SFR presented its new offer for the 2019 commercial school year centered around its SFR Box 8. We were able to spend a little time with the box and discover its interface.

Update: the SFR Box 8 is officially launched and we now know its price.

Difficult not to think of Free and its Freebox Delta during the presentation of the SFR Box 8 in the premises of Altice France.And for good reason, at first glance the new SFR box is based on the same technological levers as the ex-TROBLION of telecoms: a 4K compatible TV box which promises to integrate an Amazon Alexa connected speaker and to become the intelligent center ofYour connected home.Throughout the presentation conference, the operator did not fail to recall that he wanted to "put himself at the level of the competition".

A compact and "cheap" TV box

However, the comparison between the Free and SFR boxes seems to stop there as the two operators have taken different orientations for the design of their box.Where Free offers something very imposing, who wants to enthroned in the middle of your show, we don't know-Trop-Où, the SFR Box 8 wants to be much more discreet.

We discover a square, black and sober TV box, of only 15 cm x 15 cm.The connection is also minimalist: a power supply, an HDMI socket, an Ethernet RJ45 socket, a TNT antenna socket and a USB type-C port on which SFR has not communicated.The operator does not say too much about the technical characteristics of his box, except that it is compatible Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth, 4K HDR Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.This is the first operator to launch a 6 Wi-Fi 6 in France compatible box, a new generation full of promises that is starting to gain weight in 2019.

The box is also a connected speaker compatible with Amazon Alexa and an assistant developed internally, "OK SFR", but here too the operator did not give details on the manufacturer of the speaker or on the audio quality of sounddevice except that it is a simple stereo sound.We are far from the Devialet enclosure, but we are also far from the volume of the Freebox Delta, and SFR has promised many times that we would be far from the prices charged by Free.The new SFR box is indeed offered commits a simple option at 5 euros per month.

The operator has therefore carefully avoided following Free on technological escalation and offers a product that seems more pragmatic, allowing it to be more financially accessible (if we believe the promise) and in terms of simplicity of access toA neophyte.As such, the operator has also revised the software interface of its box.

A new TV interface

Like these competitors, SFR has decided to develop a new interface for its box centered around content rather than television channels.So we find above all suggestions for films or series for each home profile according to its tastes.To offer these contents, SFR brings together all the services of the moment: Netflix, Canal+, BeIN Sports, Youtube, but also its offers SFR Cine-Series service.

It is still possible to find the mosaic of classic channels in a last tab of the somewhat discreet interface, but this is clearly the issue for SFR.This is also where "OK SFR" comes in.The SFR Box 8 can be controlled by the voice with the microphone integrated into the case, but also through the remote control and a new mobile application for iOS and Android developed by SFR.The wizard allows you to control the TV experience by going directly to programs, channels, or depending on metadata.For example "Find a film with Angelina Jolie" allows you to find Salt or the first series of Tomb Raider film.The box will then indicate to the user if these programs are available with its offer, if they can rent them, buy them in VOD, or even subscribe to an additional subscription (Netflix for example).

The new application will also control the box, but also to find all the contents of its subscription even on the go.The application, like the box, will be compatible with Google Chromecast.It will even be possible to find its records, because the SFR Box 8 does not include any local hard drive, but records everything in the cloud.Here we find a function that made the success of Molotov, but the operator assured that another actor had been asked for this novelty, despite the discussions of buyouts between Altice and Molotov.

Cover this modem that I will not know

The new SFR Box 8 does not only consist of a TV case, but also offers a separate modem.We were able to take charge of the FTTH fiber version of the case which will be launched with the offer in August with an XDSL version.The FTTB version will be launched later, in October.It was clearly not this case that the operator wanted to highlight during his presentation.It was also necessary to fight a little to take control of the modem.

According to the operator, with Wi-Fi 6, the modem should be as discreet as possible, to the point of being able to be put back in a garage or near the electric meter for example (admitting that fiber, cable or xdsl accessbe close).This is also how SFR justifies the drastic decrease in the number of RJ45 ports: only 2 ports instead of 4 usually for other boxes on the market.

Not much to say indeed on this modem, except that it is not particularly discreet.The operator had accustomed us better at the time of the Neufbox Evolution.However, we can note the direct integration of the have into the modem.This means that FTTH subscribers will no longer need the small box converting the fiber to Ethernet RJ 45.

An optional box for all package ranges

The SFR Box 8 has been launched since August 20, 2019. However, it will be necessary to wait until October to discover new functions around the connected house, and the arrival of the Amazon Alexa assistant.

The operator wants to clarify his offers and will therefore rest on an à la carte option system.Thus, the subscriber can choose the desired level of offer and debit, then will have the choice between the SFR Box 7 or the SFR Box 8. This means that it will be possible to take advantage of the new box, even with the packagefirst prize of the operator.Finally, SFR insisted on the optional nature, both new boxes and additional content such as Netflix.A way for SFR to tackle its competitor Free which offers an offer certainly included, but at a fairly high price.The price of the SFR Box 8 option?5 euros per month.

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