Monsoon Vulkano all-in-one DVR/placeshifting/media streaming box ready for preorder, ships August 10
By Richard Lawler 
posted July 27th 2010 10:41AM
posted July 27th 2010 10:41AM
Vulkano – World's First Universal and Affordable Video Platform for Smartphones, PC/Macs, iPads and TVs
Vulkano Integrates Multiple Disruptive Technologies – DVR, Web Video, Place Shifting, Universal Plug and Play streaming and Mobile Video Recording – Eliminating Multiple Boxes
SAN MATEO, CALIF. – July 27, 2010 – Monsoon Multimedia, a leading provider of video convergence products, today announced it is now taking pre-orders for Vulkano, which is shipping in early August 2010. Vulkano is a sleek consumer device as easy to set up as a video game console. Vulkano is a tightly integrated hardware and software platform that has a powerful video processor and local storage. Vulkano in addition to replacing multiple boxes such as TiVo, Slingbox and Roku provides significant other benefits and energy savings, giving consumers tremendous performance at a low cost. Cost of a Vulkano ranges from $259 to $379, depending on storage capacity.
When connected to a set-top box and a TV, Vulkano enables a complete video experience across Android, Blackberry, iPhones, iPads, Macs, PCs and the living room TV. Vulkano allows users for the first time to experience their TV channels, videos and photos on whichever screen they want, when they want it. Vulkano will be sold through Monsoon's www.myvulkano.com, Amazon.com, leading retailers and etailers, and through strategic OEMs.
By downloading a free software application onto their device from www.myvulkano.com, or for iPhone/iPad from the Apple App store and installing a Vulkano, consumers can watch and control any home TV channel through a wired, Wi-Fi or 3G connection from anywhere in the world. They can schedule a recording through an included EPG (electronic program guide) and transfer and watch these recordings at any time on their TV, computers, smartphones or iPad type devices. Software players for PCs/Macs and iPads also come with Pause/Live functions.
Vulkano lets users watch YouTube on their big screen TV. Moreover, by using a technology called UPnP (Universal Plug n Play), Vulkano users can stream video and photos from their smartphones, computers and cameras wirelessly on to their living room TV without having to use messy cables. In the near future, Vulkano will offer free service upgrades such as Google TV, Yahoo! Widgets, Netflix, Hulu and others.
TV set-top boxes are commonplace in households today with over 210 million shipped in 2009 alone, according to analyst firm In-Stat. The fundamental flaw in nearly all set-top boxes is that they are "closed." Vulkano "opens" these boxes by allowing consumers to enjoy a total video experience on their smartphones, iPads, PCs and Macs, or access services such as Netflix or YouTube.
"The combination of mobile video recording on iPads/smartphones, viewing YouTube on big screen TV, DVR and Universal Plug and Play streaming changes the television and web video experience in ways never before imagined," said Colin Stiles, EVP Sales and Marketing at Monsoon. "We are proud to the be first to deliver your live and recorded TV content immediately with a simple screen tap. Whether in your backyard or on an international flight, you'll have your favorite programming available anywhere, anytime - live or recorded."
"We designed Vulkano from the ground up to replace single purpose solutions, such as TiVo, Roku, Slingbox, etc," said Steve Stone, CTO at Monsoon. "In the coming months we will be pushing new apps to Vulkano owners for free so they can rest assured that this is the first and last product they'll need for all their TV and Internet media needs."
Mobile Video Recording (MVR): By using Vulkano's unique MVR technology, consumers can schedule and record content from any TV channel on to the Vulkano's local storage and either on demand or automatically transfer the content to smartphones, computers or iPads/iPod touches. A wired, Wi-Fi or 3G connection is required and an included EPG can be used. For instance, iPad owners can schedule a recording before going to sleep and have it automatically downloaded to the iPad. It is then ready for watching anytime, anywhere at a cafe, airport, airplane, office or in one's bed. Hundreds of recorded movies, sports events or TV shows can be stored onto the 64GB iPad for viewing anytime. PC, Mac and iPad apps also come with Direct Record, Pause and Live functions.
Place Shifting Live TV: Consumers can watch and control their home TV or TiVo from anywhere in the world, including their home.
Digital Video Recording (DVR): Users can select programs to be recorded to the Vulkano SD card or optional hard drive, which can store over a thousand programs depending on memory size. Once recorded, the programs can be downloaded to computers, smartphones or played back on living room TVs. Vulkano also allows a consumer to schedule recordings through a TiVo or other DVRs that may be built into a set-top box.
Web Video: Vulkano supports YouTube content (up to 1080p) streaming and progressive downloading for a big screen TV experience. Future software releases will add support for Netflix, Cinema Now, Amazon and free media content providers. Yahoo! Widgets will be released later this year and Google TV early next year. A fully functional web browser with media extensions (including HTML5 media support) will be released later this year.
