French operator SFR has started offering customers a new hybrid STB using Android 4.2 combining access to DTT channels and Google Play apps.
The new box is available for rental at EUR3 a month and turns the television into a Google TV giving access to Google services on their TV sets, including YouTube, Google Play Movies, Google Play Music, Chrome, Picassa and hundreds of apps on PlayStore.
The box also gives access to dozens of radio stations and the on-demand and catch-up TV service from France’s main broadcasters MyTF1, 6play, Pluzz). In addition, viewers will also have access to SFR video club, the operator’s VOD portal with its catalogue of over 3,000 titles.
Connection to the TV set is via HDMI and the STB has two USB ports (which can connect to external hard discs), dual-band Wi-Fi, and acts as a media player capable of reading many audio and video codecs including Dolby Digital and DTS.
The new STB is mainly aimed at customers who are not able to receive IPTV, but can still be used by IPTV customers seeking more web TV content or a second TV gateway for their home.