The NetStream DDT has a 100Mb/s port, which I connected to the router through a pair of Devolo Powerline Ethernet adaptors. The clients connected to the router over 802.11n Wi-Fi. The Elgato box isn't wireless. But, neatly, it can be wall-mounted.
Wall-mountable
Harking back to the Slingbox comparison, what I missed with the Netstream was mobile device support. The Mac-based EyeTV will stream to Elgato's £3 iPhone app, but you need to keep the machine running and is no use if you're a Windows user.
This is because the iPhone app can't yet decode the MPEG 2 stream from the tuner. Elgato says it will do soon - expect more news on this when the iPad finally debuts over here.
Elgato wants £230 for Netstream DTT, which is a lot. If you have a Freeview set-top box or DVR, you can network it with a Slingbox Solo for just £130, though you'll only be able to feed one client at a time. Ditto the £200 Slingbox Pro, which has a tuner of its own and an array of extra video input ports. Yet the antenna-only Elgato box delivers much better picture quality that the Pro does.
Verdict
The Netstream DTT is pricey, and if you're buying purely for personal use, you can get a cheaper, single-client streamer from Sling Media. The downside is the Slingbox's reduced picture quality. You pays your money, you takes your choice. The big question is whether you want to invest in a new tuner that doesn't do Freeview HD. ®
More TV-on-PC Reviews |
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 Elgato DTT Deluxe |
 SiliconDust HDHomeRun |
 Sling Media Slingbox Pro |
 Sling Media Slingbox Solo |
Elgato Netstream DTT networkable TV tuner
COMMENTS
I like the idea but...
...it's too expensive for my liking. For that sort of money I could build a MythTV box which would also record the TV. Maybe if it was something like £50 to £75 or had dual DVB-T2 tuners I'd be more interested.
Rob
MythTV
I have a MythTV box that can do this and much much more. Like dual Freeview tuners enabling me to record 6 (or more) separate channels simultaneously (so long as they are all on the same 2 muxes). A similar price could get me a Revo. Add a USB Freeview dual tuner and a reasonable hard drive for recordings and I have a similarly sized box that outperforms it in every regard, by some way.
Yes you are wrong! UK legislation requires that goods must last a "reasonable" time, although what is reasonable is not set in stone. 1 year seems to be a default that manufacturers have settled on, but is certainly not set in any legal requirement.
is that a title you have there?
is that legal in Europe? I thought it was law that all manufacturers provide a 12 month period.
I could be wrong tho.
That's all very well, but
How is this different from the SiliconDust Homerun HD? Which isn't HD as in hi-def. But is cheaper...
V.
Slingbox Warranty
Also note that Slingbox only provide a 6 months warranty. And phone 'support'/warranty enquires are only provided for the first 90 days. Considering how many known faults the slingbox has (especially related to power) this is quite a cheek.
I've been looking for something similar to slingbox for quite some time. This may not be it but it's a step in the right direction.
