At last month's International CES in Las Vegas, DISH Network took home the coveted "Best of Show" honors with the introduction of its latest and greatest whole-house HD DVR, the Hopper with Sling. That announcement came with its share of controversy. Now, you can see what the hubbub is about for yourself; the Colorado-based satellite TV provider just announced the device's availability nationwide.
The original Hopper was released exactly one year ago and has since received plenty of accolades. (Read our DISH Network Hopper Whole-House DVR Review for more of those.) However, the new Hopper with Sling has built-in Slingbox features -- in case you couldn't tell by the product's title. That means that you no longer need the add-on Sling Adapter. Instead, subscribers can stream live and recorded content from the new Hopper with Sling box to any web-enabled tablet, smartphone or computer. That option works from anywhere in the world, via the DISH Anywhere app.
The box also has a new feature called Hopper Transfers. This may be a reason to finally go out and buy that Apple iPad. That's because the perk allows users to move content from the DVR to an iPad for viewing offline.
Other improvements include a Broadcom 7425 processor and a 2TB hard drive, which can store up to 500 hours of HD (or 2000 hours of SD) recordings. It also has built-in WiFi, new apps, and the ability to "fling" photos, music and videos from a mobile device.
The Hopper with Sling did carry over a few very important features, including PrimeTime Anytime and AutoHop commercial-skipping features. That PrimeTime Anytime perk allows users to program the DVR to record content airing on all four of the major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX) during primetime hours, seven days a week.
"The magic of Hopper with Sling is that it redefines how customers think about their pay-TV experience," said Joe Clayton, DISH president and CEO. "No other provider can offer the experience that is now available to our customers anytime, anywhere."
According to DISH, new customers subscribing to the company's America's Top 200 or DishLATINO Dos programming packages or greater can receive one Hopper and up to three Joey units for free, which includes standard professional installation. Just know that the Hopper system requires a whole-home DVR fee of $10 per month, as well as an additional $7 per month for each Joey.
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