DISH and Control4 have teamed up to integrate the Hopper HD DRV into the Control4 home automation system, spreading control of the digital video recorder across any in-wall touchscreen, remote, tablet, or smartphone used in the home. Building on DISH’s API, which the company launched back in July, the integration means that those living in […]
Major television networks have been fighting DISH Network and the company’s Hopper whole home DVR system since it launched. The Hopper whole home DVR system had some very interesting technology that allowed viewers to skip commercials during prime time shows and view live and recorded content outside of the home on smart devices. One of […]
While some airlines are still trying to catch up by bringing WiFi to its fleet of aircrafts, Southwest Airlines is a step ahead of the crowd. Today, Southwest and DISH have teamed up to bring free live television, as well as on demand services, to all WiFi-equipped Southwest flights. This means that around 75% of Southwest’s flights currently can take advantage of free TV while in the air, which they’re calling “TV Flies Free”.
Of course, many airlines offer live TV on board through the built-in television displays behind the seat, but Southwest Airlines and DISH boast that it’s better to watch television on the device of your choice rather than have to be stuck with a small display that looks terrible compared to a Retina-equipped iPad.
Southwest says that only “certain personal devices” will be compatible with DISH’s in-flight television service, but seeing as how the company gave away free iPads to all those on board the inaugural flight, we’re guessing that most iOS devices are compatible, as well as newer Android devices as well.
DISH doesn’t say how many channels passengers get to choose from during the flight, but they do mention that 75 on-demand shows are available to watch anytime during the flight. There’s also no mention of how the service works, but from the video above, it doesn’t look like there’s a dedicate app for the service. Instead, it seems that passengers open up the web browser and watch TV through that.
As airlines try to win over customers on a daily basis, they’re attempting to find more and more ways to convince flyers to choose their airlines by providing incentives and free services like wireless internet, live television, and of course free snacks and drinks. It’s a competitive market, and the airlines that offer the best services are the ones who usually win.
SOURCE: Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines DISH deal brings free TV to WiFi flights is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Today an app has been released by DISH that will bring social networking to the Hopper Whole-Home HD DVR machine, integrating Twitter and Facebook into the mix. This app is what DISH calls the “first set-top box application capable of providing contextually-relevant social feeds.” Of course this isn’t the only way you can chat through Twitter or see your Facebook updates on your TV, but it certainly is a unique bit of integration.
DISH is launching this app with the ability to both see your Twitter feed and interact with Twitter in essentially every way you’d be able on a desktop or mobile device. With “Now Watching”, his app shows a Twitter feed relevant to the program being displayed on the television.
With “My Twitter”, users will see their own Twitter feed – assuming they’re logged-in, along with the ability to tweet, retweet, reply to a tweet, and “favorite” a tweet. Facebook integration exists through “My Facebook”, this allowing the user to post a status update, see their personal feed, and post any of a variety of pre-drafted updates – letting people know what you’re watching on TV, of course.
This app shows these updates in two places – the first is in a data bar along the bottom of a viewer’s TV screen. This bar works with Twitter exclusively to show tweets about the TV program on at the moment, the programs “sentiment rating”, and data surrounding gender and frequency of tweets with regard to the show being shown.
The second place this app shows data is through DISH’s “quick launch” bar. This bar is access via a press of the blue button on the Hopper user’s remote control, this also bringing up the ability to connect up to four Twitter accounts and up to four Facebook accounts if the viewer does so choose.
SOURCE: DISH
DISH Hopper Social app brings Twitter chat and Facebook updates to HD DVR is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Dish Network has thrown in as a Sprint suitor, offering $25.5bn to pick up the ailing CDMA carrier, and frustrate would-be buyer Softbank in the process. The takeover – which Dish chairman Charles Ergen described as “much more compelling than the Softbank transaction,” in his opinion, and by the satellite TV provider’s own calculations would amount to 13-percent more than the Japanese carrier has offered – would leave Dish able to offer combined home and mobile voice, data, and entertainment services across the US.
