DVR recordings play on Joeys but not on Hopper 3

[WickedStepMom]

Earlier today I could play recorded shows on the Hopper 3 DVR with no problem......until tonight .
No matter what show on the DVR that I pick, I only get a black screen. This is happening even when I choose something that I have saved to my external hard drive. If I pick something live from the guide, it will come on but there is a delay. I've turned the Hopper off via the remote and after 5 minutes turned it back on but the problem is still there. I haven't unplugged the Hopper as that is what the customer service answer is to everything because I am recording television shows now and don't want to disrupt them right now.
When I try either of the two Joeys, I can watch anything that is on the DVR and there is no hesitation when I choose something live.
I've also experienced Pixelation on live TV and it is not weather related. Was this the first sign of a problem?
Time to call for a repairman? If it is and my Hopper 3 needs to be replaced, is it going to cost me? Should I take out the Dish insurance first?
Thanks.

 

[DISH Support]

Earlier today I could play recorded shows on the Hopper 3 DVR with no problem......until tonight .
No matter what show on the DVR that I pick, I only get a black screen. This is happening even when I choose something that I have saved to my external hard drive. If I pick something live from the guide, it will come on but there is a delay. I've turned the Hopper off via the remote and after 5 minutes turned it back on but the problem is still there. I haven't unplugged the Hopper as that is what the customer service answer is to everything because I am recording television shows now and don't want to disrupt them right now.
When I try either of the two Joeys, I can watch anything that is on the DVR and there is no hesitation when I choose something live.
I've also experienced Pixelation on live TV and it is not weather related. Was this the first sign of a problem?
Time to call for a repairman? If it is and my Hopper 3 needs to be replaced, is it going to cost me? Should I take out the Dish insurance first?
Thanks.

Hey WickedStepMom, if the black screen is only happening on the Hopper, my bes suggestion would be to restart the receiver. If now is not a good time, I would strongly suggest restarting it as soon as you can. I would also check to ensure that all wiring is hand tight. Pixelation on the other can be a sign of signal loss. Here's a few things to check for:
-all wiring is hand tight
-there are no obstrusctions on or near the dish
-all equipment is where it was originally installed or moved to with the correct wiring. If none of these things are an issue, you may want to reach out to our Chat Team Request Rejected for further troubleshooting. -Rosita L.

 

[Jim5506]

If you do not take the advice of those who you ask, how can we help you?

And using large bold type makes your posts very hard to read.

 

[TheKrell]

I had the black screen early on trying to watch either the H3 or J3's. A power plug reset always fixed it, and I haven't noticed it at all recently.

 

[DWS44]

I haven't unplugged the Hopper as that is what the customer service answer is to everything

Like any other computer or piece of electronics...they occasionally need a reboot/reset to get them back in line. Turning Dish equipment "off" via the remote only puts them into standby...it doesn't actually turn off or reboot the Hopper in the same manner as initiating a reset through the menu system or physically unplugging it.

 

[WickedStepMom]

Hey WickedStepMom, if the black screen is only happening on the Hopper, my bes suggestion would be to restart the receiver. If now is not a good time, I would strongly suggest restarting it as soon as you can. I would also check to ensure that all wiring is hand tight. Pixelation on the other can be a sign of signal loss. Here's a few things to check for:
-all wiring is hand tight
-there are no obstrusctions on or near the dish
-all equipment is where it was originally installed or moved to with the correct wiring. If none of these things are an issue, you may want to reach out to our Chat Team Request Rejected for further troubleshooting. -Rosita L.

Rosita, thanks so much for the reply. The Hopper was still recording at bedtime and to my dismay the bedroom Joey started doing exactly like the living room Hopper. For fear that doing a reset would somehow delete all of my recorded programs, I thought I'd transfer all the recorded shows to the external hard drive first. I wasn't sure that the external hard drive I had connected to the Hopper had enough space so I connected another and started to reformat. Not sure what happened but suddenly the Hopper didn't acknowledge it, nor did it acknowledge the original one when I reconnected it. Decided I had to do a restart regardless of loosing my recorded shows, I turned the Hopper off and unplugged it. To my relief, I could access the recorded shows and the Hopper acknowledged the external hard drive.
Checked the Hopper and Joeys this morning and all seem OK. The restart may have also helped with the pixel issues.
Thanks for the assistance and hope you got a chuckle with my last night paranoia.

 

[WickedStepMom]

I had the black screen early on trying to watch either the H3 or J3's. A power plug reset always fixed it, and I haven't noticed it at all recently.

TheKrell, thanks for the post. The restart did correct it for me. Always appreciate your assistance.

 

[WickedStepMom]

Like any other computer or piece of electronics...they occasionally need a reboot/reset to get them back in line. Turning Dish equipment "off" via the remote only puts them into standby...it doesn't actually turn off or reboot the Hopper in the same manner as initiating a reset through the menu system or physically unplugging it.

Thanks, DWS44. Appreciate the information.