We’re giving the DISH Hopper 3 DVR five stars. That’s unusual for us. Most products have at least a few downsides, but the Hopper 3 really does stand out. Available as part of the DISH Network satellite TV service, the Hopper 3 debuted a few years ago to critical acclaim. Since then, it has evolved into a central hub for TV streaming services, smart home assistants, and home security integrations. Let’s get into the specifics about why we recommend this DVR so highly. Note: We won’t cover all of the DISH television packages and costs in this review, but head over to our comprehensive DISH Network review for more details. The video resolution is outstanding, supporting either 1080p or 4K content at 60 FPS and in 10-bit color. There are ports galore—HDMI, component, composite, you name it—so it’s compatible with most home theater setups. If you like details, we’ve got the full spec list at the bottom of this article. Most products have a few dings against them, but the Hopper 3 seems to cater to the most high-tech gurus out there who have an almost insatiable appetite for recording shows and movies. Here’s a rundown of its most outstanding features. As part of our testing, we recorded the show Cobra, a new major television debut called Next, countless movies on the premium channels, and did a deep dive into sports. We recorded every Minnesota Vikings game, every recent NBA Finals game, and several soccer tournaments. During our testing time, we filled up only about 20% of the space after completely deleting every previous recording. It feels like the Hopper 3 DVR sort of has the attitude: “What else can you throw at me?” As a central hub for a connected home, the Hopper 3 performed well. The Game Finder, which shows up as a channel in the Guide, lets you search for your favorite team and then record all games in a season. It’s fantastic. We wish YouTube TV was included only because it would augment what you can watch using the satellite television programming available. And we hope eventually DISH Network adds Disney+ and other apps to the DVR. If DISH ends up adding more apps like Disney+ or HBO Max, or even expands to more obscure options like BritBox or FuboTV, you’ll have every show or movie at your fingertips. Our only minor issue here is not really DISH’s fault, and that’s the fact that 4K content has not taken the world by storm. For a while, 4K became a trend for sports, and a few events were broadcast at that resolution, then it all died down. We think that will change. 4K televisions are becoming more and more common, so eventually more premium channels and basic cable channels will broadcast in 4K. As we’ve mentioned before, with 2 TB of storage (and the ability to expand to 7 TB), you can feel free to record that RV camping show, every episode of Lost ever made, complete seasons of your favorite football team, and really anything else that strikes your fancy. Better yet, the Hopper 3 is well prepared for the future with all this storage capacity. With 8K video on the horizon, the Hopper 3 has the necessary space to record it available already.
