Why should I buy SnapStream PVR ?

[amirbd]

Hi All,

I have an ATI AIW 7500, that comes bundled with elctronic guide (called guide Plus), and has all the record/pause capabilities.

I've been playing with SnapStream Lite for a couple of days now, and wonder if I should upgrade to the full version. Here is my pro and cons:

Pro SS:
------
Contain media stream server
Has a nice web interface

Pro ATI
-------
nicer program guide (favorites/PIP)
blended window

What am I missing from the list ?
Is it true then , that if I don't care about streaming the content, I'm getting nothing from the SS on top of what I have from the ATI ?

Please, any ATI AIW/SS users, advice a novice.

cheers,

Amir

[Scott McNay]

How long have you been playing with the ATI software? You might try both for a while to see what you think. I've found that the ATI software tends to be flakier than the SS software. Your mileage may vary.

--Scott.

[jmracek]

I own both. Snapstream and ATI AIW8500DV.
Here is why I use snapstream.

Pros:

1) Compatible with DirecTV receiver.
2) It has proven to be very reliable.
3) The video files are good quality and the
size is manageable.
4) TitanTV EPG works good but is sluggish.

Cons:

1) No way to view live TV.
2) Limited choice of codecs.
3) No way of using Titan TV from a remote station.

Here is the Deal.
If you want to do video editing then encode
to MPEG2. Forget snapstream. How ever if
you just want to replace your TIVO unit and
computer network video fascinates you then
have fun with snapstream. If you just want
a TIVO unit then forget computers, buy a TIVO.
Computers are just not there yet. You'll
save your self a lot of time, money and stress
by selecting a TIVO or UTV.
That has has been my experiance.
But I like to fiddle with this technology so
for myself I keep fiddling.

[Jason Bottjen]

Actually you CAN use TitanTV on remote machines to schedule shows. You just need the small, but effective, iEPG program that PBMAX wrote.

http://www2.msstate.edu/~plb1/snapstream/#iEPG

Hope that helps.

Jason Bottjen

Originally posted by jmracek:

*SNIP*
Cons:

1) No way to view live TV.
2) Limited choice of codecs.
3) No way of using Titan TV from a remote station.
*SNIP*

[Scott McNay]

Furthermore, to view the TV while it's being recorded, send a request to tech support for the ATI fix. Include your order number. It may take a few days for them to reply.

--Scott.