Orb LiveTV Released!

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

I haven't seen any threads on this yet, so I'll go ahead and post:

You can now stream live TV (provided you have a PC and a compatible TV card installed) with Orb's LiveTV app. It costs $9.99, but a lot of us have been waiting for this to come out for the iPhone 3G.

I bought it immediately in case it gets pulled from the AppStore...:smile:

[acosmichippo]

ok, now there is absolutely no reason why SlingPlayer can't be in there.

damn hypocrites.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

ok, now there is absolutely no reason why SlingPlayer can't be in there.

damn hypocrites.

Maybe there is hope. After all, it seemed to take forever to get Orb LiveTV approved...

[Rip]

No TV streaming over 3G though!

[Youngbinks]

ok, now there is absolutely no reason why SlingPlayer can't be in there.

damn hypocrites.

I completely agree. It's ridiculous. And Orb is only for PCs. Even better.

[acosmichippo]

No TV streaming over 3G though!

i think that's perfectly acceptable.

[tamakin]

No TV streaming over 3G though!

Says who? If you're jailbroken, you can install an app from Cydia called "voipover3g". It fools any app into thinking that you're on wi-fi. I bought Orb on the appstore, installed voipover3g, and voila! Streaming live TV over 3g!!!

Take that Apple!!!!! There's always ways around your stupid restrictions!!! Cydia and voipover3g FTW!!!!

[Rip]

Says who? If you're jailbroken, you can install an app from Cydia called "voipover3g". It fools any app into thinking that you're on wi-fi. I bought Orb on the appstore, installed voipover3g, and voila! Streaming live TV over 3g!!!

Take that Apple!!!!! There's always ways around your stupid restrictions!!! Cydia and voipover3g FTW!!!!


Good job.

So, how does the app differ from the Orb web app?

[tamakin]

Good job.

So, how does the app differ from the Orb web app?

I don't really use the web app so I don't know. But it works flawlessly over 3g when you combine Orb with voipover3g. Picture is wi-fi quality.

[RossEM]

Says who? If you're jailbroken, you can install an app from Cydia called "voipover3g". It fools any app into thinking that you're on wi-fi. I bought Orb on the appstore, installed voipover3g, and voila! Streaming live TV over 3g!!!

Take that Apple!!!!! There's always ways around your stupid restrictions!!! Cydia and voipover3g FTW!!!!


good idea. i didnt even think about that. i wouldnt have used this for anything other than orb. this is the only real reason i had my phone jailbroken. Orb was the only thing i really missed from my 2g iphone. and with these two im set.

[tamakin]

good idea. i didnt even think about that. i wouldnt have used this for anything other than orb. this is the only real reason i had my phone jailbroken. Orb was the only thing i really missed from my 2g iphone. and with these two im set.

The main reason I got the 3g iphone was to stream live TV over 3g. Finally after months of waiting I got it back! The quality of the picture is amazing over 3g. Can't be happier!!!

[RossEM]

The main reason I got the 3g iphone was to stream live TV over 3g. Finally after months of waiting I got it back! The quality of the picture is amazing over 3g. Can't be happier!!!

thats what my main reason was too. i was kinda pissed at first about getting the 3g because i couldnt get it. check your pm too

[Spikey911]

I can't believe they released this app with no streaming over 3g.

Not much use for streaming pictures and music that I already have on my phone...

Its true glory is streaming video on the go, and thats the one feature they disable lol..

Please please please, Slingbox where are you??? Save us Slingplayer!!

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

I can't believe they released this app with no streaming over 3g.

Not much use for streaming pictures and music that I already have on my phone...

Its true glory is streaming video on the go, and thats the one feature they disable lol..

Please please please, Slingbox where are you??? Save us Slingplayer!!

Are you not reading this thread?! :

http://forums.orb.com/viewtopic.php?t=12496&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

or:

http://www.everythingicafe.com/forum/iphone-app-store/orb-livetv-released-38749.html#post368678

[Spikey911]

Are you not reading this thread?! :

http://forums.orb.com/viewtopic.php?t=12496&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

or:

http://www.everythingicafe.com/forum/iphone-app-store/orb-livetv-released-38749.html#post368678


Yes, but what you show is a work around....

Not that theres anything wrong with it, but it should be allowed natively in the app..

No offense to Orb, but Slingbox does stream live tv in a much better way, and we may never see a Slingplayer with all these network restrictions..

[tamakin]

Yes, but what you show is a work around....

Not that theres anything wrong with it, but it should be allowed natively in the app..

No offense to Orb, but Slingbox does stream live tv in a much better way, and we may never see a Slingplayer with all these network restrictions..

You can't say Slingbox is better. Apple is a big bully and restricted live video streaming on Orb to wi-fi only. It's not Orb's fault that their app was compromised like that. All you have to do is install voipover3g and it runs Orb to it's full potential on the 3g.

[acosmichippo]

exactly, in all likelihood, Orb WANTED the ability for their app to stream over 3G, but either ATT or Apple is preventing them from integrating that feature. If i had to guess, i'd say they have a version of the app all tested and ready to go for use on 3G, but have to sit on it for the time being.

And, truth be told, if they're that paranoid about bandwidth, i can respect that. I certainly wouldn't want my 3G bandwidth being hogged by people watching TV on their iPhone all day at work.

That being said, if they ever release a SlingPlayer that streams over 3G, i will upgrade to the 3G iphone the SAME DAY. On the other hand, if they limit it to wifi, my v1 will do the trick just fine.

[tamakin]

exactly, in all likelihood, Orb WANTED the ability for their app to stream over 3G, but either ATT or Apple is preventing them from integrating that feature. If i had to guess, i'd say they have a version of the app all tested and ready to go for use on 3G, but have to sit on it for the time being.

And, truth be told, if they're that paranoid about bandwidth, i can respect that. I certainly wouldn't want my 3G bandwidth being hogged by people watching TV on their iPhone all day at work.

That being said, if they ever release a SlingPlayer that streams over 3G, i will upgrade to the 3G iphone the SAME DAY. On the other hand, if they limit it to wifi, my v1 will do the trick just fine.

Orb already submitted an updated version that streams video over 3g to Apple. But they're just waiting for approval. Just get the 3g iphone. Jailbreak it. There's always ways around Apple's stupid restrictions as long as your phone is jailbroken.

[jarofclay73]

Never used Orb before. But I'm going to try it. :laugh2:

[jarofclay73]

So, you can't watch LIVE TV without a TV tuner card? I already have a graphics card. Can I buy a separate TV tuner card?

[acosmichippo]

Orb already submitted an updated version that streams video over 3g to Apple. But they're just waiting for approval. Just get the 3g iphone. Jailbreak it. There's always ways around Apple's stupid restrictions as long as your phone is jailbroken.

i'm perfectly happy with my v1, thank you.

[jarofclay73]

Wait a minute...

It won't make any sense to buy an analog TV tuner card because come next year those signals will be gone.

Are there digital over-the-air tv tuner cards for the PC?

[acosmichippo]

yep. i know pinnacle makes some (http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Products/Consumer+Products/PCTV+Tuners/PCTV+Digital+PVR+%28DVB-S_DVB-T%29/PCTV+HD+Card.htm)... they will even do some cable and satellite TV.

[Alexander]

You buy a TV tuner card, and your cable plugs into the cards itself on the back of your PC.

I have the hauppage 150MCE

[acosmichippo]

the pinnacle one comes with a little antenna for analog and digital over-the-air.

i had the USB one for my mac breifly, and the digital over-the-air quality was great.

[danipoak]

So can you watch any tv channel with this thing? Can you watch international things?

