Help finding Satellite dish

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by CA_Tallguy

Just broke down and ordered a Winegard Trav'ler SK-1000 for dish. Geez that is a lot to spend on a dish!

I'm inclined to go with the vip211z receiver as I could also use it with a tailgater in case of trees, and the power consumption is dramatically lower I believe. One reason I wanted a roof mount auto-antenna was for ease of use in a walmart or rest stop on a quick overnight without shore power - so lower power consumption would be very beneficial.

But when parked for long periods (I'm a full timer) the Hopper system or other multi-tuner DVR would be more appealing. Could I get both and add/remove them at will as needed? Or maybe I'll just leave them both active and use the smaller unit in the bedroom and just power that up for those overnight stops.

One thing I'm not understanding is if there is a monthly charge for both receivers, and the difference (if there is one) between owning/leasing. If you get them from Dish, especially on the normal subscription plans vs pay as u go, it seems like they will be leased? And the Hopper seems like it will carry extra monthly fees. On the other hand, I get the impression that the vip211k/z units are or can be owned? Maybe just on the pay as you go plans?

Some reviews on amazon for receivers seem to say that dish has a monthly charge even if you are buying there - so why not sign up and get equipment from Dish under normal plans if I don't anticipate need to start and stop service? Doing that also provides $20/$30 month savings for first year.

The reason I bought my 211z receiver is that Dish would not sell or lease one to me. At the time the 211z was new enough that Dish wanted to push out their existing stock of 211k receivers. So I had to buy from a Dish reseller who was willing to sell me the 211z. Dish does charge you a $7 monthly charge when you activate the receiver. The difference is that I can turn that activation on and off as needed. A leased receiver needs steady income. So if you are full timing then a leased receiver might be a better bargain. In my case I'm only paying when the receiver is active, and Nest pro rates that monthly charge so if I use it for a week in a month, I'm only paying for those days only. My programming charges are based on my Hopper and Joey receivers at home. I've not heard of Dish having any deal that would allow you to lease a Hopper and activate it and deactivate it like a 211 receivers.

Jack

[CA_Tallguy]

Awesome info... Thanks Jack! That helps me understand it all a bit better and see some possibilities. I'll have to confirm if any other receivers can be started and stopped on pay as you go plan. Or maybe not as I might benefit too much with the $20/$30 savings for new subscribers for the first year on the "normal" plans.

Or can I do a hybrid? Sign up for maybe the hopper as a new customer lease and then get a 211 for when I'm going to be on the road a lot and then just start and stop that 211 at will? Is that basically what you are doing?

Looking at the rates, as far as I can tell, it looks like they are the same on "normal" and PAYG (pay as you go)... although I was previously under the impression that PAYG was like $10/mo more. So other than the 1st year new customer savings, it seems like there isn't a monthly difference.

Another question I will ask dish unless anyone knows - do they charge $10/mo for whole home DVR if you have a hopper, even if you don't have any joeys? Are there any other hopper related fees? If I don't use the whole home and there is that fee, maybe I need to go with the 7 series for the multi-tuner unit rather than the Hopper. That would be a bummer.

I'm coming from an extensive directv setup (and bill) and one thing I have heard is that dish is cheaper and I want to make sure my monthly bill is such.

[jcanavera]

So here's the breakdown. Last winter as a long time Dish subscriber I decided to dump two Dish DVR's that I owned at home and went to Dish and asked for a deal comparable to a deal that Direct had offered me for their Genie unit.

Here's what I got from Dish and here are the charges for the equipment side.

I asked for a Hopper and two Joey units. The new dish on the roof, the updated home wiring, and the installation cost me nothing.

These three receivers are considered leased. I bought a programming package. No deals there. I pay $10 a month for DVR service (Hopper). Each Joey is $7 monthly (They are not DVR's but connect to the Hopper). So the equipment cost monthly for all intents is $24 a month. The biggest amount of my bill is the programming package which in my case is $64 and another charge for HBO. Then I got a bunch of incentives and rebates for agreeing to keep the service for 2 years. I can change the programming package up or down, but I have to maintain some programming service for those 2 years along with the 3 receivers.

Three months later I went out and bought a Tailgater and the 211z. No subsidized package offered since I'm in a subsidized Hopper agreement. Again I own the Tailgater and the 211z. As I noted in my earlier post, Dish would not guarantee that I could get a 211z so I bought my Tailgater and 211z from an authorized Internet Dish reseller (Solid Signal). I paid less for the receiver and Tailgater than if I had bought from Dish directly.

