dslreports logo
AT&T Expands Whole Home DVR Offering
New IPTV functionality in and around Bay Area...
Last month, some California residents were the first to see AT&T's new whole-home DVR functionality, which allows U-Verse IPTV customers to watch recorded DVR content on any television in the home. The long-promised functionality simply requires a set top software update, and is now showing up in additional markets in and around the Bay Area, according to this AT&T press release. AT&T doesn't specify which markets will see the upgrade yet, simply stating the upgrade will come on a "market by market basis." If you find yourself in one of them, drop some impressions in our comment section below.
view:
topics flat nest 

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102

Premium Member

Question

How does this work?

I have a DVR from Comcast and I split the component audio/video outputs and run them to 2 HDTVs. We can watch the output on the box on either TV. I then use a remote re-broadcaster to change the channels when I watch the second TV.

All that was involved in the process was a little bit of wiring (running component cables between floors) and the use of 5 RCA-splitters. The picture quality on both TVs is excellent.

Does a multi-room DVR do the same thing in a better way?

jgkolt
Premium Member
join:2004-02-21
Avon, OH

1 edit

jgkolt

Premium Member

Re: Question

you have 4+ streams that can be viewed independently on any stb that is hooked up in the home.

In the cleveland/akron ,market we now have 2 hd streams coming in instead of one also to note on the side.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102

Premium Member

Re: Question

said by jgkolt:

you have 4+ streams that can be viewed independently on any stb that is hooked up in the home.
Hmmm... sounds like a "dressed up" way for them to rent you more boxes.

I recently downgraded from 2 boxes down to a single box because of costs. For 2 (soon to be 3) people, I think this is reasonable.

jgkolt
Premium Member
join:2004-02-21
Avon, OH

jgkolt

Premium Member

Re: Question

Well I dont pay for any of my dvr's or set top boxes, they are included in the plan, so i doesnt really effect us. Unless things have changed i dont see that being a reason. I have heard it is possible for 7-8 stb's but i dont see how that is possible at the moment, at least in my market.

Deckoh
Premium Member
join:2002-07-24
Chesapeake, VA

Deckoh

Premium Member

Re: Question

you can do 8 boxes... 4 streams/SD.. so all 8 tv's will only have the option to stream/watch the same stream as another tv is watching. Also, the 2SD and 2HD streams will mix that up as well.
*if that makes any sense
JasonX
join:2008-04-08
Houston, TX

JasonX to pnh102

Member

to pnh102
said by pnh102:

Hmmm... sounds like a "dressed up" way for them to rent you more boxes.
AT&T's Uverse service already requires that every TV have a set top box, so AT&T is not trying to push additional boxes. Whole Home DVR is just a great added free benefit for all subscribers, one that they hope will give them a leg up on the cable companies.

Old_Grouch
Don't just sit there silly DO something
Premium Member
join:2004-05-26
Greenwood, IN

Old_Grouch

Premium Member

Re: Question

And maybe satisfy some promises they made to customers who want to record in one room and watch in another.

My wizard of an installer ran the signal from STB through vcr to the television sets and told me to program the recording on the vcr and assured me it would be fine pending delivery of whole-house DVR.

I was gullible and he got out of the house before I figured out it won't work unless you are there to start and stop the recording. And, can't watch one channel while recording another at that location.
Mons00n1
join:2008-07-23
Edwardsville, IL

1 edit

Mons00n1 to pnh102

Member

to pnh102
Isn't this MRV in AT&T "speak"?

If so it is different than using a Y cable or even multiple outputs from your DVR.

MRV is >1 DVR in a household and watching their content on any other DVR within the household.

Thus if you config your setup properly you could expand your available storage space to account for all the DVRs in your household.

jgkolt
Premium Member
join:2004-02-21
Avon, OH

1 edit

jgkolt

Premium Member

Re: Question

you are correct mons except normal stbs can see the stored video from the dvr.
skrupowies
join:2002-08-22
Bristol, CT

skrupowies to pnh102

Member

to pnh102
said by pnh102:

How does this work?
I have a DVR from Comcast and I split the component audio/video outputs and run them to 2 HDTVs. We can watch the output on the box on either TV.

Does a multi-room DVR do the same thing in a better way?

The Whole Home DVR from AT&T is MUCH different. You have 1 DVR located in whatever room and you have non-DVR boxes in all the other rooms. From any room you can control the DVR functionality (right now with recorded items only - live TV coming soon) and you can watch up to 4 different recorded shows on 4 different TV's as well as up to 4 different shows on 4 more TV's. So you could conceivably be watching up to 8 different shows at one time. with HD shows you can watch 3 recorded shows and 2 live shows at the same time on 5 different TV's. There is NO additional cabling required and NO new set top boxes. Once the software update happens you have whole home DVR.

pnh102
Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD

pnh102

Premium Member

Re: Question

Thanks for the detailed explanation.
iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Austin, TX

iansltx to skrupowies

Member

to skrupowies
As much as I think AT&T is trying desperately to put lipstick (VDSL) on a pig (copper) this is a really cool development.
Trollhawk
join:2005-05-28

Trollhawk to skrupowies

Member

to skrupowies
Good description. I'll just add a few comments, since I've just gotten the update a few days, ago.

The update allows any STB in the house to watch recorded content from the DVR, with full control, such as FF, Pause, etc. However, you cannot schedule recordings or delete recorded content through the STBs, only the DVR. So, you'd either have to manage the recordings through the DVR, or by the Internet, which I do with my iPhone. It's not a big deal.

With three U-verse-connected tvs in the house, it's very nice to be able to watch our different recordings, at the same time, instead of having to wait until the tv with the DVR is available. It also helps to mitigate the limitation of four streams to the RG, since we often watch recorded content, instead of live streams.
mustng888
join:2005-04-04
Riverside, CA

mustng888

Member

Pause and Rewind live TV

A question to someone who has this... Can the STBs in the rest of the house pause and rewind live TV? From the way it sounds, this can only be done if the main DVR is recording the show. AT&T rolled out uverse in my area but the DVR thing was what was holding me back.
Trollhawk
join:2005-05-28

Trollhawk

Member

Re: Pause and Rewind live TV

No. You cannot use pause/rewind features, on non-recorded live tv, through the STB. Maybe in a future update.