Wireless HDMI Connection

Wireless HDMI has arrived

More than four years ago, in this post, I wrote about Westinghouse showing a wireless HD concept at CES.  At the time, I predicted it would be at least another year before a practical wireless HDMI device would be available to the masses.  The first production devices I saw were well over $1000 and one closer to double that.  Only recently have prices come down to what I consider practical.

In February I bought the Nyrius ARIES NAVS500 HD 1080p HDMI Digital Wireless Audio Video Sender Transmitter & Receiver System with IR Remote Extender.

My purpose was to mount a TV on the wall across the room from where the cable outlet tied into a TiVo.  The idea of moving the cable outlet didn't appeal to me at all and I'd still have to find a place to hold the TiVo.  And I didn't really want a shelf or table under the TV anyway.


Reviews indicate the range (advertised as 100 feet) can be very limited in some environments, particularly going through several walls, but at about 20 feet in my installation, the NAVS500 has worked perfectly since the day I plugged it in.

There are a couple alternatives to the NAVS500 (search Amazon.com for "Wireless HDMI") so if you're needing some flexibility in your TV installation, check 'em out.

(At the time I bought it the NAVS500 was $179 but is now advertised at $269.  A newer model, the NAVS501 is $199.  I have no idea why the price has gone up on the older model.  My biggest concern about these things is the life expectancy.  A transmitter, even at low power, generates heat and heat is the enemy of electronic devices like this.  If it will last 3 years I'll consider the price justified but it would be nice to see 5-6 years service.

The Tivo Stream

The new Tivo Stream is out and it's a pretty neat gadget, in my opinion.  This device let's one stream or sideload TV to an iPad (or iPhone) using the Tivo app and will eventually be available for Android devices.  I suspect that after the initial novelty of streaming, the Stream will be most used for sideloading shows for viewing while on the road.

The Stream works only on your local network but I know many are hard at work trying to make it work in the wild by using VPN.  So far though, I'm not aware of any success with that.  I'm not sure how practical it would be to stream through one's phone network due to the required bandwidth anyway.  It would certainly not be practical if you have a limited data plan.  The Slingbox (and Vulkano) hardware remain the only popular devices for streaming to the outside world and they, unlike the Stream, are able to adjust video quality on-the-fly to mitigate throttled bandwidth.

The Stream works only with the Premiere Tivo models although it will allow one to stream a show recorded on a TivoHD (on the same network, of course) by manually beginning a transfer to a Premiere and then streaming from the Premiere while the show transfers.  And the Stream is capable of four concurrent streams if your network can handle that.

Protected content, such as premium cable channels, can be streamed but cannot be sideloaded for later viewing.  In those markets where cable franchises enable the CCI flag on all channels except the locals, the Stream's usefullness is severly limited.

There are similar apps for streaming available from some cable companies (and the HBO app) but, as I understand it, not all channels are available to be streamed.

Let's Stream

If you've been thinking about adding a streaming content service to your television viewing and don't really know much about it, here are some suggestions.  If you're already familiar with streaming content and want some numbers to help you squeeze the most out of your current system, look at the bottom of the post for more information.


Beginners

You'll need high-speed internet service, a router attached to your cable modem, an in-home network, and a streaming player (or a Smart TV with streaming built-in).

If you plan to stream standard definition (480i) or DVD-quality (480p) content, your minimum equipment requirements include:
1.5 MByte/s* internet service
802.11g wireless network, OR powerline network adapters OR direct-wired to the router.
Almost any streaming player (e.g. Roku, AppleTV, WD Live, XBOX, etc.)

For higher quality content (720p) or 1080p/24 (low bitrate), you'll want:
5 MByte/s internet service (as a minimum)
802.11n wireless network OR powerline network adapters rated 500 Mbit/s or 1000 Mbit/s or direct-wired.
A streaming player capable of the content you intend to stream - most boxes do high definition 720p but not all will handle 1080p.

