SnapStream Media's Beyond TV 4 [Archive]

Tim Adams

02-15-2006, 05:00 PM

<img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_beyondTV4-box-small.jpg" /> Product Category: Digital Video Recorder Manufacturer: <a href="http://www.snapstream.com/">SnapStream Media</a> Where to Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&tag=thoughtsmedia-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&path=tg%2Fdetail%2F-%2FB000CR27A2%2Fsr%3D8-1%2Fqid%3D1139527762%2Fref%3Dpd_bbs_1%3F%255Fencoding%3DUTF8%26v%3Dglance">Amazon.com</a> [Affiliate] Price: $69.95 USD (base price) System Requirements: Microsoft Windows XP Home, XP Professional or 2000, DirectX 9.0 or greater, Processor:Using a TV tuner card with Hardware encoding (recommended) (1): Pentium, Celeron or AMD Athlon at 700 Mhz and above OR Using a TV tuner card without Hardware encoding:Pentium 4, Celeron or AMD Athlon at 1.5 Ghz and above, 256 MB RAM, Video Card:nVidia GeForce 2 and above, ATI Graphics Radeon 7500 and above, Others with 16 MB RAM, 3D Acceleration, DirectX 9.0 compatibility, 15 GB Hard Drive, Supported TV tuner card(s), Television Source: Analog Cable, Digital Cable (3), Satellite (3), Antenna, and Internet Access. Pros:<li>Easy to use; <li>Great functionality; <li>Excellent support.Cons:<li>Interface isn't as refined as Tivo GUI; <li>Guide not always accurate; <li>Slow shutdown/startup times.Summary: Strangely, I wasn't the first on my block to get a personal (or digital) video recorder (PVR or DVR). I figured the MPAA and their friends would have shut this sort of functionality down a long time ago. A little over two years ago, I got my first taste of PVR goodness with a DirecTV Tivo. And oh how tasty it was. But I didn't have all the deliciousness of a standalone unit (namely in the arena of moving audio and video back and forth). Yes, I could have found software and modded the box, but always balked at the process. Then comes SnapStream's Beyond TV 4. PVR software for your PC that is supposed to be able to hold ground with the other offerings available today. Can it compare to the mighty Tivo? Will it satisfy all my viewing hunger pains? Read on for the full review!<!> <PAGEBREAK> Getting The Signal No signal, no noise. No joy either. So the first thing you have to do when considering a PVR is decide on how to get the signal from the air into your PC. SnapStream does sell hardware to help with this cause, and in the case of this review we are using a couple of different configurations. First up was HD recording, or rather an attempt thereof. It wasn't that Beyond TV failed in this respect, but that my available signal and processing power was limited. Using a FusionHDTV Lite card (Figure 1) and a HD compatible antenna (Figure 2), I was able to pick up a couple of channels, but without a heavy-duty processor and video card, everything was choppy. What bits that weren't 'lagged out' looked fantastic. Beyond TV 4 does not support direct encoding of satellite or cable HD signals at this time, but are working to add support for unencrypted QAM. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_hd1.jpg" /> Figure 1: HD recording is also available, assuming you have the correct card (such as this FusionHDTV Lite). <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_hd2.jpg" /> Figure 2: Since HD recording direct from the Satellite is not supported at this time, you need a separate source. Since I was using my Shuttle PC, the next test had me removing the FusionHDTV card and replacing it with a Hauppauge 150 tuner (Figure 3). Note that every time you add or remove hardware, you have to shut down Beyond TV (BTV) and rerun the configuration app. This only takes a few minutes after the first time, and was pretty painless after I got used to the routine (and the wait for BTV to shutdown). <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_connect.jpg" /> Figure 3: The backside of my Shuttle box with the Hauppauge 150 card installed and connected. But if you aren't using an OTA (over the air) signal, you need a way to control your receiver. Since I'm using DirecTV (specifically the R15 PVR) signal, an IR repeater is my best option (Figure 4). Yes, this does cause a small delay when changing channels, but one can configure Beyond TV to allow for this delay (using the padding option). <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_ir.jpg" /> Figure 4: A close-up of the IR repeater used to control the DirecTV receiver. In all cases we were using the Firefly remote (available separately), and something that I would say that you really can't be without (Figures 5 and 6). Even using a mouse to navigate isn't nearly as intuitive when trying to watch TV. It comes with a basic version of Beyond Media (so you can stream audio and images) and can be customized to fit your PVR needs. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_firefly1.jpg" /> Figure 5: The Firefly receiver waiting for signal. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_fireflyremote.jpg" /> Figure 6: Add a remote and you are ready to control the televised world. <PAGEBREAK> Under The Hood Launching Beyond TV 4 for the first time, you'll find just about everything you need right at your fingertips (Figure 7). Recorded Shows, Live TV, SnapStream.Net Guide, Setup Recordings, and Settings - all the basics. The sound effects used in BTV can get a little annoying (especially if you are used the Tivo 'blip'), but even that can be easily disabled. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_main.jpg" /> Figure 7: The main Beyond TV 4 menu. As far as the basic recording options are concerned, you can modify your recording quality and the padding (Figure 8). Advanced record settings can be made through the Web Admin interface (which we'll see a little later in the review). <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_recordsettings.jpg" /> Figure 8: Some of the basic recording options include preferred recording format and padding. Have an older video card that isn't doing well with the 3D Accelerated rendering? Or perhaps you want to adjust the Seek Auto-Compensation. Either way, the Player Settings is where you'll find these basic settings (Figure 9). You can even adjust the display (size and position) from this area. