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Cable TV (really) does want to offer multi-room DVRs

February 12th, 2010, 6:42 am by

Broadcom MoCA chipChances are high that your next TV set-top box will have features like a multi-room DVR, Internet access and home networking — even if you’re a cable TV customer, says Michael Inouye, a TV industry analyst with ABI Research.

In a new report, Inouye projects that there will be 15 million next-generation set-top boxes in the market by 2014. These 15 million boxes will have MoCA, a technology that uses existing coaxial cables to send video to devices throughout the home. While other home networking technologies like Powerline (uses electrical lines)  and HomePNA (uses phone lines), are gunning to be in the next set-top box, Inouye said that MoCA is attracting the TV companies that actually provide the hardware to consumers.

My first thought? Cable companies have long offered set-top boxes with advanced features. But they haven’t enabled them. The USB and eSATA ports on my cable TV box don’t work so I can’t add a hard drive to store more TV shows or view photos. I asked Inouye to tell us what really might happen with future set-top boxes.

“Indeed, you are spot on in regards to cable providers’ previous practices of limiting STB (set-top box) functions. But in many cases just because it’s not ‘active’ doesn’t mean it’s not there, so when we established the forecast we focused on estimating the number of boxes that could support MoCA (e.g. hardware in place) but not necessarily active,” Inouye said in an e-mailed response.

Ahh… so, no MoCA features for cable customers. No, not quite, Inouye said. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • Wi-Fi & networking • • • • • • • • • | 15 Comments »

Coming soon: Dish to let users watch TV online

January 11th, 2010, 12:20 pm by

Dish Network at CES 2010: TV EverywhereUPDATED, 4:09 p.m.: The new box is available to all customers, not just new ones, as I was originally told. However, there will likely be a fee. No announcement yet on how much.
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While a big part of the Consumer Electronics Show focused on 3D television, Dish Network focused on a better way to watch the TV you pay for with the new TV Everywhere service.

No, this isn’t the same TV Everywhere that the cable TV companies are pushing (Dish says it’s pursuing a trademark).

However, the two TV Everywhere’s are similar. The idea behind the separate services is that if you’re a paying TV customer, you should get access to those shows online and on TV.

The big difference? Cable TV’s version may not include every TV channel you pay for in your cable plan. Dish’s does, said Vivek Khemkeh Khemka (corrected 2:56 p.m.), Dish’s vice president of customer technology.

“The key message of TV Everywhere is that you pay once for your TV and you can get it everywhere you want,” Khemka  said.

By everywhere, Khemka  means online, from any computer, from compatible mobile phones and on a second TV in the house that may not have a receiver.

Dish Networks' TV Everywhere ViP722k HD DVR with built-in Slingbox.How does it work? Slingbox. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: iPhone • Video & TV • • • • • • • • • | 9 Comments »

11 things a DVR should do

November 19th, 2009, 3:25 am by

DVR with Broadcom inside can do 12 things that others can't.Not all digital video recorders are created equal. But there’s no question these DVRs, or TiVo’s, or new fangled VCRs or whatever you want to call them have changed the way many of us watch TV.  If you have such a device, do you even remember what it was like when you couldn’t pause and rewind live TV?

But being consumers, we want more. More storage space, more content, more options. Thing is, more is out there but many of us have no access to these DVRs. But what is more?

I posed the question to Broadcom Corp., the Irvine designer of DVR silicon chips. What should a DVR be able to do these days? Plenty, the company tells me. Here’s a list of what Broadcom DVR chips can do. Keep in mind, this doesn’t mean that DVRs with Broadcom chips have all these features enabled. But this is just a list of what is available today.

11 things a Broadcom DVR can do:

Number 1 stock artUse home Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth or MoCA to connect to other devices in the house. You probably know what wireless Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and wired Ethernet are. The newcomer is MoCA, which uses existing coaxial cable running through the house to send high-definition video signals between devices. It’s one way to avoid ripping up walls and installing fiber-optic cables.