The more popular streaming services on the internet are not very demanding of your network speed.  You can probably, for example, even get by with an 802.11g wireless network for 720p video - but 802.11n is recommended.  And, regardless of your local network speed, you'll always be subject to some slowdowns of your incoming internet depending upon local traffic and server loads at the content source.

Streaming your own content within your network can become very demanding.  For high quality Blu-ray content (1080p/60 with 7.1 sound) you'll want to stick with a wired network, 1000 Mbit/s powerline adapters, or MoCA and you'll need a streaming player capable of 1080p.

When using wireless networking you'll want to be sure you have good signal strength (at least 60%) and be sure that both the router and the receiving device meet the minimum requirement. (Even if you have a 802.11n router, if your receiving equipment is 802.11g your throughput can be no better than 802.11g)

Techies

Wireless networking:
You can expect real life speeds of 6 Mbit/s with 802.11b, 35 Mbit/s with 802.11g, and 120-140 Mbit/s with 802.11n.  Your experience may differ but expect these conservative numbers.

Different qualities of 1080p from the low end to the high end can require networks speeds varying from 40 Mbit/s to over 80 Mbit/s. (From 1080p24 with stereo sound to 1080p60 with 7.1 sound.)  Also, bandwidth needs can vary depending upon the action of scenes.

Grande offers internet speeds of: 3 MByte/s(24 Mbit/s),  8 MByte/s(64 Mbit/s) and up to 110 MByte/s (880 Mbit/s)
Suddenlink:  1.5 MByte/s (12 Mbit/s) up to 20 MByte/s (160 Mbit/s)
CableOne: 1.5 MByte/s (12 Mbit/s) up to 50M (400 Mbit/s)


Content provider speeds:

Netflix:
(From Wikipedia) According to Netflix Tech Support, Netflix's content library is encoded into three bandwidth tiers, in a compression format based on the VC-1 video and Windows Media audio codecs. Of these, the lowest tier requires a continuous downstream bandwidth (to the client) of 1.5 Mbit/s, and offers stereo audio and video quality comparable to DVD. The middle tier requires 3 Mbit/s, and offers "better than DVD quality". The highest tier requires 5 Mbit/s, and offers 720p HD with surround sound audio. As of October 2011, several devices also have the ability to stream Netflix content at 1080p resolution, including the PlayStation 3 console and Roku 2 series set-top boxes which require 8 Mbit/s.

Hulu
between 1 Mbit/s and 2 Mbit/s  (480p )

Youtube
3–4.3 Mbit/s



*Note the difference between MByte/s (Mega-Bytes per second) and Mbit/s (Mega-bits per second)

A Streaming Player and a Powerline Network Adapter

I have two new toys to enhance my television viewing: A Western Digital WD Live TV Streaming Media Player and a Netgear XAVB5001 Powerline Network Adapter Kit (Amazon links).

The WD Live was bought not so much for streaming (which I prefer to do through my Tivo) but for taking video on the road.  I record shows on my Tivo, transfer them to my desktop computer, edit out the commercials, and copy the end result (an mpeg2 file) to a thumb drive.  I can then attach the WD Live to a TV (via HDMI cable), plug the thumb drive into the WD Live and watch the shows.  Mostly I take movies, and shows from the History and Science channels, to my sister's house where they have no cable or satellite.

I got the Netgear powerline kit to compare it with my wireless network speed.  With the filesize of HD content being what it is, speed is a big factor when transfering TV shows from one device to another within my home network.  Not only do I transfer shows to my desktop to use with WD Live, I frequently copy shows so that I can edit out the commercials and then transfer the file back to the Tivo for viewing here at home.

Of all the streaming players available, the WD Live was my choice because it plays almost any video file format including the mpeg2 format I prefer.  It's a popular choice for those who copy all their video to hard drives for on-demand streaming.  A relatively small number of people copy television content - more people copy all their DVDs and Blu-Rays for streaming.  The most popular streaming content through the WD Live comes from Netflix and Hulu Plus.