Now, there is a deal out there for non Dish subscribers that will allow you to get the Tailgater and receiver at a lower price. But you cannot turn the receiver on and off because Dish wants steady income to offset the subsidized price. In this case you will buy a programming package and pay $7 a month for the receiver fee.

In my situation, Dish will replace the 211z if it fails at any time but the Tailgater is under warranty from King Controls and once we pass the first year, the Tailgater unit is 100% my responsibility for any repair and costs.

Since the 211z is considered a solo receiver, I pay Dish when I call to activate the 211z when I want to use it. $7 a month is that cost and is prorated if I use it less than a month. I can turn off the activation of the 211z and the corresponding costs.

I have made a commitment for the Hopper and Joeys for 2 years and those units cannot be turned on and off.

Your situation is hard because typically with a Hopper in a home, no other satellite receivers are allowed (except Joeys) to be on the account. What a makes a 211z or k unit doable is the fact that I have a Tailgater and it is meant to be a portable unit. In that case Dish bends the rules and allows you one account which then allows your programming package to cover your home and your 211z. It comes all on one bill.

While they don't recommend using a Hopper in an RV, you should be able to do it. From that point you could surmise that you could order the initial Hopper service and programming package. Then afterwards once you get the Hopper installed and activated, buy a 211z and Tailgater and place it all under one account, much like I did. I'm assuming that the Dome satellite dish will support a Hopper (since technically the Hopper looks at 3 satellite's). As you know the Tailgater also looks at 3 satellite's. The software logic to do that through the Tailgater is only supported in the 211z and k receivers.

One other thing to understand is that the Hopper is different from other Dish receivers. With the home Hopper installation you have 2 cables from a HD rated dish that are connected to a ported box called a solo node. A third cable runs from the solo node to the Hopper receiver. That 3rd cable needs to be 3GHz rated. If you had a Joey it would also have a cable run to the solo node.

So to wrap it up if you also had a Tailgater and 211z, you would not use the solo node. A single cable from the Tailgater runs to the 211z. The software in the 211z directs the Tailgater to find the 3 western arc Dish satellites. When you change channels the Tailgaters internal dish moves to the proper satellite when necessary.

In the case of your dome dish, I don't know where the logic lies to move that dish to the 3 satellites. I assume the dome has some software that makes a Dish receiver think it is looking at 3 satellites. Whether a Hopper can be fooled like the other HD Dish receivers is something I don't know so make sure you have that clear if the Hopper is your receiver of choice.

Hope all of this helps and explains some of the billing.

Jack

[CA_Tallguy]

Hi Jack - thanks again for all the info!!

One thing to clear up is that I decided on a Trav'ler dish, which is the big roof mounted one, not in a dome. I think it is essentially the same as a home dish so it should work with the Hopper/other DVR's and receivers and such the same way a home dish or a tripod would...

EXCEPT... I am glad you brought up the wiring differences as that reminded me that Dish info I have read says that they force you to deactivate ALL other receivers in your installation (home really) to use the Hopper. So there could be an issue there -- again, like you say, having the Hopper on the same network as a 211K or Z. I will have to research it more. My initial thinking is that my new roof dish will have three connections for wire runs, so if one could be dedicated to the VIP211K or Z, and the other two to the Hopper (via the solo node), then I might be OK. That SEEMS like it would effectively make it so the receivers were isolated on their own parts of the network. On the 211K/Z wire run, I would put an A/B switch so that I could use an external Tailgater should my trailer and roof dish be under trees.

Although -- the big dish on the Trav'ler series is said to be MUCH more forgiving with regards to obstructions and SOME foliage.

I will likely follow the same setup you did with having a "normal" account for the main DVR or Hopper and then I will BUY the 211K/Z under the Pay As You Go plan. I just need to decide if I am going to try to have them come out and bring me the base equipment or if I am going to buy that as well.

There really is no monthly savings to buying the base DVR, so I am leaning towards having them give it to me under lease and on the "normal" plan (to also realize the first year savings). It's just a bit more of a hassle, or it feels like it will be, than hitting a buy button and having the receiver show up via UPS since I will really be doing most of the install myself anyway. And I expect there to be a bit of confusion if I try to get a regular residential installer out here to hook up a hopper in the airstream.

