nicacolo wrote:yup exactly how i feel, i got the hava gold as well last week and after a day of fine tuning it works great! and if works on my iphone 3g too with the orb application. woot woot! i may just upgrade to this hd version!

Now I'm PISSED. I too got the hava gold last week on sellout woot. Spent $10 on a 50ft ethernet cable so I could hook it up to my router. So I spent $60. $20 more I could of got the HD wireless one. Why woot why?

Could give the gold one away as a christmas gift or sell it on ebay? What are you guys thinking of doing that brought the hava gold last week?

shoe5771 wrote:I do not have cable but have a new flat screen and a laptop, would I be able to get other channels I do not prescribe to with this streamer on either? In particular international channels like Globo from Brasil?

So I guess nobody knows about this?

Can you browse files in an external hard drive if you hook it up to the HAVA's USB port?

Other than needing an adaptor plug for the electrical outlet, does anyone know if there is anything preventing this from working outside the US (e.g., Europe)?

stubbornoldbroad wrote:Never posted a comment before, so please be gentle with me! We have DishNetwork, with the capability to watch one channel in one room (DVR) and one channel in another room (non-DVR)---is it possible to hook up so that we can watch one channel on this without disturbing the other, since we already can via the respective sat. boxes?

If this is the case, then wouldn't it be great for travel...via laptop at airport or in car?
Thanks, sorry if I sound totally laem, clueless about this!

It will only work on the tv 1 output because of the IR blasters. Meaning that if you were at work and wanted to watch tv the person in that room would have to watch the same thing. Or they could go where the tw 2 output is hooked up too and watch something different. what box do you have?

GreatJorge wrote:Full review at PC MAG (who considered it one of the worst products of 2008) can be found here: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2274483,00.asp

Since the article, at least one update has been made: you can now use external USB drives - a feature not available at review time

Highligts:
- if yours has a hum, return it for an updated one

- a Slingbox is not

- hard to setup

- lousy by script only support from India

- good viewing streaming wirelessly to pcs inside your home - not so good for viewing remotely (outside your home) via internet

- recording features (at time of review) could NOT be made scheduled remotely

For what I'm looking to use it (internal use), I'm in for one.
Will report back

Not sure if it was true when this article was written. But the Motorola Q (as well as all other Windows Mobile phones) are definately supported. The review didn't strike me as being written by someone who had a strong idea of what they were doing.

shaginwgn wrote:Thinking about getting one, Anyone have one already? good or bad experiences, worth it? Can I stream to multiple PCs at once? So many Questions I know...

I have one of these and love it. We travel alot internationally and can watch TV anywhere there is high speed--can be dsl as long as you have cable at home. We now never miss a ballgame. Two people can be watching with the remote viewing but only one channel can be watched at a time but hard wired(local viewing) at home, everyone can watch different channels. This is much better than slingbox as you don't have to go out and buy anything extra. I have burned discs of recordings and they are crystal clear so it also acts as a tivo.

There is a new firmware update for the box that just went up today.

It resolves some of the minor bugs and adds a few new features.

does it work with windows 7?

davis957 wrote:I'm confused about what this can do. I have to pay for cable to get internet (it's cheaper than just internet, ask Comcast why), but I don't have a TV (and don't want one). But if I'm paying for it anyway... So, can I use this to transmit video from my cable box to my laptop without having a television?

Absolutely. That's the point of this device.
Notice that it doesn't have coax directly on the box. The reason for that is because it is supposed to connect to your cable box.

For all the "I don't get it" people: It's designed so that you don't have to have a TV if you don't want one. You hook this up to your cable TV and it streams over your home network to your Windows-based desktop/laptop/mobile device. That's the point.

I have the HAVA Gold at home and am quite happy with it.

I have the Hava Platinum (same thing without the Wifi).

Please forgive the long post, but since there seems to be a lot of confusion, here is (in a nutshell) how it works.

