Hopper
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Hopper wants to challenge Airbnb with short-term vacation rentals
This week Hopper announced that it will be expanding its travel services with new support for short-term home rentals.
You can make DraftKings sports bets using your Dish DVR
Dish and DraftKings have made a sports betting app available on Hopper DVRs — you can watch and speculate on a match using your TV.
Google Assistant finally comes to Dish's receivers
It only took half a year, but Dish's receivers are finally ready to work with Google Assistant. The satellite TV provider has started rolling out an update for Hoppers that lets you use the voice remote to check the weather, control your smart home and, of course, steer the Hopper itself. The update works with all Hopper generations as well as Joey and Wally devices.
Hopper app now predicts hotel prices around the world
Hopper could already tell you the best time to buy tickets for a flight. Now, it can hook you up with the best prices for a hotel stay, as well. After initially only providing prices for hotels in New York City during a beta run, the popular travel app is now applying its powerful prediction engine to hotels around the world. Users will be able to book rooms through the app at the ideal team for more than 270,000 hotels across 230 countries.
Google Assistant is coming to Dish's Hopper receivers
The first few days of CES have shown that the big TV makers are all about bringing voice assistants to their sets. Dish seems to think that's a good idea too, so today it's announcing that it is bringing the Google Assistant to its Hopper family of set-top boxes. It'll be available in "the coming months" via a software update for owners of the Hopper, Joey and Wally receivers who also have voice remotes. If you don't have a voice remote, Dish says you can pick one up for $20.
Dish expands Amazon Alexa voice control of its set-top boxes
Last year, Dish launched an Amazon Alexa skill for its Hopper and Wally set-top boxes that allowed users to change the channel, search for shows or control playback with their voice. Now, the company is expanding its Alexa capabilities with the ability to set recordings, launch apps such as Pandora or Netflix and navigate Home, Guide, DVR, On Demand, Settings and Help menus on Hopper boxes.
Dish DVRs will soon work with Google Assistant
Never mind using Google Assistant on your TV -- Dish thinks you should talk to your set-top box instead. In the wake of Alexa support, the satellite TV provider is promising Google Assistant control for its Hopper DVR, Joey client and Wally receiver. You can soon search for shows, change the channel (by name or number) and control playback just by talking to your phone or a smart speaker like a Google Home. There's no mention of recording, but that limitation is present with Amazon's AI helper as well.
Hopper app uses predictive pricing tech to find NYC hotels
You always hear about the best time to book your travels for big savings, but do you ever follow up? Hint: You're better off nabbing Thanksgiving flights now. That's according to Hopper, a startup that relies on big data to help you purchase cheap airfares through its app. Now, it's applying its predictive smarts to hotels, starting in NYC.
Ask Alexa to play your favorite shows on a Dish Hopper DVR
If you're a Dish subscriber, it just got ridiculously easy to control your TV. The satellite provider has introduced an Alexa skill that lets control any Hopper DVR or Wally using an Amazon Echo. You can ask the set-top box to tune into a specific channel, search for shows (including on Netflix) or directly control playback without touching a thing -- you just need your voice. You can't record shows, alas, but this could be worthwhile if you want to change channels from the kitchen.
Dish's HopperGo portable DVR is available today
Nearly five months after its introduction at CES 2016, the HopperGo is finally available to Dish customers. This portable DVR features 64GB of built-in storage, which you can fill with movies and TV shows you've recorded on your Hopper 2, Hopper with Sling or Hopper 3 set-top box. The magic of the HopperGo is that it creates its own private network, no internet needed, and allows up to five iOS or Android devices to connect to it using the Dish Anywhere app.
Dish customers can stream Netflix in 4K with the Hopper 3
Dish took a major leap forward at CES 2016, introducing its first 4K receiver and DVR. But, as great as it is for customers to have that option, Hopper 3 needs compatible content in order to show true value. With this in mind, Dish has announced support for Netflix's 4K repertoire, which will let users watch some movies and series in Ultra HD. That includes most of the streaming service's latest original shows, including the acclaimed Daredevil and House of Cards, among others.
Dish's Hopper 3 DVR uses 4K to watch four HD games at once
Dish has been pushing its placeshifting and ad-skipping Hopper DVR for a few years now, and now it's ready to unleash the biggest upgrade yet. The Hopper 3 is ready for 4K -- there's already a Joey 4K, introduced last year -- and it has 16 tuners, which should be enough to end channel conflicts forever. Its 4K support is not just there for watching video on-demand downloads, as it also has a "Sports Bar Mode" that lets owners watch four regular HD channels at once on their Ultra HD TV. That way they don't have to reduce resolution at all, and on game day it could come in handy.