I wanted to add one thing into this thread for others that read it later on -- I found out that DishForMyRV.com is operated by Dish or is their "official" site for RV/mobile users. After calling the main number, they referred me to 800-970-7144 after verifying that I didn't also have a permanent Dish installation. I think if you have Dish at home, you still are supposed to use the main number for most things. And at the "mobile" 800 number they talk about the DishForMyRV.com site. I'm noting that it seems to be "official" because I read some post somewhere that asserted that this site was that of just another reseller. They have quite a bit of info on the site and the person I spoke with was pretty knowledgeable.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by CA_Tallguy

Hi Jack - thanks again for all the info!!

I am glad you brought up the wiring differences as that reminded me that Dish info I have read says that they force you to deactivate ALL other receivers in your installation (home really) to use the Hopper. So there could be an issue there -- again, like you say, having the Hopper on the same network as a 211K or Z. I will have to research it more.


I wanted to add one thing into this thread for others that read it later on -- I found out that DishForMyRV.com is operated by Dish or is their "official" site for RV/mobile users. After calling the main number, they referred me to 800-970-7144 after verifying that I didn't also have a permanent Dish installation. I think if you have Dish at home, you still are supposed to use the main number for most things. And at the "mobile" 800 number they talk about the DishForMyRV.com site. I'm noting that it seems to be "official" because I read some post somewhere that asserted that this site was that of just another reseller. They have quite a bit of info on the site and the person I spoke with was pretty knowledgeable.

Technically I could run my Tailgater at home. To do that however would require an independent coax run from my rooftop dish LNB to the 211z. So if you have an unused port off your satellite dish LNB, you could run a Hopper and a 211z without an issue. At home two of the four ports on my LNB are available. I think their prohibition is more a case of not wanting to deal with a service call because someone put a standard receiver on a network wired for a Hopper/Joey or vice versa.

I know I've talked to support twice regarding my Tailgater and after some initial conversation with the techs at the standard 800 number, they've transferred me to an RV support specialist.

As I noted, Dish would not guarantee me a 211z with the Tailgater if I bought from them. Interesting that I took a ride to Camping World yesterday and while they are displaying the 211z receiver, what they have in boxes are 211k's. I'm glad I found the z from an authorized reseller. The k's foot print was just too large for my spot on top of the microwave in my Classic.

Jack

[CA_Tallguy]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

Technically I could run my Tailgater at home. To do that however would require an independent coax run from my rooftop dish LNB to the 211z. So if you have an unused port off your satellite dish LNB, you could run a Hopper and a 211z without an issue. At home two of the four ports on my LNB are available. I think their prohibition is more a case of not wanting to deal with a service call because someone put a standard receiver on a network wired for a Hopper/Joey or vice versa.

Yes,math at is exactly what I am thinking. Hopefully the ports on the LNB are fully isolated. If so, I can't see why the Z couldn't be on one and the hopper on the others.

I have ordered the 211z and am awaiting delivery on that.

As for the Hopper, I'm a bit frustrated with Dish as they said they wouldn't install it in an RV (nor would they install anything in an RV) for the "normal" (fixed home installation) subscription plans. Further, while they said they would activate an install if I had it all ready to go and I bought the equipment myself, they would NOT give me the new customer deal for the first year! So I would lose $350 or so in savings on the 1st year programming. AND I have to shell out maybe another $300 for the hopper and bits to install like the solo. They will NOT activate the hopper on the pay as you go plan, so if I want it, I have to somehow get it activated under the normal plans.

At this rate, switching to dish is getting more and more expensive. I would have spent less if I had stayed with directv even though the Trav'ler is $400 more. Especially since I paid an early termination fee to directv of about $150. The main drawback would have been that I couldn't get HD with a carry out like the tailgater. I do sense that the directv genie DVR (which i already had) is better as it has 5 tuners as opposed to 3 with the hopper.

To get the hopper, my best bet may be to call around to independent installers to see if one will work with me in providing "free" leased hopper equipment and help in activating as if I was in a sticks and bricks house. Then I'd get the first year deal too. That's my next step in trying to sort this out.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by CA_Tallguy

As for the Hopper, I'm a bit frustrated with Dish as they said they wouldn't install it in an RV (nor would they install anything in an RV) for the "normal" (fixed home installation) subscription plans. Further, while they said they would activate an install if I had it all ready to go and I bought the equipment myself, they would NOT give me the new customer deal for the first year! So I would lose $350 or so in savings on the 1st year programming. AND I have to shell out maybe another $300 for the hopper and bits to install like the solo. They will NOT activate the hopper on the pay as you go plan, so if I want it, I have to somehow get it activated under the normal plans.

