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S10driver35
join:2009-09-29
New Castle, DE

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Re: [X1] Xfinity X1 now available to New Customers in Philly!

said by telcodad:

SeattleMatt See Profile will have to confirm this, but I believe the companion box currently being used with the X1 is the Pace RNG150N.

See: »Re: [X1] Xfinity TV on X1 Platform and X1 Remote Control App!

I have 2 of the Pace RNG150N along with my X1 DVR.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

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Really looking forward to Xfinity 3.5, the new generation.

SeattleMatt
Streaming Tech Director
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join:2001-12-28
Seattle, WA

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S10 is correct.

The HD boxes are Pace RNG150N's
SpHeRe31459
Premium Member
join:2002-10-09
Sacramento, CA

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SpHeRe31459

Premium Member

said by SeattleMatt:

S10 is correct.

The HD boxes are Pace RNG150N's

Interesting.... the X1 still can't be an AnyRoom DVR to those boxes though, correct?

I was under the impression the X1 is not AnyRoom enabled currently, and that was part of the whole reason for existence of the new breed of tuner-less XI3 platform boxes that are coming soon that act as client devices to the main X1 DVR.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

I know there are some customer with the SA8300HD multiroom DVR model that is able to use the Anyroom feature, and I've been told the Cisco RNG200N also supports Anyroom.
SpHeRe31459
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join:2002-10-09
Sacramento, CA

SpHeRe31459

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said by Mike Wolf:

I know there are some customer with the SA8300HD multiroom DVR model that is able to use the Anyroom feature, and I've been told the Cisco RNG200N also supports Anyroom.

Well right, but that's existing "legacy" platform (i.e. not based on the new X1 platform) AnyRoom. Just like in Motorola areas you get the Motorola DCX 3400/3500 series as the DVR and Motorola RNG150N's as the clients.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

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anyroom dvr is anyroom dvr whether on the X1 platform or on the current DVR's out.
SpHeRe31459
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join:2002-10-09
Sacramento, CA

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SpHeRe31459

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said by Mike Wolf:

anyroom dvr is anyroom dvr whether on the X1 platform or on the current DVR's out.

You seem to misunderstand, I'm interested in the X1's ability to do AnyRoom, and the expected time frame for having it working. I already know the older tech does AnyRoom...

For me the X1 platform needs to get more bugs worked out and I also need multi-room DVR support before I'll consider it.

So far every X1 install I've seen just throws in what are effectively classic cable boxes, so I gather things haven't changed recently about the X1 doing AnyRoom and/or the X13 IP clients haven't been released into the wild yet.

The one thing that gave me pause to wonder was that the other boxes that are given out are MoCA enabled (RNG150N) so I wondered if Comcast had hacked together the functionality to have the old platform (iGuide) boxes able to access the recordings on the X1.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

Most likely the X13 IP boxes aren't gonna be rolled out until after the X1 deployment is completed nationwide and the X1 software is rolled out on the high end Motorola/SA/Cisco systems.

SeattleMatt
Streaming Tech Director
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join:2001-12-28
Seattle, WA

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SeattleMatt to SpHeRe31459

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Sphere-
The X1 does NOT currently do Anyroom DVR - but, it is in the plans. I've heard mentions of April-May timeframe - but can't put much water into that. That is why they swapped out my other HD boxes w/ the X1's.

I had ARD, but found we really didn't watch too many recordings on the other boxes - so, I sucked it up in losing that capability for the time being just to have a guide that's as beautiful as the 1 I had with FIOS.

The more I use the X1 DVR - the more I fall in love. The "last" feature is great - it's not just the last channel - but you're previous 10 (including On Demand selections).

Another thing, I rarely used the "apps" with FIOS - but the ones on the X1 are far superior. The Pandora app has great graphics, and the sound quality is excellent.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

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Still no Netflix though
SpHeRe31459
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join:2002-10-09
Sacramento, CA

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said by SeattleMatt:

Sphere-
The X1 does NOT currently do Anyroom DVR - but, it is in the plans. I've heard mentions of April-May timeframe - but can't put much water into that. That is why they swapped out my other HD boxes w/ the X1's.

Now you're confusing me, did you get multiple X1 DVRs? I thought you said the other two boxes are Pace RNG150Ns?
Do these Pace RNG150Ns run the X1 guide software? or just iGuide like the rest of the various boxes with the name RNG150N (Motorola and Cisco also make boxes Comcast calls RNG150N).

The problem here is specificity, Comcast calls both their hardware reference platform for the next generation of DVR "X1" and the underlying guide software that is basically Tru2Way middleware also "X1". So we need to come up with a way to be specific, i.e. "X1 DVR" versus "X1 Guide Software". Since eventually the guide software will be on all newer boxes from multiple vendors Cisco/Pace/Motorola, but they won't be the X1 DVR (which has 6 tuners (only 3 active currently), etc.)

SeattleMatt
Streaming Tech Director
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join:2001-12-28
Seattle, WA

SeattleMatt

Premium Member

Sphere-
Sorry. I have ONE X1 DVR.

