Need another place to watch TV? DISH Network wants to get your PlayStation more into the whole-house DVR's mix. The company just announced Virtual Joey, a software-based client that will put the DISH Hopper experience on the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4.
Virtual Joey promises almost the exact same experience you'd get with the hardware-based Joey -- the one that works in conjunction with the Hopper Whole-Home HD DVR. (Read more about the setup in our DISH Network Hopper with Sling Whole-House DVR Review.) In other words, you can use the PS3 or PS4 to access and control Hopper content, including live TV, recordings and video-on-demand programs, as well as DISH Network's electronic program guide.
If you have the PS3 or PS4 in a game room, a kid's room, the basement, or even an office, you'll now have access to the Hopper's live TV and recordings via those PlayStation consoles. The Virtual Joey connects wirelessly to the Hopper, so no additional coaxial or Ethernet connections are necessary. Of course, it will also work with a subscriber's wired home network.
Don't have the PS3 or PS4? DISH is also making the Virtual Joey client available to subscribers with an LG Smart TV. When it launches, the app will be accessible on both 2013 and 2014 LG Smart TVs.
"These software-based Joey clients give customers the ability to access Hopper in any room, and customers don't have to add extra components, or even wires, to access all their DISH content," said Vivek Khemka, DISH's senior vice president of product management.
Expect the PS3 and PS4 apps to come sometime in the first half of 2014. Once available, users can download the app from the PlayStation Store and use an existing DISH remote or the DualShock controller to navigate through the app's features.
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