Multi-Room Viewing First Look

[puckhead]

PDF Link 1.95MB

Very exciting, I've been looking forward to this for a long time now. Evidently, the staggered software update (0x0395 for HR-2X or R22) began rolling out yesterday (1/19/10). I'll be reading up on this for a while to get familiar but I like the fact that you can use your own network (wired or N) or a MOCA type (They call it the DirecTV Ether over Coax Adapter or DECA) network that DirecTV will provide so you can avoid any bandwidth hits on your own home network.

[ftlaud_dj]

Kinda sucky that they are looking to charge once the beta is over, also looks like they aren't really sure about it working right over Ethernet, saw a disclaimer there about a final deployment with a SWM Coax adapter.

I have to go check my receivers and see if I have the update, will be interesting to compare this to the feature on my networked Tivos. This may be the end of my Tivo experience since I finally have the DirecTV boxes streaming movies and content.

Thanks for posting this!
Miguel

[DoubleDAZ]

Does it stream recordings rather than copy them? Do copy flags have an impact or doesn't DirecTV use those?

[ftlaud_dj]

I've been playing with this since yesterday and so far I'm very pleased, it's a stream Dave not a copy like Tivo does and I think that is the workaround for copy protection, since it's only on 1 device no reason why you can't stream it to the other.

What I've been impressed with is that unlike Tivo, you can fast advance while in stream. Right now I'm watching HGTV and skipping the commercials with the 30 second skip, I also tried to skip to the middle of a program and it had no issue with it at all so from me I give it a huge thumbs up and again since I have the ability to stream my movie library to the DirecTV box now, the Tivo is becoming more and more of a paperweight.

I'm still uneasy about the desire to bill the subs once the public beta is over, this is such a nice feature that comes for free on the competitions system.

As for any worries about if it can keep up, I'm running on a Gigabit network but the boxes are all 100mb and it's streaming really well with no issues at all.

Now if they could only fix the streaming media issue where you can't FF or REW a streaming movie from my NAS or TVersity, that is about the only thing that really annoys, oh and the ability to copy a movie to the HD like on Tivo, that would make this the ultimate box.

I'm very impressed.
Miguel

[DoubleDAZ]

Thanks. I appreciate you keeping us posted on this. Sounds like it works the same as Moxi. Guess I need to do another price check.

[puckhead]

That's great news ftlaud! I'm probably waiting for the whole DECA package before I upgrade the bedroom, but I'm really glad to hear about your success. Please keep the updates about your experience coming.

[Lloyd]

I'm finally getting everything running. I set up the network with the electrical wiring net, but I have three DVRs, and only two could connect to the network. Streaming has been fine, but once in a while it loses a packet and there's a breakup. Now that I've got a SWM installed, I can record six programs at any time (but only two of the DVRs are multi room capable right now). I believe that this summer, the SWM connections will double as a network connection, and all three will be able to share with each other. Here's hoping there's no communication issue between an HR20, an HR21 and an HR23.

[puckhead]

Good article about DECA/MOCA that shares some insight on where DirecTV is heading with this tech and even some tidbits for possible cable uses.

MoCA Takes Spectrum Down a Notch

April 20, 2010 | Jeff Baumgartner |


The Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) has added midrange frequencies to its 1.1 specification, which is good news for DirecTV Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV) as the satellite giant gets ready to launch its whole-home DVR next month.

The newly added range covers frequencies from 500 to 1,500MHz. The original spectrum range for MoCA 1.1 was 850 to 1,500MHz.

Monk says there's not much difference between the chips supporting the different spectrum profiles; chips of both types are shipping.

The original range was a better fit for cable's available service spectrum, but it overlaps the L-band (950 to 2,150MHz), which is used by DirecTV and Dish, another MoCA member, to carry video signals from the dish to the satellite receiver. The original MoCA range didn't leave enough separation for proper filtering, says MoCA chief technology officer Anton Monk, who is also the VP of technology at MoCA chipmaker Entropic Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: ENTR).

He says MoCA went with the mid-RF approach over lower frequencies because tests showed that the latter environment is noisy and much more difficult to harness. Spectrum below 20MHz, for example, gets interference from powerlines.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) has been able to make Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA) work in lower frequencies for the U-verse TV service, but Monk believes the performance tradeoffs and the work necessary to perform a similar feat with MoCA are too great.

The mid-range approach offers "a very clean band, so it's away from any interference and powerline ingress interference issues," he says. "DirecTV wanted the same performance that cable is getting… without going to low frequencies."

The target performance, in the case of MoCA 1.1, is about 175 Mbit/s of net throughput. (The yet-to-be-ratified MoCA 2.0 platform is shooting for a basic mode that can pump out 400 Mbit/s, and an 800-Mbit/s enhanced mode: See MoCA 2.0 'Enhanced' Mode Target: 800 Mbit/s.)

DirecTV is eager to use MoCA not just for multiroom DVRs, but also to help fulfill its vision for RVU Alliance technology.

