At E3 this year, I had the opportunity to visit Hauppauge’s booth to check out their latest devices. The first thing we took a look at was the Gaming Edition HD PVR, which we have already had the opportunity to review and spend some time with. While talking about the PVR, the topic of streaming came up and I was shown the StreamEez, a HD steaming device that is soon coming out from Hauppauge.
When I was first introduced to it, I was interested in what it could do but also a little confused on why someone would make the jump from the PVR, which could offer streaming capabilities with a few extra programs, to the StreamEez. My questions were almost immediately answered. You see, the StreamEez connects to your consoles via either the HDMI or Component Video, which is obviously nice since you won’t have to daisy-chain anything. The video is automatically compressed using the H.264 encoder into a form that will work on steaming sites, directly if you so choose. That means that the device eliminates the additional programs that will need to be fine tuned and also a fee or two if you are paying for usage on a few programs. Using a computer as your point of operation, live broadcasts can be quickly and easily set up without way too much hassle.
I was told that the StreamEez uses similar video encoders that are found in Hauppauge’s other premium devices, like the Gaming Edition HD PVR. And since everything is done within the device, you should be able to have one of the best quality streams available. Since it is using the framework of Hauppauge’s other devices, I was also informed that the device should yield an amazing end-user experience.
While the device I saw wasn’t apparently the fully completed model, I was able to see it in action a bit too. When I say the ease of use is simplistic, I mean it was literally a click on the mouse and a selection of the steaming source. That’s all. Really, this is something that anyone that wants a hassle free streaming experience should already be looking at. I was asked about what other features I would personally like to see on the device, with the rep noting a few normal requests. The most obvious to me would be the ability to add a mic source to the stream, that way you can interact with viewers without having to go and jump through a few hoops.
The StreamEez looks like it will debut with a $299.99 price point, which won’t be too bad if you are considering monetizing the stream as well. All in all, it looks like something that will be awesome to check out. What kinds of features would you all like to see? Let us know below!