Items tagged with Dish
DISH has become the very first major pay-tv company to offer users compatibility with Google Assistant. The compatibility launches today for the Hopper, Hopper Duo, Joey, and Wally set-top boxes. The cool part about this compatibility is that you don’t need to go out and buy additional hardware. While Google Home devices are supported, so are most Android phones and iPhones with the Google Assistant app installed. "Since we first introduced voice control technology, we've seen our customers really embrace the hands-free TV experience," said Niraj Desai, DISH vice president of product management. "Our collaboration with Google is an exciting opportunity for us to continue meeting...
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There are plenty of options out there for cable and satellite TV service and while many people are more concerned with cutting that cord and using streaming services, DISH Network is still a big choice for many people. DISH has announced a new feature today that fans of Netflix in 4K will want to know about. While DISH started supporting 4K Netflix streaming via its own app back in April of 2016 for Hopper 3 users, only the main TV with the Hopper 3 directly connected could stream Netflix in 4K. That has changed with DISH announcing today that the 4K Netflix app is now available for its 4K Joey set top boxes. That means streaming of Netflix 4K content in your entire home is now enabled. If you...
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If binge-watching is the name of your game, then Dish has a treat for you. The direct-broadcast satellite service provider just debuted the AirTV, a 4K Android TV-supported device that allows users to stream from one place. AirTV was accidentally leaked last month, before its CES 2017 debut. The AirTV permits Sling TV customers to add live local broadcast stations (OTA) for free through an external antenna. The local broadcasts will be seamlessly added to the list of Sling TV offerings, without having to change the input. Local channels include ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, CW, etc. Customers can also use Google Play to download movies and TV shows or add useful apps like Netflix....
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With the rise of online services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and host of others, consumers looking to “cut the cord” have plenty of options to select. However, ditching entrenched series like cable and satellite often means giving up such “luxuries” as network television broadcasts (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.) and live sports channels like ESPN. Plugging rabbit ears into your HDTV can mostly solve the former, but the latter is a bit more troublesome. Dish Network is hoping to come to the rescue with its new Sling TV service that was announced last month and was available via an invite-only system until late last night. Today, Sling TV is open to all cord cutters and it offers a respectable selection...
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Dish Network is in hot water with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for outright violating the agency's Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), including the "Do Not Call" registry, by placing tens of millions of unsolicited calls to numbers that appear on the list. In all, Dish Network and its retail partners made some 57 million unauthorized outbound calls. The FTC is holding Dish Network responsible for illegal calls made by its vendors to numbers on the DNC registry since Dish retained the retailers, authorized the retailers to market Dish products and services, and because the retailers violated the TSR by initiating the Dish telemarketing calls to numbers on the registry.Image Source:...
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As if there were ever any doubt that this latest kerfuffle would quickly end, CBS and Dish Network have settled their ongoing dispute over programming and pricing. However, it looks as though CBS came out as the big winner in this latest battle, as Dish’s AutoHop functionality has been neutered as a result. After months of intense negotiations without a deal in sight, CBS channels went dark on Dish Network shortly after 7 PM EST on Friday evening. CBS was quick to point the finger at Dish, stating, “Dish has dragged its feet at our many attempts to negotiate in good faith. Behavior like this is why Dish has a long history of depriving customers of the programing they have paid for. “CBS has been...
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LightSquared has had an interesting (and relatively rough) go as a company. The telecommunications firm launched with a lot of promise, just as North America was starting to embrace mobile broadband and LTE. But it soon realized that building out a network was a costly project, and fell into bankruptcy as bids from Sprint to take it over passed on by. Another company that looked into buying up what was left of LightSquared was Dish Network. In fact, it placed a staggering $2.2 billion on the table last year, but nothing ever became of it. Now, a new Wall Street Journal report suggests that Dish will be pulling that bid altogether. The report suggests that LightSquared's lenders -- the folks who...
