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TV away from home

Posted on 13 Jan 2009 at 12:16

The next big change brought about by new TV technology isn't to do with when you watch programmes, but where you watch them. The industry buzzword for this is placeshifting; taking the TV content coming into the home and accessing it from anywhere with a high-speed data connection. We'll see how this works on specific mobile devices later, but most of us already have aportable player with a decent-sized screen that can do the job. Any laptop orWindows netbook should suffice.

First, you need to get your TV stream online, and the easiest way to do that is through hardware with a device such as Sling Media's Slingbox Pro or Sony's LocationFree. You take the unit, plug it into your home AV setup and/or aerial socket, then connect it to your router or home network, and you're all but set up to stream content to anywhere with adecent internet connection. The devices come with remote-control PC software that allows you to flick your satellite box to the right channel as if you were sitting on the sofa with the zapper in hand.

The Slingbox Pro has an advantage, because it features an integrated Freeview TV tuner, whereas the Sony needs to connect to an existing PVR, Sky or Freeview box. If you only have one, this can result in some peculiar scraps over control between you and someone at home when you're halfway around theworld. Both devices can also be hooked up to an additional piece of AV equipment, giving you access to a PVR orDVD player, while several devices can be controlled with the plug-in infrared transceiver. You can download and install both of the player applications onto your notebook over the web.

Picture quality depends on two factors. First, you need a fast, steady upload speed on your home connection: 256Kbits/sec is the minimum, 512Kbits/sec or above is better. Second, you need a decent downstream connection at your "away" location; you need 256Kbits/sec before you get something watchable. Interestingly, neither player seems particularly dependent on the power ofthe notebook. You can get a great, smooth picture on an Intel Atom netbook!

The Slingbox certainly wins pointsforconvenience. Having the ability to access recordings on a PVR aswell as Freeview broadcasts shouldn't be underestimated, and if you have an "away" location you visit regularly, like a working week bolthole or a holiday home abroad then, provided you have a broadband link in both locations, you can enjoy all your usual viewing, either on a notebook or using a SlingCatcher playback device that plugs into your "away" TV set. As a bonus, the SlingCatcher also functions as a media player for regular video files, which it will play back from a USB hard disk. Keep a portable archive of your favourite films and programmes on an external hard disk or high-capacity flash drive, and your movie collection comes with you.

Streaming software

If you don't want to pay for dedicated hardware, you can use the free software packages Orb MyTV and WebGuide in conjunction with a TV-tuner equipped PC (although you'll need a system running Media Center to use the latter). This will give you the option of streaming recorded TV and other video content to a notebook elsewhere, although this will mean leaving a PC on at home while you're away. If that isn't feasible, a version of WebGuide is available for Windows Home Server.

It has long been possible to watch a broadcast TV signal on your PC using a USB TV tuner module. The DVB-T standard that's used in the UK is also used throughout Europe and in parts of Asia, South America and Africa, and since most USB tuners are designed to be sold across the EMEA region, you should receive a signal in most of those countries. The US and Japan are out of the question, as they use competing standards (ATSC in the case of the US). You'll either need to track down a dual- or multi-standard USB tuner - which is harder than you might think - or buy a separate US tuner for use when you're hopping over the Atlantic.