Cord cutting is still a bit of an ordeal. You don't want to fork over upwards of $150 per month to your cable company, so you ditch pay TV for a Netflix subscription and your old roommate's cousin's HBO GO login.
But what about broadcast TV? And sports? Dish has filled that gap a bit with its $20-per-month Sling TV service, but access to local over-the-air (OTA) channels—which includes local news and such—is hit or miss depending on where you live.
Dish wants to help solve that—and maybe get you to sign up for Sling TV, too—via the new AirTV Player set-top box. The 4K Android TV-based streaming device "integrates your streaming services in one place," according to AirTV, a Dish subsidiary.
Since it's Android-based, you can tap into any streaming service available on Google Play; there's a dedicated button for Google's app store on the AirTV Player remote. But Netflix and Sling TV are clearly the preferred services, as they too have dedicated remote buttons, though you have to subscribe separately to start watching content. The blue-and-white box includes a "Remote" button; press it to locate a lost remote.
That's all similar to what you might get on Amazon Fire TV or Apple TV; AirTV Player differs in that you can purchase it with an integrated OTA AirTV Adapter, providing you with reliable access to broadcast channels in your area. You can then navigate between streaming services, Sling TV, and broadcast channels from the same interface.
The AirTV Player with the OTA adapter is $129.99. You can buy one without the adapter for $99.99, but if you have buyer's remorse, you can purchase that adapter (pictured) at a later date for $39.99. AirTV Player buyers also get a $50 Sling TV credit, available to new and existing Sling TV users.
Because nothing is ever simple, though, you also need an antenna to tap into that OTA content. If you're tech-savvy and want to do that yourself, go for it. But Dish is also offering AirTV Pro Install, a network of licensed technicians who will set up indoor or outdoor antennas. It's currently available in 48 markets and will set you back $99.99 for an indoor antenna and $149.99 for an outdoor antenna.
If you're sticking with a traditional setup, meanwhile, Dish is adding Alexa voice control to its Hopper DVR, provided you pair it with an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot. In the next few months, Dish will roll out the ability to ask Alexa to navigate, search and quick play TV content on a Hopper DVR based on channel, title, actor and genre (Go to ESPN" or "Watch Game of Thrones season 1, episode 2").
Those with the Hopper will also soon have access to Dish Music, which lets users play content from streaming services like iHeartRadio, Pandora, and Tidal via TV audio systems connected to Hopper 2 and Hopper 3 DVRs and Joey clients.