Dish Network has introduced an upgraded HD DVR, the ViP722, which the DBS firm said is an advanced version of the company’s current ViP622 DVR unit. The HD addition is designed to complement the satellite service’s growing HD menu, which was recently expanded to just under 40 channels.
Dish and satellite competitor DirecTV are in fierce competition between themselves (and cable) to see who can provide the most HD offerings the quickest.
The ViP722 is a dual-tuner DVR receiver that can record programming in HD and SD simultaneously (one channel at a time in each format) with hard-drive storage capacity of 500 GB — enough to capture 55 hours of HD content in MPEG4 or 350 hours of SD, according to parent company EchoStar Communications. It also supports external hard drives through USB 2.0 ports, allowing viewers effectively unlimited archive ability.
The HD DVR supports Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and has “a true 30-second skip feature,” Dish said, to eliminate commercials. And for those subscribers who have given up their landline phone for cell or Internet telephony, the HD DVR offers an IP (Internet Protocol) call-back feature for PPV and VOD options.
The ViP722 DVR is available for free by Dish for “qualifying new customers.” It gave no further details.
