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Dish's new AirTV broadcasts over-the-air channels to all your devices
Dish's first AirTV was an intriguing set-top box that combined over-the-air (OTA) channels with Sling TV's streaming interface. The downside? It only worked with one TV at a time, and that set had to be near a good antenna reception spot. Today, the company is introducing an even more ambitious $120 AirTV (the previous device is now the AirTV Player), a home server that connects to your antenna and broadcasts OTA content to all of your gadgets. Even better, it'll also let you watch live TV when you're away from home. You can think of it as a completely legal alternative to Aereo, the defunct OTA streaming startup.
Alexa's DVR controls will finally let you record a show
For all the recent talk of using Alexa to control DVRs, there's been a conspicuous inability to record to a DVR using the voice assistant. That won't be a problem for much longer: Amazon has bolstered Alexa's Voice Skill programming kit with recording features. Tell the AI helper to record a favorite show or sports extravaganza and you'll capture the show without having to touch a remote or your smartphone. You'll have to wait for TV and set-top providers to take advantage of this, but DirecTV, Dish, TiVo and Verizon are already lining up to provide support "soon."
Amazon adds single sign-on across select Fire TV apps
Amazon teased single sign-in across apps when it launched its new 4K Fire TV last September. It's only now, though, that the company is making good on its promise. If you have a login from a cable TV provider that supports SSO authentication (like Dish, DirecTV, AT&T Uverse, Verizon FiOS and Cox Cablevision), you can sign in once and have access to a a ton of TV network apps. The new ability should roll out over the next several hours, according to an Amazon spokesperson.
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.
Dish CEO steps down to focus on wireless network ambitions
Dish hasn't been shy about pursuing its wireless dreams over the years, and now that's leading to a shakeup of its core leadership. Longstanding CEO Charlie Ergen is stepping down from the top spot (though not as chairman) to "devote more attention" to the wireless business. Current operating chief Erik Carlson is taking the reins. In turn, Dish is taking on a "group structure" that should more effectively support wireless, conventional satellite TV and Sling TV streaming.
CBS TV channels are back on Dish
Following an intentional three-day blackout, CBS channels are available once again for Dish customers, as the two companies have reached an agreement in a financial dispute. CBS and Dish have been feuding for months: CBS wanted Dish to pay higher fees to retransmit its content, and the carrier refused, arguing CBS was attempting to "tax" its customers amid declining viewership. On November 21st, CBS pulled 28 of its channels from 18 major markets serviced by Dish. Today, those channels are being restored and the companies have signed a multi-year carriage agreement, the terms of which have not been disclosed.
Dish customers can no longer access CBS TV channels
If you're looking forward to watching the NFL this Thanksgiving you might find yourself stuck watching holiday reruns instead, as CBS is making good on its threat to black out dozens of channels in response to its ongoing subscription feud with Dish. According to Dish, the network last night barred customer access to 28 local channels in 18 markets across 26 states.
Alexa can control all the Dish TVs in your home
Dish has been cozying up with Amazon of late. The Pay TV provider already offers an Echo Dot to new customers, which lets you control its Hopper DVR or Wally with your voice. And, now you can do the same with all the Joey-enabled TVs in your home as well. As long as you have one of Amazon's smart speakers in earshot, you'll be able to bark orders at your extra television sets, which is great for when you want to pause and resume the action between rooms. And, if you seek to rule the TV in the kid's bedroom.
PBS will remain on the air in rural areas thanks to T-Mobile
PBS announced today that T-Mobile has agreed to foot the bill for public broadcasting's translators to move to new frequencies, which they'll have to do in order to stay on the air after the FCC's incentive auction. T-Mobile bid $8 billion and received 45 percent of the low-band spectrum auctioned off by the FCC earlier this year. The TV channels operating on the sold-off spectrum now have to move to lower channels, share with other networks or shut down. Because the FCC isn't providing funding for translators to be repackaged, 38 million Americans, largely in rural areas, were at risk of losing access to PBS if those broadcast facilities shut down. T-Mobile's agreement to pay for the repackaging costs will keep PBS on the air in those areas.
Dish knows hotel TV sucks and it wants to help
Checking into a hotel can be like moving back in time, at least when it comes to media. We're all used to using our own devices to watch television and movies, stream music and play games, but many hotels still cling to their cable-style in-room TV systems that we basically bypass to use our own entertainment. Satellite internet and television provider Dish wants to change all that with a new system for hotels called Evolve. It's a 4K-capable box powered by Android TV that sits behind your room's monitor that you can stream to as well as watch live TV in HD.
