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Dish's smaller AirTV 2 can hide while it streams local TV
Dish has unveiled a new version of its AirTV media box, and it's good news for those who want their over-the-air broadcasts in a subtler package. The AirTV 2 once again shares up to two streams of OTA material with the devices in your home, but it's now smaller, subtler and overall sleeker. You'll have a better chance of tucking the box away where it won't command attention. The device also boasts improved connectivity, although you're still looking at an 802.11ac WiFi connection.
AirTV Mini delivers streaming and local TV in a dongle
A couple years ago Dish revealed AirTV, an Android TV-powered set-top box. The company has been relatively quiet since then, but today, it launched the AirTV Mini. The new device is a 4K HDR-compatible streaming stick that brings users Sling TV, Netflix and over-the-air (OTA) channels, as well as other apps built for Android TVs.
Dish adds dual tuners to AirTV Player through an adapter
Dish's AirTV Player is an intriguing mix of an over-the-air player with streaming services, but that single tuner has made it difficult to recommend if you want to both record and watch live broadcasts. You won't have to make that compromise from now on, though, if you're willing to pay. The company has launched a dual tuner adapter that enables simultaneous recording and viewing, or recording for two channels if there are two must-see shows you're going to miss.
Dish's new AirTV broadcasts over-the-air channels to all your devices
Dish's first AirTV was an intriguing set-top box that combined over-the-air (OTA) channels with Sling TV's streaming interface. The downside? It only worked with one TV at a time, and that set had to be near a good antenna reception spot. Today, the company is introducing an even more ambitious $120 AirTV (the previous device is now the AirTV Player), a home server that connects to your antenna and broadcasts OTA content to all of your gadgets. Even better, it'll also let you watch live TV when you're away from home. You can think of it as a completely legal alternative to Aereo, the defunct OTA streaming startup.
Sling tries to lure customers with an AirTV bundle
Sling has realized that it also needs a dirt-cheap hardware offering to help hook wary users into cutting the cord. That's why it's heavily discounting the AirTV Player, which lets you access local channels and Netflix, from a single, Roku-esque box. Normally, the device would set you back $130, including three months of Sling service, but can be yours for $50, depending on your subscription fee.
AirTV is shipping to customers without its biggest feature (updated)
Back at CES, we were quite smitten with AirTV's ability to put all of your streaming services and over-the-air channels in the same place. Well, it looks like the set-top box is shipping to customers without its key feature. AirTV doesn't currently integrate OTA channels inside the Sling guide alongside streaming options like we saw in Vegas, instead there's a button that provides access to those local channels.
AirTV conveniently pairs streaming with over-the-air channels
With the plethora of TV-streaming options, getting all of your content in one place can be a chore. At CES this week, Dish unveiled the AirTV: a 4K set-top box that handles Sling TV, Netflix, Android TV for other streaming apps and over-the-air channels. The $130 device also uses the Sling TV guide to organize all of that content. It also includes a remote with dedicated buttons for those aforementioned streaming libraries. I spent some time with the AirTV on the show floor to see how well it really works.
Dish's AirTV combines 4K streaming with an over-the-air antenna
Finding quality 4K content is still rather difficult, but that isn't keeping hardware manufacturers from building devices to support the format. To that end, Dish is announcing a new set-top box called AirTV that has a few tricks up its sleeve. Just as last month's leak showed, it's based on Android TV and combines the Sling TV over-the-top video service with apps from Google Play. But it also works with an over-the-air antenna to pull in free live TV, as well.
Sling TV is making a box to stream free local TV channels
More than any technical challenge, the big problem for streaming services like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue today is licensing local broadcast networks. Because of that, Sling TV only offers ABC as part of a special package and Fox with its new multi-stream plan, while PS Vue only has broadcast channels in certain cities. But there is one simple solution to those baffling licensing issues: free, over-the-air broadcasts of local channels, which anyone can view with an antenna. That seems to be the entire point behind Sling's upcoming AirTV box, which will capture your local OTA TV streams and let you watch it via Sling TV apps, reports Zatz Not Funny.
