DISH Network today introduced Hopper, a three-tuner, whole-home DVR with a 2TB storage capacity for over 250 hours of HD programming. The device purports to stream four programs around the home at once and record up to six programs at once during prime time.
The six programs claim likely takes into consideration a new Primetime Anytime feature, which provides Hopper users with on-demand access to the past few nights’ prime time programming from the local network affiliates. It doesn’t take up your hard drive space—it’s just there for you automatically.
To use the DVR in other rooms, customers will use a set top box called Joey, which gives full access to the DVR with the same user experience. It will work with HD and legacy TVs.
Hopper and Joey also feature Blockbuster @Home (a new on-demand service), Sirius radio, a remote locator [smart!], Bluetooth device connectivity, picture-in-picture, support for TV Everywhere and Sling, and information and social apps.
Press Release:
LAS VEGAS, NV–(Marketwire – Jan 9, 2012) – (NASDAQ: DISH)
- Features two-terabyte hard drive for up to 2,000 hours of entertainment
- Never miss a primetime network show with PrimeTime Anytime
- Records up to six programs in HD simultaneously, including PrimeTime Anytime
- Hopper and three small Joeys let viewers watch HD and control DVR in four rooms
DISH Network L.L.C., the nation’s third largest pay TV provider, today introduced a whole-home high definition DVR entertainment system featuring the award-winningHopper™ and Joey™.
The Hopper HD DVR and accompanying small Joey set-top boxes create a whole-home HD DVR entertainment system that lets DISH customers easily record, pause, and play back shows from any room in the home. While most whole-home DVRs do not have the same DVR functionality on every TV, the Hopper and Joey whole-home system offers the same DVR functionality on every TV, letting customers pause, play and rewind both live and recorded HD programs in up to four rooms.
The Hopper was unveiled by DISH CEO Joe Clayton at the 2012 International CES in Las Vegas today, and it is already winning honors as a CES Innovations 2012 Design and Engineering Award honoree. Pricing and packaging will be announced later this quarter.
The main Hopper unit features:
- Three satellite TV tuners
- A two-terabyte hard drive for up to 2,000 hours of video entertainment
- Up to 250 hours of HD or up to 1,000 hours of SD user recordings
- Bluetooth for linking to devices such as wireless headphones
- Picture-in-picture for watching any two channels simultaneously
Combined with a Joey, the Hopper whole-home HD DVR system offers more advanced features:
- 750 MHz Broadcom processer — the fastest satellite receiver processor available today for a quick, responsive on-screen guide
- Approximately 50 percent more energy efficient for a four-room installation than previous models
- ZigBee RF4CE using a proprietary protocol remote with “remote control finder” alert
- High definition user interface
- Easy-to-use, fast, graphical, tile-based user interface with predictive search
- Small, sleek chassis for convenient placement
“Building on a heritage of award-winning DVRs, DISH is proud to be the first to introduce a groundbreaking product that delivers the most choices for TV entertainment by integrating multiple sources of video into one set-top box,” said DISH Network CEO Joe Clayton. “The Hopper gives our customers network TV shows on demand and thousands of family movie choices streaming or delivered to the hard drive. With its massive storage, the Hopper leads the industry in delivering the most entertainment options, bar none, for every member of the household.”
The Hopper — Endless Entertainment Options
The Hopper’s new, unparalleled feature, PrimeTime Anytime™ allows customers, with one click, to record using a single tuner all of the primetime TV programming from ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC — the networks that deliver the most popular shows during primetime. Once activated by a customer, PrimeTime Anytime records network programming in high definition, where available, every night and stores them for eight days after they have aired. This creates an on-demand library of approximately 100 hours of primetime TV shows, and makes it easy to catch up on episodes from last night and last week’s airing.
The Hopper can record up to six TV shows at once (two live programs and four PrimeTime Anytime shows) while allowing viewers to watch up to four different recorded or on-demand shows in four rooms of the house, simultaneously. This gives a family a variety of options to control or view their recordings and to watch shows in any room from a single Hopper.
The Hopper’s on-demand capabilities give access to DISH’s Blockbuster @Home™ for $10 per month which is now enhanced with more than 10,000 total titles streaming to the TV.
The Hopper also offers on-demand content for customers with limited or no Internet access with a feature called DISH Unplugged. This feature delivers via satellite hundreds of the most popular movies and TV shows to the hard drive, including transactional and authenticated videos on demand. DISH Unplugged provides a high quality picture without buffering and makes available many of the same streaming movie choices offered by Blockbuster @Home, including premium movie access.
And for subscribers of DISH’s America’s Top 120 programming package or greater, the Hopper provides whole-home music distribution from 73 SiriusXM channels, including album art and a unique collapsible list of music channels located at the top of the channel guide at Channel 99, making it faster and easier for SiriusXM music fans to find their favorite music.
Additionally, the Hopper will features TV apps that give viewers real time access to Facebook, Twitter, Pandora and photo sharing, as well as games, news, weather, sports, and stock quotes.
TV Everywhere
Customers can manage the Hopper via the Internet at www.DishOnline.com or the DISH Remote Access app, providing the ability to control DVR recordings on their tablets, smartphones and computers. Connecting the Hopper with DISH’s Sling® Adapter provides customers the ability to watch and control all live TV channels, PrimeTime Anytime programs and the DVR on their computer, tablet or smartphone wherever they go.
The Hopper and Joey are designed and engineered by EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ:SATS). The Hopper works by distributing HD signals through existing co-axial cable in the home using the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) specification. The Hopper is powered by a Broadcom 750 MHz processor, the most powerful satellite TV processor available today delivering a fast and responsive on-screen guide and a graphical user interface that features channel logos to help search channels, movies or TV shows quickly. The advanced search platform also allows for navigation of programs across satellite TV, broadband and an optional external hard drive.
For more information about the award-winning Hopper and Joey by DISH, including technical specifications, please visit www.dish.com/hopper.
To watch live TV on the iPad, subscribers need a Sling Adapter from DISH and a broadband-connected compatible DISH HD DVR receiver. More information is available at dishnetwork.com/tveverywhere/remoteaccess.
Hopper and Joey images are available at http://press.dishnetwork.com/Press-Center/Photo-Library.
About DISH Network
DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), through its subsidiary DISH Network L.L.C., provides more than 13.945 million satellite TV customers, as of Sept. 30, 2011, with the highest quality programming and technology with the most choices at the best value, including HD Free for Life. Subscribers enjoy the largest high definition line-up with more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network’s subsidiary, Blockbuster L.L.C., delivers family entertainment to millions of customers around the world. DISH Network Corporation is a Fortune 200 company. Visit www.dish.com.
Source: Dish Network
Be sure to check all of our CES coverage at The Digital Media Zone.
I had the opportunity to see the Hopper in action at
work last week and this device is amazing! This device lets you record a movies
or TV show in one room and then watch it in another with no problem. Since I’m
a huge TV watcher, I like the fact that this device will record all big four
networks for me automatically. With the Prime Time Anytime function, this
device allows customers to record up to 6 live HD programs at once and it has a
true volume feature that allows your programs to stay at one constant volume
through out your whole program including commercials. A co-worker at DISH had
not told me if there is any price yet but once I find out, I will share it with
all of you.
Thanks Nate! Pricing was one thing we couldn’t find anywhere.
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I like the device but When im watching something and when someone is watching a show in the living room it randomly makes me watch THEIR show and it disrupts their show when i try to go back to my show.