Beta testers, such as a well-connected associate, have begun receiving AT&T’s DirecTV Now Android TV streaming box.
Both the packaging and startup sequence prominently display that “beta” designation – and with good reason. While DirecTV Now fires up fast, a subset of cloud DVR programming is conspicuously unavailable. As full-on Android TV, the Google Assistant is present, you can link up your personal YouTube account, and additional apps are available for installation, like an Apple TV or Roku. However, my pal is somewhat disappointed that there’s no Roku- or TiVo-esque universal search capabilities (yet?) to tie it all together in a sensible manner.
Interestingly, the company bundled what looks to be a legit DirecTV power supply… adding to the mystery surrounding the hardware, as some have speculated this set-top and service will ultimately replace AT&T U-verse. Not to mention that Bluetooth remote has a large, vacant area that seems destined to display some sort of branding. So we’ll continue to speculate on the future of this slim and sprightly solution.