In that scenario, DirecTV will be looking to use MoCA and RVU to support thin-client video devices attached to a central video gateway/server. With that in place, DirecTV intends to ship its user interface over the home network to a wide range of remote clients, including IPTV set-tops, TVs, and PCs that can speak the RVU language.

DirecTV is championing RVU, but Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), still the heaviest MoCA user, is also a member of the RVU Alliance and is believed to be pursuing similar plans.

DirecTV has previously said it intends to deploy its whole-home DVR by the first quarter of 2010, but its Website indicates that the product is still in beta testing. A DirecTV spokesman says the company expects to launch it sometime in May. (See DirecTV Picks Entropic and DirecTV Preps Multiroom DVR.)

Can cable play in the new band?
Although the mid-RF approach is targeted to satellite companies, cable could use it as well. The problem, though, is that cable already uses that band to deliver video services on the outside plant, so there are some major interference issues that would need solving.

Monk says he's "heard of some interesting architectures floating around," including a "split gateway," that could tap into the lower MoCA band.

But that would require some extra work by the cable operator. "You'd have to isolate the inside of the house from the outside of the house," Monk explains.

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable

Link

[Lloyd]

While the idea of whole home DVR viewing is something I'd love, I'm already invested in three DVRs connected by SWM which is the expected method of carrying the networked feed between DVRs. I'll have to settle for that for the forseeable future. Can't wait until the ethernet over coax adapters come out.

[Lloyd]

While the idea of whole home DVR viewing is something I'd love, I'm already invested in three DVRs connected by SWM which is the expected method of carrying the networked feed between DVRs. I'll have to settle for that for the forseeable future. Can't wait until the ethernet over coax adapters come out.

And they're in. I've put in the ethernet over coax, and it works flawlessly (way better than Powerline). Additionally, a simple HD (non-DVR) receiver can also play back the shows recorded on the other DVRs in the house. I've been able to eliminate conflicts by spreading my recordings over the three DVRs in the house, and play any of them back on any of the four receivers in the house. That's right. I may live alone, and I may be too cheap to buy HBO, but no matter what room I'm in, I'm watching HD.

[puckhead]

...but no matter what room I'm in, I'm watching HD.

If it were any other way, we'd have to dock your pay as site admin.

[DoubleDAZ]

If it were any other way, we'd have to dock your pay as site admin.

Like that will really hurt.

[ftlaud_dj]

And they're in. I've put in the ethernet over coax, and it works flawlessly (way better than Powerline). Additionally, a simple HD (non-DVR) receiver can also play back the shows recorded on the other DVRs in the house. I've been able to eliminate conflicts by spreading my recordings over the three DVRs in the house, and play any of them back on any of the four receivers in the house. That's right. I may live alone, and I may be too cheap to buy HBO, but no matter what room I'm in, I'm watching HD.

Lloyd excellent news, you just answered a major question that I had and wasn't able to gleam an answer from web resources. So based on what you're saying, I can add a new HD box in my daughters room without the DVR functionality and she will still be able to watch her movies that I have recorded on my other 2 units?

Does it make a difference if I use Ethernet or will this solution only work with the Ethernet over coax that you're running. As you know I tested the multi-room during the beta but when they turned it off before the big launch I didn't opt to get it back (had no need) now I see a potential need! Also based on what you see, would the Coax and Ethernet solutions allow for a mix? Say 2 units via Cat5e and the last unit on the Coax? In your opinion would it make a difference?

Thanks,
Miguel

[Lloyd]

I think you should look at ethernet over coax as an alternative to powerline. I don't have ethernet running throughout the house, and powerline is glitchy. I did the beta as well, and only two of my three receivers could see each other, and packets got lost regularly. If you're wiring up directly through cat5, you'll do fine. And just like the beta, if you allow full control, your daughter can even delete recordings remotely. It occurs to me as I write this that I haven't investigated whether or not a remote unit can schedule a recording, but I don't think they can (I don't remember an option for choosing where a program will be recorded). I'll look into that tonight.

[ftlaud_dj]

I think you should look at ethernet over coax as an alternative to powerline. I don't have ethernet running throughout the house, and powerline is glitchy. I did the beta as well, and only two of my three receivers could see each other, and packets got lost regularly. If you're wiring up directly through cat5, you'll do fine. And just like the beta, if you allow full control, your daughter can even delete recordings remotely. It occurs to me as I write this that I haven't investigated whether or not a remote unit can schedule a recording, but I don't think they can (I don't remember an option for choosing where a program will be recorded). I'll look into that tonight.

Well I'm all CAT5e here, I was just wondering if going Coax / Ethernet would be faster, I know that during the beta,it was very good, but if the coax solution is even better then might be worth the effort.

I appreciate the education on this one, this just saved me 100 bucks over buying another DirecTV DVR for her, tomorrow I'll order up another HD reciever and add that to her room and I'm done!

Superb!