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Portables Media Television Hardware

Echostar 'PocketDish' to Playback Video from DVR 111

Posted by CmdrTaco from the wierd-gadgets dept.
Trip Ericson writes "Echostar has released its PocketDish, a portable multimedia player that will store audio, video, and images. Coming in up to 40GB flavors, with varying screen sizes up to 7 inches, the real news is that it allows for the transfer of content directly from a Dish DVR onto the player. From the article: "The PocketDish can download content from Dish Network digital video recorders (DVRs), enabling users to watch TV shows on the go. An hour of content can be transferred to the PocketDish's hard drive in about five minutes." Looks like Echostar is trying to beat the long-rumored iPod Video before it even hits the market."
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Echostar 'PocketDish' to Playback Video from DVR More

Echostar 'PocketDish' to Playback Video from DVR

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  • i wonder.. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by thegoogler ( 792786 ) on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @07:42AM (#13772353)
    what kind of DRM is involved here? can you copy the video/audio to a laptop instead of this overpriced thing? theres no reason you shouldnt be able to

    i really wish they had added THAT function
    • Dish does use a pretty strong DRM on its newer DVRs - though the old Dishplayer 7000 series was pretty easy to break. Dish's content providers aren't too keen on the idea of DVR technology, let alone something like this that would seem to encourage time shifting even more. It's a constant battle for companies like Dish to get their providers to allow them to incorporate time shifting devices on to their network. I can't imagine they'd get away with providing this kind of functionality without some heavy
      • My Dish Network DVR has no USB ports. How am I supposed to transfer anything? I'm going to assume this only works with either the latest model or the high end models.
        • Just pop out the hard drive, plug it into your computer's IDE channel, and use a program like DishRip to get the files off of there.

          Of course, it voids your warranty and is a pain in the ass, but there ya go.
      • Dish's content providers aren't too keen on the idea of DVR technology, let alone something like this that would seem to encourage time shifting even more.

        I'm laughing over here - it's not Dish's content providers, it's just content providers. The RIAA, MPAA, *IAA has tried to stop every single time-shifting device ever created. Comcast/Dish love DVRs - it's an extra $10/month for every unit. Consumers love DVRs because they allow them to express their fair-use rights. But content providers?

        ha.

      • The way Dish DVRs in general work is that they record the encrypted, compressed (and currently MPEG2, MPEG4 coming early next year) broadcast stream directly to the drive.

        Then, every time it's played back, they decrypt it using a smartcard and hardware MPEG decoder just before outputting the video.

        The two major features of this process are:

        1. Lower disk storage requirements for the compressed version.
        2. The content stays encrypted, even on disk.

        Some newer Dish DVRs have USB and firewire ports. The current s

        • The way Dish DVRs in general work is that they record the encrypted, compressed (and currently MPEG2, MPEG4 coming early next year) broadcast stream directly to the drive.

          Then, every time it's played back, they decrypt it using a smartcard and hardware MPEG decoder just before outputting the video.

          Are you 100% certain about this? If this were true then they could never do complete keychanges, there would always have to be a 'dvr' key which would unlock old content, and new content would have to include thi

          • When I used to work there, the authorization was based on both the receiver number and the smartcard number. My understanding at the time was that the key was in two parts, partially on the smartcard and partially on the receiver.

            I know that it was possible to change the smartcard authorized in the system for a given receiver. My guess would be that the key for authorization of signal is stored on the smartcard and that authorization for programing is on the receiver itself. I know that if you recorded a
    • So long as the transfer is digital (and really, even if it's analog, to a degree*), it doesn't really matter; whatever protection is in place will be broken within a year. The value of the content is simply too high for it to be left alone.