“Sprint is in play” Ergen said of his company’s new deal, with the chairman apparently far more confident that Dish could pick up the carrier than it was about the proposed Clearwire deal earlier this year. Despite making an informal offer for Clearwire, Dish subsequently abandoned its bid after numerous legislation issues arose.
In contrast, Ergen points out, picking up Sprint would only involve paying off the $600m breakup fee that is part of the carrier’s existing sale agreement with Softbank. Dish would cover that fee, the chairman promises, in addition to paying $4.76 in cash and $2.24 in Dish stock for every Sprint share.
“Sprint shareholders will benefit from a higher price with more cash while also creating the opportunity to participate more meaningfully in a combined DISH/Sprint with a significantly-enhanced strategic position and substantial synergies that are not attainable through the pending SoftBank proposal” Charles Ergen, chairman, Dish Network
The payoff for Dish is clear, the company has said. With Sprint included, the TV provider could bundle voice and internet service, in addition to mobile entertainment access, to subscribers: Sprint’s cellular data could provide an alternative to traditional DSL/cable home broadband. For Sprint, Dish argues, the benefit would be not only in cash but Dish’s existing 45 MHz spectrum holding, its roster of satellite TV subscribers, and its network of customer services and technical staff already operating in the US. In all, Dish argues it could achieve savings of around $11bn if the deal goes through.
“The combined national footprints and scale will allow DISH/Sprint to bring improved broadband services to millions of homes with inferior or no access to competitive broadband services” Charles Ergen, Dish Network
Softbank announced its bid for Sprint late last year, offering $2.2bn for the carrier in what it said was an attempt to streamline the US operator’s LTE rollout, plus a shortcut to negotiating better deals for top-tier handsets. Dish came out as a vocal critic of the acquisition soon after.
The Sprint board will now have the option to consider Dish Network’s offer, though – even if accepted – Softbank will have the opportunity to increase its own bid. Dish has a new microsite detailing its proposal, with Ergen even going so far as to compare the suggested deal with Seinfeld. “In terms of our strategy,” the chairman writes, “I often think of the television show Seinfeld … you initially didn’t know exactly where things were going, but it seemed to all come together in the end.”
[via WSJ]
Dish Network bids $25.5bn for Sprint to bypass Softbank buy is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
DISH Network Chairman Charlie Ergen had reportedly approached Deutsche Telekom about a possible merger between DISH and T-Mobile USA. According to Bloomberg’s sources, DISH approached the company before it had approved an improved merger offer to MetroPCS. Deutsche Telekom said it might be interested in DISH’s offer, however it will only consider it once its merger with MetroPCS closes.
DT’s improved offer lowers the debt transferred to MetroPCS by $3.8 billion and it also reduces the interest rate of that debt by 0.5%. It also agreed to hold onto its shares for at least 18 months once the deal closes. MetroPCS pushed back Friday’s shareholders meeting to April 24th so that shareholders can consider the revised offer. P. Schoenfeld Asset Management LP, a major shareholder of MetroPCS who had been against the pending merger, was pleased by the new offer and is reconsidering its position.
DISH has wanted to break into the wireless industry for a while. It had conferred with many wireless companies about mergers, and has also considered starting its own wireless service, similar to Radio Shack. DISH even tried to purchase the remaining 49.6% of Clearwire. Now its looking to make a deal with T-Mobile in order to get its “in” in the wireless industry so that it can be more than just a satellite television company.
DISH would offer wireless/digital television bundles if it is able to secure a deal with T-Mobile. Currently, DISH Network has $10 billion in cash, making it the company with the largest cash pile compared to other U.S. television and phone providers, and also making it very capable of merging with T-Mobile. DISH’s potential merger with T-Mobile will be much more acceptable to regulators compared to AT&T’s attempted merger with the company. Unlike AT&T’s merger plans with T-Mobile, DISH merging with the company will not remove the 4th largest wireless carrier in the nation from the wireless industry, but instead reinforce its capabilities.
