Recent developments in technology are blurring the lines that separate television and the internet. Sure, we’ve had YouTube and other popular video sites for a while now, and more recently we have seen major television networks offerings some of their most popular programming for viewers to watch online via the internet.

DISH Network is taking TV via internet to a new level with Sling technology, which allows DISH Network subscribers to watch programming in real time from their DVR systems anywhere they can access the internet. Using Sling technology gives users an experience that is the next best thing to watching from your favorite chair in the comfort of your own home without being there.

Although the inner workings of the internet remain a mystery for the majority of users, it’s well known that the internet offers criminals a gold mine of data that they use to fuel their criminal activities. News stories of company websites being hacked and customer data being stolen are not uncommon these days. What may be lesser known to internet users is that data can actually be siphoned from the internet in real time by someone who has the knowhow and access to tap into an access point.

With DISH Network relying on the internet to broadcast Sling content, the need to secure the data was pretty obvious. To that end, EchoStar, DISH Network’s sister company, has employed Widevine, a company that is described as a “content protection and video optimization specialist.”

Widevine’s DRM (digital rights management) technology will protect DISH Network’s programming content as it is streamed onto the internet for use by subscribers with Sling-equipped DVRs and receivers.

According to Mark Jackson, president of EchoStar Technologies: "Our innovative consumer devices embedded with Widevine’s widely adopted security bring peace of mind to content owners and service providers seeking to maintain their revenue model while providing consumers unparalleled flexibility to watch their content on the go.”

A new application called “DISH Remote Access” has been announced and is the first and only one of its kind. No other pay-TV provider has released an app specifically for the iPad.

DISH Remote Access for the iPad is a fully-featured remote DVR scheduler offering DISH Network subscribers total access to all DVR functions and features. Subscribers may schedule DVR recordings events on more than one receivers, erase timers, browse and search through nine days worth of program listings, manage their DVR events by setting record priorities, resolving recording conflicts and erasing recorded programs.

The DISH Remote Access application is compatible with most DISH Network SD and HD DVR receivers, including the ViP922, the only DVR with built-in Sling technology.

At DISH Network, we are excited about the potential of tablet computers – like the Apple iPad – to enhance the TV viewing experience and enable consumers to remain connected to their TVs everywhere," said Vivek Khemka, vice president of Customer Technology for DISH Network.

The iPad-optimized DISH Remote Access app also boasts a unique feature that transforms an iPad into a remote control for TVs connected to compatible DISH Network receivers. By using the iPad as their remote control, subscribers can change channels, browse the program guide, watch recorded programs and take advantage of all the standard remote navigation features including fast forward, rewind and pause.

The DISH Remote Access app can be downloaded free from the iTunes Store.

The Associated Press is reporting that DISH Network has unveiled plans that will allow subscribers to stream live satellite television to their mobile devices.

This means that they will be able to watch programming that is delivered to their mobile device via their home DVR systems and even change channels. It will also allow someone at home to watch a different channel at the same time if the DVR is equipped with two tuners.

Users will also be able to access and view programs that have already been recorded and stored on the DVR.

The new features are scheduled to be introduced this fall and will be available on Apple’s iPhone, Ipod Touch and iPad, as well as the BlackBerry and Google’s Android devices.

DISH Network customers wishing to take advantage of the new features will require special hardware at home, such as Sling Media’s SlingBox or a Sling-capable DVR such as the ViP922. Sling Media is owned by EchoStar Corp., the company that was once the parent company of DISH Network and is chaired by DISH Network CEO Charlie Ergen.

New technology and fierce competition among pay-TV providers will likely bring more new innovations from DISH in the future.

It’s been a while in the making, but DISH Network has announced their latest and most technologically-advanced DVR to date. The ViP922 has some pretty revolutionary features that continue the tradition of superiority in DVR technology.

I guess the most outstanding feature of the 922 is that it is SlingLoaded. What does that mean? Well, it means you can watch programming via your DVR from just about anywhere you can get access to the internet. That includes wireless devices that are capable of playing video. I guess you could say the 922 “slings” programming content out onto the internet for you to watch when you are not at home.

