Alternatives to Hopper/Joey for 2 HDTVs

[mdavej]

Many of us were looking forward to Hopper/Joey solving our TV2 in HD problem. Including the first Joey in the Whole Home fee would have been a very reasonable solution. Alas, the reality is replacing a duo DVR serving 2 TVs with a Hopper/Joey will be an additional $11/month. This is too much IMO, so Hopper/Joey is off the table, especially since my TV2 is used only an hour per day at the most. This thread is to exchange ideas for getting HD to a second TV.

In my particular situation, pulling any new cable is going to be very difficult, so some solution that uses existing coax or wireless is what I've been searching for.

As I see it now, here are the options:

• Get a second receiver like a 211 like I had in the past, but the drawbacks are it's another $7/month and can't share recordings from my main DVR (722k).
• Pull new HDMI, Component or Cat5 cables to TV2. The Cat5 solution requires HDMI-enet adapters on both ends which can run $50 and up. None are really an option in my situation.
• Wireless HDMI transmission (very expensive)
• HDMI transmission over coax (very expensive)
• Sling (requires a computer at TV2 and some way to navigate the Dishonline web site). Does a Sling Catcher exist, and even if it did, would it work with a Sling Adapter?

Any other ideas, success stories or inexpensive alternatives to the above options?

 

[Laddyboy]

There's always: Do nothing and keep the status quo. It's pretty cheap. Why can you not pull some HDMI or component to TV2? Up the wall to the attic and down again.

 

[dwarren2]

Getting a 211 makes the difference between the 722/211 and the H/J only $4.
Is there any coax currently running between the 2 rooms? If so, you could connect the 722 to the 2nd TV via coax to the antenna in and the 211 to the 2nd TV via hdmi. Then you could watch feeds from the 722 by switching inouts on the remote.

 

[stardust3]

Many of us were looking forward to Hopper/Joey solving our TV2 in HD problem. Including the first Joey in the Whole Home fee would have been a very reasonable solution. Alas, the reality is replacing a duo DVR serving 2 TVs with a Hopper/Joey will be an additional $11/month. This is too much IMO, so Hopper/Joey is off the table, especially since my TV2 is used only an hour per day at the most. This thread is to exchange ideas for getting HD to a second TV.

In my particular situation, pulling any new cable is going to be very difficult, so some solution that uses existing coax or wireless is what I've been searching for.

As I see it now, here are the options:

• Get a second receiver like a 211 like I had in the past, but the drawbacks are it's another $7/month and can't share recordings from my main DVR (722k).
• Pull new HDMI, Component or Cat5 cables to TV2. The Cat5 solution requires HDMI-enet adapters on both ends which can run $50 and up. None are really an option in my situation.
• Wireless HDMI transmission (very expensive)
• HDMI transmission over coax (very expensive)
• Sling (requires a computer at TV2 and some way to navigate the Dishonline web site). Does a Sling Catcher exist, and even if it did, would it work with a Sling Adapter?

Any other ideas, success stories or inexpensive alternatives to the above options?

Directv?

 

[KAB]

After all is said and done, I predict the H/J gets back on the table.

 

[mdavej]

I'm an HD snob and am tired of the status quo. But I'm also a cheapskate, so it's a tough call.

Years ago I replaced the coax to TV2 because of a problem and it was very difficult for many reasons, so I don't want to do it again. Plus there isn't enough space in the existing holes in the studs to pull any big or terminated cables. Cat5 may be possible since it's smallest of all and easy to terminate. But even that will be hard.

In any case I'm leaning toward wireless solutions at the moment. THIS Actiontec system looks good, especially if I buy used.

DirecTV isn't an option either due to monthly cost ($6 mirror + $3 MRV) and a big loss of basic HD channels. Because of all the SD on DirecTV, I'd almost be back to my current Dish situation.

I already have coax from the 722 to TV2 and get it in SD. I've even put my antenna feed on the same coax, so I get OTA in HD on TV2, so it's not all bad. I had a 211 in the past but felt the limited viewing on TV2 didn't justify $7, much less $11 for H/J.

 

[Tampa8]

This thread should not exist in the Hopper section imo...

Since you are using baked up numbers, and since this about NOT getting a Hopper but using other receivers, why is this in the Hopper section?

(Baked up numbers - you say you want two HD TV's, you say it will be $11 more for the hopper to that, what you don't say is it's $4 more than the present alternative you make it sound like it's $11 more than some other option...)

