Comcast XFINITY TV → AnyRoom DVR Available On or About 7/15

All the info I've read internally so far states they will not have a self install option for anyroom DVR. In my market I've read it's mandatory tech install (because filter needs to be installed) and that the fee for install I believe is 29.99 as far as I know that would cover swaping out up to 4 boxes (DVR and up to 3 HD Boxes), with no other fee's or activation fee's).

how hard is it to put a filter on the main line going into the house. In my area there isn't a box at the house. It is dark out and I don't feel like looking right now but if i recall correctly it runs from the pole to the house then runs down until it hits a ground block at the side of the house. Then it there connects with the line into the house.
If what I remember is correct, would they put the filter at the ground block or inside the fusebox where the cable enters the house?

Also does the $20 include the dvr and 3 boxes or is it $20 plus $12 extra per capable box?

I don't think they officially announced pricing in my market yet (Greater Chicago Region). However my guess would be 19.99 for Primary DVR, 7.95 per additional HD Satellite Box.

I would be very happy if it was some kind of package deal where it was 19.99 for the DVR and up to 3 HD Satellite Boxes, I don't think that's happening though.

I'd think not so much that it's difficult to put the trap on, rather there's a fear that some/many users wouldn't put it on. I'm assuming the filter isn't necessary to get the boxes to work in your house, but rather to make sure you don't corrupt the cable service by allowing your MoCa signals to backfeed out of your house.

In terms of costs, for me with 1 dvr and 2 additional boxes now, I just see AnyRoom DVR as $4/month more, after the $30 installation fee. If you have 2 DVR's now (and isn't the 2nd one $20/month?), if you got it primarily to watch recorded shows in another room, that's a nice $16/month savings. [Of course you go from being able to record 4 different programs to 2, but life isn't perfect.]

Jeff

Jeff

Does Motorola even produce a QAM box with more than 2 tuners? I would guess Comcast could ask them to design a custom box with more than 2 tuners but the additional costs would be passed on to the customers.

Got some info on pricing today in Chicago market.

As I suspected it will be 19.95 for primary DVR (Hub) and 7.95 for each additional HD Satellite box.

If you have a HD triple play where there is no extra charge for HD channels, then your primary DVR will be 12.95 and each additional HD Box will be 7.95.

Not sure whats happening for those customers who have Premier Triple play with free DVR. I"ll have to check but I think they may get upgraded to anyroom at no additional charge outside of install fee. Don't quote me on that part though until I double check.

That's the only way I'd do it.

The sattelite box is 7.95, is cheaper than the crappier DCT-700 which is $8.90 here. So I'd actually SAVE 95 cents getting anyroom eh?

I have had these boxes on our market for about 4 months. The firmware is still a bit messed up. You can't delete from the satellite boxes nor will it resume from the satellite box's last position.

We have the base unit + 3 satellite hubs.

Another little annoyance is if you turn the main dvr off with the switch on the front of the box, you can't turn it back on with the remote. You have to use the switch.

Also, sometimes when the system is recording something you've preset the unit to record and you turn the TV on, all you get is a black screen. The remote won't work. You have to use the power button on the front of the screen which will then make the unit show a picture, while it asks you if you want to cancel recording to power off the unit. You can then use the remote to tell it no and go on to change the channel if the other tuner isn't in use.

The unit doesn't allow you to watch a recorded show in one room, pause the show, and finish watching it in another.

On the good side, the DVR will record HD. If the tv you have in another room isn't HD, it will down scale to SD to allow you to watch the recording.

So now we have both Ted Sheckler and Uncle Paul...if we get Lyle "Chip" Chipperson in here, I'll die laughing.

Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

Will this be available in both Motorola and SA/Cisco markets. I am stuck in a Cisco market and have the horrible box that is the RNG200.

I was also stuck with that horrible "Cisco RNG 200 DVR HD box" I couldn't take the SARA guide anymore so I bought a "TIVO Premiere" and now I am Happy as a Clam!!! better onscreen guide & UI.

Right now the newest guide push to the Sa boxes, the s25 is not compatible with anyroom dvr. They do say however that this is forthcoming in the next update to the guide next year.

Comcast adds AnyRoom DVR in Ore., parts of Wash.

»www.cedmagazine.com/News ··· 110.aspx

Can't reach the site... anyone else have a problem?

Worked for me in Chrome on Win7 Pro.

Full text of article:

quote:

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Comcast adds AnyRoom DVR in Ore., parts of Wash.
By Mike Robuck
CedMagazine.com - July 01, 2010
Comcast's AnyRoom DVR and other features launched yesterday in Oregon and southwest Washington.

The new features, which were rolled out under Comcast's Xfinity TV brand, came along with Comcast's A28 Motorola guide. About 80 percent of Comcast's systems are Motorola, with the rest Cisco/Scientific Atlanta.

AnyRoom DVR allows the primary HD DVR to control all of the DVR functions, including scheduling, deleting and recording settings, across up to three networked boxes in other rooms in a home. The networked set-top boxes can be used to view, sort, play, fast-forward, rewind, pause, skip ahead or skip back within DVR recordings and gives subscribers the same control functionality no matter what TV they are viewing from.

