Hopper with Sling - Purchase
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Totally different animals. The HWS will blow your socks off compared to the 722K. The H3 is a another step above the HWS in speed. There is also a difference in PQ as well.
That is, if you can actually order one directly from AirTV. Right now, their site isn't working properly. So, it would cost more than that anywhere else.
Here is what I agreed to:
Tomorrow the Dish tech will install a Hopper 3 with Joey. I didn't want a Joey but that is the only way they could make it work. However the 211k is shown as owned by me and will remain on my account. I was told that I could turn it on and off as needed.
The bottom line on price was $83.33 for AT200 with locals for 12 months. After the Hopper is installed, I am to call back to get an OTA adapter and antenna sent to me. After I get the adapter I will drop the locals reducing my bill to $71.33 a month. The 24 month lease was reduced to 12 months (supposedly for being a long time customer).
The call lasted for over 90 minutes but I think I came out okay. I am free to renegotiate my service in 12 months or I can even cut the cord. In this case purchasing equipment just was not a winner.
Tomorrow the Dish tech will install a Hopper 3 with Joey. I didn't want a Joey but that is the only way they could make it work. However the 211k is shown as owned by me and will remain on my account. I was told that I could turn it on and off as needed.
The bottom line on price was $83.33 for AT200 with locals for 12 months. After the Hopper is installed, I am to call back to get an OTA adapter and antenna sent to me. After I get the adapter I will drop the locals reducing my bill to $71.33 a month. The 24 month lease was reduced to 12 months (supposedly for being a long time customer).
The call lasted for over 90 minutes but I think I came out okay. I am free to renegotiate my service in 12 months or I can even cut the cord. In this case purchasing equipment just was not a winner.
That sounds about right, since you are replacing a two-TV capable receiver model (ViP722k). However, after your system is installed, you can always deactivate that leased Joey and send it back to Dish if you don't need it. That will reduce your monthly fees by $7 when you remove the Joey.
The antenna u will get is (If I am not mistaken) on of those flat ones u attach to a wall or window. I read that they r fine if u r close to the towers. (Tried one actually for a first floor tv, it failed.) Also, be prepared that first hopper scan may fail. It took me several days. Good luck.
Thanks for the info. I wasn't going to use the antenna for the H3. I have an antenna in that attic that will feed it. I just got the antenna to get the adapter.
I have an AirTV box that I bought at a hamfest. I use in for the 45 subchannels that I get. I just need the H3 to get the main networks.
Got it. Here's a question for u.
Airtv box lets u record ota channels. How many at the same time? If u connect your antenna coax to dual tuner adapter, and adapter to Hopper 3 usb, what happens to airtv box? becomes useless? Or, are you able to split that coax (without signal degradation) and one coax goes to hopper, the other goes to airtv box. And, u r able to record on both. I don't even know that's possible. Asking these crazy questions 'cuz I love to learn.
On AirTV I can record two channels at the same time. I'm going to put a second antenna in the attic right above the H3. It is a smaller antenna but for the major networks, I am in a very strong reception area and it should work fine. But you are right, disconnect the antenna from the AirTV box and all I can do is watch what is recorded on the attached hard drive. If I split the signal, I would approximately halve the signal. In some cases it wouldn't matter but there are two stations that are fringe to me so I want maximum signal strength. If I were to split the signal, I would be able to record on both. The problem with the AirTV box is that it transcodes everything to 720p and the picture quality suffers at times. Watching a football game on it, like when Nexstar removed CBS, is painful for me. My wife doesn't notice the difference.
So the main question is what do I do with all the channels? Pretty much nothing but they are there when I do want to watch and the price is right - zero dollars. Of course my initial investment for the box was $15. I'm like you, I like to learn.
Well, with 2 cables coming from attic, u r ready to go. one goes (stays as it is with airtv box), the other from new antenna to the tuner adapter and hopper. You can record up to 2 shows (where video quality should be superb such as games) on hopper, and daily network shows (where u watch and delete) on airtv. Regarding 720 pixel recordings, the difference is hardly noticeable unless your tv is huge. I watch 720 pixel mp4 movies on 70" tv (hdmi thru laptop), I am very satisfied.
Keep us informed how everything turns out.
The best.
And if the HWS includes the optional external USB graphics processor, that adds another incremental speed step as well.
It isn't the 720p that is the problem. It is the bit rate that the box puts out. Sorry I didn't make that clear when I explained. That is why football looks lousy but regular programming on a subchannel looks fine.
is it possible airtv box is causing lousy picture quality when you record football games? But, no problem with other shows recorded from ota stations.
I guess I was suggesting record the games into your hopper3’s hard drive from antenna and you should have great quality. And use the other antenna attached to airtv box and record stuff you don’t care much about. Bet, the wife won’t mind!!
I guess I was suggesting record the games into your hopper3’s hard drive from antenna and you should have great quality. And use the other antenna attached to airtv box and record stuff you don’t care much about. Bet, the wife won’t mind!!
I would guess that the HD signals are transcoded with a lower bit rate to be stored on the hard drive or if there is no hard drive to be distributed from the box. I will probably not map any subchannels on the H3. As for my wife, as long as I explain to her how to get her shows she will be fine. btw - the football OTA was for her. She is an Alabama fan and they were on CBS this past weekend. CBS is a Nexstar station here so she started out on the AirTV until I could set up a temporary antenna arrangement to connect to my 722k. Me - I'm a UAB fan and they are never OTA.
Think I finally have a handle on why I couldn't keep my 211k working with the H3. If I understand correctly, the H3 in essence uses all of the ports on the Hybrid LNB. Therefore there was no way for my 211k to have access to the lnb. Also since I was told that I own the 211k and can activate it and deactivate it as needed, I will be dragging out my portable dish and verifying that the 211k can be activated with a phone call.
Since the 211k was already on the account, they should not have put in a Hybrid LNB. They should have used the existing DPP LNB through a DPH42 switch instead. Actually, I am not sure if the second output on the DPH42 switch will support ViP equipment. However, the DPH42 switch can be hooked up through a DPP44 switch, which definitely will support the 211k. The point is, there is a way to do this with a single dish, and the installer should have known how to do that. Another alternative would have been for Dish to replace that 211k with a Wally (which also would have been listed as purchased, since it is an upgrade from a purchased receiver) which definitely can be hooked up through the second output of a DPH42 switch.
That may very well be the case. I will find out tomorrow. Tech had to reschedule. The Hopper is all new to me after 10 years with the 722. I wasn't aware of the DPH42.
Are those still available? Might be a good choice over risking getting a bad H3.
They're preinstalled on every Hopper 2000 and Hopper W/Sling
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