Looks like we’ve got a new player in the PC extension business… Last last week, ZeeVee introduced the ZvBox – available for pre-order. The ZvBox transmits both PC VGA video output (up to HD resolutions) and audio (up to 5.1 surround via USB) over coax to televisions in your home. Re-using the existing coaxial cabling installed in most homes is an efficient way to move content, from the SD DIY AVcast to whole-home DVR products from vendors like Verizon FiOS TV and Dish Network. Unlike those solutions, however, ZeeVee doesn’t transmit control over coax – relying instead on a two-way RF remote with a reported range of 150′.
ZeeVee hasn’t yet indicated the exact requirements to receive the “Zv channel.” Can the signal be passed through a set-top box, or will the cable need to be split? And what about my older Panasonic CRT HDTV without ATSC tuner – am I out of luck? Though, the biggest hurdle these guys face isn’t technological, it’s pricing… At $500, I’d rather buy a small, dedicated computer to watch Netflix, Hulu, etc on my television. If they reduce consumer cost by 1/3 – 1/2, they’ll have a much better shot at success.
(Thanks for the tip, Ryan!)
BTW, that “whole home DVR product” is actually Moto’s delivered to Verizon. ;)
*cough cough* SlingCatcher *cough cough*
Mari, Moto hardware but Verizon software? Or, have they licensed software components as well?
Jon, Yep as you know, one of our features will be network PC->TV streaming. Which I quite enjoy. But I didn’t want to rub my pre-release access in. ;)
It uses QAM not ATSC, and yeah if your TV doesn’t have an internal turner then it’s not for you. They say they can support ATSC as well, but expect to offer that as an option later on down the road.
The main difference between this and any other solution (including Dave’s inexpensive PC) is that it runs over the existing coax in the house. Sure if you can run CAT5, then why use this? But there are many apartment dwellers or homes with vaulted ceilings that make it impossible to run wires. It’s too bad someone doesn’t make an Ethernet bridge that would run over the coax in your house. Each of those 6-Mhz channels has room for at least 38Mbps after all.
Or you want to be able to watch the same thing in every room of the house (party?).
Personally I’m more interested in it when they expand it to work with regular HD gear, so you can buy one TiVo and use it in every room of the house or use it to capture HD from your cable’s STB, so you can use your PCs internal HD tuner. There are many different ways they can go with this thing.
So, how do you find an empty channel? Do you set it manually or is it capable of hunting for something unused?
Does my PC that is hooked up to its LCD display by DVI still output the PC output via VGA, so that it could be picked up by this? I would have thought it would be disabled, in Vista anyway, given the “closed system” they promise media companies… cuz this is basically just another version of the “analog hole”, no?
Sounds cool. Yes its too expensive, but a box in the computer room instead of a box in the living room is always an improvement.
You can keep your ZvBox, Just give me a slingcatcher already!!
This looks pretty damn functional. Can play any format that your computer can play, which means it has the most file flexibility of any box — there’s nothing you can’t play and what seems like a pretty simple, right out of the box setup. No futzing with a fussy N wireless system.
Price is definitely a problem — as you will surely want more than a single remote. I would expect incremental RF remotes to be costly.
I would rather have a custom Zv channel on my ZvBox than work with Cable’s video on demand menus and program guides, which I hate. Best thing about Internet TV is it is so much easier to search and find content and increasingly there are online TV guides to help. “Internet rules” is the way to go for video entertainment. Scheduled broadcast TV that forces me to tune in at a set time is dying. I am not ready to adandon Cable since there is still lots of content (and HD channels) I can’t get online, but ZeeVee’s box will get us there a lot faster.
I welcome and encourage comments from all, but expect company employees to disclose their relationships when discussing a product’s value proposition, etc. I tried contacting “Kyle” privately regarding this matter, but haven’t heard back. His comment originated from zazzletech.com, aka ZeeVee, Inc.
I just run an S-video cable to a cheap RF modulator and into my TV. And of course I already have my stereo and PC connected since all of my music is stored on the hard drive. I can watch Netflix, etc from the comfort of my couch simply by switching to channel 3. Total cost less than $30. Of course, I did add a long-range wireless mouse so that I can perform any necessary navigation without getting up.