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Dish announces streaming app for PlayStation consoles
A troop of new Joey devices wasn't the only thing Dish had up its sleeve for CES. In an effort to bring its streaming chops to game consoles, the company has just announced an app for PlayStation that does just that. Dish customers will be able to take advantage of the Hopper's functionality via its Virtual Joey software on both PlayStation 3 and PS4 consoles to access their favorite TV shows without having to switch devices once that marathon gaming session is up. This software also allows for control via either the DualShock 4 or the Dish remote. The app should arrive for download this spring in the PlayStation Store.
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).
Dish's 'Virtual Joey' is a streaming app for smart TVs that takes the place of a set-top box (video)
Assuming you're not a home-theater gear head, we'll start this post by giving you a quick history lesson. Back at CES 2012, Dish Network announced a whole-home DVR setup, including the Hopper DVR and a multi-room extender, called the Joey. Then, at last year's CES, Dish introduced a version of the Hopper with Sling built in, allowing you to send both live and recorded shows to a mobile device. This year, Dish is turning its attention back to those Joey boxes except, well, it doesn't necessarily have any hardware to show for it. The company just announced the "Virtual Joey" a smart TV app that will come built into select LG televisions, and which will take the place of a physical Joey extender. To be clear, you'll still need a Hopper DVR to anchor the whole experience, but this would at least mean you have one less piece of hardware taking up space in your house. According to company reps, the app will come to 2013 and 2014 LG smart TVs, though it's working to ink deals with other manufacturers as well. We hope to get an in-person demo here at CES, so hang tight for some hands-on!
Dish and Sprint to trial fixed LTE broadband in Texas
Dish may already be testing wireless broadband in Virginia, but it's not content to stop there. The TV provider has just partnered with Sprint on an upcoming trial of fixed LTE service in Corpus Christi, Texas. Both companies are shy on details, although they expect to use both indoor and outdoor routers when the test run begins in mid-2014. Service will expand to more areas in the future, although Dish and Sprint aren't being more specific; we've reached out for further details. Whatever they do next, the experiment is good news for those who want more (or at least faster) rural broadband in the US.
Dish Hopper DVR upgrades enable control over HDMI, expand iPad support
Dish's Hopper software team is clearly busy; just two months after it brought home-automation support to its DVR, it's rolling out another update that offers considerably more control. The new "Denver" firmware enables promised HDMI-CEC support, letting the Hopper send and receive commands from compatible HDMI gear. It can automatically switch TV inputs when powered on, for example. Other upgrades introduce universal search, a help app and a shelf-like layout for On Demand videos. As part of the revamp, Dish is also improving its Explorer iPad app; Apple tablet owners can both control every TV on the Hopper platform and find recommended shows. Neither "Denver" nor the Explorer update will necessarily get anyone switching TV providers, but it should make the viewing experience that much sweeter for loyal customers.
Dish Anywhere mobile apps to get offline viewing by the end of 2013
Dish currently has a splintered mobile app strategy: you have to use Dish Anywhere for streaming TV shows, and Hopper Transfers for all your offline viewing. It's about to get much simpler, though, as the company has just promised that Dish Anywhere will handle offline videos by the end of the year. In addition to consolidating the experience, the upgrade also introduces Transfers support to Android and iPhone users -- you won't have to use an iPad to catch up on Hopper DVR recordings. While we'd prefer a more definite release date, we won't mind waiting for a much simpler approach to remote TV watching.
Blockbuster to shutter remaining US retail stores, accept the inevitable
It wasn't hard to see the writing on the wall for Blockbuster's rapidly declining disc-based movie services, and it's now clear that the end is at hand. The Dish-owned company says it will close its remaining 300 directly controlled American stores (down from 9,000 in its heyday) by early January, along with their matching distribution centers. Blockbuster By Mail rentals will also disappear by mid-December. While franchised stores will survive, Blockbuster is effectively becoming an internet-only brand in the US; you'll likely have to use Blockbuster @Home or Blockbuster On Demand to see that blue-and-yellow logo. We're not lamenting the death of the retail business when online services are much more convenient, but we won't blame you if you feel slightly nostalgic -- it's the end of an era. [Image credit: Josh Smith, Flickr]
Southwest, Dish offer free iPad entertainment to travelers
If you're a frequent flier who hasn't yet invested in a tablet of your own, Southwest has you covered: As part of a larger partnership between the airline and television provider Dish, Southwest will now not only provide in-flight entertainment for passengers who have iOS devices of their own, but will now also offer iPads to those without their own compatible smartphone or tablet. The tablets -- which are the iPad 2 model -- will be available for passengers to "check out" at kiosks within terminals at Chicago-Midway, Denver and Oakland airports. If you're flying between any of these cities on a WiFi-enabled flight, you'll be able to loan an iPad and enjoy a selection of live and on-demand content for free during your trip.