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP): Consumers can easily enjoy photos, video and music stored on smartphones, iPads, PCs and Macs on a big screen TV by deploying industry standard UPnP technology. This capability also enables multiple UPnP devices, such as video cameras, to play directly on the TV eliminating the tedious job of plugging and unplugging cables into the TV.
State of the Industry
Hundreds of millions of TV set-top boxes worldwide are "closed" preventing consumers from accessing new services and exciting video experiences. Due to the cost and logistics involved in constantly upgrading these boxes, companies cannot keep pace with the rapid changes in technology. The result is an array of single feature boxes resolving specific issues.
Consumers today are saddled with paying for TiVo, Sling, Roku, Vudu, Apple TV and other single solutions to address their needs. This has led to a cluttered living room, multiple service fees and constant maintenance of multiple devices. They are also often difficult to install and can cost over a thousand dollars combined. Vulkano eliminates all of these issues while saving on power consumption.
Summary of Vulkano Features:
• Transforms smartphones, iPads, iPod touches, PCs and Macs into Mobile Video Recorders
• Recorded programs play back on smartphones, iPads, PCs and Macs
• Direct record mode allows for Pause, Fast Forward/Rewind
• Schedule TV recording by show, channel or date and time
• Browse EPG for shows and episode descriptions
• Mark channels as Favorite for quick access
• Watch and control your live TV on the go via Wi-Fi or 3G
• Watch at home on iPads and computers in near HD resolution
• Change channels just like at home
• Search and watch YouTube videos on your home television
• Enjoy photos, video and music on home TV from UPnP supported devices, such as smartphones, PCs/Macs and cameras
• Multiple users can have recordings on Vulkano hard-drive and access independently
• Control Vulkano features and settings through intuitive television menu
• Connect to all major TV sources - cable, DVD, satellite, DVR, TiVo
• Stream video at H.264 and MPEG-4 standards at rates as low as 150kbps
• Includes 8GB or 16GB of SD card storage or e-SATA hard drives up to 1TB
• Connects wirelessly through Vulkano's on board .11n WiFi to home router
• TV content is passed from the set-top box's analog output (component, composite) to Vulkano; using resolutions up to 1080i
Pricing and Availability
Vulkano is available immediately for pre-order at www.myvulkano.com and www.amazon.com. Vulkano comes with 8GB, 16GB of SD storage and Vulkano Pro comes with 500GB and 1Terabyte e-SATA hard disk storage. Vulkano will be generally available in August through selected etailers, retailers and distributors worldwide. 8GB Vulkano will cost $259, 16GB $279, 500GB for $349 and the 1Terabyte Vulkano for $379. Monsoon will release its 3G version for the recently introduced iPhone 4 in August, 2010.
About Monsoon Multimedia
Monsoon Multimedia provides advanced, standards-based multimedia products and convergence technologies for the PC, Mac, iPad and major smartphones. Founded by the founders of Dazzle and Emuzed, the company has offices in California, India, Russia and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.monsoonmultimedia.com.
For regular Vulkano updates follow us at www.Twitter.com/MyVulkano
Become a Fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MyVulkano
@bingster
To be downranked!
Whatever it is, it's probably better than TiVO, or is at least faster.
so sling has some new competition.. if i really was into watching TV away from the home i would def pick one of these up. maybe when i have kids and dora or yogabba gabba are needed quickly to entertain on the go.
@bingster: Little does bingster know, these DVRs are being shipped, so it doesn't matter that he's first in line.
@Squalor That, was a really good response.
Not worth it, their HAVA products are very poorly supported, the smartphone clients never get updated and barely work...I thought they would be better than Sling Media, but they are just as bad.
@DoctarPeppar True, and yet I still like them better than Sling.
@zeitgeist
Well, Sling now charges 30 dollars just to talk to their tech support -- so in my eyes they are the scummiest of the scum at the bottom of the barrel...maybe Monsoon is a little bit higher up overall, but not by much :|
They still don't have a fully working non-beta S60v5 client, and that's the majority of their market (Symbian users)...and they (just like sling) have been promising to update their mobile clients for years with little or no results.
@DoctarPeppar
That's the first thing I thought when reading this. They can't even support or make updates for the Hava. How are they going to support a new product.
No ATSC/cable tuner?
Move along, folks, nothing to see here. IR-blaster control of STBs is a joke.
@TVGenius: Think of this thing less as a DVR, and more as Slingbox with recording capabilities.
@TVGenius
> Move along, folks, nothing to see here. IR-blaster control of STBs is a joke.
...yes, a joke that allowed Tivo to own an industry.
