You ever consider a vip211k with your own hard drive?
Yes, that is what I have been using just to have some DVR functionality, while I have been having this ongoing issue with both Wally and Hopper Duo DVR functions being deactivated. I had reformatted that hard drive to transfer my remaining recordings from my old Hopper Duo, intending to put those recordings on the ViP612. Unfortunately, that didn't work out, since the ViP612 died before I got the chance to transfer them. (On the other hand, the good news is that I did
not transfer them to the ViP612
before it died, which would have meant that I lost them forever.) However, if this new leased Hopper Duo doesn't work out either, I may just sacrifice those recordings anyway, and reformat that drive for use with the ViP211k again. I am a cheapskate, so I am definitely not sinking any more money into this project, just to buy a new hard drive.
I think it only had a $40 dvr activation fee with no monthly dvr charge
Yes, I paid that fee years ago, when I first activated DVR functionality on my ViP211k. That same authorization carried over when I switched to using Wally instead. However, when I started having this new issue with losing DVR functionality last year, I got Dish to refund that $40, since I was no longer actually getting DVR functionality on any Wally on my account. I then switched back to using the ViP211k, which still works just fine as a DVR. So, I basically have that DVR functionality absolutely free now. I had been using the ViP211k hard drive just as a backup, not for any long-term storage, while I have still been stubbornly trying to get DVR functionality working properly again on my Hopper-interface receivers. After this one last-ditch effort to try to get this fixed, I am pretty much ready to go all ViP going forward if the new Hopper Duo doesn't solve this issue. I will then simply wait until I am eventually forced to upgrade again, which hopefully won't be for a very long time.
