The trend toward ubiquitous global mobile media consumption without traditional boundaries and the convergence of internet and TV accelerated today with the release of the GBP229 (US$367) Hauppauge PCTV Broadway 2T which will stream TV to any iOS device (iPad or iPhone), Mac or PC with no third party app required. Whatsmore, Android support is expected to be added within six weeks.
The Broadway 2T is standalone (no computer needed), connects to your wired or wifi network and contains dual DVB-T tuners to enable streaming of a TV signal to a host device either over a home network or the internet, and hence to anywhere in the world. The 2T also has USB and video inputs so you can stream video from a USB device or set top box not to mention connecting an analog camera to create a remote home surveillance solution system viewable on an iPad or iPhone (big wow factor).
Just how the media measurement companies intend to deal with devices such as the Broadway 2T will be interesting to watch. Expats the world over might be watching local television in their home country on their internet devices in foreign countries, but their patronage will be irrelevant to most of the advertisers who are paying for that audience. It's not a problem yet, but it looks like becoming that way quite soon as media footprints lose their definition.
When mobile, your TV and content is accessed via your web browser. The 2T will also enable remote control of home content such as scheduling recordings and playing pre-recorded content.
The Broadway 2T utilises 802.11n wireless and its sophisticated MPEG-4 H.264 hardware compression codec ensure minimal demand on mobile device battery life.