AirTies launches combined 4K STB and WiFi access point

Air 7410X

AirTies has launched what it claims to be the world’s first Ultra High Definition set-top box that will also double as an access point using AirTies’ Mesh networking technology. 

The new Air 7410X set-top box (STB), which AirTies is showcasing for the first time at TV Connect, will both receive and transmit a WiFi signal in the home and is due to launch later this year.

Speaking to DTVE, AirTies CEO Philippe Alcaras said that AirTies has also already signed a deal with a tier one Scandinavian operator, which will be the first to deploy the box.

“We have a first customer [for the STB] and we are supposed to deliver in September, but we are expecting this product to be ready by early summertime and in mass-production in September,” said Alcaras.

Describing the functionality of the Air 7410X, he said: “In most cases, when you are in front of the TV you are also using another device, like your mobile phone and you are browsing the net – everybody does that, 77% of cases according to Google.

“The nice thing is that if your set-top box can turn into a WiFi access point, which is no longer just receiving WiFi but retransmitting WiFi, then you have a great WiFi experience in front of the TV.”

Alcaras added that while the new set-top is not the first in the world to support 4K video, “it is the first in the world that will be an access point at the same time, to our knowledge, with our Mesh capability.”

The Air 7410X and is an Ultra High Definition, IP set-top box with integrated 11ac AP/Mesh. It runs on the Broadcom 7252S system-on-chip, can receive 4K p60 video and supports the HEVC and VP9 codecs, according to AirTies.

The news comes a day after AirTies announced it has done a deal with Sky Deutschland to supply the operator and its customers with its SC201 wireless connector.

Sky customers will be able to plug the connector into their Sky+ HD set-top boxes to stream Sky Anytime content over WiFi.