Roadmap to a Real* Gateway
*Real ATSC gateways must support the following:
- Both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0
- DRM on the gateway and all clients
- Offline DRM on the gateway. The current security spec does not allow offline DRM on connected clients. This may change in the future.
With that definition out of the way, let’s see where we stand with ZapperBox on Jan 5, 2025, on the eve of CES 2025. Since day one, we have maintained that all ZapperBox devices will be software upgradable to become real gateways. And, that ZapperBox will protect your investment during the transition from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0. We have accomplished the following since July 2022:
- ATSC 1.0 + ATSC 3.0 tuner
- DRM
- DVR
- TechHive Editor’s Choice Award for the best OTA DVR.
- Multi-room DVR
- New single tuner at $199
- Zapper Mini client for rooms without an antenna at $129
Our remaining gateway transition roadmap follows:
- v3.3 will support multi-room “Live TV” for all models by March 2025.
- v3.x will support secure content on connected devices.
- v3.y will allow multi-room devices to control each other.
v3.y is significant. It implies that dual and single tuner devices will not need to have an attached TV or a remote control. They will become real gateways that can be placed in a closet and controlled remotely. That’s the definition of a real gateway.
Version 4.0 - ZapperBox apps: The next significant step will be the creation of the first streaming app for a non-ZapperBox device. Since the current ZapperBox app runs on Android, the first logical target may be the new Google TV Streamer 4K. However, it may make more sense to start with the Roku TV OS – time will tell. We hope that you will select a ZapperBox m1 or m2 as your ATSC gateway and allow us to protect your investment during this transition from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0.
Disclaimer: all version numbers here are speculative. No dates or version numbers are guaranteed unless we publish them on our release notes page here.
