Live From Dish's CES 2014 Press Conference

The press conference is over, but you can still read all the updates as they happened by scrolling down a bit. If you're looking for info about the new Super Joey and WiFi Joey set-top streamers, check out our in-depth article on the subject.

Press Conference

—We're waiting patiently at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, where Dish is holding its CES 2014 press conference. The show should begin at 11AM, so keep this page refreshed for the latest announcements.

—So far, the Hopper has been revealed as a superhero kangaroo, along with his loyal sidekick, Joey.

—Dish CEO Joe Clayton has just taken the stage. He's talking about last year's Hopper with Sling reveal.... and doing a mean Austin Powers impersonation.

The Super Joey

—The first big announcement: Dish's Super Joey. What is it? An upgraded set-top box that pairs with a Hopper and allows Dish customers to record up to eight programs at one time. With that setup, users have a total of five TV tuners: three in the Hopper and two in the Super Joey. That means you can record ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC all on one tuner, while the other four can be used to record separate channels.

—Recommendations have been added to the Hopper interface, and there will be voice recognition features added, as well. Clayton says it can understand his southern accent.

Potential Virtual Joey Partnerships

—Joe Clayton mentioned a Playstation Joey, which sounds similar to the Virtual Joey Dish app available on LG Smart TVs.

—He just mentioned that Dish is interested in combining Hopper functionality with... home automation. No real details were given, but it sounds intriguing.

Where Dish is Going

—Another speaker just took the stage to speak about the direction Dish is headed. He's reiterating the three keys to Dish's plan: affordability, availability, and ease of use.

—He says that Hopper customers watch significantly more TV than other cable and satellite subscribers. Much of this is due to Dish's PrimeTime AnyTime feature, because it records all basic broadcast channels (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC).

—The Hopper will now come with an iPad Mini. Previously, Dish subscribers could get a free iPad 2 with the Hopper.

—Vivek Khemka, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Dish, just took the stage. He's talking about HDMI-CEC, which senses which of your TV inputs is in use and automatically switches to it. New Joeys will get a performance bump thanks to new hardware.

—Khemka is now talking about the new iPad app, which will have recommendation features. He is also reiterating the ability to record eight shows at once with the Hopper and Super Joey.

The Wireless Joey

—Another new announcement: the Wireless Joey. The major selling point is that Dish customers can use it without the need for a coaxial cable. That means wall-mounted TVs or rooms without a coax hookup can still enjoy all the benefits that a Hopper/Joey pairing brings.

Dish Apps

—Mr. Khemka is now talking about the Dish app for Playstation, which will be available on both the PS3 and PS4. It looks like it will replicate the regular Dish interface on a Playstation, much like the app on LG Smart TVs.

—In addition to the Playstation and LG Smart TVs, Dish will release an app for Amazon Kindle Fire tablets. While Kindles run a form of Android, they do not have access to the Google Play app store, which already has the Android Dish app.

—Vivek Khemka just took out an iPad to show off the voice recognition feature. He first searched for Angelina Jolie movies, which the app found easily. Then, he told the app to find movies of hers without Brad Pitt. The iPad app updated the contents to reflect this.

—And now Khemka is taking out his Google Glass to interact with the Hopper. Yep, it works.

Marketing Initiatives

—James Moorhead, Chief Marketing Officer at Dish, is now on stage. He's talking up the company's all-time high brand awareness, which he credits to the Boston "Hoppa" guys. They're now delighting the crowd with the thickest of Boston accents. As a Boston-based company, we're flattered.

—Moorhead is talking about Dish's partnerships with Apple and Southwest Airlines. There's nothing new to talk about: He's just showing commercials with the Boston guys in them. Dish will be kicking off a new marketing campaign soon, so prepare yourselves.

—CEO Joe Clayton is taking the stage again. He refers to Dish as disruptors, innovators, and consumer advocates because of the company's willingness to embrace change and challenge the status quo.

—His last reveal concerns Dish's installation vans, which will feature lower emissions, lower cost, and a domestic propane fuel source.

—Clayton ended the conference by declaring 2014 the year of the kangaroo. Whether that's true or not remains to be seen, but we'll be keeping our eyes on the latest products from Dish.

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