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Microsoft Over-The-Air Tuner Brings Cord-Cutting Television To North America
At Gamescom, Microsoft announced over-the-air televisions for some territories in Europe. Now, that same service is available for Xbox One preview members in the United States and Canada.
The company announced that using the Hauppauge WinTV-955Q ($79.99) or the not-yet-released Hauppauge TV Tuner for Xbox One ($59.99) with an HDTV antenna will allow uses to access local programming broadcast over-the-air. This fills a gap that other services like SlingTV aren’t able to fill, allowing cord-cutters to create a facsimile of the packages available with cable.
The TV tuner will integrate with other Xbox One features, including Snap, OneGuide, and voice controls. This will be in preview for a number of months before making its way to the broader user base.
Microsoft is also expanding over-the-air coverage in 11 more territories in Europe, bringing the total to 15 countries on that continent. The service is available in:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- UK
[Source: Xbox Wire]
Our Take
With SlingTV both affordable and functional (and getting HBO in the next few days), Netflix, Hulu, and now over-the-air options, The Xbox One might just make cord-cutting possible for more people. Over-the-air service varies depending on topography and geography, so before you dive in, make sure you know what channels you’ll be able to access.
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