The ZeeVee ZvBox allows you to watch streaming online content from your computer on your home HDTV with a remote control.
What the ZeeVee System is All About
ZeeVee ZvBox allows you to stream any HD content from your computer to your HDTVs. It’s a clever system in which the computer broadcasts into the television via an unused cable channel.
Once running, you can basically sit on your couch and use the ZeeVee remote to view online content from your PC. Various sources of ZeeVee ZvBox content from your computer can include:
- Streaming television content from major networks, most in HD (e.g. shows from ABC online like ‘Lost’)
- Movie download services, like NetFlix and iTunes
- The computer’s DVD player, that can be controlled by the remote with any of your HDTVs
- Content from YouTube and BitTorrent peer-to-peer sites
- etc.
Using the ZeeVee System
Using the remote control with the system, surfing the web becomes a lot easier. The ZvBox gives you access to watching any number of online TV shows and films, stream music with iTunes, browse the web or even check your email. Being able to do this from your HDTV is a convenient novelty.
Setup seems pretty straight-forward: Your computer basically just needs to be hooked up to your existing in-home TV cable wiring, and doesn’t interfere with regular cable-based broadband services.
Video Review of the ZeeVee ZvBox
Online Reviews of the ZeeVee ZvBox
The reviews I read were more or less favorable to this system. PC Magazine praised the device’s ability to display high-definition video from PCs to TVs throughout your house, with no limitations or monthly fees, but they also ripped into the expensive of the system and the complex setup required, as well as the fact that the system isn’t compatable with Mac and Linux.
Reviews from CNET said mostly the same thing, that the system is good in that you can watch web or tv-based video around the house on multiple TVs, but also noted the expensive price as well as it’s setup complexity.
Specs
- USB: USB V2, full speed and high speed, Type B connector
- VGA1: High-density 15-pin male DSUB
- VGA2: High-density 15-pin male DSUB
- Cable: F-type female cable TV
- Compatible TVs: HDTV with digital cable ready tuner
- Compatible Computers: Fully tested and qualified for the PC. Mac not supported at this time
- Audio: PCM and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound over USB
- Video Input: VGA (or DVI-A connectors with VGA adaptor)
- Video Output: Up to full HD (1080i)
- Localcasting: RF modulation
- Encoding: MPEG-2
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2; Microsoft Windows Vista
- Processor: 2 Ghz CPU
- Memory: 2 GB DRAM
- Disk space: 50 MB
- USB: Two free USB 1.0 or 2.0, high-speed or full speed ports
ZeeVee ZvBox – Prices, Deals and Discounts
On Amazon:
Available to buy at Amazon
On eBay:
 |
US $1,029.99 |
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2010 will be the year that web TV set-top-boxes start to make it into the mainstream. The recently announced Popbox priced just shy of $130 has received a lot of promising buzz, but does it deliver?
The PopBox is replacing its predecessor, the Popcorn Hour box with newer features and a sleeker interface.
Content Partners
The PopBox has partnered with a number of companies to bring a variety of video. It’ not got everything, but it’s got decent selection to keep you busy.
- Netflix – rent and buy movies instantly.
- Crunchyroll (Asain entertainment site)
- BlipTV – video clips and independent episodes
- NextNewNetworks – independent web TV shows
- Revision3 – independent web TV shows with a tech focus
- Livestation – live TV from various worldwide sources
- Internet Video Archive – archive of public domain video and old movies.
- MalaysiaKini – Malaysian videos
App Innovation Myth?
Apps were certainly big in 2010 on cell phone devices, and Popbox is trying to cash in on the app craze for the set-top-box.
It boasts over 20 apps at launch, but from what I can see some of these are simply content partners like NetFlix and Blip.tv. So I think Popbox is using the definition of apps very loosely.
