DIRECTV Selects Ucentric Systems for Home Media Center

[ramcm7]

You guys didn't post this one.

Might this be why Voom's PVR still has not been released. (Let's see, I can spend my time developing a solution for a partner with 25K subs, or developing a solution for a partner with millions of subs. Hmmm. This could take some time.)

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050106/sfth011_1.html

[Ric]

Wow - this sounds SWEET! Wondering how much this will cost me next Christmas!!!!!

[wipeout]

Will this work with the TIVO units?

[ramy]

Will this work with the TIVO units?

NO

[wipeout]

So Tivo folks are left out in the cold. Nothing like spending a grand on equipment they do not plan to add features too.

[Mike D-CO5]

[QUOTE=wipeout]So Tivo folks are left out in the cold. Nothing like spending a grand on equipment they do not plan to add features too.[/QUOTE

Now you know how the Dish customers feel like me, who paid a $1000.00 for a 921. :eek2:

[dswallow]

So Tivo folks are left out in the cold. Nothing like spending a grand on equipment they do not plan to add features too.
Absolutely do not expect to be left out in the cold.

[Skyboss]

The remote units will handle HD as well by the way. Some moron posted on AVS that the remote units were SD only.

From the release:

Ucentric's networked media center software provides the underlying software platform for HD and SD video signal networking, device discovery, resource management, bandwidth management and applications networking.

[dswallow]

The remote units will handle HD as well by the way. Some moron posted on AVS that the remote units were SD only.

From the release:

Ucentric's networked media center software provides the underlying software platform for HD and SD video signal networking, device discovery, resource management, bandwidth management and applications networking.
The source for the SD-only remote units at launch and a follow-on HD remote unit later is a PC Magazine report from CES: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1748959,00.asp

[Brent04]

How accurate is that report? It says that only SD remotes will be available at product launch, however, it also says that the unit will "be an MPEG4 box only". The current SD channels are in MPEG2 so how is the unit and remotes going to do SD channels if the unit and remotes are MPEG4 only. So unless DirecTV is going to do a major receiver swap of the receivers that are now in use, I don't think that they are going to get everyone using MPEG4 boxes over the next year so they can switch to MPEG4 only transmissions.

[dswallow]

How accurate is that report? It says that only SD remotes will be available at product launch, however, it also says that the unit will "be an MPEG4 box only". The current SD channels are in MPEG2 so how is the unit and remotes going to do SD channels if the unit and remotes are MPEG4 only. So unless DirecTV is going to do a major receiver swap of the receivers that are now in use, I don't think that they are going to get everyone using MPEG4 boxes over the next year so they can switch to MPEG4 only transmissions.
That part seems to be just plain wrong; if the receiver can handle OTA/ATSC, then it has to be able to decode MPEG-2, thus it can decode satellite delivered MPEG-2 too. It could simply be the chipset chosen for MPEG-4 is backward compatible with MPEG-2 and that's how the statement got written as it did.

[dvrblogger]

Mpeg4 and Mpeg 2 will coexist for awhile. AT CES Directv stated box will support MPEG4 HD, MPEG2 HD and ATSC.

[ddobson]

Absolutely do not expect to be left out in the cold.

I hope you're right because they have left me in the cold before. They took care of me on a Tivo unit last year after I threatened to go to DISH.

I bought 3 RCA 486 receivers in July of 2003 just to get Interactive (WINK). In December of that same year WINK and Interactive is gone and I'm out about $450.00.

Now those receivers are worthless for the new interactive. Is D going to replace all of those for me for free? I doubt it.

So are they going to give everyone with TiVo's the new system free? I'm just curious if you've heard something.

When the interactive goes live I'm calling D* on the receivers I bought. If they don't replace them all for free I will likely go to DISH after 9 years with D*.

[ramcm7]

D* will generally offer "free" (for another 12 month commitment) upgrades when the service you are adding cannot be viewed with your existing equipment. When I added the 95 sat recently, I had three boxes that were not compatible with the new sats, they offered to upgrade those boxes for free. I had to UltimateTV DVR's and a 2 1/2 year old non-DVR RCA (w/WINK.) The rep offered to replace all three with 72.5-and-95-sat-compatible DTiVo's, even though the old RCA should not have been replaced with a TiVo. When the installers showed up, they had 3 D10's and no DTiVo's. D'Oh! I was fine replacing the RCA with a D10, but wanted a DVR to record programming from the 95 sat. As my installers were having trouble and had not activated a service on the 95 sat, when I called to correct this with the D* installation hotline, they said they would not replace the UltimateTV's because replacing them was not required yet, as I had not activated a service on the 95 sat. Grrrr. Next day, the installers came back, locked on the 95 and activated programming on the 95 sat. Then I called to upgrade the UltimateTV's to TiVo's and the rep OK'd it. What a hassle.

When they start broadcasting new programming in MPEG4, if you are going to subscribe to the new MPEG4 programming, they will upgrade your equipment. The existing equipment should continue to support the existing services for a while, I should think. If you want a new STB that has interactivity or the whole-home DVR, you will probably have to foot the bill if there is not a programming"need."

Anyone in the know, please feel free to refute any inaccuracies I may have put forth here.

[Skyboss]

You summed it up nicely, and for the last time. It will support HD. In case you missed it, the HORSES MOUTH says HD. I don't give a rip what some reporter at a PC mag says.