Starting next week, more than 3.4 million consumers across three states will have access to the streaming antenna/DVR technology to record and watch live television online.
Aereo To Launch In Denver On Nov. 4
Aereo Inc. today announced plans to launch its online television technology in the Denver metropolitan region on Nov. 4. The Denver metro area includes 67 counties across Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming and more than 3.4 million consumers.
Aereo’s announcement follows its expansion earlier this year to the Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Salt Lake City, Houston, Dallas and Detroit metropolitan areas. Aereo plans to announce additional launch dates for its expansion cities throughout the remainder of the year.
“We’re thrilled to be launching in the Mile-High City,” said Aereo CEO and Founder Chet Kanojia. “Denver is a growing and dynamic tech hub and the enthusiasm we’ve received from the community has been phenomenal.”
Denver metro area residents who pre-register at Aereo.com will receive priority access to sign up. Aereo’s technology will be available to all consumers across the 67-county area on Nov. 4.
In the Denver metropolitan region, consumers will be able to use Aereo’s unique antenna/DVR technology to record and watch more than 40 over-the-air channels including KCNC (CBS), KRMA (PBS), KMGH (ABC), KUSA (NBC), KBDI (PBS), KWGN (CW), and KDVR (Fox); special interest channels such as BounceTV, WeatherNation, MeTV, MyNetworkTV, AntennaTV and MHz Worldview; and foreign language channels such as Azteca, UniMás, V-me, LATV, UniVision and Estrella TV. In addition, consumers will also have the ability to add Bloomberg Television.
Aereo subscriptions begin at $8 per month for access to Aereo’s cloud-based antenna/DVR technology and 20 hours of DVR storage. For an additional $4, consumers can upgrade and receive 60 hours of DVR storage for a total of $12 per month. Consumers who join Aereo will get their first of month of access for free.
BRAND CONNECTIONS
Aereo’s technology works on “smart” devices from tablets to phones to laptop computers. Aereo is currently supported on iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and devices running Android operating system version 4.2 or higher. Aereo is also supported on Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Opera, AppleTV (via airplay) and Roku devices.
Aereo membership will be available to consumers residing in the following 47 counties in Colorado: Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Archuleta, Boulder, Chaffee, Cheyenne, Clear Creek, Conejos, Costilla, Delta, Denver, Dolores, Douglas, Eagle, Elbert, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Jackson, Jefferson, Kit Carson, Lake, Larimer, Lincoln, Logan, Mineral, Moffat, Morgan, Ouray, Park, Phillips, Pitkin, Prowers, Rio Blanco, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguache, San Juan, San Miguel, Sedgwick, Summit, Washington, Weld and Yuma; the following 13 counties in Nebraska: Arthur, Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Grant, Hooker, Keith, Kimball, Sheridan, and Sioux; and the following seven counties in Wyoming: Albany, Campbell, Carbon, Johnson, Niobrara, Platte and Sheridan.
Comments (13)
Bobbi Proctor says:
October 29, 2013 at 9:00 am
I still don’t see how this works technically. There are VHF and UHF stations in Denver. How can these tiny antennas each pick up all of these signals? Why aren’t Winegard, Channel Master, etc. using this technology to produce antennas? They continue to produce larger antennas that are directional and designed for certain frequencies. Has anyone really tested the Aereo technology?
Keith ONeal says:
October 29, 2013 at 5:13 pm
Most of the markets that Aereo are already in (New York City, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Salt Lake City, and Detroit) have VHF and UHF stations. If they can do that in those markets, they can do that in Denver, too. By the way, i’m a little surprised that they still haven’t launched in Chicago (that was supposed to have happened a month ago; the last report I have is that they’re having problems with their beta testing).
Bobbi Proctor says:
October 29, 2013 at 8:29 pm
I still don’t see how each one of those antennas is delivering a satisfactory signal for all of the channels they are selling to their subscribers. If I am an Aereo subscriber and you take my little miracle antenna will my signal disappear?
Gene Johnson says:
October 29, 2013 at 10:14 am
That is a very good question. LIkely something that will be argued over, or attempted when the court cases actually go to trial, which none of them have (all the cases thus far have been for preliminary injunctions to stop Aero, prior to the actual trials).
John Stelzer says:
October 29, 2013 at 10:14 am
No magic here. The “tiny antennas” are highly inefficient. The Aereo patent filing admits that. They are dependent upon high ambient signal levels, meaning that the Aereo headend needs to be in reasonable proximity to the transmitter sites. The Aereo system supposedly samples signals from all not-already-reserved mini-antennas to find the one in the array that provides the highest signal strength for the desired channel and connects that antenna to the real-time encoder or virtual DVR dedicated to the inquiring subscriber. Because of standing waves within the array cavity, the optimal “mini-antenna” will be different for each channel. Presuming that this read of the patent is correct, then the last-in subscribers may suffer more reception impairments than the first-in folks. VHF reception is inherently worse than UHF, unless Aereo has a separate array for VHF that is of larger size.
Bobbi Proctor says:
October 29, 2013 at 11:44 am
If that is the case then each subscriber does not have their own antenna. That invalidates the whole concept of Aereo. It is then doing the same thing that a cable system does by using larger antennas to pick up signals and distribute them to subscribers. Aereo should then be bound by the same rules and regulations that other cable systems are. In most places transmitter locations are in different locations unless an antenna farm has all of a market’s stations. Still don’t see how it can work.
Wagner Pereira says:
October 29, 2013 at 11:59 am
The antenna arguement is a red herring. Does not matter. They could use 1 big antenna imo. What matters is does everyone have their own receiver at the Aereo (headend) site. There remain a good number of locations (buildings/apartments) that have their own Master Antenna and they do not have to pay retransmission because every consumer has their own receiver. Aereo is no different than this concept.
mike tomasino says:
October 29, 2013 at 4:44 pm
The key to a master antenna or community antenna not being classified as a cable system isn’t that there are different receivers, but that it doesn’t cross a roadway or easement. Aereo clearly does that, so the separate antennas and receivers are key to this argument. Slingbox operates on the principle that you can retransmit the signal to yourself for your own private use. Aereo is built on the idea that if you can do it yourself, you can hire someone to do it for you. But, at the end of the day they are operating like a cable company while not playing by the same rules.
Bobbi Proctor says:
October 29, 2013 at 12:02 pm
Then why all the little antennas instead of real antennas? Each cable subscriber has their own receiver–they are just not as close to the antenna.
Wagner Pereira says:
October 29, 2013 at 3:10 pm
No, MVPD uses 1 receiver for the channel, remodulates it into their QAM or IP tech and sends it out to everyone on their network. Big difference between that and a Community Antenna. Why all the focus on the little antennas? No idea. Either its a red herring that is moving the talking point away from the question are there receivers for every sub…again, think slingbox for each sub…as opposed to a stream everyone gets if they watch that channel. Again, imo, that is where the real legal questions are. If they are leasing a “slingbox”, “Tivo Roamio” or “DirecTV type DVR” that can streaming to 1 sub, then its legal, imo.
Bobbi Proctor says:
October 29, 2013 at 8:50 pm
The focus is on the antennas because Aereo says each subscriber has their own antenna. On one TV news story I saw the little miracle antennas. I still don’t believe they work. Can I get one to try?
Wagner Pereira says:
October 29, 2013 at 9:58 pm
You clearly do not understand how to change the narrative.
Bobbi Proctor says:
October 31, 2013 at 9:49 am
Not trying to change the narrative. Just trying to get an answer to what is a simple question.