Number 2 stock art Enable a Multi-room DVR so households can skip a second DVR at home. All shows are stored on one box, which can be accessed from any room with TV and receiver (i.e., a standard set-top box for most users). Multiple people can watch the same show at the same time on different TVs and pause or rewind without affecting anyone else’s playback. Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse offer one and Cox Communications plans to offer one before the end of the year.

Number 3 stock art Stream content from your cell phone. Record a video on your phone that you want to watch on the big-screen TV? It’s been possible for a few years. Thanks to Digital Living Network Alliance technology, such DLNA-enabled cell phones or computers can stream digital content from one device to another. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • | 8 Comments »

Broadcom’s new 5-in-1 DVR chip

October 27th, 2009, 4:41 pm by

broadcommocachipWhenever Irvine’s Broadcom Corp. unveils a new chip, we know it probably does three things: Combine two or more older chips, use less power and cost less than existing technology.

Its latest chip, announced today, does just that for the home TV’s digital video recorder, the DVR.

The Broadcom’s BCM7125 conceivably can change the DVR world by offering consumers a smaller set-top box packed with all the features the most-advanced DVR offers. Stuff like multi-room viewing, video transfer from cell phone to set-top box and back, slide shows streamed from a home PC, and a plethora of on-screen widgets.

“If you look at the 7125, typically in the basic box there are two tuners, front-end with DOCSIS, HD backend and MoCA,” said Peter Schenitzki, senior product group manager at Broadcom’s Broadband Communications Group.

Essentially, he said, “So five chips are now in one chip.”

On top of this convergence, the chip can cut power consumption by shutting down unused features. An example: When the always-on DVR isn’t recording or broadcasting an HD show, it could shut down the HD decoder. Read the rest of this entry »

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Cox finally coming out with multi-room DVR

October 23rd, 2009, 3:11 am by

Cox CableUpdate, 1:11 p.m.: Added a few more details about Cox’s upcoming service.

Cox Communications has confirmed that the elusive multi-room DVR is on target for an end-of-the-year launch. That’s right, in two months, Cox cable TV subscribers should have the option of a DVR that can be accessed from other rooms in your house.

“At this time we can’t talk about specifics yet, but our plans are still on target,” said Lana Ong, the local Cox spokeswoman who told me about the DVR’s 2009 launch.

I first heard about this device from Cox in March 2007 during a visit to its Rancho Santa Margarita headquarters. At the time, Cox officials were just exploring new cable TV technologies. See my earlier story, “New TV tricks from your cable company.”

EXTRA: Got a question for Time Warner Cable? Get it answered. Click HERE

Now, 2.5 years later, Cox could be the first Orange County cable company to offer the multi-room DVR. (Sorry, Time Warner customers — no updates are available on when we will get ours although the company had said it plans to have one this year.) Nationwide, Cox did announce earlier this year that it will offer a multi-room DVR, but no updates have been offered. The news today is specifically for customers in Orange County. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • | 22 Comments »

Broadcom plus Microsoft means better AT&T U-verse TV

September 11th, 2009, 12:00 pm by

Microsoft Mediaroom

Correction, added Oct. 8, 2009: Since this was an interview conducted over e-mail, some quotes were attributed incorrectly. Corrected story is below.
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News that Irvine chipmaker Broadcom Corp. unleashed a new chip – the Broadcom 7405 – may make your eyes glaze. But if you’re totally into TV, Broadcom’s contribution could help you get more out of your paid TV service.

The new chip powers second-generation Microsoft Mediaroom set-top boxes. In Orange County, AT&T U-verse is the only company offering Microsoft’s software to power its set-top boxes.

If AT&T integrates the chip into the second  generation boxes, subscribers can look forward to “substantial increase in performance,” according to Broadcom (this statement was previously attributed to Microsoft).

“The Broadcom 7405 is the first second generation (system on a chip, or SoCs) being deployed…,” said Steve Koepp, Microsoft’s senior manager, business development of TV, video and music business, in an e-mail. “As mentioned in the releases, this is important as it is enabling choice … which drives competition.”

