« Seagate drives use new video streaming standard | Main | Roomba Hacking »

SnapStream Personal Video Station 3.0 review

SnapStream's Personal Video Station is an ambitious product, aiming to be a PVR software package that works with any windows PC sporting an approved video card. With many new PCs shipping with built-in TV cards and homes being outfitted with cable in every room, all you need to add is the $79 (currently selling at $59) software package to have your own personal recorder on your PC.

The first TV tuner card I ever had was an ATI all-in-wonder I got in early 2000 and I remember playing with the earliest versions of SnapStream back then (which didn't really work, but then my video card barely worked). About a month ago, the folks at SnapStream asked me if I'd like a review copy of their software to check out, so I looked at their site it appeared that the product had really matured. I agreed and have been playing with the package for the past few weeks, taping dozens of shows in the background while I work.

The Install

I got a package with a Hauppauge WinTV PCI analog TV tuner card and the SnapStream 3.0 software (now up to 3.2), and the install went smoothly. I got the latest drivers from the Hauppauge site and it worked perfectly under XP. Next I installed the SnapStream package and that also went painlessly. After rebooting, I tried out some live TV watching but had sound card problems. I had a $10 PCI sound card that acted erratically, sometimes sending feedback out, and after troubleshooting with the drivers to no avail, I replaced it with a $29 Creative Soundblaster card that worked flawlessly.

Basic Operations

SnapStream's software lets you view TV in three modes, either in a window, full screen, or through a local web browser (the local web browser is used primarily for navigating your recordings, not live tv). The window and full screen modes are very TiVo-like, and only differ in the size of the window. I didn't have a remote control with my TV card, so I had to use keyboard commands to navigate once the TV viewing was launched. It seemed a bit odd that mouse input wasn't allowed, and from time to time I had to look up the keystroke command to pause or change the volume.

Watching SpongeBob live

Channel surfing was quick and the overlay offered a lot of extra info about a program, including an original air date (I can't even get that info on my TiVo). Pausing live TV worked as promised and hitting record while watching live TV didn't drag my PC's system down nor did it result in any noticeable rise in processor temp (after almost melting a motherboard I pay attention to these things now). I could easily minimize a show being recorded and work on my PC normally.

Overall, the interface was straightforward and looked amazing (the screenshots don't really do it justice).

So very TiVo-like

After playing with live TV, recordings, season passes, and viewing recorded shows, I couldn't believe how close the functionality was to TiVo. Here are a variety of screenshots demonstrating each major feature:

Main screen

This is the first welcome screen when it starts, and resembles TiVo Central a great deal, letting you jump to the other features.

Now Showing list

This screen is the equivalent of the Now Showing screen, listing the previously recording programs ready to watch.

Season Pass list

The screen above shows a season pass screen set with a couple shows.

Upcoming shows list

This is a list of upcoming episodes and I have to say it was easier and faster to work with data like this with SnapStream, than a TiVo. Granted, my PC is sporting a multi-Ghz processor, but it was nice to see a snappy interface that responded to commands instantly.

TV schedule grid

The program grid was easy to surf through and easy to access, though you had to exit live TV to use it.

Extra Features

My favorite feature in Snapstream's software was the outside scheduling service available at SnapStream.net.

SnapStrem.net guide interface

While TiVo has a similar feature in the Home Media Option, the functionality at SnapStream.net was much more impressive. After selecting a lineup, I could do searches across the grid for keywords and easily record single episodes or grab new season passes in a single click on an icon. The part that amazed me was that my desktop's SnapStream program would pick up my internet recordings in just a minute or two after I set them. I used SnapStream.net to set most all of my season passes thanks to the search engine there.

SnapStream offers a bevy of additonal features I didn't get the chance to try out. Apparently SnapStream.net also has a WAP version, so I could set, search, and record shows on my PC from my phone. It also offered the chance to stream recorded shows to other computers on your network, though I couldn't get it to work in Windows Media Player for one of my other macs on the network. One other crazy niche feature was the ability to stream your recordings to a PDA like an iPaq on your home network, complete with a scheduled service to compact your recordings down especially for the PDA. I don't really know anyone that watches video on their PDA, but I'm sure they would find this a killer feature.

