Dish Network is known to deliver outstanding quality of entertainment to homes all over the U.S. either through streaming or DVR services. With the combination of hoppers and tuners, subscribers are able to record and stream one channel while watching another.
This multitasking feature saves subscribers a whole bunch of time, as they can record a show while watching a different one. Before this sort of technology arrived on the market, people were obligated to keep the same channel tuned throughout the whole length of the show they wanted to record.
This development is all thanks to the sixteen tuners that come with the Dish Hopper 3 DVR system.
The tuner is a module that has the ability to integrate over-the-air channels into the on-screen Program Guide for seamless viewing.
This all sounds quite technical, but in simpler terms, the tuner is the component that allows you to have a show recorded and, at the same time, check the program guide, or even another channel.
Most lately, people have been asking, “How can I change the tuner on my Hopper?” in online forums and Q&A communities all over the internet.
Due to the fact that those spaces are offering a variety of answers, and not many of them are actually good, we decided to come up with the ultimate set of information regarding tuners and hoppers.
We hope this walkthrough brings you all the info you need to get the tuners changed on your Dish Network setup.
How To Change Tuners On Dish Hopper?
Before we jump to the crux of the question here, let us take some time to explain why it is so important to know how to change tuners with Dish Network.
It all starts with users recording movies, sports events, or TV shows and not being able to access these recordings afterwards. As it turns out, the Dish system itself can change tuner, should it be necessary.
This definitely brought some confusion to the minds of Dish subscribers, either by rendering the recordings useless as they were not able to watch them, or simply for not exactly understanding how tuners work.
According to Dish Network representatives, tuners are stations inside Hoppers that are responsible for recording content which aid the system perform other tasks while the recording process is being carried out.
That should be clear by now, but the part where users are taught how to switch between tuners and get their recordings is still not so clear. Another aspect that hasn’t been cleared up is how much space tuners have to record.
Users reported that the tuner simply changed during the recording process and that the only apparent reason is lack of space. So, how can users change tuners and access their recordings?
Is There A Specific Moment To Change The Tuner?
Most users will instantly say yes to that question, as they have already identified a key moment to go to the list of tuners and switch between them. As it goes, when users command their tuners to record a TV show, in the specific moment in which the recording starts, the list of tuners can be easily accessed.
More specifically, the TV activity tab that comes up at that moment allows users to identify which tuner is doing the recording and even go to any of the other ones.
That is how users can have access to their previous recordings, manage the ongoing ones, as well as watch or delete a recorded movie, TV show, or sports event. What can happen, however, is that your Dish Hopper does not display the list of tuners.
According to reports, sometimes the list of tuners does not display all the active tuners, or one that is currently performing a recording.
This means users don’t get to stop the procedure or even access the content recorded in the ones that simply aren’t on the list.
What To Do If The List Is Not Displaying All The Tuners?
Since the button users normally press to change tuners is the channel one, as they attempt to switch tuners, the system actually changes the channel. This can get pretty annoying, very quickly.
Unfortunately, no fixes were commented to work 100% in that case. So, all you have to do is go over the same procedure you just did to attempt getting the list of tuners at the beginning of a scheduled recording process.
How Can I Access Another Tuner While The First Is Recording?
As explained before, the tuners are the components that allow the system to multitask. That means, even while one of the tuners is performing a record, users can access other ones and enjoy the content therein. All it takes is to command the first tuner to record instantly.
Then, press the select and the record buttons, one after the other. Now, if you want to change to the recording tuner and back to the other one, you will need to set a timer or record on both channels.
This is because the second tuner is set to standby when you return to the first one, as it is not currently executing any specific function.
Can I Watch Different Shows In Different Tuners Simultaneously?
Dish Network thought about that before releasing their Hoppers, so the answer is yes, you can. And apparently it is through a quite simple procedure. Simply go to the multiscreen feature, browse through the tuners, and select the programs you want to watch on each screen.
To activate the audio on one specific program, use the arrow keys to go to that window and the sound will be automatically enabled. You can even momentarily set one of the channels on full screen by clicking on the corresponding button on the bottom right side of the screen.
Once you exit the full screen mode, the multiscreen feature will resume operating. This means you will see the two, three, or even four windows being displayed at the same time once again.
Bear in mind, though, that every screen you add to the multiscreen feature will be buffering at the same time, so make sure your internet speed is good enough to deal with all that data traffic.
If you notice any of the windows getting pixeled or taking longer to load, that might mean your internet connection is not dealing with the multiscreen feature as well as it should. So, keep an eye for that possible glitch as you don’t want to end up missing important parts of the content you recorded.
Make Sure To Contact Customer Support
In the event you still have any doubts about the functioning of the tuners and hoppers, make sure to contact Dish customer support department.
Their highly trained professionals will definitely have the answers you seek and might even help you perform the procedure you are attempting to carry out. Additionally, should there be any indications of further issues, they can get to it and fix the problem in no time.
On a final note, should you come across other relevant information regarding Dish tuners and hoppers, make sure to let us know. Leave a message in the comments section and help your fellow readers perform this procedure like an expert.
Moreover, any piece of feedback is welcome, as through feedback we help our community grow stronger. So, don’t be shy and tell us all about what you found out.