The Dish Network User's Resource
The Dish Network User's Resource
The 2010 Consumer Electronics Show was held January 7-10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Click each thumbnail for a larger image (or right-click for new tab); the original is available on request.
Central Hall, viewed from North Hall
The LVCC Grand Lobby
A small part of South Hall
Back lot, South Hall to Central HallThe place is huge. The South Hall extends well past what the picture shows, nearly as far the other direction and that's just the lower level. Central hall is only one level, but just as deep and notably wider. North hall has less display space but many large meeting rooms. Three days of walking was not enough to see everything I may have wanted to, or even go down every aisle.
Dish Network's booth, typically packed
Dish and DirecTV DVR comparison
This was a busy place to be, up near the front of the Central Hall. While “TV Everywhere” was everywhere, portable media players were nowhere to be found. The ability to watch programs on the go should not be reliant on a mobile broadband connection.
ViP922 with integrated Sling
ViP922 with front panel lit up
20.0 remote shown with ViP922
ViP922 quick select favorites
ViP922 program info shown over EPG
The display 922's front panel controls stayed lit continuously rather than going dark after a time-out as seen in earlier demonstrations. The remote that ships has not been determined, could even be a touch-screen, but the touchpad remote was not in sight. The 922 still has the tile-based menu as shown above on the middle monitor of the Dish booth. The ethernet HD output now mirrors TV2 rather than being a separate “TV3” out as previously seen. That will be a post-release upgrade, as will the internet browser. A firm release date has yet to be established (summer seems likely), but I was assured the 922 would not see a third CES as a future product.
The 512 was not on display, but here is what I was able to find out. It is a dual-tuner SD receiver for one TV, basically a 522 locked in Single Mode. The product line-up brochure shows it has the same dimensions as the 522/625, also it does 8PSK tuning and PIP but not MPEG-4. It is already in production.
Sling 150 WiFi Monitor
Sling 150 WiFi Monitor
Sling 300
Sling 300
Sling 300
Sling 300
Sling 300
Sling 300
Sling 700u connected to a 722k
Sling 700u
SlingPlayer Mobile
SlingPlayer
RemoteThe Sling 300 is essentially the same as the 150 without the monitor. With the 300, you can get TV2, in HD up to 1080i, on your own monitor. Some operations aren't as smooth as a direct TV2 connection, as the 150 and 300 have their own menu. For instance, scrolling across the guide was interrupted while the next segment loaded. The remote is based on the 922 touchpad design but using cursor control keys, numbers are reached by hunting and pecking on a virtual keypad.
The 700u adds Sling capability to any Dish HD receiver. No need for a Slingbox's analog connections, extra power requirement, or extra ethernet. It's USB-powered, and sends the content already in the DVR out the DVR's own ethernet connection. Basically gives the DVR the SlingLoaded capability of the 922 minus its GUI and other advanced features. The egg-crate design is reportedly for cooling, but the center portion didn't feel at all warm. The 700u may be used at the same time as an external drive (the problem of connecting 2 EHDs is still being worked on).
Dish Optical fiber stacker and amp
Dish Optical close-up
Dish Single-Wire Solution
Dish Single-Wire Stacker
Dish Single-Wire De-Stacker
The fiber stacker (gold box inside the white case) can feed up to 64 optical ODPP43 switches. Add the case with the amplifier to go up to 512.
The Single-Wire Solution will output to 2 dual-tuner receivers, each with its own Separator. Residential installers aren't expected to have it in stock, but hopefully it will be available for the occasional difficult installation.
Sling Receiver 300 and Touch Control 100
Touch 100 remote
T2200S cable set-top box
T2200S
T2200S remote control
T2200S at the Dolby booth
T2200S front panel
The photos of the Innovations Showcase didn't turn out well due to the display cases, but the Sling folks had the awards on display.
The T2200S is the cable version of the 922 with some substantial differences (no OTA in, Firewire and eSATA ports, power out, different front panel and remote). No word on whether any cable operators have placed an order.
Iron Man poster with cast autographs
Somehow thought they'd be bigger
Marvel Comics' Stan Lee at Marvell
Star Trek (2009) captain's chair
Captain's chair looking down from behind
Star Trek chair
Star Trek chair
Enterprise model record player
With another $750 in donations to the EKB Operating Fund, the $750 Iron Man movie poster can be adorning ye ole editor's wall.
Star Trek photos are from the Dolby booth. Didn't get my picture in the chair because it broke on Thursday and was roped off when it was returned Saturday.
Ferrari
Ferrari
Yes, you have to spend this much on a car ;)
Work-site office with in-dash computer
F350 rolling DeWalt toolbox
Find destination on PC, send to car
Sony BDP-CX960
Panasonic 152" plasma
DirecTV 3D announced at Panasonic booth
dts booth
Hover toy controlled by iPod
Future SD card capacity
Hoover Dam bypass
There were many 3D TV demos. The ones I went to (Mitsubishi, Panasonic) were of mixed success depending on the material. All the ones I saw required glasses, and maybe also a special set and/or player. Interesting, but nothing I can't wait for.
At the hover toy display, the man kneeling next to me to get a good shot of it got more than he bargained for when it suddenly went towards him, striking him on the head and knocking him to the floor. After verifying he wasn't injured, I asked the important question -- yes, he got it all on tape!
More detailed CES reports with an emphasis on Dish Network and EchoStar can be found at SatelliteGuys and DBSTalk.