Internet service provider ACT Fibernet has just forayed into the TV streaming business by launching its first product. Called the ACT Stream TV 4K, the device is basically an Android TV box that can be connected to your TV.
It is Android TV-based and runs on the latest 9.0 Pie version, making it one of the few devices to have the latest update. In fact, the product itself is quite unique for the Indian market as there are not a lot of Android TV boxes available in the country. The company has put a small overlay over the Android TV interface and also offer live television channels apart from the variety of apps available on the Google Play Store. And yes, there is Netflix available on the device, though there is no Amazon Prime video support as of yet.
The bundled remote comes with dedicated Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Store and Live TV ‘hot buttons’ for quick access. Apart from that, the company has partnered with Hotstar, Sony Liv, Hooq, Zee5, YouTube, Sun NxT and a bunch of other service providers. The box also enabled consumers to watch over 100 Free to air TV channels. The company has plans for adding pay channels in the coming future.
Another unique proposition that the company is offering with the TV Box is a single click subscription. Customers can subscribe to the various streaming partners and channels that have tied up with ACT and pay for their subscription directly as part of their monthly bill.
The device itself comes with an HDMI port, two USB ports, an ethernet port and comes with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The USB ports allow connectivity to a hard disk, USB drives, joysticks, and cameras. There is no HDR support, but the company has added Dolby Vision. According to the company’s website, the box is powered by a Hi-Silicon 3798M V200 chipset with 8GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM.
The ACT Stream TV 4K box is priced at Rs 4,499 and will be made available with select plans and for purchase post commercial launch in May 2019. As an introductory offer, ACT Fibernet will provide the ACT StreamTV 4K complimentary to select 5000 customers. Notably, the device is only being offered to select ACT plan users, the company doesn’t have any intentions to sell the TV box separately.