The DStv Streama, MultiChoice’s long-awaited media streaming TV box, has finally come to market amid questions about the company’s future. It launched today, October 1st 2022. The DStv Streama is a compact streaming box that supports 4K video with HDR 10 and Dolby Atmos virtual surround sound. It can connect to the internet via Ethernet at the back of the device, or with the built-in Wi-Fi 5 receiver.
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As with many other similar devices, it has a small remote control. The remote features shortcut buttons for Netflix, Showmax, and YouTube. It also has a microphone button for voice input. As it is doing with its new 4K smart TV, the DStv Glass, it has partnered with UK-based Sky on the making of the Streama. The box’s operating system is built on the open-source RDK platform.
Its interface is similar to what users would get on the DStv streaming app, with some refinements made to the TV Guide. It also includes apps for MultiChoice’s Showmax streaming service and SuperSport as well as third-party streaming apps, namely Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and YouTube Kids — the same apps currently available on the Explora Ultra.
If you are thinking this is nothing new or revolutionary, you’d be correct. Most new TV’s come with exactly the same functionality without the need for additional hardware. The target market for the DStv Streama is then people with an older television without these capabilities.
It is also possible to sign up for the company’s subscription services directly through the Streama, of course.
According to MultiChoice South Africa CEO, Nyiko Shiburi, the global chip shortage was a big reason for the delay of the launch. “This box has to be really top class,” Shiburi stated. “You’re entering a market where there’s already so many media devices out there. You want to make sure that when this product goes out, it’s top-notch.”
