Dish Network said today that its Hopper whole-home DVR system, which it first introduced at CES earlier this year, is now available to its customers.
At CES, Dish said the Hopper whole-home DVR platform would start shipping by the end of January, but today marked the official launch.
Dish is using the kangaroo-based Hopper brand name as it launches a new multi-room DVR platform that was designed to compete with Arris’ Whole Home Solution and TiVo DVR systems that some cable operators have deployed.
Hopper is the master HD DVR that has 2 terabytes of hard drive memory, while the “Joey” thin-client boxes are located around a home and connect to the Hopper drive via MoCA. The Joey devices are small enough to fit behind TVs, and combined with Hopper, they allow viewers to pick up viewing from one room to another on the fly.
The Hopper system is available through the Dish lease program. New Dish customers who subscribe 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, including a standard professional installation. The Hopper platform comes with a whole-home DVR fee of $10 per month and a $7-per-month price tag for each Joey.
Hopper can store up to 2,000 hours of HD content and record up to six HD shows simultaneously. The latter is important because it allows Dish subscribers to record the entire primetime menu – under the Dish moniker of “PrimeTimeAnytime” – of shows from Fox, ABC, CBS and NBC for up to eight days.
The three-tuner Hopper whole-home DVR can access both IP and satellite video, including HBO Go and video from Dish’s Blockbuster @Home content. Hopper and Joey also feature a 750 MHz Broadcom processer that makes the new user interface faster.
“Whether watching your favorite primetime network show or the men’s college basketball championship games, there’s no better way to enjoy TV than ‘jumping’ from room to room using the award-winning Hopper and Joey,” said Dish Network CEO Joe Clayton. “The Hopper, named after Dish’s new kangaroo mascot, delivers network TV shows on-demand and thousands of movie choices streaming or delivered to the hard drive; it’s a slam dunk in providing the most entertainment options for the entire family.”