I really wanted to get the WD Livewire Powerline Adapters because each adapter has 4 ethernet ports.  This allows you to use the remote adapter(s) for up to four remote devices plus you effectively add three ports at your router (one port there is used to feed the powerline network).  However, the WD Livewire uses older technology which limits the throughput to 200Mbps where the Netgear XVB5001 allows up to 500Mbps.  In both cases though, practical throughput is much less than the advertised maximum.  My exerpience reflects what I've read on numerous forums - the 200Mbps adapters typically max out around 40-50Mbps and the 500Mbps around 80-100Mbps.  High bitrate HD video and digital sound will need every bit of the speed provided by the faster adapters and the more serious video/audio-philes prefer MoCA (wiki link) to powerline networking adapters.

If you are considering powerline adapters, be aware that many things affect the speed you'll see on your home network.  The wiring in your house and other appliances can cause problems.  For example, many users have reported a charger plugged in to the same outlet as the powerline adapter can significantly reduce throughput.  I had no problem in my setup but just be forewarned.

Music

I generally don't listen to new music - I listen to old music. Mostly popular oldies of country and of rock persuasion but in my music folder you'd find everything from Leadbelly to Led Zepplin, a lot of Beatles and a smattering of classical. And one opera tune, The Phantom of the Opera (by Sarah Brightman and some guy). There's also O' Holy Night by The DiGiallonardo Sisters, who I'm sure you've never heard of but would challenge you to hear their version and not buy it.

Anyway, I'm vacuuming the carpet today listening to a shuffle of songs when up comes MacArthur Park (by Richard Harris) which humorist Dave Barry includes in his Book of Bad Songs. I can think of no reason to disagree but I really do like the song. When I started writing this entry I really intended to examine the lyrics in detail but have suddenly decided to go have a piece of cake.

Grande now offers Tivo

Grande is now offering the Tivo Premiere DVR to their Midland-Odessa customers for $12.99 over the top of a current receiver. You must have a Grande Internet package with at least 8Mbps service - one step up from the basic Grande internet service - and you can see the Grande Bundle prices here.*

I'm a big fan of DVRs and think the Tivo Premiere is the best DVR available. If you're currently using a non-Tivo DVR I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the Tivo user interface and if you're properly geeky, the additional features offered by the Tivo Desktop software and the iPad app will likely make you a fan-for-life. A second Tivo Premiere (another $14.99 per month) also means Mult-Room Viewing is in play.

Obviously I'm a Tivo fan-boy but I realize a Tivo, or any other DVR, is a totally unneccessary expense to some people. I doubt though that those people would even be reading this.

*Bundle prices apply to the first year only and increase $10 per month after the first year and another $10 per month after the second year.

Tivo news - software and new hardware

TiVo is finally pushing out a software release that people seem to like. Tivo Community forum members generally have given the update a thumbs-up and that is a tough group to please. The 20.2 update to the Premiere boxes goes a long way in finally updating the HD menus and supports Multi-room Viewing (MRV). MRV allows you to record a show on one box and stream to another, and apparently streaming works while the recording is in progress. (Prior to MRV - and with the older TivoHD's - the original recording had to be complete before it could be "transferred" to another Tivo but the show could be viewed while the transfer is in progress. Transferring is also prohibited with DRM'd content.) The 20.2 update should reach all Premieres subscribed directly with Tivo within the next week but it's my understanding that Suddenlink Tivo subscribers won't see it for a few months.

Tivo also showed a new piece of hardware at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which allows Tivo users to stream content to, and/or watch recorded content on, iOS devices through their home network. The device looks to be about the size of the Apple TV box. Tivo users have wished for the ability to stream to portable devices but the transcoding to do so apparently requires more processing power than available on current Tivo boxes. Slingbox-like-devices do already provide a workaround of sorts and Tivo Director of Marketing Jason Wong hinted in a recent interview that future Tivos will probably have transcoding built-in so the add-on box may be just a temporary thing. Of course, temporary could be a few years...