Dish launches a wireless set-top box and one that can record eight shows at once
Dish may have announced a smart TV app yesterday, but that doesn't mean it's quite done with the CES announcements. Here in Vegas, the company is showing off two more Dish set-top boxes, both of which are meant to work alongside the Hopper DVR to extend your TV-watching into other rooms of the house. Most notable, perhaps, is the Wireless Joey, which eliminates the physical connection to the Hopper, making it ideal for rooms that either don't have a coaxial input, or that have a wall-mounted TV setup. Instead of cables, the box uses a wireless access point with 802.11ac WiFi to create a private connection, with room for up to two set-top boxes per access point. Additionally, the aptly named Super Joey adds two additional tuners to allow for recording of up to eight simultaneous shows (any four, plus ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC).
On the software front, the Hopper's user interface has been fine-tuned so that it's easier to manage the various tuners. You can also now search by "Recommended Shows." Meanwhile, the Dish Anywhere app now has transfers built in, so that you don't have to use a separate app. It's coming first to iOS and Android devices, with a Kindle version coming later in Q1. Additionally, the Dish Explorer app for iPad is getting voice search for live, on-demand and recorded shows. In terms of availability, we so far know that the Super Joey is coming sometime in Q1, with the Wireless Joey following in Q2. As for the apps, you should be able to enjoy the integrated Transfers right now, though the rest of the app updates aren't scheduled to roll out until later this year.
