Hopper / Joey Pre installation question

[nathan-c]

Hello,
I have a 2 hopper 4 joey system being installed on Monday and I have a pre installation question for all of you. This way I can be ready for the installer if he gets stumped. I know this forum knows more than 90% of installers out there. Anyways, I am upgrading from the following setup: 1 vip922 (Powering 2 TV's) 1 vip622 (Powering 2 TV's) and 1 vip 722k (Powering 2 TV's). The vip 922 and 722k are connected to the spare TV's through traditional coax and Holland DPD2s. Ex The coax cable for the 2 rooms utilizing the 722 both "run" to a central distribution panel in a closet. The Satellite feed also runs to this panel. The main feed goes to room 1 and into a Holland DPD2 splitter that has one satellite output and and VHF/UHF port. The satellite feed goes to a Separator splitting it into 2 feeds for the tuners. Then I have a cable going from the home distribution TV2 output on the 722k to the VHF/UHF on the Holland DPD2. A second DPD2 on the same wires and is in the central panel and the VHF/UHF is connected to the coax cable going to the second room. This works great and the 922 is connected the same way. I am confident that there will be no issues installing a hopper and a few joeys for these 4 rooms. Now my question is how are they going to make sure my 2 upstairs rooms are connected since their setup is a little different. For the main feed, its the same as the others as a Satellite feed goes from the central panel to the 622. However, the second room is connecting directly to the 622. No connections to the VHF/UHF of the DPD2, not sharing the main coax feed. Just a cable from the 622 directly to the other TV. That room is the only one not wired to the central Panel. How are they going to get a joey to this room? I hope this makes sense and can be done. Can a Joey connect directly to a hopper? If not I may have to rethink as I need a TV feed to this room.

I know some of this info is overkill. But didn't know how else to explain.

Thanks in advance and please let me know if you may need more info.

Nate

 

[Bradtothebone]

If I'm understanding your description, you should have no problem IF one of the hoppers is upstairs. If that's the case, you can install a "tap" on the line to the Hopper (at the Hopper) and run to the upstairs Joey from that. I believe (not sure) that all the lines need to be RG6 if you're using a tap. The only issue with this is that the other 3 Joeys would all be "mated" to the downstairs Hopper, meaning that you couldn't watch live TV on all four TVs on that Hopper. After the Hopper integration software is released, this shouldn't be a problem anymore.

Another way to do it would be to put two Joeys upstairs - the second could be fed off a splitter from the first. It really just depends on where you want the Hoppers to be. Hope this helps.

Brad

 

[jimdandyvi]

Put the Hoppers where it is most important to you to have PIP capabilities.

 

[nathan-c]

Hi Brad,
Thanks for the explanation. Glad to know it will work. The fun part will be deciding on where to put that hopper. Can the splitters and taps be simultaneously used together or does it have to be all of one or the other? I found some installation instructions that show what you have described. I will keep you posted on the final outcome.

Thanks,
Nate

 

[Aidan8et]

Brad is right about the upstairs tv. Put in a tap & the joey will link to that hopper. As for the other tvs, with a 2h4j you will have a duo node installed. We know 1h1j will be on 1 host port, the other hopper will be on the other host, leaving 3 joeys (& possibly a HIC) to connect to the 2 client ports. Assuming you've got all rg6 cable & its all centrally wired, all the tech should need then is a simple splitter & be all done. Time consumer will be IDing each line. Perfect for doing while the hoppers are downloading.

Sent from my HTC EVO using SatelliteGuys

 

[n0qcu]

ANY Joey can be linked to either Hopper whether you do or do not use a tap.
I believe there is currently a three Joey limit per Hopper at this time.

 

[sparc]

Brad is right about the upstairs tv. Put in a tap & the joey will link to that hopper. As for the other tvs, with a 2h4j you will have a duo node installed. We know 1h1j will be on 1 host port, the other hopper will be on the other host, leaving 3 joeys (& possibly a HIC) to connect to the 2 client ports. Assuming you've got all rg6 cable & its all centrally wired, all the tech should need then is a simple splitter & be all done. Time consumer will be IDing each line. Perfect for doing while the hoppers are downloading.

Sent from my HTC EVO using SatelliteGuys

nice summary and if the OP is having trouble visualizing it all, he can look here: Hopper and Joey Wiring Diagrams

 

[nathan-c]

Thanks guys for the quick responses. I have another question. Lets say we install the way that Brad recommends, but then I want to move the hoppers around etc. Can I? I am wondering if I can talk the installer into leaving an extra tap and/or splitter so that I can rearrange them throughout the house and out to the garage or back patio, assuming I run some RG6 out there.

