DISH TV Equipment

Direct-to-home satellite broadcasters mostly compete on service stability and channel availability, but those aren’t the only considerations. The equipment that providers use to deliver their service is a factor that sometimes gets lost in the mix. Sometimes, features of TV receivers and remotes can be a deal breaker. Below is what you need to know about DISH receivers and remote controls.

Learn More About DISH TV Receivers and Remotes

That’s an area where DISH truly stands out from the pack. In particular, their decoder box and DVR combo, the Hopper, has gone through a few iterations and is now the most advanced kit of its kind on the market. But that’s not all.

In every area of service, DISH has put tremendous effort into providing users with the most current equipment, and you can read all about it in this article.

DISH Hopper Receivers

It makes sense to start DISH’s equipment breakdown with their award-winning line of set-top-boxes and the jewel in their proverbial equipment crown, the Hopper. This line of receivers was unveiled in 2012 and is in its third iteration.

The Hopper line of DISH DVR receivers looks like this:

• Hopper
• Hopper Duo
• Hopper 2
• Hopper 3

DISH receivers come at the monthly cost. When you go to the dish.com website, and you select your package, you'll get an option to pick your receiver. The selection will depend on how many TVs you want to have for DISH service.

For example, if you need the service for one TV only, you'll get an option to select between Hopper Duo or Hopper 2. If you start adding TVs, you'll see that with 3 of them, it switches to Hopper 2 as Hopper Duo supports up to two TVs only. Plus, for each additional TV, you get one Joey (more about Joeys down below). Going further, once you hit four TVs or more, the receiver selection switches to Hopper 3.

If for some reason you don't need the DVR recording capability, you can opt-out and get non-DVR receivers for as many TVs as you need, up to six.

As for the pricing, when you take a look into your DISH cart, you'll see the Hopper 2 and Hopper 3 receivers listed at $10 per month. If you switch to Hopper Duo receiver, you'll see it priced at $5 per month. For each additional TV, you need a Joey receiver, priced at $7 per month.

Now we come to Hopper Plus which we'll briefly describe here. This is an additional feature of DISH which comes with the one time fee of $25. Hopper Plus works with your Hopper DVR to simplify the TV experience giving you access to Live TV + 10,000+ popular apps like Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube all in one place. No switching inputs or remotes. High Speed Broadband Required.

Now, lets go to explore some of the DISH DVRs. Here we focus on Hopper 3 and Hopper Duo.

DISH Hopper 3

The Hopper 3 receiver is an impressive piece of equipment. It’s marketed as the “world’s most powerful DVR,” and the features might convince you. It has two terabytes of internal storage, and it can record up to 16 shows at once. Depending on the quality of the recording, it has enough storage for up to 2,000 hours of regular videos, or up to 500 hours of HD recordings.

It’s also compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. Owners of Echo Dot and Tap and similar devices can use them to control the Hopper 3. The Hopper's remote also has a dedicated Google Assistant button that eliminates the need to buy a separate Google speaker unit.

For Sports fans, the Hopper 3 has an extremely useful function in the form of the Sports Bar mode. This feature divides the TV screen into four quadrants that display four programs simultaneously. Much like in sports bars, this comes in handy during the football season when you want to watch several games at the same time.

 

 

Here are some of the best features of Hopper 3:

• Skip the commercials and credits with AutoHop® – Automatically skip commercials on select primetime shows on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC without picking up your remote.
• Watch 4 games at once with MultiView – Get a sports bar experience right from your home and watch four games on the same screen so you never miss a big play again.
• Search with your voice – Make your life easier by using your voice to find movies and shows, control your TV and operate your Smart Home devices with a free DISH Voice Remote with Google Assistant.
• Built-in Apps – Get built-in Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and more. Access it all with a single TV and remote – no messy cords or switching inputs required because watching TV should be easy, not stressful.
• DISH Anywhere® – Use the DISH Anywhere app to take your TV with you. Whether you’re on a camping trip or a luxury vacation, you can watch 100% of your live and recorded TV on any smartphone, tablet or computer.
• Record up to 16 shows at once – Being able to record this many shows at once is almost like no limit. Hardly will anyone need more than 16 ever.
• 2,000 Hours of recording capacity – The 2 TB hard drive can store up to 2,000 hours of regular programming, or up to 500 hours of HD.
• Built-in 4K Ultra HD – Watch ultra high definition 4K content on your 4K TV. The resolution of 4K programming is 3840 x 2160 pixels, or a total of 8.2 million pixels. The colors are brighter, videos are crisper, and movements are smoother across your screen.

 

► DISH TV Packages

 

Hopper Duo Receiver

In response to a large cohort of users that have two TVs in their home, DISH released the Hopper Duo DVR receiver. It’s similar in features to the Hopper 3 but only supports two screens at one time when paired with a Joey. It comes with a voice remote and can record up to 125 hours of HD video. It has picture-in-picture functionality and allows users to watch the programming on any mobile screen through the DISH Anywhere app.

