Streaming to the big screen

With recent announcements in relation to the availability of Hulu Plus on Apple TV, plus the addition of AirPlay Mirroring for newer Macs on Mountain Lion, it was a good moment to check where I am on options in cutting the cord from satellite TV here in the UK. The essential aim is to be able to access web content on the big screen, ahead of UK based TV schedules.

Of course, BSkyB is very powerful in UK & European market terms, both in its variety, with agreements with TV networks and film studios, alongside their unrivalled ability to content via set top boxes, mobile and even internet subscriptions. All with DRM and related encryption technologies thrown in to boot.

Previously, I had been playing with the Boxee box.  A decent product overall, with key features such as VPN configurability to be able to access US based services such as Vudu to get 1080p movies and film shows. The only downers being in terms of the price per throw for each movie (as opposed to a monthly all you can eat price).  A complimentary entertainment source is Hulu, in the form of the Hulu Plus service, designed for consoles and media streamers with HD content baked right in.  To date, Hulu Plus has not been available on Boxee, and given its niche numbers, I wonder if it ever will be. Without Hulu, Boxee is always missing something which really transform its value for non-US users.

So if you want to get access to your Hulu standard def shows outside of the US and Japan, you turn to the web with a VPN. Enter AirPlay Mirroring. However, Apple enabled AirPlay Mirroring only on their newer Macs, due to performance issues on older ones with the newer requirements of the technology. Thankfully, outside the Mac App Store, there are other solutions.

AirParrot is an app I mentioned previously. I tested it with my 2008 iMac on 2 favoured use cases which matter to me. Namely streaming football via FoxSoccerTV and then of course Hulu. The mirroring was to my 5 year old 37" Panasonic 1080i Plasma TV to check the quality.

AirParrot streamed content from iMac to Panasonic Plasma 1080i set

As you can see from the screen shot, the quality of the stream across the LAN produces a smooth image with much of the anti-aliaising built into the TV signal processing.  Of course, what it distinctly lacks is any real sharpness or detail. But given that the source is standard definition or below web source, this is hardly surprising.

What was even more interesting is how hard the iMac was working, both in terms of packets across the LAN and how heavily the iMac CPU was being taxed.

Courtesy of iStats menus - how the iMac was working hard to
use Airplay over AirParrot

AirParrot can also allow you to extend your desktop while mirroring content.  This provides additional value in terms of being able to watch your footy or TV shows on a mirrored screen while working on your main monitor at the same time.  Seeing how taxing this is on machine resources, I am mindful of the types of apps I'd throw for doing other stuff — e.g no heavy lifting apps such as image processing or CAD drawing.

So where does this leave me?  Well for us non-US dreamers of Hulu on Boxee or Apple TV, we can still use standard definition as we had all along as long as we put our money down on a decent VPN connection.  Of course, I can sign up to Hulu Plus for $8 per month (enabled by having a US Credit Card or PayPal and a bona fide US address) and then stream via AirParrot on the older iMac or use proper Airplay Mirroring fro the MacBook Air to the TV in the lounge.  In that scenario, I would have access to HD quality streams where available on Hulu.  Beyond that, I can only hope that Hulu finally shows up on Boxee.  It's been a long time coming, given its availability on most other console and media streamer platforms, but it would certainly tick all of my key boxes to think seriously about cutting the cord on UK satellite and cable TV services.

Posted with Blogsy

Looking at cutting the cord to UK Satellite TV

In the UK, Sky TV have held a vice like grip on the satellite and non freeview market for a number of years.  They've been growing rapidly, picking up more channels alongside the movies and sports offerings which have provided them a winning combination since day 1.  With 50+ live channels just broadcasting HD (720p), they offer a value proposition that is difficult to match for other broadcasters at what is a competitive (if not expensive price).  For many customers, it's a must-have.

