So it seems our good friends at EchoStar are all set to piss off some networks. To that, we say “Kudos!” They’re set to announce a DVR archiver that will let users of certain Dish Network DVR models create a “virtually unlimited” library of saved shows. No clue if the shows will be on a local hard drive or some external server. Look for this at CES, but who knows when it’ll actually hit or what it will cost.
I was under the impression that Dish already supported this. Aren’t you able to transfer off content with their Pocketdish service in partnership with Archos? I’m on cable so I don’t know the extent of its usability, but I would think if you could transfer to a portable device you could also transfer to a computer.
Yep, Dish and Archos have their “PocketDish” players. This is something else though. I’m under the impression its an archver that is permanently connected to the TV, not a seperate computer or a PMP. In theory, anybody with a DVD burner or VCR can archive everything on TV, but you get the idea…
Seth, true. But isn’t the networks real problem with the higher-quality-almost-dvd/hd-likeness that devices nowadays offer (such as this) that would cut profits from higher-media [dvd] sales? It’s basically “that time of the decade”, we’ve all seen this before and it will happen again [blue-ray, anyone?].
commenter Erik now = brklynsurfer
Its allways interesting to see the split in consumers, the DIY crowd that would build a Myth TV box vs the pay as you go crowd. One question I would have for this service is what if I stop subscribing to Dish?
drdrew: If we continue to get bigger and bigger bandwith, does the next format battle really matter when i can buy it off itunes, or Bittorrent the latest spiderman?
brklynsurfer — since it hooks up to Dish-provided DVRs, I’m assuming that it is useless once your subscription is over. There’s probably some way some canny CGer could get to the shows without a Dish DVR, but that depends on whether this thing is yours to keep (sold), or if they take it back once the subscription is over (rented.) My money is on it being a rental. The old AT&T phone model, basically.
Figures…dropped the $199 on the 622 HD DVR last night, and then I read this this afternoon.
brklynsurfer, no, not at all. the format is not the issue in this case, the quality is. when one can ‘almost’ get the quality that is usually offered at a premium on a repetitive basis, product sales for ‘a bit better’ suffer as a result because the ‘upgrade’ doesn’t justify the cost to the consumer. It becomes a ‘why buy it when I can just…’
seth, my understanding is also that it is ‘temporary’ content [officially]. we already know what will happen [unofficially]…
Heh heh. And Dish is a CES 2007 innovations honoree for it?!? – For two years you have been able to archive an unlimitted amount of video onto Hard drives.
Using Tivo of course.
Tivo to go also supports playing back from PC hard drives onto your Tivo.
No problem with keeping your video when you switch from Dish to Cable to DirecTv.
Is it possible to hook up a dvd burner to dish network’s Vip 622 dvr? I have a dvd burner but could not figure out how to burn from saved shows on the 622 to the dvd burner.
thanks for any advice!
That DVR archiver will probably cost a lot, It seems interesting though.