TV network
The Tizi.tv app is very straightforward. With the iPad or iPhone held upright, the app displays the TV image in the upper half of the screen, with a scrolling list of channels in the lower half. Turn the device sideways into wide-screen mode and the TV image expands to fill the screen.
Video can be viewed full-screen when you rotate the iOS4 device
The image quality is perfectly acceptable given that it’s standard-def only, and you can record programs to watch later or to transfer on to a Mac or PC using iTunes. However, the Tizi records in MPEG-2 TS format, so you’ll need to look around on-line in order to locate suitable media player software for watching your recordings on a Mac or PC. VLC should do it, but the Equinux FAQ may save you some trouble on this and other matters.
The disadvantage of connecting directly to the Tizi wirelessly is that your iPad or iPhone can no longer use an existing network to remain connected to the Internet. Hence, it’s not possible to quickly switch over to your web browser or any other app that requires Internet access – although 3G Internet access is still possible.
Alas, no interfacing for an external aerial
The other thing that I found disappointing is that the Tizi can’t be connected to an external aerial. I tested the Tizi as I travelled around London over the course of several days. Its outdoor reception was generally pretty good, and I was able to watch TV inside a number of suitably trendy coffee shops, as long as I sat near the windows. Overall, the battery life matched Equinux's claims of around 3.5hrs.
Next page: Signal discontent
COMMENTS
Baffling limited market
How much harder could it have been to make it OS independent?
What if
Apple decide they don't like it and kill off the app?
It's also way too expensive, and the battery life is not very impressive.
Is the investment worth it given the trashy TV wasteland?
The programming on TV is pretty trashy and apart from the wasted time, is it really worth the investment?
The biggest drawback is a matter of physics - how can a wideband digital TV be received on such a puny antenna - the answer will always be a compromise.
Come to think of it, given this device is only for iOS, iPhans with Lemon 4's are used to antenna problems so it, and the programming, might just fit their bill.
Or alternatively
You could use tvcatchup instead for free.
Agreed
I have often seen speaker wire, and in one case, a hacked up mains power cable connecting the roof antenna wall socket to the device.
Often one end was stripped and shoved into the center pin of the wall socket and the other end was stripped to a longer length and wound around the end of the telescopic antenna (usually the telescopic was snapped off and the wire wrapped around it's stump) and the signal was perfect.
Lesson here, never underestimate the engineering capacity of a bogan (aus) / chav (uk) / redneck (us)