 

[mdavej]

Nothing wrong with my numbers. My current solution is a 722k feeding 2 TVs, period. All I care about is HD on TV2. I could care less about most of the other H/J features. Adding a 211 for $7 is one option. Replacing with H/J is another for $11. Differential between 211 and H/J is $4 (there, I said it). Differential between 722k and H/J is $11.

It's in the Hopper Zone for several reasons:

• It's a message to Dish about my dissatisfaction about fees for the first Joey
• It presents alternatives to H/J so potential new/upgrade customers can tell Dish to stick it
• I have the ear of others who are disappointed and in the same situation

If you don't like this thread or it gets moved, I'll start another.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I already have a way to get my hd picture to my second hd tv in the bedroom. I have a google revue unit and it has a sling player option on it . Now the sling player is like the sling catcher used to be. I had to buy an expensive sling pro hd box to be able to use it with my 722k. Still paying on it, in fact but 0% interest. I can watch my living room 722k in my bedroom over the google revue unit , using component cables for video and red & white cables for the sound. But the drawbacks are for me:

1) I have to have the living room tv on and the a/v receiver on as well, or the picture on my bedroom tv will start to lose frame and a black bar will appear in the middle of the screen. Don't know why this happens unless it is because I also use an hdmi splitter for my computer room too.

2) Also while watching the shows I have to use the built in menu on the sling player to be able to do skip functions , guide etc. This is slow and there is a delay of a few seconds before the action I take will happen on the screen. Frustrating when you like to skip instantly on the main tv, without slinging. Since I have a google revue unit on my 722k as well, I can take the key board from the living room tv and use it as my remote for dvr functions while slinging the 722k picture on the second hd tv . Still a little delay, but better than using the onscreen dvr functions of the sling player.

So we have a 211k with dvr software in the bedroom ,plugged into the google revue unit. So when not slinging the 722k in the bedroom , my wife can watch her HGTV shows on the 211k. Otherwise it works for the limited time we use it in the bedroom. So I don't recommend anyone actually doing this ,unless they have a lot of money to invest in a sling pro hd box and you also can afford the google revue unit. The google box had gone down to around $79.00 on Amazon.com . But I think that I can see why the sling extender never came out now. If it worked like the sling player on the google revue unit, it would of been frustrating and would of generated a lot of angry customer complaints and or churn over the anger.

 

[mfoster711]

Nothing wrong with my numbers. My current solution is a 722k feeding 2 TVs, period. All I care about is HD on TV2.

I am so tired of people trying to make this comparison because it is an apples to oranges comparison. Your current setup is for one HD and one SD TV. You are wanting to ADD AN ADDITIONAL FEATURE by switching the second TV to HD. This additional feature costs more, PERIOD.

Edit:
A fair comparison would be to look at all other TV options in your area (Direct, Cable, Phone) and find out how much their Whole Home DVR 2 HD TV setup would cost and then compare that to the Dish H/J setup.

 

[mdavej]

I know it's an additional feature, and I don't mind paying the $4 extra whole home fee, but not $11. Dish has always differentiated itself from DirecTV by offering the first DVR for free that serves 2 TVs. No other provider has this feature, so I disagree that those are a fair comparison. DirecTV has always been more expensive for 2 rooms. I see the first Joey providing TV2 in HD now instead of SD as an enhancement to existing TV2 functionality. A small fee for HD on TV2 and whole home functionality makes sense. I wouldn't even mind paying a one-time fee for the first Joey. That's more than fair. But paying as much for a tuner-less thin-client box like a Joey as you would for a 211 does not make sense. I'm not looking for something for nothing, just something more reasonable. The fact that Dish's competitors are also unreasonable doesn't matter. It's up to Dish to offer a better value than it's competitors.

Mike, thanks for all the details about the revue option. I wondered how practical that would be. I'm about to pull the trigger on the wireless HDMI system I linked earlier. I found a used one for under $70. I'll report back with my results in a few days. If it works as advertised, it solves my problem.

 

[Stargazer]

Sounds like a great idea. Lets get some prices from some people's local cable companies, some of the major ones like Comcast, Time Warner, Suddenlink, etc. which represent the larger portion of the nation.

 

[mfoster711]

But paying as much for a tuner-less thin-client box like a Joey as you would for a 211 does not make sense.

You keep making apples to oranges comparisons. A 211 is not a DVR and even if you compared to a 612 it still would not be getting whole home dvr. A Joey might be a thin client but it is delivering more features to your second TV than a 211 or 612 would. And those features cost more.

