This past year, the push by major companies such as Netflix, Hulu, Blockbuster, and Verizon to introduce video streaming content on mobile devices have been considerable. Now every major mobile carrier on the handheld market features a video streaming app by competing video streaming content providers. One of the biggest recent pushes came from Dish Network, an industry-leading service provider of satellite television, providing their Dish customers and iPhones users the unprecedented option to view live and recorded programs from their Dish DVRs on their iPhones. As one of the most popular mobile devices on the handheld/mobile market today, Apple’s iPhone is a technological and multimedia wonder, capable of delivering an incredible wealth of resources for both business and entertainment use to their users, which makes it an extraordinary device to employ Dish Network’s newest addition to mobile TV streaming. A free upgraded version of the Dish Network on iPhone app now allows Dish customers to view all their favorite television programs, live and recorded, anywhere at any time on their iPhones.

Dish Network’s new television streaming service will, however, require an extra piece of hardware to leverage the capability. Viewing video streams from a video source such as a television set or digital video recorder on a desktop, laptop, or mobile device requires a placeshifting technology to accomplish the task. Sling Media’s Slingbox is a proprietary placeshifting device that Dish Network uses to implement the new TV streaming service. A couple of options are available for customers to obtain the necessary hardware upgrade. For those looking to completely upgrade their current Dish DVR receiver can replace it with the latest Dish SlingLoaded DVR model (ViP 922), which comes embedded with built-in Slingbox technology. The other option is to simply purchase a stand-alone Slingbox device from Sling Media that connects to existing Dish DVR receivers that enables mobile viewing from the DVR.

After installation of the Slingbox hardware, download and install the free Dish Network for iPhone app. The app features all the same functionality found on Dish Remote Access such as accessing and managing DVR programming, browsing television lineups, schedule DVR recordings, managing disk space, and access features on the remote control all on your iPhone. Note that use of the Dish Network on iPhone app requires an online customer account at www.dishnetwork.com. Register for an account and you’re set.