Just weeks after Sony released its own TV streaming service – PlayStation Vue – Microsoft has fired back with an announcement that the Xbox One will now be capable of over-the-air TV streaming, once paired with two small accessories.
Xbox One users in North America – the United States and Canada – are now able to download over-the-air content from popular networks such as CBS, FOX and NBC without a cable subscription.
The company’s flagship console launched in late 2013 and immediately made strong forays into TV territory, allowing users to run set-top boxes through the console, where channels could be viewed from the Xbox One TV app and/or “snapped” (windowed) to play next to another running gaming title or Xbox app.
For US users, accessing over-the-air television on the Xbox One could be a pricey endeavour, as both an accessory TV tuner and an HDTV antenna are required to enable the console to receive over-the-air programming.
Once setup is complete, the console’s One Guide will quickly add over-the-air channels to the channel list, and can be watched either in native fullscreen, or through a snapped window. The console will further allow live channels to be paused DVR style for up to 30 minutes, reserving up to 4GB of RAM for the process. Channels can also be streamed through the accompanying Xbox One SmartGlass app for iOS, Android and Windows if another user is using the console for different purpose.
Microsoft’s aim with the introduction of over-the-air television is to provide a low-cost competitor to Sony’s premium PlayStation Vue. Apart from purchasing the necessary accessories, Xbox One users in North America can now both subscribe to Sling TV $15 USD a month, and receive several HD channels for free – a far cry from the $40 USD Sony charges for access to the Vue service.
South African subscribers are unlikely to access over-the-air television anytime soon, as the country continues to use analogue TV signals while digital television is monopolised by MultiChoice’s DSTv.
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