New IPTV set-top box promises international content for a flat fee
Today at the SINO Consumer Electronics show in Qingdao, China, a set-top box was launched by WhereverTV promising over 2,000 channels of international programming.
Content that can be watched on Wherever.tv, which consists of simulcasted regional stations and broadband-exclusive TV channels, can be watched through the WhereverTV receiver with just a high speed connection and a television.
The $199 receiver is similar to the Neuros OSD digital archiving box in both design and onboard hardware, but offers WhereverTV's exclusive Global Interactive Program Guide (IPG) to manage and browse the thousands of channels the service handles. No additional fees are incurred for usage, and the unit offers a simple way to access content from 94 countries in 43 languages on any television. Premium content can also be accessed in real time, at an additional cost to the user.
The early shortcomings for the device look to be mainly attributable to hardware. It does not offer wireless connectivity, so users are forced to run an Ethernet cable from their router to the box for it to work, and the device only offers composite outs. The spec sheet says it supports S-video, but the pictures of the device all say "S-Video IN," an interface present in the Neuros OSD.
Supported video formats include WMV-9 and FLV, with MP3 or WMA audio.