Google Assistant can now control DISH Hopper TV receivers

Google Assistant's prowess in home control is making another solid step with a new DISH partnership. You can now simply talk to Google Assistant to control your DISH Hopper TV receiver, cutting down on the number of times you have to use (or find) the remote or deal with moving through on-screen menus.

Cutting down on the number of times you reach for the remote is always a good thing.

With a Google Assistant device on the same network as your Hopper box, you'll be able to do the basics like "Turn on my Hopper," "Rewind 30 seconds" or "Tune to channel 105," but that's kind of a given at this point. What's really neat is being able to perform more specific actions, like "Record Game of Thrones on Hopper" or "Show me home improvement shows" — things that would normally take several steps with a remote, including typing or browsing through genres. You can also adjust the volume, or launch directly into apps on the Hopper like Netflix and YouTube.

Voice control isn't going to make sense in all situations, but having it as an option when you want to perform a general search or set a recording is going to save you a lot of time when you're getting settled in to watch some TV. It obviously also encourages people to keep a Google Home near their TV as well, which has its own benefits — both for you and Google alike.