[acosmichippo]

no, just whatever digital over-the-air signals you can receive at your location. Or you can plug in your (unencrypted) cable and watch that.

[jarofclay73]

the pinnacle one comes with a little antenna for analog and digital over-the-air.

i had the USB one for my mac breifly, and the digital over-the-air quality was great.

Oh neat. It comes with an antenna. I see it also comes with a USB extender. I think the USB version might be the way to go. I would love to get the card but I'd have to buy a separate antenna and somehow get it perched up as high as possible.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Never used Orb before. But I'm going to try it. :laugh2:

I use it on Wifi; it's great.

[Rip]

Before you rush out and get a TV card, be aware that Orb doesn't work with any old card. It must have on board MPEG2 decoding. Most USB cards don't have this.

Those that have working cards, please post make/model here.

[Rip]

Over on the Orb forums, the following hack is suggested to get voipover3g working with Orb:

1. Download/install voipover3g. Can be located in Cydia.

2. SSH your phone. This requires that you turn SSH on in your Boss Preferences. You will also need to connect your phone to the computer and access it with Cyberduck (Mac) or WinSCP (Windows)...or any other FTP client.

3. Edit the file VoIPover3G.plist then save. I just copied and pasted this:
Filter = {Bundles = ("com.Fringland.Fring", "com.apple.AppStore", "com.audiofile.Interstate", "com.orbnetworks.OrbLive", "com.apple.MobileStore");};
The file can be found using this path:
/Library/MobileSubstrate/DynamicLibraries/

Can anyone here confirm that this hack is required?

[ravman]

Yup, you may also need to install Winterboard.

You can then stream via 3G/EDGE. But if you install a "dodgy" copy of the Orblive.ipa file, then the hack will not work.



Over on the Orb forums, the following hack is suggested to get voipover3g working with Orb:
1. Download/install voipover3g. Can be located in Cydia.

2. SSH your phone. This requires that you turn SSH on in your Boss Preferences. You will also need to connect your phone to the computer and access it with Cyberduck (Mac) or WinSCP (Windows)...or any other FTP client.

3. Edit the file VoIPover3G.plist then save. I just copied and pasted this: Filter = {Bundles = ("com.Fringland.Fring", "com.apple.AppStore", "com.audiofile.Interstate", "com.orbnetworks.OrbLive", "com.apple.MobileStore");};
The file can be found using this path:
/Library/MobileSubstrate/DynamicLibraries/

Can anyone here confirm that this hack is required?

[ravman]

I have the WinTV-PVR-150 (http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_pvr150.html), Orb works fine with that.


Before you rush out and get a TV card, be aware that Orb doesn't work with any old card. It must have on board MPEG2 decoding. Most USB cards don't have this.

Those that have working cards, please post make/model here.

[Rip]

Yup, you may also need to install Winterboard.


Why would Winterboard be required?

[ravman]

Good question., and I have no idea why. But some users are reporting the hack will not work unless you install Winterboard.

One of those weird mysteries in life.



Why would Winterboard be required?

[Rip]

Can you point me at the thread where they're repoting it so I can try and figure it out?

[RossEM]

Good question., and I have no idea why. But some users are reporting the hack will not work unless you install Winterboard.

One of those weird mysteries in life.


It works fine without winterboard and works fine with it. I had it when I first installed orb and the hack... but My phone was already running a little sluggish (not orb... my phone in general) so I uninstalled it and orb still works fine... not to mention my phone doesnt have much lag anymore

[ravman]

Tis here (http://forums.orb.com/viewtopic.php?t=12496&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0).

Ignore this blurb, as I need to meet the minimum length requirement.


Can you point me at the thread where they're repoting it so I can try and figure it out?

[teambash]

so I dont understand u can watch tv on this thing?

[Rip]

Yep, live TV right on your iPhone.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Tis here (http://forums.orb.com/viewtopic.php?t=12496&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0).

Ignore this blurb, as I need to meet the minimum length requirement.

Try this.....

[jarofclay73]

I have the WinTV-PVR-150 (http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_pvr150.html), Orb works fine with that.

What are the specs on your computer?

[ZR_Yancy]

This would come in handy if I need to drop a duece & I don't wanna miss anything during a sporting event on TV!! Too bad I don't have a PC.:frown:

[tamakin]

I was watching I Love Lucy over 3g today. The quality of the picture is mind boggling good. The speed of 3g is definitely the reason why I can get a crystal clear picture. Before, when I had my v1 iphone, it was pretty much un-watchable over EDGE because it's so slow. The picture was all pixelated and it was terrible. The reason I got the 3g iphone was just to be able to use Orb over 3g and it's totally worth the upgrade!

[icecreamman2]

ok im new to all of this... i just have a TV nothing crazy fancy. if i buy orb, will it work totally fine or do i have to buy some crazy box for my TV.

[acosmichippo]

you need a way to watch TV on your computer. A TV alone will not work.

[icecreamman2]

i have no clue what your talking about. your saying i need something to watch TV on my computer to watch on my iphone.

[acosmichippo]

yes, exactly. If you have a means to watch TV on your computer, this application will stream that video to your iphone through the internet.

[icecreamman2]

then how would i watch it on my computer. is it free or do i have to buy something.

[acosmichippo]

you need something like this (http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Products/Consumer+Products/PCTV+Tuners/PCTV+Digital+PVR+%28DVB-S_DVB-T%29/PCTV+HD+Card.htm). Although, this specific example may not work. But generally, you need some sort of TV tuner card on your computer.

[tamakin]

then how would i watch it on my computer. is it free or do i have to buy something.

All the answers you need are here:

http://forums.orb.com/viewforum.php?f=33

Do a search in the forums and you'll get your answer.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

I was watching I Love Lucy over 3g today. The quality of the picture is mind boggling good. The speed of 3g is definitely the reason why I can get a crystal clear picture. Before, when I had my v1 iphone, it was pretty much un-watchable over EDGE because it's so slow. The picture was all pixelated and it was terrible. The reason I got the 3g iphone was just to be able to use Orb over 3g and it's totally worth the upgrade!

Well, I'm glad you're finally happy! :laugh2:

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

then how would i watch it on my computer. is it free or do i have to buy something.

You need a TV card -- this, for instance, is what I use:

http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_pvr150.html

[tamakin]

Well, I'm glad you're finally happy! :laugh2:

Thanks! It was a long time coming!

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Thanks! It was a long time coming!

Same here!

Anyway, I was getting tired of your incessant whining over on Orb's forum! :laugh2:

j/k!!!

[psylichon]

It doesn't appear to be able to stream video at all when not on wifi?

Not that I do that sort of thing often, but isn't that different from the jailbreak version?

[jarofclay73]

It doesn't appear to be able to stream video at all when not on wifi?

Not that I do that sort of thing often, but isn't that different from the jailbreak version?

I bet it's some AT&T restriction. I wonder why AT&T doesn't just make live TV available for the iPhone? Probably because of an Apple restriction. :laugh2:

[Rip]

What frustrates me is that AT&T are calling the shots for the planet!

My provider, T-Mobile in the UK, have no restrictions for tethering or streaming but because AT&T in the US do, I can't stream or tether!

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

It doesn't appear to be able to stream video at all when not on wifi?

Not that I do that sort of thing often, but isn't that different from the jailbreak version?

The jailbroken version would let you stream over EDGE as well as wifi though the EDGE quality was HUR-ting.

[soilsample]

This app works GREAT!
It took me a while to get VoiPover3G to work with Orb, but it was worth it!

