Following its debut on the iPad, Motive Television said it has launched a TabletTV app for the Android platform, starting with Samsung devices with 10- and 7-inch screens, for use in the U.S. and the U.K.
The TabletTV app operates in conjunction with a $89.95 “T-Pod” device (pictured) that performs the function of an antenna tuner, able to capture free, over-the-air TV signals for display on tablets. The T-Pod also allows users to record programming via an integrated DVR.
TabletTV is supporting over-the-air TV in the U.K. with Freeview. TabletTV, a joint venture of Motive Television and Granite Broadcasting, has also been testing its service in the Bay Area with Granite-owned station KOFY-TV as it works toward a more aggressive commercial launch (subscription required). Depending on signal availability, TabletTV estimates that its U.S. customers can get access to as many as 50 digital TV stations, including local ABC, CBS, Fox and PBS affiliates.
“The addition of Android devices to the TabletTV family is a major step forward due to the growing popularity of Android devices,” Motive CEO Leonard Fertig said, in a statement. “The global potential market for TabletTV numbers is in the hundreds of millions - by the end of 2013 it is estimated that 6% of the global population used a tablet and 22% a smartphone.”
TabletTV has also announced plans to extend support to the Google Chromecast adapter.
TabletTV is also developing a video-on-demand service that will deliver content via an unused portion of the broadcast spectrum using Motive’s datacasting technology. It’s also working on a version of the product that will support broadband connectivity for over-the-top video from sources such as Netflix.
