Cox Cable versus Dish Hopper?

[Robin75]

Hello,
I am a new poster on this site. We currently have Cox Cable in our home. In various years, we have had Satellite both Dish and Directv, However, the sight lines became obstructed by a tree, that we refused to cut down. Consequently, we had to switch to Cox cable system. My question is with the Dish Hopper. So far, I love all the things about the Hopper. I have discussed options with Dish, these last few days. Today I called my cable company to figure out options with a few of our Non-HD Tv"s in our home and "paring" down our package just for basic TV for these old "box" TV.s We currently have 5 HD flat screens in our home, a total of 7 tv/s all together, however, 2 are "old style" and not used often. Of course, Cox is trying to talk me out of Satellite all together and apologizing to me to for choosing Satellite! I do realize this is just a ploy to not cancel them. She suggested that I "Do my homework" on the Hopper. So what do you experts think? Should we keep our "old style" TVS on basic cable and go with the Hopper? What are the Hopper problems, that the cable woman seems to think there are? Any information would be helpful. I am very excited about the Hopper, but not if it is already full of problems. Thanks to all who respond.

Robin75
Omaha, NE

 

[isaacmorseMI]

I had the Hopper installed on 3/24 and absolutely love it. I was surprised how few bugs there were. The PQ, UI, and overall speed of the box is awesome. You could do a 2 Hopper / 5 Joey system if you wanted to have Dish service on those 2 SDTVs (should be cheaper than keeping basic cable) or a 2 Hopper / 3 Joey system if you do not want Dish service on those TVs. Your upfront costs would be $399 ($199 for the 2nd Hopper and $199 for the 4th and 5th Joey as the first 3 are free). If you get a 2 Hopper / 3 Joey system then your upfront cost would be $199.

 

[yourbeliefs]

I don't know how the Cox equipment is where you are but in CT it is absolutely ATROCIOUS.. Their hardware is old and antiquated. Their "Whole home DVR" is the biggest snake oil scheme I've seen. With the little I know about the Hopper system I would still go with them with all things being equal. I don't have Dish because I like my cable bundle deal and I have an obstructed view, but seriously don't believe the cable company. If you really "do your homework" you'll find that cable is just as reliable as satellite is. I had more issues with Cox in my first MONTH of service than I had with DirecTV in over 3 years.

 

[KAB]

Here is where you need to go to do your homework.
The Hopper Zone

 

[The Insider]

Hopper will be great if you only have 3 rooms in your house to watch tv at once. If you have more than that forget it. Stick with cable.

 

[isaacmorseMI]

Hopper will be great if you only have 3 rooms in your house to watch tv at once. If you have more than that forget it. Stick with cable.

You can add a 2nd Hopper which will give the system 6 tuners.

 

[dangue]

Hopper will be great if you only have 3 rooms in your house to watch tv at once. If you have more than that forget it. Stick with cable.

Wow, that's the single worst misinformation I've seen in a while.

OP, your set up will definitely require a two hopper set up. That will give you six tuners to either watch live tv on or record at any one time. If Dish carries your locals in HD, you can use PTAT during prime time hours to record your big four locals using only one tuner. Currently both Hoppers cannot communicate with each other, but a future software update will correct this (estimated tea on this is summer). If that sounds like something that will fit with your household's viewing habits, it's a great system.

As for monthly equipment fees, first Hopper is included in the package price. Each additional Hopper or Joey is $7/month ($28 for 5 TVs, 42 for 7 TVs). There will also be two account level fees per month: $6 DVR fee and $4 Whole Home DVR fee.

I'm not familiar with the new customer install pricing, but I hope this info helps you make your decision.