New Hoppr feature skips commercials

[jerryez]

DISH Introduces Commercial-Free TV With "Auto Hop"

Exclusive User-Enabled Feature Allows Viewers to Automatically Skip All Commercials on Favorite Primetime TV Shows



ENGLEWOOD, CO -- (Marketwire) -- 05/10/12 -- DISH (NASDAQ: DISH) satellite subscribers will now get the feature viewers have been waiting for since the beginning of television -- the choice to automatically skip over commercials. The new "Auto Hop" capability for the Hopper whole-home HD DVR system is being activated today, and it allows customers to skip all commercials for most recorded primetime HD programs shown on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC when viewed the day after airing.

"Viewers love to skip commercials," said Vivek Khemka, vice president of DISH Product Management. "With the Auto Hop capability of the Hopper, watching your favorite shows commercial-free is easier than ever before. It's a revolutionary development that no other company offers and it's something that sets Hopper above the competition."

DISH is the nation's third-largest pay-TV provider, delivering TV service to millions of families nationwide. DISH launched the Hopper whole-home HD DVR system in mid-March, giving viewers the ability to record up to six shows at once while playing back HD content in up to four rooms.

"Auto Hop" is an extension of the Hopper's PrimeTime Anytime™ capability, the exclusive feature that allows viewers, with one click, to record all of the primetime TV programming on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC in HD -- the networks that deliver some of the most popular shows during primetime.

The Hopper automatically stores these shows for eight days after they have aired, creating an on-demand library of approximately 100 hours of primetime TV shows, and making it easy to access episodes from last night, or last week.

"The magic of PrimeTime Anytime is that it allows DISH subscribers to catch up on all primetime shows, including episodes recorded over the past week and recommended by friends, family, and co-workers after they've already been broadcast," said Khemka. "With Hopper, you have access to all primetime HD programs broadcast by the four major networks. Now you can watch many of those shows commercial-free, with Auto Hop."

Auto Hop, using patented technology, works with most shows recorded using PrimeTime Anytime (patent pending). A viewer can watch a show with the Auto Hop option commercial-free starting at 1 a.m. ET, after a show has been recorded to the Hopper's PrimeTime Anytime library. Prior to that, The Hopper's 30-second "hop forward" feature continues to work for same-day viewing.

Auto Hop does not work on live broadcasts.

Lauded by reviewers as the best whole-home DVR for its intuitive user interface, never-before-seen features and reasonable pricing, the Hopper whole-home HD DVR system makes it easy to enjoy HD programs in multiple rooms. PCMagazine named the Hopper an "Editor's Choice" among DVR products and calls the award-winning and innovative Hopper "one of the best DVRs we've ever seen."

ENGADGET has similar praise for the Hopper and the PrimeTime Anytime feature "because it allows us to discover shows anytime after they first aired, so if you learn of a great new show while wasting time at the water cooler, it isn't too late to go home and watch it or choose to save it for a later viewing. It's a step towards a future where we can watch whatever we want without having to plan in advance or consult a list to make sure our shows will be recorded. What else can we say? It just works."

For more information about the award-winning Hopper and Joey by DISH, including technical specifications, please visit DISH Hopper - Hopper DVR - Hopper Whole Home DVR - DISH.

Hopper and Joey images are available at DISH Network - Photo & Video Library.

About DISH Network
DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), through its subsidiary DISH Network L.L.C., provides more than 14 million satellite TV customers with the highest quality programming and technology with the most choices at the best value, including HD Free for Life. Subscribers enjoy the largest high definition line-up with more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network Corporation's subsidiary, Blockbuster L.L.C., delivers family entertainment to millions of customers around the world. DISH Network Corporation is a Fortune 200 company. Visit DISH Satellite TV Packages From $19.99. Ask About HD Free For Life..

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Source: DISH Network

 

[TheKrell]

Auto Hop does not work on live broadcasts.

One wonders how this is done technically. Does a human being enter cut points manually while watching the show, and this index is downloaded ex post facto to the receiver and available by 1AM?

 

[sparc]

very cool. didn't realize it's going to be rolled out this quickly. Time to turn PTAT back on for one of my hoppers.

 

[jlavetan]

I don't know if this is enough to get me to turn PTAT on. Personally, I like having the extra tuner available by having PTAT off. This outweighs the Auto Hop feature for me. I have no problems manually skipping the commercials.

Auto Hop is still a pretty cool feature, but I don't see myself using it.

 

[Pepper]

If they make it work with all the other networks (non PTAT) I will buy one.

 

[ChetK]

I'm ready to enable the feature. What software version do I need to have? I hate it when a press release comes out, but our hardware isn't ready to enable the features stated in the press release.