If you know how to SSH into your phone, it's easy.
Video quality is very good. I set the slider up to WiFi. The videos from my home PC's hard drive stream to iPhone and look as good as the videos that are stored IN the iphone.

Thanks to everyone that helped point me in the right direction!

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

This app works GREAT!
It took me a while to get VoiPover3G to work with Orb, but it was worth it!

If you know how to SSH into your phone, it's easy.
Video quality is very good. I set the slider up to WiFi. The videos from my home PC's hard drive stream to iPhone and look as good as the videos that are stored IN the iphone.

Thanks to everyone that helped point me in the right direction!

Definitely worth the price for me.

[ravman]

Windoze Vista Ultimate
Quad Core 2.4Ghz processor
4 GIG RAM
2TB hard drives (raided)

I use Sling Player more though (via a PC, not iPhone). I can stream my HD channels via it also.



What are the specs on your computer?

[jarofclay73]

Okay. Got cable hooked up to my old PCTV Deluxe USB 2.0. However, it's not compatible with Orb. I got a AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.2Ghz with 2GB RAM. I wonder if it's worth it to get a new card?

[psylichon]

You need something that can do MPEG2 conversion, which generally means a PCI card.

I'm thinking of firing up my media PCI with ATI TV tuner card. I'll bet that would work...

[tamakin]

A new orb update was released on the appstore today. It now allows live tv and video streaming over 3g and EDGE.

[acosmichippo]

keeps getting better.

where are you slingplayer???

[jerni]

I was just looking in the App Store and there's a free version and the $9.99 version I don't see in the description what the difference is. Can someone fill me in? Also what I noticed is it pulls up in the App Store on iTunes but not on the App Store on the phone.

[acosmichippo]

i don't see a difference... which means download the free one while you can.

[acosmichippo]

Orb Free:
http://img.skitch.com/20081109-e5s3qeym4asw6r8j5tqntj69dd.jpg



Orb $9.99
http://img.skitch.com/20081109-nchghbbqr9n7euknaqjqk744ap.jpg



I'm willing to bet they both have the documents preview... just one is a little more descriptive than the other.

[RossEM]

Orb Free:
http://img.skitch.com/20081109-e5s3qeym4asw6r8j5tqntj69dd.jpg



Orb $9.99
http://img.skitch.com/20081109-nchghbbqr9n7euknaqjqk744ap.jpg



I'm willing to bet they both have the documents preview... just one is a little more descriptive than the other.



The Free Version only allows 3 RANDOM views/listens or whatever of each category. the full version allows... well... full access.

[jarofclay73]

A new orb update was released on the appstore today. It now allows live tv and video streaming over 3g and EDGE.

Now THIS is worth the price of admission! :laugh2:

I'm going to try and buy a supported PCI tuner card off of ebay for cheap. This will be awesome! :2cool:

[playshot360]

does anyboby know if orb supports external drives and if it does what do u recomend thank

[Rip]

does anyboby know if orb supports external drives and if it does what do u recomend thank

I stream all of my media through Orb from an NAS, so it'll certainly support external drives.

[playshot360]

thank u so much were can I find an NAS sorry this is new to me

[Rip]

NAS is Network Attached Storage. Have a Google!

[tzhourdeka]

Can someone tell me how this works? The only TV tuner thing I have is the Location Free Player, will that work with it?

[Rip]

Can someone tell me how this works? The only TV tuner thing I have is the Location Free Player, will that work with it?

You need to have a card installed in your PC that supports hardware MPEG2 decode and compression.

There are very few cards that will work reliably with a laptop via USB. I've yet to find one.

WinTV PVR-150 is a good option for PCI installs for analogue TV viewing or set top box output.

Orb will then allow you to set up your channels and view on your iPhone.

If you have satellite or cable, Orb will send the IR codes via an IR blaster to change channels on your set top box.

If you have the right hardware it's pretty simple. If not, you'll think it's a nightmare.

When it's running it is the coolest thing.

You can watch your own TV anywhere in the world on your iPhone or laptop. Also stream music and view documents but there's other stuff to do that.

If you're smart and use a combination of Intelliremote, Jaadu and USBIRT, you can also watch your own PVR or DVD (though you'll need someone at home to put the disc in :laugh2:). Not quite as neat a solution as Slingbox but it will work - and you can't get Slingbox on the iPhone yet.

I suspect that now Orb is available over 3G the Slingbox app will be along pretty soon.

[Rip]

NAS is Network Attached Storage. Have a Google!

Here's (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maxtor-Shared-Storage-II-Ethernet/dp/B000IB151Y) the one I use.

[psylichon]

I'm really considering setting this up for myself for Christmas. I already use Orb for media, but I'd love to get the TV thing going. Two questions:

I have an old Athlon XP 1800 with an ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon video card. I'm pretty sure that does MPEG2. Do you think that computer (if I put 1.5 GB ram in it) would be fast enough to do Orb reasonably well for me? If not, I could hobble together a 2.8 Ghz as well.

I don't want to use my quadcore 2.2 because it's all set up for music on the other side of the room. The 1800 is set up as a media PC already right next to the TV/Cable box.

Anyways... thoughts?

[ravman]

I don't see why you should have any problems. Orb is not that processor/memory intensive.

Check out: www.deals2buy.com or www.dealigg.com. They recently had a TV tuner card for free up there. Using the search functions on the site should bring the product up very quickly. This is if your existing TV tuner card doesn't work.



I'm really considering setting this up for myself for Christmas. I already use Orb for media, but I'd love to get the TV thing going. Two questions:

I have an old Athlon XP 1800 with an ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon video card. I'm pretty sure that does MPEG2. Do you think that computer (if I put 1.5 GB ram in it) would be fast enough to do Orb reasonably well for me? If not, I could hobble together a 2.8 Ghz as well.

I don't want to use my quadcore 2.2 because it's all set up for music on the other side of the room. The 1800 is set up as a media PC already right next to the TV/Cable box.

Anyways... thoughts?

[Spikey911]

I'm really considering setting this up for myself for Christmas. I already use Orb for media, but I'd love to get the TV thing going. Two questions:

I have an old Athlon XP 1800 with an ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon video card. I'm pretty sure that does MPEG2. Do you think that computer (if I put 1.5 GB ram in it) would be fast enough to do Orb reasonably well for me? If not, I could hobble together a 2.8 Ghz as well.

I don't want to use my quadcore 2.2 because it's all set up for music on the other side of the room. The 1800 is set up as a media PC already right next to the TV/Cable box.

Anyways... thoughts?

Orb claims 2.4ghz minimum for video..

[Alexander]

I'm streaming Live TV perfectly, already had a TV Tuner card so it only took 10 minutes to set up.

I've used Orb on previous phones.

[psylichon]

My next day off, I will be hobbling together a frankenstein of two old computers to try and make this happen. Wish me luck.

[acosmichippo]

Orb claims 2.4ghz minimum for video..

2.4 GHz what? All processors of the same clockspeed are not created equal.

[ravman]

You guys checked this (http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=205073920) out?

I wonder if it will work with Orb?

On second thoughts, it's probably like Sling Box. Ignore me.

[acosmichippo]

yeah, there are a lot of slingbox copycats out there now...

[ravman]

Have you checked out Sling Media's new badboy (http://www.slingmedia.com/go/slingbox-prohd)?

You need killer upload bandwidth to get HD to stream properly.

I think I'll stick to my Slingbox Pro with the HD attachment.


yeah, there are a lot of slingbox copycats out
there now...

