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DIRECTV NOW’s Android TV Box’s User Interface is Revealed

Last week DIRECTV NOW started to email subscribers asking for beta testers for their new Android TV-powered streaming player.

This new device is likely to be used for both DIRECTV NOW and a new DIRECTV streaming version AT&T announced last year. The device is an Android TV-powered streaming player called Osprey. (AT&T is very likely to change the name before release.) It is very likely this will be the set-top box for the reported DIRECTV streaming version. According to reports AT&T wants to offer a streaming version of DIRECTV that will provide the same contracts and channels but without the dish on your house. (Removing the need to send a tech to your home or pay for an expensive satellite in space.) For now, they are likely using DIRECTV NOW to test it and will probably also offer it as an option for DIRECTV NOW customers.

In the email sent to subscribers, AT&T says “We built a streaming device to give you an even better experience. And we’d like you to be a beta tester so you can help us make sure we do just that.”

Now we get our first look at what the user interface will look like thanks to Android TV Guide and its a reskinned version of Android TV.

From the looks of it, DIRECTV NOW is taking a very similar approach to Android TV that Sling TV did. They are primarily building their streaming player to launch into the DIRECTV NOW app. From there you will be able to access other apps through the Google Play store. (This does likely mean no official support for apps like Amazon Video.)

When looking at the DIRECTV NOW section of the device, it is incredibly similar to the Fire TV app with some minor changes. One interesting note is there are channel numbers and a number pad on the remote. This likely means you will be able to switch channels by entering the channel number you want. One sad note is that AT&T seems to have forgotten a last channel button on the remote. Hopefully, there will be some way to quickly jump back to the previous channel.

You can find all the screenshots of the DIRECTV NOW on Android TV Guide’s website HERE.

So what do you think of the new User Interface from the DIRECTV NOW streaming player? Leave us a comment and let us know wht you think.

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