AIRTV Player has some Great Improvements

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The AirTV Player from Sling is a nice little android box, geared strongly toward Sling subscribers. Though I’d never have thought of buying one, I Saw it on sale at Best Buy for just $77 WITH a $50.00 Sling TV credit in the box! Essentially, it’s a $27 box to me, so SCORE.

I redeemed my coupon, booted up the box and began exploring … I’m having a gas with this!

First of all, you can pull your OTA channels in from your Antenna and incorporate them right into the guide … your Sling channels and OTA channels are all on the same guide, same grid and get the same treatment. Further - you can select specifically, which GROUP of channels are displayed in the Channel Guide and Grid.

So, for non-Sling subscribers, you can select OTA only (or Favorites only) and you get a nice little TV box with your OTA Channel Guide. This is what I’ll be doing after my complimentary two months of Sling have expired.

Apps and Google , The Google side of this box uses the Android TV OS. So far, I’ve installed Hulu, Vudu, etc. and side loaded VPN & IPTV services. When you are on the “Google” side of things, you’re running it as a straight Android TV Box, no Sling, no OTA, just Android TV. To get back to the Sling side, just click “Guide” button.

If you’re a Sling subscriber, you have a cloud DVR which functions well, but costs an extra $5.00. For your OTA channels, there’s a rudimentary DVR in a beta-like condition, records to your own Thumb Drive or External Hard Drive. It works, and because it’s a new feature, I’m looking for improvement here (or a new box in development?). For now, it is rudimentary.

I’m not crazy about Sling TV (nothing bad, nothing good, just have a solution I prefer), but I love this funny little box. It is NOTHING LIKE the reviews I’ve read and NOTHING like the demos seen on Y…tube. They’ve made some nice changes and turned out a great product.

No, it’s not a Shield, it’s not a Skystream 2, but it doesn’t pretend to be. Not a Mi Box, but for many people, a great little Cord Cutting appliance and I think it’s a gas. This will not be my primary box, but I’m definitely keeping it! It’s going to a (50-inch LG) Bedroom TV in a guest room.

End result? BEST little experiment I’ve tried in ages, with an IMMEDIATE Return on Investment!

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They introduced a rudimentary DVR function about a month or so ago, it’s worked well. This has been upgraded again, by use of a new USB / OTA Antenna connection device, making it a 2-Tuner DVR. The upgraded Tuner is $29.

I ordered one a few days ago, received it today. Installed / connected to my antenna and it works flawlessly. This little box has become a legitimate OTA and Streaming appliance. I now have a 2-Tuner DVR (which is Free, no monthly) and a Streaming box, with which to access Tablo. Essentially, four-tuners in one box.

Still not crazy about the Tablo GUI on Android TV (prefer the “normal” one, but it’s still beautiful and it’s still Tablo.

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@ben1
WOW, you do like to play around with multiple types of machines. You must have an unlimited amount of income. :wink: I do enjoy hearing your thoughts on your experiences with all these gadgets. Thanks

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I’m really enjoying the process of discovery, in regards to this OTA world. Up to a few months back, none of this had ever occurred to me, so finding these various devices (and different approaches) is exciting to me … not to mention the OTA channels, of which (again) I’d not ever seen nor heard of.

Because all of this is so new, my mind is open to whatever I stumble upon next and it keeps things fresh. Thank heavens I didn’t read (or heed) any of the reviews on this box, for example, I may never have bought it. And it keeps getting better.
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One of the reasons the newer generation has never considered OTA is that in the olden days, even if one had a great antenna, the analog picture wasn’t that good. With the digital era, good reception equals great picture especially at 1080 and 720. Several of my channels are unbeatable (by either cable or satellite). More and more people are learning that the digital transition changed the ballgame for OTA.

A few days ago I Tablo recorded Penelope Keith’s Coastal Villages from PBS and the picture quality is outstanding!

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Something else I’d have never thought of. It did not occur to me, how rich the OTA signal could be, the difference between a (more pure) OTA signal and that of a (more compressed) cable signal. Got mine set up just in time for the PGA Championship and was amazed at the crystal clarity and beauty of the broadcast. At that point I (finally) began to see the OTA realm as something worth re-discovering.

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Both my neighbor and I have the very same TV - LG 65UK6300PUE. He got his two months ago; I got mine last month. He came over to see my setting it up and was surprised at the picture quality - mine was better. He asked, “How can this be - we have the same TV model and identical settings?” I told him that I was getting my channels through an antenna whereas he was on cable. He was even amazed at the Tablo’s guide and posters because it made my setup look like it wasn’t merely an antenna but a full scale entertainment center.

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When I first bought my Tablo, the Program Guide itself, would have been enough to justify the cost, setup, etc. I just wanted a nice way to view / select programs without having to scroll from one through sixty. Once installed, I was immediately taken by the GUI / Interface, it was fantastic.

I had no motivation or intent to record programs, or do anything else at the time, so all other facets of the Tablo experience have proven to be ancillary benefits. One thing for sure. Once I got a glimpse of that crystal signal & clear image, I’d had enough of cable.

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Found one of these in a Home Depot in Los Angeles. A Home Depot??? It kind of cracked me up, to find an Air TV player amid the lumber, carpet, power tools, drywall , heat pumps, and paint. Price was $129 with the OTA adapter in the box.