You hook it to anything that has a component output and a remote control (cable box, dvd player, satellite box, etc.)

You attach an "IR blaster" from the HAVA unit to your box. This allows the Hava to feed the remote control signal to the box.

You attach the Hava to your network.

You install the Hava software on your PC.

During the Install, the Hava software finds the Hava box on the network, allows you to pick your cable box, satellite box, whatever, and it "skins" your remote. It can also "learn" from the remote. I didn't have to do this as my my Dish Network box was available, so I can't speak to how well it works.

From there, you open the Hava software, and you can watch on your PC using the remote skin to control the device remotely.

One nice feature: If you have Windows MCE, it will pick up the HAVA as a "Tuner", and you can watch directly in MCE. I believe you can even use your MCE remote and it will translate.

You can record whatever you are watching, but from what I have seen you can only record what you are currently watching. You can't set the Hava to record X program at Y time. You can, however, record ANYTHING it's watching, including pay-per-view programs you can't typically record on your DVR. Records are MPEG-2 (I think), so they can be used by any compatible viewer (or watched in the Hava GUI).

I've not tried it, but uou can open the necessary port on your router (I believe the setup program is supposed to do this) and watch TV from anywhere you can get an internet signal. The quality is downgraded based upon the available bandwidth. It will also work on some (but not all) portable devices (you would want to check the Hava site).

Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. I bought it because I have a 22" monitor in the bedroom, and I like to watch TV from the comp from time to time. I've not had the opportunity to test the internet version.

Couple of gotchas.

This says HD, but they mean it will accept the HD signal. Everything is broadcast in DVD (480p) quality. HD signals are still widescreen, but are downgraded to (I think) 720X480. Slightly better than Slingbox (unless you buy the $300 HD version). BTW - this is why it only needs wireless G, not N.

If you are using Dish Network box that allows multiple remote addresses, the Hava will only work on channel 1. Perhaps this will save someone the hour I spent messing with this trying to figure out why it wouldn't run it.

You can watch the Hava signal on VLC in Linux, but VLC can't change the channel (or turn the box on for that matter), so it's effectively not Linux compatible (IMHO). I read they are developing a Linux version but I've not seen it.

StGeorge wrote:Would someone please tell me how to get 300kb/s upstream without paying a million dollars a month in ISP fees ?! America! What a country!! I'm not one to advocate for bigger government intrusion into our lives, but I wish our ISP service availability / cost was similar to that in Asia or many other third world countries!! What do they say again? The last mile is a b*#ch.

I have 3Mb/s upstream with Cox Cable.

i just get cable through the wall via the cable itself---no set top box...will this still work for me?

Even though I got the Hava Gold last week I'm upgradeing to this one. I think it will make for a good christmas gift or I'll sell it too someone.

I'm sure picture quality will be about the same and already have a ethernet cable in place so I won't use the wi-fi but this is a great price and the hava gold last week was also a great price.

One christmas gift down just not sure who I would give it too?

If you check the pictures, both at PCMag and here at Woot, you'll see that there isn't a coax jack on the unit or on the end of any of the included cables. Even if there were a tuner builtin, there doesn't appear to be a way to get a signal to it.

KuoH

GreatJorge wrote:Dude, according to this review you are wrong: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2274483,00.asp the box DOES have a built-in tuner. I quote:
"The Titanium HD WiFi comes with a built-in TV tuner, which allows it to be used in a Windows Media Center setup; hence you can even access the Titanium remotely without needing to connect it to a cable box."

jfield1 wrote:Do you control your box at home or just have access to it?

So if I have it at home and I'm on the road, can people still watch the TV at home while I watch online? Can we only see the same channel?

We have satellite and have Hava connected to one box. If you are on the road, you can all watch tv. And as long as you have more than one cable or satellite box,you can watch different channels. The box and TV that the Hava is connected to , you would have to watch the same thing.

DVRs, Slingbox, and streamers like this have a short lifespan. Thanks to Hulu most anything worth watching is available for high-quality viewing on the PC already.

