On demand television streaming services are hard to live without these days. BBC’s iPlayer, 4OD and Demand Five have quickly become essential in our busy day to day lives so we can continue to enjoy television, when and where we want it.
Most people watch these services on their computer, and whilst watching television on the small screen of your laptop is okay when there is just one of you, when two or more people are huddled around a smaller screen it quickly becomes tiresome and annoying. What makes matters worse is seeing your large screen television and surround sound system switched off and unused in the background!
The Veebeam HD is a device that is designed to solve this problem and help you make the most of your television, and could prove to be one of the must have devices of 2011. It is a fairly simple gizmo that will basically display whatever is on your computer screen, right on to your television.
Simple idea and easy installation
The device comes with two main parts – a compact mains powered receiver unit which plugs into your television by composite cables or preferably HDMI, and a transmitter unit which plugs into the USB socket of your laptop or computer. You then simply turn the television to the correct video input and watch what is being displayed on the screen of your laptop – it’s that simple.
If you want to make full use of your high-definition television and surround sound system you’ll be pleased to know that the Veebeam HD outputs 1080p video, and also has a digital optical connection on the rear so you can connect it to your home cinema system.
If you own a recent Blu-ray player such as the Sony BDP-S380, you may already have these streaming services but it will need to be connected to the internet, either by cable, or with an expensive wireless dongle, so the Veebeam is still a good and simple to use option.
What to consider before you buy the Veebeam HD
Although we’ve not seen this device in action, there are a couple of things that you may want to consider before you buy. Firstly, the Times Online undertook a review and reported that there is a delay of around two seconds before the image reaches the television. This is not going to be a problem when watching television, but using the device for web browsing could become frustrating, and most gaming will be difficult. Secondly, to get the most from it you will need a reasonably powerful processor on your computer or laptop to prevent the video becoming too jerky.
What we like about the Veebeam HD
Overall, the Veebeam is a very interesting and promising device that will really help improve the way many people view on demand television. It’s not a cheap device, but it is practical and useful, and your shiny new television will thank you for buying it!