This week on TechHive: The problem with Apple’s original TV ambitions
Every few weeks or so, another report emerges about Apple’s plans to make original TV shows. The narrative goes that Apple is spending surprising amounts money to attract Hollywood talent, allowing it to compete with the likes of Netflix and HBO in the production of prestige television programming.

The latest of these stories comes from the New York Times, which claims that Apple could “blow well past” its previously reported TV budget of about $1 billion, and is becoming “a top draw for show creators and stars.” To cement its status in Hollywood, Apple is even building a 128,000-square-foot TV headquarters in Culver City, California.

But like every other report on Apple’s Hollywood moves, this one doesn’t answer a crucial question: Are we going to need Apple devices to watch all these new shows?If Apple treats original programming the same way as its other online services, then the answer will likely be “yes.” That doesn’t mean hardware-exclusive TV is a good idea. Instead, it would be harmful to consumers, toxic to the TV industry, and maybe even detrimental for Apple. Read the full column on TechHive.

Weekly rewind

New Tablo in town: Tablo is now offering a much cheaper version of its dual-tuner over-the-air DVR. The Tablo Dual Lite costs $140, and loses the 64 GB internal storage found in the $220 Tablo Dual. You can still connect an external hard drive, of course, but the Dual Lite also offers 40 GB of cloud storage–currently in a free beta, but eventually as a subscription service.

One other difference between the Dual and Dual Lite: The cheaper option actually has better Wi-Fi connectivity, with support for the latest 802.11ac standard. If you have an 802.11ac router, the Dual Lite will allow faster connection speeds over a longer range using the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band.

I’m in the process of reviewing the Dual Lite, but Tablo’s older storage-free model previously occupied the spot of best DVR for most cord-cutters over at TechHive.

The rise of a la carte sports: Turner is launching a standalone streaming service under its Bleacher Report brand, with a mix of live sports from UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, the NBA, PGA Championships, college sports, and some offbeat stuff like arm wrestling. But in addition to the usual subscription model, Turner plans to sell individual games on-demand. It’s unclear how much each game or a full subscription will cost, but Turner says it’ll provide a free preview over the next few months, starting with Johnny Manziel’s Spring League debut on April 7. The app will be available on iOS, Android, and the web for now.

Don’t call it a trend yet, but the NBA Digital–a joint effort between the league and Turner–is also experimenting with a la carte game sales, offering some NBA apps users 99-cent access to the fourth quarter of last Friday’s Heat-Thunder game. It seems like a great idea, especially for sports that aren’t worth a full subscription but are fun to watch on occasion. I hope the NBA and other sports leagues ramp up the idea soon.

More Catch-Up

Save more money
The Nvidia Shield TV is a great streaming box if you want to roll your own over-the-air DVR (with Plex, Tablo Engine, or Android Live Channels), play some games, or use Google Assistant for voice search. It’s currently on sale for $180 with a game controller and remote or $170 with the remote only, for a discount of $20 and $10 respectively.

Thanks for reading!

Big thanks to everyone who sent me some metaphorical coffee last week using the new button, which you can now see below my signature. Of course, I’m still interested in hearing your feedback, questions, and suggestions on what to cover next. Just reply to this email with your comments!

Until next week,
Jared