The trouble is, is distinguishing what you really want to watch and understanding the channels they are on, and then mapping that into the packages they offer for subscription.  As usual it's done in such a way where the average subscriber needs to buy a lot more in terms of packages, than what they really need.

Aside from my family, I watch a few things, mainly football, movies and US TV shows.  The rest of what  watch on Sky is just a circumstance of couch time.

Therefore, I approached Boxee with the usual geek-like salivation of yet another box to add to the home network, but also a curiosity as to whether I could meet my viewing demands.  The last requirement was for it to be polished and simple enough to use for my family.

So for the last week, I've been playing around with this thing.  A quick look at the device itself.

What I liked about Boxee box

• Generally good design  Box is small and neat, connectivity options are reasonable ok. Could have done with gigabit NIC and 5Ghz wireless N, but these are not deal-breakers.
• The UI is the sort of thing, you love or hate.  I'm not big for it.  Not sure, why, but I appreciate it's easy to use.
• Performance-wise, this is a media streamer and relies on a fast internet connection to make it fly in relation to the content.  
• The apps idea is good one.  Only a few I'm interested in such as Netflix or Vudu.  Hulu is still not available (yet). The apps which call upon the internal browser to stream content are quite poor in their execution.
• In terms of usability, alongside the UI, the reversible-remote is a great idea and executed ok.  Could be better in terms of the tactility of the keys and how to access all keys quickly when typing it passwords or URLs, but you can get by.

Detail you need to pay attention to

• A good VPN connection for access US licensed content.  Boxee uses PPTP and there are lots of good providers to get you set you up in no time
• A credit card account and contact details from the US.  Otherwise, Netflix and VDU are a no-go and this where it's can get useful.
• Lots of ISP download bandwidth.  When you make your VPN connection and run a speedtest, understandably, it's not the same as when you're on your home ISP connection.  Therefore FTTC and larger pipe cable users will be better suited to Boxee and the experience possible.

So what did I try?

Remember, it's about football, movies and US TV shows.

• Football using the FoxSoccer.TV streamed service.  OK quality and useful that it covers MANY live streams, including all the premiership games on a Saturday afternoon for example.
• Movies with 1080p.  Signed up with Vudu.  Nice app, easy to use and quality of movies is very good.  But price ay $5.99-$7.99 per movie.  Netflix is the alternative and charges $5.99 per throw.
• US TV Shows.  Again VDU deliver HD content between $1.99-$3.99.  If you want an all-you-can-eat sort of package, then it's Hulu.  Unfortunately, we're still awaiting for it to be an app on Boxee, despite it being on every other media console going in the U.S.  I expect it will be $7.99 for the Hulu Plus plan.
• Of course, if you get your HD content (movies and TV shows) via downloads from say, unofficial sources.  Then of course, Boxee will pick them up on your home network, add IMDB metadata to them and play them all with aplomb.
• Lastly, there is Navi-X,  the XBMC-like content aggregator.  It scrapes a wide variety of sources to present largely free content from again unofficial sources.  Playback and quality is variable.  Definitely a geeky thing.

Final thoughts
Spend £160 on the device, and add $21(£13) for a 3-month subscription to a VPN connection from a good service provider. FoxSoccer.TV is $20 (£12) per month.  Vudu and Netflix charge on a per content piece as described.  Of course, there are other content providers for free on the US boxee streams, but they tend to be limited in use and are often, laden with advertisements.

Gut-feeling, while this has been an interesting experiment, Boxee wil not replace Sky TV for now. It's a supplement and with added cost, give me more options on what I want to watch particularly on the footy side and getting access to US movies and TV shows.  For example, just using my Mac, I can now access footy on a Saturday afternoon and watch US shows whenever I fancy it.   Playback on iOS devices have additional subscriber costs from apps which I'd need a US-based iTunes account to get.

All in all, it's still a geeky niche product for me and not ready for the front-room and it may not get to that stage in the family home.  However, it has a number of uses not only in terms of what I've mentioned but certainly for content from the darker side of the net ;-)