Dish is once again wowing its loyal fans with the introduction of its hottest new thing at CES 2016 in Las Vegas. The Hopper 3 DVR has a whopping 16 tuners and allows users to stream four HD channels simultaneously via a 4K TV.
How Does It Compare With The Second-Gen Hopper
Dish has been pushing its Hopper DVR for several years. The Hopper 3 is its biggest update so far, bringing in a slew of handy, new features.
With the new DVR, Dish added a new nifty functionality, dubbed Sports Bar Mode, which allows users to watch regular HD channels at the same time using Ultra HD TV. Those who only have a 1080p TV, however, can still watch four channels concurrently, but the resolution will get dialed down.
Dish also integrated Netflix into Hopper's search results. This means owners of the new DVR will now enjoy streaming Netflix in 4K. Users of the second-gen Hopper are also treated to this feature.
Dish says a YouTube app is also in the works and will land on the new DVR later this year. There is also a new deal with Sony Pictures, which signifies that Sony 4K content will be available to Hopper 3 users soon.
In terms of power, the DVR comes packed with 64 GB of RAM and a quad-core Broadcom 7445 CPU. Dish touts that the new DVR is seven times faster than the second-generation. Hopper 3 rocks 2 TB of internal storage which can save 500 hours of HD content.
What's more, this is the first DVR to bring in USB 3.0 connectivity used for external storage expansion. Furthermore, this particular feature offers faster transfer speeds.
To sweeten the pot, Dish is offering a free upgrade for what it calls "qualifying customers." The service fee is $15 per month.
In the meantime, when Hopper 2 arrived in 2013, Dish added Slingbox, a technology-driven Dish Anywhere feature. This allows customers to stream live and recorded video content anywhere via tablets, smartphones and computers so long as there is an Internet connection.
Furthermore, the Hopper 2 brought in the capacity to stream recorded shows through the Internet. The content can also be transferred to an iPad to watch them offline.
HopperGO
The company also unwrapped its new mobile video drive, HopperGO, which is portable and Wi-Fi enabled.
With this hardware, you can take your favorite shows with you wherever you go. This device boasts 64 GB of internal flash memory, which can store up to 100 hours of content. It can be connected to Hopper 2 and Hopper 3 thru a micro USB.
You can grab this device at only $99. You don't need to fork money out of your pocket every month to use the device.
Meanwhile, in July, Dish won a legal fight when a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the company versus Fox Broadcasting Co. The case involved the Hopper DVR platform.