Here’s a more technical take on Microsoft and Broadcom’s chip from EETimes Europe: “Broadcom touts MS Mediaroom certification at IBC”

The new chip also improves integration of Internet services so we may see Facebook, Twitter and other Internet applications show up on Mediaroom-friendly boxes.

I’m not a U-verse TV customer because it’s not available in my city and I’m unfamiliar with the specific features on the system. Existing U-verse customers can help verify what is already available. According to Microsoft, these are some features offered with the current Microsoft Mediaroom technology:

  • Microsoft Mediaroom offers six-screen TV viewing.Anytime Recording: Rewind or restart a show currently airing that you didn’t record. Also, you can scroll backwards in the Guide to watch a previously aired show through the video on demand library.
  • Anywhere Recording: Extends DVR capabilities to all TVs in the house so every show recorded can be accessed by connected TVs. (U-verse currently offers this multi-room DVR.)
  • Remote recording: Set your DVR to record from any PC or mobile phone (currently offered by U-verse).
  • Multiview: Watch up to six different channels at one time (see image on right).
  • Media Sharing: Built-in ability to access photos, music from computers or other devices on the home network.

More TV news:


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Posted in: Internet • Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • • | 3 Comments »

O.C., L.A. U-verse users get upgraded today

July 1st, 2009, 6:09 am by

AT&T U-verseAT&T U-verse customers in Orange County and Los Angeles should find an upgraded Total Home DVR this morning.

As mentioned earlier, the Total Home DVR, which allows subscribers to access the same recorded TV shows from any room in the house where there is a U-verse receiver, will now enable any box in the house to record, delete or schedule recordings instead of relying on the main DVR box to do so.

Also, speeds for U-verse’s High Speed Internet Max will increase 20 percent to 12 megabits per second, from 10 Mbps.

Read about other changes and improvements at “New perks from AT&T U-verse sure to make cable users jealous.”

More U-Verse news:


Check out the Gadgetress Guide to local TV services

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • | 12 Comments »

New perks from AT&T U-verse sure to make cable users jealous

June 16th, 2009, 8:30 am by

UPDATE, 10:15 a.m. Added image of U-verse’s new program guide, PDF of AT&T’s DVR comparison.

AT&T U-verseAT&T U-verse is rolling out lots of goodies and updates to subscribers today and in upcoming months, so that those of us who can’t order the Internet-based TV service can just grumble and shake our fist at our own TV provider.

One nice and very much needed fix is to its “Total Home DVR” system, which allows a family to share one DVR with multiple TVs in the house. The multi-room DVR lets users start watching a movie in one room, pause it, then continue where they left off in another room. But only people watching on the main box could record and manage recordings. This fixes that so all receivers can manage and schedule recordings — a feature AT&T says is exclusive to its multi-room DVRs. (See the company’s comparison of its DVR to others in this PDF document: AT&T’s reasons why its DVR is better then the rest.)

(AT&T isn’t the only one to offer multi-room DVR technology. Verizon’s FiOS TV also has the multi-room “Home Media” DVR. TiVo users also have had a version of this for a while.  Cox Communications had thought about it but hasn’t implemented it in Orange County. Time Warner does offer multi-room DVR in some locations but, unfortunately, not in O.C. Both cable companies have said the service is coming this year. We’ll see about that.)

Other updates coming for U-verse customers:

  • A 20 percent speed boost for Internet Max customers. Download speeds are getting upped to 12 Mbps from 10 Mbps. No extra cost required.
  • Free access to the Starz channels in July.
  • Easier-to-use program guide (pictured below) and an updated look for scheduling recordings online (sort by HD channels).
  • A way to rate on-demand shows in order to get better recommendations is coming next year.

AT&T updates U-verse TV's program guide.

U-verse access is still very limited in Orange County. The service is available in certain parts of Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Irvine, La Habra, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster and Yorba Linda. I keep an updated list of cities HERE.

More TV news:


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Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • | 15 Comments »

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