Monsoon Multimedia has formally shipped the most recent Vulkano family of multimedia players/recorders. The Vulkano Lava is a multifunction device that can take media delivered via cable or satellite and then deliver it to computers, smartphones or iPads for viewing or remote recording. It also allows streaming content from these devices back to a TV.
Monsoon will soon release its third-generation Vulkano media hub range, as indicated by an FCC filing. Switching the design to a square rather than a rounded rectangle, the new models will carry on with the Flow, Lava and Blast names. All will continue to have the ability to stream any TV channel to mobile devices such as iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices as well as Macs and Windows PCs.
Monsoon on Tuesday updated its Vulkano media hubs with new models it had already previewed at CES. The Blast can now stream video up to 1080i and has a built-in, 160GB hard drive that can store media and serve as a DVR for unencrypted TV without needing an external drive. Many existing features carry over, including YouTube streaming, local network media sharing over 802.11n Wi-Fi or Ethernet and remote playback from either a free desktop app or $10 iOS, BlackBerry and Android mobile apps.
Monsoon has rebranded its lineup of Vulkano placeshifting multimedia streaming devices and added a new, barebones model. The Vulkano and Vulkano Pro introduced this past summer now become the Vulkano Deluxe and Vulkano Deluxe Pro, respectively, while a third model, the Vulkano Platinum, has been added. The device doesn't support web apps or DLNA/uPnP and removes DVR functionality but, at $130, is less than half the price of the $280 Vulkano Deluxe and almost a third of the $380 Deluxe Pro.
Monsoon has followed up its HAVA series of placeshifting media streaming devices with the Vulkano. The two new products, the Vulkano and Vulkano Pro, have an integrated video processor and built-in storage. They both have analog inputs to record images and can perform live streaming to PCs, Macs, iPhones and iPads, as well as BlackBerry and Android smartphones. Symbian-based phones will soon be added to this list as well.
