*All
products and names are copyrights of their respected owners.
Previously known as "Snapstream," the
WHAT’S
HOT
newly renamed "Beyond TV" (BTV) runs on your Windows-based
PC and functions as a DVR (Digital Video Recorder). With the proper
hardware (such as a TV card) you can have a PC that functions just like
a TiVo and "beyond!" Some highlights include: encoding and
archiving shows in Windows Media, Divx and/or MPEG-3 video format; using
"Showsqueeze" to resize a program for viewing on a mobile
device; no monthly fees; scheduling recordings away from home via the
web; and streaming capabilities.
Before installing Beyond TV, be sure your PC meets
SETUP
the [url=http://snapstream.com/Products/Products_PVS3_SysReq.asp]System
Requirements[/url]. Beyond TV can be purchased in 3 flavors: software
download only; CD-ROM version; or CD-ROM with a TV card and remote control.
I opted for the software only, since I already had a TV card (Aver Media
TV Studio). This choice also meant I would be using a mouse rather than
the remote control for navigation. My main goal in this review is not
to use BTV as a stand-alone DVR, but as a means to acquire TV programs
and view them on a Pocket PC device.
After downloading the 17MB setup program, I began the installation process.
The
first series of choices in the setup process.
Once you’ve selected your Broadcast source, you will be prompted to
set up a free Snapsteam.net account. This is how you will obtain your
television show listing as well as enabling you to schedule programs
to record when you are away from home.
After
you’ve set up your account, the final stage of the configuration process
begins.
Selecting your capture device (TV card).
Scanning and Listing TV channels found.
The
next series of screens will walk you through verifying your capture
device is working properly.
All
done!
At
last, you can now start Beyond TV! Startup takes about a minute to load,
so you will see a lot of this fella who looks like he’s about to say
"talk to the hand!"
BTV gives you several options on how to operate the program. Your front
page will present you with the option of "Full Screen," "Windowed,"
"Web Admin" or "Log."
- Full
Screen is the ideal mode when using BTV with as a stand-alone DVR
and viewing on a television. Can be used on the PC though. - Windowed
is best for use on the PC, so you are able to use other applications
if needed (size is adjustable). - Web
Admin is where the majority of your configuration options are stored.
Operates on your local PC (localhost) via Internet Explorer. - Log
is simply a listing of activities the program performs (server activity),
which may be handy when using support.
Although
you can view live TV in the "Web Admin" mode, it isn’t ideal.
For viewing and scheduling, "Full Screen" and "Windowed"
work best. For the purposes of this review, I selected "Windowed."
Now, on to basic configuration.
Tip
of the Day screen during Windowed start up.
Beyond
TV "Home" page
At this point, you can enter any of the 5 Menus: Recorded Shows, Live
TV, Program Guide, Setup Recordings, or Settings. The last option exits
to "Windowed Mode" (more on that later).
The first order of business is to check to be sure you can see your
channels. For this, you enter "Live TV." Once there, you should
be able to see live images from your TV card (be it cable TV, antenna
or otherwise). Clicking up on the on-screen arrows should change channels.
Notice in the image above that it says "No information available."
Normally, you would see information on the show (guests, descriptions,
synopsis, etc.) but upon your new installation, you won’t have any of
that yet.
Clicking on "Guide" will pop-up the message "The Program
Guide was unable to load any data. Download Line-up from Snapsream.net
and set it as default?" In most cases, you would want to click
"Yes" unless you have another source from which you want to
obtain television listings.
Once the data has been loaded, you will be able to see details on each
show, as well as a customized TV grid of the program’s on your local
stations. You are now ready to begin using "Beyond TV."
Beyond TV goes beyond just recording TV
PRODUCT
FEATURES
shows, it can also re-encode those shows for archiving on DVD or playback
on a Pocket PC. While I will touch on many of the other abilities of
BTV (such as streaming your recorded shows over the net or Wi-Fi), the
main focus will be on how it can benefit Pocket PC owners.
First thing you need to do is pick a program or two to record. From
the Program Grid, you can click on any show listed to get recording
options. You don’t have to have to be viewing that program to select
it, just click on the title. At that point, you get a pop-up window
with several options:
- Watch
this episode – Takes you out of the Guide and to the Live TV mode - View
upcoming episodes – Presents you with a list of airdates for that
program - Record
this episode – Schedules the program to be recorded, or begins recording
if the show is on-air at that moment - Record
all episodes – Schedules the program to always be recorded, regardless
of repeats - Record
all new episodes – Ignores repeats, and only records new, first-run
episodes - Cancel
– Returns you to the Guide mode
You can continue to select as many shows as you want to be recorded,
you are only limited by hard drive space. Since the default recording
format is MPEG-2, you can anticipate that a 30 minute program will consume
a little over 1 GB in hard drive storage. These settings, of course,
can be changed (as will be discussed later in this review).
