The original Hopper (unveiled at last years CES) maximized TV viewers ability to time-shift programming, essentially turning the four major networks prime-time lineup into on-demand programming (albeit for a week at a time). The new version adds two place-shifting features. Dish Anywhere enables customers to connect remotely to their Hopper in order to stream live or recorded programs to a laptop or tablet computer. And the Hopper Transfers app enables them to shift recorded programs onto an iPad, effectively turning the tablet into a mobile companion for the DVR.
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Satellite TV provider Dish Network is doubling down on its legally edgy bet on a powerful new digital video recorder.
The company had already from those four networks, which claimed that the Hoppers automatic recording (dubbed PrimeTime Anytime) and commercial-skipping capabilities (AutoHop) infringed copyrights and violated the contracts they had signed with Dish. The second-generation model pokes another stick into that hornets nest, education books although in a way calibrated to stay within the confines of copyright law.
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Meanwhile, the proliferation of tablet computers has increased the demand for place-shifting, Khemka said. The initial audience for Sling was largely laptop-toting travelers eager to watch the sports and cable channels they subscribed to at home. Today, however, more than half the Sling usage is by customers in their own homes, Khemka said. The reason is, people find places to watch TV that in the past they couldnt because they just didnt have it, he explained, such as the bathroom, the garage or the porch. And the more tablets there are in homes, 1 Wikipedia the free encyclopedia the more that kind of usage will grow.
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The integration of Sling into the Hopper means the device can now stream one channel over the Internet while a different channel is playing on the home TV -- something not possible with a separate Sling device. That also helps with in-home use.
An iPad displays programs copied from a Dish Network Hopper DVR through the new Hopper Transfers app. )
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But then, Sling has never been offered inside a Hopper before.
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Dish customers already could access their Hopper remotely with the help of an external adapter made by Sling, a company that Dish bought in 2007. The new Hopper has the Sling technology built in. In ct, according to Vivek Khemka, Dishs vice president of product management, advancements in chip technology made it possible to integrate Slings technology directly into the Hoppers main microprocessor.
Hollywood and the consumer-electronics industry have long fought over the limits of consumers rights to record and reuse TV programs, and unlike time-shifting gear, theres no definitive Supreme Court decision in vor of place-shifting devices. Khemka said Dishs Hopper Transfers app complies with the studios restrictions on copying, which for certain shows means deleting the copy on a DVR when a new copy is made on an iPad. He also notes that the Hopper enables people to stream only one program to one screen at a time, which fits the U.S. Copyright Offices definition of a private use that doesnt violate public performance rights.
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Monday, Dish announced an updated Hopper DVR that not only can record a full week of prime-time programming from the four major broadcast networks, but also can stream shows to remote viewers through the Internet and transfer recordings to an iPad for viewing offline.
Sling has bsatellite tv providers CES 2013 Dish adds Sling to Hopper DVReen out in the market for over five years now, and we have been selling boxes that support the Sling technology for over two years, Khemka said. We have not had any programmer issues on Sling.
It remains to be seen how the Hoppers new capabilities affect Dishs legal battles with Hollywood. The satellite service fended off one studios bid for a temporary restraining order against the Hopper last year in Los Angeles, board838.typepad.com but ces a similar challenge from another studio in New York.
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