairs tv so my wife wouldn't have exclusive rights. Is this correct?

In researching equipment, it seems I should perhaps add a 311 SD solo to handle upstairs, which would give me 3 receivers. Is this possible?

Or, should I just go with a Hopper and 2 Joeys? Are any of these options viable or is there a better solution?

Thanks for your help.

Your a new subsciber.Hopper&Joeys.

 

[fishman23]

Not trying to steal your thread here Jhon69. Great questions.

I'm in the same situation of wanting to switch to DISH and I have three TVs.

1 HD and 2 SD

There are 3 of us in the household and currently with DirecTV we have a dual tuner dvr in each of the three rooms. We definately want to go the 2 hopper 1 joey route because I don't think we can survive with one tuner each. Is there any problem with connecting a hopper and joey to the 2 SD TVs? At least until we can upgrade them later on.

 

[isaacmorseMI]

Not trying to steal your thread here Jhon69. Great questions.

I'm in the same situation of wanting to switch to DISH and I have three TVs.

1 HD and 2 SD

There are 3 of us in the household and currently with DirecTV we have a dual tuner dvr in each of the three rooms. We definately want to go the 2 hopper 1 joey route because I don't think we can survive with one tuner each. Is there any problem with connecting a hopper and joey to the 2 SD TVs? At least until we can upgrade them later on.

No there is no issue connecting them to SDTVs. I would PM Dish Internet Response Team member ZachS as he is the only one that has figured out how to setup a 2H/1J config.

Sent from my iPad 2 using Forum Runner

 

[Mojo Jojo]

Your a new subsciber.Hopper&Joeys.

If you are comfortable with the monthly equipment fees. The Hopper would not get a receiver charge as the primary receiver. Each Joey would be $7 a month. So, 2 Joeys would be $14 a month along with the $6 DVR fee and the $4 whole home fee. That would be a total of $24 a month on equipment fees.

I would recommend HD equipment even if you have SD TVs. A 722k could be your primary receiver. This would have a $6 DVR fee. A 211 HD Solo could be used on the third TV. That would be $7 a month. You can turn a 211 into a DVR without streaming for a one-time $40 fee and an external hard drive. This would be $13 a month.

Another option would be 3 211s. Downsides would be more costs upfront and external hard drive costs if you want to turn them into DVRs. The primary one would be included in the base price. The other two would be $14 a month ($7 each a month). This would be good if the $6 DVR price ever rises as DirecTV's fee rose to $8 recently. The 211s do not have the $6 DVR fee associated with them due to the one-time fee and ehds.

Hope that helps.

 

[garys]

Get the sling adaptor, so you can view live on your computer.

 

[Jhon69]

Not trying to steal your thread here Jhon69. Great questions.

I'm in the same situation of wanting to switch to DISH and I have three TVs.

1 HD and 2 SD

There are 3 of us in the household and currently with DirecTV we have a dual tuner dvr in each of the three rooms. We definately want to go the 2 hopper 1 joey route because I don't think we can survive with one tuner each. Is there any problem with connecting a hopper and joey to the 2 SD TVs? At least until we can upgrade them later on.

The purpose and why DISH brought out the Hopper&Joey was to have a HD signal and HDDVR to each HDTV.PTA does not work with SD locals,only HD locals.The time to get your best deal is always when your a new customer.Yes I would recommend 2H/1J.I believe it will,but if not it's a great time to upgrade.Good Luck!

 

[fishman23]

Interesting point, could I still pull in the HD source even if the Hopper was connected via component inputs to the SD TV? I mean, would it know the TV doesn't support over 480 and only display the SD channels? I understand this seems like an odd thing to do, I'm just wanting to go ahead and switch and get two hoppers before buying another HD TV later this year.

 

[blspence100]

Thanks for all your replies. Mojo Jojo, I think you're right. Since I will be paying for HD service, I should get HD receivers even though only 1 tv is HD.
Are you saying the receiver cost is the same for SD and HD?

Do the Hoppers provide 3 streams of seperate viewing or only 2? I definitely need 3.

 

[fishman23]

Ooops, just realized blspence was the OP and not Jhon. Sorry! Thanks for the help guys and good luck blspence.

 

[garys]

Hopper has three, but take into account if you need the three live and still want to record. If yes, then you need another Hopper.

 

[fishman23]

I read an extra Hopper is $199. Will the additional Hopper be $7 monthly like each Joey, or would it be more?

 

[isaacmorseMI]

I read an extra Hopper is $199. Will the additional Hopper be $7 monthly like each Joey, or would it be more?

It would be $7 monthly, same as a Joey.

Sent from my iPad 2 using Forum Runner

 

[blspence100]

You guys have been great! Looks like the Hopper is the way to go but I want to be absolutely sure. You are saying that 2 Hoppers and 1 Joey are the same price
as 1 Hopper and 2 Joeys? From reading other posts it seems it can be difficult to get a 2 Hopper install. Should I go thru Dish or a retailer?

 

[caam1]

Yes, the monthly fee is $7 for a second Hopper or Joeys. The only difference is the upfront cost. I got
a 2 hopper 3 Joey install. I needed the extra three tuners in the 2nd Hopper because my wife works evenings and records a lot of stuff. I went through Dish and the installer did a great job.

 

[satjay]

As the above posters have said same fees, you will like the two hopper/one Joey set up and when hoppers can talk to each other that will be even better.

I like the fact that with the Joey I can pick what hopper I want to watch off the dvr

 

[KAB]

Is there any problem with connecting a hopper and joey to the 2 SD TVs? At least until we can upgrade them later on.

The only problem you might have is if one or both of your SDs does not have composite inputs, since neither Hopper or Joey have coax modulated outputs. In that case you would need to get a cheap composite to RF modulator.