Earlier this year, Apple submitted a spec to the IETF for live streaming
multimedia content over HTTP, leading some to suspect that a live video
protocol would soon be making its way to iPhone and iPod devices. With the
new 3.0 version of the iPhone OS, that HTTP live streaming protocol became a
reality, and while there were already a handful of live video apps on the
iPhone, they're presumably now a lot better.
This list is a round up of some of the live TV options available on the
iPhone. Most of these apps work best over wifi (and a few won't work at all
over 3G), and generally live streaming is a big drain on battery life. Still,
being able to catch up with live television or out-of-market broadcasts when
you're not near your TV is a great option for iPhone owners to have.
※Entertainment
netTV (Free/$2.99)
Available in both free and paid options, netTV offers live streaming access
to over 200 channels from around the world, including a larger-than-usual
number of channels from the US. The quality is generally pretty good, though
I did experience some issues when first connecting to a channel, and of
course it varies from channel to channel (depending on the source of the
video stream).
TVUPlayer (Free/$4.99)
TVUPlayer plays live TV for over 300 channels, though only a handful of
channels broadcast at the right bandwidth to play well. Some of the video
feeds come in choppy or with audio syncing issues (I actually couldn't get
audio to work at all), a result of the iPhone's hardware limitations
according to the developers. Still, the app offers an impressive line up of
live international television channels, even if many of them are strange.
WorldView Live ($2.99)
WorldView Live isn't exactly TV, but it is live streaming video. The app
provides access to thousands of live web cams from around the world. Only a
handful (about 60, according to the developer) are actually live video, but
the app does offer an interesting, if voyeuristic, view of the world for
armchair travelers.
BONUS: Television ($2.99)
The $2.99 Television application isn't live TV, but it offers access to an
impressive line up of television video catch-up services. The app, which only
works over wifi, lets users watch on-demand video from HBO, ESPN, NBC, FOX,
CBS, Comedy Central, CNN, Sky and more.
※News
FRANCE 24 LIVE (Free)
The live application from France's channel 24 news offers live,
video-on-demand streaming from the network in French, English, and Arabic
over wifi, 3G, and even Edge! Of course, the video will be pretty choppy and
low quality over Edge, but it's unique among live video applications for even
offering that option at all.
Al Jazeera English Live ($2.99)
Al Jazeera's iPhone app, from Livestation (Livestation), has 24/7 live
streaming of its English-language news channel over wifi and 3G. The quality
is very impressive and the app is under active development — so bugs don't
stay unsquashed for very long. If you are streaming over 3G, though, be aware
that every 10 minutes you watch takes about 7.2mb of bandwidth, which is
important to know if you're not on an unlimited data plan.
BBC World News Live (€3.99)
Livestation offers a live streaming video app for BBC World News, as well,
but the €3.99 application is only available in the UK (so I wasn't able to
try it out).
※Sports
MLB.com At Bat 2009 ($9.99)
Major League Baseball's MLB.com At Bat 2009 application may be pricey at
$9.99, but it's well worth it for die-hard fans that want to keep up with
their team or out-of-market teams on the road. The app offers live audio
broadcasts of every game to all owners of the app, and two games are offered
over live video each night. For MLB.tv subscribers, however, every game can
be watched live via the iPhone app (excepting those blacked out due to local
market restrictions). The quality of the video streamed by the app is very
impressive, especially over wifi.
PGA Championship ($1.99)
The last of the pro golf tour's yearly majors, the PGA Championship, is next
week at Hazeltine National Golf Club and the Professional Golf Association is
making sure everyone can watch the tournament no matter where they are. The
app gives users access to live video streams of four marquee groups (think
big name players like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and Padraig Harrington) on
Thursday and Friday, and two more groups on the weekend. You can also watch
the entire field play through the course's par 3 holes during the whole
tournament.
This is actually the third live video app the PGA has put out this year. They
also had iPhone apps for tracking the Masters tournament and the US Open, and
in March, CBS put out a March Madness application with live video of the
year-end NCAA college basketball tournament. We'd expect both organizations
to do the same in 2010.
TV 2 Sporten (Free)
If you like Norwegian football, then the free TV 2 Sporten app is for you.
Jam-packed with live news and score updates, the app also has a live video
section with goals and other game highlights. Of course, it will all make a
lot more sense if you speak Norwegian.
QUOTE:http://mashable.com/2009/08/08/iphone-live-tv/
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