Video formats

SnapStream records by default in MPEG2, which looked ok but was a tad bloated when storing shows. Hour long shows ran about a gig in size, similar to a TiVo. I experimented with different codecs and settings and eventually settled upon Windows Media Video's "Near-DVD" quality that looked fantastic but was half the size of MPEG2 recordings.

The nice thing about SnapStream was also that after you recorded a show, it was a movie file on your PC's hard drive. You could make a DVD of your favorite show's season, you could transfer it to other computers for watching later, or you could even stream it across your network to outside viewers (watch a show at work, streamed from your home PC) though most home networks aren't that fast. After watching TiVo and ReplayTV cave to Hollywood's unrealistic demands, it's nice to see a software package that lets users freely do whatever they want with content and doesn't block legitimate and fair uses.

Downsides

Of course, my biggest problem was figuring out how to watch TV on my desktop PC for extended periods of time, but this problem is shared with any PVR software that runs on a PC. Normal PC operation puts me about 2 feet from my monitor, while normal TV watching puts a screen over 10 feet away, so when watching hour-long programs, I would usually run the show full-screen and roll back in my office to a comfortable distance to watch.

Local Webserver interface on a PC

The only area for improvement I found was that I had trouble with the local webserver interface on my powerbooks. The web interface mimics a XP file explorer window perfectly, but uses Windows/IE specific tricks to launch movies and switch between window views. I tried viewing the local server in IE, Mozilla, Safari, and Opera on my mac but none could even display the index page correctly. It would have been nice if they coded the page to basic web standards, so any browser and any other device could play along.

Conclusions

Overall, I was very impressed with the package. For $59, with no monthly service fees ever, the software is a bargain compared to offerings like TiVo. I've been thinking about building a home theater PC, and I wasn't sure if I'd run MythTV or try and get a copy of Windows Media Center running, but for a fraction of the work and/or price, this package does everything TV-related that I'd need. You could probably build a barebones PC system with the TV card, a remote, and S-video out to a television for about $300 and use the software to manage all your TV recording and storage.

Would I trade a TiVo for a small PC running Snapstream? After playing with it for a few weeks, I'd have to say it is certainly possible. A home theater PC can do more than a TiVo (play videos, any audio format, photos, show the web on your TV, etc), and this package certainly covers the TV recording features that TiVo pioneered.

If my reviews carried ratings, SnapStream's software would get nearly a 100% score for the low cost, loads of features, and easy video sharing, with the non-PC platform sharing being my only criticism.

by Matt Haughey September 1, 2003 in Product Reviews

Comments

I too tried the snapstream software early on and pretty much hated it. I was pleasantly surprised to see how far it has come. I love it now. I have had it lock up my system a few times when it was running in the background, but the system I have is about 18 months old, so it's getting a bit aged.

I too am looking at building a 300-400 pc to use as a media PC in my living room. As much as I have loved tivo, I am yearning more for flexibilty.

I love being able to stream videos. I often watch a show I have recorded from my office while I take my lunch hour at my desk. I couldn't ever do that with my Tivo!

Posted by: Rapunzel at Sep 2, 2003 1:10:30 AM

In your review, you mention that you can't get the original air date of a program from TiVo. Actually, you can, at least on series 2 boxes. When you are looking at the program info screen, press the "display" button. It will show you a dump of all the metadata TiVo has about the program, including the original air date and sequence number. It would be nice if they bubbled that information up higher in the interface, but at least it's there.

Posted by: Keith at Sep 2, 2003 7:29:23 AM

Perhaps I missed it, but I didn't see anything about wishlist type functionality. Does it exist?

Posted by: Kevin at Sep 2, 2003 3:20:34 PM

Keith, I don't seem to have a display button on my series 2 remote. Hmm.

Kevin, I guess I forgot about wishlist functionality because I don't often use it on my TiVo, but you are right in that SnapStream doesn't appear to do that currently.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Sep 2, 2003 5:21:04 PM

Someone needs to put all the components like this together (software, TitanTV or equivlent connection, hardware, remote) and market a good integrated offering that's much more flexible than Tivo. With Tivo basically crippled by it's owners and partners, something like this would no doubt become the platform of choice both as an integrated offering and for integration into set-top devices. Is it conceivable that a Freevo-type effort could match the SnapStream, or better, the Tivo UI experience?

