Late last week, DIRECTV finally made its new Android TV powered streaming player available to DIRECTV via Internet customers. This new dongle, called Gemini Air, will be a 4K streaming player with HDMI 2.0 support. It will run the same operating system as the old Gemini streaming player.
The big selling point with the new Gemini Air player will be improved WiFi over the older box to offer a better streaming experience. The device will also come with a quad-core 2.6 GHz processor, 4GB of Ram, 15GB of storage, and a Broadcom VideoCore 6 GPU. For an Android TV dongle, it’s a fairly powerful streaming player.
The Gemini Air offers a similar experience to DIRECTV satellite service, but without the hassle of installation. With this device, you can change channels by using the channel numbers, giving DIRECTV via Internet customers a more traditional cable TV-like experience.
The Gemini Air will cost current customers $120, but new customers who signup for a two-year contract can get it for free.
Here is how DIRECTV describes the Gemini Air:
The DIRECTV Gemini Air delivers video and integrated content to your TV over the internet. It enables you to watch videos, listen to music, use thousands of third-party apps, and play games—all on your TV.
The Gemini Air is used on its own as a standalone device (one per TV) so you don’t need any other devices. It comes with a voice remote, so you can talk to Google Assitant to control your TV and more using your voice. You can also get all the top apps and games on Google Play
The Gemini Air was first tested by a select number of DIRECTV STREAM customers, but it is now being targeted at DIRECTV via Internet customers.
If you want an experience like cable TV, prefer streaming, the Gemini Air with DIRECTV via Internet is the best experience. The ability to use channel numbers to switch between streams is something many cord cutters have dreamed of.