By way of AFTVNews, we learn that DISH went back to the well.
AirTV was originally conceptualized as a network tuner designed to stream local OTA into SlingTV apps, on various platforms, alongside the premium content. However, what they ended up launching was a Playskool-looking Android TV box, with optional tuner, for local antenna TV playback only. But, for 2018, it looks like DISH’s AirTV LLC subsidiary has two new boxes on the docket.
Beyond a mildly refreshed version of the original AirTV, dug up by Cord Cutter News, the more notable news is an apparent resurrection of the Slingbox M1 as an AirTV variant. And, since we’ve seen this several times before, let me just go ahead and quote myself:
By and large, the challenge in licensing over-the-top streaming content has not been in securing a gaggle of traditional “cable” channels. Rather, it’s in bundling the national networks (think: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC) due to their legion of regional affiliates – who expect to be compensated in cash and/or broadcast of their local advertising. The cost and logistical challenge in brokering these relationships is immense, as demonstrated by Sony recently scaling back the PlayStation Vue television service and, perhaps, given the M.I.A. Apple TV offering.
Well, DISH Network subsidiaries Sling TV and Sling Media have collaborated on what looks to be an effective and novel end-around in “AirTV.”
AirTV is essentially an over-the-air Slingbox that repurposes existing M1 streaming hardware by adding an OTA tuner and, most interestingly, replaces a Slingbox client app with the Sling TV experience. So, one would hook up the AirTV to an antenna and one’s home network via WiFi or Ethernet and that local television content would be beamed directly into the Sling TV app – at home or while on the move. I’ll go ahead and assume the ultimate goal here is for the OTA channels from one’s residence to be co-located amongst the pay television channels of Sling TV’s $20 streaming service in a unified guide.
What’s changed in the intervening months is the decision to also launch dedicated AirTV apps – many of which are currently live and awaiting your download. However, without DVR capabilities, Tablo would remain the superior multi-platform OTA streaming solution.
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Any idea what the cost will be?
After being burned years ago with the Dish DTVPal-DVR when they dropped all support less than a year after product introduction with many serious bugs still in the software, it will be a cold day in hell before I ever give Dish an opportunity to steal any of my money again!
People should steer clear of anything related to Dish and OTA. Spend your money on a Tivo or Tablo - 2 companies that know how to properly support their products.
Still don't know why TiVo is dragging on this - if they could put OTT channels and OTA channels in a unified guide with their native DVR functionality - that would be the ultimate solution and they'd sell more of their boxes.
Just negotiating with an existing provider to throw an app on their would be ok, but the ultimate would be to have the raw channel feeds integrated with TiVos native software.
Maybe TiVo would have to build their own content offering to make something like that happen. But it would keep their subscription model alive for much better reason than paying for guide content.
I just gave you ways to keep your business alive TiVo, hope you are listening.
As things currently stand I'm afraid they are getting squeezed on both ends. They need to find a way to inject a core offering to compete with Roku/AppleTV + option that must cord cutters are going straight to.