Dish building Google Assistant directly into Hopper DVRs for voice commands, control

Abner Li | Jan 8 2019 - 3:07 pm PT

Last year, Dish rolled out the ability for users to control set-top boxes via Assistant on speakers, phones, and other smart devices. The DVR maker at CES 2019 announced that it is directly building Google Assistant into the Hopper family.

In the coming months, receivers that support the Dish voice remote will be able to talk to Google Assistant. Not only does this allow for full access of the DVR, but users can ask queries and control other compatible smart home gadgets. Additional capabilities include getting the weather, news updates, and photos, with answers displayed on the connected television.

With the Google Assistant built-in on Hopper, customers will be able to use the DISH voice remote to ask the Assistant questions and see answers on the screen like the weather forecast or games scores. Users will also be able to control smart home devices, such as dimming the lights or adjusting the thermostat, and relive favorite memories by pulling up Google Photos on the TV screen – all with their voice.

A Dish voice remote is required, with all generations of the broadband-connected Hopper, Joey, and Wally supported. For other users, the remote is a $20 upgrade and already allows for content navigation, search, and selection.

The set-top box can still be controlled by other Assistant devices, but the remote from Dish makes for an end-to-end experience for Hopper customers. This update will be available to Dish customers at no additional cost in the “coming months.”