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The leap to video streaming

Wi-Fi streaming devices are a dime a dozen, but HAVA has several aces up its sleeve to differentiate from me-too products. To begin with, it’s a video streaming device with a TV-Tuner inbuilt. Yes—TV programmes can be streamed within your home or on the Internet. 

Setting up the HAVA unit requires a basic understanding of networking. Configuring the appliance does take considerable time, but it wasn’t overly difficult. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is well-implemented, and the settings are comprehensive.
Local wireless clients connect automatically once DHCP is activated in the embedded WebServer. If you so want, the device can be hooked up via a regular Ethernet connection—simple and effective. The setup Wizard is designed with two options, Basic and Advanced—thoughtful. Basic mode doesn’t concern itself with Security or advanced networking protocols; one can use Advanced mode to configure these.

The unit comes bundled with and IR-Blaster (the IR emitter module), which can be used to control streaming devices such as a DVD player, satellite receiver, etc. attached to the HAVA unit. The remote control is software-based; it drives the IR Blaster. The software on the client side—your PC or laptop connected to the HAVA over Wi-Fi or Ethernet—allows simple control over the TV-Tuner. It also allows recording of live streams onto the client PC.

On the performance front, the HAVA Wireless HD can stream 720 x 480 MPEG2 video at a constant 5 to 6 Mbps. We didn’t encounter jerky video or lag in the audio stream. The device can directly stream to the Internet at 320 x 240 in the MPEG4 format, and it requires 300 Kbps+ bandwidth. Using the HAVA Mobile Player (available at the Web site), the live video stream can be received on a cell phone; the Mobile Player only supports Pocket PC 5 / 6.

Rs 16,500 is steep for a device like this one, but it is unique, and is appealing.

Specifications
Video source (in/out): Composite, S-Video, Antenna, and Component Video; networking: Ethernet, Wi-Fi (802.11g); software: HAVA Setup Wizard, HAVA PC Player


RATINGS
Performance  : 3.5
Features : 3.5
Ease of Installation : 2
Value for Money : 3
Overall : 4

Contact : Monsoon Multimedia Pvt Ltd
Phone : 011-32909146
E-mail : yogesh_dutta@ adityagroup.com
Web site : www.myhava.com     
Price : Rs 16,500