CES Info: Home Networking HD PVR

[Chris Blount]

VOOM demoed a home network based on the new Motorola DSR-580 PVR. It uses a coax home network (really) connecting the PVR to thin clients throughout the house. It allows moving HD and non-HD video, pictures, and music throughout the house over the coax network. They showed the same HD channel on 3 TVs from one PVR (with 2 thin client boxes). It has a 240G harddrive PVR. Existing VOOM boxes can be used as thin clients for existing customers. They mentioned you can split a coax cable modem output to remain compatible, but I didn't get the details of that. PCs can act as thin clients to share the pictures and audio files.

From this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=348883) at AVS

[DonLandis]

Chris-

You asked and you get!

I did this little video for your VOOM enthusiasts today. It is low resolution as I shot it with a Canon PowerShot G3 still camera in video mode. The video is in WM9 and requires a reasonably high speed conned. For those who have a slower connect speed or have some problems playing the video real time you can download it to your hard drive by right clicking on the link and selecting "save target as" Download it to your hard drive and then play it from there. If you don't have windows Media 9 codec installed or the player, Go get it, don't complain to me, just upgrade your windows to run wm9. It is the best video system out and I choose to use it. The file is about 4.9 Mb and the video is a 320x240x 15fps which is what the Canon's max video does.


http://www.bestoftheweb.tv/VOOMhs.wmv

(Case sensitive link)

[Chris Blount]

Thanks Don! Great video. Is it me or does it seem like Voom doing it better than Dish and DirecTV?

[DonLandis]

"Is it me or does it seem like Voom doing it better than Dish and DirecTV?"

I suppose that depends on how rosey your glasses are. Voom talked about an idea they were going to pursue. Yes they had great visual aids but it was not real.

DirecTV had a working HDTIVO, the shipping model, stated a price and stated a ship date and also stated they would not have delivery issues when their release is announced. You WILL see them in all the DirecTV stores at release date if the store has done their ordering.

Dish is doing the 921 which was on display for anyone to come up and play with. I spent a total of 2 hours this week on both a JVC model and a Dish model. It was fun! The Dish unit is soon to be at full release and I heard they have several thousand ready to flood as soon as this next software is out. They told me today, the trial period is over on the 921. But they did say their computer is esitmating a 3 week period starting this week to complete all backorders and begin shipping current day orders.

Voom says no price and no idea when available although the target is end of summer and the price will be higher than the current box and the centric network interfaces will be lower. They also said the PVR would be a Motorola design.

Personally, I plan to do both D* and E* and then see where VOOM is in November or Dec before making a move to have them as a 3rd provider. I am trying to build a budget model for affording 3 dbs providers. I have had 2 for the past 3 years.

[Chris Blount]

From what I've been reading elsewhere, the price on the HD DirecTivo will be $999 right? Will they be offering a lower price with a year commitment or something along those lines? What is the release date?

[DonLandis]

HDTIVO is $999.99. No announced discounts. Release March 31. Ready to ship on that date to stores in nationwide quantities. Shipping time then first part of April we should be able to walk into any D* dealer and buy off the shelf. Small sat installers may need to order from distributor but large stores like CC, BB, GoodGuys? will have them on the shelf.

BTW- Voom was not all that happy with the Sears program. They recognized that the Sears salesmen had no training.

[TVBob]

Dish is doing the 921 which was on display for anyone to come up and play with. I spent a total of 2 hours this week on both a JVC model and a Dish model. It was fun!

Is there any difference between the JVC and Dish models, besides the label on the front panel? Will both get new software at the same time, or will Dish models get the fixes first?

If I have a problem with my JVC branded DVR-921, do I have to call JVC for service instead of DISH?

[Mike Richardson]

Chris-

You asked and you get!

I did this little video for your VOOM enthusiasts today. It is low resolution as I shot it with a Canon PowerShot G3 still camera in video mode. The video is in WM9 and requires a reasonably high speed conned. For those who have a slower connect speed or have some problems playing the video real time you can download it to your hard drive by right clicking on the link and selecting "save target as" Download it to your hard drive and then play it from there. If you don't have windows Media 9 codec installed or the player, Go get it, don't complain to me, just upgrade your windows to run wm9. It is the best video system out and I choose to use it. The file is about 4.9 Mb and the video is a 320x240x 15fps which is what the Canon's max video does.


http://www.bestoftheweb.tv/VOOMhs.wmv

(Case sensitive link)

I wish people wouldn't use proprietary codecs like WMP. Some people do not have Windows so they can't play proprietary files like this, or they can only play them poorly. There are other more compatible codecs.

[ToddJ]

I wish people wouldn't use proprietary codecs like WMP. Some people do not have Windows so they can't play proprietary files like this, or they can only play them poorly. There are other more compatible codecs.

I wish people would appreciate what others do for free and the benefit of others. How about showing a little gratitude to DonL that he posted what he did even though it may not suit YOUR particular desire?

An embarrassed fellow Texan

[larryhdtv]

From this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=348883) at AVS


Hello Chris, Can you tell me if the new dvr by voom will have a firewire output?

I'm going to leave directv & go to voom.

Do you also know when it might be released?

I had voom in the past around november of last year & the box had issues &
had to pay $750.00 to get the box.

Now they have a better offer where you pay only $9.95 per month & a $39.90 package.

Please answer the part about the firewire outputs & the availability date.

Thanks for your time.
L.C.
New Jersey

[Chris Blount]

Hello Chris, Can you tell me if the new dvr by voom will have a firewire output?

I'm going to leave directv & go to voom.

Do you also know when it might be released?

I had voom in the past around november of last year & the box had issues &
had to pay $750.00 to get the box.

Now they have a better offer where you pay only $9.95 per month & a $39.90 package.

Please answer the part about the firewire outputs & the availability date.

Thanks for your time.
L.C.
New Jersey

As far as I know, the Voom DVR will have firewire (someone correct me if I'm wrong about that) and will have networking capability that is mentioned above.

Release is set for later this year but nobody really knows exactly when. Attached is a picture of the Voom DVR.

[Dish Notwork]

Thanks for the video.

[levitatinggolf]

The coax network is interesting, do they plan on using the same coax feed that is in the house already for houses wires for cable? If this is the case, then using coax makes a lot of sense, mose houses are already wired. Does anynody have any more info on this?

[DarrellP]

I emailed Voom asking them about Firewire and they told me they had no idea when they would implement it because of copy protection issues.