Dish Network has added a few functional bells and whistles to its second-screen iPad Explorer app that now let users control the TV’s volume and power directly without need for a separate remote.
The update for the app, which lets users control and manage Dish’s Hopper Whole-Home HD-DVR, also tacks on “Picked For Me,” a feature that offers personalized recommendations based on viewing habits.
“While DISH Explorer has had native control of Hopper capabilities such as search, record and channel navigation, consumers also want to use the app to turn their TVs on and off and control the volume, now they can.”
Launched last January, Dish Explorer serves as a fancy remote control for the Hopper with integrated social networking elements, and native control of Hopper capabilities such as search, record and channel navigation. At last month’s International CES confab, Dish added voice-based search control capabilities to the platform. Dish is adding third-party apps to the Explorer app via its open API project , and has already added several, including Thuuz, BuddyTV and Control 4.
Dish, which has 14.04 million satellite TV subs, said “active users” of the app have grown by 225 percent since its debut at the 2013 CES.