When viewing Live TV, the on-screen display will present you with information
on the show, volume settings, channel information, and navigation options.
You also have the ability to adjust the video signal
by clicking "Options." This beings up a new window where you
can tweak the video display properties.
After a minute or so of no activity, the overlay smoothly slides off-screen
and your computer monitor (or TV if you are using a TV-out method) displays
full-screen video. I am using "Windowed" mode, so in the screen
shots you see the active window. In "Full Screen" mode, you
never see the window.
Viewing Live TV through Beyond TV gives you "Time Shifing"
ability. "Time Shifting" gives you the ability to pause
Live TV and resume it whenever you wish. When watching Live TV you need
only tap your spacebar (or pause on your remote, if you purchased one)
to toggle between Pause and Play. You can also fast-forward and rewind
by using the "arrow" keys on your keyboard.
By
visiting the "Recoded Shows" section you can display and,
if you so choose, watch the programs you’ve already recoded.
Selecting a show from the list provides you with program information.
Upcoming Recordings are also listed.
Since storage space is an issue, Beyond TV offers several options. Shows
can be set to expire, and be deleted from the hard drive, after a user-specified
amount of time. If "ShowSqueeze" is enabled, BTV can automatically
re-encode a program to a different media format and delete the original
(more on "ShowSqueeze" later).
Another "plus" that Beyond TV provides is through the "SmartSkip"
technology. When enabled, "SmartSkip" will detect and index
scene changes after you’ve recoded a TV show and save them in an XML
file tied to the program. This allows you to see an on-screen representation
of the chapters within the show (but only when viewed within Beyond
TV), and effectively skip past those you don’t want to see, namely the
commercials. On the downside, Beyond TV can not (or will not) use the
"SmartSkip" chapter XML file to cut out the commercials. It
would be a great convenience if after a show has been recorded, you
could set it to be re-encoded using the "SmartSkip" information
to cut out the commercials. But by reading the BTV Forums, I see that
some people are working on a way to do this themselves. For the most
part, "SmartSkip" does a pretty good job, but wasn’t always
accurate. However, with improvement, it could be a very valuable too.
Recording
Away from Home
Beyond TV gives you the ability to schedule recordings when you are
not able to get to your local computer. You can do this via: web browser,
Pocket Internet Explorer (if you have a connection) or WAP/Cellphone
browser (if provided by your carrier).
SnapStream.net web-based Program Guide
As mentioned before, all program data is pulled down from SnapStream.net,
the free online television schedule service provided with your Beyond
TV purchase. Since it is a web-based service, you can log-in to SnapStream.net
from anywhere and schedule shows you want to record. If you have an
"always-on" internet connection, Beyond TV will query SnapStream.net
every 5 minutes and pick up those changes. So, if you are traveling,
and forgot to record "The Simpsons" you just visit SnapStream.net
and add it. When you get home, the show will be waiting for you.
SnapStream.net Program Detail
The web-interface is very easy to navigate. Hovering your mouse over
a program give you a brief description, and clicking on it will give
you a pop-up window with more detail and recording options. In the window
will also be three red "record" buttons which give you the
option to Record This Episode, Record All Episodes or Record All New
Episodes. Your choices will be saved and sent to your local computer
the next time BTV performs a schedule update.
The same is true for web browsing on the Pocket PC. While it offers
a much more scaled-down interface, the functionality is basically the
same. Beyond TV’s mobile device scheduling is a feature that is neither
well documented nor promoted. Yet, it does exist if you know where to
look. Simply open Pocket IE (or your Pocket PC web browser of choice)
and navigate to "mobile.snapstream.net" (without the quotes).
The "mobile" part is important, otherwise you will find yourself
on the main SnapStream.net web page, which is not optimized for mobile
devices.
Once you log-in, you will be presented with several menu choices:
- At A
Glance - Search
- Remote
Recording - Logout
"At a Glance" will present you will all of the shows for today
that fall in these categories: Movies, News Programming and Sports.