Posted by: pb at Sep 2, 2003 10:44:01 PM

Looks like Tivo is getting squeezed from many sides now: the free/open-source software/commodity hardware areas, the standalone DVR market, the cable-set-top-box DVRs, the satellite DVRs, and of course Replay. That's a lot of fronts to be battling on at one time for a startup.

Posted by: gen at Sep 3, 2003 12:04:51 AM

My bad...I meant the "Info" button.

Posted by: Keith at Sep 3, 2003 5:48:14 AM

This isn't a $300 PC, but it is a Snapstream Packaged HTPC. Just hookup and go: http://store.yahoo.com/directron/multimedia-pc.html

Posted by: plb1 at Sep 4, 2003 7:07:15 AM

On my old Series I TiVo, I can get the show's metadata by pressing the "enter" key on my remote when a show is highlighted on the Now Showing screen.

Posted by: Matt at Sep 7, 2003 10:04:20 AM

I guess I was unclear in my review, I meant to say that I've never seen the original air date in any TiVo metadata before, not that I hadn't seen any show metadata. I didn't know the original air date was part of the standard set of data with a program and wonder why SnapStream has it, and TiVo does not.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Sep 7, 2003 11:44:50 AM

As I wrote before, the original air date is there in TiVo. You just need to hit a couple of extra buttons to see it. The confusion over the "Display/Info" button is because some remotes have one and some have the other. Did you manage to find it?

Posted by: Keith at Sep 10, 2003 8:41:17 AM

Nope, on my series 2 tivo on a comcast digital cable line, I can't find the original air date on any program listing.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Sep 10, 2003 9:40:40 AM

For getting your Snapstream or other PC-based recorder data to your TV I recommend looking at the Prismiq. http://www.prismiq.com I just bought one and can reliably (wired network) stream video to my tv using it. It does support wireless but video over wireless is always an issue. Very cool device. Software is still a little rought but they are working on it and updating it regularly.

Posted by: Russ at Sep 10, 2003 11:19:45 AM

I'm presently using the SnapStream PVS 3.0 trial. It is very impressive.

I have a problem viewing recordings made by PVS 3.0's MPEG-2 codec on any computer other than the PVS 3.0 system. Audio plays, but video does not. If I use PVS 3.0's transcoding function to convert to WMV format, I am forced to downsize the recording from 640x480 to 320x240, which I don't want to do.

Where can I get a codec which can play both the audio and the video of PVS 3.0's MPEG-2 format recordings?

Thanks
-Jay

p.s. One other request: the remote guide and recording function is great, and would be even greater if there was a link directly from the program guide to queue a remote recording. As it is now, I have to look at the guide, then perform a search for the program I want to record in order to get the buttons to queue the remote recording. Also, it seems that it is not possible to start recording "right now", but only to queue programs which start at least a few minutes in to the future.

Posted by: Jay Libove at Oct 3, 2003 7:59:22 AM

Okay, I'm embarassed. It turns out that by changing the default MPEG-2 recording quality up a notch, the files generated ARE viewable with e.g. Windows Media Player.

Also, looking deeper in to the online guide for remote recording, you CAN go (almost) directly from an online guide entry to submitting that entry for recording. What I had missed is that you have to click on the entry to pop it up in to a more detailed window, and in that window you can select to record once/ all/ all_new.

I am increasingly impressed by SnapStream PVS! It rescues my ATI All-in-Wonder Radeon 9000 Pro purchase from the awful software provided by ATI!

-Jay

Posted by: Jay Libove at Oct 3, 2003 7:31:05 PM

Is it possible to take the mpegs and burn them to a CDR (like a VCD) so I could watch them on my DVD player?

Posted by: Suzanne Lanoue at Oct 6, 2003 9:39:17 PM

Yeah Suzanne, you can do anything with the MPEGs after recording. If they can fit on a CDR, they can be turned into VCDs.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Oct 6, 2003 9:48:18 PM

I wanted to get a TIVO unit and was looking to blend that with my PC. I passed on an ATI all in wonder card because all the reviews were so sketchy.

