DISH Network iPad App Works as Remote Control

PC Mag

On Thursday, DISH Network took its Apple iPhone app to the iPad, allowing users to program and directly control their DISH DVRs.

The free app, available form the Apple iTunes App Store, already has been released in a version for the iPod touch and iPhone. In that form, the app can be used as a means to program the DVR, browse a schedule of shows, and adding and deleting programs. The app is compatible with most DISH receivers.

The iPad version adds a new twist, remote control, allowing a user who is unwilling or unable to find his DVR remote to control the DVR via the tablet.

"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, in a statement.

DirecTV Suing Dish Network for Ads Saying it's Cheaper

USA Today

Satellite TV provider DirecTV is suing its rival, Dish Network, for running an advertisement saying that Dish delivers the same programs for less money.

The TV commercial shows three TV sets broadcasting the same programs, with Dish(DISH) costing $39.99 a month, DirecTV (DTV)costing $63.99 and cable TV at $63.83.

DirecTV's lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in New York, accuses Dish of "blatantly false and misleading advertising." DirecTV said the subscription plan used in the commercial offers more than 140 channels while Dish Network's cheaper plan has fewer than 100 channels.

Dish said it stands by its claim. Dish launched its "Why Pay More" ad campaign last summer and since has been reversing a decline in subscribers.

During the Jan. 31 Grammy Awards, Dish unveiled a 30-second TV commercial that said customers are paying more for TV at DirecTV because the company used expensive celebrity endorsements. Dish said it has pulled the ad after getting complaints from some celebrities.

Behind Dish's recent ad campaign is advertising industry veteran Ira Bahr, Dish's chief marketing officer who joined the company in February 2009. He has said that so far, Dish's direct comparisons to DirecTV have been working.

Dish lost 94,000 net subscribers in the first quarter of 2009 and added 26,000 in the second quarter, its first increase in five quarters. By the third quarter, it gained 241,000.