Dish makes it easy to watch Netflix in every room
Netflix became available on Dish set-top boxes back in December of last year. Now, as a way to make the experience better for subscribers, the satellite provider is improving the integration between its platform and the video-streaming service. As of today, Dish customers who have a Hopper with Sling and Joey receiver in their home can start watching Netflix content across different rooms. So, say you start an episode of the award-winning House of Cards in your living room, you can pause it and continue enjoying it in your bedroom, seamlessly -- so long as there's a Joey device in there. In addition to that, Dish added Vevo, which lets people check out on-demand music videos, to the growing list of Hopper apps.
Dish Network will have 4K this summer for every UHD TV
Dish Network is ready to tread new ground with its internet-only Sling TV service, but what about folks who want the highest quality video and are willing to pay for it? It will join the 4K party this summer with an upgraded Joey extender that not only tosses Ultra HD video around, but is also so slim it can be wall-mounted behind compatible TVs. The dual-core ARM processor inside is even powerful enough that it can toss up two HD streams side by side. Sure, Dish is coming in later than competitors Comcast and DirecTV, but so far those two are only working with a limited set of TVs, like Samsung and LG. The 4K Joey works with any UHD TV with HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2.
Netflix comes to Dish's TV set-top boxes
Not all conventional TV providers are at odds with Netflix. Dish just announced that its second-generation Hopper DVRs (and eventually Joeys) are getting an integrated Netflix app starting today. Yes, you can now jump from satellite broadcasts to internet streaming without switching devices. The interface will be familiar if you've used Netflix elsewhere, but Dish hopes to one day integrate Netflix's library into search results -- you could find House of Cards sitting next to recordings and Dish's own internet services. The app may not make the biggest difference when you probably have at least one living room device that already does subscription internet video. Nonetheless, it's good to see at least one TV giant treating Netflix as a complement to its own services, rather than a mortal enemy.
Dish finally lets you restart live content on your Hopper
Yes, Dish went through a tough time recently with certain TV networks, but this didn't stop it from working to make the experience better for subscribers in the meantime. Today, the satellite provider announced a few new features that'll likely be welcomed with open arms by its customers. The main highlight is that the Hopper receiver now gives viewers the option to start watching live shows and movies from the beginning, so long as the content is part of Dish's video on-demand catalog -- this is similar to Time Warner Cable's "Start Over" feature, which is only available on some programming.
Virtual Joey app arrives with satellite TV for your PS3
Dish Network earned one of our Best of CES trophies a few months ago for its Virtual Joey app, and now PS3 owners (with the satellite TV service and Hopper DVR) can try it out. Instead of plugging in yet another set-top box, just open up the app and watch live TV, video on-demand or recorded programs, all through your console. You can even control the experience with your regular Dish Network remote -- all without changing inputs away from your gaming / Netflix / Blu-ray machine. A PS4 version is still waiting in the wings, which is fine if you prefer extending the life of older consoles. It should be available under the My Channels section on your PS3 right now, download it and see if you liked it as much as we did.
Dish's Super Joey DVR extender arrives, lets you record eight shows at once
Dish subscribers who fret over choosing shows to record can relax a little today. The satellite provider has just released its promised Super Joey, which both extends the Hopper DVR to other rooms and adds two tuners to the Hopper's already plentiful six. As the math suggests, the device combo lets you record a full eight shows at the same time -- four of your own choosing, plus four from the biggest US networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC). Dish hasn't said how much it will cost to bring a Super Joey into your home as of this writing, although we'd expect it to carry a premium over a run-of-the-mill Joey.
Dish's TV streaming app is now available for newer Kindle Fire tablets
Dish subscribers are no longer stuck if they want to catch up on TV shows from one of Amazon's tablets -- the satellite provider has released a version of Dish Anywhere for Kindle Fire HDX devices. As with the regular Android app, HDX owners using Sling-equipped Dish DVRs (such as the Hopper with Sling) can watch live, on-demand and recorded TV from any reasonably fast internet connection. There's no word yet on support for the lower-cost Kindle Fire HD, but those who own Amazon's latest and greatest hardware can grab Dish Anywhere today.
Dish and Disney's new deal cuts into ad skipping, allows for internet-only video service
TV networks have long been embroiled in a legal battle with Dish over ad skipping built into the Hopper DVR, but the two sides are finally starting to lay down their arms -- and there may be a few perks for viewers as a result. Disney and Dish have reached a TV distribution deal that gives Dish the rights to stream Disney-owned channels online, both through services like WatchESPN as well as an internet-based TV service from Dish itself. In other words, you may not need a satellite dish to start watching. There is a catch, of course. Both companies have agreed to drop their lawsuits, but Dish will have to prevent Hopper owners from skipping ads on Disney-produced shows until three days after they air. The move should appease Disney advertisers that depend on three-day audience ratings. The agreement should still give Dish subscribers more ways to watch TV, but it could lead to other broadcasters demanding ad skipping limits -- and one of the Hopper's main features could be much less useful.
