CES 2013: Dish Network gives Hopper built-in Slingbox, off-line viewing on iPad

Dish Network is at it again. Here at CES 2013, Dish just unveiled a new version of its Hopper DVR with even more viewing options than the original. Last year, you may recall, the original Hopper ticked off broadcasters with its ability to skip commercials.

The new Hopper has built-in Slingbox technology, which lets you view programs and recordings remotely through any Internet connection. In effect, this amounts to a TV Everywhere-type of service that lets Dish subscribers view their subscription content away from home on computers, tablets and smartphones loaded with a free app.

Dish also just introduced an app called Hopper Transfers, which lets you transfer recorded programs to an iPad, so you can watch them offline, such as when flying.

Here's a bit more detail on the new Hopper.

The main whole-home DVR has three satellite TV tuners, a 2TB hard drive that can hold up to 250 hours of HD recordings, and built-in Bluetooth for wireless headphones. Smaller Joey set-top boxes are placed in other rooms, enabling a viewer in each room to record, pause, and play live or recorded shows.The Hopper can record up to six TV shows at once. As many as four recorded shows can be viewed in four different rooms. A feature called PrimeTime Anytime lets you record a full season of all primetime Tv shows with the push of a single button.

Dish, which acquired Blockbuster, also has a movie-streaming service called Blockbuster@Home, which subscribers can add for $10 extra per month.

Using a Dish Explorer app on portable devices provides second-screen experiences ranging from getting extra program information to connecting to social media sites.

Check out the rest of our CES 2013 coverage.

—James K. Willcox