Anybody tried a rveal streaming device?

We went to a home show today and one of the vendor booths was Rveal.  They were selling an internet media streaming device similar to a Roku except it does not require any subscriptions.  They were able to get live tv from all the major networks, even premium content from HBO, Netflix, showtime etc.  Live sports, news etc. 

It seemed too good to be true.

Anybody here have one?  Comments?

Www.rveal.com

There are no online customer reviews. If it seems too good to be true then it usually isn't true. And $350 is a lot to wager on an unreviewed product.

They were selling them with the advanced remote for $199.  But I've done a little exploring and found out that what they have is a single board computer (like a raspberry pi) that boots directly into the Xmbc app Kodi. 

What they've done is to pre-package it with several add-ons and sources.  It does not support recording but if you build one yourself these are dozens of PVR apps available.  I'm in the process of building one but have other things to do today.

Live TV in HD requires 5-10 Mbps which means it would be a rare thing for it to work in 99.7% of RV parks.  But being able to record movies and series to take on the road sounds useful.

8Muddypaws said:

We went to a home show today and one of the vendor booths was Rveal.  They were selling an internet media streaming device similar to a Roku except it does not require any subscriptions. 

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Roku's do not require any subscriptions; I know, I own two of them.  Anyone who is claiming they do is starting out with a fraudulent argument.

With a Roku you buy the device then you DO have to have subscriptions for any of the streaming services you use such as Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Acorn, etc.  But that's going to be the same with any device.  You can't subscribe to Netflix, for example, without having a subscription for it.

I think you misunderstand what I was saying.

The guy demoing of the Rveal box was able to being up every thing I asked for.  Game of Thrones (HBO), True Detective (Showtime), Orange Is The New Black and House of Cards (Netflix), Sense8 (Amazon).  Live sports.  Live TV from all the major networks.  And more.  All without Netflix, Amazon, HBO or Showtime subscriptions.

Yes, there is free content on Roku.  Not very high quality and some of it is littered with commercials you can't fast forward through.  I gave up on Popflix and others because of the constant commercials.

I have owned several streaming devices, including a Roku, for several years.  As of yesterday I added a a home made Kodi/XMBC client and video recorder.  There are so many Kodi sources out there it's quite overwhelming.

There's absolutely nothing on the rveal website that states that access to streams from Netflix, HBO, etc are free. In fact those particular channels and others are referred to as "premium channels" which implies that additional fees are involved.  The website very slickly avoids saying anything other than one statement that says "no monthly fees" which can be interpreted to mean that there's no monthly fee for the device itself.  If you think about it, all you are doing is downloading Android apps.  My Galaxy S4 has the apps for Netflix, HBO Go, etc, but access to those apps requires that I have the appropriate subscriptions.

With all due respect it is naive to think that content providers would provide free access to content for which they have paid licenses and for which all other streaming device owners have to purchase subscriptions.  How do you know that the guy who was demonstrating for you didn't simply have subscriptions to all the major streaming sources?  I have Netlfix, HBO Go, Showtime Anytime, Acorn, Amazon, ec.  I can switch from one to another with my Rokus and someone watching would have no idea that I have subscriptions with them.

As the other poster said, if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.

so what? You think I'm making it all up?  You're basing your very negative and accusatory replies on your limited experience with a Roku. 

I'm basing mine upon what I've seen, experienced, built, and used.  In testing slinging it to my TV I navigated to all 7 seasons of True Blood and played one of them in the highest resolution available.  Worked perfectly.

Today I watched 'Tomorrowland'.  For free.  (It's PPV on DirecTV). I used a Kodi client app installed on my iPad.  That particular client is limited to only one source but the PC, Mac, Linux etc clients will allow as many add-ones as you wish.  The latest Mad Max movie is out there too.

Think of it as an unlocked/jail broken Roku if that helps.

I suggest before you call me a liar you google Kodi or XMBC.  It's being used, and it works if one has the technical chops to figure it out. 

8Muddypaws said:

Think of it as an unlocked/jail broken Roku if that helps.

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So, essentially, it sounds as if you are obtaining services without paying for them.  Some people might call that theft of copyrighted intellectual property.  I am well aware that there are all sorts of ways to obtain streaming material that can't be obtained legally and that lots of people do it.  I don't think this forum is an appropriate venue for discussing ways of accessing streaming media without paying for the service.  Call me old fashioned, but I don't mind paying Netflix $7/mo.

8Muddypaws said:

They were selling an internet media streaming device similar to a Roku except it does not require any subscriptions. 

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Totally true

8Muddypaws said:

They were able to get live tv from all the major networks, even premium content from HBO, Netflix, showtime etc.  Live sports, news etc. 

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This is true too, It all depend how you read it.

For premium content you need a subscription, the OP did not say that premium content was also without subscription. No way a device can show premium content without a subscription, you need a log-in period.

Check out this article:

TVMC for Kodi makes video piracy uncomfortably easy

NY_Dutch said:

Check out this article:

TVMC for Kodi makes video piracy uncomfortably easy

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As the text on techhive.com says PIRACY! Also read the text on rveal.com. The FAQ says it is the same content as the premium channels. they do not claim you can view Netflix. It looks like a Android hardware device with the same software as TVMC for $349? I would call it a scam and shady practice to say the least.

Well, that answers the question about the legality.  And that was part of my initial question.  Thanks.

It doesn't make sense that Apple allows the Kodi app on the App Store if it's serving up pirated content though.

I think the wise choice is to limit it to only live network streams and record them for later viewing just as if it were an off air video recorder.  Nobody's going to get hurt about that.

