That said, if you don't have a Wi-Fi network, the Hava works just as well via Ethernet. Performance Like the Slingbox and the Sony, you configure the Hava viewing software to control your set-top box remotely by verifying the make and model during the setup process.
But the onscreen remotes were a disappointment: they were generic bare-bones models, not the "skinned" versions offered by Slingbox, which offer onscreen doppelgangers of the real clickers. While most of the more advanced buttons were available via a drop-down menu, the DVR's control was missing at least one all-important button: the List key. As a result, we were unable to access all of our recorded shows.
Monsoon is pledging to add skinned remotes in a later software update. Remote issues notwithstanding, there was a lot to like about the Hava's performance. Wirelessly or wired, streaming was--for the most part--smooth and steady. The system uses MPEG2 streaming on a home network, and with the ample bandwidth therein, the video quality was excellent. Even when the window was maximized to full size, the resulting picture was very watchable. It wasn't quite DVD quality, but given the rather muddy signal we've come to expect on DirecTV's standard-def channels, it wasn't a big step down from the TV itself.
When accessing the Hava from a remote location via the Internet, outside the home network , the quality was ratcheted down to MPEG4, the higher compression making better use of the restricted bandwidth. As always, the quality is largely dependent on the available network bandwidth; you'll want at least Kbps on both upstream and downstream connections, with Kbps to Kbps and beyond offering a noticeably better picture.
Distinguishing features The Hava's distinguishing features all proved to work as advertised, though they aren't without their caveats. Multicasting worked fine: we were able to watch a stream simultaneously on two different PCs logged into a closed LAN--Monsoon claims it's test more than 50 simultaneous viewers on a closed network--plus a third on the outside via the Internet. Furthermore, the Hava viewing software is always buffering a la TiVo , so you can pause and rewind live video feeds as well as manually record programs to your hard drive for later viewing.
The catch is that this function works only on a home network-- not when you're watching remotely via the Internet. The software installs itself in such a way as to "fool" Media Center into seeing the Hava as a built-in TV tuner card. As a result, watching TV programming on an MCE computer--especially a laptop--is a much more enjoyable and mobile experience.
Unfortunately, the same caveat as above applies: the MCE streaming only works inside a home network. But anything you record can be played back anywhere. Hava vs. Slingbox and Sony LocationFree TV Comparing the Hava to the more established players in the placeshifting market yields a mixed--but promising--box score.
Before I get too far ahead though I must comment on one of the sweetest features of Hava. The software based remote duplicates every button on the actual remote. Once I had the Hava software setup, I could use the PVR features of the satellite receiver instead of using the Hava recorder or Media Center which both use up hard drive space.
Of the three, the Hava software appears to be the best. The file size is smaller than what Media Center uses. It worked absolutely fine after that initial issue. The other problem the Hava had when used it Media Center was very strange. For some reason, the Hava box would attempt to change channels three and sometimes four times at once.
There were times that the Hava would somehow send only half of the last signal. This would put you on channel Not exactly an optimal situation when you are expecting to record something on a particular channel. After further reading, I found that there are ways around this problem. This is something that could make it a deal breaker for Media Center users and something Hava should look into.
In the end it all comes down to whether or not I would buy one of these boxes. With the current software, it would be hard to decide. The packaged software is solid and along with encrypted HD content, it will also allow you use VoD services. This is definitely a plus.
The issues that the Hava has can be fixed but they are annoying. Also, only being able to have one installed on your network could be a problem. Overall, the Media Center issues are enough to keep me from buying one myself. Adam Thursby. About the author. View All Posts.
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