DISH Network Retailer Chat Recap - "Hopper Special" - 2/16/2012

is all this bitching about the fees for the Hopper/Joey really necessary.

I currently have two DVR's, yes only two.
If I upgrade to the Hopper, either getting a Hopper/Joey combo or getting two Hoppers my fees will go DOWN $10 every month.
So the fees for the Hopper/Joey are much better. And I will be able to watch any recording without having to use an ehd to transfer it..
So, basically were you overpaying for a 2-room solution in the first place. :D Good for you that you can save now, with one less tuner. :)
 
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He is talking about someone with one dual tuner DVR which is probably half of the new installs and the other half probably either get an additional receiver which is a single or dual tuner receiver.

One 722 = $6 DVR fee. This gets you an HD output on TV1 and an SD output on TV2.
One Hopper and One Joey = $10 fee (+$3) and $7 Joey (+$7) = $17 ($11 more) This gets you two HD outputs

$6 vs. $17 = roughly 3 times the additional fees for an additional output.

To me, that is a huge increase. I think they decided to charge the fees because they know that they can get away with it. Why? Because the competition (cable) is doing the same with inferior hardware. Dish has better hardware and software so they still see themselves at an advantage over the competition. If the competition ever gets better hardware and software then Dish will have fewer if any advantages.

Cable has an advantage in that they do not charge $99-$199 in fees to "lease" their equipment. $199 is a little high for the additional Hopper given the fees that they are charging but on the other hand its only $7 (which I see them increasing to $10 later on because 10+7=17 the same price as the duo's).
 
They've been talking about the fees. The fees go from $6 per month to $17 per month. Or getting HD to the second HDTV costs an additional $11 per month plus the $99 cost of upgrade. Each must decide what it's worth to them. Obviously, one can get HD to the second set for another $7 under the ViP system and they seem generous in giving out the 211s these days. Is the integration of recordings worth another $4 per month? It is to some and not others. As someone else said, the whole thing would mostly disappear if Dish had continued with a basic two TV install at the package price. C'est la vie! Unfortunately.
I believe the integration is worth $4 per month. With my 722 as the primary receiver I get 2 TVs for free and pay $7 per month for a 211k on a third. In a Hopper/Joey/Joey setup I would have to pay $7 per month additionally for the 2nd 722 TV that's currently free. If the first Joey were included, then you're talking about a $4 increase; much more doable. It's essentially $7 to get the 2nd 722 tuner in HD...
 
I can't believe I have to spell this out for some:

2TVs: 722 $6 -> 1H/1J $17 - 1 SD output converted to HD for $11 more
3TVs: 722+211 $13 -> 1H/2J $24 - 1 SD output converted to HD + integrated DVR for $11 more (that's more reasonable)
4TVs: 722+722 $23 -> 1H/3J $31 - 2 SD outputs converted to HD + integrated DVR for $8 more (that's much more reasonable)

I'm referring to the first line, which includes a high percentage of subs, and is a ripoff and not worth upgrading. If Dish wants this to be the standard install, they need to make the 2TV option more reasonable.
 
If you just have one dual receiver now (or ever), yes...it's not for you. Those of us with 1+, worth entertaining.
 
If he has a 922 and another 622 or 722, then he would drop from $27 in fees down to $17. I think that's right.

Yes ... $10 less ... BUT ... a lot of functionality is lost however going from a 922/622 to a Hopper/Joey. You lose multiple OTA tuners ... satellite tuner ... Sling ... unlimited SD (twice) ... PIP on the second receiver.

You trade the above for ... PTA ... faster equipment ... "whole home DVR".


I suppose it would really depend on the user and if that was really a "savings".
 
I have 4 tv's in my house, but one is in a spare bedroom that is rarely used. I do not want to rent an additional joey just for the spare bedroom. I only want to get one hopper & 2 joeys. Is there anyway to split the signal from the joey I will put in my office that is rarely used to the spare bedroom?
 
Bedroom an SD set? You can get a cheap RF modulator to connect to the Joey's composite outputs.
 
I can't believe I have to spell this out for some:

2TVs: 722 $6 -> 1H/1J $17 - 1 SD output converted to HD for $11 more
3TVs: 722+211 $13 -> 1H/2J $24 - 1 SD output converted to HD + integrated DVR for $11 more (that's more reasonable)
4TVs: 722+722 $23 -> 1H/3J $31 - 2 SD outputs converted to HD + integrated DVR for $8 more (that's much more reasonable)

I'm referring to the first line, which includes a high percentage of subs, and is a ripoff and not worth upgrading. If Dish wants this to be the standard install, they need to make the 2TV option more reasonable.

Your first line is not really a good comparison in that it is one HD and one SD. If you wanted HD on both, with current tech, then the cost is :
2TVs: 722 Free ->$6 DVR Fee ->211 $7 - So you now have 2 TVs with HD, one with DVR functionality - Total : $13
2TVs: Hopper Free -> $6 DVR Fee -> $4 MRV fee -> Hopper $7 - So now you have 2 TVs with HD and both have DVR capability - $17

So $4 more gets you full HD on both, and DVR on both with a single point of management (Hopper). If I were in that situation, that would be very attractive and competitive with D*.
 
