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Jim Rossman | Tribune News Service
Cord cutting used to refer to abandoning pay TV and putting up an antenna to watch free over-the-air TV. Then cord cutting expanded to include streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and individual streaming sources.
Now we also include streaming bundles, like YouTube TV or Hulu Live or DirecTV Stream. These bundled services mimic cable and satellite service, in that they have hundreds of channels.
The ease or complexity of the cord cutting experience depends on how you have things set up. Let’s take a look at some gift options for your favorite cord cutter.
DirecTV Gemini Air
As far as I know DirecTV is the only streaming bundle service that offers its own hardware. The Gemini Air is a small dongle that plugs into an HDMI port on your TV. It is paired with a remote control to allow for easy navigation.
If you were an AT&T U-Verse TV customer, the Gemini Air/DirecTV Stream experience will be very familiar. The Gemini Air is a rarity in that it has number buttons.
DirecTV Stream has the option of turning on channel numbers in the guide.
I’ve used DirecTV Stream with my Roku TV and with the Gemini Air and the Air makes navigating the huge list of channels much easier.
The Gemini Air runs the Google operating system, so you can see and use all your other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Max and more.
You can also load apps and games from the Google Play store.
The Gemini Air connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network, and it can stream 4K content to your TV.
The remote control has a microphone so you can use your voice to search or interact with Hey Google’s voice assistant.
DirecTV Stream customers can get a free Gemini Air from AT&T with their service. Additional units are available for $120.
Google TV Streamer (4K)
There are lots of smart TV brands. Some run on the Roku operating system, some run Google TV and some use their own brand of smart TV apps.
If you’d like to add Google TV to any set, you can get Google’s new TV Streamer (4K) for just $99 from store.google.com.
The small device connects to your TV’s HDMI port. It also can connect to your home’s internet via Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet connection.
The Google TV interface is not tied to any specific streaming service. You can use any streaming service or app that’s available on the Google Play store.
It features a simple remote with voice control and the Google TV Streamer is also a hub and controller for Matter and Thread home devices that work with Google’s home ecosystem.
TabloTV
If you use an over-the-air antenna for watching your free local channels, I’m betting you’d like the option to record those channels. TiVo used to be the best/easiest way to record OTA TV, but they’ve discontinued their OTA recorders.
A great alternative is from TabloTV, which is a small box that you connect to your TV antenna. The TabloTV does not directly connect to your TV. Instead it connects to your home’s Wi-Fi, and the antenna signal is wirelessly sent to any TV or compatible device in your home.
Your TV picks up the signal through a free app, which is compatible with smart TV brands like Samsung, LG, Google TV, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV or Android TV.
This method is extremely handy if you don’t want to be bothered running an antenna wire from your attic or roof all the way to your TV. It’s also great if you want to use an indoor antenna, but your TV is not situated in a room that faces the broadcast towers. You can place the antenna and TabloTV where you get the best reception.
The TabloTV comes in two models – with either two or four tuners. This means you can record or watch two or four shows at a time.
TabloTV has onboard storage to record up to 50 hours of shows, but you can plug in any USB hard drive and expand to record thousands of hours of programming.
You can also bundle a TabloTV with an OTA antenna if you like, or you can use your own antenna.
Two things to know, there are no ongoing subscription costs for guide data, and there is no streaming service integration. You will need another way to add in streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.
TabloTV models start at $99.95 for the two tuner model at tablotv.com. The four-tuner model is $139.95, but they may be on sale during the holidays.
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