FYI: several cable providers are switching to the same technology, I.e. Video over IP 100% of the time.  Directv, Comcast, Charter, and others has been doing it for years with their on demand services. 

8Muddypaws said:

It doesn't make sense that Apple allows the Kodi app on the App Store if it's serving up pirated content though.

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Kodi is fully legal, it is an open source media player,no more than that, the addition of TVMC makes it probably a piracy deal.

The Kodi app on the iPad came pre-connected to lots of copyrighted content.  Tomorrowland and Mad Max Fury Road and several hundred others.

The suggested sources I installed on the PC client had tons of it. 

I suspect it would be wise to stay away from all that content.

My wife and I also came across Rveal at the Santa clara home show. Although we were very interested, the Rveal media streamer did seem too good to be true at first so we did our research. I then randomly found this post and wanted to share. What we found out is that these products exist and one can watch EVERYTHING for free, including movies in theaters, premium networks, shows, and live TV. It is quite amazing to see how popular this is becoming. While some can make their own spending many hours, we wanted to make it easy and buy something we saw working in person. Rveal box looked very simple in comparison to others we saw. So I contacted the guys at Rveal earlier today and made an order over the phone for the price they were offering at the home show. Excited to try this thing out and cut my cable!! I'll update you guys with our review!

8Muddypaws said:

Well, that answers the question about the legality.  And that was part of my initial question.  Thanks.

It doesn't make sense that Apple allows the Kodi app on the App Store if it's serving up pirated content though.

I think the wise choice is to limit it to only live network streams and record them for later viewing just as if it were an off air video recorder.  Nobody's going to get hurt about that.

FYI: several cable providers are switching to the same technology, I.e. Video over IP 100% of the time.  Directv, Comcast, Charter, and others has been doing it for years with their on demand services. 

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I suspect the difference is that while the Kodi app is capable of streaming pirated content when certain add-ons are installed, it isn't natively designed for that purpose. Just as a car is certainly capable of speeding and other illegal practices, that's not its purpose of course, just as with many other products.

dgarond said:

My wife and I also came across Rveal at the Santa clara home show. Although we were very interested, the Rveal media streamer did seem too good to be true at first so we did our research. I then randomly found this post and wanted to share. What we found out is that these products exist and one can watch EVERYTHING for free, including movies in theaters, premium networks, shows, and live TV. It is quite amazing to see how popular this is becoming. While some can make their own spending many hours, we wanted to make it easy and buy something we saw working in person. Rveal box looked very simple in comparison to others we saw. So I contacted the guys at Rveal earlier today and made an order over the phone for the price they were offering at the home show. Excited to try this thing out and cut my cable!! I'll update you guys with our review!

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Did they give you the advanced remote at that price too?  The one with the air mouse and alphanumeric keyboard?

Waiting for your review.

I was at that same show.  Once the app comes up on my laptop it looks exactly like what they were selling.  When you get it I'd like to pick your brain about what add ons they have installed.  They had a pretty compact list but all I really want is Network TV and a program schedule.

Thanks,
Muddypaws

8Muddypaws said:

Did they give you the advanced remote at that price too?  The one with the air mouse and alphanumeric keyboard?

Waiting for your review.

I was at that same show.  Once the app comes up on my laptop it looks exactly like what they were selling.  When you get it I'd like to pick your brain about what add ons they have installed.  They had a pretty compact list but all I really want is Network TV and a program schedule.

Thanks,
Muddypaws

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Here's an article about installing add-ons for Kodi: http://www.wirelesshack.org/how-to-install-kodi-on-a-android-phone-and-watch-free-tv-shows-and-movies.html

The problem is that there's so much old information out there that finding out what works 'now' is not always easy.

I've found inst all instructions for just about every device imaginable.  Including Roku!  FireStick.  Jail broken Apple TV.  Sheild gaming systems.  Nook Tablet, kindle Fire and many more.

I've read several articles saying that most people start out using it on a computer but that gets' clunky real fast so they look for a smaller device to leave connected to the TV.

This one caught my eye is this one: http://www.amazon.com/Matricom-G-Box-Quad-Octo-Android/dp/B00QHLSKOE?tag=wireleshackt-20#productDetails

It's faster and has more memory the Rveal.  Accepts external hard drives up to 4GB, streams 4K content, and comes with a 1 year guarantee.  There is an additional remote with a keyboard but any USB keyboard & mouse will work and once you've set it up you probably don't need them often.

dgarond said:

My wife and I also came across Rveal at the Santa clara home show. Although we were very interested, the Rveal media streamer did seem too good to be true at first so we did our research. I then randomly found this post and wanted to share. What we found out is that these products exist and one can watch EVERYTHING for free, including movies in theaters, premium networks, shows, and live TV. It is quite amazing to see how popular this is becoming. While some can make their own spending many hours, we wanted to make it easy and buy something we saw working in person. Rveal box looked very simple in comparison to others we saw. So I contacted the guys at Rveal earlier today and made an order over the phone for the price they were offering at the home show. Excited to try this thing out and cut my cable!! I'll update you guys with our review!

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Hi, sorry for digging this one out of the grave, but was hoping you could let me know how the Rveal is working for you. Considering getting this, but just seems very pricey. I am ok with dropping that kind of money on a device that works, but there are some very different reviews out there, e.g. https://www.iptvinsider.com/rveal-review/ or http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-3133673/rveal-box-good-true.html. So not entirely sure if I should pull the trigger.
Appreciate if you could let me know what your view is.
Thanks!