XBox One getting a digital TV tuner (DVB) accessory for EU countries

[AzBat]

I don't understand. If you want to drop the cable boxes, you can just watch OTA TV. That's what this box is - it's nothing new to the TV space. But if you want to watch the latest, greatest content, this box won't solve that. The future for TV is internet streamed anyway.

Shifty I cut the TV cord 14 years ago & stuck with just Internet service ever since. Though I did try OTA TV for a few years, but preferred Netflix & Hulu instead. But over 5 years ago I changed my Internet service to that from my local Cable TV provider. Never added TV service, just Internet. But last year my Cable TV provider offered me "free TV" since I had the normal tier of their Internet service & was paying full price. It wasn't the cheapest & not the most expensive. I don't need a cable box to access these channels. And they're not just analog channels, there are also digital channels that my HDTV digital tuner can pick up. Granted I don't receive a lot of channels(22 analog & 14+ digital). I basically get the "locals" in analog & digital plus surprisingly a few premium analog channels like A&E, Outdoor Channel, CMT, Fox Sports & NBC Sports. For free I'm not going to complain. Anyway, I would suspect that there are lot of folks that are still paying for the mid-tier Cable TV packages. The one where a Cable TV box is still not required. Yes, if you want the premium channels in HD then you're going to need the box.

Now you may think the future is all online & I would mostly agree, but what I'm finding is that in order to enjoy the best premium channels over the Internet you still need to pay for the corresponding TV channel on your TV provider. In fact, the online channels apps are now making you select your TV provider & then log into their service before it will even allow you to watch their online content. For instance, I can't watch ESPN(not ESPN3) online without subscribing to the ESPN channel. My current channel lineup doesn't include it. So I would have to upgrade my channel lineup so it can give the ESPN app authorization to play. I think we're going to see this more & more. You're going to need to pay for the TV channels through some kind of TV provider be it Cable or Satellite. Cutting the cord entirely is going to get a lot harder.

Back on topic, in order for me to take full advantage of the channels I receive on an Xbox One I would need some kind of tuner like the one MS just announced or a 3rd party tuner like those I've seen on Amazon. I'm not going to rent a Cable TV box or DVR. I don't watch that much TV that I would need one. But I could see spending a one-time fee of $40 on a TV tuner add-on. So these add-ons are not just for OTA, they will also work for standard Cable TV too.

Tommy McClain

 

[Silent_Buddha]

I already posted to the new news thread before this thread was created, but you can vote for the US version here...

http://xbox.uservoice.com/forums/25...bring-the-xbox-one-digital-tv-tuner-to-the-us

Tommy McClain

Thanks! I also added my voice that I'd likely buy it if it was available. I'd have to see how full featured it was before I actually spent the money but the idea intrigues me.

I don't understand. If you want to drop the cable boxes, you can just watch OTA TV. That's what this box is - it's nothing new to the TV space. But if you want to watch the latest, greatest content, this box won't solve that. The future for TV is internet streamed anyway.

I'm in the same boat as others. There are limited shows that I actually bother to watch and hence I cut off all cable TV about 4 or 5 years ago. I briefly did the OTA thing and while it is good, it was just too inconvenient to have to look up program guides either in print or online to find the show and then try to schedule my life around watching the shows.

If this gives me a nice easy (and fast) way to look for and search for TV programming as well as an easy way to record it for watching at my convenience, I'll likely be all over it.

And in the process maybe move down to a lower priced broadband tier as I wouldn't need to stream as many video's over the internet (assuming I could get all or most of the shows I want to watch via OTA). This one is probably a pipe-dream, but one can always hope.

Regards,
SB

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I'm in the same boat as others. There are limited shows that I actually bother to watch and hence I cut off all cable TV about 4 or 5 years ago. I briefly did the OTA thing and while it is good, it was just too inconvenient to have to look up program guides either in print or online to find the show and then try to schedule my life around watching the shows.

That sounds different to the EU. We have an electronic programme guide broadcast with the TV programmes. It's not amazingly fast and not good for searching for programmes, but it does show what's on, what's coming, etc.