      This is wonderful news, in a way - as long as content is stored in a "black box" of sorts, it is extremely difficult to get to (look how difficult it has been to hack series 2 TiVos with OS7+). But as soon as the content is transferred from one device to another, it lea

    • Re:i wonder.. (Score:2, Informative)

      by Ergonomicon ( 920701 )
      I've been doing that with my ReplayTV for a couple years now. DVArchive is an opensource (I think) java app that interfaces directly with the Replay, you can download or stream any shows on its drive (as well as control its interface).
    • I have often contemplated the USB port on the back of my DishNetwork DVR. On one hand I would like someone to crack the DRM, but on the other hand I worry that if it were to be cracked, then Dish's content providers might cause problems. What I would like to be able to do more than extract shows off of my DVR, however is to put other videos on my DVR. This would be nice for accessing my media in multiple rooms, since the DVR goes to two TVs.

    • It's not too tough to do with the DirecTivo. The standalone Tivo incorporates a function called "TiVo To Go" that lets you copy DRMed recordings to a PC. But DirecTV wouldn't allow that in their version of the TiVo because of contracts with content providers.

      The community over at DealDataBase [www.dealdatabase] has figured out how to hack the 6.2 software on the DirecTivo. You can login to get a bash shell and install software that lets you copy the MPEG-2 files over the network (USB2 NIC) to your computer.

      This is part

  • Does anyone actually use these? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by CyricZ ( 887944 ) on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @07:43AM (#13772360)
    While I could see these sort of portable media devices being used in places like Japan or Europe, where they have developed mass transit systems that are widely used, are they used much in the more auto-dependent countries, like the US, Canada and Australia? I mean, chances are that if you're driving, you probably can't watch a movie or a TV show on such a device. Now I'm sure some people will try, but I'd image they'd get thrown through their windshield soon enough. But if you've got a 40 minute train ride to work, then yes, you might get by watching a movie on a device such as this.

    • As a college student, I'd love one for times I have between classes, when I get out early, etc. The ability to take shows off my TiVo and watch them on the go would be great. It would especially help during the first week or two of season premiers when the stuff stacks up on my TiVo at least twice as fast as I can watch it.

      Of course the real genius of this is you don't need the computer to get the content off and transcode it. Great idea, although I can't comment on the execution (which is usually where th

      • Use an Archos. I have an AV400 (80GB) and routinely transfer Tivo recorded shows from my DirecTivo to the device via the "Record to VCR" option.

        We take the Archos with us on plane rides, car trips, etc. My wife holds it and I use an FM transmitter to play the sound in the car. Generally we bring along shows that I don't need to *watch* to get the gist of while I drive.

    • Re:Does anyone actually use these? (Score:5, Informative)

      by hb253 ( 764272 ) on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @07:57AM (#13772429)
      Perhaps mass transit isn't used much in Montana or the Nevada desert, but in the NY/NJ/CT metropolitan area hundreds of thousands of people use mass transit on a daily basis. Actually, I'd be interested to find out the ridership figures for the metropolitan region compared to ridership in other major cities.

      I commute into NY from NJ via commuter rail and then take the PATH subway to my destination. I see a good number of people watching movies on portable devices. The potential customer base is huge.
      • But how crowded is such transportation? Such a device would most likely be quite difficult to use while standing on a tube, or on a crowded bus.

        While they may be more usable on a commuter train, which generally offer some space, I doubt the usability of such devices on buses or tubes.

        • Of course, crowding varies with time of day, train or bus line, etc. However, if you manage to get a seat, I think watching a movie or recorded show on a portable video device would work out just fine.
      • "I see a good number of people watching movies on portable devices."

        Yeah right... I can see it now...

        Mugger:"Hand over your money!"

        Passenger:"Shht, I'm watching Bachelor"

        Mugger:"OH, is that hot blond still in there?"

        Passenger:"Yeah, now hush I'm trying to watch this."