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At long last, it seems that this particular saga is drawing to an end. Clearwire, once a hot company in the age of WiMAX, fell off of the map fairly quickly after it became crystal clear that LTE was the future of 4G. But recently, it has become a hot commodity. Both Sprint and Dish have been flinging dirt over who was going to take it over, and after Dish finally got fed up and walked away, Sprint moved in for the kill. And now, Sprint has its most promising sign yet: a stamp of approval from the FCC. The Federal Communications Commission announced this week that it has voted unanimously to approve the applications filed by SoftBank, Sprint and Clearwire related to their transactions announced...
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Rural broadband is becoming a serious issue, and it's not just the government taking notice. Private for-profit companies are as well, with Dish Network and nTelos being the latest two. Following last month's announcement of their intent to co-develop a fixed wireless broadband service, Dish and nTelos have now deployed broadband service in rural Virginia using wireless spectrum in the 2.5 GHz range. Broadband service speeds at the initial test sites are ranging from 20 Mbps to more than 50 Mbps. As part of the demonstration, nTelos and DISH have activated two wireless tower test sites in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Waynesboro and Afton, Va. Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent have provided equipment...
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Hate ads? Wish you could just skip 'em all, the Super Bowl notwithstanding? Get ready for your DVR. DISH just announced nationwide availability of the all-new Hopper DVR with built-in Sling whole-home HD DVR functionality. Outside of being able to placeshift content anywhere due to the integrated Sling capabilities, users will also be able to tap into DVR'd content through the DISH Anywhere app. With these features customers can watch their live and recorded home television content on Internet-connected tablets, smartphones and PCs at no additional charge. It'll also let users download DVR content to mobile products, and with the free Hopper Transfers app, viewers can move recorded television...
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We haven't heard of too many busy professionals of late that have too much time, and no way to adequately watch all of the great television that's coming out these days. But, if you're looking for a way to soak in even more entertainment, DISH has today introduced the DISH Explorer app for iPad. It's described as a second-screen app for the Hopper whole-home HD DVR platform. It's built to combine program-discovery tools, social media engagement and remote-control capabilities. It'll be available in the App Store tomorrow, and will allow viewers to discover what shows are trending at the moment (including sporting events, across hundreds of live-TV channels, DVR recordings and on-demand programs),...
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Sad days for Blockbuster. The once mighty video rental chain has fallen on hard times in a world where Netflix, VUDU and other video streaming services are proving more affordable and convenient. There was, however, a glimmer of hope. Charlie Ergen had planned to have Dish Network acquire Blockbuster from bankruptcy in April of 2011, and then morph it into a Netflix rival. His master plan was to equip Blockbuster stores with Dish mobile devices that could then be used to stream Blockbuster movies. The plan didn't work out. U.S. regulators weren't willing to immediately approve a waiver for Dish to use its spectrum in new ways, and slowly, time took its toll. Now, according to a Bloomberg report,...
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These days, it seems that wires don't have much of a future. Just as soon as we can figure out wireless power, the future will be upon us. In the meantime, things like LTE have proven that wireless technologies don't have to play second fiddle to wireline technologies. Now, DISH Network is launching dishNET broadband, which aims to bring high-speed internet to rural places in America with slow or no access today. Naturally, they're also hoping to bundle this with DISH TV services all the while. But focused on broadband, it'll go up against HughesNet (a historically slow service) offering "4G-level services." Given that LTE is faster than even some DSL connections, it's quite possible that rural...
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What does DISH Network and Qualcomm have in common? A lot, evidently. DISH today announced a fairly major collaboration with Qualcomm, which will enable support of satellite-based communications in Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 platform, the world's first dual-core solution with an integrated multi-mode 3G/LTE modem, for use in future DISH wireless devices. The new satellite air interface technology developed by Qualcomm is a 3G-based standard referred to as Enhanced Geostationary Air Link (EGAL). This initiative will enable the development of mobile handsets and devices for DISH that can operate in both terrestrial and satellite modes in the 2 GHz/AWS-4 band. What's that mean, exactly? It...
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