Netflix may not enable downloads for offline mobile viewing for its upcoming partially ad-supported tier, a recent discovery by an indie iPhone developer suggests. 

As reported by Bloomberg, the developer even found code buried deep in Netflix's iPhone app, enabling a user text message that says, “Downloads available on all plans except Netflix with ads.” 

The code also indicated that ad-supported tier users won't be able to skip commercial breaks. 

Netflix wouldn't confirm either feature for its ad-supported tier, which is being developed in vendor partnership with Microsoft and is set to debut next year. 

“We are still in the early days of deciding how to launch a lower priced, ad-supported option and no decisions have been made,” a company rep said. “So this is all just speculation at this point.”

Dish Network has launched the HopperGO, a portable video device that lets subscribers take DVR-recorded TV shows and movies on the road for offline viewing.

Dish, which introduced the product in January at CES, is selling HopperGO for $99. The device sports 64 gigabytes of storage (enough to store about 100 hours of DVR recordings) and a private WiFi cloud that allows up to five tablets and smartphones to connect via the Dish Anywhere app.

HopperGO is compatible with Dish’s Hopper 3 or Hopper 2 DVRs, connectable via USB. Dish said HopperGO is capable of four hours of local streaming on a single charge, and that the device can be used while charging.

“HopperGO is the perfect summer travel companion for nearly anyone, whether you’re road tripping, at the airport or lounging on a beach,” Vivek Khemka, Dish’s EVP and CTO, said in a statement. “It manages the burden of storage, so forget about deleting apps or pictures to free up space on your phone or tablet for video.”

The buzz about TV Everywhere is all around us. It has been hailed as a potential savior against cord-cutting and a possible magnet for millennials.

That would be great news if TV Everywhere were, indeed, everywhere. But in fact, it isn’t, and may never be, in my opinion. In spite of the dedicated investments of the industry’s most forward-looking companies, let’s face it: The free, fast, fat Internet access that you need to stream the latest Walking Dead, to binge on Game of Thrones, to watch live sports, will never reach every corner of the telecommunications universe.

Here are some facts: An estimated 60% of tablet owners don’t have a data plan. That means the minute you leave the house most of us have to rely on hotspots.

I don’t know about you, but I hate having to pay again for WiFi access at the airport, in hotels, even on the train. And just try logging in — chances are, if you can get past the login screen, the service will deliver you into buffering hell. Free WiFi is just as bad, or maybe worse.

Sure, I could ditch the tablet and use my smartphone for my video fix. However, a typical cellphone data plan is limited to only 2 Gigabytes. Streaming one hour of HD content will eat that up before I’ve sent a single email. I could, of course, watch four hours of standard-definition content, but I seriously run the risk of data overages — so count me out.

A much better solution is downloading to take content with you on-the-go. Consumers are accustomed to “pulling” content — they do it every time they log onto our video-on-demand portals. Let’s allow them to pull more of the content they already have paid for onto their mobile device.

We already have the rights for in-home viewing, and the technology exists to protect rights holders and restrict the content to a one-time out-of-home view.

To sum it all up: Downloading has become the table stakes for mobile video — Amazon Prime Instant Video and now YouTube Red both enable offline viewing for their content. Consumers expect ultimate viewing flexibility and programmers and service providers need to allow downloading to meet those expectations.

We can either get on the bus, or land under it, because the bus of mobile video and downloading by consumers is inevitably arriving, and it’s picking up speed. Together, let’s invest in true content everywhere.

Melani Griffith is executive vice president, business development, and a board member at Penthera.