At a CES press conference in Las Vegas this morning, DISH Network's hardware arm Echostar Technologies unveiled their latest DVR (Digital Video Recorder), the ViP922Duo. This is the first CE device to embed Slingbox functionality for place-shifting your content anywhere in the world. The new DVR will also feature a redesigned GUI (graphical user interface) and an innovative new remote control with integrated touch pad.
When DISH Network/Echostar acquired Sling Media a little over a year ago, speculation ran rampant that Sling's unique placeshifting technology would be embedded into DISH Network receivers. This has now come to pass with the advent of the ViP922.
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| Echostar's ViP922 DVR will be available to DISH Network customers this Spring. |
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| The ViP922 features an enhanced GUI (graphical user interface) as well as a new touchpad-based remote. |
Previously, if you wanted to be able to watch your TV programs and other media from another room, another city or another country you had to deploy a separate Slingbox in addition to your cable or satellite receiver. Now with the Sling-Loaded ViP922, all Sling functions will be available integrated within the DVR itself, and a dedicated third output on the DVR will be used for remote viewing purposes leaving the TV1 and TV2 outputs undisturbed and available for TV viewing within the home.
DISH also announced the new SlingGuide - a web-based interface to your home DISH Network DVR that allows you to browse and search your local TV schedule for shows and schedule recordings from any web-connected PC, Mac or smartphone. The SlingGuide will work with the ViP922 as well as with a number of other existing network-connected set top boxes such as the ViP622 and ViP722. If you use it with the ViP922, or if you have an external SlingBox connected to an earlier model DVR, then SlingGuide will also allow you to view live TV or DVR recordings remotely on a PC or supported mobile device including an iPhone or iPod Touch as well as select Windows Mobile, Palm O/S and Blackberry devices.
Availability of the ViP922 is expected for this Spring and existing customers who wish to upgrade to the new box will have to pay an upgrade fee of $200. Speaking of fees, DISH Network announced a rate freeze in 2009 on most of their basic packages and stated they will only increase fees where dictated by the content provider. To ease with the digital transition, DISH is offering new customers who may be out of the range of free digital over the air broadcasts a promotional fee of $9.99/month for a DISH Network programming package that includes 50 HD channels and an assortment of standard definition programming.
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