| Antennas are making a comeback as more people cut cable TV, but that doesn’t mean over-the-air DVR is going mainstream along with them.
Last week, I interviewed executives from both Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV group ahead of some hardware news they announced this week. (More on that shortly.) Out of my own curiosity, I also asked them how their respective companies feel about over-the-air DVR.
My sense from both interviews is that over-the-air DVR will remain a niche product, best handled by smaller companies such as TiVo, Nuvyyo (which makes the Tablo DVR), and Plex. While Amazon might still try to build on its work with its existing Fire TV Recast, it doesn’t sound like Roku will try to take over-the-air integration much further than the basic TV guide and time-shifting functions in its smart TVs. Read the full column on TechHive. |
| The smart soundbar wars: As for the other Roku and Amazon news I mentioned earlier, both companies are taking a shot at soundbars that double as streaming video players. Plug them into your TV over HDMI, and they’ll provide better audio than your TV’s speakers while also offering video from a wide range of streaming sources. This is supposed to be simpler than hooking up a regular soundbar and a separate Roku player or Fire TV Stick.
You may recall that I just reviewed a similar product from JBL and Google, with unfavorable results. Roku’s and Amazon’s efforts sound a little more promising, if only because their respective streaming platforms are more polished than Google’s Android TV. They’ll also have cheaper hardware: While the JBL Link Bar costs $400 (plus an extra $300 for a subwoofer), the Roku Smart Soundbar will cost $180 (plus another $180 for a subwoofer) when it ships in mid-October. The Nebula Soundbar Fire TV Edition, which is a collaboration between Amazon and Anker, will cost $230 with no separate subwoofer when it launches in late November. On the downside, neither product will support hands-free voice control like the JBL Link Bar does with Google Assistant.
If you want to dive a bit deeper, I wrote more about Amazon’s attempts to expand beyond its own hardware and Roku’s entry into the overly-crowded home audio field over at Fast Company
New Fire TV Cube: Last year, Amazon released an unusual device called the Fire TV Cube, which essentially combined a Fire TV streaming box with an Amazon Echo speaker. In addition to using a regular remote, you could control it with hands-free voice commands, and it also had built-in infrared emitters to control nearby TVs, cable boxes, or A/V gear. Unfortunately, it was kind of slow, especially compared to the Fire TV Stick 4K that came later, and it didn’t support advanced HDR formats such as Dolby Vision.
Amazon’s rectifying the matter now with a second-generation Fire TV Cube, which is supposedly twice as powerful. It also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ like the Fire TV Stick 4K, and if you use Alexa commands for basic menu controls (such as “Alexa, scroll left,” or “Alexa, select”), the Cube will process them on the device for a faster response. On paper, at least, it sounds a lot closer to the Cube’s original promise, and in general it’s nice to see a streaming device with more processing power that isn’t an Apple TV or Nvidia Shield. The new Cube will ship on October 10 for $120, though if history’s any indication, you may want to hold out for holiday sales.
HBO Max for less: According to media reporter Dylan Byers, AT&T is having second thoughts about charging more than $15 per month for HBO Max, the service that will stream HBO and other WarnerMedia content next year. While previous rumors pegged the price at $16 or $17 per month, WarnerMedia boss John Stankey is reportedly considering the same $15 per month price as HBO alone, at least to begin with.
AT&T may still want to raise prices over time–just like everybody else–but it can’t afford to scare people off at the outset, especially with rival Disney charging just $7 per month for its Disney+ service, and $13 per month for a bundle with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Byers claims that AT&T is targeting an April 2020 launch.
Google’s show recommendations: Google’s got a neat new recommendation feature that pops up when you search for terms like “what to watch” on your phone. Just hit the start button under the “top picks for you” section, and you’ll be able to swipe left or right to like or dislike the suggestions that pop up. At the end, you’ll get a list of personalized recommendations. It reminds me a bit of MightyTV, a recommendation app that was bought by Spotify and shut down in 2017. |
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| Over on Advisorator this week, I dove deep into my mechanical keyboard obsession, showed off a new iPhone app for better nighttime photos, and talked through some recent hacks, hoaxes, and privacy scandals. Sign up for a free trial now, and I’ll help you get smarter about tech with less work. (And yes, I’ll send you the latest issue when you do.) |
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| Thanks for reading! |
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Until next week,
Jared |
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