You really gotta wonder if any of these naysayers from the peanut gallery has ever actually used a PVR, especially any of the early models that put Tivo into it's current position of dominance.
i like the concept but that cost is a pretty high barrier to entry. Maybe some magical reviews will make me a believer. glad to hear about this device though as i was beginning to think it was dead.
What I would like to know is how a product that isn't available yet can have some "What the Users Say" ????
From myvulkano:
"I bought Vulkano because it was the highest tech unit on the market."
Matt B
"My experience with the Vulkano has been a great one. Not only with the product itself but the customer service is outstanding. I suggest the Vulkano to all of my friends over the Slingbox. The set up is so easy. I am a 100 % satisfied customer."
Timothy Q.
There is another one as well that is even better...
How is this possible?
@rwczen
The customer quotes they're citing are unrealistic.
I am/was their customer of two of their devices. Yes, it does some things Sling doesn't do out-of-the-box, but I can honestly tell you that I am a 100% dissatisfied customer. Not only are their products' overall quality inferior, their support is non-existent--I'm talking from software, hardware, and customer perspectives.
Do some research and you'll quickly realize that this company has ZERO CREDIBILITY with the absolute majority of their unfortunate customers.
Monsoon and their Hava Products aren't new. The titanium was great and one of the few programs that didn't charge you got the phone software (EVEN FOR WINDOWS MOBILE!!). I'm looking forward to seeing one of these in person and eventually buying one (i want to see how the firmware upgrades look first).
@bingster You've got to stop, pubescent teen. This is like the 3rd or 4th time I've read an article with you being downranked for your childish first. I'm not trying to be mean, but if you are going to be first, at least make a comment that will start an engaging discussion.
im in the market for an HTPC
how would this compare to an Eee Box or an Aspire Revo ?
@Stone632
No idea :)
Placeshifting? Friends help you shift into a new place, and tell you when you got food on your face!
This is a very interesting device for streaming content to an iPad, better perhaps than Slingbox (btw, the Elgato EyeTV HD is crap). I'll be looking forward to real reviews on how it works with iPad.
@VetPsychWars Maybe its just the Ipad that is crap. They do have issues with wireless and Apple's fix was to get closer to the router.
@Toshiba Ah, I see you're an Apple hater. No, the iPad is not crap. Air Video, for example, streams just fine. If you must know, it was so much of a resource hog on my 2.4GHz MacBook Pro that it took every scrap of CPU it could find and it still wasn't enough.
@VetPsychWars
This is a nice interesting case of Apple blinders.
You had to dedicate an entire Mac to the task of feeding video to the iPad, yet you don't find anything problematic about this? How about the iPad be able to handle video on it's own? I bet that's a novel idea.
Or perhaps I just missed the sarcasm.
@VetPsychWars
What's wrong with Elgato EyeTV HD?
I would have thought that it's "dual recording" feature would be just the thing to help accomodate the iPad.
@jedi I purposely got the device specifically for streaming live TV. It's possible that recording and subsequent playback later would have been just fine, but the EyeTV software had too many bugs and consumed all of my MacBook Pro's CPU for streaming live, even with the addition of Elgato's Turbo.264 HD (which I kept). I got hiccups in the stream every few seconds, and it would frequently just stop dead. Even streaming the lowest resolution available, it just didn't work. No need for a $180+ device to playback recorded video, I can download from a torrent if I wanted to do that.
In the Vulkano, I see two things useful: playback from Internet on my "TV" (I use a monitor with HDMI input) and streaming live to my iPad. If it can do those two things well, I'm in. Note that streaming live would include things recorded on my HD-DVR.
I like the functionality but this company lost credibility by claiming their box was HD when it wasn't.
I just got a Hava Platinum HD for a gift, and I've gotta say, it's pretty damn good for what I use it for. I've used a friend's Slingbox and my Hava now, and the only real difference in features is better software from Sling. However, there has been a Hava homebrew app on the Android market for a few months now and it works very well on my EVO. The biggest difference though is the price: Slingbox Pro HD = $300 + $30 for mobile app versus Hava Platinum HD = $130 + $3 for homebrew app. For less than half the price, I would recommend Hava any day. Of course, for $379 for the Volcano, my argument goes out the window.
I have had quite a few of 'placeshifting' devices, including two of their Hava Titanium WiFis, and I can tell you (and I know that this is the consensus) that this company has zero credibility with their customers. This company has provided absolutely no support (and I mean ABSOLUTELY NONE) for their existing products in over a year in favor of development of this new device. It's obvious that they were limited in resources and concentrated every penny and man-power on this new device, but on the way, they ignored unfortunate customers of their subpar quality of products. And to wish for customer interest and loyalty now is unrealistically bold and hopeful. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY AND BEWARE!