 

 

The Hopper Duo has a significantly streamlined user interface and is built for quick and easy access to content that viewers already know they want. It has TV apps such as Netflix built-in and ready to go as soon as it’s activated. Remotes compatible with Hopper Duo are those of series 40, 50, 52, and 54.

More about Hopper receivers in the Hopper comparison table.

DISH Hopper TV Receivers Comparison

Take a look into this table that shows the main features of the DISH Hopper receiver line. Compare Hopper DVRs and see what fits your needs the most.

 

You already saw how many TVs can each Hopper model support. Your Hopper box is your primary recevier, good for your first TV. But in order to connect additional TVs to your DISH service, you need a secondary receiver for each. That is where Joey boxes come in.

 

► DISH TV Packages

 

Joey TV Receivers

Joey receivers are your supplemental boxes to use for each additional TV in your house. In plain language, for two or more TVs, you need the same number of Joeys. One TV, one receiver.

Here are some examples. If you have Hopper Duo, you can use it for two TVs the most. Therefore, for the second TV, you need one Joey receiver. But if you have Hopper 3 which supports up to seven TVs, and you have 4 TVs in your home in total, then you'll need three Joeys.

With additional Joey units, each of those TVs can stream different content. Joey allows subscribers to expand their DISH service throughout the entire home. It’s a compact unit that can’t work standalone but connects to the main Hopper DVR. Each Joey supports a single TV, and it extends all of the features of your Hopper receiver.

Now, there are three types of Joeys: wired, wireless, and 4K. Here is how they are called:

• Standard Joey
• Wireless Joey
• 4K Joey

The picture above shows the size of the Standard Joey compared to the size of the Hopper receiver. The one below is the Joey Wireless receiver.

Joeys can connect to the main Hopper box via coaxial cables for a maximally stable connection or wirelessly with the wireless Joey version. Subscribers that have 4K-capable televisions can opt for the Joey 4K units that support the 4K resolution. Joeys can also connect via Bluetooth to additional home entertainment devices, such as home theaters. If you opt for Hopper Plus, then your Joeys become 4K, no need for a specific 4K Joey.

Finally, customers that want to extend the whole-home experience to multiple rooms of their house have the Super Joey option. The Super Joey shares a lot of the capabilities with the Hopper 3 but is somewhat limited. It can record up to eight channels at a time and has two built-in tuners for home entertainment system control. Super Joeys still connect to the main Hopper and retain some of the compact design of their counterparts. Below is the picture of Super Joey.

 

DISH Playmaker Satellite Antenna and Wally Receiver

DISH also has equipment designed specifically for RVs and mobile viewing. Their Playmaker antenna is portable and perfect for campers, cabins, and outdoor enthusiasts. It’s easy to set up with only a single coaxial cable connection that supplies the power for it.

The Playmaker is a fully automatic mobile antenna. It only needs to be mounted with a clear view of the sky, and it automatically finds the appropriate DISH satellite to receive a signal. It has high-performance motors that adjust the antenna quickly and allow for in-motion viewing.

Moreover, it’s easy to install just about anywhere with only 16’’ in diameter and 7’’ in height. The military-grade aluminum body makes it robust, durable, and resistant to the elements.

The antenna functions with DISH’s Wally receiver. The smallest and fastest receiver DISH has, the Wally, offers full dish functionality in a compact package. The smaller design lets users fit it into small spaces, and it has features geared towards the mobile experience.

Pay-as-you-go programming is available for outdoor antenna packages, and there are no activation fees or subscriptions required. In addition to the full gamut of DISH programming, the Wally can pick up local channels from certain sources.

 

Hopper Remotes

The DISH remote control that comes with Hopper receivers provides an intuitive command of the programming, plus it supports voice commands. The remote is with Google Assistant that recognizes voice commands.

The voice-controlled remote has a ton of features that make it easy to navigate and search through programming. You can use commands such as “what’s on now” and “find a game” to browse through the categories quickly. Furthermore, you can toggle picture-in-picture and adjust pretty much any other setting through voice commands.

If you login to your Google account, with Google Assistant, DISH provides a personalized experience that allows you to check your schedule, set personal reminders, and even control your smart home devices. Ask questions and see answers from Google on screen. Dim the lights and control other smart devices.

With customizable buttons, you can turn closed captioning on and off, launch Netflix®, turn on Picture-in-Picture (PiP), record a program, and more, with just one click.

The Voice Remote is included with all new installations at no extra cost.

 

The Right Tools for the Job

DISH Network’s leading position in cutting-edge equipment is well-deserved. Their Hopper 3 is the undisputed king of satellite broadcasting receivers. It has an intuitive interface and a whopping set of features that include two terabytes of storage and the ability to simultaneously record up to 16 channels.

For viewers that have several TVs, the Joey receivers are both convenient and easy to use, bringing most of the functionality of the Hopper to any room of the house. DISH even has equipment specifically designed for RVs and people who want to enjoy the outdoors in style. A must-have for any glamping enthusiast.

 

► DISH TV Packages