The Death of Meedio and the Dawn of Yahoo Go TV : Introduction
1. Introduction
| At a Glance | |
|---|---|
| Product | Yahoo Go for TV Beta |
| Summary | Buggy, crippled version of MeedioTV. |
| Pros | - Free!
- Fast user interface with few requirements - Your parents could actually set it up (assuming you install an MPEG II encoder for them) |
| Cons | - Sometimes unstable
- Limited tuner compatibility - Annoying sounds - Channels don't change smoothly - No real remote support - No IR blaster support - No user support other than forums, in which Yahoo does not participate |
When DenGuru asked me to review Yahoo's Go for TV Beta, I have to say that I wasn't exactly psyched. If the previous frustrating experience with my Yahoo SBC DSL installation was any indication, I thought I was going to be in for a rough ride. I also think of Yahoo as a company that will do anything to get its toolbar or branded Internet browser on your computer.
Why are these people having so much fun?
So when I learned that Yahoo was getting into the media center software business, I cringed with thoughts of obtrusive and inefficient software. It turns out, however, that Yahoo purchased its software from Meedio, and then modified and rebranded the program. This caused a great deal of conflict in my mind about what the software would be like.
Yahoo is a little late into the media center PC game, but at least it bought a company that knew what it was doing. Meedio has been the software of choice of many reviewers, but the question then became what would happen to this once prize-winning program in the hands of Yahoo. (Keep in mind as you read this article that this is beta software being reviewed, and not the final product.)
But putting aside my misgivings about Yahoo, I downloaded the program and began the setup process. I realized that my Hauppauge PVR 150 MCE was not on the six-card beta compatibility list, but I figured that since it was a really popular card, and the driver was compatible with Meedio, that they might have included support for it anyway.
The setup was very straightforward, and anyone who knows where his or her media files are located can set up the program very easily. I had to return to the My Programs menu and click on the TV setup wizard to set up the tuner and TV guide info. Fortunately, my card was indeed recognized even though it was not on the compatibility list. I do not know why Yahoo did not list all the cards compatible with the beta, but with an install size of 9.5 MB, I was impressed that my card was there. Don't forget to check for a compatible MPEG II decoder when you set up and you will have no problems; installation took only 10 minutes.
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