Compared with earlier DVR units such as the ViP622 and ViP722, you’ll find a lot of the same features on the 922, like remote access, searchable program guides, caller ID display and more. The big win for the 922 is the built-in ability to more-or-less take your TV with you just about anywhere as long as you can get on an internet-connected PC or internet-enabled wireless device.

This seems like the perfect solution for sports fans who sometimes have to record or simply miss the big game because they are away from home. It should not be too hard to sneak away for a few minutes and check the scores or the latest plays on the NFL’s RedZone channel on your cell phone even if you are at mom’s for Thanksgiving dinner.

It should also be noted that the ViP922 was selected as a “Best of CES” winner in 2009. You can read more about that here.

A deal between search giant Google and DISH Network is testing some new technology that may bring Google search to televisions in the future. By using a set-top box that is powered by Google’s Android technology.

Reports say that a limited number of Google employees are currently testing the new features in their homes. The set-top box will be connected to the internet and allow users to retrieve information using Google searches.

The new features should allow users to search for and view YouTube videos right on their televisions. Other features will probably be introduced as the technology matures and gets closer to making it into consumer’s homes.

It wasn’t hard to see these kinds of developments coming. Some time back, DISH Network enabled the broadband ports on some of their DVRs, allowing them to be connected to the internet. Useful features like DISH Remote Access and a larger inventory of “on demand” programming became available as a result.

So I’m watching something on my DISH Network ViP622 DVR a couple of nights ago and the picture suddenly disappears. Think “fade to black,” but without the fade part. I noticed that the yellow light on the front of the unit had gone out and the green one remained on.

A few seconds later the green light also went out. I walked over to the unit and could hear it making the usual sounds it makes as it is being restarted. It attempted to restart itself three or four times until it finally seemed to stabilize and was OK for the rest of the evening. Thinking that there may have been some kind of urgent software update or something, or perhaps a technical glitch somewhere, I didn’t think too much more about it. Until last night.

Same story last night. This time I dialed up DISH Network right off the bat and got someone on the phone who tried to help me out. Problem was that the DVR just wouldn’t stay up long enough to do anything with. Just as she was walking me through some of the settings to check, it restarted itself again.

At that point, she decided it would be best to send me a new unit. She said they would ship it out ASAP and we can return the original DVR in the same box with a pre-paid label provided.

I had a pretty good hunch that the thing was on its way out, and I appreciated the fact that the support representative on the other end of the line did not treat me like a dope and have me trying all kinds of pointless tricks to make the thing work. The only thing we tried was unplugging the DVR from the power-surge protected power strip and directly into the wall. I was not surprised that it did not help.

After I hung up with DISH Network, the DVR managed to struggle back to its feet and seemed to be Ok for the time being. It restarted one more time a short time later but came right back up and seemed to work OK for the rest of the evening.

While I’m waiting for the new one to show up, I will go through my scheduled timers and make a note of all the programs I have set up to be recorded. I’d love to get the 8 recorded episodes of Planet Earth off of there and onto the new DVR when I get it, but I am not sure that’s possible and have not researched it yet. Heck, I can probably catch repeats of them some day. Could never bring myself to delete them.

Anyway, I was kind of hoping for a new model, but from what I can see when I log into my DISH Network account online, it looks like they will be sending me another 622. I was not even aware that they made them any longer.

I’ve had the unit about three years but it does get some pretty continuous use. I watch recorded programs on it just about every night and my wife records her share of programs as well. This is the first time we’ve had any serious issues with it.

Oh well, we’ll see what happens, and hope I can get through the next few days without too many restarts or a total failure.

Yeah, well what the heck does that mean? That was the thought that went through my mind when I saw that headline. Turns out that this is some really great news!

This promises to put an end to one of the most annoying experiences I’ve ever experienced while watching television. Those ridiculous changes in volume when a commercial comes on, or when you switch from one channel to another.

In my experience, the problem is with commercials the vast majority of the time. I always wondered if it was intentional, and wished that someone could do something about it. Well, it looks like DISH Network has stepped up to the plate and it set to put an end to the problem once and for all!

I have not seen the details of exactly which receivers and DVRs will be able to utilize this new feature, so it’s hard to say how many subscribers will have access to it. I’m hoping my ViP622 will be eligible, as it sounds like this will be rolled out as part of a software upgrade which DISH periodically sends out to receivers and DVRs to introduce new features and make corrections to various problems. Subscribers with older receivers may not see the benefit of this new feature, but again, I’m not sure of the details.

