HP MediaSmart Streams Video to iPhones Now

[Vincent Ferrari]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://dvice.com/archives/2009/04/hp-mediasmart-s.php' target='_blank'>http://dvice.com/archives/2009/04/h...ediasmart-s.php</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"HP's MediaSmart Server just got smarter. Thanks to a free software update, the Windows Home Server-running PC automatically converts video files for easy playback on an iPhone. HP also unveiled iStream, a free dedicated iPhone app, available on the iTunes App Store later this month, that can access your server from far afield, playing back those converted videos, photos and music files. If you have fairly fast broadband uploading, that video on the iPod might actually look pretty good."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1239631744.usr18053.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>I've always had the feeling that Windows Home Server was one of the coolest products Microsoft ever came up with.&nbsp; From its core functionality to the ability of developers to make plugins for it to extend its functionality, it's one of the neatest products I think they're kicking out right now.&nbsp; I'm actually surprised it hasn't caught on more, honestly.</p>

[ptyork]

Woo hoo! Uninstalling Orb now!

I love my WHS box both as a backup solution and as a (work in progress) media hub. I think that it is the cost of entry that is keeping most away. I know I wouldn't have mine if I hadn't gotten it for $299 during a brief fire sale at OfficeDepot or OfficeMax or something. At $500+ it is a tough pill to swallow when you don't REALLY know what you're getting. However, now that I have it, I'd pat that $500 easily. I especially like the MediaSmart boxes and the work that they are doing to make them better than WHS out of the box. Like the native Time Machine support and of course now this media transcoding capability. Sweet stuff!

[jgrnt1]

Interesting. I wonder if I could add a USB TV Tuner to it and then stream live TV to my iPhone 3G. Years ago, I did this with my Windows Mobile phone. I believe I used Windows Media Encoder to stream to Windows Media Player on the phone. If I remember correctly, I was using a Hauppauge TV Tuner card essentially as just a video capture card, with my satellite receiver connected to it. This could be huge, if I could stream 250+ live channels to my iPhone for free.

Could the new software capture/transcode directly from the TV Tuner, or could it transcode from WM Encoder?

[Richard OKane]

This would be awesome if it becomes available for DIY machines!

As for TV tuner, check out this link first:
http://support.orb.com/kb/entry/94/

[jgrnt1]

I should have read more about Orb. I thought it was for recorded content only. So I guess the question is could you convert on the fly to H.264 and use iStream on the iPhone to watch live TV?

[Richard OKane]

AFAIK, because WHS is 2003-based, you cannot capture video at all.

[jgrnt1]

Richard,

Is video capture blocked in WHS, or is it simply a lack of software/drivers? Until Windows Media Center, I don't think XP came with TV/video capture ability, but you could add it with a TV Tuner card and software. Until Vista, I never had a PC with Windows Media Center capability, but I always added a Hauppauge card and WinTV.

I have a Dish Network DVR and have been thinking about getting a Slingbox, so I could stream to my iPhone. My old Maxtor NAS is dying, though. If I could replace it with an HP MediaSmart Server and skip the Slingbox....

[Richard OKane]

I think it's for lack of a file as mentioned in the link earlier.
If I remember correctly (box has been rebuilt), you could watch the video in WHS, but orb could not use the feed due to the lack of a dll. However, orb could stream recorded content, just not LIVE content.
I opted for sling for live, and orb for recorded.