I found it to be a very limited amount of categories compared to the
non-mobile "At a Glance," which offers Science-Fiction, Animated,
Game Shows, Soap Operas and more. Why these couldn’t be on the mobile
page? Regardless, if you don’t see a show you want to record, then use
the "Search" option.
Mobile.SnapStream.net Search Function
Once your results are displayed and you select a show, you can make
a selection from the standard scheduled recording options. This same
mobile interface is available to anyone who’s cellular telephone offers
WAP browsing. All of the options available in the Pocket IE interface
are offered in the WAP browser. In fact, it is exactly the same (even
the same URL), however the presentation of the site depends on the capabilities
of your cell phone. My provider, T-Moble offers free T-Zones (or WAP
browsing) so I was able to test this function as well.
As
you can see, my Nokia 5035 is able to present the web site, however
in a very limited manner.
Ugly
it may be, I was still able to search for a program ("The Practice")
at Mobile.SnapStream.net on my cell phone.
Once
found, I could view the program’s details, and add it to be recorded
by Beyond TV.
Scheduling via a mobile device is quite a valuable tool for me. I can’t
tell you how many times I’ve been out and wished I could get back home
just to set the VCR to record a program I’d forgotten about. Still,
I’d like to see a few more program categories from which to select,
and a program grid. The mobile site gets the job done, but just barely.
Web
Admin Mode
Once you have scheduled a few programs, you’ll want to investigate your
recording options. While you can do some of this in the Windowed/Full
Screen mode, the real power is tucked away in the "Web Admin Mode."
It should be noted that Beyond TV can act as a "server" if
you have an "always on" internet connection. With the proper
configuration, you will be able to visit this page and perform all the
functions detailed below from a remote computer.
Web
Admin Mode Home Page
Web Admin presents you with 4 navigation choices up front:
- Watch
– Watch any of your recorded programs - Record
– Manage your upcoming recordings - Program
Guide – Search and Select programs to record, and view the program
menu for your channels - ShowSqueeze
– Convert recorded shows to other video formats or for viewing on
different devices
A Fifth option, "Configure" is tucked away on the right-hand
sidebar. Due to the myriad of options therein, it is probably not listed
on the main screen to avoid confusing the novice user. Let’s explore
each of these sections!
Watch
The "Watch" section will present you with a list of all the
recorded programs on your computer. By clicking on the arrow button,
you can play the video either in your browser or in Windows Media Player.
Clicking on just the show’s title will present you with several options:
- Play
– Does what it says - ShowSqueeze
– Takes you to a page where you can optimize the recoded show for
viewing on mobile devices - SmartChapters
– Used by SmartSkip to determine chapters to skip, use this to generate
on a per-program basis if not enabled for all - Move
– Moves the recoded show from one file folder to another - Edit
– Change the program information for a given show - Delete
Highlighted Show
Record
This area, as in the "Windowed" mode, lists the shows you
have scheduled to be recorded. You can make changes as to how Beyond
TV handles the shows here.
Program
Guide
Unlike "Windowed" mode, this option is not available if you
are not connected to the internet because it is a framed connection
to the SnapStream.net website. Otherwise, it operates just like the
Windowed mode. It too is limited to two weeks of listings. I realize
that due to constantly changing network schedules it isn’t wise and/or
possible to provide much more, but it would be nice to see four weeks.
ShowSqueeze
Of the
four home page options in the "Web Admin" mode, "ShowSqueeze"
is of particular interest for Pocket PC users. ShowSqueeze is the tool
that re-encodes your giant MPEG-2 file into a more manageable size for
your Pocket PC.
Beyond TV ships with several default encoding configurations for the
Pocket PC. In this section, you can select the Target Format (MPEG-2,
WMV, or Divx) and the Target Quality based on the format. To avoid this
manual process, you can set BTV to automatically perform a ShowSqueeze
after every show has been recorded. That way, all you have to do is
copy the show to your storage card and you’re ready to go!
However,
none of the Pocket PC profiles seemed to be useful in their original
form. I spent several days trying to find just the right encoding combination
for making a program viewable on my Dell Axim X5 in Windows Media format.
As you can see from the screen shot above, I found that the "Jordana"
profile was the most compatible with my device. I had hoped to see more
sharing of encoding profiles in the SnapStream Forums, but that was
not to be. It took a lot of trial and error before I found something
that worked. Certainly, Divx is an encoding option as well, but I found
the file size of the final product to be too big for my liking. I much
prefer the relatively small file size that Windows Media produces (1.5
GB Simpsons episode converted to a 30 MB file). Of course, a storage
card is essential for viewing your shows on the Pocket PC. I wish there
were more options for Pocket PC encoding, but at least you have the
option of making as many profiles as you wish to keep testing until
you get the one you like.