TV at work?!
Hasn't internet at work distracted enough of you? You're in a recession. Back to work!!!

Here's a link to a good review:

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/reviews/article.php/3777516

no HDMI ? bleh

StGeorge wrote:Would someone please tell me how to get 300kb/s upstream without paying a million dollars a month in ISP fees ?! America! What a country!! I'm not one to advocate for bigger government intrusion into our lives, but I wish our ISP service availability / cost was similar to that in Asia or many other third world countries!! What do they say again? The last mile is a b*#ch.

$59/month

I have to leave here soon to go to work, so hopefully I'll get a response before then and might buy one...

But my question is... will this work if you don't have an actual cable box? And just have the cable cord hooked directly into the tv? I refuse to pay money for some stupid friggin box every month. I read the description and every time it mentions hooking it up it's followed with "digital cable BOX, satellite BOX" etc... so that leads me to believe the answer is no, but figured I'd ask anyways.

Who knows, maybe if it's still here when I get back in a few hours I might be in for one... and while I'm at work I will decide if I can get off the cheapo train and finally get a cable box.

Does anyone know if you can stream from your pc to your tv with this? For example, can I watch hulu on my tv via HAVA?

lovehatesex wrote:I have to leave here soon to go to work, so hopefully I'll get a response before then and might buy one...

But my question is... will this work if you don't have an actual cable box? And just have the cable cord hooked directly into the tv? I refuse to pay money for some stupid friggin box every month. I read the description and every time it mentions hooking it up it's followed with "digital cable BOX, satellite BOX" etc... so that leads me to believe the answer is no, but figured I'd ask anyways.

Who knows, maybe if it's still here when I get back in a few hours I might be in for one... and while I'm at work I will decide if I can get off the cheapo train and finally get a cable box.

No you cannot connect the cable cord directly to this box. This model doesn't support it, however, the manufacturer offers another model for $250 which can. You can connect dvd players, a digital converter box for free over the air broadcasts, or game consoles with their composite connector (red, yellow, white av cord.)

3dModelGuy wrote:I have clicked the "Stupidly Large Button"!!!

Can't wait to start streaming Red Wings and Tigers games. They're hard to find in Texas...

But...., it's only going to stream to you what's hooked up to it, so unless you install the unit at someone's home in Detroit..., it's not going to help you.

For other who may not have grasped what this is all about, this is the much better video equivalent of someone giving you a play-by-play of any video source you hook up to this thing.

For instance, you could hook a security camera up to it and watch it from anywhere with an internet connection. You could probably use more than one and monitor rooms on different IP addresses, etc.

pioreg wrote:Does anyone know if you can stream from your pc to your tv with this? For example, can I watch hulu on my tv via HAVA?

No. Not unless you have another computer hooked up to said TV that can run the Hava software.

It streams a video source over the network.

Will this broadcast the capabilities of turning on closed captioning?

ripjt wrote:Other than needing an adaptor plug for the electrical outlet, does anyone know if there is anything preventing this from working outside the US (e.g., Europe)?

Other than electrical adapters, nothing. The box does not care what it is streaming. It may not have the codes to control a European cable box built in but it can learn them easily enough.

proverbs31momto5 wrote:is this really like a slingblox?

Yes it is. But it's better. Only one device can access a slingbox. The Hava allows 1 remoted device and up to 4 more on the local network. Plus, you can record to a hard drive or laptop using Hava.

Any security gurus here? I want to know the security risks posed by the hardware & software. Someone wrote here that setup requires that one must modify ZoneAlarm (firewall) and wi-fiplanet.com's review mentioned change to Window's User Account Control. What are the security implications of these changes??

sagean wrote:No you cannot connect the cable cord directly to this box. This model doesn't support it, however, the manufacturer offers another model for $250 which can. You can connect dvd players, a digital converter box for free over the air broadcasts, or game consoles with their composite connector (red, yellow, white av cord.)

