David Flynn17 December 2009, 11:45 AM
Don’t want to be shackled to your TV set? Australian company MyTVR will record TV programs on their server and push the content down to your PC, iPhone, Nokia or Android device.
Anyone with a TiVo, Foxtel IQ box or similar personal video recorder will tell you straight up that the biggest challenge is finding time to watch all the shows they’re suddenly recording. There’s only so much time you can spend sitting on the lounge, even for the most fervent couch potato.
A Melbourne-based company reckons it has the answer, or art least part of it, in its new
MyTVR online service.
Think of MyTVR as a ‘virtual PVR’. An online EPG lets you select shows to record (the service covers all analogue and digital free-to-air channels). These are stored onto MyTVR’s servers and then pushed down to your smartphone for anywhere, anytime viewing – it's essentially not just time-shifting but
place-shifting.
Compatible devices include the iPhone and “most Nokia media-enabled mobiles and Android mobile devices” according to MyTVR, which also says the content can be viewed on a second-gen iPod Touch.
There’s no mention of Windows Mobile at this stage, although MyTVR says “We do expect to support other handsets at a later date”. Recorded shows can also be watched on a Windows or Mac system.
The MyTVR online program guide covers all free-to-air channels, including the new digital services
MyTVR’s entry-level Silver plan permits three hours of recording space for $5.85 per month, while the Gold package covers 12 hours for $7.85. Users can sample the service on a free three-month trial with a limit of 30 minutes of recording space.
While these recording allowances seem minimal, MyTVR will argue that they more than match the average commute and on-the-go times of most people. Once shows are recorded, downloaded and viewed, the user can delete the recording to free up space.
MyTVR is initially available only in the Melbourne metropolitan market – meaning its PVR facilities extend only to shows on Melbourne TV channels – but plans to extend into Sydney next year.
One caveat is the amount of data consumed by each time-shifted TV show. MyTVR estimates that a 30 minute recording streamed to a Nokia smartphone is 30MB; for an iPhone or Android device it’s 40MB. Those figures could make an expensive dent in the 3G data plan of many smartphone owners.