Dish DVR Hopper and HN
The DVR itself will only use bandwidth when recording an on-demand program from the internet. Can assume the rate is about 5GB per hour for HD.
But there are other function the entire box uses data for:
1. software/app updates.2. on-screen java apps (if they use them, I know DirecTV does).
3. on-screen guide updates/searches.
4. specific configuration settings particular to your location
Just about anything you think might be coming from the satellite's control data channel will almost always have a duplicate date path via the internet and will gleefully use lots of it. Best to just disconnect from the internet entirely, since they give no warning nor an option of where it comes from.
PlayOn Cloud is an app for iPhone and Android that works as a "cloud DVR" and allows the recording of programmes from different providers, such as Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others. Recording takes place in the cloud, so there is no data usage. Downloading the recordings does use data.
They also offer an older application, PlayOn TV, which is a software client that can be downloaded to a computer. Note that this software uses data both to record and to download.
To add to maratsade's information about PlayOn Cloud, the service and the app for it give a few options concerning downloading the chosen item (movie, show, documentary, etc.). They are as follows...
1. Automatically downloading the item after it's finished recording, and to the device that has the PlayOn Cloud app installed.
2. Scheduling the download to occur at a specific time, though it must be scheduled to occur after the item has finished recording in the cloud, as it records in real time. i.e. a two hour movie takes two hours to record in the cloud. Again, this would be to the device with the PlayOn Cloud app installed.
3. Downloading the recorded item manually, either to the PlayOn Cloud app device or a computer, the latter of which you can do from an email link that is sent.
After the chosen item is recorded in the cloud it is converted to an .mp4 file, which is what is downloaded. That .mp4 file can play on anything with the ability to do so, and most devices these days can, such as a Smart TV, computers, tablets, smart phones, etc. Many Blu Ray and DVD players can also, whether from a USB port or from a disk when the .mp4 has been copied to a disk. I watch the items on my Smart TV from a USB flash drive or a USB external HDD. My TV has a built in app to play .mp4s. If you have a Smart TV that has a USB port and it was made within the last five years or so, you can probably do the same.
With PlayOn Cloud you can choose either a monthly plan, which includes a set number of recording credits per month and a little online storage, Anytime recording credits, which never expire, but for which you have to download the cloud recorded item within seven days, as they're deleted after seven days, or both. I use Anytime Credits instead of a monthly plan. They cost anywhere from about 32 cents per recording to 12 cents per recording, depending on how many you buy and what kind of sale they have going on. And, of course, you have to have an account at the particular streaming service (Netflix, Amazon, etc.) in order to record from there.
Lastly, the .mp4s never expire. You can watch them over and over again.
If you have any questions about it, or about anything I've described, feel free to ask.
