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rcnman
Jason Nealis
Premium Member
join:2003-05-02
Herndon, VA

rcnman

Premium Member

[TiVo] RCN TiVo Multi-Room Solution..

I'm trying to gauge some opinions or feedback on the new solution and if it's worth an upgrade for customers that already have a tivo Premiere. So the question I'm asking :

TiVo Bundle (1) Quad Tuner + (1) Preview for 29.99 plus you can add on multiple Previews for 9.95.

Advantages :

True Multi-room. (you can stream everything)
Larger HD
Preview smaller form-factor. Great for bedrooms / etc..
4 Tuners on Quad

When this launches in your market. are you going to do any of the following :

(1) Upgrade to the bundle and turn in your premiere
(2) Upgrade to the bundle and keep your premiere
(3) Pass and stick with the Premiere
(4) Wait till I can get a Preview or Quad by itself
(5) 4 tuners is fine, but I really want to add a preview to my Premiere.

Thanks

Jason

ChgoP
@cogentco.com

ChgoP

Anon

I would wait until I can get the Quad tuner by itself.

machpost
join:2002-01-11
Washington, DC

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to rcnman

(1) Upgrade to the bundle and turn in your premiere, plus I'll be turning in a non-DVR HD box as well.
Zahl
TinBoy
join:2003-02-12
Watertown, MA

Zahl to rcnman

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Do the Preview boxes need to be on the network? I'd love to replace dual premieres+moto box with a quad and dual previews:)
Option 1

Sydia21
@rcn.com

Sydia21 to rcnman

Anon

to rcnman
(2) upgrade to the bundle but keep one of my premieres. I currently have 2 premieres and a standard box.

I would trade in the 2nd premiere also as its in my master bedroom but I can't give up the pausing live tv option.

rcnman
Jason Nealis
Premium Member
join:2003-05-02
Herndon, VA

rcnman to Zahl

Premium Member

to Zahl
said by Zahl:

Do the Preview boxes need to be on the network? I'd love to replace dual premieres+moto box with a quad and dual previews:)
Option 1

As long as your Q is connect via hard wire to the router or connected via a ECB the Preview will get their internet access through the RF Cable. Thus no need for wireless or ethernet to the previews...
hppyfnbll
join:2010-04-20
Ridley Park, PA

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(3) for me. I have 2 Premieres and it does take sometime to watch a show from the other box, losing the ability to pause live tv on both is a deal breaker. I would love to have a Quad + a Premiere with true streaming.... Oh well.
dawk206
join:2010-08-21
Easton, PA

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I would go with 4 but with a slight modification. Wait until I can get a Q by itself and just keep one of my premieres. Ive invested money into expandable drives for one of my premieres so HD space isnt an issue.
cshapley
join:2011-08-31
Chicago, IL

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It would be between (1) and (3) for me...I'm currently leaning more towards (1), but here would be my reasons for sticking with my two premieres:

The first premiere is currently $15 and the second is $13. That means the new solution costs more ($30) for the same number of overall tuners and less total hard drive space. I feel like I'm splitting hairs, but I believe the Q and Preview bundle should only be $25, with additional Previews at $10 each. The multi-room streaming is nice, but not having the ability to pause live tv on the preview is a major drawback and I find it hard to swallow the fact that I would be paying more to get just a little bit less.

Having said all of that...having to only manage one season pass list and being able to record channels like HBO in the living room and still be able to access the content from the bedroom (you currently can't transfer stuff like that) makes up for any other perceived shortfalls that I see for my situation.

I think it honestly really depends on each user. I thing as long as you offer both Premiere and Q/Preview options, you will find something that will work for everyone.

The ideal situation would be for the preview to have enough hard drive space to allow for a 30 minute buffer like every other Tivo has...to me that would make this new solution unbeatable.
Komosatp
join:2006-10-30
Washington, DC

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In my case, I don't know what I will do because I'm worried about how it will impact my bundle price.

