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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 Anywhere adds profiles for personalized recommendations
Even though Sling TV has kept Dish extremely busy over the past few months, the company hasn't forgotten about its core user base: the satellite service customers. As such, Dish let it be known today that it is bringing some new features to Anywhere, the companion app subscribers use to stream live or on-demand content, control DVR settings and more. The main highlight is a new feature that lets each user in a household set up their own profile, complete with a name and icon, among other things. Most importantly, though, this makes personalized content recommendations possible, since they are based on personal viewing habits -- rather than what everyone in your family watches.
Dish Anywhere app now looks much better on tablets
Since the very beginning, Dish has been doing a really good job with its Anywhere mobile app. Aside from letting Hopper with Sling owners use it to view their DVR recordings, the application also offers access to a robust library of on-demand content. To that end, Dish Anywhere has now been further improved on iPad, Android and Kindle Fire tablets, with a redesigned UI and fresh discovery features that let users easily find new stuff to watch. But there's more beyond the pretty, image-heavy pages like the one pictured above. Dish made the app better in other ways, thanks to new features including a Watchlist, the ability to turn your device into a Dish remote, and more. If you haven't grabbed the update, you can do so via the App Store, Google Play or Amazon Appstore, depending on what tablet you're rocking these days.
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 Anywhere on Android gets On Demand content streaming, tablet app
A fresh release of Dish Anywhere for Android just hit Google Play, bringing it up to speed with its iOS counterpart. Now, the application allows users to stream On Demand content from wherever they have an internet connection, and adds Facebook and Twitter sharing. The experience has also received a dedicated app for tablets running Google's mobile OS, sporting a look that makes better use of the extra screen real estate, and a skinned remote to boot. In addition to a few miscellaneous bug fixes, the update includes support for handsets with large screens, such as the Droid DNA. Jab the links below to grab ahold of the latest version.
Dish ships Hopper with Sling DVR to livestreamers across the US
Dish didn't quite make the January release target for the Hopper with Sling, but we'll take a slight delay for such a tangible upgrade. As of today, subscribers across the US can pick up the remote streaming DVR if they're willing to pay the $10 monthly whole-home DVR fee; new subscribers who pick at least the $50 Top 120 channel bundle won't have to pay anything up front for the 2TB set-top box. Of course, the real savings theoretically come from skipping the need for a discrete Slingbox -- instead, viewers only need the Dish Anywhere app to stream live and recorded shows, and they can travel with offline copies of their recordings through Hopper Transfers. If you're the sort to see TV as a pay once and watch anywhere service, the Sling-equipped Hopper might justify the longer wait.
Dish Anywhere app delivers content on the go, Sling video feed from Hopper DVR (hands-on)
Dish is further reinforcing its promise to deliver content even when you're not in front of the TV. The new Dish Anywhere app is your portal for live streaming, powered by Sling, along with on-demand content direct from the web. As one of three apps designed specifically with Hopper with Sling owners in mind, Anywhere is tasked with displaying movies and TV shows directly from your set-top box at home. You also have access to the programming guide, and a full remote control for familiar navigation. We tried out the Anywhere app while connected to a Hopper on the same network. It took a few moments to connect, but once we were linked up, channel flips were speedy and content looked smooth, though it did appear to be a bit softer than HD. Naturally, the feed looked best on an iPhone, with the iPad only serving to magnify artifacts. In short, it's probably not yet time to retire your TV, but if you spend a lot of your time away from the living room and have the bandwidth to spare, the value proposition of a pricey satellite subscription just jumped up a tick. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
