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Cable Technology Feature Article

December 12, 2013

AirCastLive Delivers Mobile Video Direct to TV

By Karen Veazey, TMCnet Contributing Writer


There really are getting to be a confusing bevy of choices for consumers in the competitive market of digital media streaming devices that deliver Internet based content to your TV. Roku, Apple TV and Chromecast are a few of the big names but even Panasonic (News - Alert), Sony and LG offer devices, and don’t count out gaming consoles, quickly turning themselves into media hubs.

For consumers the choice comes down to features and price point. If your media is centered on iTunes, Apple TV is the obvious choice. If you spend more time on Netflix you can choose from almost any player, but if you want Hulu (News - Alert) also you need to stay away from Chromecast, whose $35 price point limits you to GoogleTV, Netflix and a few others. I watch Blu-Ray discs, Hulu and occasionally Netflix so my six year old Samsung (News - Alert) Blu-Ray player still suits my needs. Frankly it can get confusing, and no player quite does it all.

Just in time for Christmas, Roku and Google (News - Alert) TV are distinguishing themselves just a little with the addition of AirCastLive, a product of AirCast Mobile that allows you to watch and share video and images recorded on your cell phone. Download the app to your phone and you’ll be able to send video to another AirCastLive users TV as easily as sending a text.

AirCast’s founder notes, "Smartphones are today's primary mechanism for capturing video, but despite advances in mobile media quality, few people would choose their phones over their TVs when it comes to watching something important like a wedding or a baby's first steps."  So when you text your friend “You should have seen it!” now they literally can, in full-screen. AirCastLive can also send and share video and images from a PC to the AirCast equipped TV using a web interface.

The selling point of AirCastLive is that everything is done in the cloud so there are no USB sticks to keep track of or third party devices to install. (And forget all those storage boxes of family Christmas videos on VHS and DVD.) If you want to share video with non-techy family and friends this is exactly the kind of interface you’re looking for.

Existing Roku and Google TV users can log on to their devices and add the service for a one-time $5 fee which includes 1G of storage. More storage is available with an upcharge. If you have a smart TV and like the AirCastLive concept just hang in there, the company promises that direct smart TV integration is coming soon.




Edited by Cassandra Tucker


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