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_playersettings.jpg" /> Figure 9: Have an older video card? You can use the player settings to adjust the rendering (along with various other options). Another important set of options can be found under the ShowSqueeze and SmartSkip Settings. We'll cover what those actually do in a bit, but in this menu (Figure 10), you can decide how to maximize your viewing capabilities by automatically adding chapters to a show or even compressing the file size to save space. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_showsqueeze.jpg" /> Figure 10: Maximize your viewing capabilities with the ShowSqueeze and SmartSkip options. <PAGEBREAK> Play It, Sam Okay, so you've set everything up, hardware and software, and now you are ready to watch some Live TV. Now I imagine this varies from machine to machine, but on my box, it takes almost 30 seconds from the time I launch Beyond TV 4 (from scratch), to actually seeing a live stream. Not something that really bothers me that much, but if you are used to clicking a button and then instantly seeing content, know that from the main BTV screen, it takes me seven seconds before I can start changing channels. Of course, you can simply browse the TV listings (Figure 11), with practically no delay by selecting the SnapStream.Net Guide option. A small orange stripe indicates the current time slice, and the channels are lined up in ascending order, cycling around to the start from the last channel. I was unable to find a way to filter channels (from this interface), say to just my favorites, or just the channels I subscribe to - unlike my DirecTV Tivo or PVR. You can hide channels via the Web Admin. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_guide.jpg" /> Figure 11: The SnapStream.Net Guide. By selecting a show from the guide, you are then presented with yet another menu from which you can choose a new set of options including watching the show to recording an entire series (Figure 12). This is a nice step up from my DirecTV Tivo unit, which only allows me to record or watch a show from the guide. Select Watch, and Beyond TV 4 sends the signal to the set top unit, which after a slight delay, if you are using IR, will then change the channel. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_guide_options.jpg" /> Figure 12: Select a show from the guide and you have a new set of options to choose from. Bringing up the guide while watching TV overlays the existing stream with a transparent version of the SnapStream.Net Guide (Figure 13). Dial the channel you want, and the guide will update accordingly. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_guide_live.jpg" /> Figure 13: The transparent guide overlaid on live TV. Clicking the screen with your cursor (or pressing OK on the Firefly remote) brings up the current show info (Figure 14). Assuming, of course, that the guide info is correct (and I've run into a couple recent situations where it wasn't). You can also change channels using this method, but I found it much easier to deal with the full Guide. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_showinfo.jpg" /> Figure 14: Useful information about the show can be brought up by pressing OK on the Firefly remote or clicking on the screen. You can also pause live TV (Figure 15), rewind to catch a bit you missed, and fast forward through commercials. Just like Tivo (or generally any other PVR). My biggest issue with the Beyond TV 4 buffer capabilities is that you can't go back to the main menu without losing the existing buffer. Which means you can't take a look at your existing recorded shows or add a new recording without losing where you currently are (unless you specifically choose to the record the show). <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_pause.jpg" /> Figure 15: Pause, rewind, and fast forward like any other PVR. While it may not seem like a big deal, with my current setup I don't have easy access to the volume knob on the speaker system. So having the option to adjust the volume from the remote or clicking the volume indicator is a real bonus (Figure 16). <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_volume.jpg" /> Figure 16: The volume indicator is smaller and less obtrusive than than the version in BTV 3. Decide that you want to record the show you are watching? You can do this either from the guide or pressing the record button on the remote (Figure 17). <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_record1.jpg" /> Figure 17: Maximize your viewing capabilities with the ShowSqueeze and SmartSkip options. The guide then reflects the fact that you are recording on that channel with a REC marker in the info area (Figure 18), and a red circle in the guide (Figure 19). If you had multiple tuners, you could record multiple channels, and watch another. Where with a DirecTV Tivo, the maximum recording channels is two. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_record2.jpg" /> Figure 18: Shows that are being recorded are marked with REC in the info area. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_record3.jpg" /> Figure 19: The guide also displays shows that are in the process of being recorded. <PAGEBREAK> Play It Again, Sam Alright, so you've seen the live TV. But what about getting access to the shows later on? Why have a PVR if you can't watch your shows whenever you want? To record upcoming shows, we go to the Setup Recording option from the Main Menu (Figure 20). Covering searches by title or keyword (Figure 21), and browsing the guide or categories. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_setuprecordings.jpg" /> Figure 20: With Beyond TV 4, you have multiple ways to find and record upcoming shows. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_keyword1.jpg" /> Figure 21: Keyword searching is just one option available for future recordings. The keyword search feature works well (Figure 22), as long as the show is in the existing guide. Sadly, you can't create wishlists (a favorite of mine with the Tivo series). Hopefully, this will be added feature in the near future. