EyeTV iPhone app granted 3G streamability, App Store's WiFi-only club hemorrhaging members

Happy day, iPhoners; your days of living life one hotspot at a time are over. You can now use that data plan for all its worth as more and more apps break through the WiFi-only iron curtain. Last week it was Ustream, the week before Knocking, and now EyeTV has released an updated app able to stream your own personal TV broadcast to your iPhone wherever you are. Assuming, of course, you're not situated within a "coverage gap" -- or a major metropolitan area.

Update: To be clear, this isn't actually a new App Store app, it's a webapp, available at live3g.eyetv.com via Safari and fed by an update to the service's desktop client.

[gerrrg Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:10AM]

Why bother? AT&T is going to cap your usage.

[ChillyCat Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:54AM]

@gerrrg

Exactly, No connection....no TV

Get TV....lose connection.

Real working network = TV

[RDM Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:23AM]

@gerrrg

Not everyone on the planet is using AT&T.

[Tsing Tao Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:57AM]

@gerrrg Ahh so now we are just making stuff up. Man i love the commenters on this site.

[Average White Boy Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:37AM]

@gerrrg

Haha. There goes the AT&T network. One person watches EyeTV and nobody will be able to make or receive phone calls. That's fairly stupid for a carrier to allow streaming apps when it's got serious bandwidth problems for average users. I definitely think that Apple wants to quickly end the AT&T contract by overloading the 3G network. The most important purpose of any cellphone network is to make phone calls. Failing that, I'd say it's useless.

[a dumb cat Posted Dec 17th 2009 12:43PM]

@Average White Boy

The Palm Pre can take advantage of this as well. With a patch that mimics the Safari browser, WebOS can stream EyeTV just like an iphone. Also, there will never be a network restriction (wifi or 3G), or data cap for a Pre on Sprint. Thanks for the tip, Engadget!

[mknielsen Posted Dec 17th 2009 6:16PM]

@gerrrg I have testet this with "3" in Denmark. It works great and with my 20 GB CAP, I don't think that I'm heading into problems.

[munir Posted Jan 2nd 2010 3:23PM]

@a dumb cat have you tried it on the pre? how well does it work? based on what I've read on the elgato site, they mentioned the streaming uses the iphone's hardware acceleration, something the pre can't do at this point, so I wanted to check-in and see what kind of quality i can expect before jumping in

[cdsfire Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:17AM]

I might be splitting hairs, but what channel is that chick watching? Generic wallpapers of Windows XP?

[bullshitexpresscom Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:01AM]

@cdsfire She IS blonde. Probably looking for Waldo.

[landoncube Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:27AM]

She is watching the people in that skiff. They are saying, "I'M ON A BOAT!!!"

[Bamboo Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:30AM]

I can't remember the last time I saw 3g on my phone. No joy for this app's update.

[mlapida Posted Dec 17th 2009 8:44AM]

just in time to bring AT&T down this Friday. Maybe Apple is fed up with them too.

[andyquandt Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:12AM]

the nina the pinta the santa maria.....

[GadgetGuy Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:26AM]

And what about the SlingBox app?!? Is it that it's not included because it actually works? Apple = Hypocrite.

[walakazoo Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:52AM]

@GadgetGuy Actually Apple is not being a Hypocrite in this situation... Engadget editors just didn't actually read the story. If you read the linked article it clearly says that the streaming is done through a web app you login to via https://live3g.eyetv.com/ ... it's all done via Safari, so no app store approval was needed.

[tome Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:33AM]

what's Motorola Droid Media Link PC software ?
can it work??
http://www.verizon-cellphones.org/verizon-motorola-droid-media-link-pc-software-download.html

[Xudd Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:54AM]

@tome No.

[terryjohnson16 Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:47AM]

* Apple's agreement with AT&T prohibits iPhone apps that provide streaming of live TV over the cellular/3G network.

LOL

[Xudd Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:56AM]

@terryjohnson16 This is why I love Sprint, free SprintTV. Not that I use it very often, but it's cool to have.

[terryjohnson16 Posted Dec 17th 2009 9:59AM]

@Xudd

When I see live tv, I want channels that I have on my Cable. Not those pre-recorded things that they charge like $10 to $15, and only have 15 channels.

I rather stream using Slingbox.

[skopcho Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:00AM]

Where does it say Elgato released an updated app capable of doing this? They released a new version of their iPhone optimized site (web app) that allows HTTP streaming over 3G. The interesting part of this story is that Elgato has found a workaround to AT&T's rules that's actually a better solution because it provides TV out via Mobile Safari where a native app couldn't.

From the source link:
Watch live TV and recordings with 3G connection
EyeTV iPhone App: no*
Live 3G Web App: yes

[airmanchairman Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:18AM]

Way to go, Apple.

They're saying to the network providers/carriers "ready or not, the future arrives now" - dragging them, kicking and streaming, into the next phase of the hand-held revolution.

If any one carrier cannot handle the load, then that proves the argument and paves the way for multi-carrier iPhone deals. The MVNO strategy once thought by pundits to be the way Apple would market the iPhone can now become reality.

Mobile Virtual Network Operators buy airtime from different carriers and resell them to consumers on their own data plans. Now that the iPhone is a household name in nearly 100 countries around the world, I figure now's the time for Apple to open up.

[jeromec Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:36AM]

Could anyone at Engadget please correct this story?
There is no new EyeTV app.

The desktop software EyeTV has been updated and acts as a streaming server of live TV for your iPhone (or your Mac//PC)

You can access it by connecting to your address (yourIP:2170) if you have a fixed IP (and a UpnP router or NAT nicely configured).
Or you can use EyeTV free Reverse DNS system (which sis still free) at https://live3g.eyetv.com/

Since your iPhone access a web page served by EyeTV your Mac, there is no need of any approval by Apple or AT&T.

And the beauty of it is that you can output the live TV from your iPhone to a big size TV with the relevant cable, or to a nice screen enabled dock like Sony's Dream Machine.

Looks like Web apps do have a future ...

[TimStevens Posted Dec 17th 2009 10:36AM]

@jeromec Clarification added.

[mojo8472 Posted Dec 17th 2009 11:10AM]

Little heads-up to UK folk:

http://iphone.tvcatchup.com/
from your iPhone for live streaming freeview. Works over wifi and 3G. Blew my mind!

[airmanchairman Posted Dec 17th 2009 12:13PM]

@mojo8472 got it too, and picture is sharp as well...

[jeromec Posted Dec 17th 2009 11:33AM]

@TimStevens.

Thanks for the clarification.

However, the title of the article is still "EyeTV iPhone app granted 3G streamability" which could not be more untrue.

That title surely attracts more readers by fueling the controversy about the governance of the App store.

Now, you're the author. If you are happy with totally misleading statements in a title in order to attract more readers ...

[xtasi Posted Dec 17th 2009 1:27PM]

With ATT complaining that people actually use what they pay for (data plans). Now Apple is approving 3G data intensive apps. Is Apple trying to break ATT's network to get out of exclusive agreement?

[arbroathsmokie Posted Dec 17th 2009 4:18PM]

In the UK you can have about 28 channels streamed live via either wifi or 3G to your iPhone, thanks to a web site http://www.tvcatchup.com/

It works a treat for me.

[recharged95 Posted Dec 17th 2009 4:34PM]

webapp? either that's HTML5 or where the F do you get sound out of a webapp...

Again webapp--right direction and the 1st nail into the appstore coffin?

[Yashua Posted Jan 14th 2010 3:56PM]

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