DISH Network

DISH Network scored a major victory when the FCC today launched a proceeding to free up 40 MHz of wireless spectrum in the 2 GHz band for mobile broadband. This would free up additional spectrum for broadband users and additional mobile broadband competition. Now all of us can hope for more competition (translated: lower prices) as well as less congestion when using mobile devices. DISH has outlined plans to work closely with the FCC in this process. We certainly hope the potential additional wireless spectrum allocation to DISH will move forward expeditiously so that more bandwidth and innovation can be available to everyone.

There has been a lot of controversy lately over another broadband provider (LightSquared) and it's attempt to use a different slice of spectrum, however it appears this spectrum cannot be used for broadband wireless as it is too close to frequencies already allotted to GPS services. The result of such use would cause havoc for everyone who depends on GPS, from the military, to aircraft, to even the GPS device in your car. So this new DISH announcement of a potential breakthrough could be a real blessing for wireless users.

The Hopper, DISH Network's new whole-home HD DVR system is now available, the company announced this week.

The Hopper allows DVR content to be shared on up to four TVs throughout the home using small units called "Joeys" that work in tandem with the main Hopper unit. You can pause, play and rewind both live and recorded HD programs on all TVs, just as you would on your main TV.

Additional features include:

• Two-terabyte hard drive for up to 2,000 hours of entertainment
• PrimeTime Anytime™ - customers, with a single click, can enable recordings of four primetime HD network channels, where available, and store them for up to eight days
• Record up to six HD shows at once during primetime hours

DISH Network just announced a new specialty programming package. Called the "Heartland Package," Dish picked the perfect day - Valentine's Day - to release this family friendly add-on package. Available now, the Heartland Package has content the entire family will enjoy – including movies, classic TV series, inspirational concert specials, rural lifestyle content and more. Channels included in the Heartland Package are the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movie Channel, GMC TV, PixL, RFD-TV and, (later this week) RURAL TV.

Available to existing DISH customers as an add-on package, the Heartland Package is priced at just $5 more a month.

The Heartland Package includes:

Hallmark Channel, channel 185
Hallmark Channel offers viewers a way to celebrate life's moments, creating powerful connections with programming meant to make the most out of every season and every day.

Hallmark Movie Channel, channel 187
Positive, meaningful, original and always entertaining, Hallmark Movie Channel is a trusted family friendly network devoted to quality story telling.

GMC TV, channel 188
GMC TV is America's favorite television channel for uplifting music and family entertainment. The Parents Television Council™ awarded its Entertainment Seal of Approval™ to GMC for being an authentic family-friendly cable network. GMC can be seen in more than 51 million homes on various cable systems around the country.Read more

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.