[acosmichippo]

i'd love it, but there are three problems for me: 1) no HD streaming for Mac yet, 2) My internet connection is a Sprint Aircard which only does about 300 Kbps upload, and 3) i'm not going to invest any more money into slingbox until there's a slingplayer for iphone.

So, i will be sticking to my Solo for the time-being.

[ravman]

I have one of these (http://www.slingmedia.com/go/hd-connect) attached to my Slingbox Pro. It allows me to view my HD channels. Doesn't need the 50gig upload bandwidth as required by the sling Pro-HD.


i'd love it, but there are three problems for me: 1) no HD streaming for Mac yet, 2) My internet connection is a Sprint Aircard which only does about 300 Kbps upload, and 3) i'm not going to invest any more money into slingbox until there's a slingplayer for iphone.

So, i will be sticking to my Solo for the time-being.

[acosmichippo]

oh, i can stream HD channels just fine... just not IN HD.

[JanW13]

Has anyone tried streaming over 3G? For some reason it doesn't work for me

[JanW13]

Ok it's working now. I forgot to update to the latest version of OrbLive that does support streaming over 3G :blush:

[rvaswan1103]

I'm having trouble really streaming anything over Orb on 3g. It worked once on WiFi with one of my movies, but it won't work with my TV shows (not live TV, Japanese TV shows that I have stored on my HDD). It's kind of sad, because I would expect it to work easily, but I think it is limited to crunching certain formats. What I mean, is that some of my videos are in MKV (Matroska), some are DivX, Xvid, AVI, WMV, WMVHD, etc. etc. and some won't stream because I think Orb cannot decode them properly.

Besides converting them to another format, does anyone know a viable way of getting them to stream properly? Or stream at all for that matter.

[ctrain24]

I have an original iPhone. How does the video quality look on Edge?

[jarofclay73]

I have an original iPhone. How does the video quality look on Edge?

Ooooo. I don't have Orb yet, but I'm guessing it wouldn't do too well on EDGE.

[acosmichippo]

it would probably work a lot like using YouTube over EDGE.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

From what I understand, the original release of OrbLive on the AppStore offered better resolution over wifi. Apparently, the update (which included 3G steaming capability) reduced the resolution. Damn -- I wish now that I'd kept a copy of the original OrbLive so I could check that out.

[jarofclay73]

From what I understand, the original release of OrbLive on the AppStore offered better resolution over wifi. Apparently, the update (which included 3G steaming capability) reduced the resolution. Damn -- I wish now that I'd kept a copy of the original OrbLive so I could check that out.

So, wi-fi and 3G look the same now? Why can't it detect if there's wi-fi or 3G? :angry:

[divabimbers]

I just recently got OrbLive and I must say that I'm loving it, next step for me is to get everything in working order so that I can watch live TV. In the meantime, I am able to watch my recorded TV shows as well as ripped DVDs which is nice but I've noticed something. The time that shows when you're playing the video seems to cut off at 20 minutes. Has anyone noticed this? I'd hate to think that it's not going to show the entire thing if that's the case. At least it is something.

Turns out it says 20 minutes for some reason but it does seem to play the entire file all the way through though I am on wifi, haven't tried on 3G or even EDGE.

[Samsrams]

with the new orb live just released do you have to have jailbreak iphone to view live tv? :gasp:

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

with the new orb live just released do you have to have jailbreak iphone to view live tv? :gasp:

No. ........

[jarofclay73]

Just got Orblive set up on my iPhone and it works fabulously! My MPEG-2 encoder/tuner arrived yesterday. I just had to download the latest driver for it to work. :laugh2::2cool:

[psylichon]

Which tuner did you get? I'm thinking about this for Christmas.

[jarofclay73]

Which tuner did you get? I'm thinking about this for Christmas.
Hauppage WinTV PVR-USB2. Got it for $46 on eBay. My computer specs: AMD Athlon 64 2.2Ghz 3400+, 2GB RAM, PNY Nvidia 7600GS 512MB AGP 8x video card. Pretty low-end machine and it still streams it pretty well.

The only problems I have had was sync. All I did was reset the channel and it was fine after that. I also think it's a good idea to reboot your iPhone before extended viewings.

[geekgrrl]

..someone generously put up their name and password, so i tried out OrbLive on my Touch 2G, slider set over to WiFI of course.

I n landscape mode especially, the picture has black bars, top and bottom, and is narrow and stretched (distorted). Is it that way, for you, or for others here in the forum?

[jarofclay73]

..someone generously put up their name and password, so i tried out OrbLive on my Touch 2G, slider set over to WiFI of course.

I n landscape mode especially, the picture has black bars, top and bottom, and is narrow and stretched (distorted). Is it that way, for you, or for others here in the forum?

Nope. Here's a screenshot of how it looks in landscape mode for me:

http://www.everythingicafe.com/forum/members/jarofclay73-albums-my-iphone-3g-screens-picture303-orb-001.png

A double-tap of the screen fills it up with no black bars. I have analog cable.

Must have something to do with a setting. That guy probably has an HD feed going through it.

[Samsrams]

Has anyone downloaded the update for orb live app?
When I updated I noticed "live tv" was no longer on orb live as an option.
Does anyone know if they took it out? That would really suck!!! I haven't had the chance to use that option yet. Still trying to figure out my tuner card problems.

[jarofclay73]

Has anyone downloaded the update for orb live app?
When I updated I noticed "live tv" was no longer on orb live as an option.
Does anyone know if they took it out? That would really suck!!! I haven't had the chance to use that option yet. Still trying to figure out my tuner card problems.

Downloaded the latest update and STILL got live tv! :laugh2:
I notice it doesn't say live TV when Orb on your computer cannot find the TV tuner. It's kind of weird. If Orb cannot find your TV tuner you need to restart Orb. That always does it for me.

[jarofclay73]

Just a reminder that there's a new Orb update for your desktop and your iPhone app. If you update one of them you should update the other for it to work properly.

[geekgrrl]

jarofclay73,

I can't see the picture you put up... I tried Safari and I tried Internet Explorer.

[jarofclay73]

jarofclay73,

I can't see the picture you put up... I tried Safari and I tried Internet Explorer.

Okay should be fixed now.

[psylichon]

Just a reminder that there's a new Orb update for your desktop and your iPhone app. If you update one of them you should update the other for it to work properly.

I got the desktop update, but I'm not seeing anything new in the Appstore?

[ravman]

If anyone is still looking for a TV Tuner card. Newegg.com has one for sale, for free. It's $0 after the $17.99 rebate & free shipping.

Details are here (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16815260017&ATT=17-507-003&CMP=AFC-C8Junction).

I'm not associated with these guys in anyway, just thought I would pass on the deal.

I'm not sure if this tuner card will work with Orb. Might need to do some homework first.

[jarofclay73]

I got the desktop update, but I'm not seeing anything new in the Appstore?

There was an update for the paid version on Nov. 24. When I updated the app, I noticed a significant hit in performance for live TV. Then, I update my desktop client and now it works fine.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

There was an update for the paid version on Nov. 24. When I updated the app, I noticed a significant hit in performance for live TV. Then, I update my desktop client and now it works fine.

I haven't updated my desktop client yet; let me do that now...

[geekgrrl]

Thank you, I can see the picture. It is full frame.

I do wonder why: I wish I knew so I could tell the man, who generously shared his Orb Live stream for a sample.

I see your pic has distortions in portions of the display, as well.

What would eliminate the distortions? It seems it certainly is a small enough screen, a larger screen would surely require more signal or more bandwidth or something like that.

I am trying to figure this stuff out, in advance of spending more money.

[jarofclay73]

Thank you, I can see the picture. It is full frame.

