Cord cutters looking for other alternatives to traditional television service will soon have another option in the U.S. and Canada. Xbox and Hauppauge are partnering to add further Xbox TV services to Xbox One owners with the Hauppauge TV Tuner for Xbox One.
The over-the-air (OTA) TV tuner will allow you to receive broadcast networks like CBS, FOX, NBC, and others with no subscription cost. In the U.S., if you couple this with the Sling TV app you can add ESPN, TNT, Disney Channel, and many others which may allow you to finally cut ties with your local cable provider.
If you want to get a head start, Xbox owners who are part of the Xbox One preview program can pick up the Hauppauge WinTV-955Q from Amazon (which runs around $100 and is currently on sale for $75) and use it with an HD tuner to start receiving these channels. Xbox and Hauppauge are planning to release a Hauppauge TV Tuner for Xbox One at a retail price of $59.99 for those in the U.S. and Canada.
In order to get OTA TV, you’ll need a tuner like the Hauppauge linked above, and an HD antenna. Xbox recommends using the Mohu antenna brand and suggests visiting their website to determine what channels will be available in your area using it before purchasing the antenna and tuner.
Once you have your antenna and tuner, setup is as simple as plugging the tuner into one of the USB ports on your Xbox One then following the on-screen instructions to set it up.
Once set up, you’ll be able to take advantage of a number of features including:
- Watch Over-the-Air TV on Xbox One: With the supported TV tuner and antenna, you can watch free, over-the-air television channels available in your area without changing TV inputs. TV interweaves itself seamlessly with your gaming experience on Xbox One, enabling you to watch TV while you wait for a multiplayer match to start or even receive game invitations and notifications while watching your favorite show.
- OneGuide for TV Listings across Sources: OneGuide provides a full-screen view of all of your TV listings. In addition, MiniGuide allows you to quickly browse the TV listings and see the latest Tweets about the show you’re watching in the U.S. You can use your Xbox One Controller or the Xbox One Media Remote to navigate the OneGuide and MiniGuide.
- TV Viewing in Snap: Snapping TV allows you to watch TV on the right side of your screen and leave the main screen for games, Skype or other applications.
- Pause Live TV: Need to take a break? Pause whatever you’re watching and Xbox will cache for up to 30 minutes so you can catch up when you get back.
- Favorite Channels: Easily build your own customized OneGuide by marking channels as “favorites,” so that you can easily see what’s on the channels you care about and tune-in.
- Changing Channels by Voice with Kinect: The OneGuide allows you to set up and call out your favorite TV channel by name and start watching it instantly. Simply say “Xbox, watch NBC,” to quickly switch between channels.*
- Stream Over-the-Air TV to Xbox One SmartGlass: Now you have access to your full OneGuide in the Xbox One SmartGlass app with the ability to tune channels on your TV and stream TV within your home from your Xbox One to one or more of your devices. Xbox One SmartGlass is available on Windows, Windows Phone, iOS andAndroid.
Xbox also announced that 11 more countries will have access to the Xbox One Digital TV Tuner through the Xbox One preview program including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Are you looking forward to being able to use your Xbox One as a full TV solution and cutting the cable with your local provider? Let us know in the comments below, or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
[button link=”http://news.xbox.com/2015/04/xbox-one-over-the-air-tuner” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Xbox Wire[/button]Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
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