Dish Network, co-opting a term popularized by the cable industry, last week announced a “TV Everywhere” suite of products geared around EchoStar Technologies’ Slingbox to let subscribers access live TV and DVR recordings over the Internet and home wireless networks.
Meanwhile, EchoStar rolled out four products aimed at delivering the same capabilities to other pay TV providers.
As first reported by Multichannel News, Dish filed for trademark protection on the term “TV Everywhere” in September.
“Dish Network is proud to introduce the first and only comprehensive solution for consumers to pay once for content and then remain connected to their TV everywhere,” Dish chief marketing officer Ira Bahr said.
Dish, which made the announcement at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, will actually be about a year later than it expected on the TV Everywhere front. The satellite provider showed off the ViP 922 “SlingLoaded” digital video recorder — which features 1 Terabyte of recording space — at CES 2009, and the company intended to ship it last spring.
At this point, Dish expects to offer the ViP 922 in the second quarter of 2010.
It also plans to deliver two other EchoStar-developed devices: the TV Everywhere Adapter, which adds Slingbox capability to existing Dish high-definition DVRs, such as the ViP 722k, via a USB cable; and the WiFi HD Monitor, a portable, high-definition monitor that can receive an HD video signal at 720p quality from a Sling-enabled set-top box over a Wi-Fi network.
In addition, Dish introduced the Remote Access App, which turns an iPhone or iPod Touch device into a remote control for most of its standard-definition and HD DVR receivers. Users also can use the app to set and delete timers on multiple receivers; browse and search up to nine days of shows; and manage their DVR library by setting recording priorities. Customers without an iPhone or iPod Touch can use Dish Remote Access through a Web browser on a PC or mobile device.
Meanwhile, EchoStar’s Sling Media announced four products as part of its own strategy targeted at TV service providers and consumer-electronics manufacturers. The Slingbox 700U, like the Dish TV Everywhere Adapter, adds Slingbox capabilities to an existing Internet-connected set-top-box with a USB port.
The Sling Monitor 150 is the standalone HD monitor, like Dish’s WiFi HD Monitor, with a 15.6-inch 720p display that includes stereo audio speakers and incorporates a built-in folding stand for countertop or wall-mounted use. The monitor includes integrated dual-band 802.11n networking.
The Sling Receiver 300 — designed as a companion to a SlingLoaded set-top box — can deliver an HD video streams to any other television in the home over an existing wireless home network. It can be mounted behind an HDTV and includes HDMI, component and composite connectors.
Finally, the Sling Touch Control 100 is a touch-screen remote control with an interface based on Sling Media’s SlingGuide electronic program guide that interacts with and controls Sling-enabled DVRs as well as other line-of-sight controlled audio-visual devices.