        Mugger:"Sorry..."
      • I live in the chicagoland area, the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) is the mass transit for chicago and 40 surrounding suburbs. Buses provide about 1 million passenger trips a day and the elevated trains 'L' serve 500,000 passengers a day. this is just within the Chicago system. We also have a Metra rail system that runs out of 2 different stations in Chicago that bring commuting riders in from as far away af 50 miles everyday on 9 different tracks. They are forcasting about 78,437,000 passenger rides in
        • I'm one of those people who rides a CTA bus to work every day, and I own an Archos Gmini 400 (one model revision older than the 402 shown here). Having the option to watch a show or two on the ride into or from work is a real joy; some days I don't have the mental capacity to read a novel prior to my cup of coffee, but I can still chuckle at a Simpsons episode or catch up on episodes of "Spooks".

        • i imagine there are hundreds of thousands in just chicago who would. Imagine New York Atlanta, ect and all of their public transit riders.

          We have MARTA here in Atlanta, and it's a joke. There are basically two rail lines, and neither go far enough in any direction for it to be much of a factor. There are people who need to ride it (carless), and those who ride it out of principle (saving the environment, etc...), but I'd be surprised if MARTA had more than 10% of the daily traffic of a city like Washing

      • Perhaps mass transit isn't used much in Montana

        Hey, we've got a mass transit system here in Bozeman, Montana. Of course, it's only two busses [msn.com] for the entire city, but it's a start :)

    • You must not have children... (Score:4, Informative)

      by Overzeetop ( 214511 ) on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @08:00AM (#13772446) Journal
      ...or if you do, you don't take them on long road trips. There's nothing like having a stash of Dora the Explorer or a disc full of Charlie and Lola to keep them entertained for boring parts of the trip. (For those who do not have children, and/or have forgotten what its was like to ride for a couple of hours in the car as a child, the "boring parts" would include the time from when the key goes into the ignition until you actually get out of the car at the destination. License plate games, I spy, and all the rest are boring...just not as boring as sitting quietly.)

      I've captured a bunch of stuff off my DirecTivo (via analog capture) and reauthored it onto disc. It not only helps on long car rides, but also expands the number of shows available when we're at home without filling up the TiVo needlessly.
      • I do have children. They just grew up far before this nonsense with parents thinking that they only way for kids to be entertained was for them to be watching TV or playing video games. Hell, on long trips we'd give our children books to read. And you know what? They were usually quite quiet and well behaved. They might've even learned something, too.

        • Sure, if the children can actually read (they're old enough) well enough to not interrupt said driver every 30 seconds with "What does this spell?". There are always other things to do besides watch TV but sometimes a well chosen video quiets them down long enough to maintain the driver's sanity untill the next stop. I would say that a video player in the car is far better than one in the house.

        • TV is not an exclusive entertainment (Score:5, Insightful)

          by Overzeetop ( 214511 ) on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @09:14AM (#13772927) Journal
          You're confusing "one way to entertain" with "the only way to entertain".

          On a 6 hour trip, kids will get bored. My 3 year old "reads", colors, and watches TV on long trips, as well as listens to some childrens books on cd/tape. You may also be confusing Rugrats and GTA for more educational TV and games (you're allowed to put Sesame Street on if you feel that learning spanish and memory skills from Dora is too progressive). If you think that TV is not educational, I would say that you're not using it right. I would suggest you need to watch a bit more childrens television to find the programs which are useful. I've found very few "educational" books for my daughter that didn't require active adult participation. No that adult participation is bad, but reading stuff to kids for 6 hours in a car is not my idea of a relaxing trip.

          I grew up when it was common place for kids to crawl around the back seat and count licence plates, do Mad Libs, color, sing, and ask "are we there yet" every fifteen minutes. I remember being bored out of my mind for most of the time, regarles of the number of games we had. I suspect that an hour or two fo Superfriends would have gon a long way to my childhood trips being more enjoyable. I can only imagine that beingn strapped into a 5-way harness as required by law can only make the process less enjoyable today.
          • Thank you. I see I am not alone.