 

[sparc]

The amusing part here is that they launched this feature at the very end of the broadcast season. It's not like I need PTAT during the summer. I'll be turning it back on for a week or two at best. lol

 

[356B]

My wife runs a business that sells advertising, she believes the advertisers will not be happy about "Auto Hop".
The 1am ET cutoff is interesting, I wonder if that means the west will get commercial free primetime TV at 10pm... same night? or did I miss something?
This feature will change the landscape of TV viewing as we have known it...no commercials is huge, one the down side, once in awhile an ad comes through that is actually informative or entertaining, on the other hand it's troublesome and awkward skipping through the ads, somebody has to handle the remote.
I'm surprised at this, simply because of the power the advertiser assumedly hold..or held. This is a big ******** deal! and expect the rates we pay for programming to go up.

It's operational now, you get a screen asking if you want to use auto hop for this viewing. Once started I saw the last half second of the first ad....weird, and so it goes.

 

[ChetK]

My wife runs a business that sells advertising, she believes the advertisers will not be happy about "Auto Hop".

Duh! But the advertisers need to realize that those people using this feature are ALREADY and HAVE BEEN skipping their advertising!!! I run a small business and I would NEVER run a television ad. Have these "advertisers" ever heard of this thing called "online advertising" or Facebook advertising? Ever heard of "go where the customer goes"? Offer a great product at a competitive price and you will get your sales dollars.

I'm surprised at this, simply because of the power the advertiser assumedly hold..or held. This is a big ******** deal! and expect the rates we pay for programming to go up.

Yeah, it's a big ******* deal, but last time I checked, ABC, CBS, FOX & NBC don't charge anything. My guess is that their rate will go up 100%. In all seriousness though, I see more product placement. Anybody know what logo is on the American Idol judges cups that they drink out of?

 

[lakebum431]

Yeah, it's a big ******* deal, but last time I checked, ABC, CBS, FOX & NBC don't charge anything. My guess is that their rate will go up 100%. In all seriousness though, I see more product placement. Anybody know what logo is on the American Idol judges cups that they drink out of?

That isn't true. Dish (as well as Direct and cable providers) pay a fee to the local networks to carry their programming. That is why there have been several carriage disputes and local channel drops over the years.

 

[ScooterMan]

It displays a kangaroo on the PTAT episodes that are edited.

 

[ScooterMan]

I noticed not all shows from last night were edited.

 

[B_Kranski]

I agree there will be more product placement, and will be more obvious. More like in the 50's when shows were like during the show they would say this show is being brought to you buy Quaker Oats as they are sitting down for breakfast. But in all reality, I think Dish is doing a good thing here...just making it auto skip something that people are already doing.

 

[Stargazer]

Many wanted this feature for a while now. I can see new retrans deals stating that this is not allowed on their station if they want to carry their network.

 

[eckmanmj]

OMG!!!

This is unbelievable. I did not even know this feature was coming. I am a long time DVR user and held onto my original Replay DVR well beyond it's discontinuation date because it had the ability to skip commercials, but even with the Replay, you still have to press the skip button on the remote and it would take you to the end of the commercial break. It wasnt automatic, but still better than nothing. After I heard that all the TV channels unanimously rejected the feature, I never thought that I would see this feature again.

My finacee and I noticed this tonight, but only on shows recorded from ABC. No other show we had from another network (even PTAT channels) had the little red kangaroo icon. I am glad to see it will work on all 4 PTAT channels.

I didn't need any more reasons to love the Hopper, but I am glad Dish keeps delivering the goods!

 

[ralfaro]

Wow, this feature rocks. Caught us totally by surprise last night when watching Wednesday evenings airing of Criminal Minds on CBS. It was awesome not having to do a thing to watch the whole program comercial free. Way to go Dish!

 

[GaryPen]

Anybody know what logo is on the American Idol judges cups that they drink out of?

Judging by their opinions on some of the contestants, I'd say Bicardi or Smirnoff.

 

[GaryPen]

I don't know if this is enough to get me to turn PTAT on. Personally, I like having the extra tuner available by having PTAT off. This outweighs the Auto Hop feature for me. I have no problems manually skipping the commercials.

Auto Hop is still a pretty cool feature, but I don't see myself using it.

I would definitely use it IF it worked on non-PTAT recordings, as I have PTAT disabled. We simply don't watch enough PT B4 programming to make it worth the lost tuner. (And, with the cancellation of "Awake", even less.)

 

[Teehar]

Shows are already doing shameless plugs.Hawaii 5-0 did the infamous subway plug,and Fringe is all about nissan.So there are plenty of ways the advertisers can go.

 

[GaryPen]

I liked Fringe better when it was called "The X Files".