DIRECTV is back, baby! After literally half a decade with no new hardware, the company is up and running again with plans for the future. If you’re a home satellite TV user, you haven’t seen anything yet, that’s true. The company has been busy working with commercial customers who have been in desperate need of new hardware. Remember, commercial customers can’t have Genies so the last new hardware for them came out in 2011.
Not too far-fetched…
It’s not too far-fetched for folks to dream of a new client box or even a new Genie-type server. Since the overall design of the client box has been set for many years, should we expect something new and revolutionary? I think it’s possible. The world of streaming boxes has really evolved in the last decade and I am sure that the world of Genie clients could evolve the same way.
The hardware for Genie clients could easily shrink down to something the size of a large flash drive or a Fire stick. I’m sure it wouldn’t even be hard. But I have to wonder if it would be the right choice. The biggest problem with those TV dongles is that they need to be powered, and HDMI ports don’t supply power. Most devices fix this by having you connect over USB. The only thing about that is, many TVs don’t power the USB ports when the TV’s off. This creates very long boot times for the device.
The other issue you might have is the remote. Yes, you can use an RF or Bluetooth remote, which is what other devices do. But if you want to keep compatibility with older DIRECTV devices, you’ll need infrared. This isn’t impossible but you’d need some sort of IR target cable.
All of this tends to make the idea of a dongle client a little less desirable. And there’s another surprising fact:
People like the larger client.
DIRECTV Satellite, like other forms of pay TV, appeals to a little older crowd. Nothing wrong with that. Older folks are just fine with a small client box that works as expected. At least that’s what market research seems to tell us. I’m not sure about the confidential data at DIRECTV’s headquarters, but my own survey of DIRECTV customers — average ones, not the obsessive fans like me and my friends — says that people think the current client is just fine. So why change?
One thing for sure, it’s going to be interesting.
This article is brought to you by Solid Signal. Shop Solid Signal for the best in DIRECTV accessories! Call us for free tech support, too! We’re here during East Coast business hours at 888-233-7563. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
