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Dish knows hotel TV sucks and it wants to help
Checking into a hotel can be like moving back in time, at least when it comes to media. We're all used to using our own devices to watch television and movies, stream music and play games, but many hotels still cling to their cable-style in-room TV systems that we basically bypass to use our own entertainment. Satellite internet and television provider Dish wants to change all that with a new system for hotels called Evolve. It's a 4K-capable box powered by Android TV that sits behind your room's monitor that you can stream to as well as watch live TV in HD.
Now TV Smart Box review: A scrappy blend of on-demand and live TV
Now TV is pivotal to Sky's future success. More people than ever before are eschewing big, expensive TV packages for lighter, on-demand alternatives such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. For the last few years, Sky has been refining (and heavily marketing) Now TV in response. The platform has a number of "passes" which, for roughly the price of a Netflix subscription, cover either sports, movies or TV shows. Now, Sky is pushing forward with the Smart Box, a set-top streamer that comes with the Now TV app and a coaxial port as standard. That means it can handle both free-to-air TV channels and Now TV's content, which includes live channel streaming and catch-up programming. The idea is that the box (which is basically a Roku in disguise) will appeal to cord-cutters who fancy an affordable streaming service or two on top of their traditional TV experience. With the new Smart Box, you can alternate between them without switching inputs or grabbing another remote.
