New Dish Network HD Subscriber

I'm a new Dish Network subscriber after being with Cox Cable for 12 years. I got the HD VIP 612 DVR hooked up yesterday and loved everything about it until just now.

I was extremely disappointed to hear that to benefit from my 500GB external hard drive I bought for the system that I have to pay a $39.99 one-time fee. Is there any way around this or am I just S.O.L.?

All I'm trying to do is watch the movies from my computer since my wife hogs the TV all of the time. Is it possible to hook up a USB network adapter and transfer the recordings that way?

There is no way around the $40 fee, and even if you paid that you won't be able to do what you want. The programs on the external HD can only be watched through your DVR. You can't take the external HD, plug it into your PC, and watch the programs on the PC.

Perhaps something like the 922 (not yet shipping) would be a better choice for you as it comes with Sling technology built in and then you could watch shows that are stored on your DVR over the Internet on your PC.

HogDog:

Don't even try to hook that EHD to your computer. The computer will immediately reformat the drive effectively wiping it clean. You will loose everything you recorded.

Yep, Dish makes it very hard to copy recordings. You can't even connect receiver to any recording device via HD connections to record in real time. Encryption kicks in when you try this setup as well.

HogDog:

Don't even try to hook that EHD to your computer. The computer will immediately reformat the drive effectively wiping it clean. You will loose everything you recorded.

I don't know where that information came from. Your computer will never format with out asking first.
I hooked mine up but windows does not see anything on the drive and will ask if you want to format.

Call customer service - the loyalty department, not the outsourced lower level people. I didn't have to pay to have mine hooked up.