I had a brief affair with FIOS when I moved last year (bills were way more than originally promised), so when I came back to RCN I as put on a new customer discount and I wouldn't want to jeopardize that discount. With the bills I receive, I don't know how much I'm paying for my two premieres....I think I have them both for $12.95, so switching to the new Q bundle would increase my bill.
punkin
join:2010-01-27
Gaithersburg, MD

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Probably option 3 for the moment. I was really interested in this technology but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around $30 just to rent equipment, especially when the boxes don't provide access to Netflix (this might change in 2012 with Starz exiting Netflix) and Amazon VOD (I understand the compete issue but the rental costs are lower). I'm more likely to stick with the Premiere so I have a DVR as well as access to cable TV for a single TV and then run OTA to two additional sets that are hooked up to Roku LTs which will stream Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon VOD. My two cents: $13 for a server and $6 per client seems a cost I would be willing to play. Sorry Jason, I'm a big RCN fan but the equipment rentals are just getting too steep!
mjr
Premium Member
join:2003-09-18
Bethlehem, PA

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(4) for me. I believe I am one of the more rare households (of 5) with only 1 TV.. However, while I don't need 4 tuners, 3 would come in handy at times. So I would go for a Quad tuner. At some point soon, if we end up getting a second TV, the preview would be the perfect add-on...
hydrox
Premium Member
join:2010-10-30
Lexington, MA

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When this launches in my market. I will :

(1) Upgrade to the bundle and turn in my two premieres

OR

(4) Wait till I can get Quad by itself and turn in one premiere

It depends on how long a wait for the quad by itself, and how much the quad and one premiere would be per month.

shadyman777
The Hero of Time
Premium Member
join:2009-03-02
Bath, PA

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I'm torn between 1 and 4 honestly. All I really want is the Q, but the premier in the bedroom would be nice.
Zahl
TinBoy
join:2003-02-12
Watertown, MA

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Great to hear that; makes things much easier
RPeppe
join:2001-11-18
Falls Church, VA

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I share the concern about how this would affect my bundle price. When I signed up as a new customer recently, it was $10 extra for the premiere, so this looks like it would cost more. If I were keeping the same price and then paying $10 for the preview, I would swap the premiere for a quad and add a preview. I still have a stand alone TIVO HD that only costs me $1.50 a month for the cable card since it has lifetime service, so hard to justify swapping that one out.

rcnman
Jason Nealis
Premium Member
join:2003-05-02
Herndon, VA

rcnman

Premium Member

I know many of you are worried about giving up the ability to
pause LIVE TV on the preview.. But I did want to share that down the road probably late Q1 2012. The Preview will have the ability to start recordings on the Q. Thus:

You could remotely start the recording on the Q then stream the recording and pause the stream and such.. Thus giving you the sense of a DVR in the bedroom...

Just a thought...
cshapley
join:2011-08-31
Chicago, IL

cshapley

Member

Actually, that piece of information definitely puts me in the (1) camp. I wish the price was a bit less, but there is always an added cost to being an early adopter. Hopefully if this takes off, the hardware will become cheaper to produce and the price will come down a bit. RCN has alredy lowered the price of a TiVo Premiere from $20 to $15, so it is always possible.

When I got my first Series 3 TiVos, they were $800 each. It seems laughable now.
BackStJoe
join:2009-08-17
New York, NY

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4: Wait till I can get a Quad by itself
sbiller1
join:2011-05-25
Tampa, FL

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said by rcnman:

I know many of you are worried about giving up the ability to
pause LIVE TV on the preview.. But I did want to share that down the road probably late Q1 2012. The Preview will have the ability to start recordings on the Q. Thus:

You could remotely start the recording on the Q then stream the recording and pause the stream and such.. Thus giving you the sense of a DVR in the bedroom...

Just a thought...

Hi Jason,

That is a nice feature add and does alleviate some concerns for the few times that a local pause is a must have on the extender. What is it called (Remote Recording Start)?

Thanks,
Sam
FBM
join:2002-07-25
Chicago, IL

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Only 1 TV so (4) for me.
omghi2u
join:2001-02-05
.

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(4). I want the quad tuner for my bedroom because I record the most shows. My roommates and living room are OK with the premiere.
jhlmsln
join:2005-05-01
Washington, DC

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Wait until I can get a quad by itself. One TV dude here.

jhl
jonbrach
join:2005-03-31
New York, NY

jonbrach

Member

I very much want the 4 tuners but cant imagine giving up the ability to pause a live show....there are so many situations where I am watching a show or sporting event etc. and I get a phone call or want to run into the kitchen and can routinely pause the show for a few minutes and get back to it...I watch most of my TV on recorded shows but i watch enough news and sports live that as i said I simply cant give up the pause feature...it kinda upsets me to know there will be a 4 tuner situation available and i wont be able to take advantage of it!
mjr
Premium Member
join:2003-09-18
Bethlehem, PA

mjr

Premium Member

said by jonbrach:

...cant imagine giving up the ability to pause a live show...