Let me guess, when you bought your first HD tv you griped and complained about them costing twice as mush as an SD tv? I have a great option for you and it cost nothing....keep what you got.

 

[MikeD-C05]

My 211k + external hard drive in the bedroom is a dvr when I paid to get the dvr sofware for $40.00. So is the one in my boy's room . I can record one ota and one sat channel at the same time. For now I will be staying with my 722k and two 211ks. There is nothing I have to have with the new system. It would cost me $4.00 more than I pay now and I would have no ota support . I have to have ota support for local news ,since I'm a "mover". Would like to have the Primetime Anytime feature ,but it isn't something I don't already have using my 2 sat and 2 ota tuners at the same time. I had the 922 dvr for around 10 months when it first came out till November of 2010. So I know about the menus, tiles, channel logos, etc. I got so tired of the glitches and bugs with the 922 that I was willing to accept a new 722k instead, in trade in for the 922. I found it was more reliable than the 922 at the time and I quickly got used to using it again.

 

[Stargazer]

You get more features, and pay more money, but I see other technological things such as televisions and computers that have more features as well that may be more expensive at first but go down as time goes on. Dish Network's upfront costs do the same but the ongoing costs keep going up.

 

[MikeD-C05]

You get more features, and pay more money, but I see other technological things such as televisions and computers that have more features as well that may be more expensive at first but go down as time goes on. Dish Network's upfront costs do the same but the ongoing costs keep going up.

That's because the ongoing costs associated with DISH are made up ,charge it because we can, fees. If you remember back to when they first charged DVR FEES ,it was supposed to be because of the never ending Tivo lawsuit. Well that lawsuit forced them to charge a dvr fee, to put money away to pay the lawyers and the eventual settlement to Tivo. It went on so many years , that DISH had to force the DVR FEE on to EVERY dvr on your account. When that started looking like you had too many fees on your bill and they got tagged with the KING of FEES. So then DISH decided it was necessary to have the dvr fees, for the other dvrs on your account, rolled into the gigantic excessive Additional receiver fees ranging from $10.00 - $17.00 per extra dvr. Which consisted of all the made up fees, like tv 2 connection fee and the Dvr fee, that went up to $6.00 from $5.98. So now we have had a settlement with Tivo for a year now ,but DISH's FEE structure is continuing to go up. Maybe Charlie is trying to find a way to pay for all his new companies he has purchased this last year. Oh and the continuing lawsuits that DISH has to pay for . Got to have some way to spread the pain around to all the dvr subs.

 

[theoak]

An alternative solution is to change your package ...

I am currently AT120 for $45.

I "could" change to America HD for $35.

That is a $10 difference ... which then essentially makes up for the $11 Hopper/Joey. This way Dish gets an extra $1 ... and I get new tech.

BUT ... and for me this is a HUGE BUT ... my kids lose Nick, Disney and ABC Family.

The wife has actually got into some ABC Family serials too ...

Anyway ... the point ... you could "flip" to an "America HD" package which is in general $10 cheaper*.



* As pointed out ... these are not directly the same as the America "Top" packages also have less channels.

 

[redelephants]

Due to the fee structure Dish has laid out thus far, it would make much more since to keep a 722k and purchase the sling box pro HD for $299.00. By using a logitech revue or sony google tv you can essentially accomplish the hopper joey combination but without the PTA capability. At the end of the day you do not have any extra receiver fees and receive the benefit of the sling box HD for complete control.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Due to the fee structure Dish has laid out thus far, it would make much more since to keep a 722k and purchase the sling box pro HD for $299.00. By using a logitech revue or sony google tv you can essentially accomplish the hopper joey combination but without the PTA capability. At the end of the day you do not have any extra receiver fees and receive the benefit of the sling box HD for complete control.

That's pretty much what I decided to do for now. Unless DISH decides to change their fee structure, which I sincerely doubt they will, I will stay with what I already have.

722k + google box + sling pro hd box living room and I use an hdmi splitter so I can use the same picture in my computer room.
211k + google box and dvr software master bedroom
211k in boys room
-------------------------------------
$20.00 in extra fees

 

[zim2dive]

Does the sling "steal" TV1 when in use? or can someone watch TV1 in HD, while someone else watches different HD via Sling?

And Sling only works for the 722? (so us folks with 622s don't have this option?)

thanks!

the bottom line is that H+J is an $11/month upgrade to get TV2 to be HD vs. (SD with a 622/722)... that seems like a big jump.