To
edit a Profile, you need to enter "Recording Preferences"
in the "Configure" section.
The
Recording Preferences Screen is where you can set your recording source,
file format, default quality, padding (add minutes to the start/end
time) and turn on/off SmartSkip.
For direct recording, your choices are Windows Media and MPEG-2. Divx
is not an option here, but you can use ShowSqueeze to re-encode your
show to Divx later. Also, as in ShowSqueeze you can select the default
quality. For example, you can skip recording to MPEG-2 and record directly
to Windows Media in a Pocket PC format. Keep in mind though, if you
choose Windows Media as your default format, you won’t be able to use
Time Shifting (pause Live TV).
Selecting "List All Qualities" will bring you to a screen
listing all of the recording profiles. Many of these are my own experiments
(all the "Jordana")
Selecting "Edit" on a listed profile brings up this screen.
Once you’ve navigated to the "Editing a Quality"
you can make changes to it, and either save your changes to the profile
or save as it as a new one. I did a lot of experimenting in this section.
I’d save a profile, go back to "Watch" have it do a ShowSqueeze
then test it out on my Pocket PC. Then I’d try another one, adjusting
the frame-rates or the screen dimensions.
This only scratches the surface of the options available within the
"Web Admin" mode of Beyond TV. Once you enter the "Configure"
section, the program’s power really opens up.
You can set up your PC for streaming your recorded shows across the
internet, to other computers in your house or to a Wireless-enabled
Pocket PC. Since I do not have a wireless network or an always-on internet
connection, I was unable to test the streaming playback aspect of Beyond
TV. Settings for this are found in the "Configure" area as
are the options for Beyond TV’s media player. This allows you to set
the MPEG-2 decoder, skip-forward length, de-interlace mode and much
more. There is just an amazing amount of user control available in Beyond
TV, more than I ever expected.
Pocket
PC Playback
Once you’ve finally found a format that works (Windows Media, in my
case), and you’ve had Beyond TV encode the program for your Pocket PC,
you need to find a way to get it on your device. I strongly suggest
a removable storage card, the bigger the better. I used an SD card for
my device, and used Windows Explorer to drag-and-drop the file to a
card-reader. There are programs that will watch a folder on your hard
drive, and move them via ActiveSync to a folder on your Pocket PC. However,
that is a slow process and I’ve found manually moving it to be the most
expedient process.
Your options are many as to how you can view the shows recorded by Beyond
TV. Since the MPEG-2 file resides on your PC, you are able to re-encode
how ever you want. There is no requirement that you use ShowSqueeze
to do the work for you. I found it to be very convenient and much easier
to have BTV record the show, re-encode it overnight, and copy it over
to my SD card the next morning.
The resulting video is dependant on several factors, including the quality
of your TV reception, the quality of your TV card, and your encoding
settings. As I mentioned, I found it very frustrating to have to tinker
with the encoding settings. To me, that is not fun. I don’t enjoy testing
over and over, tweaking an encoding profile by a few frames-per-second
to see if a video plays better. I wish that Beyond TV just shipped with
several easy-to-comprehend encoding profiles, that looked good on most
Pocket PCs. Even after two weeks of testing, I still have not found
a satisfactory encoding setting for Pocket PC playback. I don’t think
a user should have to scour Google and read the SnapStream Forums just
to try to figure out how to get a show to playback smoothly on the Pocket
PC.
The reason you have to fiddle with it so much is that one encoding profile
might look great, but has a screen size of 250×180 which is nowhere
near fullscreen. Or the size would be right, but the video would look
like a slideshow rather than an episode of The Simpsons. Sometimes the
video will look good, but the file size is too large. Everything is
a trade-off when it comes to video on the Pocket PC. You accept choppy
video for a smaller file, or give up a few more megs on your storage
card to have full-screen playback. I am convinced that there has to
be a happy medium somewhere. There has to be a setting that has acceptable
video playback with a reasonable file size, but finding it through trial-and-error
is a total wear out.
That rant aside, I really do love having the ability to take a few of
my favorite shows with me to work for viewing on my lunch hour. I can
imagine that if I were to use public transportation that it would be
a blast to watch Conan O’Brien or Dave Letterman on the way into town.
