Playstation 3 owners who also happen to roll with Dish Network just got a cool new way to watch their favorite satellite content. Dish’s Virtual Joey, a DVR companion app, hopped its way to the aging console yesterday. The app, which was unveiled by the company’s always entertaining CEO Joe Clayton at CES in January, already premiered on LG TVs, though it has not yet become available for the Playstation 4.
PS3 owners who want to try out the new app can do so by downloading it from the My Channels section of their console, which will then open up the world of Dish’s live TV, on demand content, and digital video recordings, all without the need for a separate DVR. Access to content can even be controlled with a Dish Network remote, as well as the PS3 controller. Users who want to take advantage of the new app will need a Dish subscription (obviously) as well as a Hopper DVR. The app was part of an all out “Joey” assault Dish made at CES, including the wireless DVR companion box, the Wireless Joey.
LG TV owners have been accessing content directly from their TV for months through Virtual Joey’s powers, hinting at a future in which DVR hardware will be a thing of the past. The new Wi-Fi enabled DVR companion piece has helped Dish – the second largest satellite provide – showcase its prowess for innovation as the company has made substantial gains in recent years on the largest player in the game, DirecTV.
It was perhaps this fervent competition, along with a general decline in the satellite industry, that has lead to a weakened position for DirecTV, allowing it to be snapped up in a $48.5 billion mega-merger by AT&T. The merger was approved by both companies just last Sunday. Still, as DirecTV gains a powerful ally in AT&T, Dish is looking to make its own deal to move beyond pay-TV, hoping to grab a share in telecommunications, which included a recent failed bid to acquire Sprint. The company hopes new innovations such as the Virtual Joey will make it a more enticing partner, as well as bring more subscribers from its biggest competitor into the fold.
For users already on the Dish bandwagon, or those considering moving over to the company, the Virtual Joey is one more reason to choose Dish. Have you tried out the Virtual Joey yet? Let us know what you thought about the app in the comments.
