Dish Network announces Hopper DVR system, Joey set-top box, launches broadband, Test Drive services

Dish Network just made a slew of big announcements at its CES press conference today, introducing the Hopper HD DVR system, the corollary Joey set-top box, and a new, TV Everywhere-based Test Drive service. Let's start with the hardware: the Hopper unit is comprised of three satellite TV tuners, a 2TB hard drive that promises up to 2,000 hours of entertainment, including up to 250 hours of HD viewing and 1,000 hours of SD recording. The device can record up to six TV shows at once, and allows users to watch as many as four recorded shows in four different rooms. When combined with the Joey, users can take advantage of a 750MHz Broadcom processor that, according to Dish, is the fastest satellite receiver on the market.

Also announced today is something known as Test Drive -- a new "try before they buy" service that allows customers to get a free taste of TV Everywhere for 24 hours. As of February 1st, users will be able to sign up for Test Drive and stream select TV shows to their PCs, tablets or smartphones at no charge (for a limited time, of course). Also in February, the company will launch a new satellite broadband package, as part of a new service launched with ViaSat. These new packages will offer download speeds of up to 12Mbps, and upload rates of up to 3Mbps. Installation prices will start at $99, with bundles starting at around $80 per month. For more details, hit up the troika of PRs, after the break.

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DISH introduceS hopper and joey – next generation whole-home hd dvr Entertainment system

Features two-terabyte hard drive for up to 2,000 hours of entertainment
Never miss a primetime network show with PrimeTime Anytime
Records up to six programs in HD simultaneously, including PrimeTime Anytime
Hopper and three small Joeys let viewers watch HD and control DVR in four rooms

Las Vegas – Jan. 9, 2012 – [NASDAQ: DISH] – DISH Network L.L.C., the nation's third largest pay TV provider, today introduced a whole-home high definition DVR entertainment system featuring the award-winning Hopper™ and Joey™.

The Hopper HD DVR and accompanying small Joey set-top boxes create a whole-home HD DVR entertainment system that lets DISH customers easily record, pause, and play back shows from any room in the home. While most whole-home DVRs do not have the same DVR functionality on every TV, the Hopper and Joey whole-home system offers the same DVR functionality on every TV, letting customers pause, play and rewind both live and recorded HD programs in up to four rooms.

The Hopper was unveiled by DISH CEO Joe Clayton at the 2012 International CES in Las Vegas today, and it is already winning honors as a CES Innovations 2012 Design and Engineering Award honoree. Pricing and packaging will be announced later this quarter.

The main Hopper unit features:
Three satellite TV tuners
A two-terabyte hard drive for up to 2,000 hours of video entertainment
Up to 250 hours of HD or up to 1,000 hours of SD user recordings
Bluetooth for linking to devices such as wireless headphones
Picture-in-picture for watching any two channels simultaneously

Combined with a Joey, the Hopper whole-home HD DVR system offers more advanced features:
750 MHz Broadcom processer – the fastest satellite receiver processor available today for a quick, responsive on-screen guide
Approximately 50 percent more energy efficient for a four-room installation than previous models
ZigBee RF4CE using a proprietary protocol remote with "remote control finder" alert
High definition user interface
Easy-to-use, fast, graphical, tile-based user interface with predictive search
Small, sleek chassis for convenient placement

"Building on a heritage of award-winning DVRs, DISH is proud to be the first to introduce a groundbreaking product that delivers the most choices for TV entertainment by integrating multiple sources of video into one set-top box," said DISH Network CEO Joe Clayton. "The Hopper gives our customers network TV shows on demand and thousands of family movie choices streaming or delivered to the hard drive. With its massive storage, the Hopper leads the industry in delivering the most entertainment options, bar none, for every member of the household."

The Hopper – Endless Entertainment Options

The Hopper's new, unparalleled feature, PrimeTime Anytime™ allows customers, with one click, to record using a single tuner all of the primetime TV programming from ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC – the networks that deliver the most popular shows during primetime. Once activated by a customer, PrimeTime Anytime records network programming in high definition, where available, every night and stores them for eight days after they have aired. This creates an on-demand library of approximately 100 hours of primetime TV shows, and makes it easy to catch up on episodes from last night and last week's airing.

The Hopper can record up to six TV shows at once (two live programs and four PrimeTime Anytime shows) while allowing viewers to watch up to four different recorded or on-demand shows in four rooms of the house, simultaneously. This gives a family a variety of options to control or view their recordings and to watch shows in any room from a single Hopper.

The Hopper's on-demand capabilities give access to DISH's Blockbuster @Home™ for $10 per month which is now enhanced with more than 10,000 total titles streaming to the TV.

The Hopper also offers on-demand content for customers with limited or no Internet access with a feature called DISH Unplugged. This feature delivers via satellite hundreds of the most popular movies and TV shows to the hard drive, including transactional and authenticated videos on demand. DISH Unplugged provides a high quality picture without buffering and makes available many of the same streaming movie choices offered by Blockbuster @Home, including premium movie access.