The 2 Pace RNG 150N HD boxes DO also have the X1 software loaded on them.

So - I have the X1 software on all 3 boxes.
SpHeRe31459
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join:2002-10-09
Sacramento, CA

SpHeRe31459

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said by SeattleMatt:

Sphere-
Sorry. I have ONE X1 DVR.

The 2 Pace RNG 150N HD boxes DO also have the X1 software loaded on them.

So - I have the X1 software on all 3 boxes.

Gotcha. All the talk and press releases, etc. have only been about the DVR and/or the XI3 IP client boxes, so I hadn't seen anything about any standard boxes (i.e. not a DVR and not a tunerless client) coming with the X1 guide.

So I just figured in true Comcast half-assed form, they obviously gave you the X1 DVR, but since the Pace RNG150N is never mentioned in any materials I assumed they didn't have any other boxes that were X1 guide software ready so you were stuck with the iGuide on any other boxes in the house.

cypherstream
MVM
join:2004-12-02
Reading, PA

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How does X1 perform on a Pace RNG150N?

The X1 has intel CE4100 graphics right? So is the broadcom based box just as fluid as the intel based?

SeattleMatt
Streaming Tech Director
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join:2001-12-28
Seattle, WA

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SeattleMatt

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Cypher-
It's a bit slow to be honest. See my post a little earlier. Takes awhile for remote commands to get recognized and the guide to pop up.

However - on the X1 DVR - just put on the Pandora app for an extended time.

The "screensaver" feature is UNREAL. In addition to fading in and out w/ beautiful pictures - it also pops up random traffic, weather, sports, and news info across the screen - almost like a rotating app mosaic.

Bravo Comcast - FIOS never had that.

**EDIT** - apparently it's called Xfinity Dayview - a buddy of mine that works in Product Mgmt let me know.
SpHeRe31459
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Sacramento, CA

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said by cypherstream:

How does X1 perform on a Pace RNG150N?

The RNG150N seems to be using a rather basic Broadcom SoC, though details are sparse. The Pace XI3 and XG5 that are forthcoming use what appear to be much more robust dual-core Broadcom chips.
»www.multichannel.com/cab ··· s/141048

As an aside, I'm little surprised that both Motorola and Broadcom are still using MIPS as their CPU architecture for modern cable SoC given the ubiquity in other common media rich consumer embedded devices (Tablets, Smart Phones), processing power and graphics feature sets of ARM processors these days.

cypherstream
MVM
join:2004-12-02
Reading, PA
·PenTeleData
ARRIS SB8200

cypherstream to gate1975mlm

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I expected the X1 to be faster with its CE/ atom CPU.

I guess when it comes to Moto DCX and late model Cisco DVRs there will always be a little more lag without hardware graphics acceleration.

Sphere I agree that they should of gone ARM. Look at all the bells and whistles on present day tablets and smartphones. IOS and Android are so smooth and have no problem playing back h.264 HD video.

Nice to know the RNG can at least support frame buffer HD graphics. They really should hardware accelerate it and use triple buffering to smooth out performance.
SpHeRe31459
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SpHeRe31459

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said by cypherstream:

I expected the X1 to be faster with its CE/ atom CPU.

The CPU Pace/Comcast chose for the first X1 hardware is actually pretty sad when it comes to the CPU side. It's a single core 1.2Ghz Atom with a PowerVR SGX535 GPU. So even the GPU is a bit old by todays tablet/smart phone standards. The GPU is the same as what was in the iPhone4, original Samsung Galaxy S, etc.
When you figure a modern ARM Cortex-A15 SoC includes at least two cores and a newer GPU with 2+ cores from one of a few vendors including PowerVR.

But of course that's still more impressive than whatever is shipping in the other cable boxes. For the moment.
said by cypherstream:

I guess when it comes to Moto DCX and late model Cisco DVRs there will always be a little more lag without hardware graphics acceleration.

I wonder if Comcast doesn't have full 3D acceleration up and running on the Broadcom platforms yet.
The BCM7125 chip in the Pace RNG150N according to the product page says it has a "3D graphics engine for an advanced user interface". Whatever that means though...

cypherstream
MVM
join:2004-12-02
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·PenTeleData
ARRIS SB8200

cypherstream

MVM

Another plus going to ARM is really great power management. You have these smartphones that can power down cores when not needed and they run in standby in mear milliwatts... Not watts. A big issue these days is major power consumption of all these set top boxes in the home. These days you need one for every TV... It adds up across millions of households.

No TV provider UI runs as smoothly as the marketing / demo videos they want you to believe (cough Verizon... DirecTV... DishNetwork). Nothing is smooth. Things have a certain delay and just appear and disappear. Where is the design element, the flow animation and speed like we see on current tablets? Why not triple buffer all graphics and accelerate it? The videos of the X1 look pretty good compared to any other provider I've seen out there. At least that is a step in the right direction. Hopefully this pushes other providers to follow suit as well. I'm sure some of these developers use Android or IOS smartphones or tablets personally. Why can't they get some inspiration from those platforms?