I do wonder why: I wish I knew so I could tell the man, who generously shared his Orb Live stream for a sample.

I see your pic has distortions in portions of the display, as well.

What would eliminate the distortions? It seems it certainly is a small enough screen, a larger screen would surely require more signal or more bandwidth or something like that.

I am trying to figure this stuff out, in advance of spending more money.

I think it has something to do with Orb's software because when I watch cable on my computer through the software provided with my TV Tuner/Encoder it looks a lot sharper even though it is analog.

Still, it looks way better than the live TV I have seen on the Samsung Instinct and the LG Vue. Those phones come out way too blocky.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

I think it has something to do with Orb's software because when I watch cable on my computer through the software provided with my TV Tuner/Encoder it looks a lot sharper even though it is analog.

Still, it looks way better than the live TV I have seen on the Samsung Instinct and the LG Vue. Those phones come out way too blocky.

Just comparing notes, jarofclay:

Which video codec are you using?

[psylichon]

Hauppage WinTV PVR-USB2. Got it for $46 on eBay. My computer specs: AMD Athlon 64 2.2Ghz 3400+, 2GB RAM, PNY Nvidia 7600GS 512MB AGP 8x video card. Pretty low-end machine and it still streams it pretty well.

Well I just picked up this unit on Ebay tonight for $63 shipped. It's getting hard to find. But there aren't many USB units with hardware MPEG-2 encoding, and I really don't want to put in another PCI card for fear it could cause instability to my audio hardware. Besides, it seems to be working well for you.

All I need to do is split the cable to the computer room and get an IR dongle for changing channels. I've decided not to use an old computer and just to use my main system. It should be able to handle it fine.

[jarofclay73]

Just comparing notes, jarofclay:

Which video codec are you using?

This may sound like a dumb question, but how I would find out what video codec I'm using?

[psylichon]

This may sound like a dumb question, but how I would find out what video codec I'm using?

Orb configuration on your PC, Advanced tab, MPEG-2 codecs.

[jarofclay73]

Okay, I have DScaler selected. Maybe I should try the other ones?

[psylichon]

Setting this up is a little Christmas gift for me and the wife, so I'm getting excited. My Win-TV arrives this week, and today I ordered a very long USB extension cable and MCE-compatible IR jammer (that seems to be the real incompatibility hangup out there). I'll be able to keep the Win-TV and IR jammer out by the A/V area with the USB run into the laundry room to the computer. I will have a powered hub out by the TV, so hopefully everything should run smoothly.

Are you guys using IR jammers? If so, which ones?

[jarofclay73]

Setting this up is a little Christmas gift for me and the wife, so I'm getting excited. My Win-TV arrives this week, and today I ordered a very long USB extension cable and MCE-compatible IR jammer (that seems to be the real incompatibility hangup out there). I'll be able to keep the Win-TV and IR jammer out by the A/V area with the USB run into the laundry room to the computer. I will have a powered hub out by the TV, so hopefully everything should run smoothly.

Man, you got a complicated setup. Computer in the laundry room! I hope it all works well! It sounds like you know what you are doing. :smile:

[psylichon]

Man, you got a complicated setup. Computer in the laundry room!

It's the best thing I've ever done for my home studio. All those fans and hard drives are out of ear's range for music work. It's not that expensive to do... I recommend it to anyone that hates high-pitched whine.

[psylichon]

Well, the Win-TV arrived today. I still don't have the proper hookups to get my cable into it with channel-changing ability, but I've been testing it with an antenna signal and it is incredible! I never would have thought it would have worked so smoothly out of the box...

About 10 seconds delay on Wifi... about 20-30 on Edge. The REAL shocker, however, was the quality on Edge. I wouldn't want to make it my regular viewing quality, but I could totally watch a casual show on Edge! Again, I would have thought Edge viewing would be unacceptable. I'm thrilled with this!

[jarofclay73]

Well, the Win-TV arrived today. I still don't have the proper hookups to get my cable into it with channel-changing ability, but I've been testing it with an antenna signal and it is incredible! I never would have thought it would have worked so smoothly out of the box...

About 10 seconds delay on Wifi... about 20-30 on Edge. The REAL shocker, however, was the quality on Edge. I wouldn't want to make it my regular viewing quality, but I could totally watch a casual show on Edge! Again, I would have thought Edge viewing would be unacceptable. I'm thrilled with this!

Hmm... maybe the latest update of Orblive made EDGE viewing a lot better. When I first got Orblive it was unacceptable. I gotta try that again.

[psylichon]

It could have something to do with Philly's Edge reception... it's pretty stellar. I get consistent 150 kbps+ in my basement... getting sustained 170 is not unheard of.

I've jerryrigged several coax cables and splitters to reach the laundry room just so I can watch Current at work tomorrow. The audio level has dropped to pretty low levels, but the video quality is awesome! It should only get better when I connect via component cables.

I'm also curious to see if I get the same delay when I'm not on the same wifi as my host system. Right now it's a steady 11 seconds on wifi.

[firewire]

I always get a connection timed out error. It said to try lowering your connection speed so I lowered it to the lowest level and it still did the same thing. Any ideas?

[psylichon]

I always get a connection timed out error. It said to try lowering your connection speed so I lowered it to the lowest level and it still did the same thing. Any ideas?

Are you having this issue with live TV or all media? What sort of upload speed do you get with your home internet service?

[Rip]

I always get a connection timed out error. It said to try lowering your connection speed so I lowered it to the lowest level and it still did the same thing. Any ideas?

Don't always believe the Orb error messages. They can be pretty flakey.

If you've lowered the connection speed and it's not fixed it's more likey to be a bufferrriing issue.

To get this message you'll already be connected I suspect. It usually (not always - that's what I mean about flakey) comes up when attempting to buffer a channel and has nothing to do with the connection.

[firewire]

Are you having this issue with live TV or all media? What sort of upload speed do you get with your home internet service?
Upload speeds are about 2mbps, more than enough for what I was doing. Funny thing is it used to work fine when I used the web app in the past, though I could never get videos to stream. Everything else worked, though. Now with the official native release I can't get anything to stream. Even simple photos.
Don't always believe the Orb error messages. They can be pretty flakey.

If you've lowered the connection speed and it's not fixed it's more likey to be a bufferrriing issue.

To get this message you'll already be connected I suspect. It usually (not always - that's what I mean about flakey) comes up when attempting to buffer a channel and has nothing to do with the connection.
Yes it says I am connected. I can confirm this by my reseting Orb from my phone and seeing the action go forward on my pc. The problem is I have tried it several times with all types of media and it doesn't want to work not even once.

[duvalkid]

When i try to change the tv channels on orb it doesnt work and stays at the same channel. Anyone having this problem too?

[psylichon]

When i try to change the tv channels on orb it doesnt work and stays at the same channel. Anyone having this problem too?

Can you describe your setup a bit? What card are you using? Broadcast, cable, satellite? Are you using an IR blaster?

[mkim209]

Hi all, i am looking to purchase an external tv tuner with an IR blaster to change channels from my verizon fios motorola hddvr box.

i was wondering what suggestions you guys had for purchase? i don't want to blow away my money purchasing something that doesn't work well.

i've heard Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1950 tv tuner was a good choice, and for an IR blaster the USB-UIRT works well with orb.

[psylichon]

Whatever you get, make sure it has hardware MPEG-2 compression. Many will advertise that they do MPEG-2 compression, but if it's done with software it won't work with Orb. The unit you mentioned will, and so will the Win-TV PVR USB2 (that's what I use)... I think that may be one of the only USB units that will work with Orb.

