Now, one broadcaster is claiming that it can deliver dozens more channels over the air by tapping into the next-generation broadcast standard known as ATSC 3.0—albeit not for free. Edge Networks, a broadcaster operating in Boise, Idaho, says it will offer a bundle of more than 80 news, sports, and entertainment channels over the air for less than $50 per month this summer. Edge Networks then plans to expand its service, called Evoca, to other markets in 2021, with a focus on small- to mid-sized U.S. cities.

A lot of the details about Evoca are up in the air, including the specific channels it will offer, the other markets where it might launch, and the cost of its proprietary set-top box hardware. But for folks who want to replace their overpriced cable bundles and don’t want to deal with the vagaries of streaming (or internet service provider data caps), Edge Networks’ promises are intriguing. At the very least, they show that ATSC 3.0 could do more than just improve the channels we already get over the air today. Read the full column on TechHive.

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Separately, Roku has added a “latest news” icon to the home screen. Clicking on this will take you to a menu of news channels curated by Roku’s editorial team. Is this the start of Roku moving away from its app-first home screen paradigm in earnest? Something to think about, at least.

Amazon adds rentals on Apple devices: Ever noticed how you can’t rent or buy movies directly through Amazon Prime Video app on iOS or Apple TV? As of this week, you can. If you’re an Amazon customer already, renting movies through Prime Video will bill whatever credit card you have on file with Amazon. Otherwise, billing will go through iTunes.

More interesting than the news itself is the backstory leading up to it. Apple takes a 30% cut of all in-app purchases that flow through the App Store, which is why you generally don’t see digital storefronts selling video rentals, e-books, or music downloads through their iOS and Apple TV apps. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, however, Apple isn’t getting a revenue cut from Amazon for video rentals that go through Prime billing.

What’s going on here? Apple’s statement on the matter implies that subscription video providers are allowed to sell or rent their own videos without giving Apple a cut, but only as part of “an established program” that involves implementing a bunch of platform-specific features, such as Siri support, AirPlay 2 support, and TV app integration. My interpretation is that Apple is using rentals and purchases as leverage so that companies fully support all the things that iOS and Apple TV can do. In doing so, Apple makes its own platform stronger.

The thing I can’t figure out is why this is happening now, since Amazon Prime Video has always integrated with Apple TV features such as universal search and the TV guide app. But at this point, I’ve probably dedicated enough paragraphs to idle speculation to what ultimately is inside baseball.

Plex’s live TV improvements: Last month, I mentioned that Plex had improved channel load times for its over-the-air DVR service, but I didn’t really notice those speed increases myself at the time. Plex is now reannouncing those improvements in a proper blog post, and I can tell the difference now. Whereas live channels used to take upwards of 12 seconds to load, it seems to be cut in half now.

On Apple TV and Android TV, Plex has also added a picture-in-picture mode to its live TV guide, and you can access closed captions and a record button direct from the playback screen. (These changes should come to other devices in the future.) Plex now supports Chromecast for live TV from iOS devices, with Android support on the way as well.

If you need a primer on Plex DVR, my review is here. It’s a neat solution for DIY-minded cord-cutters, but bear in mind you’ll need an antenna, a compatible tuner, and a media server device (such as a PC, NAS, or Nvidia Shield TV) to set it all up.