So the benefit from a Kinect TV will be less than the US experience, it seems, although still worth it for some folk. I think MS have done well with the price and are looking to add value rather than make profits, so it's a device that'll get a decent shot at showing how relevant voice-controlled TV is in (5 nations of) Europe (4.5 nations, seeing as UK isn't particularly European ).

 

[Deleted member 11852]

That sounds different to the EU. We have an electronic programme guide broadcast with the TV programmes. It's not amazingly fast and not good for searching for programmes, but it does show what's on, what's coming, etc.

It depends on the TV. Both my new and old (bought in 2012 but a 2011 model) was internet connected and had fast, searchable EPGs, there I could set reminders (repeatable) for things I wanted to be reminded to watch. The new TV goes further, it copes with EPGs from all your services (terrestrial, FreeSat, Sky, cable etc) and learns your viewing habits and makes suggestions on things you may like. It also has an accompanying Android/iOS app that seems hooked into IMDB as it let's you view the actors in any programme and see what else they've been in.

I didn't use any of this though, with a few exceptions, I record what I want and watch it later or just stream it.

 

[AzBat]

That sounds different to the EU. We have an electronic programme guide broadcast with the TV programmes. It's not amazingly fast and not good for searching for programmes, but it does show what's on, what's coming, etc.

I used to have an old RCA tube TV that had an official electronic TV Guide that received program listings OTA. It was rather unique amongst TVs here in the US & it looks like it's completely gone with no replacement. Looks like everybody has gone to the Internet for their listings now.

Tommy McClain

 

[eastmen]

I don't understand. If you want to drop the cable boxes, you can just watch OTA TV. That's what this box is - it's nothing new to the TV space. But if you want to watch the latest, greatest content, this box won't solve that. The future for TV is internet streamed anyway.

not sure why.

Cablevision /optimum in jersey is $80 for internet , tv and phone.Thats 245 channels and 50Mbps internet for 6 months and I think 25mbps after that. INternet only is $ 50 a month

Fios is also $80 for all 3 with a 185 channels and 25/25 internet drops to $70 with no phone and its $75 for just internet.

Now cablevision isn't a bad deal you will save $20 bucks a month and hulu is $8 and Netflix is $9 so you will still save money.

Verizon tho I will end up spending the same without getting the tv. Why would I not get the tv ?


I'm not sure how the future is simply streaming , I love hulu and Netflix but they just supplement my tv package and my tv package does not cost much more than just internet alone .

I'm not sure streaming will ever take over regular tv until the government here steps in and forces the internet as a utility and takes it away from the phone and cable companies.

 

[Jogi]

I think main reason for MS digituner is that they could not get ir blasting to work good enough here in europe...there are so many different stb/digituners here so it was impossible job to support all or even majority of them. And other is that 50hz problem...if using that to get good smooth original quality Tv's takes 'ages' to switch between it an x1 60hz..

I suspect that ms might use shortcut and use 60hz for their tv output screen to get that 'instant' switching between tv and x1 screen (like in US, as it was planned..)

 

[Shifty Geezer]

not sure why.

In the UK, it's going streaming in a significant way. More people are using catch-up services like BBC iPlayer to watch content on their schedule, and broadband packages are coming with TV options like Sky's NowTV. It's a very sensibly transition IMO. It's a single infrastructure network for all comms and content. It simplifies things nicely. Of course, the future could be 10-20+ years from now, so interrim solutions still make sense. In the UK there is no entrenched cable solution, so using broadband fibre makes a lot of sense to add TV. Like countries that skipped landline phones and went straight to mobiles. The business in the US may drag legacy solutions out for a while yet. Eventually though it should end up internet based - I'll be surprised if it doesn't.

I suppose the relevance for XBox TV tuner is whether MS feel it'll be worth it at the moment. I wonder if they'll watch the EU first before deciding, or if they already have plans? They must have had this option on the cards going back to when they were thinking of a set-top box, unless OTA TV wasn't ever a consideration for the US.

 

[eastmen]

That's why I think the xbox one and windows media center is a future huge card for MS to play.

You buy a tuner for your xbox one or use the hdmi in and record your shows then stream it around your house and to mobile devices.

 

[Deleted member 86764]

They actually need to integrate the hardware into the box and include a full software implementation for it to really work.

