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NEWS

TV Anywhere

From "Mobile WiFi device turning the PC into a TV recorder," by Ilse Jurriën, LetsGoDigital, 4 September:

"Free TV on a mobile phone, PDA or laptop became reality today with the launch of TV Anywhere from Hauppauge Digital.

"The new £99.99 (inc. VAT) product allows owners to watch live and recorded TV anywhere with an internet connection - on holiday, at the station, at friends' houses, even in the sandwich bar.

"Hauppauge's new TV Anywhere product includes a tiny WinTV [Personal Video Recorder] USB2 device that plugs into a home PC and an aerial, turning the PC into a TV and digital video recorder. The software then uses the home broadband connection to deliver the live TV and recordings, anywhere in the world with an internet connection. The technology detects the connection quality of the mobile device... [and] compresses the video, allowing for connection through WiFi and 3G, [so it] can be enjoyed on a desktop PC, Apple Mac or WiFi-enabled PDA or mobile phone.

" 'Appointment TV is dying,' commented Yehia Oweiss, UK Managing Director of Hauppauge Digital. 'People are recording more and more TV and watching what they want, when they want. Timeshifting was first introduced with the VCR, and later enhanced with the PVR (Personal Video Recorder). Placeshifting is the new frontier - watching recorded TV where you want it, and moving live TV out of the home.'

"...Unlike any other system, TV Anywhere will work with any web browser and does not require additional software. That means any mobile phone with Internet Explorer and a media player, any WiFi PDA, any laptop, any PC, any Mac. Because TV Anywhere uses the home PC and broadband connection to provide a video source, and thanks to support for WiFi and free internet connection 'hotspots', watching TV is free from anywhere. Unlike TV provided by the mobile phone companies, there is no subscription and it does not eat up mobile minutes or megabytes.

"...Hauppauge's TV Anywhere delivers all the media content from the home PC to anywhere, including photographs and music. Owners no longer need to pick and choose which MP3 files to upload to their mobile music player - everything is available via the web, in hi-fi quality.

"Although the market for mobile TV is in its infancy, research companies forecast an explosion in numbers of users. US research house, In-Stat, forecasts mobile television subscribers will top 100m by the end of 2010, whilst Informa Telecoms and Media, reporting on mobile TV take-up during the World Cup, forecasts over 200 million mobile owners accessing streamed and broadcast TV by 2011.

Orb technology detects your connection

"Hauppauge's TV Anywhere uses Orb technology to deliver content. When you connect from a mobile device or remote PC, Orb detects your connection speed and the upstream bandwidth available from your home PC. Orb streams content at the highest quality available to you, providing the best possible experience the device and bandwidth can support... No more hassles with long download waits or files that are too big. The content remains on your PC, providing you with the security and control you need. In addition, Orb allows owners to share content with friends and family. Each person you add to your account can customize Orb so they can enjoy their personal media when and how they want it...

"TV Anywhere with a WinTV PVR USB2 tuner is initially available exclusively from DSG outlets, including Dixons, Currys, and PC World. Future versions will include a WinTV digital tuner, to give mobile access to Freeview stations."

[Bluetooth: 4 September 2006]