That said it does give access to:
- IMDB
- Clicker – An Internet TV guide
- FunSpot – Gaming
- SHOUTcast – Web radio
- Eyecon – Media extender to stream media to other devices in the home
- Mediafly – Manage vodcasts and podcasts
- MetaChannels – A video aggregation and distribution service that enables device manufacturers and application developers to integrate the best shows on the Web into their product offerings
- Photobucket – Photo and video sharing
- PicoChannel – Share photos and videos on friends TVs.
- Swarmcast – Broadcast internet video
- Twonky – Media extender to stream media to other devices in the home
- Waterfront Entertainment: – Gaming
- WeatherBug – Control the weather outside your house. No just kidding, just get a weather report.
Apps All That?
It’s a pretty similar idea to Yahoo’s widgets for the TV. There’s certainly a good amount of options in there, but many are probably more than what the average TV watcher needs.
Sure the average viewer might like to check out a bit of web radio, play some games and check on the weather, but they won’t get into the media extenders, video broadcasting or photo sharing.
I can see tweeting from the couch being popular but most hardcore tweeters would have an iPhone or smartphone in hand, which is probably easier to write on than a remote.
I’m guessing the average techie would probably prefer to switch on their Mac, PC or iPhone to share photos, upload video, broadcast live video, tweet and manage vodcasts and podcasts, at least that’s what I’d do.
So I think a few apps may be redundant for both techies and geeks here, but at least the option is there. The shoutcast app for internet radio is certainly a gem, but I’d like to see Last.fm and Spotify in there too, hopefully they are in the works.
The apps and content that I really want to see are lacking though…
No Facebook App – coming Soon?
So with all those apps that most people won’t use, where’s the app that almost everyone would use? Facebook!
Killing hours from the comfort of your front room to browse Facebook would certainly be a hugely popular feature of PopBox, but it is not there.
PopBox told me that a Facebook app is in the works though, which will certainly make this device a lot more appealing. It will likely be available at launch.
No YouTube, No Hulu, No iTunes
When Google realized it could cash in from set-top-boxes it changed the terms and conditions for its API; set-top-boxes could no get access to the YouTube API without prior permission. As a result the Popbox predecessor, like many other internet enabled set-top-boxes, lost access to YouTube.
YouTube is apparently absent from the PopBox so it misses out on the biggest central hub for video. I’m also surprised to see that PopBox hasn’t even gone with some of the secondary video sites like Metacafe, DailyMotion, CollegeHumor and Liveleak.
A whole world of video is completely missing, making the Boxee box and Monsoon Volcano which do have YouTube access look a lot more appealing.
PopBox confirmed to me they do not intend to add YouTube functionality in the future due to the high licensing costs demanded by Google.
Of course Hulu is also missing, but that’s pretty common in the set-top-box world. You can’t expect NewsCorp to be so open to providing content to a new source of viewers without a monthly charge, on top of the advertising.
iTunes has also failed to make the list so this probably is not the device for Apple fans. But anything non-Apple is going to have trouble playing iTunes DRM music as Apple doesn’t like to share.
Hands-On with the PopBox
Jim Louderback, the CEO of Revision3 takes a hands-on look of the PopBox:
Gui & Home Network Streaming
The device itself does earn some style points, a silent black box that’s so cool it doesn’t need a fan. The video processor can handle full HD decoding at 100 megabits per second and a HDMI connection is there as expected.
With USB and SD ports you can hook up external devices for additional media, and many formats are supported.
Media Extender Functionality
Like the Apple TV the device will also allow you to watch anything stored on your home network. Like the Apple TV it has a sweet interface, if not sweeter, and better than the Apple TV its supports a wide host of video formats.
A pleasant and useful feature is when it finds a video to play it can show the DVD cover and information from the Internet Movie Database.
A downside is the interface does have some display ads which is probably why this box comes pretty cheap.