I do sense that the directv genie DVR (which i already had) is better as it has 5 tuners as opposed to 3 with the hopper.

To get the hopper, my best bet may be to call around to independent installers to see if one will work with me in providing "free" leased hopper equipment and help in activating as if I was in a sticks and bricks house. Then I'd get the first year deal too. That's my next step in trying to sort this out.

I became a Dish subscriber back in the early days of Dish. You placed your order and they sent you the dish, mounting hardware and a receiver. You bought your own coax and did the entire installation yourself. Back then I knew the value of good cabling and ran RG 6 even though RG 59 was perfectly acceptable.

Fast forward to today and when I upgraded to the Hopper and installer came out and set everything up. Interestingly enough this was another lesson in the need for good cable. The installer reused all of my original RG 6 stating that it would be acceptable for the Hopper. As the days passed after the installation, I started having more and more crazy issues with the Hopper. It had gone as far as Dish sending me a new Hopper telling me that the one I had was defective. I had another issue come up prior to the replacement Hopper being delivered and Dish dispatched a service tech. First thing he did was to measure impedance on the feed to the Hopper. After stating that the measurement was unacceptable he started looking closely at the cable. It ended up that the Hopper needs 3 GHz rated cable. So he completely pulled out all my old cable and proceeded to replace everything (except for the Joey feeds) with 3 GHz cable. Apparently according to him, the installer (who was a contractor and not a Dish employee) short cut the job (they get paid by the install) by not putting in the proper cable.
Needless to say, all the problems went away and I sent the replacement Hopper back. All has been well since then and we are approaching 7 months with the Hopper/Joey system.

I agree that you probably can talk to an authorized reseller and get your deal, with you doing the installation yourself. You might want to check in with some Internet dealers since they have no incentive to do the installation. One suggestion is Solid Signal - Signal Solutions including HDTV Antennas, DIRECTV & DISH Network satellite equipment and home entertainment supplies & accessories who I bought my Tailgater and 211z receiver from. Check to make sure your Hopper comes with the solo node switch (required). Also remember that the 2 cables coming from the LNB will plug into the solo node. From the solo node you must use a 3 Ghz rated cable to the Hopper. Anything rated less will cause Hopper issues. I have yet find 3 GHz rated cable at any of the typical stores that sell cable (Home Depot, Lowes, etc). Maybe Radio Shack. Note the 3 GHz capacity is labeled on the cable jacket.

FYI the 50' cable that Dish supplies with the Tailgater is labeled 3 GHz, although that may not be a requirement. According to Dish, you should be able to go up to 200' from a Tailgater to the receiver. They suggested that you go no further than 150' (probably due to losses within the RV wiring). I'm planning on going to the Internet and buying a 150' pre terminated 3 GHz cable to use when the 50' cable isn't long enough due to trees at the campsite.

While the Hopper only has 3 tuners compared to the Genie, one of the things that the Hopper can do is a feature called Prime Time Recording. Using this feature, the Hopper gets all of your evening local national broadcast feeds and records them with one tuner. So every night we record Fox, CBS, NBC, and ABC local feeds. That leaves two tuners for recording other satellite broadcasts or record another and watch something else. Once those broadcasts are 24 hours old, playback of them automatically skips over the commercials.

Jack

[CA_Tallguy]

I just took your advice and looked at Solid Signal - turns out they have high quality cable and they will make custom terminated lengths for you. I ordered 100 feet to get started and now I am wishing I got just a bit more. Well, it should be enough. I need to make four or five runs up the roof. I think two for hopper, one to dish for tailgater/211z and I ordered a Jack over-the-air VHF/UHF antenna and I think that will need two. The three lines to the dish will be the longest but I hope the 5 together average less than 20ft each. Not sure if my Trav'ler is coming with any cable.

I also ordered $75 in tools and compression fittings to terminate my own cable lengths.

By the way, I found this wiring diagram for dish installers that shows a VIP receiver hooked up to the same dish as a hopper system. The hopper system shown is quite extensive and I do not think I will need the switch and power inserted and all that. Just one line for 211z and the two others to the solo node. I'll eventually put an a/b switch on the VIP line so I can use a tailgater if needed.

