Superbox streaming device delivers IPTV channels

The home satellite TV business got its start in the late 1970s when people living mostly in rural areas began installing large receiving antennas in their yards. 

The dish-shaped devices, some as big at 10 feet across, could pull in popular cable TV channels such as HBO and Showtime along with regional broadcast channels like Atlanta's TBS and Chicago's WGN which carried lots of live sports. 

Those signals were bouncing off orbiting satellites because that's how HBO and the others sent their programming to cable company distribution centers.

The big dishes cost $2,000 or more but the content was free and was much sought after by people who either lived beyond cable’s reach or didn’t want to pay their fees.

Those dishes are mostly gone now after TV channels and content creators switched from satellite to digital distribution networks. Now most use the Internet Protocol (IPTV) networks to move content around the globe. That’s how Netflix turns up as an option on many smart TVs and how services like YouTubeTV and Hulu deliver local broadcasts and cable-type channels to end users. 

IPTV has also spawned a growing market for dedicated setup boxes like the Superbox S2 Pro, which offers users a stunning menu of more than 1,000 live premium channels and broadcast network channels.

The Superbox S2 Pro uses WiFi to connect to the Internet and an HDMI cable to connect to a TV. Like the Roku or Apple TV streaming boxes, the Superbox also uses downloaded apps to link to different content providers. Some require subscriptions but many are free. 

Content options include network TV feeds, local broadcast channels, sports networks, baseball, basketball and football channels, Canadian channels in English and French, and Spanish language channels. The full channel lineup list is available online. 

Other features include a seven-day playback function and support for 4K or 6K high resolution content. The Superbox S2 Pro costs $299 -- way less than those big satellite dishes -- with no monthly fees for the hardware.

For more details, check out the Superbox website. 

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Written by Ric Manning

Follow me on Twitter @ricmanning and read my technology columns at My Well Being.