Dec 24 Tablet TV goes live in San Francisco
Never fear, Aereo fans, Tablet TV has officially launched their service in the Bay Area. Now tablet owners in and around San Francisco can enjoy up to 50 digital broadcast network and local channels without the need for an Internet or cellular connection or a Cable or Satellite subscription. For those not in the Bay Area, Tablet TV is promising to rollout to several more major markets across the US in 2015. And once you have your Tablet TV, you can take it with you to any of those markets anywhere in America and watch and record what’s on TV.
Tablet TV is a joint venture between Motive Television and Granite Broadcasting. Their service will not require a monthly subscription. You simply buy the T-Pod antenna, currently selling for $89.95, then install the included iOS app on your compatible iPad or iPad mini and start watching TV. The initial offer is available for iOS iPads and iPad minis, but Tablet TV expects the Android compatible version to be available in the 1st quarter of 2015. Pre-ordering for the Android version will be announced in January.
Details from the Tablet TV website tell us: "The built-in Wi-Fi enables the T-Pod to communicate directly with the tablet when paired. When the TabletTV user has access to a home Wi-Fi network, the T-Pod pairs with it and can be used anywhere within that network. Content is received on the T-Pod which is then moved to the tablet when paired, and it works both indoors and outdoors. With Tablet TV’s Electronic Program Guide (EPG), you’ll be able see the current day’s program and a full 3-7 day schedule for each of the channels. You can change channels on the EPG with a small screen view. Or you can tap for a full screen view and scroll channels by a simple finger swipe. You’ll be able to record live and scheduled programs (coming in an update soon) to enjoy later when it best fits your schedule."
So not quite cloud DVR, but close, the T-Pod lets you record programming to an integrated DVR. According to Multichannel News, "the T-Pod will come with 7 gigabytes of storage and a slot for an SD card," and that "users can also take advantage of a tablet’s on-board storage" as well.
Great Christmas present for those in San Francisco. The rest of us will have to wait a while to unwrap ours.
Reader Comments (1)
Awesome! I hope they can stay out of the courts.