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telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad to PaulGo

MVM

to PaulGo

Re: [DTA] Motorola's High Definition Digital Transport Adapter

Well, looks like the Moto HD-DTA 100u unit may be making its debut soon, according to this article on the Light Reading Cable website last week:

Comcast HD-DTAs Reach the FCC
»www.lightreading.com/doc ··· lr_cable
GTFan
join:2004-12-03
Austell, GA

GTFan

Member

said by telcodad:

Well, looks like the Moto HD-DTA 100u unit may be making its debut soon, according to this article on the Light Reading Cable website last week:

Comcast HD-DTAs Reach the FCC
»www.lightreading.com/doc ··· lr_cable

That's great news - sounds like they won't cost Comcast much more than the SD DTAs do today, so they should be cheap to rent. Should also allow Comcast to encrypt local QAMs in those markets where they want to get rid of traps or reduce theft.

But we still don't know which channels they'll be allowed to decrypt, I guess we'll find out once someone gets one.
jwhite4
join:2002-03-21
Philadelphia, PA

jwhite4

Member

said by GTFan:

That's great news - sounds like they won't cost Comcast much more than the SD DTAs do today...

Although to a degree the ship has sailed, it would be nice if they were low cost enough that it was the ONLY DTA Comcast needed to deploy. From a supportability perspective, I have to think having less variations in equipment (ie. phase out the SD STB's and DTA's) would make sense.

Jeff
Russ6
join:2011-03-17
Houston, TX

Russ6

Member

Comcast's Xfinity Universal Digital Transport Adapter HD-DTA100u hits the FCC

wireless goodness
Published December 6, 2011

NOTE: Click the following link for the short article, picture and link to the FCC documents:

»www.wirelessgoodness.com ··· dta100u/
mahohmei1
join:2008-10-29

mahohmei1 to jwhite4

Member

to jwhite4
I've said before that I would love more than anything to see Comcast start making HDTV "standard", in other words, your "included with your cable TV subscription" STBs would have HDMI ports, and they'd work. Not feeling the need to pay extra for HDTV, we have a DTA hidden behind our bedroom wall-mount TV, the TV tuned to NTSC 3.

I have feared that, should we ever want HDTV on that TV, I'd have to put a STB in a closet, fish 25' of HDMI cable, and use a wired IR extender to control the stupid thing. This Motorola HD DTA is small enough to fit in the recessed media box (»www.datacommelectronics. ··· edia-Box) hidden behind the TV, just like the SD DTA we have now. That would be awesome.

The only catch is that the pictures of this Motorola HD DTA show it not having an IR input port, like our Pace does. If this turns out to be the case, I'd have to buy an IR extender to put a little sticky eye on the front of the TV, but that would still be easier than room-to-room IR.

PS--If your STB's output is HDMI only and you want to connect it to a pre-DVI TV, all you need is this:

»www.startech.com/AV/Conv ··· HDMI2DVI

...and if your TV's DVI audio inputs are analog-only, add on this:

»www.monoprice.com/produc ··· format=2

A bit pricey, but a good deal cheaper than replacing the TV, especially if it's a large-screen TV.

PaulGo
join:2005-01-29
Gaithersburg, MD

PaulGo

Member

These products would work:

»www.monoprice.com/produc ··· cription

»www.monoprice.com/produc ··· cription

»www.monoprice.com/produc ··· cription

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

Mike Wolf to mahohmei1

Member

to mahohmei1
Lots of luck to you and I feel your pain having to watch SD on a nice flat screen HDTV.

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad to mahohmei1

MVM

to mahohmei1
said by mahohmei1:

The only catch is that the pictures of this Motorola HD DTA show it not having an IR input port, like our Pace does. If this turns out to be the case, I'd have to buy an IR extender to put a little sticky eye on the front of the TV, but that would still be easier than room-to-room IR.

Yes, looking at the data sheet for the Motorola HD-DTA ( »www.motorola.com/staticf ··· 2011.pdf ), while it says it has a front panel IR remote sensor, there does not appear to be an input for a wired IR sensor. However, it says it is also capable of RF remote control (RF4CE), so the RF signals should be able to get into that hidden media box.

The data sheet indicates that IR remote control is the "default mode" for the HD-DTA, so it sounds like there is some way to change it to use the RF mode. However, it's not clear that once it is set to use the RF mode (for controlling the HD-DTA box), the remote would still use the IR mode to control the few TV set items that the current DTA remotes do (Power, Volume and Mute).

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

cypherstream

MVM

The DirecTV remotes can do both RF and IR. How it works is you go into a menu and select it to do RF. The receiver has a 2 way IR sensor on it that talks back to the remote and says "hey remote, switch to RF mode". It also programs the remote to operate other equipment this way too. There's a menu and you select your device (like TV) then you select the manufacturer (say Samsung for instance) and it will program the remote. If it doesn't work you can search by model number. It's great because there's no codes to remember or look up.

Maybe the Motorola DTA will work the same?

Keep in mind RF remotes are much more sensitive. If you bump the dang thing under the blanket, you might change the channel or something. They don't have to see the box so yes they work perfectly under blankets and such.. both on purpose and by accident

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad

MVM

According to this press release issued today by GreenPeak Technologies ( »www.businesswire.com/new ··· Controls ), the new RF remotes that Comcast will be using will also have an IR mode to be able to control existing TVs:

"The Comcast RF remote control uses GreenPeak ZigBee RF4CE communication controller chips and is a hybrid RF/IR solution that supports both legacy infrared (IR) equipment as well as new RF set-top box equipment, which supports RF4CE technology. Comcast has deployed RF remotes with the first of its Xcalibur products, the next-generation Xfinity TV service currently available in Augusta, GA, and plans to expand availability in 2012 and beyond. Comcast also plans to use the new RF remote control to support legacy TVs and set-top boxes based on IR protocols currently used by their customers."

andyross
MVM
join:2003-05-04
Aurora, IL

andyross

MVM

The issue is: Do the new receivers support IR along with RF? If not, then virtually all universal remotes will be useless.

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

1 edit

telcodad

MVM

Good question. Hopefully the new RF-remote equipped STBs will also have IR remote sensors built-in, like the new Motorola HD-DTA, as I have mentioned in my postings above.

If not, as more and more RF remote controlled equipment becomes available, I would expect that new universal remotes will then be produced that will be both IR and RF capable. Of course, that will mean that you will have to replace any current IR-only ones that you may be using.