This week’s Digital Hollywood Conference in San Jose was awash with expensive digital media set-top boxes for streaming content to the living room. Most were uninspired Microsoft Media Center or Apple TV clones, but one product, QTV, took the economical approach of using a Playstation 2 to put Internet content on a television.
QTV by BroadQ uses a $30 piece of software to repurpose a PS2 as a digital media set-top for a TV or home theater. All users have to do is pop the DVD into their PS2, turn it on, and they are ready to either stream local network content or Internet shows like Revision3’s Digg Reel without leaving their sofas. With almost 50 million PS2s sold in North America, BroadQ’s product already has a significant hardware install base to take advantage of. QTV is able to stream pretty much any non-DRM content to a TV including photos, videos, and music as well as assorted news and Internet radio stations.
After playing with QTV for a little while on an HD Plasma TV, I found the interface both aesthetically pleasing and responsive. Videos streamed quickly, as well as music, and Internet channels pulled down Revision3 content in seconds. The only thing missing so far is the ability to rent movies direct, but BroadQ claims premium services will be coming soon.
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Comments
It is really that good?
This application appears to have been around for a long while, but there isn't much discussion going around about it. Alot of people want to do this (stream video to their PS2), so why is this the only real way to do it?
To me, this review seems like a paid advertisement for the product.
Please convince me otherwise.
Damien.
Where can you find this software? Q says it will be available in spring, its now summer
Patrick,
I'm not sure... I have not heard anything about Q since I used the official demo at the Digital Hollywood conference over a year ago. The operation looked fairly small back then, and I'm not sure what has happened since. If you look at their legal, its been updated to 2009.
When I put in an email to their information/media department the contact bounced. Take that as you will.
Well? Where is it? It was supposed to be released in the fall of 2008. It's now summer 2009. I think it's dead. I tried to sign up at there website. No response. I've emailed them. No response. I think this thing is dead!
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