From May 28th, Vodafone is offering two new TV boxes for its GigaTV TV offer. The GigaTV Home Sound is particularly extensively equipped with Dolby Atmos support, sound design by Bang & Olufsen and voice control. We give an overview of the new devices.
Vodafone promises “oomph” for the living room
The cable network operator and cable TV provider Vodafone is going on the offensive a few weeks before the end of the additional cost privilege. From July onwards, cable television for tenants may no longer be billed as additional rental costs. Affected tenants have until the end of June to find a contract with their current cable network operator or alternatives such as Internet TV. Vodafone wants to convince existing customers and potential new TV customers of its offering – even with new hardware.
The two new TV boxes GigaTV Home and GigaTV Home Sound rely on Android TV. This means that numerous apps from the Google Play Store such as Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, DAZN and many others can be used on the television. Despite its compact size, the Giga TV Home Sound is equipped with three speakers and a subwoofer. This should make powerful sound possible even without a separate soundbar. The new generation Vodafone device also offers support for Bluetooth and Chromecast. You can also use the box to play your favorite songs from Spotify & Co. on your smartphone. 4K content is also supported.
The new TV box GigaTV Home Sound from Vodafone. Image: © Vodafone.
Hybrid boxes for cable TV and Internet TV
The new GigaTV boxes can be used via two access paths. They have a connection for cable television (DVB-C), but can also be used for online TV with any Internet connection.
Thanks to integrated microphones, the GigaTV Home Sound can be controlled by voice, for example to switch a television channel or open an app. Google’s voice assistant can also be used. For the first time, TV recordings are no longer stored on a local hard drive, but rather online in the cloud. Vodafone offers its customers 200 hours of online recording storage for this purpose. You can use the GigaTV app to watch recordings on the go using your smartphone or tablet.
The search has been improved: content should be found more quickly across channels and providers. As before, customers have access to media libraries, paid films from the video library and features such as an electronic program guide and time-shifted television.
How much do the new TV boxes from Vodafone cost?
The standard GigaTV Home model without voice control and sound equipment costs 9.99 euros per month for the first six months, after which Vodafone charges 14.99 euros per month. The minimum contract period is 24 months. The GigaTV Home Sound TV box costs 5 euros more per month. Existing customers should also be able to switch to the new boxes.
The included TV package allows access to 57 TV channels in HD and 52 channels in SD. For a monthly additional charge of 5 euros, additional HD channels can be booked with the Vodafone Premium pay-TV package. If you only want to watch TV on your smartphone and tablet via the GigaTV app, you will pay 9.99 euros per month.
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