Your first line is not really a good comparison in that it is one HD and one SD. If you wanted HD on both, with current tech, then the cost is :
2TVs: 722 Free ->$6 DVR Fee ->211 $7 - So you now have 2 TVs with HD, one with DVR functionality - Total : $13
2TVs: Hopper Free -> $6 DVR Fee -> $4 MRV fee -> Hopper $7 - So now you have 2 TVs with HD and both have DVR capability - $17

So $4 more gets you full HD on both, and DVR on both with a single point of management (Hopper). If I were in that situation, that would be very attractive and competitive with D*.
The first line is a good comparison. Your comparison does not take into account that with a H/J, you lose an SD output for that $4 increase.
 
The first line is a good comparison. Your comparison does not take into account that with a H/J, you lose an SD output for that $4 increase.

Well then the question would be, why would you want the H/J setup if you only want one HD output?

My comparison is assuming that the end user has 2 TVs and wants/needs HD on both. And frankly I never thought much of the dual-tv from one HDDVR setup to begin with and I don't even know anyone that stayed with that setup. It not only just outputs SD, it also hamstrings a great dual-tuner HDDVR. IMO, a poor design decision.

But here's where we're at. Do you want whole home DVR service? If yes, then the choice is Hopper/Joey or some mix of that, or go to D* with their setup. Costs will be similar for the equipment with both. Which one is better is determined by your needs.

If you don't care about whole home service, then don't get it. That's what Hopper/Joey is designed for.
 
Yes, I want whole home DVR service. I figured that I could upgrade my 2nd TV location to HD for a reasonable price, and then decide if I want to add a 3rd room for $7 more, even if it would only be SD at this time. I'd be willing to pay $11 more to get HD in my 2nd room and add a 3rd room. But not $11 more just to get HD in my 2nd room, or $18 more to add a 3rd room, one more room than I currently have.

If we all just sit back with an attitude of "yes sir, may I have another" toward unreasonable fees, then we are all just lambs being led to the slaughter. When I first mentioned the $7 first Joey fee and how it's unreasonable, I got 15 likes on that post, so I'm not alone in my distaste.
 
I can understand the position on the fees even if I don't agree with you. :)

Compared to D*, the fees are all in line and competitive. Do I wish they were lower with both? Sure, but that isn't going to happen. Since the fees are in line with E*'s major competitor, it is unreasonable to think that E* would be lower. That said, it is a better price structure than the fees for a bunch of standalone Vips.

For you to have 3 rooms with HD or SD with Hopper/Joey would cost you $18, no doubt. But you get single point of management and a shared DVR list. That single point of management is a big plus in a whole home situation. One of the biggest complaints about D*'s whole home solution is managing recordings. It is a PITA! You can't see what is todo on other DVRs in the system. The HR34 is a step up because of the number of tuners, but the other DVRs in the setup (if any) can't see the todo list or set a recording on the HR34.

Frankly if I were in the situation of looking to change, the Hopper/Joey would get strong consideration after the 2 Hopper limits are fixed.
 
I already have a single point of management and a shared DVR list now with 2 TVs. So if I stay with 2 tvs, what do I get for the $11 monthly increase? HD on TV2. No thanks. Is adding a 3rd TV and 2 HD outputs worth $18 more ($216/yr) to me? Not sure about that yet.
 
True, I hadn't thought about that. You do have a shared point of management, but nothing with Dish other than the Hopper/Joey gear will let you grow beyond 2 tvs and keep that management.

Well, I suppose if you had a 3rd TV that didn't get used at the same time as your main one, you could run a wire or three!! :)
 
You get HD on TV 2, You get Primetime Anytime, you get one more tuner, you get BLockbuster On Demand, You get DLNA, You get a fast system, you get Bluetooth audio, you get Facebook and Pandora and so on.

Its not for everyone but if you want one its going to be available to you. :)
 
Yes, I want whole home DVR service. I figured that I could upgrade my 2nd TV location to HD for a reasonable price, and then decide if I want to add a 3rd room for $7 more, even if it would only be SD at this time. I'd be willing to pay $11 more to get HD in my 2nd room and add a 3rd room. But not $11 more just to get HD in my 2nd room, or $18 more to add a 3rd room, one more room than I currently have.

If we all just sit back with an attitude of "yes sir, may I have another" toward unreasonable fees, then we are all just lambs being led to the slaughter. When I first mentioned the $7 first Joey fee and how it's unreasonable, I got 15 likes on that post, so I'm not alone in my distaste.
You need to stop comparing apples to oranges. Yes, a second H/J HD would cost $4.00 more than a 211. BUT, you would have to shell out $40.00 (10 mos of $4) to enable it's DVR function, which you CAN NOT share with a dual DVR. So, after 10 months, is it worth $4.00 more to have total integration...PTAT ....slick UI, etc? Apparently not to you. Others, yes.
 
KAB
Bedroom an SD set? You can get a cheap RF modulator to connect to the Joey's composite outputs



Yes the spare bedroom is SD. How would I connect the RF modulator?​
 
You need to stop comparing apples to oranges. Yes, a second H/J HD would cost $4.00 more than a 211. BUT, you would have to shell out $40.00 to enable it's DVR function, which you CAN NOT share with a dual DVR. So, after 10 months, is it worth $4.00 more to have total integration...PTAT ....slick UI, etc? Apparently not to you. Others, yes.

I think that Scott's use of the word 'aggressive' made some have unrealistic expectations. I think the fees are fair and competitive.
 

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