ARM CPUs are so widely mass produced that I'm sure manufacturers could get good pricing on bulk orders.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

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Hmm well here's the Cisco RNG200 specs »www.cisco.com/web/consum ··· ications
However the diagnostics page on the Cisco RNG200N's I have say its a Cisco 8600HDC »www.cisco.com/web/consum ··· hdc.html which has the 500GB internal drive.
SpHeRe31459
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Sacramento, CA

SpHeRe31459

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said by Mike Wolf:

Hmm well here's the Cisco RNG200 specs »www.cisco.com/web/consum ··· ications
However the diagnostics page on the Cisco RNG200N's I have say its a Cisco 8600HDC »www.cisco.com/web/consum ··· hdc.html which has the 500GB internal drive.

Pretty sure that's basically the same hardware from looking at the specs, and given what your diag screen told you about the model number. The "RNG200N" is just the new naming scheme that Comcast wants used.
Either way though, notice the total lack of real information about its' graphical capabilities. Though on the RNG200N version of specs it basically says it cannot do true HD resolution graphics, it can only handle quarter HD resolution and it will then scale them.
quote:
Graphics engine

2.5 dimension graphics, up to 960 x 540 resolution, 32 bit (16 million) color
So that's what Comcast is up against when trying to get the X1 Guide software ported over to other platforms.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

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True I did see that but I also notice MPEG-4 H.264 support.

I also notice the Cisco RNG200N specs say

Processors
Application/CPU 600 MHz (800 MIPS)
Video graphic Dual 400 MHz VLIW CPUs
Audio Dual 250 MHz DSP CPUs
DOCSIS 200 MHz CPU

Memory
CPU/Apps RAM 192 MB
Video graphics RAM 64 MB
Flash 2 MB
CPU NVM 16 KB

where as the Cisco 8600HDC specs pdf says

Processors
Application/CPU 700 MHz (1000 MIPS)
Video/Graphics Dual 400 MHz VLIW CPUs
Audio 250 MHz DSP CPU
DOCSIS CPU 333 MHz CPU
Network CPU 400 MHz CPU

Memory
Unified RAM 384 MB, 512MB (optional), see Note 2
Flash 2 MB
CPU NVM 16 KB

So maybe faster processor, faster Docsis processor, and more memory may bring faster performance?

SeattleMatt
Streaming Tech Director
Premium Member
join:2001-12-28
Seattle, WA

SeattleMatt

Premium Member

X1 Upgrades

I've already noticed that we've been receiving X1 updates since I was installed a little over a week ago.

My XRE Server info and build has changed, as well as my STB Timestamp.

Anyone else in the Philly region notice this?

There are about 5 items listed in the ABOUT menu - not sure what all of them relate to just yet.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

Could you describe how a customer would find these changes that you've noticed, and what an XRE server is and STB timestamp. Are you seeing this on the X1 equipment or on something else.

cypherstream
MVM
join:2004-12-02
Reading, PA
·PenTeleData
ARRIS SB8200

cypherstream to SeattleMatt

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Matt, have any screen shots? None have ever been posted of diagnostic screens or about menu options.

Find any secret hidden firmware menu's or anything like that? Does it have the traditional power off, quickly hit menu (or select) and bring up some diagnostics?

SeattleMatt
Streaming Tech Director
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join:2001-12-28
Seattle, WA

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SeattleMatt

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Click for full size
DVR Info
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HD Box Menu
Here's the "About" Menu on the DVR:

The XRE Server Version has changed - I believe it was build 4029 previously. (Mike, i'm just dorky enough to remember looking at this when I first got the box a week ago and noticed the change...LOL)

Again - not sure what's "firmware" versus backroom infrastructure. But you can see the differences between the two STB's.

Also, this is NOT a hidden menu - it can be accessed directly from the box within the overall menu where you set the Picture resolution, etc.

gate1975mlm
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Philadelphia, PA

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gate1975mlm

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Click for full size
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Here are some pics for you guys

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

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said by SeattleMatt:

Here's the "About" Menu on the DVR:

The XRE Server Version has changed - I believe it was build 4029 previously. (Mike, i'm just dorky enough to remember looking at this when I first got the box a week ago and noticed the change...LOL)

Again - not sure what's "firmware" versus backroom infrastructure. But you can see the differences between the two STB's.

Also, this is NOT a hidden menu - it can be accessed directly from the box within the overall menu where you set the Picture resolution, etc.

cool!!
Mike Wolf

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hmm for the "recently viewed" screen it says press D to clear. We don't have a D button on the remote for the Cisco/SA/Motorola dark silver remote so I wonder what button they are gonna replace it with on screen for the RNG equipment software rollout.

I'm very impressed by the layout and detail put into the guide, I do wish that all the channel logo's were correct though as some don't have the HD version of the logo. Such as the MLBHD channel logo or NFLHD channel logo compared to the NHL channel logo and NBA channel logo. A minor thing but noticeable.

More articles on X1 »bwone.com/comcast-x1-box ··· th-look/

Has anyone caught an emergency alert on these boxes yet? I got a few customers wondering how it looks.