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_keyword2.jpg" /> Figure 22: An example keyword search, looking for Monty Python. After your shows have successfully recorded, you can then navigate to the Recorded Shows (Figure 23) area of Beyond TV 4 to view, squeeze, and manage your recordings. These shows can also be sorted by series. Of course, the amount of recording time left is an estimate, but thus far, it has been very accurate. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_recorded1.jpg" /> Figure 23: My existing show list as shown in the Recorded Shows area of Beyond TV 4. Selecting a specific show (Figure 24), one can not only view general info about the show, but also determine how long the show stays available, delete the show all together, or ShowSqueeze. Normally, SmartSkip would also be a listed option, but I have opted for this to happen automatically. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_recorded2.jpg" /> Figure 24: An example recorded show, ready to be watched. Every time you record a show, or watch live TV, a set of files are created in a shared user directory (Figure 25). These files not only determine info but are the actual recordings that can be manipulated in any way you see fit. Unlike my DirecTV Tivo, which I would have to heavily modify to extract recordings, Beyond TV 4 makes these files easy to find and do with as you please. I've even watched files from separate computers, streaming the original file across my home network with no problems at all. I've also copied the files to my main PC to be converted to a format better suited to my Pocket PC. Yes, Beyond TV 4 has this capability built in, but I wanted to see if the recordings were proprietary in any way (and they aren't). <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_recorded3.jpg" /> Figure 25: Shows are recorded, by default, into a shared users directory and can be manipulated like any other video file. While watching a recorded show (Figure 26), you can fast forward, rewind, and pause - just like any other PVR. But you can also use the SmartSkip functionality (shown as light blue areas) to quickly jump between chapters (or skip commercials). Using the remote, I simply press the up arrow to skip to the next chapter, or the down arrow to skip back. Quick and easy - even if the SmartSkip isn't always perfect. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_recordedinfo.jpg" /> Figure 26: Maximize your viewing capabilities with the ShowSqueeze and SmartSkip options. <PAGEBREAK> Advanced Squeezing The basic features work, but advanced features are always nice. And to take advantage of these advanced options, you use Beyond TV 4's Web Admin. Running on port 8129, you can connect to the BTV box from practically anything with a web browser (Figure 27). And from that point use either the basic or advanced functionality of Beyond TV 4. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_webadmin1.jpg" /> Figure 27: The Beyond TV 4 Web Admin interface. Most useful to me is the ability to modify the ShowSqueeze capabilities to allow for better compression, adjust the start/stop times for the squeeze (Figure 28), and even queue up shows to be squeezed (Figure 29). <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_webadmin2.jpg" /> Figure 28: Start and stop new ShowSqueezes from the Web Admin. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_webadmin_sqz.jpg" /> Figure 29: You can even queue up tasks within the Web Admin. Once squeezed, you can review the amount of space saved. For example, I was able to take an episode of Cowboy Bepop, which was 1.79GB, and reduce it to just under 50Mb to be viewed on an early iPaq Pocket PC (Figure 30). You aren't just limited to Windows Media when squeezing files either, you can just as easily convert shows to Divx. Conversion depends on the size of the show, and the processing power available at the time of the squeeze. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_squeezeipaq.jpg" /> Figure 30: An example ShowSqueeze, optimized for an early iPaq. <PAGEBREAK> On The Go Expanding the capabilities of Beyond TV 4 even further, you can even manage recordings remotely from SnapStream's free SnapStream.net service (Figure 31). <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_snapstream1.jpg" /> Figure 31: Manage your recordings remotely. Simply log into your account from a web browser, find the show you want to record (Figure 31), and with a couple of clicks, the information is ready for your Beyond TV 4 unit to pick up (Figure 32). Apparently this process happens every fifteen minutes, but you can manually tell BTV to look for updates. Quick, easy and simple. Neither of my DirecTV units have this capability. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_snapstream2.jpg" /> Figure 31: Show information is given within the SnapStream.net account in addition to being able to remotely add recordings. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_snapstream3.jpg" /> Figure 32: Pending jobs are easy to add and view. Not at your computer? Log in via your web enabled cell phone (Figure 33)! <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/ta_btv4_mobile.jpg" /> Figure 33: You can even manage your recordings from a cell phone. Conclusions Unless I could convince my wife to add yet another computer to the household, I may be hard pressed to have Beyond TV 4 take over the DirecTV Tivo spot. Not to say that it doesn't outdo Tivo's offerings in many ways. Compared to the newest DirecTV PVRs, Beyond TV 4 is the easy winner in all respects. A fantastic, easy to use, and not to mention stable, method to get all those tasty broadcasts in your home. Now, if you excuse me, I have some <a href="http://www.altonbrown.com">Good Eats</a> to watch. Tim Adams currently hails from the Pacific Northwest (specifically Oregon), and is the I.S. Director for a group of radiologists. Tim also is an avid musician (samples can be listened/downloaded from <a href="http://www.acidplanet.com/dickie">ACIDplanet</a>).