The fact that Beyond TV can record your favorite shows, then re-encode
them for Pocket PC viewing without me lifting a finger is just about
geek nirvana. Check out the below video clips to guage the quality
that you can expect on your Pocket PC. (Right click, save target as)
The
Simpsons – 1.50MB
NYPD
Blue – 1.24MB
All in all, I was very pleased with the ability to watch my favorite
shows when I wanted where I wanted. I just wish that finding the right
settings for Pocket PC playback was easier.
Beyond TV has a very impressive and active
HELP
SUPPORT
user Forum.
Just about every question you can imagine asking has already been answered
there. In addition, they offer a detailed "Frequently
Asked Questions" area and a searchable "Knowledge
Base." Although they do not offer any sort of telephone support,
they do provide support via e-mail. Response time takes no longer than
three days. To me that seems a little too long, but thankfully, the
Forums are very active and ready to assist new BTV users. Installation
instructions are included, but the setup wizard makes things so easy
I never needed to consult it. Literature on Beyond TV is sparse, but
a user guide is available online (in PDF). I had no problems figuring
out how to get Beyond TV working, but a novice might need more detailed
printable information.
There are no Pocket PC requirements for
SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS
Beyond TV, because viewing programs on your device is completely optional.
The encoder can use Windows Media Format 7 or 9, so viewing is possible
on Pocket PC 2002 or Windows Mobile 2003. Divx is also an option if
you have the proper media player installed on your device. However,
on your desktop there are specific minimum system requirements. These
are [url=http://www.snapstream.com/Products/Products_PVS3_SysReq.asp]laid
out on SnapStream’s web site[/url], but the basics are: Microsoft Windows
XP Home, XP Professional or 2000, DirectX 9.0 or greater, Pentium, Celeron
or AMD Athlo Processor 1.4 Ghz and above (see list), 128 MB RAM, Video
Card (see list), 10 GB Hard Drive, TV Tuner Card &Televison Source.
I’d like to see Beyond TV offer some way
BUGS
AND WISHES
for users to share encoding profiles with each other. If someone has
one that works, just download it to your BTV directory and begin using
it. It definitely needs more up-to-date encoding profiles for the Pocket
PC. While it is almost silly to mention this, but it should be noted
that Beyond TV won’t record your shows unless your PC is on all the
time. So for people who like to shut off their PCs, you do run the risk
of missing some shows. On the same theme, if you use a dial-up connection,
Beyond TV won’t be able to poll SnapStream.net for any shows you may
have added, unless you connect. One last wish is for Beyond TV to automatically
move a copy of a Pocket PC encoded show to a folder on my Media card
when my device is cradled. It would be nice to have your favorite late-night
show waiting for you on your Pocket PC the next morning!
Beyond TV can be purchased directly from
PURCHASING
SnapStream
at their online store. It comes in three versions: Download (software
only) $59.99, CD-ROM $69.99, or Kit (CD-Rom, TV card, Remote Control)
$229.00 (USB) or $179.99 (PCI). You can read
more about Beyond TV on the product description page[/url].
PROS
ShowSqueeze re-encodes your recordings for Pocket PC viewing- Unlike
TiVo, you can archive your recorded shows to DVD or CD-ROM - Free
Program Guide - You
only pay for the software, no subscription fees - Remote
scheduling - SmartSkip
allows skipping chapters (a.k.a. commercials) when viewing a show
CONS
- Encoding
settings not optimized for Windows Media 2003 - Confusing
options in encoding settings, little to help to novice user - No
documentation on Divx - Only
retrieves TV listings for 2 weeks ahead - Mobile
scheduling website too sparse, needs more options - SmartSkip
occasionally marks wrong areas as chapters
Beyond TV earns the "Beyond" in its
OVERALL
IMPRESSION
name by giving you much more than a simple DVR. For the Pocket PC user
who wants to watch their favorite shows on the go, you can’t do better
than Beyond TV. While I’d like to see more encoding profiles for Pocket
PC shipped with the program, Beyond TV’s ability to automatically re-encode
a saved TV program for you more than makes up for it. Watching your
favorite shows on a Pocket PC couldn’t get be any easier. Plus, even
when you don’t use it for your mobile device, you still have a very
powerful, very impressive Digital Video Recorder just waiting to do
your bidding. If you’ve ever wondered "TiVo or not TiVo,"
then you should take a look at Beyond TV before you decide. If you don’t
mind a little bit of tinkering and tweaking, then Beyond TV could be
the DVR you’ve always wanted.
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