BERLIN, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Hauppauge Computer Works, Inc., the industry leader in providing personal computer-based TV receivers, and Orb Networks, the award-winning developer of software and services that unlock the digital media stored on personal computers, announced today that Hauppauge's Hybrid Video Recorder WinTV-HVR-1300 will be integrated with Orb software, giving DVB-T households the ability to watch their home cable or digital TV while they travel.
The WinTV-HVR-1300 is a TV receiver for PC's, which brings analog TV and digital DVB-T into a PC using high performance hardware encoding. Coupled with Orb, the WinTV-HVR-1300 user now has the ability to watch live or recorded digital DVB-T or analog TV anywhere on Web-enabled mobile devices.
One major advantage of the WinTV-PVR-1300 with Orb software is the ability to remotely schedule a TV recording onto the home PCs hard disk drive, and then play back that recording at any time while away from home. Other devices on the market today allow a user to watch analog TV while traveling, but not record or playback recorded programs.
The announcement was made at IFA 2006, the world's largest consumer electronics trade show, where Hauppauge is exhibiting its technology. The United Kingdom is the first European market where the WinTV-HVR-1300 will be offered online and at retail beginning in September 2006. Hauppauge plans to rollout the WinTV-HVR-1300 with Orb in other countries over the next few months.
"This is a breakthrough in mobile TV," said Ken Plotkin, CEO of Hauppauge. "DVB-T is the standard used in two-thirds of the world today for high quality digital television and now those viewers who enjoy free digital TV at home can also enjoy it while at work or while traveling. Orb uses the WinTV-HVR-1300 to receive and record either analog TV or digital DVB-T TV programs, and then transmits such programs to internet connected laptop computers or web enabled mobile phones and PDAs."
Orb allows users to enjoy TV as well as all of their other digital media stored on their home computer any time, anywhere. Digital media includes live and recorded TV, Internet TV, music, videos, photos, podcasts, and other similar content.
The Hauppauge HVR series currently offers high performance analog and DVB-T feeds for the home PC. With the addition of Orb software to a household's always-on PC, a Hauppauge customer can now enjoy TV from their web-enabled home PC, laptop, mobile phone or PDA -- anywhere where they have access to the Internet. Orb is free and has been integrated into the Hauppauge installation process so the Orb service can be installed in one sitting. The two companies have also worked to improve the performance of the joint product, including TV channel detection and tuning.
"With Hauppauge, Orb now supports digital tuner cards and it's a leap frog progress in adding new value for the millions of TV viewers watching digital TV service today, such as Freeview," said Herve Utheza, Vice President and Executive Producer, TV Properties. "The UK alone has more than 8 million homes with Freeview -- and now they can take that TV experience mobile." Orb does not require an additional set top box in the home.
About Hauppauge Digital, Inc.
Hauppauge Digital, Inc. is a leading developer and manufacturer of TV receiver products for personal computers. Through its Hauppauge Computer Works Inc. and Hauppauge Digital Europe subsidiaries, the Company designs and develops digital video boards for a TV-in-a-window, digital video editing and video conferencing. The Company is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York, with administrative offices in New York, Singapore, Taiwan, Ireland and Luxembourg and sales offices in Germany, London, Paris, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Singapore, and California. The Company's Internet web site can be found at http://www.hauppauge.com/ .
About Orb Networks
Orb Networks is an award-winning developer of software and services that unlocks the digital media stored on personal computers. Orb MyCasting gives consumers secure, free, instant, and everywhere-access to everything from their photos and video to TV and music on virtually any Web-enabled device. The company's partners include: AMD, Vodafone, Hauppauge, Intel and Creative Labs. Orb Networks, a privately held company in Emeryville, Calif., is a member of the Digital Living Network Alliance. For more information about Orb Networks and the Orb MyCasting service, please visit http://www.orb.com/ .