Dish Hopper DVRs open up to home automation control, we wonder what's next
Back in July Dish Network announced plans to open its Hopper DVR platform to mobile app developers, and today at CEDIA we saw the results of that initiative. Thanks to SDK access that can mirror the functionality of Dish's own Explorer iPad app, home automation systems like Control4 can now directly access the DVRs. That means users with those systems (or others, we saw demos of integration with a few other systems although they haven't been officially announced yet) can control their DVR with the same controls used to adjust their lighting, security and other services. So far, access is limited to simple remote control commands over IP while everything gets certified and secured, but eventually it will include full two-way communication, including guide data and more. While that's enough to make anyone who orders or builds custom systems drool, what could it mean for the rest of us? We'll have to wait and see, but if Control4 can build in access, we can certainly imagine what the Xbox One, Google TV, Samsung's Smart TV or any other rumored devices (*cough*) might be able to offer. We'll probably have to wait until CES to hear more on that front, but we did get a quick preview of a feature in testing that's coming to all Hopper DVRs: HDMI-CEC control. The ability to send and receive commands is something we've wanted on cable / satellite set-top boxes for some time, and Dish Network may well be the first to make it happen.
Dish opens Hopper DVR to handful of third-party mobile app developers
As powerful as the Hopper DVR can be, it largely exists in an app vacuum: to date, only official releases like Dish Explorer and Dish Social have had access. Dish is giving its set-top box some much needed flexibility, however, by offering the Hopper's APIs to third-party developers. The expansion lets non-Dish mobile apps control the Hopper directly, whether it's switching to a live show or scheduling a recording. Thuuz Sports (shown above) is the first app to take advantage of the APIs, although we wouldn't expect a flood of releases afterwards -- Dish is screening developers for privacy issues and "other considerations." Still, the move represents a rare level of openness in an industry that frequently insists on self-branded software.
Southwest fliers to get TV for free on mobile devices courtesy of Dish Network
Virgin America is often the domestic airline leading the way in in-flight entertainment, but Southwest Airlines is doing its best to keep up with Sir Richard Branson's stateside flight outfit. Earlier in the year, Southwest rolled out pay TV and on-demand video in many of its aircraft. Today, the airline announced a partnership with Dish Network to bring free satellite TV to passengers' mobile devices on its 400 Wi-Fi equipped planes. Why the shift to a gratis service? Dish decided that ponying up the necessary dough was worth it for the branding it'll receive as a part of the new deal. So, go forth, friends and fly Southwest's friendly skies -- assuming the free TV is enough to entice you to brave its first-come-first-served seating methods.
Dish withdraws its offer to buy Clearwire
And with that, Dish is (seemingly) out of the running: following a decision to back away from buying Sprint, the satellite TV giant has also withdrawn its bid for Clearwire. The company is bowing out due to a "change in recommendation" at Clearwire -- in other words, shareholders now prefer Sprint's recently sweetened offer. Between that and Sprint's lawsuit, we're not expecting Dish to make another acquisition attempt, especially when Softbank's acquisition of Sprint (and thus Clearwire) could close in a matter of weeks.
Sprint boosts Clearwire buyout offer to $5 per share, $14 billion valuation
We're deep into a bona fide bidding war here -- Sprint and Dish are both battling for an approximately 50-percent stake in Clearwire, and as of today, that former contestant's bid makes it the new front runner. To catch you up, last month Dish offered $4.40 per share for Clearwire, following Sprint's offer of $3.40 per share made way back in December. Now, the carrier has increased its bid to a whopping 5 bucks per share, which values Clearwire at just about $14 billion. (As you can probably imagine, CLWR's trading price has jumped today to match that new target.) This comes just days after Sprint filed a lawsuit to prevent the other two parties from moving forward. Whether or not CLWR's spectrum and other assets make it worth that sum is a different story, but Sprint clearly sees some solid value there.
Dish doesn't submit another bid to buy Sprint, will 'consider its options'
The latest move in the standoff between Softbank, Sprint, Dish Network and Clearwire has been made, as Dish stated today it will not submit another bid for Sprint. This comes after Sprint sued to stop Dish from buying Clearwire, which the satellite company called an attempt to deflect attention from its own unfair dealings. If you'll recall, Dish Network jumped in with a $25.5 billion offer to buy Sprint, but after Japanese carrier Softbank improved its proposal slightly, Sprint put Dish on a deadline to respond. That time limit expired today, and Dish is choosing to consider its options on Sprint, while focusing on completing the Clearwire deal. Dish cited some specific changes in the Softbank deal that made it impossible to meet the deadline, including higher break-up fees if the deal didn't go through. so what's next? Softbank's still waiting for FCC approval before it can go through with the acquisition, and reports it expects to close the deal in early July.
