Sling TV jumpstarted the trend of streaming live television over the Internet, adding to the on-demand convenience of services like Netflix and Hulu and making cord cutting a feasible option for users.
Now Dish and Sling are taking the service a bit further with a new media streamer that fills in a coverage hole Sling TV has been struggling to fix. I saw the new AirTV in action here at CES.
AirTV is a streaming media hub like the Roku Premiere and Amazon Fire TV. Like the Fire TV focuses on bringing Amazon's streaming services to the forefront in its interface, AirTV revolves around Sling TV. Turning the box on jumps straight into the Sling TV app, which features a few additions not yet seen on other media streamers' versions of the app.
The biggest change to Sling TV on AirTV is local programming. While Sling TV sporadically offers streaming local television in certain markets, it's extremely scattershot. On AirTV, the app adds local channels scanned from an over-the-air TV tuner (with an antenna connected to it, ideally) plugged into the back of the device, putting them up alongside the cable channels included in the service's subscription. If ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, or NBC are broadcasting in your area, you can watch it on the Sling TV app with the AirTV and its antenna adapter.
Besides local programming, the AirTV version of the Sling TV app also adds your Netflix queue to the interface. The shows you want to watch show up on the same screen as your live channels, making binge-watching possible without jumping between apps.
While AirTV boots directly into Sling TV, it's a fully capable Android TV media hub that can load hundreds of other apps. Functionally it's similar to the Nvidia Shield Android TV or Sony's connected TVs, and it has access to all of Google Play's media and streaming apps and services available on Android TV.
The AirTV itself is a white plastic box, about the size of an Amazon Fire TV. Its remote is also white, and much more button-laden than those from Amazon or Roku. This is an intentional design choice to provide clearly labeled functions on the remote; instead of only a few buttons for navigating on-screen menus, you can press individual buttons for services like Sling and Netflix and common functions. It should make the streamer easier to use for cord cutters who aren't necessarily technically literate or familiar with media streamers.
The AirTV is currently available for $129.99 in a bundle that includes the AirTV box itself and the USB OTA TV tuner necessary for watching local programming. The AirTV alone is available for $99.99, but without the tuner it faces stiff competition from devices like the Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote and Roku Premiere+. We'll take a closer look at the AirTV in the coming weeks when we return to the lab after CES.