Full Spec List:
Video outputs
HDMI (1080p/720p/480p), Component video (Y/Pb/Pr)
Audio outputs
Stereo analog audio, S/PDIF optical
Video file containers
PEG1/2/4 elementary (M1V, M2V, M4V), MPEG1/2 PS (M2P, MPG, DAT, VOB), MPEG2 Transport Stream (TS, TP, TRP, M2T, M2TS, MTS), AVI, ASF, WMV,
Matroska (MKV), MOV (H.264), MP4, RMP4
Video codecs
XVID SD/HD, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 MP@HL, MPEG-4.2 ASP@L5, 720p, 1-point GMC, MPEG-4.10 (H.264), BP@L3, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], WMV9, MP@HL, SMPTE 421M (VC-1), MP@HL, AP@L3
Audio file containers
AAC, M4A, MPEG audio (MP1, MP2, MP3, MPA), WAV, WMA, FLAC, OGG
Audio codecs
Dolby Digital, DTS, WMA, WMA Pro, MPEG-1 Layer 1, 2, 3, MPEG-4 AAC-LC,
MPEG-4 HE-AAC, MPEG-4 BSAC, LPCM, FLAC, OGG Vorbis
Photo formats
JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF
PopBox RoundUp
If you look at this device simply as a media extender to get videos from your PC onto your living room TV, then it’s a good choice given the extra apps and variety of content partners to bring you some online TV content.
However, if you are looking for a full on internet TV set-top-box that gives you access to the most web TV content you can find then then PopBox is falling short until it can bring on some more content partners.
The Popbox will be available in March in the US only, for a recommended price of $129. Given the overall functionality for the price the PopBox is definitely a good deal. eBay deals will appear below once it becomes available:
No eBay items currently available.
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The PS3 is a brilliant games console. The BBC iPlayer is a brilliant catch-up television service.
And now that the two have been seamlessly combined, both are reaping the benefits as a result – with increased sales and increased viewing numbers respectively.
Online Video On Consoles
I’ve long argued that games consoles are an important point of contact for the IPTV industry. Here are Internet-enabled set-top boxes hooked up to HDTVs and used by generally technically-minded younger people. What more could you ask for?
And now comes proof that games consoles have the capacity to increase the volume of viewers and scope of options available to purveyors of online video. And it comes courtesy of how the BBC iPlayer is being consumed by PS3 owners in the U.K.
PS3 iPlayer
The PS3 has recently had a redesign, with a new, slimmer, lighter version being released. This coincided with a price cut and a new firmware update, v3.0. This update made a few changes, but one of the biggest for U.K. residents is the integration of BBC iPlayer into the XMB (XrossMediaBar).
While the BBC iPlayer has been available to watch for over a year now, thanks to the BBC releasing a version viewable via the console’s built-in Web browser, this update sees the iPlayer actually show up as part of the system. One click and you find yourself on the site and ready to watch programming.
New Improved PS3 iPlayer
I’ve actually been using my PS3 to watch BBC programming on the iPlayer for months now, so this update hasn’t made a great deal of difference to me. But for those who weren’t sure how to get to the iPlayer through the browser, it has now become an easy option for online television viewing.
Watching the BBC iPlayer on the PS3 is as simple as it is on a computer. The obvious advantage being that it’s delivered in high quality and looks great on a large television. The interface is simpler and navigation is optimized for use with a controller, and these changes make for a pleasurable viewing experience. In the same way that YouTube XL does.
Increased Viewing Figures
The BBC is already seeing results of iPlayer integration from firmware v3.0, claiming that the PS3 now accounts for a massive 10 percent of all iPlayer viewing. Which makes it the second most popular platform for the service after the PC, with it leapfrogging the Mac (8.5 percent) in the last 10 days.
Now all that needs to happen is for the BBC to open up the iPlayer to those outside the U.K. and it’ll see an even bigger increase in viewing figures. We’ll take Hulu as a straight swap.
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The set-top-box market is slowly but surely building. Every company seems keen on getting a device out there and in to our living rooms capable of streaming video from the Internet. And there’s now a new contender on the scene.
We already have market leader Apple TV, as well as other alternative such as VUDU. But there are many more devices entering the fray.