Thanks,
Nate

 

[mdavej]

A picture is worth a thousand words. The diagrams linked above have every permutation. Take a look at it and count the taps and nodes you think you'll need for future. All you really need for Joeys is a run from the tap, directly or through a normal splitter.

 

[nathan-c]

I downloaded the diagrams. Thanks for the link. One other question. Can I use a 3 way splitter to run 3 joeys or hoppers or any combination off of one coax cable? I am hosting the Mayweather fight this weekend and would like to have 3 tv's in the garage and backyard showing the fight. I can buy some extra RG6 cable and plug it into the room closet to the garage and run everything off that if its possible.

Thanks,
Nate

 

[isaacmorseMI]

I downloaded the diagrams. Thanks for the link. One other question. Can I use a 3 way splitter to run 3 joeys or hoppers or any combination off of one coax cable? I am hosting the Mayweather fight this weekend and would like to have 3 tv's in the garage and backyard showing the fight. I can buy some extra RG6 cable and plug it into the room closet to the garage and run everything off that if its possible.

Thanks,
Nate

You can use a splitter on a Joey (Client) line, but not on a Hopper (Host) line.

 

[nathan-c]

So I could run 3 Joeys out to the garage off one line with a 3 way splitter? If possible, could I run 2 joeys off one of the hoppers and the remaining one off the other hopper even though on the same single coax to the garage? I want to ensure all 6 tvs will be displaying a live feed of the fight? 3 inside and 3 outside. I know each hopper has 3 tuners for use. I thought read somewhere I can assign and unassign joeys to the different hoppers? Is this correct? Also would I need to disable the Primetime anytime feature to make this happen?

Thanks,
Nate

 

[isaacmorseMI]

So I could run 3 Joeys out to the garage off one line with a 3 way splitter? If possible, could I run 2 joeys off one of the hoppers and the remaining one off the other hopper even though on the same single coax to the garage? I want to ensure all 6 tvs will be displaying a live feed of the fight? 3 inside and 3 outside. I know each hopper has 3 tuners for use. I thought read somewhere I can assign and unassign joeys to the different hoppers? Is this correct? Also would I need to disable the Primetime anytime feature to make this happen?

Thanks,
Nate

Yes. No, you would not need to disable PTAT, as you can view the same feed simultaneously using one tuner at different locations by using the TV viewing status screen.

 

[nathan-c]

I have a few more hopper questions.

* I read in the hopper manual that you can disable the PTAT feature but it didn't mention what happens when you do. Do you get to use the full 2tb for personal use? Or will it just use the space for other mandatory dish recordings that I probably won't watch?

* Say I record a program on one Hopper and have 2 joeys connected to it. Can all 3 watch that same recording at the same time? If so is it simultaneously at the same spot in the recording or can it be at the same time but at different parts of the recording; I.e. say I start watching in the bedroom and then my kid wants to watch it as well, but from the beginning in her room. So it's playing at the same time but I am 5 min into it and she is at the beginning?

* Can I move the joeys between hoppers regardless if they are on a tap or splitter. I thought I read in the manual that I can go into the joeys setting and tell it which hopper to talk to and you could do this back and forth. Do taps and splitter dictate how the this will work and is one better than the other? I ask because in an earlier post in this thread it was mentioned that I should do a hopper and Joey upstairs on a tap and the other 3 joeys will connect to a hopper downstairs. Could I take one of those 3 joeys and connect it to the upstairs hopper to view its content. Also so I could have 6 different live feeds going at once?

* Does only one hopper have to be connected to the Internet for the other hopper and 4 joeys to have Internet capabilities? Or does both hoppers need to be connected. What about the Joeys? Is there any difference if I were to connect every device (joeys and hoppers) to a dedicated Ethernet connection? I can do this for all but 1 of the devices and it will be a Joey. How does a HIC play into this? Should I get one even if I can connect each one to a dedicated Internet line?

Thanks for all you help with understanding this and for me to be over analyzing the whole setup, but I am OCD that way.

Thanks,
Nate

 

[rglore]

You don't get to use free PTAT space.

Hoppers and Joeys on the same channel or recording are not synchronized, will be anywhere from a fraction of a second to a couple of seconds different even if on the same tuner.

Joeys can connect to either Hopper no matter how it's wired unless you add isolators.

Direct Ethernet connection only seen by that Hopper or Joey. Use a single HIC to feed Ethernet to all Hoppers and Joeys over the coax. Joeys only need Ethernet for DLNA.

You can connect two HD TVs to one Hopper for showing the same thing.
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