While new IPTV and video-on-demand options continue to emerge in Australia, Topfield is looking to give users a mobile alternative to the simple PVR.
Its new so-called "smart" TF-T6000, while also offering the usual PVR bells and whistles, also looks to let you transfer recorded video files over your home Wi-Fi network to a mobile device.
"Watching video content on smartphones both at home and on the go is the new norm these days as Australians catch-up with their favourite shows and popular online videos anyway they can," said Jaedo Ryu, Topfield general manager.
"We wanted the TFT6000 to be as user-friendly and ready for the multi-device home as possible and this meant not ignoring the surge in entertainment viewing on portable devices."
It isn't as on-the-go as an online service, as it still requires the program to be first recorded on the the PVR and then transferred to your mobile or device, but it is a nice addition for those in the market for a PVR.
Why go portable?
The humble PVR has been facing stiff competition from free catch-up services like iView by pretty much eliminating the need for recording programs as they'll turn up online soon enough for streaming.
Of course, to access these services on your tablet or smartphone means you'll need to be hooked up to Wi-Fi, have some good network data speeds for streaming, or download the file to the device (if that option is even given), or else you'll suffer from bad buffering.
And while transferring files from a PVR is generally as simple as hooking up the devices to a PC, the Wi-Fi transfer on Topfield's new PVR will sure make it easier and quicker to get videos onto your tablet to watch later.
So while Topfield may not have a completely revolutionary idea in the form of the Wi-Fi enabled TF-T6000, it's a nice additional option for users.
The TF-T6000 is available from today for $599.
- If video on demand is more your style, why not check out our review of Foxtel Play instead.
