Community Forums

RJEV · 08-08-2010, 12:41 PM

On a previous post someone suggested contacting Dish about copying recorded programs from the primary receiver which has DVR to a receiver in the bedroom which does not have DVR. For a one time charge of $40, Dish says I can hook an external hard drive to the main receiver and transfer the recorded programs to the other receiver which doesn’t have DVR. Here’s my problem:

1) I don’t see on either receiver where I can connect an external hard drive using a USB cable.

2) The controller for the non DVR receiver doesn’t have the buttons on it to select and play DVRs. So even if I could somehow get the recorded programs onto the receiver, I don’t see how I would be able to play them.

What we are trying to accomplish is to be able to watch recorded programs while on the road.

If anyone has done this I will appreciate your help.

Thanks,
Robert & Evelyn

RickO · 08-08-2010, 01:04 PM

Is your primary receiver in your coach or stick house? If it's in the coach, and you don't need to have the ability to watch different shows on the two TVs you should be able to just connect your bedroom TV to your DVR and use an RF remote control to control the living room DVR from your bedroom. I've done this using an HDMI cable (50') to connect HD DVR up front to both the bedroom tv and the outside tv. Works great.

I have Directv rather than dish but if I'm not mistaken external hard drive must be connected via an eSATA connection and not USB. As you said, even if you got the programs exported to the hard drive I don't know how you'd control it to watch them on the other tv.

kjburns · 08-08-2010, 01:36 PM

RickO, DirecTV uses an esata connection and Dish uses USB. I *think* DirecTV records directly to the external HD, where Dish records to the DVR, then you move recordings to the external drive.

RJEV, which model receivers are you using? Ours have 2 USB connections, one behind the front panel on the right and one in the back (model 612 and 722). I don't think a non-DVR receiver will work. The 722 is handy for the RV because it feeds two TVs. The primary feed is HD and the secondary one is SD. That's what we use in the RV.

wa8yxm · 08-08-2010, 02:47 PM

When I had a DISH 625 there was very clearly a USB port on the back of it.. Alas, it was "Not operational" per the manual.

But it was there

I gave up on Sat-service DVR's.. I use Replay TV.. You can no longer get them new because they decided not to upgrade them for ATSC only NTSC.. But they are nice

Here is what I can do

I can record two shows at one time (One in the bedroom one on the Main TV see notes)

I can play two DIFFERENT shows at once (Same way, see notes)

I can watch a show recorded on the MAIN in the Bedroom, or the other way around

I can download any show from either machine to computer and watch it.. Elsewhere.. NOTE that the computer can also serve the show back up to the replays

With the proper software suite I can shoot a movie with my panasonic (or most any other) Digital movie shooter and serve it up to the replays.

The replays will do a "one time recording" either by program guide "Record CSI on Channel X on Day at 9pm Eastern) or by "Manual" record channel 7, 8=9 PM on Monday Aug 9 2010, and it can do repeat recordings (CSI on Chan X every Day at 9 or every Wed at 9) or even "Theme" recordings "record all shows with CSI in the title, or Staring John Wayne, or .. Well several different thigns)

And more, Much more

Notes: I actually have 3 Replays.. The third however is in storage (Spare Parts) and not active but when I was at home it was live so it was 3 rooms, 3 shows and the limit is... Well.. I'm not sure what the limit is, either 254 or something in excess of sixty thousand if you have the hardware. (254 squared)

What's more one of my Replays is a 5000 (The others are 5500's) the 5000 can not only chat with a 5500 but it does automatic commercial advance and it can do IVS, that's Internet Video Sharing.. If I had a static internet connection I could send and/or receive shows to/from others anywhere in the world.. And have in fact sent and received shows to/from others here in the US.

The Replays can control most Direc or Dish single stand-alone receivers.

TiVo, stand alone units... Can do most of the above these days.. but not all. NEVER all (IVS is history)

Oh, I can still fake IVS though.. I can download (or move) to computer, pack it up and ship it via standard internet upload/download if I choose.. Then unpack it and serve it up to the Replays.

RJEV · 08-08-2010, 06:08 PM

The primary receiver is in the stick house. As far as I can tell we have Dish 500. I looked at both receivers (primary and the one without DVR) and can't see anywhere to plug in an external drive. Think I'll have to do without a DVR in the MH.

Thanks,
RJ

Gary - K7GLD · 08-08-2010, 06:17 PM

We boon-dock a lot out here in eastern Oregon - where there are NO available TV stations for viewing. We have the DISH DVR setup in the house, and when going to be out RV camping for a while, take just the DVR unit with us, and watch any of the pre-recorded movies we always have stored for later viewing. Works great for us...

kjburns · 08-08-2010, 10:17 PM

The Dish 500 is the satellite dish, not the receiver. You might look at their web site under Technology to find your receivers.

