To coincide with the first week of the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, DISH Network rolled out its Sports Bar Mode feature, which allows you to watch four different channels simultaneously. Sports Bar Mode is available on the new 4K-friendly Hopper 3 DVR. When mated with a 4K TV, the Hopper 3 can show each Sports Bar Mode window at a full 1080p resolution. With a 1080p TV, those windows will have a 540p resolution. You can also configure Sports Bar Mode to display two shows side by side or in a general PIP mode with one small window in the upper right corner of the screen.

From DISH Network
DISH Network L.L.C. has launched Sports Bar Mode, also known as MultiView, to Hopper 3 customers nationwide. Sports Bar Mode is a multi-channel view that divides a 4K or HDTV screen into quadrants, each with the ability to display a different program. The feature works by decoding any four different feeds and displaying them simultaneously.

Sports Bar Mode shipped in the latest software update pushed to Hopper 3 set-top boxes. It arrives in time for the March NCAA tournament games, which schedules several basketball matchups at the same time within the first two rounds. In addition to Sports Bar Mode, the software update included performance enhancements and general bug fixes.

"This technology replicates the fan experience of catching several games at once, now from the comfort of your home instead of heading to a local pub," said Vivek Khemka, DISH Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. "Sports Bar Mode is an especially useful tool throughout the month of March, as the tournament airs across four different channels. Not to mention, it's great for households who don't want to miss their favorite drama or sitcom, but also want to keep tabs on any live basketball games."

Sports Bar Mode works with all live, linear channels in DISH's programming lineup, as well as on-demand content and recorded TV shows and movies. To access the feature, customers press the "Options" button on the remote control, select "Picture In Picture," then "MultiView." Once the TV screen is divided into quadrants, customers can easily toggle among the four channels to determine which one will have its audio played. Sports Bar Mode is compatible with both 4K and HD televisions when connected to a Hopper 3. On 4K TVs, the four quadrants display in 1080; on HDTVs, the four quadrants display in 540.

The Hopper 3 includes additional multi-channel configurations, including a split-screen feature that places two channels side-by-side, as well as a setting that overlays a second channel in the upper right hand corner of the TV screen.

Designed to change the way consumers find, record, stream and watch content, DISH's Hopper 3 was first announced at the 2016 CES, then made available to the general market on Jan. 31. The third generation of DISH's whole-home DVR system, the Hopper 3 features 16 tuners, delivers an enhanced 4K experience, supports up to seven TVs simultaneously and integrates Netflix titles into universal search results.

Additional Resources
• DISH Network Introduces 4K-Friendly Hopper 3 DVR at HomeTheaterReview.com.
• DISH Network Adds Kids Profiles to DISH Anywhere App at HomeTheaterReview.com.