Slashdot Mirror
Sling TV Accidentally Reveals Its Set-Top Box For Cord Cutters (engadget.com)
The Sling TV team has inadvertently spilled the beans on its previously leaked media hub for cord cutters. Zatz Not Funny discovered a briefly available landing website for the AirTV Player, and it's clearer than ever that Sling (read: Dish) is catering to those determined to leave cable and satellite behind. From a report on Engadget: The set-top box will revolve around a home screen that merges over-the-air TV tuning with not only Sling TV, but Netflix -- you won't have to jump between apps or devices to watch both your local news and the latest season of Black Mirror. And since this is an Android device (notice the "G" button on the remote), there's a good chance that other online services will be available as well. It's not certain how much the AirTV Player will cost or when you can get it in your hands. However, a launch at CES in January seems likely given that Dish tends to have a major presence at the trade show. It could be a big deal if there aren't any rude surprises in the pricing or execution, though. Until now, you've typically needed a separate over-the-air TV tuner device (like Nuvyyo's Tablo DVR) if you wanted local live programming wrapped in a slick interface.
and they all offer it in really shitty interfaces on underpowered hardware. The Apple TV4 and the Nvidia Shield utterly destroy any smartTV made in the quality of the apps and the UI. Plus I get updates, unlike the craptastic netflix app in my panasonic smart TV that has not been updated in 2 years and they are using a processor from 1989 to run it.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.