And for subscribers of DISH's America's Top 120 programming package or greater, the Hopper provides whole-home music distribution from 73 SiriusXM channels, including album art and a unique collapsible list of music channels located at the top of the channel guide at Channel 99, making it faster and easier for SiriusXM music fans to find their favorite music.

Additionally, the Hopper will features TV apps that give viewers real time access to Facebook, Twitter, Pandora and photo sharing, as well as games, news, weather, sports, and stock quotes.

TV Everywhere

Customers can manage the Hopper via the Internet at www.DishOnline.com or the DISH Remote Access app, providing the ability to control DVR recordings on their tablets, smartphones and computers. Connecting the Hopper with DISH's Sling® Adapter provides customers the ability to watch and control all live TV channels, PrimeTime Anytime programs and the DVR on their computer, tablet or smartphone wherever they go.

The Hopper and Joey are designed and engineered by EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS). The Hopper works by distributing HD signals through existing co-axial cable in the home using the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) specification. The Hopper is powered by a Broadcom 750 MHz processor, the most powerful satellite TV processor available today delivering a fast and responsive on-screen guide and a graphical user interface that features channel logos to help search channels, movies or TV shows quickly. The advanced search platform also allows for navigation of programs across satellite TV, broadband and an optional external hard drive.

For more information about the award-winning Hopper and Joey by DISH, including technical specifications, please visit www.dish.com/hopper.

To watch live TV on the iPad, subscribers need a Sling Adapter from DISH and a broadband-connected compatible DISH HD DVR receiver. More information is available at dishnetwork.com/tveverywhere/remoteaccess.

Hopper and Joey images are available at http://press.dishnetwork.com/Press-Center/Photo-Library.

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DISH Bundles TV Service with ViaSat's Next-Generation High-Speed Satellite Broadband

LAS VEGAS – Jan. 9, 2012 – [NASDAQ: DISH] – DISH Network L.L.C. and ViaSat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) today announced the availability of next-generation satellite broadband service bundled with DISH's popular satellite television service. In February, DISH will launch its advanced satellite broadband packages with up to 12 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds bundled with a variety of DISH TV programming packages.

The DISH broadband bundle includes:
Bundles starting at $79.98 per month
Up to12 Mbps download speeds
24/7 telephone tech support at no additional charge
Installation starting at $99

DISH's bundled video and broadband products offer consumers speed, value and excellent customer service with a single bill and one installation. The new bundled offer is a great alternative for the millions of American consumers, mostly rural, with limited broadband options.

"This is one more example of DISH meeting the needs of consumers," said DISH CEO Joe Clayton. "The market potential for this new Internet service is substantial given the nearly eight million to 10 million mostly rural American households that are unserved and millions more left with slower broadband alternatives."

ViaSat will provide the satellite delivery services enhanced by DISH billing, installation, customer service and merchandising.

For more information, visit www.dishnetwork.com/internet. Logos for DISH and ViaSat are available at http://press.dishnetwork.com/Press-Center/Photo-Library.

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Attention Consumers: Take the DISH Test Drive and Watch TV on Your Tablet or Smartphone ... At No Charge for 24 Hours

LAS VEGAS – Jan. 9, 2012 – [NASDAQ: DISH] – DISH Network L.L.C., the third largest pay-TV provider, is introducing DISH Test Drive, giving Americans the ability to sample TV Everywhere technology from DISH and watch a selection of popular TV programming online or on mobile devices at no charge for 24 hours. Starting Feb. 1, TV viewers can visit www.dish.com/testdrive from a computer, tablet or smartphone and sign up. DISH made the announcement at the 2012 International CES.

DISH was the first pay-TV provider to introduce TV Everywhere technology and give subscribers the ability to watch all of their live and recorded television programs on compatible smartphones, tablets and computers. DISH is now demonstrating to prospective customers how convenient and easy it is to watch TV while on the go.

"As people continue to buy millions of tablets and smartphones, they will want to enjoy their favorite TV and movie shows on their tablets," said Vivek Khemka, vice president of Product Management at DISH. "DISH Test Drive makes it easy to experience the magic of our entertainment and technology on smartphones, tablets and online, commitment free.

DISH is the only pay-TV provider to allow consumers to "try before they buy." With DISH Test Drive, prospective customers can watch live TV, recorded programs and on-demand content, including a cross-section of family and movie channels available from a variety of popular networks. DISH believes consumers will want to subscribe after enjoying its innovative TV Everywhere technology and the extensive choices for entertainment packages, all offered at attractive prices.

Visit www.dish.com for complete details. A logo for the DISH Test Drive is available http://press.dishnetwork.com/Press-Center/Photo-Library.