Congratulations DISH Network DVR owners, you no longer have to be jealous of your DirecTV brethren, now that DISH Remote Access lets you schedule recordings from anywhere. All that's necessary is a broadband connected ViP DVR like the ViP® 722k, ViP® 722, ViP® 622 and ViP® 612. Got an attached Slingbox (or, in the future, SlingLoaded ViP 922 HD DVR?) Then you can watch recorded shows from anywhere too via the SlingGuide we peeped at CES. That's really all there is, we could whine about this upgrade taking so long but really, it seems better to just go ahead and try out the new features immediately. Now, about that Sling app for iPhones...

Up for an investigation? We've got a curious case going on with a recent FCC filing, which sees the user manual of the recently unveiled DuoDVR ViP 922 (yeah, the SlingLoaded one) alongside images of a heretofore unseen ViP 822 DVR. Curiously, the actual FCC label corresponds with the "922," through the logo on the pictured Sling DVR definitely shows "822." So, is this just the typical step a device takes before it hits shelves in America, or is this a DVR we've never seen before? Something tells us it's far less exciting than our imaginations are leading us to believe.

DISH Network was on hand at CES in order to demonstrate its first SlingLoaded DVR, the beefy ViP 922. We stopped by to give the set-top-box a look, and while it was a touch large for our tastes, the front panel did look pretty attractive. We even got the oh-so-kind booth attendant to run through the menus for a few minutes (which won't be backwards compatible with other DISH DVRs, by the way), and while the Sling icon and a few internet connected apps weren't operational on the demo unit, we figure you'll get the point. Have a look at the gallery below / video above!

We just heard about the Sling Monitor, a quick way to move content from your Dish ViP 922 around your home, but we had to see it for ourselves. The display model at the Echostar booth was mounted way above eye-level, so we had to take some blind shots above the head. Look with your eyes, not your hands!

That funky angled screen is the just announced Sling Monitor (yes Virginia, it is HD), designed to work with the SlingLoaded ViP 922 DVR to take video anywhere in the house via WiFi. With 922, you can perform the usual Sling-type activities streaming video over the net and as many as three devices in the home, including HD over wireless. The model right now is 14.9-inch, but according to President Charlie Ergen nothing definite has been decided yet before the expected launch this summer.

Not sure why Echostar had this hidden little gem at the bottom of its Sling press release yesterday, but apparently Echostar intends to leverage its technology from the ViP 922 DuoDVR to produce a tru2way DVR for the cable industry that will not only bring DISH Networks' DVR software to cable subscribers, but will also be SlingLoaded. We sure wish we had more to share with you, but we'll all have to wait together until the spring when Echostar is ready to announce the full plans to trial this box.

We heard way back in May of last year that DISH Network's next major wave of DVRs would have hints of Sling all over. Guess that played out alright, huh? The company has just announced its first SlingLoaded DVR, the ViP 922 HD DuoDVR. For those still scratching their heads, here's the skinny: this is the industry's first high-definition digital video recorder that incorporates placeshifting technology. The device packs five video sources including satellite, broadband and optional OTA tuners, and the 1TB HDD can hold up to 1,000 hours of content before tapping into external drive space. The box comes bundled with an innovative touchpad remote, and it can be controlled using the all new SlingGuide, which enables users to control their TV viewing experience over the web. No word on a price or release date, but boy, it'll be hard to resist regardless. The full release for both the DVR and the SlingGuide are just after the break.