When will DIRECTV release a Genie client app?

DIRECTV finally released its app for streaming boxes about a month or so ago. To be fair, they’ve had this app for a while. What they did was take the existing DIRECTV Stream app and rework it so satellite users could enjoy it too. They added the ability to see your playlist, schedule recordings, and of course log in with your DIRECTV Satellite username and password. If you’re looking to find out more, check out this review.

The app is great and best of all, it’s free. But it’s not a full-featured Genie client app. It doesn’t stream from your home DVR at all. This means it’s limited to programs on DIRECTV’s servers. You won’t be able to stream some local channels or some things on your own DVR. Of course, this leads to the next question… when will there be a Genie client app, a true Genie client app, for streaming boxes?

The conventional wisdom

First of all let me say I am confident this is completely possible. Today’s streaming devices, even the inexpensive ones, are a lot lot lot more powerful than Genie client boxes. Technology has really advanced since 2011 when those boxes first hit the market. So I have no doubt that it could be done. So why hasn’t it been? Here’s the conventional wisdom.

First of all, DIRECTV has long maintained that people love a “real” remote. The whole benefit of its dedicated DIRECTV Stream box is that it has a real remote with lots of real buttons. If you went to just an app on a streaming box, you’d lose that. I guess in theory you could emulate that with an app on the phone. But you would be losing the experience that DIRECTV says people want.

The other thing to consider, that’s always been brought up, is that there are a lot of contracts that would have to be renegotiated. There’s always been this feeling like these content providers think people want to pirate their programs and someone could hack the app to do that. Maybe… but I have to say that Comcast and Spectrum, among others, use apps for TV clients and they have figured out a way to avoid that.

Here’s the way I see it

Obviously you’re going to have people who really want a receiver. Business customers, mobile and marine customers, folks who really love the remote. There’s enough stock for those people, especially since DIRECTV has once again started manufacturing. But most folks would be happier with an app and it would save the company money over time. That’s why other pay-TV companies do it. Having an app would let people use their favorite streaming box and just add that functionality. It would increase customer satisfaction.

An interim step would be to take the existing C71KW box and turn it into a Genie client that could also run apps. If you’re a fan of Google TV, or if you don’t terribly care which streaming box you use, that’s a decent option. The C71KW is fast enough and responsive enough, and it does give you that real remote.

I would think the best option would be an “all of the above” strategy. Other app developers develop for multiple platforms all the time. That’s how (for example) HBO Max is available on Apple TV, Roku, Google TV, Fire TV, and dedicated smart TV OS’s. If they’re going to do a client app for the C71KW, which is really nothing more than a Google TV box, why not do all the platforms at once? It might just make people happier and keep the bottom line looking good.

By the way…

I don’t know if DIRECTV will ever come up with a Genie client app. I don’t know if they would continue to charge a mirroring fee, or what the timeline would be. I do know that if you want to upgrade your Genie system, shop at Solid Signal to get genuine DIRECTV hardware. If you’re ready for a bigger upgrade, we can help! Email us at [email protected] during East Coast business hours, or fill out the form below. We’ll take care of you!