Streaming HDMI

[Brian Reay]

Posted more in hope than anticipation as Google hasn?t helped:

I already have a gizmo box which sits on my network and streams TV which can be viewed on iPads, computers, etc and even records programs if required.

I?d like to add something to the network which takes an HDMI signal and streams it to the network in a similar way.

I can find HDMI to Cat 5/6 adapters etc but that isn?t what I need, those are point to point cable solutions. I?m after something that, for example, takes the HDMI input and allows me to view it via Wi-fi on my iPad.

I?ve Googled but had no luck yet.

[jrwalliker]

I have come across such devices - as a result of the problems they can cause in an office environment. This is because they typically use multicast addressing which can saturate WiFi networks. This is because the multicast is transmitted at the speed of the slowest listening device on the network. With high definition video this easily uses up most of the WiFi network capacity if there happens to be a slow device connected somewhere. Access points can sometimes be configured to convert the multicast into multiple unicasts, but this is probably even worse.

John

[John Rumm]

This may be a case of not wanting to start from here... i.e. what is the source of the HDMI, and is there any other format you can access the content in before it gets to HDMI?

If the answer is no, they would would probably need an HDMI capture card to grab the source, and then stream it from there.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Streamed TV can be a very different thing to an HDMI signal, in terms of data rates. You'd need to limit the HDMI signal into something your Wi-Fi could cope with, without being swamped.

[stephenten]

Have you considered a slingbox?

There are various models but you want one with a hdmi input.

Plug your hdmi source into it. Connect the ethernet cable to your home network.

Install the slingbox app onto your wireless devices.

The slingbox can support remote signalling so if it's a satellite receiver, you can change channels on it

You may be able to use an internet browser in place of the slingbox app.

[Brian Reay]

Complicated, there could be more than one. I have this idea of being able to watch several possible sources ( the common i/f is HDMI) from my iPad. A couple can be viewed already as they have other ?routes? ( not HDMI) which I can access via the network.

[Brian Reay]

I already have a VBox which can stream two channels of TV via the network quite happily to, for example, two iPads. Even with those streaming, the network is usable.

[Brian Reay]

Not a beast I?ve heard of. It may be what I need, thank you.

[Brian Gaff]

You are talking a huge amount of data after its been uncompressed here. It almost needs a dedicated second network of its own, and if its multiple then a very very facts one at that. Its almost an industrial application. I don't think you have any chance of trying to integrate it over normal networks and expect it to work for other stuff as well without in effect streaming a compressed version and letting something else decode it. Brian

[stephenten]

I have had a quick look at slingbox's website.

is worth a read and it appears it's the slingbox pro HD that is worth considering.

If you have more than one HDMI source, then you would need a slingbox for each hdmi source. Being network based, the slingbox's all would have different ip addresses so the app or browser should be able to cope with multiple slingboxes.

Given that you are using this on an internal network rather than over broadband internet, you probably will not need as much compression so the picture quality should be better than if you were viewing in in Australia!

[Brian Reay]

At the moment I have a VBox which can stream two tv channels over the network. It ?grabs? them off air (freeview). With both being streamed someone else can still use the Internet etc, transfer files to the domestic NAS at a speed which isn?t frustrating.

I run a mixed wired / Wi-fi system.

I?m not expecting the device to stream the video as HDMI but to convert an HDMI input into a streamed format, compatible with the typical streaming clients.

[Brian Reay]

Thank you, I will have a look.

[Pancho]

Why do you want to do it?

Anyway I think this is the type of stuff you want.

You'd need a PC and stream server app to run it, but probably not too difficult to set up.

However, I suspect there may be easier ways of achieving the result you want.

[Brian Reay]

Mainly to watch a collection of videos (documentaries, amateur radio DX-pedition videos, ....) which are on a variety of sources which have HDMI outputs while chilling on the patio, standing watching stuff cooking, ..... on my iPad.