Xbox One Digital TV Tuner Now Available in UK

Microsoft has launched its digital TV Tuner for Xbox One across the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The miniature peripheral receives TV signals from a coaxial cable (the old-fashioned wires used to air free terrestrial TV) and feeds that into the Xbox One via USB connection, though the console will need to be powered on in order to watch it.

The tuner adds several key features to the traditional Freeview experience. First, Live Pause, which allows users to freeze live TV for up to thirty minutes, as well as rewind and fast-forward footage. Owners can play their games while Live Pause is activated too.

Second, the OneGuide offers a basic panel of TV listings to peruse with either the controller or Kinect (although, how effective voice commands are remains to be seen). The OneGuide is available either as a full-screen menu or an in-picture window, the latter of which allows users to browse other channels while watching one station.

Third, the peripheral uses SmartGlass to stream video from the Xbox One to connected devices on a user's home network. This can also be done while playing games on the Xbox One, with television being processed in the background. (At the time of going to press, connected devices included Windows phones and tablets, as well as iOS devices, with Android support "coming soon").

As well as this, users can watch TV via Snap Mode, which fixes a small picture in a column on the right-hand-side of the screen while something else is displayed in the main picture.

The TV Tuner arrives nearly a full year after the Xbox One's UK launch. The peripheral costs £25.