Hopper still = Dish $$$ and Dish programming so no thanks!! Easy math to me and it isn't really all that great; except maybe for Dish folks.
That's a good point Satwatcher. I know it doesn't happen often, but even once with no TV for 4...5...6...9 days and I would be pretty upset.
Keep the comments coming - they give me more to think about so I can make an educated decision. I guess I am most concerned with giving up a trouble free TV setup and ending up with something that will give me stress. I have enough stress in my life and TV is a big part of relieving it. I don't want TV to be a stress contributor. But I would like the flexibility of a whole home setup.
I am also concerned with the response times on D* receivers. I have heard many times that they are not as quick as E*. I watched the Hopper demo at CES and the responsiveness was impressive.
Thanks everyone for your input.
MJL Atlanta said:That's a good point Satwatcher. I know it doesn't happen often, but even once with no TV for 4...5...6...9 days and I would be pretty upset.
Keep the comments coming - they give me more to think about so I can make an educated decision. I guess I am most concerned with giving up a trouble free TV setup and ending up with something that will give me stress. I have enough stress in my life and TV is a big part of relieving it. I don't want TV to be a stress contributor. But I would like the flexibility of a whole home setup.
I am also concerned with the response times on D* receivers. I have heard many times that they are not as quick as E*. I watched the Hopper demo at CES and the responsiveness was impressive.
Thanks everyone for your input.
royrdsjr said:"prime time anytime" technology is probably copyrighted by Dish/Echostar,let FIOS,U-Verse &/or Comcast try it next & see what happens. Then go from there.
and your locals have to be in HD on Dish...if the big 4 isnt in HD then it wont work. And it is only the 4 major networks. .
I don't think programming would be an issue with either D* or E*. I don't watch anything too off the beaten path and my initial analysis is that either service has the channels I want. In a perfect world, The NFL Ticket would be nice but it would be difficult to find the time to sit all day watching football without hearing it from my wife. The decision really comes down to the equipment, service reliability, and user friendliness (i.e., quick responding menus/guides, user interface, etc.). If the equipment works as it should, I wouldn't have a problem switching to D* right now and getting the HR34 plus additional receivers. That would also save me some money for at least 2 years. I guess HR34 reliability is my biggest concern, although the wife and kids probably wouldn't be thrilled with having to learn all new channel numbers and other D* peculiarities.
The HR has only a $7 DVR feeIf the HR-34 has a fee structure similar to having two Hoppers then what would the advantage of the HR-34 be then?
The HR has only a $7 DVR fee
If you have TWO of anything with Dish you know you'll pay through the nose on that 2nd receiver.