Dish Network has announced the availability of third-generation Hopper 3 DVR to its subscribers.
The Hopper 3 is the most advanced DVR currently available, which is described as a whole-home DVR system. It includes the 4K Joey, Wireless Joey, and standard Joey set top boxes, the Hopper 3 can support up to seven TVs
The Hopper 3 is available to new and existing customers, and there is no up-front cost.
It is packed with most advanced DVR in the world, providing the customers with the innovative features from the company’s legacy Hopper DVRs. It aims to deliver an additional ultimate conflict-free entertainment experience.
“Since the introduction of our first-generation Hopper only four years ago, we have continued to invest in innovation. DISH has a history of being at the forefront of consumer entertainment technology, and I’m proud to say that Hopper 3 offers no exception,” said Vivek Khemka, DISH Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, in a blog post.
The Hopper 3 also puts a bigger focus on 4K content with movies from Sony and Netflix, according to The Verge. Netflix is being added to Dish's universal search in a few weeks, so users can stream movies and shows pop up alongside DVR recordings and rentals. Dish's latest DVR can be linked with up to six of the company's smaller Joey boxes, so users can have a total of seven TVs throughout the house.
Its most notable feature is its 16 tuners, which Dish claims offer a "conflict-free" TV experience. Each tuner can record or display live content from a separate channel, and when used in conjunction with Dish Network's Joey devices can send different shows to various rooms in your home and record an almost-absurd number shows at once.
In order to power all this functionality, the Hopper 3 features a Broadcom BCM7445 quad-core ARM chip running at 1.5 GHz. A 2TB drive is included, making for plenty of storage for shows. The DVR supports both H.264 and H.265, and can output 60 frames per second in 10-bit color. It has also a “Sports Bar Mode,” a feature that splits the on-screen picture into four quadrants.
In addition, there will be HopperGO mobile drive that allows Hopper with Sling owners watch live and recorded television remotely, streamed from their set-top boxes to their mobile device or computer. The HopperGO wirelessly streams its stored video to connected mobile devices over Wi-Fi, with a battery that can last up to four hours.
The Hopper 3 system requires a whole-home DVR fee of $15 per month and $7 per month for each Joey, including the newly available 4K Joey, BGR reported.