A cord-cutter’s dream becomes reality: how to watch live OTA channels on Apple TV
Consumers looking to reduce their cable bill, can now do it from the comfort of their Apple TV remote.
A new app made its presence known on the App Store, called “Channels”. The $15 app lets consumers watch live television, and flip through over-the-air channels, on Apple TV, without ever having to use the regular TV remote.
One caveat is that, for the app to work, consumers will have to purchase a SiliconDust HDHomeRun networked tuner, or similar TV tuner, capable of working over WiFi.
A networked tuner like the HDHomeRun will set you back about $100, in its low end configuration, with other brands priced around $75. With that said, this tuner is the first to support Apple TV, as well as Android, Android TV, and Amazon Fire TV. Windows 10 and Mac OS X users have not been left out of the loop either, with support extended to desktop operating systems as well.
Here is why you won’t miss your cable box
When Tim Cook unveiled the new Apple TV, he announced that the future of television is in Apps, and according to this latest piece of news, he was not wrong.
The traditional way to watch OTA channels requires a tuner which, at its very base configuration, allows HD and SD channels to be funneled through the antenna connector of the TV. This means that there is no way to get additional information on what’s next, let alone the convenient TV guide we are so accustomed to get to, on a Verizon FiOS or Comcast remote.
While $100-$150 extra might seem overkill, watching OTA channels on Apple TV no longer requires additional remote controls, with the added bonus of having access to an actual on-screen TV guide, which comes with the TV signal itself.
Furthermore, gaining access to premium channels with a cable TV bundle costs on average as much, per month, as the one-time investment required to purchase a networked TV tuner, while access to premium channels via apps is not only more convenient, but also more flexible, as premium subscriptions can be stopped and started any time, which allows consumers to fine-tune their monthly bill according to their budget, without sacrificing their TV-watching experience, and most importantly, without being stuck into unnegotiable multi-year bundled contracts.
The other added bonus, is less clutter around the TV, with a setup that is not only more compact, but also more energy efficient.