            We are currently living in the golden age of television. There is literally more educational television airing that even if you watched 24/7 you couldn't watch it all. The quality of the educational television is also dramatically better than those in the past. Heck, there are at least half a dozen channels that have 100% educational programming, and another half dozen that have at least 50% educational programming.

            Heck, even the entertainment programming is far and
            • Yeah, its amazing how much is on, espeically if you're into history. My wife has just about monopoized one of our TiVos with stuff on the american revolution, civil war, ancient rome, and ancient egyptian programming. I'm considering not adding the new HD TiVo to the univeral remote, just so that I can get a few of my shows recorded and kept for more than a day or two.

              And kids shows...there are some real gems out there. Charlie & Lola, a series of 10 minute shorts, has got to be one of the "nicest" si
      • TV again. Great idea, placing your kids in front of your TV just to shut them up.
        Going on a trip? Take the TV with you, enjoy the blissful silence of your kids brains leaking out their ears.

        How about your wife handling the kids? Playing a game with them? Cards? Boardgames? Reading them a book?

        Keep the TV out of your home. Keep the TV out of your car. Keep the TV away from your kids.
    • One afternoon I was forced to follow someone off the interstate with a portable DVD player mounted on the DASH of his car! At the traffic signal I could clearly make out details of the movie he was watching. Guess what, no cops at a busy intersection at rush hour. Believe me, it did affect his driving performance. Of course I've also passed folks using game boys, reading books, not to mention the proverbial oblivious woman doing here hair,etc.
    • Considering how many "mini-Vans" & "SUVs" I see on the highways with TV screens and kids watching them in back. Yes, I can imagine the ability to record a bunch of kids cartoons and bring them with you on the vacation drive could be very advantageous to parents who don't want to buy tons of DVDs.
    • i think another question is does anyone use Dish TV.

      That said, anyone who is not driving can use this. Kids, the wife, you when your wife is driving, yes on the train, plane, lunch hour, ect.

      There is also content that a driver could bring that is more audio centric like talk shows, local news, espn where the content is visual but still has valuable audio...
      • Does anyone actually use Dish?

        No, just twelve million people. Rounded down, this is zero.

        There's a built-in market; I just wonder if Dish's price-driven offerings attract the sorts of buyers that an $800 toy requires. I think maybe not.
    • I have to commute to work by car but I find that it is an excellent opportunity to catch up on a movie or the Slashdot headlines as long as you are careful. In fact, I'm onli

      OH FU

  • Do you hear that? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Karl Cocknozzle ( 514413 ) <kcocknozzle@hotm ... inus threevowels> on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @07:43AM (#13772363) Homepage
    ...its the sound of a lawyer feeding-frenzy getting started...

  • 40GB ought to be enough for anybody (Score:3, Insightful)

    by digitaldc ( 879047 ) on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @07:47AM (#13772380)
    How about a 300 GB device? It would also act as a external HDD. Now that would be convenient!
    Memory is cheap, for $599.00 why not maximize its storage size to make it a worthwhile 21st century product?
    • It is a little difficult to tell from the picture, but I would hazard a guess that they are using 2.5" form factor hard drives, like the iPod. In that case, the upper end of capacity would be about 100 GB. On the other hand, if I am not looking at it right, and they are, in fact, using 3.5" drives, like a desktop computer, then the upper end of capacity would indeed be several hundred GB. In any case, the capacity they put into it probably has a lot to do with what price point they thought they could get
      • 1.8" maxes out at 60GB/4200RPM, and is known as the iPod form factor, because, well, the thing that made them popular was the iPod.

        2.5" maxes out at 100GB/7200RPM or 120GB/5400RPM, and is the standard laptop form factor.

        3.5" maxes out at 0.5TB/7200RPM, and lower capacities up to 15KRPM.
        • Oh, yeah, I knew that. Or at least, I used to know that the iPod was 1.8" form factor - it was a minor coup that they snatched up that market for the original iPods. Sorry for the bad information and memory lapse.