Sprint sues Dish and Clearwire, claims buyout offer is illegal
Sprint warned Clearwire in early June that it viewed Dish's latest attempt to buy it as illegal, and now the carrier is following up with legal action. Big Yellow has just announced that its filed a lawsuit against Dish and its acquisition target in Delaware, as it believes the buyout would violate state law and the rights of shareholders and investors in both itself and Clearwire. The Now Network is asking the court to prevent the completion of the deal, rescind certain parts of the agreement and seek "declaratory, injunctive, compensatory and other relief." In the outfit's own words, the suit "details how DISH has repeatedly attempted to fool Clearwire's shareholders into believing its proposal was actionable in an effort to acquire Clearwire's spectrum and to obstruct Sprint's transaction with Clearwire." Stand back folks, the legal fireworks are just starting. Update: Head past the break to catch a statement from Dish on the matter.
Dish and nTelos start testing fixed LTE broadband in rural Virginia (video)
The test run supplies 2.5GHz wireless internet access to a handful of homes near Afton and Waynesboro, with speeds hovering at a respectable 20Mbps to 50Mbps.
WSJ: Clearwire to endorse Dish's offer, push back vote on Sprint deal (updated)
Well, it looks like Sprint's letter to Clearwire Corp. didn't adequately trash Dish Network. According to The Wall Street Journal, a special committee of Clearwire's board will push back a shareholder vote on Sprint's deal this Thursday and recommend that the full board endorse Dish's buyout proposal. Needless to say, that would put a sizable wrench in Sprint's plans to fully acquire the spectrum provider. The carrier already owns nearly half of Clearwire, and if Dish gets its way, it will become a major minority shareholder in the company. Whatever happens next, likely won't end the drawn-out bidding war, though; Sprint has already claimed that Dish's offer can't legally be accepted without its consent. As always, stay tuned. Update: Dish just formally announced the extension of its tender offer to Clearwire, pushing back the original June 28th date to July 2nd. Skip past the break for the full release.
Sprint tells Clearwire that Dish's buyout offer is illegal
In case it wasn't already obvious that Sprint sees Dish's attempt to buy Clearwire as rather rude, the carrier made its irritation perfectly clear today. Sprint just sent a letter to Clearwire's board of directors that claims the latest Dish buyout proposal violates Delaware laws relating to board control. Moreover, some of the proposal's terms would reportedly need Sprint's permission -- which, as you'd imagine, isn't exactly forthcoming. We've reached out to Dish for a response, although we're not expecting the satellite giant to simply accept Sprint's interpretation at face value. If Sprint is right, however, the objection could at least force Dish back to the drawing board.
Clearwire shareholder meeting rescheduled after Dish improves its offer
Dish's interesting attempt to acquire its way into the wireless data business has taken another turn this evening, thanks to a new development in its bid for Clearwire. Dish upped its offer to $4.40 per share for all of the company's outstanding shares earlier this week, and the Clearwire board seems interested. Originally scheduled to take place Friday morning, the meeting is now set for June 13th so the board can discuss Dish's offer, and how it compares to Sprint's $2.2 billion / $3.40 per share bid for the 50 percent of Clearwire it does not yet own. The new bid is apparently more "actionable" than Dish's previous proposal, and could also complicate Softbank's attempt to acquire Sprint which Dish is also trying to intercept. Hit the links below for all the business details while we wait for the various bords and committees to figure out what happens to these companies next.
Dish Social app brings Twitter, Facebook to Hopper DVRs
Dish is a little late to the social television party, but it has finally arrived with the aptly (if not creatively) named Social app. The app, available on Hopper DVRs, shows personal Facebook, Twitter or Now Watching feeds -- which displays tweets relevant to the show and channel being viewed -- in a right rail alongside the video window. Social also enables full tweeting functionality and the ability to post Facebook status updates to up to four accounts for either social network. Lastly, the app delivers data about the amount of Twitter action related to the program being watched, such as the number of tweets in the past hour and where those tweets are coming from. Not bad, eh? All you Dish customers no longer need a second screen to spew forth your digital vitriol the next time David Benioff and D.B. Weiss kill off your favorite resident of Westeros.