Like some of its competitors, Comcast has a service, called myDVR Manager, that allows subscribers to use its broadband service to remotely schedule and adjust DVR recordings online.

There's also a DVR Search & Record function that lets them search for content by actor, title, director and keyword. Comcast's DVR History displays information on already recorded, watched and deleted programs, and there's also a DVR Folders function for when customers record more than one episode of a series.

With the new guide, Comcast's On Demand Skip Ahead/Skip Back feature lets customers jump ahead or back in 5 minute increments during on-demand programming by using the "up" and "down" arrows on their remotes. Comcast also has the same functionally on its DVR service, as well.

The guide also provisions a new "Watch in HD" button that allows customers to switch to the HD version of the program they are watching, which cuts down on scroll times of going from an SD channel to the HD version.

The "Watch HD" button is also easier on the network since subscribers jump right to the sister HD channel with one click instead of scrolling channel by channel.

"Our digital cable customers in Oregon and soutwest Washington will see significant value and convenience from these new features," said Hank Fore, regional vice president in Oregon and southwest Washington. "We remain committed to providing our customers with the ultimate TV viewing experience, and AnyRoom DVR, the enhanced DVR functions and new on-screen program guide technology join a long list of value-added features that make watching favorite programming easier and more enjoyable than ever."

Last month, Comcast started deploying its new Scientific Atlanta guide, which is known internally as the S25, in parts of Connecticut, although the SA guide won't have all of the same features as the Motorola guide until next year.

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So I just set install on this for tomorrow. I live in El Sobrante (east SF Bay Area). The details for pricing for me were as follows: $14 for the main DRV and $8 more for each room ("terminal") + installation is required for $25. So the sales person I talked to said you could pause live tv on the non-main "terminals" despite it saying the opposite on the website. She even checked with a supervisor. I'm pretty sure she's wrong, but i'm waiting to be pleasantly surprised. Also, they couldn't confirm the gb, but she told me it was 300 hours SD and 60 hours HD. This sounds a little low for 500gb, but you never know.

If it is like my terminals, you can not pause live tv.

I'm currently testing it in my market. We were so post to release this in our area last week but we pushed it back due to bugs. It is 500gb and you cannot pause tv on the terminals.

put it this way, the terminals are a DCT with the ability to watch recorded shows off the main DVR.

so to me you save a couple dollars by doing this but basically all you gain is a 500gb dvr. You can't set or pause recordings from the non-main boxes.
I think I will wait and see if they add more features later on with the next guide that comes out (when is that, later this year?)

Quite honestly, MR DVR has been available from S/A for many years now. The South West metro of the Twin Cities had this way back in circa 2003 before Comcast purchased the system (swapped at least) from Time Warner Cable,.. this was the first system I believe in the U.S. to have MR DVR available.

Just an FYI.. so I'm not sure why Comcast wouldn't have this available, if anything, already, that is unless S/A ditched the service.

Got a message this morning that it will be available here on or about 7/7.

Semi-related question: the dcx3200m satellite box can tune HD channels, with the new Comcast billing structure, can I not pay the HD surcharge on that box if I choose not to enable it? I was thinking, if I have Comcast come out to install main and satellite boxes on my two HD sets, maybe it makes sense to install a 3rd box on my current non-HD set. That way, I'll be able to watch recorded SD programs there, and if/when I get an HD set there, all I'll need to do is get the HD channels activated, not replace the box.

Jeff

Does anyone know if this has been launched in Boston? I saw that (at launch) it only mentioned "western MA" which seems funny, since I would think this is something Comcast would IMMEDIATELY want to get into the city to (hopefully) help stop defections to satellite.

Also, this area has a large population of residents who move in around September, so I'd think it would make sense to launch this before the rush of installs this fall...

Is this a surprise? On a regular DVR, you're pausing the recording of the local channel you are watching. On a satellite box, there's no HDD to record your local channel.

Jeff

On a regular DVR you're pausing the playback, not the recording. (At least I would hope so!)

If the recording is happening on the remote DVR, there is no reason you should not be able to pause the playback locally.

Under the newer XFinity pricing scheme, there is only a single HD fee, no matter how many HD boxes you have. You only have to pay the normal 'extra outlet' (extra box) fee.

The remote units are their own tuners that only have the ability to play the data on the home dvr. Unlike other solutions that actually broadcast both recorded and live content from the home dvr to the remote tv, each remote unit acts as it's own tuner.

It would be nice for the remote unit to instruct the home dvr (if it has a tuner available) to begin recording the show you're watching, switch you to that recording, and pause. If you ever catch up to live tv, swap back to the remote tuner and delete the recording on the home dvr.

Curious if anyone plans on calling tomorrow (in Phila area) to make an appointment for an installation.

Jeff

I just called 15 minutes South East of Philly.

Two Reps said they just pushed it back. The tables need to be updated, so they can have rate codes.
Notice was giving out today.