Remote Streaming PC Device, PC/MAC Streaming Device or even PC Sharing Device, whatever you call McTiVia it connects your computer to your HDMI TV through a wired or wireless connection.
Ease of Use, Performance: 24/25
Look & Feel: 24/25
Features 21/25
How much I enjoy 23/25
Total: 92/100
McTiVia is a simple device that you connect to your televisions HDMI connection to stream video and your computers desktop to your HD TV for either a PC or MAC system. McTiVia uses a simple streaming program called MirrorOp to stream your video, gaming and other computer use to your HDTV.
The McTiVia is a simple box with two antennas and an Ethernet connection along with its power and HDMI output using a front panel power button. The MirrorOp program is a simple control panel but you also can control Ethernet aspects of the program through a browser internet page.
The McTiVia also automatically streams audio over the HDMI connection but there are no settings to change anything for audio. The audio on your PC will automatically mute and transfer to the TV connected to your McTiVia but is also only stereo but it does work automatically for you.
The PC screen resolution will also change temporarily to match the television screen size that is best for viewing according to the MirrorOp program. When you turn off the McTiVia connection from either the TV using the keyboard or mouse or form your computer it will revert back to the previous resolution.
You also have a USB connection on the back for connecting a wired or wireless mouse or keyboard to the McTiVia box to control whichever computer is currently on the screen. The McTiVia can control up to eight computers at a time which are listed on the standby screen for easy switching between them and are listed by names you choose.
The onscreen control on your computers monitor has some simple controls to connect or disconnect the computer to the McTiVia device as well as open the control page and switch between modes. The program has two modes with Video Mode using a longer latency while App mode uses a shorter latency that is better for applications and games.
McTiVia comes with a simple to use program called MirrorOp that connects the device to your computer over your network and is also available in mobile versions. The sender program is the sending devices software while the receiving program is part of the McTiVia devices firmware.
I found sender programs for iPhones and other Apple products like the MAC computer and for Android based smartphones and tablets as well as Windows based PCs. I could not get one of my lower costing tablets to connect to the system due to the tablets not supporting the Android Market from Google where the sender programs from MirrorOp are available.
I also had a few problems with gaming on high end games and with a security program showing video over the network but other than a few quirks I had no problems whatsoever. I found the McTiVia very easy to use and with a setup that was so simple I would have a hard time not recommending this as a streaming device.
I have tried several times over the past year or so to review products that would allow me to watch Hulu and more recently Hulu Plus on the HDTV in my living room. One of the big issues I have is a TV on a corner stand that does not really have room for a computer and the living room in general is a poor location for large computer cases.
I want to watch Hulu Plus on the big screen TV, not so big at 32 inches but you get the idea, but I don’t want to have a large computer case cluttering up my living room. I have been looking into devices that stream video over the network or some kind of Wi-Fi but have not had any that worked well enough to enjoy the experience until now.
The McTiVia is simple enough to use and you can have it set up all the time only having to quickly start the program on the computer you want to connect to start the sender program. You can also use the McTiVia as a Wi-Fi access point for wireless internet while the McTiVia is connected to your network but this is more for the wired connection.
I had no problems connecting a tablet and my Google Chrome notebook to the McTiVia and getting onto the internet, I made sure it was the McTiVia as the access point by disabling my routers Wi-Fi. This creates an additional access point for devices so you make a better network throughout your home or wherever the McTiVia is being used.
Some of the internet based devices for streaming video only allow streaming from services like Netflix and Hulu Plus but with McTiVia you have full control of a regular computer without these limitations. You can play casual games but for games like first person shooters the system may not work as well as your main computer, lag may increase for multiplayer games online as well.
I tried to play Battlefield 3 and could not at all, the McTiVia would crash and not allow the game to play on my TV but I could play single player Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 without problems. The online multiplayer MW3 did not play as well due to a small amount of leg between my actions and the onscreen game play which is not very long but enough to make it noticeable.
I had no problems playing Bejeweled 3 and other casual games that do not require a lot of system resources such as a better graphic card system. The McTiVia does well for video and I had no problem playing both online videos like Hulu Plus as well as DVD and Blu-ray movies.
The system works well and you can use the wireless connection for video which worked just fine for internet video and movies but the system does not do well with system intensive games ike online multiplayer first person shooters. The wireless McTiVia worked well and I had no problems here as well streaming video to a TV without having to use a wired Ethernet connection.
The wireless connection does add some lag to the Modern Warfare 3 single player gaming but this is not surprising as the game does use a lot of system resources in the first place. The graphics is pretty demanding for first person shooters and the McTiVia is just not up to these more demanding games.
McTiVia is a great device for connecting your computer whether its video, movies or general computer use as well as casual games to your HDTV. I highly recommend the McTiVia for a streaming device for video and computer use to watch on your HDTV from a PC or MAC based system.
McTiVia Website