• PC World
• »Components
• »Graphics Cards

Watching what's playing on your home TV from a PC located somewhere else has never been easier. Hardware offerings that include Slingbox, Sony's LocationFree PC, and Pinnacle PCTV To Go have created a crowded and pricey field of offerings in this area.

Now Honest Technology, with its new product My-IPTV & Cam Anywhere, makes watching TV from a remote location more affordable and adds a Webcam for capturing video and still images.

My-IPTV & Cam Anywhere is an external USB 2.0-based TV tuner and Web camera package that lets you link remote PCs to your home television. Starting from any broadband-connected PC in the world, you can "place-shift" and view video content that is playing on the My-IPTV device.

The product sells online for an average of $130, which is about $50 less than Sling Media charges for its comparable Slingbox Tuner hardware. Other place-shifting hardware for viewing TV remotely--such as Monsoon Multimedia's HAVA Wireless HD and Pinnacle's PCTV To Go--are even more expensive, at $250.

One limitation that My-IPTV shares with Slingbox Tuner is that it supports viewing of basic analog cable TV only. More-expensive set-top boxes from Monsoon, Pinnacle, Sling Media, and Sony don't rely on your PC. These stand-alone devices connect to your TV, DVD, TiVo, or satellite TV receiver and give you complete access to your home entertainment offerings. (See PC World's review of two of these devices: Monsoon Media's HAVA Wireless HD and Sony's LocationFree TV.)

Place Shifting on a Budget

My-IPTV is a good fit for budget-conscious PC users who don't have a TV tuner card in their system and who don't mind leaving their PCs on all day to use the service. The hardware includes a basic Web camera that gives users a view of their home from a remote PC.

You can also use My-IPTV's player software to initiate recording of TV programs remotely, and you can view an electronic program guide that's accessible through your Web-based My-IPTV account. To use My-IPTV you must have a broadband connection on your home network, and your remote PC must be able to access the video feed.

You initiate video streaming from your PC through the My-IPTV server software interface, which provides a window on your screen that functions as a video player.

My-IPTV sends MPEG-4 quality video over your home network and over the Internet. For now, the hardware and the software work only with Windows-based PCs.

TV Test Drive

In my informal testing of My-IPTV, the remote TV function performed impressively. A colleague who had tested more-expensive place-shifting hardware told me that it was at least as good as the pricier offerings.

Unfortunately, the hardware (which is about the size of a paperback book) comes with a skimpy 3-foot cord, restricting where you can place the built-in Webcam. If you have one or more Webcams already, however, the software lets you access up to three of them remotely.

I had little trouble installing My-IPTV. The trickiest part was configuring my router and firewall to allow the software to communicate outside my home network. To use the remote-access feature of My-IPTV, you must sign up for a free My-IPTV account at the Honest Technology Web site; and to view the video stream remotely, you must have Honest Technology's player software installed on a PC.

You plug your cable line or TV antenna into the My-IPTV hardware, which picks up only basic cable channels and terrestrial TV signals.

My-IPTV can't do all the things that high-end place-shifting hardware can. But if you want a cheap way to watch your favorite midday soap opera and to keep tabs on Fido as he sleeps on your living-room floor while you are in a remote location, My-IPTV & Cam Anywhere is a great option.

Honest Technology My-IPTV & Cam Anywhere

This package's low price and easy setup bring TV place-shifting and Webcams to the masses. But My-IPTV's dependence on the user's PC is a drag.
$130
Current prices (if available)