[jcanavera]

Your installation really is much simpler than what they showed in that drawing assuming the 211z will always be fed from the Tailgater. Two leads to the solo node from the LNB. One from the solo node to the Hopper. The key for you is the integration of the Tailgater into this. Be cautious because the Hopper is multiplexing frequencies on that cable that connects to the solo node. Typically that would probably be more in line with communications with Joey units since Joeys depend upon the Hopper for tuners and access to the hard drive. Joey's also run from the solo node.

So your plan is to run a dedicated line from the LNB on the rooftop dish to a switch. That switch will also have a line for the Tailgater, correct?

Did you talk to Solid Signal about a potential deal on a self installed Hopper?

Jack

[CA_Tallguy]

Yes I think we're on the same page for install, except I will probably use the 211z with the roof dish on a dedicated run from the LNB while in transit and without shore power on quick overnights. It will use less juice from the batteries via an inverter.

But yes, an a/b switch on that line so I can also string out the tailgater should I find I'm in the trees a lot. May not buy that part until I see how it goes with just the roof dish for awhile. I'm not that much of a tv watcher so if I am without it for a few days I can probably deal with it. And I know that many of the places where I spend time I am out of trees... Also try to be out of them for solar panels as I tend to do a lot of boondocking.

For several months I have been full timing without regular TV (just DVD and Netflix) so I question my wisdom in even spending this much time effort and money on this setup. Oh well, it is fun and I can't wait to see the dish swing up and find the satellites!

I have not called solid signal about activating and may try some other places first, including some locals. Solid signal has something weird going on with dish equipment in their website right now showing no hoppers or 211z units available. In fact, I. One place they show 211z as discontinued!

[jcanavera]

Yeah, I was on their site yesterday and didn't see any 211z's. I'm not sure if they ran their supply ran out or whether Dish wants them to push the 211k units to get rid of inventory. Last April Dish wouldn't sell me a 211z and Solid Signal did. I wonder if there were some issues there. Bottom line I am extremely happy I got the 211z vs the 211k.

Jack

[CA_Tallguy]

Well I should have the Z on the way - just have to figure out the hopper equipment. Really hope I can get it leased and also the 1st year savings. Have calls into a dew local installers.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by CA_Tallguy

Well I should have the Z on the way - just have to figure out the hopper equipment. Really hope I can get it leased and also the 1st year savings. Have calls into a dew local installers.

Great let us know what you find!

Jack

[CA_Tallguy]

I think everything is working out now with Dish via 3rd party independent reseller. I won't post the name as I don't want to cause trouble for anyone but a local installer or Internet retailer is the way to go for people finding themselves in the same boat where you don't fall into the normal situation where dish insists on an installer hookup. PM me if help or info is needed.

[CA_Tallguy]

Quick update - I have the 211z installed with my winegard Trav'ler (the motorized roof mount pop up dish) and I also hooked up a 2TB external hard drive so I could use it as a DVR. I paid the $40 one time fee to dish to activate the feature on the account.

I also have a Hopper on the way, and I'm glad for that and that I went for the full size dish that can support multi tuner DVRs as I can tell I am going to be frustrated by the DVR limitations of the 211z. It only has a single tuner so you can't watch one live program while recording another (thought it would be sufficient but now I don't think so). Also, the number of scheduled events you can have seems quite limited. I'm hardly into choosing programs for "season pass" type stuff and it says I'm at the limit!

I'm new to dish but I'm assuming and expecting that the Hopper is a lot more robust. As a full timer, I think the extra money for the whole setup was worth the expense. If I'm going to have TV in my life, I want good DVR features to try to have it somewhat on my terms. I was reasonably happy with my directv DVR in my sticks and bricks and I hope the hopper compares to that experience or I'll regret not springing for the directv pop up dish.

I didn't have much TV at all for the first 6 months of full timing, and i hardly missed it after getting used to it. I was actually kind of excited to be "free of the spell" that TV held over my life! LOL so I feel a bit like I've fallen back into a bad habit.

I still think that I will use the 211z and/or the over the air antenna when boondocking as it will be easier on the battery than the hopper.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by CA_Tallguy

I also have a Hopper on the way, and I'm glad for that and that I went for the full size dish that can support multi tuner DVRs as I can tell I am going to be frustrated by the DVR limitations of the 211z. It only has a single tuner so you can't watch one live program while recording another (thought it would be sufficient but now I don't think so). Also, the number of scheduled events you can have seems quite limited. I'm hardly into choosing programs for "season pass" type stuff and it says I'm at the limit!