As far as a blaster is concerned, I haven't received mine yet, so I can't guarantee that mine will work. But I've read that if you buy a Microsoft MCE (media center edition)-compatible blaster, it should work with Orb. No others will other than the UIRT you mentioned, but that's rather expensive. I got a $20 MCE-compatible unit off Ebay by searching for MCE blaster and I have my fingers crossed. I'll let you know whether it works or not in this thread.

[mkim209]

Whatever you get, make sure it has hardware MPEG-2 compression. Many will advertise that they do MPEG-2 compression, but if it's done with software it won't work with Orb. The unit you mentioned will, and so will the Win-TV PVR USB2 (that's what I use)... I think that may be one of the only USB units that will work with Orb.

As far as a blaster is concerned, I haven't received mine yet, so I can't guarantee that mine will work. But I've read that if you buy a Microsoft MCE (media center edition)-compatible blaster, it should work with Orb. No others will other than the UIRT you mentioned, but that's rather expensive. I got a $20 MCE-compatible unit off Ebay by searching for MCE blaster and I have my fingers crossed. I'll let you know whether it works or not in this thread.

thanks a lot!

[psylichon]

No problem. I personally find Orb to be one of the most exciting things to ever come out for the iPhone. I don't know why. I don't watch TV that much. I just knew as soon as it came out that I needed to have the ability :)

[mkim209]

No problem. I personally find Orb to be one of the most exciting things to ever come out for the iPhone. I don't know why. I don't watch TV that much. I just knew as soon as it came out that I needed to have the ability :)


haha i'm the same way. :laugh2:

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Heheh -- ditto.

[jarofclay73]

Heheh -- ditto.

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ZRgG9Piu_phk2M:http://content.bt.com/distribution/btvision/paramountpictures/images/im1/Ghost_im1.jpg

Ditto. :laugh2:

[mkim209]

does anyone know how to get the orb quality to stay on wifi even when only connected to 3g?

[jarofclay73]

does anyone know how to get the orb quality to stay on wifi even when only connected to 3g?

You can't. You're just lucky we CAN stream over 3G. :smile:

[mkim209]

You can't. You're just lucky we CAN stream over 3G. :smile:


lol very true

the quality of orb spoils us from what we're used to in the youtube app :laugh2:

[psylichon]

Has anyone mentioned this yet?

http://forums.orb.com/viewtopic.php?t=14317

Orb for Mac! Hop to it, folks...

In the bad news department, my "MCE compatible" IR blaster isn't being seen by Orb. I'm looking into alternate drivers for it. Grrr...

[WPeterson]

Says who? If you're jailbroken, you can install an app from Cydia called "voipover3g". It fools any app into thinking that you're on wi-fi. I bought Orb on the appstore, installed voipover3g, and voila! Streaming live TV over 3g!!!

Take that Apple!!!!! There's always ways around your stupid restrictions!!! Cydia and voipover3g FTW!!!!

oh, this is impressive. thanks very much for sharing.

btw, how about slingbox in iphone? i'm not familiar with orb tv...

:2cool:

[mkim209]

ok, so i downloaded Voipover3g,

does anyone know if youtube will work with this program to access high quality youtube vids?

and if so could someone show me what to put in the voipover3g filter to get it to work?

[mkim209]

Has anyone mentioned this yet?

http://forums.orb.com/viewtopic.php?t=14317

Orb for Mac! Hop to it, folks...

In the bad news department, my "MCE compatible" IR blaster isn't being seen by Orb. I'm looking into alternate drivers for it. Grrr...


i'm sorry to hear that. i have windows XP so i am restricted to the expensive UIRT IR blaster. wish i could try out some mce compatible ones... oh well. at least i know the UIRT will work

[psylichon]

Yeah, I'm not messing with MCE anymore. The one I bought isn't being recognized by orb on my XP system, so I just ordered the USB-UIRT. I've also decided to not use my main system as a server. I'm going to put together my old system and leave it running off a cable box upstairs. That way, even if my DVR is recording off both tuners, I can still tune something else in on the upstairs box.

but yeah, the channel changing thing is a major pain in the butt. Is everyone here using the UIRT?

[Rip]

Yeah, I'm not messing with MCE anymore. The one I bought isn't being recognized by orb on my XP system, so I just ordered the USB-UIRT. I've also decided to not use my main system as a server. I'm going to put together my old system and leave it running off a cable box upstairs. That way, even if my DVR is recording off both tuners, I can still tune something else in on the upstairs box.

but yeah, the channel changing thing is a major pain in the butt. Is everyone here using the UIRT?

The USB-UIRT is excellent - when you get it working. (Not USB-UIRTs problem - Orb's!)

I had a nightmare with it on XP. It would cause Orb to crash while learning from my remote.

The solution is to ensure that there is only one copy of UUIRTDRV.DLL on your machine after installation. My XP machine was also seeing the copy I downloaded as well as installed.

Make sure it's in the System32 directory and all will be fine. It works extremely well, though the IR sends could be closer together for my liking.

[GeeGawGadgetGuy]

Hi guys,

Still trying to work out the issues on my end. Unfortunately my DSL is only 1.5 mbps so I do not know if Orb will work out for me. A buddy is trying to do a similar thing. He has a slingbox. He came across this article:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10115850-233.html

Do you think that there is a possibility of this happening:

"Unfortunately, Orb may become the latest victim of Apple and AT&T's rejection policies. Apple recently banned Cast Catcher, a streaming Internet radio application in the same vein as AOL Radio and Pandora (both of which have been available through the App Store almost since its inception), because the application "transfer(s) excessive volumes of data over the cellular network." Orb, with full video and audio streaming over 3G, ostensibly falls into the same category."

Above quote from link located above....


What are your thoughts????

[Spikey911]

Hi guys,

Still trying to work out the issues on my end. Unfortunately my DSL is only 1.5 mbps so I do not know if Orb will work out for me. A buddy is trying to do a similar thing. He has a slingbox. He came across this article:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10115850-233.html

Do you think that there is a possibility of this happening:

"Unfortunately, Orb may become the latest victim of Apple and AT&T's rejection policies. Apple recently banned Cast Catcher, a streaming Internet radio application in the same vein as AOL Radio and Pandora (both of which have been available through the App Store almost since its inception), because the application "transfer(s) excessive volumes of data over the cellular network." Orb, with full video and audio streaming over 3G, ostensibly falls into the same category."

Above quote from link located above....


What are your thoughts????

Orb won't go anywhere... Its one of the favorites. Think of all the complaints if they pulled it..

At this point I doubt we will ever see a Slingbox app appear. There is no new info since the beta many many months ago. It will use lots of bandwidth which apparently At&t does not want..
It would be fantastic if they would come out with at least a Wifi only Slingbox version...

[GeeGawGadgetGuy]

Orb won't go anywhere... Its one of the favorites. Think of all the complaints if they pulled it..

At this point I doubt we will ever see a Slingbox app appear. There is no new info since the beta many many months ago. It will use lots of bandwidth which apparently At&t does not want..
It would be fantastic if they would come out with at least a Wifi only Slingbox version...

I certainly hope it doesnt go away!

I am in a bit of a quandry though....trying to find something that will work without breaking the bank.

I have an older desktop that I would like to convert to some sort of an "ORB CENTER" or something to that extent. I have an ATI TV Wonder Pro Remote Control Edition. It states that it is 720 x 480 MPEG-2 Video capture. Would this work with Orb???

My other "dilemna" is that I have DirecTV as a satellite provider (no cable in my area) so trying to figure out how to get this to work may be next to impossible. I do have a "spare" standard def box that is currently unused.