Anyway, the folks at SRS have developed this new technology called TruVolume which can equalize the volume level on your TV no matter what channel you switch to, or which annoying commercial comes on.

DISH Network is the only pay-TV service set to offer this new feature, which the company says will be rolled out to subscriber DVRs and receivers sometime early this year. Not surprisingly, a survey revealed that nine out of ten TV viewers noticed volume changes while watching TV, and 89% of them found volume fluctuations annoying. Frankly, I’m surprised that the number was not 100 percent! How the heck could someone not find that annoying?

Personally, I’m quite fed up with grabbing for the remote when the volume shoots up on its own when a commercial comes on, and my wife is yelling at me and saying “It’s too loud!” I surely don’t like it, but my wife is even less tolerant of it than I am.

This announcement, coupled with the announcement yesterday regarding “TV Everywhere” places DISH firmly at the top of the pay-TV service providers where technology is concerned. Sure, DISH might have some work to do in the customer service area, but if they can bring that up to match their technology, they will be the pay-TV provider to beat.

I guess this is why DISH Network has reversed the trend they were enduring as they lost customers to other providers, and they are now gaining customers once again. This one feature alone might be enough to convince me to try DISH if I were not already a customer!

Although it will likely be a while before subscribers see any benefit from it, a new satellite has been launched into orbit that will be used by DISH Network to carry programming.

A Russian Proton rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome last week carrying a Canadian Nimiq 5 communications satellite. The new satellite, built by Space Systems/Loral for operator Telesat of Ottawa, will provide 32 Ku-band transponders for use by DISH Network to broadcast programming to North America.

The new satellite is expected to start providing service sometime next month and will orbit the Earth in the 72.7 degrees West longitude position.

The new capacity should allow DISH to offer more programming, including high-definition programming which is one of the primary battlegrounds in the competition between DISH Network and their chief rival, DirecTV. The cable TV companies are also doing their best to retain their share of the market and continue to make improvements to their systems.

I had wondered what kind of useful features DISH Network might be introducing when they announced a while back that we could not connect our DVRs to the internet. Due to the amount of work involved, I put it of for quite a while, but I finally got around to getting it connected via my home network a couple of months ago.

The big benefit I noticed right off the bat was that I had access to a lot more on demand content. Some of it was from channels I did not even subscribe to, so that was kind of cool. All you need to do is select one of the on-demand programs from the list and it will be downloaded via the internet for you to watch.

A while later I discovered another nice advantage to having my DVR connected to the internet. I could access and control my DVR from anywhere I could access the internet. I can sit in my office and browse the program guide on my PC and set up programs to be recorded while my wife is sitting in the living room watching TV.

Check out the story of how I managed to save the day by borrowing my son’s iPhone to access my DVR while riding in the car on the way back home one night after I realized I had forgotten to set the DVR to record something. Now that was cool.

When I first turned on my DISH Network TR-40 digital-to-analog converter box I was immediately� reminded of the look and feel of my ViP622 DVR. It was then that the following thought occurred to me: Wouldn’t it be nice if this thing could record programs and perform some of the other cool things that DVRs can do.

Well, DISH Network has apparently heard consumers like myself and have come up with the DTVPal DVR, which combines the capabilities of a DVR with a digital-to-analog converter.

Digital-to-analog converters will be necessary for consumers who do not have televisions that are capable of receiving over-the-air digital broadcasts who wish to continue using their current televisions after the mandatory switch to digital broadcasting that is coming in February.

Consumers who already have cable or satellite TV service do not have to worry about the February deadline since their programming will not be affected.

The DTVPal DVR was first unveiled as the EchoStar TR-50 at the Consumer Electronics Show at the beginning of the year and was awarded CNET’s Best of CES award for the home video category.

If the new DTVPal DVR lives up to the enviable reputation of the ViP622 and ViP722 DVRs, it is likely to be an excellent product.

The new unit will retail for $300 but with a $40 government-provided coupon and additional $10 instant rebate, consumers will be able to purchase it for around $250.

DISH Network will be providing a $50 instant rebate when purchasing the DTVPal DVR, which brings the total cost to about $250.