Netflix comes to the Hopper with Sling

[Hall]

Lots of posters here claimed this would "never happen" because of competition with their Blockbuster pack. Clearly, those people were WRONG.

I was one of those and not afraid to admit it ! I'm pleasantly surprised by this move by Dish.

But the question about hurting the Blockbuster sub numbers is a valid one.

What exists from Blockbuster ? They dropped the disc-to-home service. Do they still offer a standalone streaming service similar to Netflix, Amazon, etc ? Just checked.... I see that it does still exist. I wonder where it stands in # of subscribers ? It has to be way, way below Netflix and Amazon, so much so that they simply don't matter.

 

[Hall]

...but that would be a nightmare for Dish to swap out old Joeys for new for those customers who want Netflix Joeys.

I agree. I've been considering swapping our Hopper for the Sling version - Dish will do it for free for me. I'm curious if they'll give me a new Joey too as part of the upgrade. If a tech brings it, I could get a v2 Joey but if Dish ships it to me, I bet I'd get a refurbished v1.

I have had a few conversations with techs who had no idea they could give me a V2 Joey. This is virtually unknown for the field guys I have talked to.

To Dish, it's still just a Joey. People have checked and the box isn't marked in any way, as I recall. I think they said the sticker on the Joey itself has a "v2" designation. They even run the same s/w, if I'm not mistaken.

This can't be the case. Gotta be all HWS customers with existing Joey hardware or its gonna be a mess.

Maybe the original Joey just happened to have a CPU that supports the encoding required but that would be surprising and if so, there's no issue. Time will tell....

 

[Deadlocked]

What is Dish getting out of this deal? They are keep that a secret.

Netflix likely on OTT service and I have a feeling they will try to work in either a Netflix channel for the original programming OR marathons on Blockbuster Studio.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[rwalsh]

DISH First Major US Pay-TV Provider to Integrate Netflix

• App available today on second-generation Hopper® Whole-Home HD DVR
• Integration streamlines customers' video entertainment experience

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DISH today became the first major pay-TV provider in the U.S. to integrate the Netflix app into its set-top box. Available on DISH's second-generation Hopper, the app gives customers the ability to instantly stream Netflix movies and TV shows, including "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black," from the same platform used to access their linear television channels. The Netflix app will rollout to DISH customers throughout the day.

DISH integrates Netflix app into its Hopper DVR. (Photo: Business Wire)

"Pairing Netflix with Hopper represents the consolidation of two incredible video experiences," said Vivek Khemka, DISH senior vice president of product management. "This app integration eliminates the need to switch television inputs to access content on varying devices. It gives our customers easy access to their favorite shows and movies, on both DISH and Netflix, without ever having to leave their Hopper."

"As the first major pay-TV provider in the U.S. to add the Netflix app to its set-top box, DISH strengthens an already robust video entertainment experience for its customers," said Bill Holmes, global head of business development at Netflix. "Many households subscribe to both Netflix and a traditional pay-TV service. Our vast library of TV shows and movies, combined with DISH's lineup of live television content, gives customers easy access to a wide variety of complementary programming."

Hopper customers will find the same Netflix user interface found on most other platforms. The app is easily accessible from any channel by clicking the blue button on the DISH remote and selecting the Netflix icon, or from the Netflix icon on the Hopper main menu. Those new to Netflix can create an account in the app or by visiting www.netflix.com/dish.

The Netflix app is currently available on all broadband-connected second-generation Hopper set-top boxes. In the coming months, DISH expects the app to rollout to Joey, Super Joey and Wireless Joey clients. Additionally, in the future, titles available on Netflix could be integrated into the search functionality across live, recorded and Video On Demand programs for both the Hopper as well as DISH's forthcoming OTT service.

 

[harshness]

Allen, wake up!!!

What did we do to you that you would visit this upon us???

 

[rwalsh]

Netflix App only broadcasting in PCM. I had to go back to my bluray player for Dolby digital 5.1.

 

[charlesrshell]

As for as satellite reception/distribution, yes, I believe the Hopper does all of the work. In the case of the Netflix app and other apps, it appears that the 'host' it's running on is doing the processing work.

When the press release just says "Joey", I'll bet there's fine-print that they left off (it's a press release, not a tech sheet). I'm not sure of the timeframe of releases, but didn't the Hopper w/Sling and a "new" Joey get released at the same time ? In that case, most people probably ended up with that newer Joey. Now, if I upgraded my Hopper to a Hopper w/Sling but kept my current Joey, something tells me I won't see the Netflix app on the Joey...

Netflix app is on my HWS but not my Joey.

 

[Liam4824]

Netflix app has arrived on my Hopper with sling. now if only Dish would fix the add Locals option.