          As for the rest - very informative!

  • Repackaged Archos? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Shillo ( 64681 ) on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @07:49AM (#13772390)
    Comparing the device pictures on www.archos.com and www.pocketdish.com... they're the same. So are the corresponding brands (Archos AV400, AV500, AV700 vs Pocketdish AV402E, AV500E, AV700E). So is this really a new device?

    • Re:Repackaged Archos? (Score:4, Informative)

      by andytuna ( 860940 ) on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @07:57AM (#13772430)
      As the summary states the real news is the integration with the PVR, and: "An hour of content can be transferred to the PocketDish's hard drive in about five minutes." This makes it a lot easier for the average consumer to use...

      • Re:Repackaged Archos? (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Shillo ( 64681 )
        The article also says that it's done using USB2. Archos (what's the plural of this, anyway) devices come with USB host, they can suck data out of any USB drive.

        So is the real news that Echostar PVRs can function as USB2 drives?

    • I have the misfortune to work at RadioShack, and our Dish Rep was talking up the Pocket Dish about a two months ago. I also own a couple of old Archos jukeboxes, so I was familiar with their AV products, so I asked. Yes Virginia, it is an Archos, but modified with some magical Dish mojo. He was very unsure about any kind of DRM, so no help there. Archos' audio only products are loads of fun because of the open source replacement OS available (rockbox) but I don't know if anything similar is in the works
    • Doesn't look like a new device :) This will be very interesting device both legally and fun wise, since its already running linux. Basically DISH has now given the keys to the kingdom. It won't take long for someone to figure this thing out and be able to copy files to a PC.
  • Well Tivo does have the option for Tivo2Go which allows you to hook up your standalone Tivo to your network and transfer via software. Unfortunately you need a Tivo Pro subscription which runs $15 a month and there is that little thing called a Broadcast Flag that has been causing controversy.
    • That, and TiVo2Go is not available at any price for DirecTV - the primary competitor to Dish.
      • That's a great point. In fact, as a DirecTV subscriber, I know that Tivo isn't even going to be around much longer for DirecTV. They have their own DVR out now and aren't going to be licensing the Tivo software anymore. I hope the interface is as good as Tivo's.
        • I'm not even hoping for the new system to be as good as TiVo, just nearly as useful. I have no illusions that the interface will be better - TiVo is just too darned simple, and the remote is too good to expect a better internal solution from DirecTV. I look at what TiVo has done since the code split, and how little has been done on the DirecTV side, and can only assume that the sole-source model can only mean crappy results. I just hope they don't screw it up too much.
        • I agree with you whole-heartedly. Part of me wants to think that DirecTV was strapped by the versions of Tivo that were released and if they did not agree with them they had no choice other than to just not implement them. I don't know what Tivo has patented either but I am hoping DirecTV will have a lot more flexibility now. I mean, why not be able to download the shows and take them with you? They need to activate those "future use" USB ports already!
    • Tivo does have the option for Tivo2Go

      ReplayTV's show sharing is DRM-free. Using a client such as DVArchive [dvarchive.org], you can stream and move shows to any Java-equipped device. And watching them on Archos/Echostar PVPs is trivial. Has anyone cracked the Tivo2Go DRm yet? That would really put me off buying one.
  • Now I know what those USB ports are doing on my Bell ExpressVu(BEV) 9200 HD-PVR (equivalent to a Dish 942). They are labled for 'future use' in the manual. I hope BEV does something similar, or at least enables the ports to download content to my computer.
  • They mention connectivity to various devices, but most mini-DV camera's and other digital video devices require firewire connectivity whereas they only support USB. This limits the devices usefulleness and appeal to me.
    • The article mentions that it can record from DVDs and VCRs as well. That plus the info that the least expensive model only records audio, tells me that it includes an analog capture ability. So you can capture from any camcorder or other video device, albeit via analog.

