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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!
