It's as theKrell, again, stated. USB2.0 is adequate to handle an archive job for a dual tuner DVR, but still ONE stream, or a SINGLE tuner DVR's stream to the external HDD recording live TV as the the 211. However, USB2.0 lacks sufficient bandwidth to handle the full functionality of a dual tuner DVR that must record up to THREE streams (2 sat and 1 OTA) to the external HDD AND playback a recording FROM the external HDD ALL AT THE SAME TIME for the 222/K STB's that were promised to function just like a 722/K. Charlie had been promising this right up to the very end while Jim was trying to shush Charlie up saying, "NO!" while Charlie still promised as if never hearing Jim. Unlike USB2.0, eSATA has the bandwidth to handle all those streams and and more required of the 222/K with full DVR funtionality. Further, we know this in practice as this is how many cable TV DVR's and DirecTV DVR's and TiVo achieve multiple stream to and from all at the same time, flawlessly. It has been suggested that Dish may have considered some diminished functionality of the 222/K as DVR working with USB2.0's limitations compared to the full functionality of the internal HDD models, but that may have rendered the 222/K as a 211 and people would not be able to record more than ONE channel of a 3 tuner STB, and that would have been considered too much of a diminished product when people expect to be able to use those extra tuners to record AND PLAYBACK at the same time. Dish probably felt it was better to just let promise of 222/K DVR functionality DIE than deal with the wrath of folks on this forum and the rest of the public finding they can only record ONE channel at a time.
OK, why did Dish still only provide and seem to stubbornly stay with ONLY USB2.0 for so long when EVERYone else had also included an eSATA port? Because USB2.0 was/is ubiquitous, and (Charlie loves this part) CHEAP! The cost per box for eSATA has probably come down quite a bit from years ago, and Dish may have felt they had to put an eSATA port on the Hopper to keep it somewhat future proof, to some degree as USB3.0 is here today. But at least the Hopper's eSATA port provides more opportunities for some really decent use for something should Dish ever activate it.
OK, why did Dish still only provide and seem to stubbornly stay with ONLY USB2.0 for so long when EVERYone else had also included an eSATA port? Because USB2.0 was/is ubiquitous, and (Charlie loves this part) CHEAP! The cost per box for eSATA has probably come down quite a bit from years ago, and Dish may have felt they had to put an eSATA port on the Hopper to keep it somewhat future proof, to some degree as USB3.0 is here today. But at least the Hopper's eSATA port provides more opportunities for some really decent use for something should Dish ever activate it.
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