Monsoon Multimedia has formally shipped the most recent Vulkano family of multimedia players/recorders. The Vulkano Lava is a multifunction device that can take media delivered via cable or satellite and then deliver it to computers, smartphones or iPads for viewing or remote recording. It also allows streaming content from these devices back to a TV.
Monsoon will soon release its third-generation Vulkano media hub range, as indicated by an FCC filing. Switching the design to a square rather than a rounded rectangle, the new models will carry on with the Flow, Lava and Blast names. All will continue to have the ability to stream any TV channel to mobile devices such as iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices as well as Macs and Windows PCs.
Monsoon Multimedia has just dropped the price of entry for its Vulkano streaming hardware with its newly shipping $99 Vulkano Flow product. It connects to a set-top box and streams any TV channel to mobile devices, tablets and computers. The Flow is currently compatible with iOS, Android and BlackBerry handhelds as well as Macs and Windows PCs, and will soon get Symbian and Windows Phone 7 support.
Monsoon on Tuesday updated its Vulkano media hubs with new models it had already previewed at CES. The Blast can now stream video up to 1080i and has a built-in, 160GB hard drive that can store media and serve as a DVR for unencrypted TV without needing an external drive. Many existing features carry over, including YouTube streaming, local network media sharing over 802.11n Wi-Fi or Ethernet and remote playback from either a free desktop app or $10 iOS, BlackBerry and Android mobile apps.
Monsoon has rebranded its lineup of Vulkano placeshifting multimedia streaming devices and added a new, barebones model. The Vulkano and Vulkano Pro introduced this past summer now become the Vulkano Deluxe and Vulkano Deluxe Pro, respectively, while a third model, the Vulkano Platinum, has been added. The device doesn't support web apps or DLNA/uPnP and removes DVR functionality but, at $130, is less than half the price of the $280 Vulkano Deluxe and almost a third of the $380 Deluxe Pro.
Monsoon has followed up its HAVA series of placeshifting media streaming devices with the Vulkano. The two new products, the Vulkano and Vulkano Pro, have an integrated video processor and built-in storage. They both have analog inputs to record images and can perform live streaming to PCs, Macs, iPhones and iPads, as well as BlackBerry and Android smartphones. Symbian-based phones will soon be added to this list as well.
Monsoon at CES debuted Volcano, an all-in-one home video convergence device. The system combines major features of TiVo, Slingbox/HAVA, and Roku internet video into one package, and supports video streaming and recording to smartphones. Using 3G or Wi-Fi connections, owners can schedule and record TV channels remotely from their mobile phone to the system's hard drive, which can be simultaneously viewed on the smartphone or transferred and stored for later use.
As of today, earning ad revenue from web videos is difficult without a large, direct deal. One company, however, is looking to make it possible for anyone to make money -- maybe even turn a profit -- from videos they post on sites like MySpace and YouTube. Electronista recently conducted an interview with Overlay.TV at its offices that reveals a solution which makes it possible to earn money from ads not just from a video blog but potentially your cellphone and your network media hub as well.
Monsoon tonight stepped up competition in the TV media hub field with its simply-titled HAVA. This new version adds 802.11n Wi-Fi and is the very first to stream greater than 720p HD video wirelessly, according to its creator. Unlike the wired-only Slingbox PRO-HD, the HAVA box can pipe 1080i video from a TV or movie player source to multiple local systems within reach of an 802.11n network. This makes it an ideal fit for users hoping to watch TV on their notebook elsewhere in the house without sacrificing the quality of the outgoing image.