      Xesdeeni

  • USB to my DishDVR (Score:3, Interesting)

    by jank1887 ( 815982 ) on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @08:19AM (#13772558)
    I've got a 522 DishDVR, I noticed the undocumented USB port on it the moment it arrived. So now, here's my first question: If the PocketDish can yank content off the DVR through that port... how long till someone figures out how to hack it for general PC access? That's out of my realm of expertise, but I'll be waiting. It sounds like they're not working too much on DRM, as the article states that the pocketdish basically relies on the fact that there's no video out method.

    a side note: on the DishNetwork website, under software, there's already a lineitem for the PocketDish software and updates. Apparently you have to hook it up to your 942 receiver, and software updates will process through your 942. Sounds like they may use their some type of authentication at their receiver to lock out other methods of attempted USB access. Dish Network Software [dishnetwork.com]

    • The Dish Network 522 DVR can already be accessed to remove video content, but it must be done by removing the hard disk and placing it into a computer. The folks on the dishrip forum on yahoo have software and instructions.

      *** Note that the Dish522, like the Dish501, 508, 510, and the older 7000 series, have no DRM or other encryption of the video ***

      The dishrip folks are very serious about not tolerating any discussion that could invoke the DMCA and shut down their forums. The newer models, like the Dish
      • hmmm... last I checked, software updates occur automatically over the air. so I'm assuming it'll be unavoidable. Although the article says 'software' not 'firmware'. If it's firmware, the process may be more hands-on. Also, I see the following on that same article: "Why are there two USB ports? The USB Mini Type B port is used to connect the PocketDISH to a DISH Network receiver or a PC; the USB Mini Type A port and the supplied adapter cable are used to connect the PocketDISH to a USB mass storage dev
        • >> hmmm... last I checked, software updates occur automatically over the air.

          From what I read about PocketDISH yesterday, when you first plug in a PocketDISH device to your DVR, the PocketDISH adapter would upgrade the firmware on your box.

          Also, I do not believe that DishDVRs can receive firmware upgrades via satellite. I suspect that they are only possible via the attached phone line. This, of course, is one big reason why mine has never had a phone line attached... something that I'm glad Dish Ne
  • Well this then answers what was meant by my 522 spec sheet:
    (1) USB 1.0, *for future use (http://tech.dishnetwork.com/receivers/522/index.s html [dishnetwork.com])

    This states that its USB 1.0 which certainly doesn't have sufficient throughput for transfer of this size of files.
    I can only imagine (because the spec sheet doesn't SPECifify) that the Dish DVR 921 (HDTV DVR) has a USB 2 port on the front.

    I wonder if only a software upgrade will be needed for my DVR.

  • I've seen the demo... (Score:3, Informative)

    by Faw ( 33935 ) on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @08:21AM (#13772571)
    They showed it in one of those chats that Dish Network's CEO gives every once in a while. You can get more info here [satelliteguys.us]. The interesting thing is that the satellite receiver is the one that sends the video, you don't download it. As soon as you connect the cable it will recognize that there is a PocketDish at the other side (at least that's how it looked to me). I'm sure someone will make a PocketDish emulator for PCs soon. :)
  • I've been waiting for a year since the dish 512 came out for someone to get into this. I've wanted to take the stuff off this hard drive from day one. It's gotta be encoded in some really simple format. Let me tell you guys (and i dont work for dish, this isn't a shameless plug) but this thing is godly to have around. I come home at the end of the day and have a full list of stuff -i- want to watch. It interfaces perfectly with the guide that's -already there- and there's zero programming to it. Hell my mom
    • Provided that you have a model with no DRM, video can already be removed (legally) using existing instructions available on the web. It does require you to remove the hard drive and void the warranty, but if you have a DVR-5xx series product it has probably already passed the warranty period.
  • This was announced several months ago on Dish Network's Charlie Chat. A representative from Archos was there giving the presentation. This is just a customized and possibly crippled version of Archos's standard product line. I don't think Dish Network will allow transferring the program material to other devices such as a DVD burner.
  • I know it's not what they intended, but I bet this opens up a creative way to get the content off of dish network dvr's to PC... but like previous posters have wondered aloud, what type of DRM/encryption is involved here.
  • Or any other protocol. As long as I can take a show I recorded on my PVR and send it to the computer to burn it on DVD. I don't want to buy a standalone DVD burner just for the shows I want to keep.

