Microsoft finally brings the Xbox One’s Live TV feature to the United States and Canada. The company announces today that is partnering with Hauppauge to deliver over-the-air TV to millions of Xbox One owners, which means access to broadcast channels such as CBS, FOX, NBC, and PBS for free.
Today, the software giant is making available the live TV stream feature for those owners of the Xbox One preview program and it will be available for everyone soon.
For those in the U.S. and Canada, starting today can purchase one of the Hauppauge WinTV-955Q digital TV tuner USB adapter and an HDTV antenna to begin watching over-the-air TV. The USB adapter has a retail price of $79.99 and it’s available at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and Micro Center.
In the coming months, Hauppauge will release a cheaper version of the tuner specifically designed for Xbox One and it will cost $59.99 in the U.S. and Canada. So, you don’t need to buy one of the Digital TV Tuner USB adapter Microsoft is selling in the rest of the world.
How do you get over-the-air TV on your Xbox One
Because over-the-air TV channels vary from area to area, Microsoft recommends to check what channels are available in your area and find the correct antenna. The company also recommends you do your research with help from Mohu — visit gomohu.com/xbox, enter your zip code to see the channels available in your area and with the results you’ll also get a listing of a range of Mohu antennas you can buy.
Once you have the the TV tuner and antenna, simply connect the antenna using a coax cable to the USB adapter, and then plug the adapter to the back of your console. Finally follow the on-screen instructions to setup Live TV on Xbox One.
Xbox One OTA TV features
Watch over-the-air TV: Now you can watch free TV from channels available in your area without having to change inputs.
OneGuide: The OneGuide feature on Xbox One provides all your TV listing automatically, and with the MiniGuide you can quickly browse TV listing and see the latest Tweets about a particular show in the United States.
TV Viewing in Snap: Yes, you can play games and watch TV at the same time. Simply, start your game, double-tap the Xbox button and snap TV.
Pause Live TV: While it seems that you cannot record TV shows on your Xbox One, you can pause whatever you’re watching for up to 30 minutes and then you can resume watching — For this function the system reserves 4GB of hard drive storage.
Favorite Channels: You can easily build your own custom OneGuide, so you don’t have to sort from many channels to find what you are looking for.
Kinect voice control: You can use your voice to change channels using Kinect. Simply say “Xbox, watch CBS” and see the magic happen.
Perhaps one of the coolest feature is to be able to stream live TV from your Xbox One to SmartGlass, which means that you can also watch live TV on your tablet, smartphone, or computer around the house. Simply download the Xbox One SmartGlass app on Windows, Windows Phone, iOS and Android, launch the app, open OneGuide and tune to a channel.
Microsoft is also announcing that it’s expanding support for its Xbox One Digital TV Tuner to preview members in eleven new European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland. In the coming month the USB adapter will also be available in eleven more countries.
This is just part of Microsoft’s effort to bring live TV to Xbox One, the company also recently partnered with Dish Network to bring Sling TV (live TV over the internet) to the console, but those interested will have to pay a $20 per-month subscription to access the programming.
Xbox One over-the-air TV is now available as a preview and the company says it will roll out the support to everyone very soon.
Source Microsoft
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].