Hot on the heels of the news that NBC are offering free full episodes of two of their biggest shows to iPhone and iPod Touch users, comes the news that live TV is now also a possibility.
Orb Networks claims to have “the world’s first way to stream live TV to the iPhone and iPod Touch.” The application is called Orb Live, and it will work on all jailbroken Apple iPhones and iPod Touches.
Users can get access to the app by installing it on a home PC, and OrbLive on their iPhone or iPod Touch. You then just set the PC to stream live TV and you can then stream the content to your device via Wi-Fi.
Here is a video demonstration of the product at work on YouTube:
OrbLive Demonstration Video
Critical Of Apple
During the announcement, Joe Costello, CEO of Orb Networks roundly criticised Apple, and Steve Jobs for not introducing something similar to this right from the outset.
“Steve Jobs may think that buying shows from iTunes is the same as watching TV, but iPhone users know better. When the NBA playoffs are on, you want to see the game, live, wherever you are. Free.”
“Although the iPhone provides users with a great way to experience the web, it offers a ridiculously sub-par streaming video experience. When all the carriers’ free phones can stream lots of things that my iPhone can’t, something’s seriously wrong.”
“OrbLive finally brings the iPhone’s streaming video experience up to par with other mobile phones.”
Better To Come?
This application does indeed fill a hole that Apple should have maybe covered right from the outset, but it’s not exactly the best solution to offering live television streaming on an iPhone or iPod Touch.
But for now, and until someone (hopefully Apple itself) comes up with something a bit more technically sound and portable, it does at least enable Apple fanatics the chance to watch TV on their devices.
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