DISH Network

What makes the perfect tailgating party? Burgers, chips, some adult beverages…sounds good, right? Make it even better by adding live satellite TV with the new Tailgater by DISH Network.

Easy to use, the Tailgater connects to a small DISH Network set-top box and TV. Once connected, simply follow the on-screen instructions and it will automatically locate the satellite positions for you – in just minutes you'll be viewing your favorite channels in high definition from the back of your truck. When you're done, simply power down the Tailgater and receiver, disconnect the cables, and take your system with you.

The Tailgater weighs only 10 pounds and is one of the lowest-priced portable satellite antennas on the market. It costs $350 and works with DISH Network's ViP 211k (MSRP: $149) single-tuner HD receiver. A variety of programming packages are available and DISH even offers month-to-month programming – allowing you to only pay for the months you use. Current DISH Network customers can even use their existing account to service the Tailgater system (an additional outlet fee may apply). Read more

EchoStar announced today they are bringing the DishHD experience to Taiwan. DishHD satellite TV service includes the widest variety of high definition video channels available in Taiwan. Digital satellite TV is broadcast in 1081i and features Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. The service is distributed to homes via a small satellite antenna and a digital set-top box.

Two packages are available – Standard and Premiere. The Standard DishHD package includes 12 HD channels, with the Premier package delivering 30 HD channels – that's more than twice the number of HD channels offered from any other pay television service in Taiwan!

DishHD is broadcast via AsiaSat's high powered AsiaSat 4 satellite to direct-to-home satellite antennas as small as 30 cm in diameter. A premium set-top-box is also available from DishHD. The 612t HD DVR features two satellite tuners, an interactive electronic program guide, and a 500 gigabyte internal DVR that allows customers to pause, record, and replay live television while simultaneously recording or watching another live TV channel.Read more

Last week DISH Network announced a new feature that many providers have had available for quite some time – remote access to DVRs. The DISH Remote Access service allows customers to manage programming on their DISH DVR remotely. Customers can schedule recordings, search through the program guide, even watch recorded programming (with a connected Slingbox).

To use the free service, connect the DISH receiver to your home's Broadband connection and you can then use a computer or iPhone to connect to the Internet and manage your DISH ViP DVR.

DISH Remote Access service is compatible with the DISH ViP 922, ViP 722k, ViP 722, ViP 622 and ViP 612 HD DVRs.

DISH also announced that later this year they will release the ViP 922 HD DVR which will include all of the above features, but will also have built-in Slingbox technology. No longer will a connected Slingbox be necessary to watch recorded programming remotely. It sounds like a good plan, given that DISH bought Sling Media last year.

For more information on DISH Remote Access, visit www.dishnetwork.com/dishremoteaccess.

Although a little bit scaled down this year, the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) - still the world’s largest consumer electronics trade show, had tons of product announcements. In case you didn't have time to read through them all, here are some you might have missed:

Touch-Screen Logitech Harmony 1100 Remote

MiRGE – the first SIRIUS XM interoperable satellite radio

LG Digital Photo TV

Palm Unveils New webOS

DISH Slingloaded HD DVR Read more

The widely publicized transition to digital is approaching quickly. In just about three months, television stations will be required to broadcast exclusively in digital, and anyone with an analog television will be staring at snow. This won’t affect people with digital televisions or those who have signed up for cable/satellite service, but for millions who can’t afford upgrades, the best option is to buy a digital converter box.

Also taking off recently is DVR Technology. Pioneered by TiVo, everyone knows the wonders of DVR by now – watch on your schedule and skip the commercials. It truly revolutionizes the television experiences and leaves many wondering how they ever got by without it.

DISH wisely combines these two facts of the contemporary TV Market with its DVR convertor box. For only 249 dollars (after a 50 dollar rebate), you can upgrade twice – once to digital signals to ensure a working television after February 19, 2009, and once to DVR, so you are never constrained by the broadcaster’s schedule again. This truly is a two-for-one deal, and you won’t want to pass it up.

For more information read the press release or visit www.dishnetwork.com

In addition to the combination DVR and DTV converter DISH announced, DISH had made itself a pioneer in another way: converting tuners to DVRs.

Starting at the end of November, DISH customers will be able to convert their single tuner ViP211 and ViP211k into DVRs by attaching an external hard drive. With only a one time activation fee of 40 dollars, DISH is making DVR technology available to as many as possible.

For more information read the press release.