New Competition
May saw the release of the sub-$100 Roku box complete with Netflix streaming capabilities built in. Since then, Roku has stated its intention to increase its content partners, with YouTube and Hulu the front runners to be added in the future.
Then there is the emergence of games consoles as a viable device for video distribution. The Wii has the BBC iPlayer, the Xbox 360 is due to get Netflix, and the PS3 is getting its own video download service.
LG BD300
At the end of July, we saw the first sighting of a forthcoming Blu-ray and streaming video hybrid from LG called the LG BD300. Now the company has filled in the details.
The LG BD300 is set to be released and available in the US from October. It will retail for $399.99 but for that you’ll get full Blu-ray capabilities coupled with the ability to stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix (assuming you choose to subscribe).
HD… Sort Of
But while the machine will enable users to watch Blu-ray films in full 1080p glory, the content streamed from Netflix will only be close to DVD quality.
Netflix is looking at offering HD quality downloads in the future but for now, you’ll have to purchase Blu-ray discs to experience a true high definition future.
A Tough Time Competing
Luckily, due to the Internet connection, the new player will be equipped with BD Live, meaning its guaranteed future-proof due to constant firmware upgrades. But seeing as that is something the Playstation 3 already does, it’s not that big a deal.
It’s satisfying to have the first Blu-ray player also able to stream content on the market, but with the Roku box being available for $300 less, and the PS3 and Xbox 360 also offering real (and cheaper) alternatives, the LG BD300 will have a tough time competing.
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Can you tell the difference between what all of the different makes of set-top-box are offering? Me neither, which makes any initiative an important one for anyone interested in purchasing one the many on offer.
VUDU is a set-top-box that rivals, and does pretty much the same thing, as Apple TV, Roku, and a host of other similar products.
Adult & Family-Friendly Content
Last week saw the company announce on-demand porn films via an Adult Video Network (AVN) channel. Adult movies can be bought or rented for between $6.99 and $29.99. But this week’s offering is a bit more family friendly, and judging by the premium prices charged for adult material, more friendly to your wallet as well.Blockbuster Offers
VUDU has launched a 99 for 99 movie channel which quite obviously offers 99 movies for 99 cents apiece. The movies are described as blockbusters, and are going to be rotated throughout the summer and possible beyond. There is also an extended rental offer which enable VUDU users who have already rented a film to renew the rental for just $0.99, or $1.99 for HD. The set-top-box market is an increasingly cluttered one, and it’s offers such as these that will eventually enable consumers to differentiate all of the options on offer. Hardly ground breaking but nice enough.[Engadget]
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Netflix has added another content partner to its increasing roster, and this one combines digital downloads with Blu-ray movies. Good news for the companies involved, the consumers, and digital distribution?
Movie and television content streaming company Netflix seems intent on making its service as accessible to as many people as possible, setting multiple partnerships in an effort to enable its content to be delivered to the maximum number of homes.
Sub-$100 Roku Box
This strategy started back in May when Roku released its new set-top box, which came with the ability to stream Netflix movies. The box may have been derided in some quarters, but at just $100, it opened up digital content to a whole new level of consumers on a budget.
Since then, Roku has announced that the box will expand to include other content partners in time. YouTube, Hulu, and Amazon Unbox were cited as the most obvious candidates, but no names have yet been revealed.
Netflix On Xbox 360
Earlier this month at the E3 Expo, Microsoft announced details of the deal it had done with Netflix which sees the company’s content available on the Xbox 360 console – Xbox Live Gold get the service for free.
Blu-ray/Streaming Hybrid
Now the third partnership in a run of four has been announced, with LG introducing a new Blu-ray and streaming video hybrid player. Netflix is a definite partner, but like Roku, LG is keen to add further digital content partners in the future.
The LG BD300 will come in at under $500, and play Blu-ray movies as well as Netflix content. This is a device that gives the best of all worlds: high definition content, streaming video content and tradition standard DVDs.
