SnapStream Beyond TV
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SnapStream's Beyond TV software lets you convert your Windows PC into a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) Media PC, enabling it to perform functions like the popular TiVo set-top box. SnapStream Beyond TV lets you watch live TV, pause live TV, and record programs (including season pass-like functionality). It also includes many advanced options like (1) record only new episodes airing, (2) prioritize which shows take precedence to get recorded if there is a conflict, and (3) search for shows to record that match a word(s) or phrase.
Beyond TV doesn't charge any subscription fees and entitles you to lifetime access to its program guide. Some of the more powerful and unique functions that Beyond TV sports are SmartSkip (the ability to automatically detect scene changes, including commercials, and then quickly jump between them) and ShowSqueeze (the ability to automatically compress your TV recordings to other formats and profiles. BeyondTV also offers other advanced functionality (if desired) like front-end/back-end (server/client) configurations where one computer can record all your shows (DVR back-end server). You can directly watch shows from this server computer (or a TV directly attached to it). You can also set up additional computers (front-end clients) in other parts of your house that can access the back-end DVR server where the recordings were made. These additional computers can also be connected to TVs for viewing. This allows you to view recordings throughout your house. You can also set up new recordings or modify recordings that record on the backend DVR server FROM the additional front-end client computers (with a BeyondTV Link interface).
As of BeyondTV 4.4, shows are recorded to mpeg2 by default, but BTV can also record directly to DivX format by default, using a capture that supports DivX hardware encoding (records to DivX SSX, then converted to DivX AVI, if desired). If you capture to mpeg2 , then you could also ShowSqueeze shrink/convert an mpeg2 recording to DivX AVI format (with user selectable quality level, if desired). You could also use ShowSqueeze to shrink/convert recordings to Windows Media and then watch those recordings on a Pocket PC handheld).
As of BeyondTV 4.5, SnapStream now offers an optional DVD burning plug-in. This plug-in allows you to burn directly from the application to DVD. DVD burning is only supported for mpeg2 recorded shows.
Bill Gates showcased the product (when it was known at Personal Video Station) in his keynote at the Windows XP Launch in October of 2001. More recently, Beyond TV has received a number of industry awards including PC Magazine's Editor's Choice award (April 2004) and PC Magazine's Product of the Year award (December 2004).
Beyond TV is designed to work side by side with other SnapStream products including the SnapStream Firefly PC Remote and the SnapStream Beyond Media software package.
