Dish Network has set a December release date for its DVRPal DVR, a system for recording free over-the-air HDTV broadcasts. The DVRPal has both an ATSC tuner and an NTSC tuner and will record up to 30 hours of high definition programing, though there's no word on exactly what size hard drive the DVR will ship with. Setting it apart from TiVo offerings, the Dish Network box won't require any sort of ongoing subscription fee; all EPG data is pulled from the OTA broadcast. Before a name change, the then-EchoStar TR-50 won a CNet Best of CES award for home video when shown off in January.

The DVR will handle both HDMI and component output, and features USB and Ethernet ports for future expandability. Though digital broadcasts don't make use of the technology, Dish is including an MPEG-4 decoder, hinting at possible future online video offerings. Preorders will start on the 19th for the $250 DVR, available through Dish's DVRPal website.

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