Netflix Content
The big problem is still the amount and range of content available on the Netflix ‘Watch Now’ service. The inventory of movies and television shows currently sits at around 12,000 items, but according to Mashable, that includes such gems as Otis, Zero Woman: Dangerous Game, Room 314, Blushing Bloopers, and The Madness of King George.
Compare that to Amazon’s 40,000 title strong streaming on demand service, and the shortfall is plain to see. If Netflix can up the quantity and quality of the content on offer then these partnerships could actually prove successful.
The Real Winners
The real winners are the companies such as Microsoft, Roku and LG, who end up with content already available on their products straight from launch, and the option to add more content partners in the future.
And of course the consumers, who now have a range of options to fit most budgets and needs. This is also good for the growth of digital downloads, as the more devices there are on the market, the more likely mainstream acceptance is going to follow.
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It’s been expected for some time, but yesterday finally saw the new YouTube service come alive on TiVo. The service will roll out on all TiVo Series 3 and HD boxes over the next few weeks.
The service comes as part of the 9.4 software update, and means that all YouTube videos will now be viewable on TiVo in H.264. This is the first time TiVo has rendered content in anything other than MPEG-2.
Streaming YouTube On TiVo
TiVo owners can now stream all YouTube videos, watch them in full-screen, and fast forward, pause and rewind them in the same way as any other video on your TiVo.
Here is a video demonstration of the service in full, working order, courtesy of Dave Zatz. It shows a very successful marriage of the TiVo interface with all YouTube content.
Video Demonstration
At the moment, account information isn’t part of the deal, so you still need a PC to rate and save favourites. Interestingly, there are no display ads visible on TiVo YouTube, but if the rumoured pre-roll adverts make an appearance, they would show up.
YouTube Does Deals
This is a clever move, both on the part of YouTube and TiVo. YouTube benefits from having its content accessible by more than just computer, while TiVo continues to build more content partnerships.
TiVo isn’t the first DVR to partner with YouTube though, and in that respect, it is playing catch-up. According to NewTeeVee, has already done deals with Apple TV, HP MediaSmart Connect, Sony Bravia and Panasonic TV sets, and Verismo.
DVR’s are becoming increasingly important in the US, and usually sit side by side with a cable or satellite television subscription. Deals such as these are likely to make them even more appealing to mainstream consumers.
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There’s a small event going on right now in Los Angeles called the E3 Media and Business Summit, which is the place where Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, as well as a host of games developers unveil plans for the next year.
Today was the first day, and Microsoft was the first of the big three to show its hand. And one of the announcements means that Xbox 360 owners will soon be getting more access to online movie downloads.
This will be coming from Netflix, the online movie rental company, which is teaming up with Microsoft to allow Netflix subscribers, who also own an Xbox 360, to have access to its extensive catalogue through their consoles.
Free To Existing Subscribers
According to Reuters, the service will be launching in the Autumn, and is likely to come as part of a software upgrade. The brilliant news is that the service will be free to Netflix subscribers who also hold Xbox 360 Live Gold memberships. Which is likely to be a fair portion of the 10 million Xbox 360 owners out there.
Xbox 360 owners will be able to access the 10,000 titles, made up of both episodes of popular television series, and movies currently available as part of the 2007 launched Netflix ‘Watch Instantly’ feature.
Rumours surrounding some kind of partnership between the two companies have been rife over recent months, but until today, nothing official had been announced.
In Addition To Roku and LG Partnerships
This latest move by Netflix follows on from earlier partnerships with Roku and LG, both of whom are creating cheap set-top-boxes with the express intent of providing a living room alternative for people to download or watch Netflix content.
We’ve spoken about the Roku box, which retails for just $100, twice in the past. First when it was launched, and then when it was announced that the makers had plans way beyond simply Netflix.
Xbox On Top, Sony To Follow?
This latest deal means Xbox 360 owners get even more online video offerings than before, with original programming already rumoured to be on the way, and a video service available through Xbox Live.
