With 3G networks now available nearly everywhere in the world and super high speed HSDPA and HSUPA become common place, the growth of streaming multimedia applications to take advantage of this new found speed has been exponential over the past 12 months. Applications such as streaming audio and video are now becoming common place and some carriers, AT&T specifically, are including streaming applications in their device ROM images. Seeing this growth, Spb launched Spb Online in December 2008 which included streaming Television and Radio functionality for Windows Phones. Now they have released the Television portion of that fantastic application in a stand-alone version aptly named Spb TV. The new Spb TV is identical in function to the TV function in Spb Online, giving you the same robust functionality at a lower cost and smaller memory footprint.
Spb TV requires approximately 4MB of storage space on your Windows Standard or Professional Phone and can be installed via ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center. Spb TV requires that you have a high speed data connection on your phone so you will need to be in a 3G coverage area (indicated by a “3G”, “H” or “U” icon on your phone) or have your phone connected to a WiFi access point. Spb TV will not work on 2G network reliably (indicated by a “G” or “E” icon on your phone). Also, it is highly recommend that you have an unlimited data account as well. While Spb TV does a great job of compression, you can expect an average stream of 385Kbps while using Spb TV which will add up quickly. If you do not know if you have an unlimited account or need pricing information, contact your carrier or operator.
Spb TV allows you to stream live television from a variety of broadcasters throughout the world. The selection of channels includes SkyNews, France 24, KNBC Weather Plus, NASA and many more. The selection of channels is broad and covers English, Spanish, French and Russian speaking stations. Spb has stated that over the next several months more channels will be added to Spb TV as more television stations around the globe begin to stream their broadcasts.
The list of channels available are displayed on the bottom of the screen which you can slide your finger across to scroll through them. The main display above the channel list will automatically display a screenshot of what that station is currently broadcasting. If this looks similar to Spb Online, it should: It’s identical. Like many other applications from Spb, they try to keep the user interfaces common amongst similar applications. This is to cut down on the time it takes for you to learn an application and obviously speeds up their development process internally.
To view the selected station, tap the play button on the display. Depending on the available bandwidth, Spb TV will either display in normal mode which is 348Kbps or low which will be 204Kbps. There is a bit more pixelization with the lower quality mode but it is still quite viewable for extended periods of time. The application itself does do auto adjusting depending on the cellular signal you have so you likely will not have to adjust this much if ever.
Figure 1: The main display of Spb TV on Windows Professional
Figure 2: the main display of Spb TV on Windows Standard
Figure 3: The automatic bandwidth adjustment in Spb TV
When you tap on the screen while you are viewing a station, a semi-transparent menu is displayed which allows you to do a variety of different things within Spb TV. The first icon allows you to do PIP (Picture in Picture) so you can view other channels as you continue to view the primary channel.
The arrow icon on the menu allows you to change up or down the playback quality within Spb TV. This is particularly handy if you are in an area without a strong signal or if you are trying to conserve bandwidth. On the menu you will also find controls for volume and brightness so you can adjust them up or down as you need.
One of the great features of Spb TV is the built-in TV guide off of the Menu in the application. This is a great way to learn what each of the has as far as content and which language it is being broadcast in as well. The TV guide allows you to go out 2-3 days, depending on the channel, of broadcast schedules.
Figure 4: The TV Guide in Spb TV on Windows Professional
Figure 5: The TV Guide in Spb TV on Windows Standard
Spb TV is a great application for television viewing while on the go. The quality of the playback is very good and the easy-to-use navigation and controls make it a breeze to use. I hope to see more channels come online through the application which I’m sure will happen as more stations broadcast over IP.
What I Like:
* Easy to use controls and display
* Great quality on playback
* Auto adjusting of quality of playback depending on available bandwidth.
* Built-in TV Guide is great
What I Don’t Like:
* More channels
Price: $14.95 for Windows Professional Phone or Windows Standard Phone
