Feb 11 Podcast #465: McTiVia Review
In the traditional sense a computer connected to your TV is commonly referred to as a Home Theater PC or HTPC. This requires you to dedicate a computer connected to the TV or at least use a Media Extender device like an Xbox 360. On today’s show we look at a device that is part Media Extender and part HDMI extension cord. We are talking about the McTiVia ($230 with shipping) and it works with both Windows and Macs.
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Today's Show:
News:
- 2010 Plasma Shipments Saw Rebound
- Blockbuster Express to Deploy 3,000 New Kiosks in 2011
- Apple to Launch an Apple HDTV?
Other:
- Poll: Will the new release window for movies work?
- Renewal Scorecard: What's Coming Back? What's Getting Axed?
McTiVia
We don’t think there is one listener/reader out there who has not wanted to connect their computer to their TV. In the traditional sense a computer connected to your TV is commonly referred to as a Home Theater PC or HTPC. This requires you to dedicate a computer connected to the TV or at least use a Media Extender device like an Xbox 360. On today’s show we look at a device that is part Media Extender and part HDMI extension cord. We are talking about the McTiVia ($230 with shipping) and it works with both Windows and Macs.
The McTiVia is a small device measuring 5.1” x 2.6” x .9” (130mm x 65.3mm x 22mm) which will wirelessly mirror content from your computer to your HDTV. It allows you view anything that you would normally view on your PC on your TV and all with full audio support. You have to install a remote desktop app that provides full control of your desktop via an external keyboard and mouse or by using the computer itself. In our tests we used a laptop with remote access to the mirrored computer and we used an iPhone mouse/keyboard app.
The MacTiVia also works as a home wireless access point and the software allows you to control up to 8 computers when a keyboard and mouse are attached.
Setup:
There are three options for setup describe in the user’s manual. Wired Ethernet, Powerline Ethernet, and all Wifi. As expected the wired Ethernet is the one with the highest performance and that is the option we chose. You simply connect the device to power, your network, and your TV via HDMI and the physical setup is complete. There are no cables included with the device. You can optionally connect a USB keyboard and mouse if you want local control of your computer.
The second portion of setup requires installing an application on the PC that you want to project onto your TV. The installation requires an activation key or you are greeted with a nag message every few minutes. You can use up to 8 PC or Macs so that should be plenty for almost everyone. Once the software is installed you are ready to project to computer’s desktop to the device.
Performance:
To use the device you launch the application and then select the McTiVia device from a dialog box. You can select the option for desktop size, quality, and responsiveness. Since we were running on a wired network we chose the largest size, highest quality, and most responsive.
There was little lag in using the mouse and the picture quality was just OK. Definitely not as good as a Media Extender like the Xbox 360. The biggest disappointment however, was the audio. Even though the device was using HDMI connected to a AV receiver the best we could get out of it was two channel audio. Not very good for a $230 device.
Conclusion:
Overall, the McTiVia left us disappointed for use as a remote Media Extender for quality audio and video. But we did find that for surfing the web, watching Netflix, Hulu, and Youtube it worked quite well. At $230 it is a bit expensive for what it does.
HT Guys
Here's a video demonstration of the McTiVia:
Reader Comments (5)
Looks like the price is now $199 shipped according to the vendor's web site.
HTGuys, you can expect a $31 PayPal credit.
Hi Steven,
I did get the credit but it brought the price down to $230. I originally paid $250. I also noticed that the device is sold out.
Ara
I hate to shoot down Braden's conspiracy theory but the Verizon iPhone ad came through crystal clear over (AT&T) Uverse. If it were going to be shot down anywhere it would have been through an AT&T-controlled outlet.
And Ara! You know there's no tax savings buying online. Your CA1040 has a place to fill in the total amount of online purchases for the year so you can pay your full 10% sales tax. I'm sure we are all scrambling to fill that line in correctly.
Now, about what I'd be willing to pay for VOD for current movies. I guess there may be a few movies I'd be willing to go $20-25 for but, for the most part, there are so few movies worth going to see that I can wait for the vast majority of all releases to come to Netflix. The studios have only themselves to blame for this. Their product is so weak (overall) that I don't feel all that compelled to spend the extra to watch almost anything right away. It's pretty sad, even the summer and winter blockbuster seasons the past few years have been pretty darn weak.
Superbowl commercials? As with movies, creativity has been at a premium for most of the last decade. Ever since that one weird year when the .com's made their last gasp with all those really strange commercials there hasn't been much to get excited about. Budweiser is consistently strong and maybe, well, Bud is the only strong performer I can think of by name. For both commercials and movies the writing has been just..., uh, "haunting". Maybe more good writers starved to death during the strike than we were led to believe.
I've been looking for a device for Mac that simply mirrors my laptop screen to and HDTV wirelessly in 1080p HD and in full screen mode for playing movies without judder. Couple questions about your review.
When you connected the Mctivia to the HDTV, did you connect it via WiFi or an HDMI cable? I noticed the juddering in the play back of the movie and would like to know if this happens with the HDMI connection. Also you were playing the movie through Front Row. Can you just play an AVI. movie saved on the hard drive through Quicktime. If so does it also have the same juddering?
Thanks for the review. I have been looking for a product like this for Mac and there not many to choose from. The only others i found that even come to consideration is the Atlona AT-Air3 and the Warpia Easy Dock Pro - PC to TV & Laptop Docking Station for PC and Mac - SWP220. Hope one of these can actually perform as advertised.
I have been looking for a wireless VGA/HDMI solution to connect a laptop to an HDTV or projector in a conference room. I am interested in the Atlona AT-Air3 and the Warpia StreamHD. Did you purchase one of these, and if so what is your opinion of them?