  • I'm so glad someone understands their customers... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by uradu ( 10768 ) on Wednesday October 12, 2005 @09:33AM (#13773144)
    Because what I really want to do is download my shows off the PVR and watch them on a 7" screen in the broom closet, while my wife commandeers the big screen to watch her Supernanny reruns. Not! Why not develop devices that follow real people's watching habits? Such as cheap media extender boxes that let you watch your PVR content on other TVs in the house, so you don't have to have PVRs scattered all over the place with endlessly duplicated show subscriptions? Yes, there are such systems available (e.g. MCE) if you want to change your back-end and lose the convenience of the cable-provider's tuner(s), which always work more seamlessly than third-party kludges. But since they're developing hardware anyway, why not create something people will actually use, such as $50-$100 media extenders that don't require extra monthly fees (as would be the case with multiple TiVo boxes).
    • The dual-tuner Dish (Echostar) PVRs can already send the recorded shows to any other DVR, can't they? Maybe I'm just thinking of the ability to hook two TVs up to the same DVR. You can hook several TVs up to the channel-3 modulated output (preferably after a cheap TV antenna amplifier) and have show one on the "main" TV, and show two on all of the "auxiliary" TVs pretty easily with current, cheap tech...
      • Maybe, I don't have the Dish PVR. But even so, that's a low-tech approach and not quite a media server. You should be able to have a number of extender boxes watch independent shows off the main PVR without this sort of analog "fallback", and without requiring RF remotes that control the back-end PVR through the walls (which I assume the Dish system does).
      • Actually the 942 DVR (I have the Canadian equiv., Bell ExpressVu 9200) has a nifty modulator built in to the thing. It will output on ch. 21-69 UHF or also on the higher cable band so you can actually integrate it with existing household cable. Even if you had cable you could put the PVR on say ch. 120 or something so as not to interfere with the cable chans.

        The 942 also includes a second UHF remote for the TV2 feature, basically the receiver acts in two modes, in single mode both TV1 and TV2 show the same
  • You can already rip satellite programming right off the Dish PVR hard drive (7x00 and 5xx series, at least). Why should I buy this instead of any other portable media player?
  • I know tivo honors the broadcast flag on HBO and Cinamax, but does Dish? Will it allow you to copy those shows to this device. If they honor it, I think it may be short lived as more station start to use it. If they don't they are one of the few DVR left they don't enforce that yet.

  • If I read correctly, the "DRM" on this machine is largely that you can put whatever you like in the portable device, but you can't take stuff off, only delete it. Since you always have your dish DVR as your backup, that has a certain simple appeal.

    Of course you can crack the usb interface all day, blah blah blah, but the "one way" approach is the most sensible thing I've heard of in this space, especially since it is just an extension of a larger backup device.

    I'd buy this if it was under $200.

  • These are just rebadged Archos PVPs [engadget.com] - which is no bad thing with Archos's laissez-faire approach to DRM! Echostar bought 25% of Archos for $10m [engadget.com]. Vive la France.

  • Huh? (Score:1)

    by jseale ( 691367 )
    Echostar is barking up the wrong tree if they're trying to compete with Apple on portable video. PocketDish and the video iPod are two totally different devices, one meant to siphon content from a DVR, the other apparently gets its video content from on-line sources. Echostar should really be concerned about Sony and their recent PSP upgrade which allows viewing of streamed video. Speaking of which, Sony uses an off-shoot of Apple's AAC audio technology for video playback.

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