Jason Dunn

02-15-2006, 07:08 PM

Nice review Tim! I've always been impressed by Beyond TV - it's much more powerful than Media Center 2005 in terms of customization, access for PDAs, custom transcoding options, etc. The biggest problem though is the fact that Snapstream doesn't make any connector devices. 99% of the devices I've tried fully suck, with horrible user interfaces. Snapstream understands UI design pretty well, so they could make a good device for connecting to a TV set. Ultimately that's why I gave up on BeyondTV, because I wanted to use my Xbox as a connector device with my MCE 2005 machine. Much nicer than the made-in-Taiwan user interfaces that almost all those devices use. :?

Kacey Green

02-15-2006, 10:08 PM

I love my Beyond TV setup I upgraded to version 4 two days after it came out.

Jason, did you try beyond TV link?
it has a free trial. (doesn't work with xbox yet though)

kiwi

02-15-2006, 11:06 PM

Jason,

what is a connector device?

I am using BTV 4 as well and about to make it a dedicated machine for my living room - just need to install ThunderBird for my emails on my laptop :)

Might have to look at the streaming option as well.. stream to my Laptop over WiFi would be nice

B

Jason Dunn

02-15-2006, 11:35 PM

Jason, did you try beyond TV link?

That's PC software, and I have no PC connected to my TV, so it's not applicable.

Jason Dunn

02-15-2006, 11:36 PM

what is a connector device?

An appliance that plugs into a TV set and allows you to access your media remotely. My MCE 2005 machine is in my basement, while my big screen TV is upstairs, so I need a way of getting the TV shows up to the TV. Right now I'm using my Xbox 360 to do just that.

Tim Adams

03-10-2006, 05:53 AM

And just when you thought it couldn't get better...SnapStream is now offering their newest Firefly device, the Mini (Figure 1), as part of a combo package with BeyondTV4. While only $30, it certainly gives one a quick and easy way to enhance their BeyondTV experience without having to dish out even more cash. Of course, those of you who just want a smaller remote may be interested too.

http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/762/ta_smini_mini.jpg
Figure 1: The Firefly Mini

Even the antenna is smaller (Figure 2). While nowhere near the range of the original Firefly (it's RF, while the Mini is IR), as long as it's properly positioned, you should run into any problems.

http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/762/ta_smini_antenna.jpg
Figure 2: The Mini uses a smaller IR antenna.

Size wise, the Firefly Mini is noticeably shorter, and about half as thick (Figure 3 and 4). Sadly, a lot of the extra buttons one might have been used to are now missing - just not enough room. The buttons are a little small, but responsive, and it does have a nice heft (not much different than the original Firefly).

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Figure 3: Comparison shot number one with the original Firefly.

http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/762/ta_smini_compare2.jpg
Figure 4: Comparison shot number two with the original Firefly.

But for only $20 (or free, depending on your package), this is a great deal for a IR remote. You can read more about the Firefly Mini, or purchase your own here (http://www.snapstream.com/products/fireflymini/features.asp).