TV Viewing Status Screen Accessed by Red Remote Button - Need Help

[dangerousdave]

Ten days ago we had 4 Joeys & 2 Hoppers installed for 6 people in the household. We were doing well with our two 722 receivers but unfortunately decided to (upgrade?) to the Hopper. Most of us are older so we need some help please.

From 8 - 11PM when Prime Time takes one tuner on each Hopper, we are each scrambling to find enough tuners between us to watch content like baseball, hockey, PBS
that's not included of course on PT recordings. Not recording PT is not an option, we need it. None of us knows if someone else in the house is really watching the channels shown in the Status Screen or they have gone to bed with their TV on. Sometimes, they appear to be watching two channels. We don't want to rudely steal each others tuner.

Is there a way to determine if the Joeys or Hopper in another room is truly watching that channel without traveling up or downstairs to visually inspect their TV's?

Can someone direct us to a document that can explain how to manage the Status Screen? We are having a very difficult time with this and the master of the house
is close to getting ready to dump the whole system.

Thanks

 

[Ganthet]

When you bring up the Status screen if a tuner shows a Joey is tuned to a particular channel it means that Joey is turned on and tuned to that channel. When the Joey is off the tuner will show as "available" When a Joey is watching a DVR program the tuner will also go to "available"

The Hopper will sometimes show as using two tuners since it can do PiP.

You can always tell if two devices are watching the same thing since a little Kangaroo logo will appear in the lower right corner.

 

[TimberWolf]

The easiest way is to get in the habit of turning off the hoppers/joeys that are not in use.
This allows more tuners to show as available.

 

[Tampa8]

I'm not following a couple of things. You had four tuners before, and six now. How is it "unfortunate", a questionable upgrade, and harder for everyone to watch a program?

Second, why do you have both Hoppers using a tuner for PTAT? With PTAT on one Hopper, you have five tuners left, that's NINE programs that can be watched or recorded all at once, and that doesn't even include the DVR....
I just want to be sure you realize the four Joeys can watch either Hopper....

 

[king3pj]

I'm not following a couple of things. You had four tuners before, and six now. How is it "unfortunate", a questionable upgrade, and harder for everyone to watch a program?

Second, why do you have both Hoppers using a tuner for PTAT? With PTAT on one Hopper, you have five tuners left, that's NINE programs that can be watched or recorded.

Because that is the only way to have the PTAT shows available on all tvs until the integration happens.

 

[Tampa8]

Yes, but only at one TV out of six. I don't think it's necessary for one TV. All Joeys can see it, and of course the Hopper it records on can see it. They seem to need another tuner and seems like all that for one TV isn't worth it. (Even though they still have four tuners just like before the upgrade even if both are recording PTAT, and even then it assumes no one wants to watch any of the four programs recording)
That's why I asked if they knew any Joey can see any Hopper. Thinking maybe they don't.

 

[sperry85]

Because that is the only way to have the PTAT shows available on all tvs until the integration happens.

Joey's can jump from hopper to hopper from the whole home menu.

Only one who will miss out on PTAT is the hopper that isn't recording it, until the 'so called' integration hits our boxes.

 

[sparc]

Joey's can jump from hopper to hopper from the whole home menu.

Only one who will miss out on PTAT is the hopper that isn't recording it, until the 'so called' integration hits our boxes.

If it were me, i'd have placed one of the hoppers in a room where someone in the household doesn't use PTAT. Then you can turn off PTAT on that box. The joeys can just hop around between hopper boxes for available tuners and recordings.

 

[Tampa8]

To be fair to the OP I do think the idea is they are saying they are not quite up on the in's and out's of the system... Hopefully our posts will help.

 

[king3pj]

Yes, but only at one TV out of six. I don't think it's necessary for one TV. All Joeys can see it, and of course the Hopper it records on can see it. They seem to need another tuner and seems like all that for one TV isn't worth it. (Even though they still have four tuners just like before the upgrade even if both are recording PTAT, and even then it assumes no one wants to watch any of the four programs recording)
That's why I asked if they knew any Joey can see any Hopper. Thinking maybe they don't.

I understand that. I was just giving a reason why someone would want to run PTAT on both hoppers.

There are 4 of us in our house with 2 hoppers and 3 joeys. We run PTAT on both hoppers because all of us watch network shows and we want them available on all tvs. I am the only one that messes with settings so the rest of them don't even know they can switch hoppers.

My only conflict comes on Sunday nights when I am recording PTAT Mad Men and Game of Thrones on one hopper at the same time. I wouldn't be able to watch live tv for about a half hour during this time but it hasn't been an issue yet. It will be nice when we get integration so I can only run PTAT on one hopper but even without it conflicts haven't been a problem.

 

[king3pj]

To be fair to the OP I do think the idea is they are saying they are not quite up on the in's and out's of the system... Hopefully our posts will help.

Right. The biggest thing that saved us from conflicts was learning to turn off our receivers as well as our tvs when we were done with them. We never did that with our 722 or 211s. If people don't remember to turn them off when they are done it shows as a tuner being used so other people think they can't watch live.

 

[dangerousdave]

Joey's can jump from hopper to hopper from the whole home menu.

Yes we have much to learn and I didn't know that. I clicked on the Home Media icon however, it said that this feature requires a hopper internet connection. At this time the downstairs Hopper is connected to the net but not the upstairs one.

 

[dangerousdave]

...Second, why do you have both Hoppers using a tuner for PTAT? With PTAT on one Hopper, you have five tuners left, that's NINE programs that can be watched or recorded all at once, and that doesn't even include the DVR....I just want to be sure you realize the four Joeys can watch either Hopper....

We are unaware that Joeys connected to different Hoppers can watch the other Hopper. Also, the 2nd Hopper is in the house however, it's a separate household (on one account though) therefore, the need to have PTAT recording on both. Of note is that the upstairs Hopper is currently in the process of getting an internet connection while the downstairs Hopper is connected.