I just ordered a Samsung Direct-TV/TIVO unit that has an 100 hour storage capacity. I also have a DVD-burner on my PC. The Samsung, which I understand is new, has a USB port on it for "future uses."

My question is, is there a way to link a TIVO storage unit like the Samsung with my PC and burn movies or sporting events onto DVDs?

Thank you.

Posted by: Jason at Oct 10, 2003 2:52:00 PM

For now Jason, you cannot extract video from series 2 directivo devices, but you might in the future. It definitely won't be something supported by TiVo and will much more likely be a hack someone writes at home.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Oct 10, 2003 2:58:15 PM

Jason, here is a way to do the tivo->pc recording, by using S-video outputs of your tivo into a tv capture card.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Oct 10, 2003 3:08:03 PM

I have a question?
can you make a broadcast schedual.
EX.
20:00 film1
20:30 film2
21:30 film3

Thanks!

Posted by: mauri at Oct 14, 2003 2:34:19 PM

If you are considering a true TiVo replacement then I would look no further than SageTV. It has more functionality than Snapstream with regards to Integrated Search, Program Information, Multiple Tuners, Music Playback, DVD, and MPEG-2 streaming. It's also a rock-solid application that never needs to be rebooted unlike SS's software. You should really contact the Sage guys and do a review of their software!

Posted by: Jim Weber at Oct 15, 2003 3:37:43 PM

For you who are building your own PVR/Media PC boxes an obvious choice to consider is Myth TV (www.mythtv.org).
It's free and has a lot of neat features.

Posted by: TokFan at Oct 16, 2003 4:29:10 PM

Good thread here for orientation on this stuff.

My only good comment about ATI's MMC bundled pvr is that it can record directly to mpg-1 vcd format. 600m/hr and can slide right onto a cd without rerendering. I'm surprised to hear others can't do it.

Posted by: Jon at Oct 22, 2003 5:17:51 PM

I tried the 3.0 trial version of the SnapStream DVR software product with my All-in-Wonder 7500 and found that the capture quality was considerably poorer than the ATI DVR software that came with it. The Support FAQ says that the solution is to merely choose a higher resolution, but at no reasonable resolution was the quality of the output comparable to even the "quarter DVD resolution" setting on the ATI software. The SnapStream capture looked fuzzy/blocky and washed-out, even at 2-4x of what I was used to (2-4Gb/hr, opposed to the 1Gb/hr I usually record at).

I found the user interface and the functionality (except the actual capture) quite nice. I was really hoping that I could get to work, so I did play with it for a few hours, without positive results.

If I were to try this having had no prior investment in hardware, I'd probably go with one of their recommended hardware/software bundles to see if/how that works. Since I've already got two AIW cards, I've no need for a third.

Posted by: Eric Wertz at Oct 23, 2003 5:53:00 PM

Hi there I was wondering how I could get this software to work with a receiver that receives only UHF signals? Most of these seem to work with IR and I have a IR transmitter but my receiver is UHf, is there UHF transmitters that I could get the this software to work with to change the channels on the receiver?

Posted by: Bart at Oct 30, 2003 8:31:13 AM

I'm messing with Myth TV. It works well and has a slick interface. The main feature I love is the commercial auto-skip. It has several methods of detecting commercials and you can set it to skip them automatically on playback. My only downside -- stability.
Does SnapStream have commercial skip?

Posted by: John Hatch at Nov 1, 2003 7:54:31 AM

Hi, does anyone know if snapstream or an equivilant can be used outside the US. I live in the UK. We dont even have Tivo here as far as I'm aware.

Saul

Posted by: Saul Tracey at Nov 1, 2003 11:00:26 AM

Is snapstream skinable? or at least can you manually edit the graphics, even if locked into their original size/shapes.

Thanks
Charles

Posted by: Charles at Nov 4, 2003 10:56:38 AM

Saul, I'm pretty sure Snapstream will work in the UK, but you might want to check their website to be sure.

