Count Korea’s Humax as the latest pay TV set-top maker to stop trying to beat cord-cutters and attempt to join them.
The tech vendor has introduced the Aura, a new Android TV-powered, DVR-equipped streaming device built specifically for cord-cutters in the United Kingdom.
The Aura packages a three-tuner digital video recorder, 4K HDR image resolution and all the accoutrements of Android TV — notably the Google Play Store and Google Assistant.
Humax is marketing the Aura as the very first DVR built for the U.K.’s Freeview Play streaming service, which includes 70 live and nine free, over-the-air broadcast VOD channels. The product is not being sold in the U.S.
The set-top comes in a 1-terabyte iteration, retailing for £249 ($323) and a 2TB version ($262). Humax said the Aura will be sold through Amazon, various U.K. consumer-electronics channels and directly via Humax.
Like CommScope, Technicolor and other set-top makers that have served the global pay TV market, Humax is looking for new revenue channels amid a recessionary pay TV business. Humax will now try to play catchup in retail channels for a cord-cutter consumer base, against entrenched competition that includes Roku and Amazon.
“Aura is designed to sit at the heart of a family’s home entertainment experience,” Humax sales director Rob Peacock said in a statement. “The very first Freeview Play recorder to be built on the Android TV platform, it provides a fully integrated environment that reflects the preferences and favorite content of the individual or family — with lightning-fast access to everything they need in one place, and outstanding picture quality. With such an extensive array of features, users will never miss their favorite show, movie or sporting event, and thanks to a combination of Google technology and the Humax Aura app, they can enjoy the freedom of entertainment on any screen or device, wherever and whenever they wish.”
