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Monsoon Vulkano Flow, Blast launch DVR-to-mobile feature for iPhone, iPad and Android
Monsoon Multimedia is again advancing its Vulkano line of set-top boxes with a feature not found on Sling, TiVo or Roku, adding the ability to make DVR recordings directly to iPad, iPhone or Android devices. While users can still watch TV from anywhere in the world using the Vulkano, the new DVR-to-mobile feature is restricted to WiFi and will only work with the Vulkano Flow and eventually the Blast. Sure you could store your shows on a hard drive and move them over or stream later, but this way fans of The Killing on AMC can be disappointed by the season finale later on even while offline. Updates for the platform-appropriate $13 apps should arrive shortly, while Blackberry users are assured the feature is on the way soon for them too.
Vulkano Flow now available, does 480p placeshifting for under a hundred bucks
Monsoon has announced the "general availability" of a new placeshifting box, the Vulkano Flow. As we learned during CES, this box has a $99 price tag and trims last year's Vulkano to just the placeshifting essentials. It's most similar to the Slingbox Solo in that it will accept HD inputs but can only stream video at a max 720x480 resolution, which could be passable watching on a PC with a small screen or one of the mobile apps (iOS, Blackberry, Android, $12.99/ea.) There are a few hands-ons and reviews out already, with ZatzNotFunny noting a few tweaks were still necessary to get things running while The Gadgeteer has a bevy of screenshots for you to check out the UI. Monsoon's other new box, the Blast, is still launching in "the near future," which builds on the Flow's specs (detailed after the break) with DVR recording capability and HDMI output for $199.
Vulkano Blast and Flow due this month, streaming your media all over the place
You know what was missing form Vulkano's last release? More pun-ful names, that's what. Enter the Vulkano Blast and Flow do-it-all media boxes. For $99, the latter boasts watching live TV, browsing episode guides, and accessing recorded content via PC, Macs, smartphones, and various tablets -- iOS, BlackBerry, and Android for now, according to the press release, with Windows (Phone?) 7 and Symbian on the horizon. Meanwhile, the Blast adds HDMI out, UPnP support, and a 160GB hard drive for $199. Both have a 802.11n router and both are due out this month, if ya dig.
