So far I've only tested this as a remote streaming device and have not experimented much with the DVR. I will update as soon as I've done more.
Streaming quality is the best out there. I've been through the original Slingbox, the Slingbox Solo, the Pro-HD and the various HAVA boxes, and this thing is simply outstanding. I've tested in-house streaming and remote streaming to my laptop on WiFi and 3G and my smartphone on 3G. In all cases, the video quality is almost as good as watching a locally stored video file.
The price appears to be high, but when you compare it with the $261 for a Slingbox PRO-HD, it is a bargain. The Sling lacks DVR, local TV watching, internal storage, placeshifting and more. Sling also charges $30 for their mobile clients, while the Vulkano mobile players are free.
There are a few bugs in the setup process, but this thing is just out, so I'll cut them some slack to get those sorted out.
If you do not need a lot of DVR storage, stick with the cheaper version of this box.
PROS:
Can use as a full (single tuner) DVR
Can control for live TV and DVR on a mobile device
Free mobile players
Amazing streaming quality
CONS:
No internal tuner
Single DVR channel only
Does not appear to support network storage
Requires EXT3 formatted harddrive for video storage, with no "format drive" option to enable use of your own drives Vulkano Pro 010410VP All-In-One Media Placeshifter Includes 500 GB eSATA Hard Disk, Black
Take my word for it. Until Sling fixes the capacitor issue, from their current models, pass on them. Sling is using the failure rate to generate more income from support calls. All you have to do to verify this is to Google it. As far as Vulkano's reliability, only time will tell. But so far, I am super happy.
A quick overview of my setup:
The Vulkano hook up is:
Network: Wired and segmented 100mb cat5
To TV: HDMI
From DVR: Component
Storage: 500gb eSATA drive
The Vulkano setup went without a hitch except for what is listed below. Vulkano found the network and grabbed an IP address with no problems. Vulkano includes all the cables for a complete setup, so no searching or shopping for last minute connections.
The only issue I ran into was setting up the IR Blaster with my Verizon FiOS HD DVR. It is a Motorola QIP 7216-1, which was not a choice available. Instead I chose the 6416 which works perfectly. Once the Vulkano was up and running, I watched a few channels to make sure we were all set.
Now for the clients. I will start with the Apple client, first. I tested the Apple app on a Iphone 3g (wifi only) and a Touch 4g. Both clients installed and setup went perfectly. Both devices were connected onto a 54mb (G) network at Barnes and Noble. With the strongest signal, quality was exceptional on all channels. Even sports channels looked fantastic without a trace of smearing or blocking. Bitrate was between 600-900K starting out. It topped out at 2500K and was optimized on-the-fly. Sound was superb with no dropouts. Channel changes went smoothly with a 5 second (approx.) buffering after the change. I felt the channel changes were timely and precise. I would have to say that on wifi, the Apple client for the Vulkano, is a win.
The pc client was updated the last night, or so. So, I have not had the time to go over all of the settings. Install went well on a Windows 7 x64 laptop. I will not go over all of the features but talk about quality, instead. This is for the previous client Vulkano_V1.8.3.52. At first I was getting some stuttering, but no dropouts. I also noticed that when stuttering it was while trying to optimize the stream. So I reduced the stream limit from 2000K to 1000K. this took care of the stuttering and never had a hiccup after that. The newer client is supposed to recover from optimizing much quicker. But once the steam was reduced I did not have any more problems. On a 17 inch laptop screen the quality looked excellent. Of course, on a larger screen I am sure it would be more noticeable. I would give the pc client a A+ also.
Now for the Android client. The client installed without a hitch. When getting a strong signal the client optimized quickly and had excellent results. Remote control was timely without to much delay. All functions seemed to work including scheduling recordings as well as viewing the EPG. Even when the signal dropped to two bars the picture was great. The picture did suffer when the signal dropped to an unsteady one bar, though. Streaming speed was variable from 66K to 100K. Sound was steady but picture was a tad rough. How rough, you may ask...Sports playing (football action) was hard to watch due to smearing. But you could still figure it out. In a pinch it would due, but it would not be my favorite way to watch. Now regular shows (Jay Leno) were quite good. Very watchable...And the whole time the sound never dropped. The only issue that happened once, was while switching channels. After the switch I had no sound. So I typed the same channel number in again and the channel refreshed restoring sound. I would give the Android client an A+, also. The client is sound and seems to work very well on Verizon's network.
So, that's my little review. Remember, you might get different mileage due to all of the variables that are involved. But, I am very, very pleased with the Vulkano. Granted, I have not had the time to check every feature available. But it does what I purchaed the unit for. It streams live (or recorded FiOS) programming to my clients with clarity and reliable accuracy. Good bye Slingbox...Hello Vulkano! - Slingbox Pro - Monsoon - All In One - Slingbox'
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