New Motorola Device Streams Broadcast TV Via Wi-Fi

This new Motorola device will surely tick off the networks and Hollywood studios if adopted by the major cable providers.

Tuesday Motorola Mobility revealed a new broadband device that will actually stream live TV to any connected IP device located on a home network. Called the Motorola Televation, the gadget will employ a 1 GHz digital tuner and CableCard to access broadcast TV channels directly from a coax outlet.

"The device has a high-performance transcoder that translates programming in real-time from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4, as well as changing resolution and bit rate to match the capabilities of the consumer’s viewing device while maintaining excellent picture quality," the company explained. "The device has an Ethernet jack to plug directly into the home Wi-Fi router so the TV show can be wirelessly streamed over IP to any device connected to the home network."

Motorola also added that the Televation uses its proprietary SecureMedia IPRM-HN technology to keep the content secure as it's streamed over the local network while also preserving the rights of the content holders. That said, don't count on purchasing the Televation at your local Best Buy and expect to instantly stream the latest episode of Glee. Instead, this device will likely be scooped up by cable providers like Comcast and Time Warner Cable.

"Motorola provides Software Development Kits (SDKs) for both Android and iOS development environments, so customers can easily develop client applications that enable the subscriber to navigate, discover and select the show they want to watch," the company said. "Motorola also provides a reference client application for tablet devices that can be easily branded, giving customers an alternative to developing their own application."

The Motorola Televation is an interesting release given that cable TV providers like Time Warner Cable are currently having issues with content providers and the right to stream/not stream their media to devices other than the standard television. Time Warner just recently revised its channel lineup on the iPad tablet app after Viacom, News Corp and Discovery threatened to sue the company for supposedly violating their licensing agreements. Time Warner retaliated, saying that it had done nothing wrong and announced its plans to launch a counter-suit.

But in all fairness, how will Motorola's device be anything different than a standard-issue cable box (standard or digital) already supplied by cable providers? These devices use an address as will the Motorola Televation. The only difference is that Motorola's device will have the ability to push content to multiple screens – including PCs, laptops and tablets – rather than just one HDTV.

Televation will be showcased at the Motorola and Comcast booths at the 2011 Cable Show in Chicago starting today. Motorola did not offer pricing and availability.

Motorola Televation homebrew anyone?