I know the rules may get complex, but it would be cool, and for most people perfectly acceptable to hit the "record" button while you're watching a show on the Preview. Then the Q could tune to that channel and start recording it, and start streaming from the Q. Then you should be able to pause if you wish...

Or.. even better... I'm watching a show on the Preview and I hit pause. The Q uses one of it's available tuners to tune to the same channel and starts streaming to the preview and pauses. Then, you resume from the preview and you're streaming from the Q, the channel you were originally tuned to.. Of course, there would be a lag when you hit pause the first time, but afterwards, the Q is already tuned and streaming so the experience should be very similar to streaming a pre-recorded show from the Q.

All this assumes the Q has an available tuner.

I'm sure this software would be quite complex, but it FEELs like it should be doable...

Maybe someday...

- Mike

robgraves
join:2010-07-23
Chicago, IL

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to rcnman
said by rcnman:

I'm trying to gauge some opinions or feedback on the new solution and if it's worth an upgrade for customers that already have a tivo Premiere. So the question I'm asking :

TiVo Bundle (1) Quad Tuner + (1) Preview for 29.99 plus you can add on multiple Previews for 9.95.

Advantages :

True Multi-room. (you can stream everything)
Larger HD
Preview smaller form-factor. Great for bedrooms / etc..
4 Tuners on Quad

When this launches in your market. are you going to do any of the following :

(1) Upgrade to the bundle and turn in your premiere
(2) Upgrade to the bundle and keep your premiere
(3) Pass and stick with the Premiere
(4) Wait till I can get a Preview or Quad by itself
(5) 4 tuners is fine, but I really want to add a preview to my Premiere.

Thanks

Jason

I have to go with:
(5) 4 tuners is fine, but I really want to add a preview to my Premiere.

DavidDC
@rcn.com

DavidDC to rcnman

Anon

to rcnman
Probably 4, depending on cost. I have two premiers now. I like the idea of 4 tuners and the ability to have true multiroom. So, depending on cost I will probably move my livingroom premiere (where most of my content is) to my bedroom and replace the living room with the Q. The reasons I don't necessarily want to replace the second premiere with a preview is that my current living room premiere has a lot of content that I don't want to lose and I still want the ability to pause live TV in the bedroom.

NikAmi
join:2009-09-12
Washington, DC

NikAmi to mjr

Member

to mjr
Exactly! I don't know why they didn't program this functionality to begin with. It can't be that hard to program a pause feature that sends the channel info to the Q which starts a temporary recording and then starts streaming to the Preview. Seriously...how could they launch the Preview with such a glaring hole in functionality. RCN needs to leave this one in the oven to bake a little while longer.
mjr
Premium Member
join:2003-09-18
Bethlehem, PA

mjr

Premium Member

said by NikAmi:

Exactly! I don't know why they didn't program this functionality to begin with.

So, shame on me for not catching rcnman's post earlier, but if the preview box will be able to start recordings on the Q with a software update in the end-of-Q1 timeframe, I'm satisified. (See rcnman's posts on page 1.)

I credit RCN for jumping on the new technology and offering this stuff to their subscribers. They're trying to differentiate themselves, and I think they're succeeding...

NikAmi
join:2009-09-12
Washington, DC

NikAmi

Member

Trust yourself! We knew all along that you could start recordings from the Preview, but what isn't happening is having the Preview instruct the Q to record a channel when you pause live TV. Given that the underlying framework for this function to be added is already in the TiVo software, this really should be a feature of the TiVo boxes. I understand that the system has limitations and that if all four tuners are being used on the Q, pausing of live TV wouldn't be possible, but given that most of the time, there will be free tuners, it seems stupid to waste them and not enable pausing of live TV. Given this limitation, it would almost have made more sense to just eliminate the tuners from the Previews, have them stream live TV from the Q, and then offer them at a cheaper rate.