 

[eastmen]

They actually need to integrate the hardware into the box and include a full software implementation for it to really work.

I dunno keep the xbox one as cheap as possible and then add a tuner package as an extra. That way a customer can choose , use a pc tuner or an xbox one tunner but keep all the features.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

They actually need to integrate the hardware into the box and include a full software implementation for it to really work.

That'd be a bad idea, IMO. If they did that instead of just one hardware configuration to service the entire world they would need a hardware configuration specific to each market in addition to a base model without it. Which means lower economies of scale and higher prices than if it was seperate.

It isn't something like say wifi or HDMI, which is pretty much universal around the world.

Regards,
SB

 

[Dave Baumann]

How is one small USB box with a cable connected to it significantly different to the cable connecting to the back of the box?

 

[Silent_Buddha]

How is one small USB box with a cable connected to it significantly different to the cable connecting to the back of the box?

When he said in the box I assumed in the Xbox One unit itself. And while the could be something like say a mini-PCIE card or USB stub in the box that is easily swapped, it'd still require additional manufacturing costs and stocking costs for different configurations for each region with a different OTA standard.

IE - you would not easily be able to repurpose a unit originally meant for S.America for the different market if you over-manufactured for that region.

Regards,
SB

 

[Cyan]

That's why I think the xbox one and windows media center is a future huge card for MS to play.

You buy a tuner for your xbox one or use the hdmi in and record your shows then stream it around your house and to mobile devices.

Too bad I can't use this tuner for the Xbox One right now, as my antenna is not close enough, but it will be someday soon, and your idea sounds quite promising.

I hope they listened to the feedback....

 

[AzBat]

Hands on withe the tuner at Gamescom...

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/130...tv-tuner-hands-on-it-s-smaller-than-you-think

Tommy McClain

 

[Malo]

That's why I think the xbox one and windows media center is a future huge card for MS to play.

You buy a tuner for your xbox one or use the hdmi in and record your shows then stream it around your house and to mobile devices.

They have a lot of potential with it. But MS don't seem to want to expand on the WMC ecosystem at all, nor integrate it with Xbone. If they actually started actively developing and improving WMC again as well as providing these kind of features with the Xbox One, I'd actually consider buying one.

 

[Pugger]

I think main reason for MS digituner is that they could not get ir blasting to work good enough here in europe...there are so many different stb/digituners here so it was impossible job to support all or even majority of them. And other is that 50hz problem...if using that to get good smooth original quality Tv's takes 'ages' to switch between it an x1 60hz..

I suspect that ms might use shortcut and use 60hz for their tv output screen to get that 'instant' switching between tv and x1 screen (like in US, as it was planned..)

The have solved the 50hz/60hz, signal, you just change it in your settings now. I have the Virgin TiVo box connected and via the XB1 and it works perfectly. They even must have set an update a while back as the IR blaster never blasted long enough to turn my Pani plasma on, it does now though. As for the new tuner, is this required to stream TV to any device in your house, which is part of the September OS update, or will I be able to stream the TVO signal through the house also?

 

[iroboto]

Source reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/xboxone/comments/2dvnv4/smartglass_tv_streaming_does_not_require_the_tv/

unverified

So when this feature was announced I immediately went to the preview forums to question the mods and devs if the TV streaming feature required the TV Turner Hardware. At first it was all vague.
I finally got a legit acceptable answer from the Software team on the preview forums and it is good news.
TV streaming is NOT dependent on the TV Turner plug in. However the dev teams have to make the sure software stack properly supports the HDMI/HDCP protocols for the HDMI-IN port which the dev teams are currently working on. It also seems different cable providers do this a little differently on content so these are additional things that have to be tested.
To limit the number of test scenarios to start out with they are only allowing TV streaming to work with the TV turner Plug in but it definitely sounds like the plan is to allow TV streaming through the HDMI-IN port at some point.
This is an awesome feature when it comes to the HDMI-IN port and effectively makes your Xbox One a sling box on your local network.

 

[Jogi]

The have solved the 50hz/60hz, signal, you just change it in your settings now.

My point was that it takes quite long time to switch between 50hz(tv program source) an 60hz(dash & games) source..I have 2012 model and it takes about 2..3s to switch..