PRODUCT NEWS: The McTiVia

McTiVia wirelessly sends and displays any content from your Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry devices to your TV.

The McTiVia, which also acts as a wireless router.

McTiVia wirelessly sends and displays any content from your Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry devices to your TV.

Movies, music, photos, emails, presentations and internet TV can all now be watched in HD thanks to McTiVia, which won the prestigious Best of Show Award 2011 at this year’s Macworld Expo in California.

The McTiVia connects to any digital TV set via an HDMI cable and streams content from the computer using MirrorOp’s remote desktop software over a wireless home network. Content on the computer can then be managed with an iOS remote application on your iPhone, Android smartphone or iPad, alternatively a mouse and keyboard can be linked to the McTiVia’s USB port to then remotely control up to 8 PC’s (or devices) within the home.

The McTiVia is available now from all Harvey Norman retail outlets and with its arrival the new device offers Australians the freedom and independence to choose exactly what content they want to watch, whenever and wherever they choose.

This is thanks to Inspire Technology (McTiVia’s Australian distributor) decision to partner with global virtual private network (VPN) provider VPN Secure (VPN-S) to unleash the full reach of the internet. McTiVia customers who subscribe to VPN-S will subsequently be able to access restricted media content from the US and UK directly to their HD TV. This includes world-class (but forbidden) entertainment treasure chests such as the BBC’s iPlayer in the UK as well as Hulu and Netflix in the US.

“The foundation of real time entertainment is being built on the internet, but right now this remains a walled garden in Australia,” says Inspire Technology marketing director Robert Bonanno.

“Thanks to the McTivia and VPN-S combination, Australians need never again wait for local TV stations to play catch-up and then drip-feed us with premium programs mixed in with the mediocre.”

“Instead, you will now be able to directly stream the latest episode of Top Gear from the UK, or Modern Family from the US, privately and securely to your lounge room,” he added.

Bonanno said the McTivia does not encounter the same hardware and software limitations faced by TV manufacturers who are striving to build an ultimate SMART TV. However, TV manufacturers are falling short on gaining only Australian broadcasted content.

“With a McTivia, you can draw on the infinite content of the World Wide Web, so the smart option would be to avoid the limitations of current SMART TVs, and get it all on your existing television via the McTiVia right now.”

The McTiVia also serves as a wireless router and allows users to control up to eight computers via their iPhone or similar device, thereby bringing new meaning to the term ‘home entertainment.’