If I could not get the DirecTV portion to work do you think I could get some TV via an over the air antenna using this card?

Proposed computer is:

AMD Athlon 64 3000+
Asus K8V-SE Deluxe
1.5 Gb RAM
Win XP Pro OS

Thoughts?:smile:

[psylichon]

Your computer seems up to spec to handle the job. Your video card, I fear, might not be Orb-compatible, however. I know my ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500 isn't, and I'm pretty sure that's higher-end than the TV Wonder. Almost all video capture cards do MPEG-2 conversion, but most do it via software, which makes them incompatible with Orb. I could be wrong, but this rules out a lot of older cards like the ATI's... check it out.

Setting up a DirectTV box is no different than a Cable Box, as long as you can get a standard-definition split off the back. Most cable and satellite converter boxes have multiple outputs. Just pick one you're not using to feed your capture card. For my setup, I'm using Coax to feed my television, and RCA L/R/Video to my computer.

[GeeGawGadgetGuy]

Your computer seems up to spec to handle the job. Your video card, I fear, might not be Orb-compatible, however. I know my ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500 isn't, and I'm pretty sure that's higher-end than the TV Wonder. Almost all video capture cards do MPEG-2 conversion, but most do it via software, which makes them incompatible with Orb. I could be wrong, but this rules out a lot of older cards like the ATI's... check it out.

Setting up a DirectTV box is no different than a Cable Box, as long as you can get a standard-definition split off the back. Most cable and satellite converter boxes have multiple outputs. Just pick one you're not using to feed your capture card. For my setup, I'm using Coax to feed my television, and RCA L/R/Video to my computer.

Thanks Psylichon....I guess I will try to find one that would work for the computer is my next step. I have an older machine that only has AGP slots so I suppose that is where I need to begin my search. The satellite box I have has a coax output to the TV which would go to the card in the PC.

I have not heard of a "Tuner card" that works with DirecTV but I suppose I could get a large hard drive and use that (basically get the shows dumped to the HDD and then have it "broadcast" out). Live TV would probably be out of the question.

I could not really determine if ORB has the capability per say but from the site I believe it does. Essentially I would record a bunch of stuff to the HDD and then send it out. Make sense?

[jarofclay73]

Proposed computer is:

AMD Athlon 64 3000+
Asus K8V-SE Deluxe
1.5 Gb RAM
Win XP Pro OS

Thoughts?:smile:

That's eerily similar to my current computer:

AMD Athlon 64 3400+ 2.2Ghz
Asus K8V-SE Deluxe
3GB RAM
Win XP Home Edition
Nvidia GeForce 7600GS 512MB AGP
WinTV-PVR USB2

[GeeGawGadgetGuy]

It is isn't it! The only difference really besides the RAM is the fact that I have an ATI 9800XT video card in mine. It used to be my gaming computer and now is sittitng idle in the closet awaiting its next use!

[jarofclay73]

Hi guys,

Still trying to work out the issues on my end. Unfortunately my DSL is only 1.5 mbps so I do not know if Orb will work out for me. A buddy is trying to do a similar thing. He has a slingbox. He came across this article:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10115850-233.html

Do you think that there is a possibility of this happening:

"Unfortunately, Orb may become the latest victim of Apple and AT&T's rejection policies. Apple recently banned Cast Catcher, a streaming Internet radio application in the same vein as AOL Radio and Pandora (both of which have been available through the App Store almost since its inception), because the application "transfer(s) excessive volumes of data over the cellular network." Orb, with full video and audio streaming over 3G, ostensibly falls into the same category."

Above quote from link located above....


What are your thoughts????

What's funny is that it's been more than a month since this article was written. As soon as Orblive had 3G capabilities I picked it up. Unless Steve Jobs hits the kill switch, then it's MINE! :laugh2:

[GeeGawGadgetGuy]

What's funny is that it's been more than a month since this article was written. As soon as Orblive had 3G capabilities I picked it up. Unless Steve Jobs hits the kill switch, then it's MINE! :laugh2:

Jar,

I may have missed this but are you currently running Orb? If so what is your setup?

Regards,

:smile:

PS....Santa just passed our neck of the woods...he should be headed out your way shortly!:laugh2:

[jarofclay73]

Jar,

I may have missed this but are you currently running Orb? If so what is your setup?

Regards,

:smile:

PS....Santa just passed our neck of the woods...he should be headed out your way shortly!:laugh2:

My setup is basically that computer system I wrote up there with my MPEG-2 encoder.

[psylichon]

GeeGawGadgetGuy sent me this PM and I thought it would be appropriate to respond here as well


here are my ???'s..

1. Just what do I need to purchase in the way of a card that will work with my computer? It is AGP because it is a bit older. What would you recommend?

2. I know I will have to get the Orb TV app for the computer.

3. Is there anything else I would need?

4. I have DirecTV and have a box that will output a coax feed to the video card.

For access remotely, just how does the Orb send the stuff to your iphone?


1. You don't need a new video card, just a TV tuner card to add to your existing card. It will be standard PCI. You can't go wrong with the Hauppauge HVR line.

http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/prods_hvr_internal.html

They all have hardware MPEG-2 encoding. Like I've said, I use the PVR-USB2 which they don't make anymore but can still be found. But that is a USB device, not a card.

2. Orb app is free for the desktop server, $10 for the iPhone app as you know.

3. To change channels, you need to buy a USB-UIRT:

http://www.usbuirt.com/order.htm

It is a $50 unit, which is a lot to change channels. But it's really the only one that absolutely will work properly with Orb. Anything else and you're gambling. I already lost $20 trying other devices that didn't work out. Get the UIRT.

On the desktop server side, you setup your TV tuner card and specify which cable/satellite system/channel lineup matches your service. You then setup the UIRT to match the commands for the remote control for your set-top box. When you select a channel remotely on the iPhone, Orb will tell your desktop computer to send the appropriate signal out the USB-UIRT to your set-top box and change channels.

And that's really all you can do with Orb and your TV from home. You can select and watch a channel live. You can't access the DVR or on-demand programming or anything like that. Just live TV. Now, if you login to Orb on a desktop browser, you can tell your Orb server to record shows on your computer which can then be accessed from your iPhone. I've never really tried that. But they haven't added the ability to start recording from the iPhone Orblive client... yet :wink:

[GeeGawGadgetGuy]

Dave,

Thanks SOOOOO much for answering and posting so that the others can benefit!

I tried the OrbLive Free version and have it up and running very well on my laptop! Even if for some reason I cannot get it to go "live" with my DirecTV, the app itself is worth it to the max!

I have tested photos, mp3s, videos, podcasts, and documents (PDFs!!!!!)...the program just plain works!

I will be getting a larger HDD for my computer and will start snagging TV shows with the capture function. Then I will create a library where they will reside. Until I can get the other hardware, I will be up and running!

I wish I had known about this when I first got the iPhone a month or so ago!

Thanks again for the quick response and answering my ????s.....truly appreciated!

[jarofclay73]

I just looked at my AT&T bill and since I got Orblive, my data usage has skyrocketed! :laugh2:

My data usage spiked at 510MB between August and September and nosedived to 328MB between October and November. My last bill was mid-November to mid-December and I had used 717MB! :2cool: Lucky it's unlimited data!

I'm sure that number will go down in my next statement. I haven't been using Orblive as much lately.

[GeeGawGadgetGuy]

I am sure my data use will go up considerably. You are 100% on the unlimited data plan!!!!! Fortunately for me work has wifi so quality should remain as good as it can get!

