Western Digital already has eSATA MyDVR Expander models for Cisco/Scientific Atlanta DVRs and TiVo, and now they’ve released a USB model for Dish Network DVRs. The $149.99 500GB USB drive adds up to 60 hours of HD capacity or 300 hours of SD capacity to the Dish Network ViP Series HD DVR.

Picked up from The Gagdetress.

Dish Network just held a ‘Team Summit’ and some interesting news is making its way out. SatelliteGuys.us posted a report from the General Assembly which includes an overview of upcoming Dish Network DVRs, including what I think is the most interesting - the 722s, with built-in Slingbox!

Then Mark and Leslie introduce something that blows me away… The 722s. Its a 722 with Sling technology built in. Besides having Slingbox technology built in it also has Clip and sling which will let you send clips to friends. The 722s has a totally new interface, it has a guide with channel logos plus a totally new UHF remote, which features a touchpad and a trigger below it. This s a amazing unit. The front of the 722s also features al touch technology with no buttons and is backlit instead of using LCD’s. They are looking at having 1TB drive at launch, however 500 GB will be used by Dish and the DVR will come loaded with name HD movies preloaded on the drive. The 722s also has a built in browser (although Jackson said it will only go to certain sites and will be tightly integrated with Yahoo.)

But it is more than just a Slingbox with Clip+Sling - it is a SlingCatcher too!

Out comes Sling CEO Blake Kerkorian and he talks about the Slingbox and talks a little more about the 722s. The 722 will be able to do Clip & Sling and Slingcatcher, plus it will be able to run more applications as well.

So it is a Dish PVR, Slingbox, and SlingCatcher all in one. And from a follow-up post in that thread, it will be an HD Slingbox, like the upcoming Slingbox PRO-HD.

This isn’t really surprising in general, since EchoStar purchased Sling Media last year, but I think this is the first time we’ve heard of this as a real product and not just speculation. And being a SlingCatcher too wasn’t something I’d seen discussed before. The built in web browser is interesting, though it is a shame they have it restricted. (And I’d presume that only works for boxes connected to broadband, same with the Slingbox capability.)

That’s not all they talked about at the summit. The 700MHz spectrum Dish picked up at auction recently was mentioned, unsurprisingly, as a carrier for Dish Mobile. So you’ll be able to access Dish Network content in your car, on your boat, etc.

There are other new Dish STBs as well, the 222k and 722k lack OTA tuners, but a tuner module can be added. And apparently the module provides dual OTA tuners, instead of the single OTA tuner in today’s ViP722. And the tuner module also adds an RF modulator so you can distribute the output through the home over existing coaxial cable on channel 2 or 3. As well as some new two-way remotes, which apparently can store all of your DVR settings and resend them to a new box if you have to have your STB replaced.

Check out the thread at SatelliteGuys.us for all the details.

Disclaimer: I’m currently employed by Sling Media, which is owned by EchoStar.

There have been a number of DVR and STB features announced as different vendors try to outdo each other. Features such as on-screen Caller ID, Multi-Room VOD, Start Over, etc.

So, what features are you looking forward to? What features are you jealous of? What do you really want out of your STB/DVR that no one is offering or announced?

Mediaweek has begun a series of articles on DVR usage based on exclusive research by consumer research and consulting firm OTX. Considering Mediaweek’s audience, it isn’t surprising that they’re focused on the influence of DVRs on advertising and ratings. The study collected data from 3,500 DVR users during January 2008. One thing surprised me a bit:

Interestingly, the data shows that not everyone in a DVR household uses their DVR. In fact, in DVR-enabled households, 13 percent of people don’t use the device. Whether these people have never used the device or used it once and found no value is certainly worthy of, and will receive, future exploration.

At first I had trouble imagining having a DVR in my home and not using it. But then I thought about it, and realized I have TiVo which is very usable and user-friendly. And then I remembered that my parents have a Scientific Atlanta 8300HD and they hate it. It has randomly lost all their recordings, died completely a couple of times and needed to be replaced, and is generally so hard to use that they’ve pretty much given up on it. So I suppose I can see why some might not use it, and I am curious as to what their further stories uncover in that regard. (For the record my parents are moving into a new home soon and I’ve already sent them a TiVo HD with lifetime to setup in the new place. I couldn’t let them keep using that SA abomination.)

Read the whole article and I’ll keep an eye out for future installments.

Since I’ve been pretty busy I haven’t had a chance to keep up with all the tech news recently, and one of the items that’s slipped through the cracks is the Hauppauge HD PVR USB device. I last reported on it a few weeks ago when it had been delayed, but in the meantime it has gone up for pre-order and some software support has been announced. Zatz Not Funny, BrentEvans Geek Tonic, and PVR Wire @ TV Squad have all been covering this:
- BEGT: Hauppage HD PVR available for pre-order @ $249
- ZNF: Hauppauge HD PVR specs
- ZNF: SageTV Says HD PVR support is coming
- ZNF: SnapStream & Elgato evaluating possible HD PVR support
- PVR Wire: Free GB-PVR already supports HD PVR

And I think that catches it all up.

Jason Fry of the Wall Street Journal has taken a look at how time-shifting via TiVo and place-shifting via Slingbox are changing the TV landscape and the social aspect of TV viewing. “Today my TV is not your TV, and you can never assume the same people are watching the same thing at the same time or in the same way.” And he expresses feelings that are likely common to most DVR users - not wanting to go back to pre-DVR TV viewing, of the power to watch the content you want when you want, and the large behavioral changes their bring to our TV-related habits. But what I found most interesting is his list of five major lessons learned from the first years of DVR use. Give it a read.

Back at CES Hauppauge announced their HD PVR PC USB add-on, which will allow PCs to record high-definition content from component input into H.264/AVCHD video. Originally slated for ‘1Q08′, which ends today, it was pushed back to ’spring’, and now Brent Evans at Zatz Not Funny reports that it “should hit the market toward the end of May, early June.”

Additionally, the $249 add-on will not initially work with Windows Media Center, due to the latter’s lack of H.264 video support. Though support is planning for sometime later this summer. Brent hypothesizes that H.264 will be included in the ‘Fiji’ Windows Media Center update, which is now entering beta, and appears to be supporting the DirecTV HD PC tuner. DirecTV is, of course, using MPEG-4/H.264 for their new HD channels.