DEMO: JetStreamHD lets you stream media to your iPad with no hassle

Nuvvyo, the maker of JetStreamHD, is one of 53 companies chosen by VentureBeat to launch at the DEMO Spring 2011 event taking place this week in Palm Desert, Calif. After our selection, the companies pay a fee to present. Our coverage of them remains objective.

If you have an iPad, you’ve probably tried more than one method to stream media content from your computer. The process is generally a headache, as most solutions either require you to convert files to iPad friendly formats, or require a powerful computer to do the conversion work on the fly.

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Enter the JetStreamHD, a mobile streaming device launching today that erases much of the headache of getting content — including music, movies and photos — from computers on your home network to your iPad over WiFi and 3G.

The device, which retails for $199, works in conjunction with an iPad app to deliver content. It searches your network for available files to stream when you first plug it in, and it automatically converts those files (a process called transcoding) to iPad formats when you choose them. The JetStreamHD is powerful enough to handle hefty 1080p high-definition video files. For less demanding content, the box can also stream to more than one iPad at the same time.

The JetStreamHD also employs bit rate adaptation technologies to make content suitable for streaming over 3G networks when you’re away from home. It’s a feature most other streaming solutions don’t offer, which leads to stuttering when you’re playing back content over 3G. The JetStreamHD will instead increase and decrease the quality of the content depending on your connection.

In addition to searching computers on your network, the JetStreamHD can also search media servers and network-attached storage devices. You can also plug in up to four external hard drives using a USB hub.

The combination of powerful transcoding and adaptive bit rate capabilities makes the JetStreamHD unique among other media streaming solutions. It’s similar to Sling Media’s line of devices, which allow consumers to access live TV and DVR content from mobile devices.

The device will be available for preorder from its website in March 2011 at a 40 percent discount. It will begin shipping in April.

The JetstreamHD comes from Ottawa, Canada-based Nuvyyo, which was founded last year by Grant Hall and John Palmer. The co-founders have decades of experience in senior sales, marketing and IT roles with companies like Alcatel and Nortel. The company has raised less than $500,000 so far from friends, family and the founders.