Wayne M · 08-08-2010, 10:27 PM

I have the Dish VIP 722 DVR. I take it with me. All the programs I have recorded I can watch on the main tv or the BR tv, all it takes is the correct RF wiring. The VIP 722 is a dual input receiver, with an RF Output (Distribution Out) that will feed the back BR. Even if I don't set up the satellite dish, I can still watch the pre-recorded programs. You may want to upgrade to a better receiver if it does not have a distribution out for a second tv.

One receiver, two television, watch one, record the other, or record two and play back one. Watching is on independent channel selection and not having to watch the same channel. You need a Dual LNB that will feed both inputs, or the correct switches that Dish provides.

Good luck

buck62 · 08-17-2010, 07:33 AM

RJEV,
You can attach an external hard drive to your Dish DVR and keep your recorded movies on it and move the external hard drive between receivers. Dish charges a one time $40 fee to enable this feature on all your receivers. Now for this function to work, your receiver is required to have a USB port and not all of Dish receivers have a USB port. I have a dual tuner HD DVR in our motorhome and in our house I have another dual tuner HD DVR and a standard HD receiver model 211 in one of our bedrooms. I have attached an external hard drive and the HD-211 now operates as a single tuner DVR model. The advantage of using an external HD is that you have more storage space and do not get charged the DVR fee for it. The downside is that you can only record what you are watching or use it for recording off hours. Now when we go for a long trip I take the HD 211 with the external HD and use it for our motorhome's bedroom TV. Now using two receivers we can watch separate programs on each TV. I also have the Winegard Traveller so we lock onto all three satellites at the same time and do not need to switch between sats, works just like home sat. dish.

RJEV · 08-17-2010, 08:41 AM

Buck,

On the remote controller for the receiver we take in the MH there is no play/fast-forward/etc button. I guess this means even if we could record on an external drive we still couldn't play what we recorded?

Thanks,
RJ

Gary - K7GLD · 08-26-2010, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buck62

RJEV,
You can attach an external hard drive to your Dish DVR and keep your recorded movies on it and move the external hard drive between receivers. Dish charges a one time $40 fee to enable this feature on all your receivers. Now for this function to work, your receiver is required to have a USB port and not all of Dish receivers have a USB port. I have a dual tuner HD DVR in our motorhome and in our house I have another dual tuner HD DVR and a standard HD receiver model 211 in one of our bedrooms. I have attached an external hard drive and the HD-211 now operates as a single tuner DVR model. The advantage of using an external HD is that you have more storage space and do not get charged the DVR fee for it. The downside is that you can only record what you are watching or use it for recording off hours. Now when we go for a long trip I take the HD 211 with the external HD and use it for our motorhome's bedroom TV. Now using two receivers we can watch separate programs on each TV. I also have the Winegard Traveller so we lock onto all three satellites at the same time and do not need to switch between sats, works just like home sat. dish.

SO, if you record directly from the DISH receiver to an outboard HD, how do you connect to TV for playback? Is there some sort of menu on-screen to select movies - can you have multiple movies recorded - or only one? Seems some sort of PC or program would be needed to manuever or select individual pre-recorded movies?

kjburns · 08-26-2010, 10:05 AM

You can't record directly to the external drive. Recordings go to the DVR. From there, you can move recordings to the external drive. To watch the content on the external drive, you'll need to connect it to a DVR receiver. You can either watch it from the external drive or move it to the DVR.

For example, we record lots of shows and move them to the external drive. When we travel, we bring the external drive and hook it up to another DVR in the RV.

Gary - K7GLD · 08-26-2010, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjburns

You can't record directly to the external drive. Recordings go to the DVR. From there, you can move recordings to the external drive. To watch the content on the external drive, you'll need to connect it to a DVR receiver. You can either watch it from the external drive or move it to the DVR.

For example, we record lots of shows and move them to the external drive. When we travel, we bring the external drive and hook it up to another DVR in the RV.

HMMmmmm - to each his own - we find it simpler to just take the first (and only!) DVR with us - that way, it all works just like being at home.

Our non-Hi Definition DISH DVR doesn't seem to have any available USB port - sure would be neat if DISH actually made their setup easily compatible with outboard USB flash drives and HD's - and provided software for easy use with either a PC or TV - maybe someday...

kjburns · 08-26-2010, 07:34 PM

We bought a 722 HD DVR receiver specifically for the motorhome. I have it setup to the front and rear TVs and have tuner 2 setup with a wireless Hava so I can also watch TV on my laptop. It's all snug in the cabinet and I don't have to mess with the connections every time we travel. We go out at least once a month, so it was worth a couple hundred bucks to buy a dedicated receiver for the motorhome.

There are lots of times when my wife wants to watch her shows and I want to watch a game. The dual tuner receiver isn't a luxury for us, it's a necessity

With the Hava, I can sit in the living room and watch my stuff on my laptop instead of one of us be relegated to the bedroom.

The Dish hard drive format is proprietary so your computer can't read it. If I want to record something to my computer, the Hava can do that.