Charles, as far as I know, you can't skin Snapstream, but you could use another program as a frontend to your stored shows, like MyHTPC.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Nov 4, 2003 11:03:00 AM

- does Snapstream let you do fast forward toskip ads? Thamks GAK

Posted by: Granino Korn at Nov 13, 2003 1:48:11 PM

You have to manually fast forward now, but I hear the next update will have a "jump 30 seconds" function.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Nov 13, 2003 1:54:47 PM

As I am setting one up, I seem to miss something in all the reviews and comments I have read (Although this is the most comprehensive).

On a dish network, what do I use to change the channels on the dish box?

I am setting this up this weekend, but I can't seem to find something that integrates with the PC to switch the disk. Am I just glossing over it somehow?

Posted by: Dave Yanke at Nov 26, 2003 10:11:26 AM

Dave, I'm pretty sure there are serial adapters for plugging into a satellite box from your PC. If none are available, you'll probably need some sort of IR blaster type product connected to your PC, to send remote commands to the dish controller box (as if it was a remote control). Those are slightly less reliable, since sometimes the commands don't go through.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Nov 26, 2003 10:18:33 AM

Is it possible to ADD video? That is, I have a MPEG video file on one machine. Is it possible to copy that file to the PVRBox and have the software play it?

Thanks,

-Greg

Posted by: Greg at Dec 8, 2003 8:41:01 AM

No, Snapstream manages the shows you have set it to record and nothing more. It's not too difficult to run a program in addition to this one, to handle your movie collection. MyHTPC is a pretty good one for that.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Dec 8, 2003 8:52:13 AM

TrackBack: http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/459/106607

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference SnapStream Personal Video Station 3.0 review:

» SnapStream Personal Video Station 3.0 review from hatch.org
Matt Haughey of PVRBlog has an extensive review of SnapStream Personal Video Station 3.0: "Would I trade a TiVo for a small PC running Snapstream? After playing with it for a few weeks, I'd have to say it is certainly possible. A home theater PC ... [Read More]

Tracked on Sep 2, 2003 8:45:52 AM

» It's 'TiVo-like' PC Software. from Joshua
The nice thing about SnapStream was also that after you recorded a show, it was a movie file on your... [Read More]

Tracked on Sep 4, 2003 3:13:43 AM

» SnapStream Personal Video Station 3.0 review from Geek News Central
Wow after reading this article I think TiVo may be going on the back burner. Technology is moving very fast... [Read More]

Tracked on Sep 4, 2003 7:25:43 AM

» SnapStream Personal Video Station 3.0 review from Geek News Central
Wow after reading this article I think TiVo may be going on the back burner. Technology is moving very fast... [Read More]

Tracked on Sep 4, 2003 7:36:34 AM

» SnapStream Personal Video Station 3.0 from JoeBlog
PVRblog comes through again with a great review of SnapStream Personal Video Station 3.0. This looks like a real option instead of TiVo. Wonder who the schedule info comes from and how you get it for free (forever!) with a... [Read More]

Tracked on Sep 5, 2003 3:58:37 PM

» SnapStream Personal Video Station 3.0 from hit-or-miss
Matt Haughey has written a promising review of the SnapStream Personal Video Station 3.0. I don't think I'm ready to give up my TiVo anytime soon, but I can envision myself setting up some kind of living room multimedia PC... [Read More]

Tracked on Sep 7, 2003 11:09:30 AM

» SnapStream 3.0 Reviewed from ehomeupgrade | The Home Networking & Digital Lifestyle Weblog
PVRBlog has written a review on the SnapStream Personal Video Station 3 software. The post comments on installation, ease-of-use, and improvements from previous versions. Unfortunately, he doesn't go into some of the really innovative features like the... [Read More]

Tracked on Sep 8, 2003 10:33:55 PM

» Okay, Enough With The SnapStream Stuff from scrooks!
This'll be my last SnapStream comment (at least for a while). Someone over on the PVRBlog reviewed this latest version of SnapStream that I'm using and came to the conclusion that he would actually consider trading his Tivo for a small, dedicated SnapS... [Read More]

Tracked on Sep 24, 2003 8:54:37 PM

» Home Wireless LANs from Audioblog/Mobileblogging News
[Read More]

Tracked on Sep 25, 2003 7:22:35 PM