Cancelled Service, want to keep Hopper

[jeffmikey]

I finally cancelled my Dish Network service after 6 years. I'm familiar with the process, and they're sending me the prepaid boxes. I get to keep the LNB, whoo hoo, since it's 30' off the ground on the back of the house.

Here's my quandary. I don't care about the Joey. I want to keep the Hopper since I have years worth of DVR content on there that I can't easily extract. I'm not talking movies/ tv series. But local news broadcasts that have my kids singing Christmas carols, a couple of late night, out-of-print movies I recorded like the "Peanut Butter Solution" that cannot be reacquired easily. Along with some old documentaries from LinkTV, etc. that were indie produced, old nfl/ mlb games, etc...

Anyone have any idea what they will charge me not to return it? I'm probably ok with up to $150, but not much more.

Thanks for any insight!

 

[Tampa8]

$299 going by the contract. Other option is to play the important ones and record in real time to analog to DVD recorder if you have one.

 

[KAB]

Anyone have any idea what they will charge me not to return it? I'm probably ok with up to $150, but not much more.

Thanks for any insight!

I would guess double that.

 

[tampaseve1]

I found some terms of service online and they said: "Hopper and Hopper with Sling, $249; and Hopper 3, $349." I'm not sure which you have, but those are the unreturned equipment fees for those Hopper products.

EDIT: mydish.com has this listed: "Hopper 3, Hopper with Sling, or Hopper $299.00"

 

[ncted]

I finally cancelled my Dish Network service after 6 years. I'm familiar with the process, and they're sending me the prepaid boxes. I get to keep the LNB, whoo hoo, since it's 30' off the ground on the back of the house.

Here's my quandary. I don't care about the Joey. I want to keep the Hopper since I have years worth of DVR content on there that I can't easily extract. I'm not talking movies/ tv series. But local news broadcasts that have my kids singing Christmas carols, a couple of late night, out-of-print movies I recorded like the "Peanut Butter Solution" that cannot be reacquired easily. Along with some old documentaries from LinkTV, etc. that were indie produced, old nfl/ mlb games, etc...

Anyone have any idea what they will charge me not to return it? I'm probably ok with up to $150, but not much more.

Thanks for any insight!

Assuming these are of special significance to you, I would work on getting them onto some less temporary medium than a DVR hard drive. Ideally, a digital format which can be stored in the cloud. You could spend $250 or more to keep your Hopper, but then the disk just dies some day. That does not seem the most economical or long-term of plans.

 

[TalonDancer]

Can you play back recorded content on a Hooper 3 once your Dish subscription is cancelled and the Hooper 3 is “deactivated”? And if so, for how long after the cancellation?

 

[KAB]

Can you play back recorded content on a Hooper 3 once your Dish subscription is cancelled and the Hooper 3 is “deactivated”? And if so, for how long after the cancellation?

Reports of "how long after" have varied. Generally I think it has been around a month or so.

 

[navychop]

But it could be immediate.

 

[primestar31]

When I had my 722k disconnected last year, the dvr function was disabled nearly immediately with internal and external drive recordings. All it takes is a "kill hit", and it's gone.

I don't imagine the Hopper is much different. If the OP didn't already pull off his recordings, he's most likely going to be SOL real soon...

 

[mdram]

you need something like this
http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr60.html

to record it to the pc while you watch it

 

[jeffmikey]

I forgot to mention it's the 1st generation hopper. I didn't consider "kill" switch command. It's hard-wired to my home switch. I'll unplug it when I get home. They probably already initiated a lockout command on a timer or something. I do know when I put the service on pause a year ago, I figured they would at least let me sling the dvr content, but they locked me out of that service, so the commands from Dish HQ are probably timely.

 

[mdram]

even when not connected, it eventually will stop working, as the authorization is not permanent
time frame varies

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

It will also lock itself out after so much time without seeing a satellite signal.

 

[jeffmikey]

It will also lock itself out after so much time without seeing a satellite signal.

EGADS! Thanks for the information. I guess my only option is to setup an analog recorder and do it in realtime. Heck I should have been on this while I had sling capabilities because I have a stream recorder rig on my laptop. That would have at least kept it in digital, compressed format... I was under the impression I could move the hopper (disconnect from satellite) and set it up on my work bench and get some of the content off that way. I'm not able to haul a bunch of crap up to the den with wires running all over the place.

So once the service is disconnected, the Hopper becomes a boat anchor? I wonder why they're all over eBay then. I guess they can be wiped and reactivated for another customer?

 

[primestar31]

EGADS! Thanks for the information. I guess my only option is to setup an analog recorder and do it in realtime. Heck I should have been on this while I had sling capabilities because I have a stream recorder rig on my laptop. That would have at least kept it in digital, compressed format... I was under the impression I could move the hopper (disconnect from satellite) and set it up on my work bench and get some of the content off that way. I'm not able to haul a bunch of crap up to the den with wires running all over the place.

So once the service is disconnected, the Hopper becomes a boat anchor? I wonder why they're all over eBay then. I guess they can be wiped and reactivated for another customer?

Yes, they can be reactivated if Dish wants. IF you REALLY want to get those recordings off, I highly suggest you call Dish back and cancel the cancellation until that's done. Or maybe put it on a small subscription.

 

[KAB]

I wonder why they're all over eBay then. I guess they can be wiped and reactivated for another customer?

Yes, if they are free and clear of any obligation to Dish.

 

[navychop]

Once closed, I'm not sure they can reactivate with the same account number. If not, Hopper gets reset.

 

[n0qcu]

even when not connected, it eventually will stop working, as the authorization is not permanent
time frame varies

are you sure about that?
I am watching a show that was recorded 2/21/16 on my H2 that was on an account deactivated almost a year ago.

 

[camo]

Just make sure you cancel after disconnecting coax and any other cat5, phone line.

 

[navychop]

are you sure about that?
I am watching a show that was recorded 2/21/16 on my H2 that was on an account deactivated almost a year ago.

You are VERY lucky.