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.
Sling TV's Cloud DVR records your guilty pleasures on Apple TV
Two weeks after Sling TV rolled out its Cloud DVR feature to Android and Roku users, the streaming service is now doing the same for people who own an Apple TV. "First Look," which was introduced last November, lets Sling TV subscribers get 50 hours of DVR storage by paying an extra $5 per month. Any recorded TV shows or movies can be watched across different devices, regardless of platform, and they never expire from an active account. It's great for those of you who decided to cut the cord completely, since features like this have traditionally required a pay-TV subscription or some sort of third-party hardware.
SlingStudio makes multi-camera video production a reality for all
Putting video on the internet is easier than ever -- even livestreaming has been dramatically simplified, thanks to products like Periscope and Facebook Live. But video production gets much more complex when you bring multiple cameras into the mix, which is useful for covering live events from different angles. At that point, you'd typically need to bring in professionals who know how to use complex studio equipment. Sling believes it has a better option with the SlingStudio, a $999 device that makes it dramatically simpler for anyone to wirelessly juggle multi-camera video production. And yes, it even works for livestreaming.
Stream Showtime on Sling TV for $10 extra a month
Showtime is coming to Dish's cord-cutting service, Sling TV. Showtime content will include eight linear channels and "nearly 2,000" on-demand titles, with more to follow weekly. Sling is far from the first service to offer Showtime over-the-top. It's available as an add-on for PlayStation Vue, Hulu and Amazon already. That said, Sling said that today's announcement marks the first time that a streaming service has offered content from all "four leading premium networks," i.e. HBO, Cinemax, Showtime and Starz. It'll be priced at $10 per month on top of your existing plan.
Apple's 'single sign-on' feature now works with HBO Go
Apple's "single sign-on" feature has only been live since mid-December but it's already attracted some impressive services. In addition to A&E, Bravo, NBC, Syfy and USA, which launched with the feature, WatchESPN added the functionality in January and, on Thursday, HBO announced that its HBOGo app will now support it as well.
AirTV is shipping to customers without its biggest feature (updated)
Back at CES, we were quite smitten with AirTV's ability to put all of your streaming services and over-the-air channels in the same place. Well, it looks like the set-top box is shipping to customers without its key feature. AirTV doesn't currently integrate OTA channels inside the Sling guide alongside streaming options like we saw in Vegas, instead there's a button that provides access to those local channels.
AirTV conveniently pairs streaming with over-the-air channels
With the plethora of TV-streaming options, getting all of your content in one place can be a chore. At CES this week, Dish unveiled the AirTV: a 4K set-top box that handles Sling TV, Netflix, Android TV for other streaming apps and over-the-air channels. The $130 device also uses the Sling TV guide to organize all of that content. It also includes a remote with dedicated buttons for those aforementioned streaming libraries. I spent some time with the AirTV on the show floor to see how well it really works.
Engadget Podcast Ep 21: Ooh Las Vegas
Associate editor Billy Steele, senior editor Nicole Lee and deputy managing editor James Trew join host Terrence O'Brien to talk about the early trends emerging from CES. It's only the first day of the show, but there's already been plenty of announcements, press conferences and lots of lost sleep. One of the most immediate things you'll notice on the show floor is that everything has voice control this year, even garbage cans. And tons of companies are rushing to integrate Alexa into cars, washing machines and refrigerators. The panel will also talk about the best and worst things they've seen so far.
Dish brings Alexa and multi-room music to Hopper DVRs
Until recently, the world of voice-controlled computing, nay, voice-controlled living, seemed like it was still a few years away from becoming mainstream. Amazon's Alexa platform, however, has made it easy for companies to bolt on the technology to their existing products. Case in point: Dish has announced that you'll soon be able to pair your Hopper DVR with the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot in order to change channels just by speaking.
Dish's AirTV combines 4K streaming with an over-the-air antenna
Finding quality 4K content is still rather difficult, but that isn't keeping hardware manufacturers from building devices to support the format. To that end, Dish is announcing a new set-top box called AirTV that has a few tricks up its sleeve. Just as last month's leak showed, it's based on Android TV and combines the Sling TV over-the-top video service with apps from Google Play. But it also works with an over-the-air antenna to pull in free live TV, as well.
