The news
Hauppauge Digital is now selling a rival to Sling Media's Slingbox and the Sony LocationFree internet TV personal distribution systems - and, at £100, the TV Anywhere package is significantly cheaper than either.
The company claims that, "unlike any other system, TV Anywhere will work with any web browser and does not require additional software". By that, it actually means any other software at the receiving end - something that's said to allow you to pick up the TV transmitted from home on any mobile that runs a browser and a media player, any WiFi PDA and any laptop or desktop PC - irrespective of operating system.
The TV Anywhere is centred on Hauppauge's well respected external analogue-TV and FM-radio PVR, the WinTV-PVR-USB2, but, of course, this doesn't give access to the large number of TV stations that a Freeview digital version would - though one of those, apparently, is in the works.
However, in compensation, the WinTV-PVR-USB2 has inputs for video (composite and S-video) and left/right audio, allowing the box to act as a converter for people who want to digitise their VHS tapes or other analogue footage.
On the downside, though, the lower price buys more restricted video-broadcast capabilities than the very-well-featured £180 Slingbox, which has terrestrial and Freeview tuners built in. It also offers less than Sony's £230 LocationFree, though that has no tuner at all.
These competing external boxes use cable-mounted IR transmitters to let you control and view a number of video sources over the internet from the PC you've taken with you on your travels - though do require controller software to be installed on that remote PC.
As a result, you could, for instance, view transmissions from Sky, NTL or Telewest. In the case of the Sony, you'd need a separate Freeview box to watch digital terrestrial TV or a VCR if you wanted to watch terrestrial TV.
Hauppauge says that TV Anywhere delivers content using Orb technology. What's that? Well, Orb's own site says,
Orb
takes the home out of home entertainment! Orb gives you secure access
to your digital media from your home computer through a simple Web
interface. Stream your live TV, photos, music and videos to any
Web-enabled device.
The Orb software is free and when you start to look at what's going on you realise that, actually, all that Hauppaugge appears to have done is bundle Orb's software with the pre-existing WinTV-PVR-USB2 hardware.
So, yes, this means you could simply buy the WinTV-PVR-USB2 hardware from one of the many outlets that stocks it and download and install Orb and do everything that Hauppauge says that TV Anywhere package does. And save about £20 into the bargain!
This well-proven combi box sits
at the heart of
the system but you could save £20 by buying the
box on its own and installing Orb's free software!
the system but you could save £20 by buying the
box on its own and installing Orb's free software!
That's doubly good news for those who don't like buying from the Dixons Store Group because that company's PC World, Currys and Currys.digital stores and web sites are the only places currently where you're able to buy PC Anywhere in the UK - just as is the case, sadly, with Slingbox at the moment.
Oh, and what does the free Orb software do apart from stream out TV from an internal or external TV tuner?
Let you remotely enjoy the music, photos and video that are stored on your PC and also watch the video streams coming from any attached webcam.
However, because the Orb software is relying on the host PC to do a lot of work, Orb's recommended spec for that PC's CPU is pretty stiff. The company suggests a processor at least as fast as an AMD Athlon 3200+ or Intel P4 2.4GHz - paired with a minimum of 512MB of RAM. And, surprise, surprise, that's just what Hauppauge recommends for TV Anywhere as well.
Know, too, that Orb's software also runs only on Windows XP (Home or Pro - with Service Pack 2) or Windows XP Media Center Edition (2004 or 2005) - though in our view, that's inevitable. Oh, and of course, a broadband internet connection is needed for Orb and Hauppage - just as it is for the Sony and Sling Media products.
Thoughts on the Hauppauge TV Anywhere solution? Be sure to share them with us in this thread in the HEXUS.lifestyle news forum. Before doing that, though, you might care to check out the company's press release over on page two.
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community :: discussion thread about this articleHEXUS.lifestyle.headline :: LocationFree, Sony's Slingbox rival, hits UK at lower-than-expected premium
HEXUS.lifestyle.headline :: Revolutionary Slingbox video distribution system finally arrives in UK
HEXUS.lifestyle.headline :: Send yourself TV via Skype for under £50
External.links
Hauppauge UK - WinTV-PVR-USB2 home pageHauppauge UK - home page
Orb - home page