Can anyone tell me if this unit has an IR RECEIVER? If I hook up a USB hard drive to use as a poor-man's DVR, will I be able to use my Harmony to control it or will I need my laptop?

videogrinch wrote:You can only see one channel.

Ok, Mr. Smarty-Pants, WHICH channel? (I sure hope it's not Telemundo. That would suck.) ;)

For those asking about streaming TO your tv... might I suggest the Western Digital WD TV HD. No, it doesn't stream... BUT you can connect any portable hard drive to it (I have a WD Passport & MyBook which works perfectly with it ((Check WD website for a list of exact compatible hd's... but off the top of my head I'm pretty sure it's compatible with just about anything)). You don't have to worry about wifi connection problems and being choppy, etc. It will play movies, music and pictures on your tv. I've had it for several months and LOVE it. I don't go through tons and tons of blank dvds just ripping stuff to watch it on tv once, that's what I use my WDTV for.

Here's from the WD website:

Kit Contents

* WD TV HD Media Player
* Compact remote with batteries
* Media Converter software (Windows only)
* Composite AV cable
* AC Adapter
* Quick Install Guide

Compatibility

* HDMI
* Full HD (1080p)
* AAC
* MP3
* JPEG, JPG
* USB 2.0
* H.264
* SimplayHD
* Energy Star

Note: Compatibility may vary, depending on user's hardware configuration and operating system.

Media File Format Support (Based on Firmware Version 1.01.01)

* Movie -- MPEG1/2/4, WMV9, AVI (MPEG4, Xvid, AVC), H.264, MKV, MOV (MPEG4, H.264),
MTS, TP, TS
* Picture -- JPEG, GIF, TIF/TIFF, BMP, PNG
* Audio -- MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV/PCM/LPCM, AAC, FLAC, Dolby Digital, AIF/AIFF, MKA
* Playlists -- PLS, M3U, WPL
* Subtitle -- SRT, SMI, SUB, ASS, SSA

Important: MPEG2/4, H.264, and WMV9 support up to 1920x1080p 24fps, 1920x1080i 30fps, 1280x720p 60fps resolution. An audio receiver is required for surround sound output. JPEG only supports compressed RGB format files. BMP only supports uncompressed files. AAC/Dolby Digital decodes in 2 channel output only. TIFF only supports single layer files.

vbowker wrote:

""I refuse to pay money for some stupid friggin box every month."

So don't. You just can't use the Hava. Unless you can talk someone else with a "stupid friggin box" into letting you piggyback your Hava onto it. "


The "stupid friggn box" is $5 a month IoIz. Peanuts. I have 6 boxes. 1 in the great room and 5 more,1 in each of 5 bedrooms. I would still get this if I really knew how to hook it up. Maybe I'll know more and can grab it on the next woot-off.

Does it help if I'm on a 20/5 connection or the speed of connection doesn't matter?

So wait....I just buy this thing, hook it up to my tv and can access any channel I have via the internet? Is there a program to install or just by visiting a website?

RichLevow wrote:It is almost a SLingbox. They are developing a new generation player that will allow you to have an onscreen programming guide (or so they tell me). Right now the advanced programming options are very limited.

Cool thanks. I figured the programming and recording capabilities aren't up to what I'd like them to be anyways.

Woot.com wrote:Save video to your computer and burn them to a DVD too free up hard drive space

Too? I'm disappointed in you, Woot.

Ok so everyone is talking about the limited recording capabilities etc, but if it's compatible with windows media center, can't you just schedule recordings through there?

... so lemme get this straight. I can go on vacation, but if the last thing I want to do is leave my hotel and see Paris or Buenos Aires or Singapore, I can sit in my hotel room and avoid watching local TV by using my laptop (if I bring it... I like leaving my laptop at home when I'm on vacation) to watch what my cable tuner's tuned to?

How can anyone turn that deal down?!