Time Warner Cable has queued up live streaming on PCs and Macs via its TWC TV app.
Time Warner Cable’s Jeff Simmermon, director of digital communications, posted a blog yesterday that said Time Warner Cable had launched a beta trial of TWC TV for PCs and Macs using version 4 of Microsoft’s Silverlight. Cablevision is also conducting an in-home streaming trial to Macs and PCs.
Time Warner Cable first launched the TWC TV app for iPads last year, and then it rolled out an Android version of the app late last year, although the latter doesn’t support live streaming.
Like the other version of TWC TV, the PC and Mac app also lets Time Warner Cable subscribers manage their DVRs and tune their set-top boxes. In order to tune channels, or manage DVRs, customers have to have a Mystro Digital Navigator or OCAP Digital Navigator set-top box. The app also features an interactive program guide (IPG) with seven days of program listings, including full program descriptions.
The guide lets users select “HD only,” “favorite only” and “available to watch on PC” viewing options, as well as set favorite channels from the guide.
The app works with the following Mac and PC browsers: Internet Explorer 7.0 and up, Firefox 4 and up, Safari 5 and up and Chrome version 17.
“Customers with iGuide set-top boxes and analog video customers cannot tune their TVs using the TWC TV apps or website,” Simmermon wrote. “Furthermore, you’ll need a high-speed data connection to use this. If you don’t happen to get our HSD service from TWC or EarthLink, we have to install a ‘video only’ wireless gateway to enable the live video feature within the app. Program guide and set-top box tuning, as well as DVR scheduling, are accessible from any Internet connection, both in and out of home.”
Analog customers and those with Rovi’s iGuide and Sara boxes won’t have access to the TV tuning or DVR features but are offered a basic program guide based on the zip code on their accounts.
“Ever since launching the TWC TV app for the iPad, we’ve been expanding the platforms that our customers can use to get value from their video subscription, and this represents the latest star in that particular constellation,” Simmermon wrote.