[bertopl]

a new orblive update came out today. you can now schedule a recording right from the iphone!! also, some small improvements such as the screen controls rotating to landscape when your picture rotates to landscape!! this app is getting better and better!!

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Has anyone been able to actually watch a recorded TV program on their iPhone, or can you only watch it on your PC/Mac?

[jarofclay73]

Has anyone been able to actually watch a recorded TV program on their iPhone, or can you only watch it on your PC/Mac?

I haven't tried but since you can watch videos through Orblive I'm thinking you can watch videos recorded by Orb with Orblive.

[jarofclay73]

a new orblive update came out today. you can now schedule a recording right from the iphone!! also, some small improvements such as the screen controls rotating to landscape when your picture rotates to landscape!! this app is getting better and better!!

It's funny this comes out as DirectTV launches its commercial campaign featuring Hellboy to show how you can record TV shows from your mobile phone.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

I haven't tried but since you can watch videos through Orblive I'm thinking you can watch videos recorded by Orb with Orblive.

Well, the resulting recorded video file has a "dvr-ms" extension, and is called a "Microsoft Recorded TV Show." I'll consult with Professor Google to see if I can work with that type of file.

[psylichon]

New update today for Orblive that substantially reduces video load times. My TV starts in under 15 seconds now. Video files even faster. Very nice!

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

That new update is nice.

[kadeschs]

Okay, paid the money for this application. I primarily bought this application to stream my media including my documents such as Word, Excel, & PDF. This means a lot to me because software out there just doesn't do it well. My evaluation of this software is good but it's hit or miss on opening Word documents and I haven't been able to successfully open any PDF documents regardless of size. That's a big let down. Also, their online website is terribly slow. The installation program didn't detect any TV service providers for my zip code like most other softwares do successfully. I would say this software isn't ready for primetime yet. But it looks to be on the right track and if tweaked would be better than anything else I've seen out there. Maybe even better than the free TVersity, which is saying a lot.

[jarofclay73]

Okay, paid the money for this application. I primarily bought this application to stream my media including my documents such as Word, Excel, & PDF. This means a lot to me because software out there just doesn't do it well. My evaluation of this software is good but it's hit or miss on opening Word documents and I haven't been able to successfully open any PDF documents regardless of size. That's a big let down. Also, their online website is terribly slow. The installation program didn't detect any TV service providers for my zip code like most other softwares do successfully. I would say this software isn't ready for primetime yet. But it looks to be on the right track and if tweaked would be better than anything else I've seen out there. Maybe even better than the free TVersity, which is saying a lot.

Slingplayer will be better, but it would also cost more to buy a Slingbox which is necessary.

[kadeschs]

Cool. Thinking of maybe getting a Slingbox so maybe that's just the thing I need. Thanks.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Okay, paid the money for this application. I primarily bought this application to stream my media including my documents such as Word, Excel, & PDF. This means a lot to me because software out there just doesn't do it well. My evaluation of this software is good but it's hit or miss on opening Word documents and I haven't been able to successfully open any PDF documents regardless of size. That's a big let down. Also, their online website is terribly slow. The installation program didn't detect any TV service providers for my zip code like most other softwares do successfully. I would say this software isn't ready for primetime yet. But it looks to be on the right track and if tweaked would be better than anything else I've seen out there. Maybe even better than the free TVersity, which is saying a lot.

I can't get TVersity to work with my iPhone. I always get the messsage that it can't play the file. Do you have any hints for me?

[kadeschs]

Well, it depends on file type as to how well TVersity can deliver it. Also, due to shortcomings with Safari, streaming isn't directly supported well. Many times TVersity must transcode the entire file to mp4 before delivering it to your iPhone. I've had more issues with iPhone/iPod devices than something like say a PSP. However, in Settings Transcoder section, you can set speed, compression, optimization, etc. to enhance streamed content, and of course, make sure you have a strong WiFi signal/throughput.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Well, it depends on file type as to how well TVersity can deliver it. Also, due to shortcomings with Safari, streaming isn't directly supported well. Many times TVersity must transcode the entire file to mp4 before delivering it to your iPhone. I've had more issues with iPhone/iPod devices than something like say a PSP. However, in Settings Transcoder section, you can set speed, compression, optimization, etc. to enhance streamed content, and of course, make sure you have a strong WiFi signal/throughput.

Thanks, kadeschs. I missed those particular settings the first time around. I'll mess a little with those and see what I get.

[jarofclay73]

Hmmm... I downloaded the new Orb for Windows and now I can't get any channels. :angry:

Their forum doesn't seem to be of much help either. I downloaded something and ran that and I'm still not having any luck.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Hmmm... I downloaded the new Orb for Windows and now I can't get any channels. :angry:

Their forum doesn't seem to be of much help either. I downloaded something and ran that and I'm still not having any luck.

I didn't get any channels at first, either, but now it seems to have corrected itself.

[jarofclay73]

I actually downloaded some kind of channel updater that someone made. Took me a while to figure out how to use it.

[PartisanEntity]

So this only works if you have a Orb client on your PC as well as TV capabilities? (Sorry I don't know anything about this service).

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

So this only works if you have a Orb client on your PC as well as TV capabilities? (Sorry I don't know anything about this service).

The live TV only works if you have a compatible TV card installed in your PC and the Orb client installed as well. My TV card is the Hauppauge PVR-150.

[llckll]

I have the Hauppauge PVR-1950 connected to my PC. Works great but these days the connection has been choppy...

Any idea when Slingbox is coming out for the iPhone?

[psylichon]

I'm having real issues setting up Orb right now. I was getting a video error when trying to stream TV, so I rebooted my Orb server (it's been running for weeks) and that did nothing. When I try to go to channel/remote setup, it crashes whenever I try to detect the remote in any way. If I skip that step and just enter my zipcode for listings, I get nothing in return after a long wait.

I've reinstalled my UIRT, and updated to the latest version of Orb. Right now I'm going to try completely uninstalling and reinstalling the latest version of Orb, but has anyone else run into this issue?

[llckll]

I've ran into the issue of my guide not showing up or updating. I did a complete uninstall/reboot/reinstall/reboot/setup, and that seemed to have worked for me.

ORBs tech support has been less than par as well. You'll get more help from the actual users than the ORB people themselves.

[jarofclay73]

My problem was that my TV listings would not show up.

Here's a thread that helped me: http://forums.orb.com/viewtopic.php?t=15559

I downloaded the zip file and unzipped it. I ran an executable file for analog tv listings for 7 days. I entered my zip code and then selected my cable provider. It took a while for it to work its magic but it finally did.

There's quite a bit of threads happening at the Orb Forums.

[llckll]

I ran that program as well and it worked smoothly.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

I'm having real issues setting up Orb right now. I was getting a video error when trying to stream TV, so I rebooted my Orb server (it's been running for weeks) and that did nothing. When I try to go to channel/remote setup, it crashes whenever I try to detect the remote in any way. If I skip that step and just enter my zipcode for listings, I get nothing in return after a long wait.

I've reinstalled my UIRT, and updated to the latest version of Orb. Right now I'm going to try completely uninstalling and reinstalling the latest version of Orb, but has anyone else run into this issue?

That's what you get for calling bad posters out in public and embarrassing them. :laugh2:

[llckll]

Hmm. Must be personal.

[psylichon]

Reinstalling Orb does nothing. I'm convinced there's something wrong with my UIRT driver. I think I need to find all traces of it in the system, delete, then reinstall that. I'll keep you guys updated.

The listings issue is likely unrelated, but I'll check out that forum link if I run into it again after solving this bigger issue :)

[llckll]

Good luck dude. I feel your pain...