I'm new to dish but I'm assuming and expecting that the Hopper is a lot more robust.

I still think that I will use the 211z and/or the over the air antenna when boondocking as it will be easier on the battery than the hopper.

Just a couple of FYI's. The 211z and the Hopper can both support external hard drives. Note however, that the format used for storage for the 211z and the Hopper are not compatible. So if you plug your hard drive that has recordings from the 211z into your Hopper, you will not be able to view recordings and vice versa.

Since our home has the Hopper, if we have an Internet link, we can still access the Hopper to either watch it or to watch programming that is recorded on its hard drive. The good side is with only a single satellite tuner on the 211z, any conflicts will be covered by our Hopper at home.

Keep in mind that from a power standpoint, the Hopper hard drive is always spinning, even when the unit is turned off. (obviously removing the Hopper from power will shut down the drive). Try to make sure the Hopper gets air flow since it does normally runs somewhat warm, even if it is turned off.

Jack

[CA_Tallguy]

Awww bummer I was hoping to get lucky to be able to swap the external back and forth though I realized being able to do so was a long shot.

I am wondering how the receivers will react to having the hard drive added and subtracted, and if they will gracefully allow that to happen without a lot of configuration. I expect to use the external drive only when stopped for longer periods but will have to see how usage materializes. I got a drive that uses 12 volt power in case I want to try to run it from batteries, however.

As it is now, when i am off shore power I will have to use my inverter to elevate the dish and for the receiver. I am going to order a 12 volt TV so I won't need it for that. If I really want to save power I will just try to use over the air signals. Next step up will be the 211z, without hard drive attached, if I find that my battery capacity and solar allow for reasonable usage. Hopefully since it doesn't have moving parts it will use less juice than a DVD player, as I know I have gotten good usage watching DVDs on my battery capacity and solar.

KVH has a 12 volt tuner for directv... Wish I had one for dish! I can set up the dish to elevate on 12 volts with a step up transformer so if a 12 volt tuner existed I wouldn't need the inverter for any of it. I'm somewhat tempted to try hacking the 211z!

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by CA_Tallguy

Awww bummer I was hoping to get lucky to be able to swap the external back and forth though I realized being able to do so was a long shot.

I am wondering how the receivers will react to having the hard drive added and subtracted, and if they will gracefully allow that to happen without a lot of configuration. I expect to use the external drive only when stopped for longer periods but will have to see how usage materializes. I got a drive that uses 12 volt power in case I want to try to run it from batteries, however.

As it is now, when i am off shore power I will have to use my inverter to elevate the dish and for the receiver. I am going to order a 12 volt TV so I won't need it for that. If I really want to save power I will just try to use over the air signals. Next step up will be the 211z, without hard drive attached, if I find that my battery capacity and solar allow for reasonable usage. Hopefully since it doesn't have moving parts it will use less juice than a DVD player, as I know I have gotten good usage watching DVDs on my battery capacity and solar.

KVH has a 12 volt tuner for directv... Wish I had one for dish! I can set up the dish to elevate on 12 volts with a step up transformer so if a 12 volt tuner existed I wouldn't need the inverter for any of it. I'm somewhat tempted to try hacking the 211z!

Note the the hard drive must have an external power supply, no USB power. The drive should not have energy conservation/sleep mode. Dish sells one online for $100. It's a Western Digital AV model. Dish has issues waking up drives that sleep.

Jack

[CA_Tallguy]

I did see the AV model but it seemed like it was only available in 500gb and they have not updated that product line for awhile. I ended up getting the same brand and form factor but 2 terabytes in size. So far it seems OK but now that you mention the power saving mode I will have to do more research on compatibility from that perspective while I can still make a return.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by CA_Tallguy

I did see the AV model but it seemed like it was only available in 500gb and they have not updated that product line for awhile. I ended up getting the same brand and form factor but 2 terabytes in size. So far it seems OK but now that you mention the power saving mode I will have to do more research on compatibility from that perspective while I can still make a return.

The one that Dish sells is 1TB for $99 which includes free shipping. That specific model was designed for video purposes. It's USB 2 which is slower technology but Dish has yet to build a USB 3.0 supported receiver. Typical problems reported with the power saving drives is the drive disappearing, which requires you to unplug the drive to power cycle the drive and then sometimes unplugging the USB cable.

The 2 TB Hopper drive reserves 1TB for your recorded programs. The other TB is reserved for Prime Time, on Demand, Rentals, and software overhead.

Jack