cma, I don't think you grasp streaming boxes these days very well. At least it doesn't seem like it from what you post. "Kodi box" is not a box. You are referring to an Android TV box, that is running the Kodi app on it. And the Kodi app by itself is not an issue, it is some of the plugins for Kodi (and others now too) that allow people to do 'questionable' things.
AppleTV and Roku have nothing to do with Android TV boxes. Amazon FireTV however is a specialized Android TV box, that can be rooted just like other Android devices. The FireTVs have become popular the last few years, to use as hardware for the 'questionable' streaming market. Mostly due to the good hardware at low cost.

But you are correct in: Looking over the ISTV website, they are not promoting any apps to get otherwise paid programming for free.
I also looked closer at what specs they publish for their box and it is the exact same as the Chinese boxes all over ebay & Amazon for $50-$100. Someone would have to be a dumb arse to pay $500 for this box.
Unless there is an untold expectation, that this box will come preloaded with the questionable plugins and updates in the future. But $500 is still stupid for even that.