[via Bloomberg]
DISH reportedly approached Deutsche Telekom about a possible T-Mobile merger is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Aereo, the would-be cable-disrupting streaming TV service that puts a PVR in the cloud, has been holding clandestine talks with AT&T, Dish Network, and others in an attempt to significantly broaden its availability, insiders claim. Currently available only in NYC, and stung with legal challenges from angry content owners and broadcasters, Aereo has been hunting new distribution methods such as direct-to-phone, sources tell the WSJ, though any eventual deal hangs in part of whether the start-up’s service can continue.
Launched a little over a year ago, Aereo basically takes free-to-air TV content and rebroadcasts it as an internet stream. Subscribers are charged a fee – from $1 a day, for the commitment-averse, or through monthly or annual plans – for DVR functionality as well as access to two tuners for simultaneously watching and recording content.
However, even before it launched, Aereo was in the broadcasters’ legal sights. An initial lawsuit claiming the service broke laws by re-encoding content using its tiny antenna clusters was seen off, but the war is by no means over. A ruling in the appeals court is expected imminently, though a final settling of the arguments could be years off.
That uncertainty is apparently giving some potential partners pause for thought. According to the insiders, DirecTV considered partnering with Aereo, but opted not to after reviewing the legal situation. Dish Network, meanwhile, is another potential suitor, having already denied plans to buy Aereo, but conceded that it is following the service with interest.
As for AT&T, no confirmation was given, but sources say the talks are around AT&T selling broadband and/or mobile broadband that would be paired with Aereo service. Meanwhile, Aereo has supposedly approached a number of cable channel providers – at least two others, the sources say – in order to pay for access to select content, though no deals beyond the initial Bloomberg TV agreement have been inked.
Aereo in AT&T and DISH deal talks amid broadcaster fury is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Every year at the end of March, basketball fans go crazy as the March Madness collegiate basketball tournaments kick off to find the top team in all the land. I know several people who take off the entire week just so they can sit home and watch basketball games all day. If you can’t take that type of time off, and have the Dish Hopper DVR in your home, you will love this.
Dish Network has announced some cool upgrades to improve its Hopper DVR and second screen viewing experience. Their updated Hopper Apps now have a Game Finder to display all of the games on one easy to navigate page. Viewers can also tune in to watch a specific game or record current games or future games directly from the app.
The Hopper app also offers faster navigation and access to scores for other games. Fans can also hide games that are blacked out in their area. The Dish Explore app for the iPad has also been updated, and features a dedicated NCAA Tournament tab on the main screen. That tab allows basketball fans to see upcoming games, times, and channels. The app also allows fans to record the games from the same page. The updated apps are available now.
If you’re a Dish Network subscriber that happens to have a Dish Hopper DVR and likes basketball, you will love this. Dish has announced a new second-screen and mobile app experience specifically designed to enhance the NCAA basketball tournament viewing experience. Dish has announced enhanced apps within its Hopper whole-home HD DVR platform to give sports fans an improved viewing experience.
The updated Hopper sports app now has a Game Finder feature that displays all of the tournament games in one easy to navigate location. The app also allows fans to tune in to or record upcoming games directly from the app. The app enhancements include faster navigation and access to scores.
The enhancements also features the ability to sort games by conference and the option remove games that are blacked out in your area. Dish has also updated its Explorer app for the iPad with an NCAA Tournament tab on the main screen. That tab allows viewers to instantly find upcoming games, times, and channels.
Games can also be easily recorded from that tab and fans can talk about the coming games via twitter directly from within the app. Explorer also allows the fan to find their favorite teams and receive real-time on-screen updates about which games are the most exciting and to view scores. The Dish Anywhere app also allows users to watch live and recorded. Games from anywhere with an Internet connection via a tablet, smartphone, or PC.
[via Dish]
Dish Hopper second screen and mobile app updates cater to NCAA tournament fans is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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