Startup promises a legal alternative to Aereo's TV streaming
CloudAntenna potentially gives you over-the-air TV through the cloud without Aereo's legal hassles.
TiVo may have dreams of becoming the next Aereo and giving you access to over-the-air TV in the cloud, but one startup isn't willing to wait that long. FreeAir.tv is crowdfunding CloudAntenna, an attempt at recreating Aereo's TV streaming model (it even copied the signature "A" logo) without angering broadcasters. As before, you're streaming free-to-air TV shows that you can save to the cloud for later -- the big difference is that you're buying an antenna box that sits at home, rather than access to a company-owned, legally dodgy antenna like Aereo's. You can even pay for a World TV package that gives you 600-plus international stations, in case local programming just isn't enough.
It'll take at least a $49 pledge to get a CloudAntenna (versus the $149 retail price), or $89 for a model with built-in LTE for internet access away from WiFi. A complete streaming TV package will cost you $20 per month, but FreeAir.tv is promising a year's worth of free access if you back the project. We wouldn't blame you if you're skeptical of such a bold offer -- there are devices like Tablo that may cost you less in the long run, so long as you're willing to record shows locally. If FreeAir.tv does make its promised June ship date, though, it may well pick up where Aereo left off.
