We've already told you about the Slingbox and Sony LocationFree methods of watching your home TV on a PC while travelling - neither of which is ultra-cheap. Now, though, The Reg has a story about a 46-quid USB TV tuner stick that let's you do something very similar over Skype.
"Fancy turning your copy
of Skype into a watch-anywhere TV viewer? Now you can, courtesy of
Japanese company Novac, which today announced a box that turns any
suitably-specified PC into a machine for beaming TV shows to anyone on
the internet.
"The key is in the software. The box itself is an analogue TV tuner - not digital, alas. The code connects the digitised video into a video-conferencing stream that can be sent via a local copy of Skype out to any other machine running the VoIP software. Sending a Skype instant message to the source lets you change channels."
The Reg also speculates about being able to do the same with
any PC TV tuner,"The key is in the software. The box itself is an analogue TV tuner - not digital, alas. The code connects the digitised video into a video-conferencing stream that can be sent via a local copy of Skype out to any other machine running the VoIP software. Sending a Skype instant message to the source lets you change channels."
"It occurs to Reg Hardware
that this may be possible with any TV tuner, if you can fool Skype into
thinking the gadget is a webcam. Anyone with the right equipment want
to give it a whirl and let us all know whether it works?"
Our suspicion is that this challenge isn't likely to go unanswered - we'll try to keep you updated - and that the streaming capabilities already built into the rather amazing VLC media player program may turn out to be the key that unlocks the door.
Check out The Register's piece and let us have your thoughts in the HEXUS.community.
HEXUS.links
HEXUS.community - discussion thread about this news brief.
HEXUS.headline - Slingbox finally arrives in UK
HEXUS.headline - LocationFree, Sony's Slingbox rival, hits UK
The Register - Gadget uses Skype to send TV anywhere
VLC media player - home page
