DISH Network L.L.C., a wholly owned subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), today announced that it will be the first pay-TV provider to launch a 4K ‘Ultra HD’ set-top box. Named the 4K Joey, the unit is designed to easily integrate with DISH’s Hopper Whole Home HD DVR system.

DISH launches 4K Joey designed to easily integrate with DISH's Hopper Whole-Home HD DVR system. (Pho ...

DISH launches 4K Joey designed to easily integrate with DISH's Hopper Whole-Home HD DVR system. (Photo: Business Wire)

Unlike other 4K pay-TV options which are confined to an app on select TVs, the DISH 4K Joey is dedicated hardware that will be compatible with all HDMI 2.0/ HDCP 2.2-compliant televisions. The 4K Joey will not only play back 4K ultra HD content, it will also enhance everyday viewing of television and sports programming by supporting side-by-side display of two programs, each in HD. This picture-in-picture (PiP) capability was not possible previously and is ideal for sports fans who want to watch two games playing at the same time.

DISH will deliver 4K content from several providers. Specific announcements will be made closer to the consumer launch of 4K Joey, which is slated for the second quarter.

“Our new 4K Joey offers the most versatile, future-proofed 4K setup for our customers,” said Vivek Khemka, senior vice president of Product Management. “It’s easy to install and works with the most 4K televisions, so no matter what brand customers bought over the holiday season, they can enjoy content through DISH.”

Tech Specs

The DISH 4K Joey, which supports any HDMI 2.0/HDCP 2.2-compliant television, is compatible with all Hopper systems, provides full Joey functionality for standard and high-definition televisions and supports playback at 60fps in 10-bit color. The new set-top box is equipped with a Broadcom dual-core chipset and Broadcom 7448 dual-core ARM processor. It features PiP, Bluetooth and supports Hopper apps such as Vevo, Netflix and Game Finder.

The newest member of DISH’s Joey troop can network to a Hopper set-top box via coax or Ethernet connections. The unit also features Toslink and RCA analog audio outputs to accommodate a wide variety of home audio configurations.

For more on DISH’s activities at CES, visit www.dish.com/technology/ces.

About DISH

DISH Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH), through its subsidiary DISH Network L.L.C., provides approximately 14.041 million satellite TV customers, as of Sept. 30, 2014, with the highest-quality programming and technology with the most choices at the best value. Subscribers enjoy a high definition line-up with more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network Corp. is a Fortune 250 company. Visit www.dish.com.

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