New Dish box sends TV shows 'hopping' to iPad
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Dish Network Corp. revealed a set-top box called "Hopper" last year, named for its ability to send the TV signal "hopping" from room to room, covering all the TVs in the house. This year, it's upgrading the Hopper so that it follows you wherever you go — even outside the house.
The new all-in-one digital video recorder and set-top box, revealed Monday at a press conference ahead of the International CES trade show in Las Vegas, is adorned with the same kangaroo logo and can transfer recorded TV shows or movies to an iPad for viewing any time.
Dish is the first cable or satellite company to offer such a feature. It may raise eyebrows in Hollywood and among the TV networks that supply the satellite broadcaster with programming because it could dig into the extra revenue they get from sales of content for offline viewing through iTunes. Dish is already fighting suits from Fox and NBC over the automatic ad-skipping feature it introduced with the first Hopper.
Legally speaking, "to say you're in novel territory is probably an understatement," said Scott Flick, an intellectual-property lawyer at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman in Washington.
However, legal challenges to the transfer feature could be stymied by the fact that the stored movies and shows are under the control of the viewer the whole time, Flick said. In other words, the system is not much different from a VCR that lets a consumer tape a show and then bring the tape along for viewing elsewhere.
"We always stand with the consumer. That means sometimes we'll have lawsuits," Dish CEO Joe Clayton said in an interview ahead of the show.
The transfer of stored content only works in the home, with an iPad connected via Wi-Fi to the same Internet router as the Hopper. Dish is planning to bring the feature to other devices as well.
The new Hopper can also transmit live TV programming to iPads, iPhones, Android phones and computers, even outside the home. That's because the new box integrates, for the first time, technology from Sling Media, a company Dish's sister company Echostar Corp. bought in 2007. The Slingbox, a separate device, hooks up to a satellite or cable set-top box and "slings" the live signal out over the Internet, to the owner's PCs and mobile devices.
Competing cable companies are also rushing to extend their services to smartphones and tablets, to stay relevant as consumers spend more time on small screens. In parallel, networks like HBO are creating their own apps for online viewing.
Dish, which is based in Englewood, Colo., said the new Hopper will be available later this year. As usual, the box will be free to Dish subscribers who sign a two-year contract.
The new all-in-one digital video recorder and set-top box, revealed Monday at a press conference ahead of the International CES trade show in Las Vegas, is adorned with the same kangaroo logo and can transfer recorded TV shows or movies to an iPad for viewing any time.
Dish is the first cable or satellite company to offer such a feature. It may raise eyebrows in Hollywood and among the TV networks that supply the satellite broadcaster with programming because it could dig into the extra revenue they get from sales of content for offline viewing through iTunes. Dish is already fighting suits from Fox and NBC over the automatic ad-skipping feature it introduced with the first Hopper.
Legally speaking, "to say you're in novel territory is probably an understatement," said Scott Flick, an intellectual-property lawyer at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman in Washington.
However, legal challenges to the transfer feature could be stymied by the fact that the stored movies and shows are under the control of the viewer the whole time, Flick said. In other words, the system is not much different from a VCR that lets a consumer tape a show and then bring the tape along for viewing elsewhere.
"We always stand with the consumer. That means sometimes we'll have lawsuits," Dish CEO Joe Clayton said in an interview ahead of the show.
The transfer of stored content only works in the home, with an iPad connected via Wi-Fi to the same Internet router as the Hopper. Dish is planning to bring the feature to other devices as well.
The new Hopper can also transmit live TV programming to iPads, iPhones, Android phones and computers, even outside the home. That's because the new box integrates, for the first time, technology from Sling Media, a company Dish's sister company Echostar Corp. bought in 2007. The Slingbox, a separate device, hooks up to a satellite or cable set-top box and "slings" the live signal out over the Internet, to the owner's PCs and mobile devices.
Competing cable companies are also rushing to extend their services to smartphones and tablets, to stay relevant as consumers spend more time on small screens. In parallel, networks like HBO are creating their own apps for online viewing.
Dish, which is based in Englewood, Colo., said the new Hopper will be available later this year. As usual, the box will be free to Dish subscribers who sign a two-year contract.
DISH Sucks!!
 @scoreboard I beg to differ from my own experience. I am getting more channels, better DVR system, and paying a LOT less then I was with Comcast. I have yet to use Direct TV but I do know,k when comparing it to Dish, I found the pricing to be a bit higher and it was missing some channels we like in our home. We were with Dish for 10 years before switching to Comcast for a "better" deal price wise. It was for the first year then they hiked it higher than our original quote and contract for the 2nd year. Turned into a nightmare and I wish I had never switched. Thankfully, we are back with Dish as of December and saving over 70 per month the first year and 40 per month after that. When you are on a limited income and TV/Internet is your only entertainment, that savings is huge. Again, this is just from my experience.
 @Kymberlie2873 I've had Dish more than once, switching from Directv just to save a little money. Well you get what you pay for. The last time I had Dish, I kept having reception problems. They'd send a tech out to adjust my dish and it never fixed it. They replaced my received numerous times as well. I finally decided the cancel it and eat the cancellation charges. When I called Directv and told them I was considering this, they offered to pay the cancellation fees, gave me 6 months of free HBO and Showtime, as well as a reduced rate on my contract for one year. I realize the reduced rate and free premium channels are probably something they offer all the time but the fact that they paid my cancellation fees was enough to sell me. I realize that Directv is more expensive than Dish but I have more HD channels than ever and the customer service is phenomenal. I've never had reception problems except when I got snow on my dish (which I'm sure would be the same for anyone) but that was a just a matter of climbing up a ladder and clearing it off. Directv, in my experience, beats Dish hands down.