 

[Tyralak]

I have the 1st Gen Hopper (two of them) and I am out of contract.
If I call to upgrade to the current Hopper with Super Joey will I have to sign a new Two year contract to get them for free?
I see Tivo also has Neflix built in. It works with my Cable TV and a Cable card so Dish is not the first to have Netflix.

Tivo isn't a TV provider, so yes, Dish is the first.

 

[king3pj]

What is Dish getting out of this deal? They are keep that a secret.

Netflix likely on OTT service and I have a feeling they will try to work in either a Netflix channel for the original programming OR marathons on Blockbuster Studio.


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Or it could be much simpler than that. Netflix is already on tons of different devices. My main TV is a smart TV capable of streaming Netflix. Attached to that same TV I also have an Apple TV, PS3, PS4, and Xbox One that are all capable of streaming Netflix. That's 5 ways to stream Netflix on one TV. In my bedroom I also have a Roku for Netflix and other streaming services.

I know other people who watch it on blu-ray players, WD Live, Fire TV, Tivo, Chromecast, smartphones, tablets, etc. The bottom line is that Netflix is available on just about every piece of consumer electronics today. The amount of people who will be watching on a Hopper is going to be very insignificant compared to to all the other devices their subscribers use.

I doubt Dish has the weight to negotiate exclusive perks that Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Google, and Sony weren't able to get. The people who make the most used Netflix streaming devices are some of the biggest tech companies in the world.

From Dish's perspective, they have been pushing the Hopper hard. It's great technology that they are continually trying to improve. You see lots of advertisements about it's sling capabilities, Prime Time Anytime, and Auto Hop. Adding Netflix to that list of technology that Directv and their cable competitors don't have might be enough incentive for them without Netflix having to offer anything they don't offer to any other device manufacturer.

 

[bellevuecoug]

Netflix app is on my HWS but not my Joey.

Earlier in the thread, Scott indicated Joey support would happen 'in the coming months' or, to put it another way, SOON.

 

[theoak]

It will obviously be limited to the output of the HWS (or Joey in the future). Hence, if Netflix has 4K (No idea ... do not have Netflix???) ... HWS last I checked can only do 1080P.

 

[harshness]

Because the CPU in the Hopper with Sling supports the secure encoding Netflix uses... which I believe (and could be wrong) is HVEC)

The Broadcom 7425 chipset in the HWS doesn't support HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding).

 

[king3pj]

Netflix App only broadcasting in PCM. I had to go back to my bluray player for Dolby digital 5.1.

That's a bummer. It might have something to do with the fact that Netflix streams in Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus and the Hopper probably only supports standard Dolby Digital 5.1 since cable and broadcast channels don't use the DD Plus codec.

I know that this is a problem for some Roku users. Roku chose to save some money by not paying Dolby Digital to license their DD Plus codec. Rokus are able to pass the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 signal along to your receiver just fine but the Roku can't decode it by itself. That means if you have an older audio receiver that doesn't decode Dolby Digital Plus you are limited to stereo PCM for Netflix content.

Other Netflix devices that paid the Dolby Digital Plus license fee like the PS3 are able to decode the DD+ 5.1 audio and convert it to standard DD 5.1 so it's not a problem for older audio receivers.

 

[jerryez]

Here is the first bug. When I clicked on the Netfliz app, it took me to a sigh in page, I then clicked on sign in, but decided to exit. It ask was I sure that I wanted to exir, but when I clicked on yes, nothing happened. I pushed every button the the remote and nothing happedned. I coul not even turn the HWS off and yes I was in Sat mode. I had to reset the receiver with the button on the front of the HWS to get the receiver to work. Dish needs to fix this. Has anyone else had this happen. Try duplicating it to see.

 

[jcrandall]

That is a great addition to a satellite box, something that I would love to see DirecTV pursue. I hope this becomes a trend-setter and most cable/satellite boxes support major non-competing streaming services in the next couple years.

 

[chiodo]

Well the best thing would be for Dish to drop BB@Home and use Netflix, so my Dish plan includes Netflix fees because you know BB@Home "kinda" sucks.

Anyhow I have it on my HwS as of this morning, But I don't have a Netflix account, because I'm paying too much for TV as it is.

 

[Hall]

Netflix app is on my HWS but not my Joey.

Correct

 

[jerryez]

Well the best thing would be for Dish to drop BB@Home and use Netflix, so my Dish plan includes Netflix fees because you know BB@Home "kinda" sucks.

Anyhow I have it on my HwS as of this morning, But I don't have a Netflix account, because I'm paying too much for TV as it is.

Then what package would Dish put the BB@H 22 channels in?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Blockbuster is now just a name and thats it. Its not a service anymore. Blockbuster @HOME is just an unfortunate name for a HD Addon package. But other than that Blockbuster does not exist anymore here in the USA.