Sony has its E3 press conference on Wednesday, and it’ll be interesting to see whether Playstation 3 owners get any similar announcements. There have already been rumours of a video download service coming, so now we just need the details filling in.
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The Roku Netflix box was released back in May to a mixture of complete and utter enthusiasm, to a feeling that it won’t ever be able to compete with Apple TV, so why bother.
The player launched at the incredibly low price of just $99, and allowed users to stream movies and television from Netflix to their TV using the Instant Viewing feature. It’s been a sales success, with the device already hard to come by.
However, demand for the boxes is likely to increase even more with the news that the box is going to soon be compatible with more content providers than just Netflix, and these are going to be high-profile names.
New Content Partners
According to CNET, Roku’s vice president of consumer products, Tim Twerdahl, has stated that more content partners are coming, but refused to name names, which has obviously lead to huge amounts of speculation.
YouTube would seem to be the first, and most obvious target. The Google-owned company has been looking at new ways of making some revenue of late, and this would provide such an opportunity. Plus, it has already partnered with other hardware-makers of late.
Then there is Hulu, which is a possibility, but would be a strange choice for a box which is trying to make you buy content, seeing as the service offering premium content completely free.
Another possibility is Amazon Unbox, though some think the chances are not good seeing as it is a direct competitor to Netflix, but if it were to happen, it would be a massive coup
Digital Trojan Horse
As Venture Beat argues, the adding of new content partners could turn the purchase of the Roku box from a cheap treat in to a kind-of trojan horse designed to persuade consumers about the ease and possibility of digital content.
This is what has happened with the Playstation 3, which was used by Sony as a trojan horse to get Blu-ray accepted as the high-definition format of choice in the DVD war.
PS3 & Xbox 360 Netflix Support?
Speaking of the PS3, there is speculation that the console will start to support Netflix’s ‘Watch it Now’ feature soon, with an announcement possible at this month’s E3 conference. Microsoft could also follow suit with the Xbox 360.
Whoever it is, the fact that a set-top box available for under $100 could soon be carrying multiple streams of online video content has got to be good for the uptake of digital content amongst more than just technology geeks and early-adopters.
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There were rumours back in April of a new video download service coming to the Playstation 3, with television and movie studio executives being given an early heads up of Sony’s plans.
Now, Sony have officially unveiled its plans for the download service, with Kaz Hirai and Howard Stringer detailing the plans for a summer launch at a Tokyo press conference.
USA Comes First
The new service will allow all owners of the Playstation 3 to download television programmes and movies to their console. The US will get the service first, before it is rolled out to Europe and Asia soon after.
Sony has already used the PS3 as a kind of trojan horse to get Blu-ray adopted as the high-definition DVD format of the future, and is now planning on doing the same for digital downloads as a viable distribution method.
Xbox Live Video Marketplace
The PS3 will now be going head-to-head with a similar service on the Xbox 360 called the Xbox Live Video Marketplace, which Microsoft put in place very early on in the console’s life. But the success of both depend entirely upon the content deals both companies manage to secure.
The Xbox Live Video Marketplace debuted in America in 2006, and struggled to secure any big-name studio backers initially, but now have Warner, Paramount, Fox, Disney, MGM, New Line, and most of the major TV networks on board.
Plans For The PSP
It seems that Sony have plans bigger than what Xbox Live currently offers though, with Variety claiming as well as the ubiquitous rentals, there are plans to include the PSP and Blu-ray in to the equation.
More details will likely emerge at the forthcoming E3 conference in July, where Sony will fill in the blanks, and hopefully be able to confirm some content partners beyond Sony Pictures. Microsoft is expected to announce a deal with Netflix which would enable Xbox 360 users to use the ‘Watch Now’ function.
Video game consoles are quickly becoming a viable and potentially lucrative distribution method for Internet video. The Xbox 360 has already proved its worth, and the Playstation 3 is now set to follow suit.
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