Upgrade from a Hopper 2000 to a Hopper w/Sling, worth it?

[nsafreak]

I haven't called yet to see how much it will cost me to have this upgrade performed but I'm reasonably certain that it will be a low to no cost upgrade. I'm just trying to decide whether or not it will be worth my while to upgrade. Mind you my Hopper 2000 has been working fine and aside from having to have it replaced once in a couple of years it's serviced me well. I do have the external Sling adapter (the red brick) hooked into the unit for the Sling functionality so that won't be a feature that I gain. So I just want to know about the following:

1) How much faster is the Hopper w/Sling than the Hopper 2000? I know that the CPU is faster but that doesn't always translate into a faster unit in terms of browsing through the menus, guides, On Demand content, etc.

2) Is the picture quality any better that's being Slinged versus using the external Sling adapter? I know that it's partially dependent on bandwidth and I typically have a solid 14 megabits upstream (100 megabits downstream) on my cable modem connection. I typically get a good 4G signal on my Droid Turbo along with my LG G Pad 10.2 as well.

3) How likely is it that the next Hopper, whenever it comes out, will have features that somebody that's not interested in a 4K unit? Dish announced the 4K Joey but nothing on another Hopper unit. I have zero plans to get a 4K TV anytime in the near future since there's a dearth of content and it's going to take a while before there's a decent amount available via Blu Ray/digital download/On Demand much less live transmission.

Feel free to point out any other pros/cons about going from one unit to another. No rush to perform the upgrade just saw some features that'd be nice to have and figured I should be able to call in to have one shipped to me since it'll just be a swap. If I have to PM Dirt to get one shipped so be it but it shouldn't come to that.

 

[navychop]

1. A little

2. Little to none

3. Not likely

But you'll get some future proofing.

 

[KAB]

If I have to PM Dirt to get one shipped so be it but it shouldn't come to that.

Dirt should be your First resort!

 

[bobvick]

I had a Hopper that I replaced with a HWS because it was (or seemed) ALOT slower than the other HWS I had.

 

[lazydogmot]

1) I find that HWS is much faster going through the menus and apps but only a little faster changing channels.

 

[KAB]

To the OP, what you need to ask yourself is, since you already have sling capability, is maybe a little more UI speed and the Netflix app worth making a new two year commitment?

 

[JSheridan]

And don't forget transfers...

 

[dwarren2]

I find the built in sling is much more reliable than the adapter. Especially if you want to access the Hopper while traveling. I made the switch and am glad I did.

 

[fishman316]

I agree it seems faster in the menus and apps. I also agree that it seems more reliable then the adapter. I have no problems. I was not thinking about upgrading until i had hard drive issues with one of my original hoppers and after multiple issues i was given an offer to upgrade both my hopper 2000s to two hws for free with no commitment. Needless to say i took the offer and am glad i did. We are really happy with the hws performance. Knock on wood

 

[smokey982]

I personally feel there's a big difference in speed. I upgraded to a HWS in my living room a while back and it's way faster than the original hopper I still have in my bedroom. I only watch the tv in the bedroom for a few minutes each night before going to sleep. But it drives me crazy to hit the guide button or my recordings button and it seems like forever (compared to HWS) before anything happens.

 

[ChadT41]

I have both a H2K and a HWS, and if there is a difference in speed, I don't notice it. They are both in my 2 most heavily watched rooms(bedroom and living room). As long as it responds when I need it is all I care about.

 

[emtjim]

I just switched this week, got it no charge if I signed up for another 2 year agreement. Also noticed speed improvements in meus and apps. Like the intregrated netflix and transfers to ipad.

 

[KRUZNBY]

I'm considering upgrading as well. I'll need to transfer my recording to the HWS. Can I transfer it in batches? I only have a 500gig external HDD, so it would take about 3 batches. Also, will they just mail me the HWS and I swap them out myself or do I have to pay for a service call?

 

[thomasjk]

Yes you can transfer your recordings I'm batches. I was able to get a free upgrade with a tech visit. YMMV.

 

[dwarren2]

Make sure your ehd is self powered. A portable drive may not work. I just picked up a WD 3 tb drive at the local wholesale club for $100. The Hopper saw the entire drive.

 

[KRUZNBY]

Now that Google Fiber is coming to our area, I might hold off on signing another 2 year agreement and continue with the Hopper2k for the time being.

 

[sclaws]

I just switched this week, got it no charge if I signed up for another 2 year agreement. Also noticed speed improvements in meus and apps. Like the intregrated netflix and transfers to ipad.

Just did the same. Browsing the guide IMO is certainly faster. Netflix was another + for me. No regrets.