Orb has just released their streaming television client for iPhone and iPod touch… on the App Store.
Orb’s iPhone application was previously only available on jailbroken iPhones. The application connects with the Orb software installed on a Windows PC. A TV tuner on the PC provides DVR abilities, as well as placeshifting both recorded and live content. The program works with Windows XP and Vista Home Editions, as well as supporting Media Center in more advanced versions of Windows.
Unlike the jailbroken version, OrbLive costs $9.99. More importantly however, it has to play by the rules of the App Store. Meaning, OrbLive will only stream television over Wi-Fi, and not a 3G connection. Apple has indicated to Slinbox and other competitors that live TV streaming will be treated as VoIP, and only permitted over a Wi-Fi connection.
Update: Orb has updated their application, enabling EDGE & 3G streaming of Live TV. Read more here.
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Anytime WIFI is required…its already a lost cause. There are so many places you could be that wifi isnt an option which makes it usless IMP.
There is a pretty easy hack for this. I watched the news at work tonight over “edge” and it works fine. Run a search for iphone orblive hack and you’ll find it. Hey Apple, I’ve got your wifi right here.
To clarify, one simply needs to jailbreak their iPhone using Cydia. Once there, there are a few proxy applications which will trick the iPhone into thinking that EDGE/3G connections are actually Wi-Fi connections.
You can also download the jailbroken version of OrbLive, but I don’t suggest that… since it is likely to be out of date (because, well, Orb is now in the business of selling the app).
There’s an even better and cheaper alternative to the OrbLive app. Just use the Safari to log into your account. I don’t see why anyone would want to pay the $9.99 for it.
Albert, Live TV is not available in the Safari Web App version of Orb.
Also, the OrbLive application on the App Store allows for much more reliable playback… it isn’t inhibited by the web interface. Changing songs, flipping through videos… takes longer and is buggy on Safari.
Plus, with OrbLive, you can multitask. You can have a song in the background while flipping through your library of music. You can look at your channel guide without killing your Live TV stream (and, again, there is no Live TV in the Safari Web App).
Finally, bandwidth controls are much more fine-grained in the OrbLive client. You can quickly switch between EDGE, 3G, and Wi-Fi speeds. That has been a huge problem for Orb, even on the desktop version. In fact, it’s the main reason that I switched to Slingbox… now I’m using both since I can stream to my iPod touch with Orb, and Slingbox to Windows Mobile, Mac, and PC.
Thanks C. Price, for that through analysis. I’ve had hopes of finding something that will stream tv to my iTouch and so far Orb seems to be the only one. But I’m waiting for Slingbox to come through with something.
Again, thanks for your reply.
Guys, second hand info, but apparently today’s Orb update allows 3G and Edge!
I’m celebrating!
Sling, join the party soon!
yeah I just checked itunes store for orvlive and it clearly stated what the update is for edge and 3g. How is it I feel jipped because I hacked it. I don’t feel as cool.
By the way. I drove 1.5 hours and my daughter watched the Disney Channel all the way home.
I’m still using Edge network because my iphone is with T mobile. I tried that a bunch of time (steaming video over edge) and allways got the buffering logo. I never would have been able to do that before. This version of OrbLive works better than the old one by a mile. And my connection didn’t get any faster.
PSS – I’ve heard lots of people grumbling about the 9.99 price. For as much as I use it I would have paid alot more. You tell me how much money I saved by not having to get cable at our cabin (using iphone tethered as modem to my laptop to the TV). And to top it all off I can stream one of 500 movies from my computer at home. I also use Jaadu VNC to get to my desktop and use that all the time. It was 24.99 but hey, what is it worth when you use something everyday. $1,000 for a HD TV is no problem but 10 bucks is out of line? I’m not picking on you Albert. Just saying I’ve read that alot and I just get confused. Really? 10 bucks.
Because this is breaking news, we’ve posted the update in a new article, linked below:
http://www.phonenews.com/orblive-update-enables-3g-edge-live-tv-streaming-on-iphone-5351/