GadgetReview

During our time at CES, Echostar saw it fit to announces some pretty astounding and cool news: they unveiled a DVR box with a built in Slingbox, called the VIP 922.  What’s this mean?  Those who sign up with the satellite TV service provider (they’re competitor is DirecTV) will not only get access to an HD DVR box with a 1TB hard drive, but a DVR box whose content can be accessed from any where in the World.

You see, thanks to the built-in Sling technology and hardware, the die hard TV fanatic will be able to tap into their box at home and stream their recorded media to a myriad of devices (laptop, iPhone, Blackberry) anywhere they’re located assuming they have a broadband connection.

Without seeing an on hand demonstration it’s hard to say, but it sounds like Echostar has also thrown in a remote with a UI and form factor which is similar to Panasonic’s Easy Touch Remote Control; something we saw at CES.

The Dish Network VIP 922 will be available later this Spring.

Check out the other features offered:

• News feeds located on the home screen, giving viewers instant access to national news, weather, sports, and stock quotes.
• Ability to organize channels by channel name or number.
• 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480i and 480p support.
• Internet-delivered DISH On Demand including 1080p content.
• Ability to move one day in the guide while browsing full screen EPG or partial EPG.
• Connections to home networks via Ethernet, HomePlug Turbo (the next generation of HomePlug that allows for faster in-home transfer of content using home power lines), or WiFi (with optional WiFi adapter).
• Powerful search capability across all available video sources, including IP, VOD, satellite or DVR.
• Intuitive timer creation and DVR management, allowing users to categorize programming by groups (video source, title, genres) or by content description (date, length, ratings and more).
• Ability to load photos, MP3s and selected Internet content.
• Future upgrades such as photo sharing, movie ticket purchases, family calendars, instant messaging, streaming audio, and the ability to transfer content within a home network.

[Ehomeupgrade]

Tags: dish network, slingbox, slingplayer

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 at 5:00 pm and is filed under DVR. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.