Instead of Gemini

[iTurbo6]

Directv should allow any directv app on the same network as the hs17 to be connected to the satellite feed. Seems to be what the Gemini is doing, especially when connected Ethernet directly to the switch - it’s using a directv app and searching for the receiver.

If they could do that, only thing they’d need to install is the whole home receiver and just continue to make their app better for all platforms.

 

[KyL416]

Even if they get past the security issues and limit it to non-rooted Widevine L1 certified devices, it's easier said than done. A lot of 3rd party devices do not natively decode AC-3 audio and rely on HDMI passthru, and not all TVs can decode AC-3 over HDMI (especially older Samsungs), many don't ship with a hardware MPEG-2 decoder for SD or OTA channels via an AM21/LCC connected to earlier model Genies, many ship with MPEG-2 and AVC decoders that can't do hardware deinterlacing of 480i and 1080i channels, and for the 4K channels an AC-4 audio decoder is needed which is even rarer.

Streaming platforms have the ability to offer alternate streams with deinterlaced H264 video and AAC audio to get around device codec limitations, but like what the HDHomeRun has to deal with, they don't have that option when you are passing feeds as is from a broadcast, cable or satellite source, and then you have to deal with certain devices like Roku that forbid developers from including binary libraries to support codecs that their internal player can't, along with lower end devices that don't have a CPU powerful enough to do software decoding or deinterlacing at 60 fps.

They used to support using your TV as a client if it supported RVU, but that relied on them waiting for 3rd party device manufacturers to approve and release updates, and many of them refused to support feature updates for models that are more than a few years old.

 

[iTurbo6]

an Apple TV 4K with a directv app seems easy enough. Directv updates the app and functionality.

 

[KyL416]

The Apple TV 4K is one of the devices that don't have a hardware MPEG-2 decoder or AC-4 decoder, I have to double check the HDHomeRun forums for reports, but it might also have software deinterlacing performance issues.

They also have a policy forbidding developers from including embedded HTML content in their apps, which would prevent it from getting full client functionality when it comes to TV apps and overlayed Red Button content like the Roland-Garros experience in the 900s. The HDHomeRun has to code a seperate UI just for Apple TV as it doesn't support the HTML5 UI used by most of their other platforms.

 

[Stuart Sweet]

Everything KyL416 says is correct. Not surprising, he really has done a lot of investigation in this area.

All that said, a lot of the limitations are policy, not hardware. That means that they could be removed if there was a desire for it. Now the issue with MPEG-2 and AC-4, I would doubt most streaming boxes could decode in software, but I’m willing to bet Apple TV 4K and Roku Ultra could, at least the current generation ones. But in the end I’m speculating.

What I will say for sure, though, is that the spirit at today’s DIRECTV is very different than it’s been in the past. They are willing to consider things they wouldn’t have in the past.

 

[iTurbo6]

Everything KyL416 says is correct. Not surprising, he really has done a lot of investigation in this area.

All that said, a lot of the limitations are policy, not hardware. That means that they could be removed if there was a desire for it. Now the issue with MPEG-2 and AC-4, I would doubt most streaming boxes could decode in software, but I’m willing to bet Apple TV 4K and Roku Ultra could, at least the current generation ones. But in the end I’m speculating.

What I will say for sure, though, is that the spirit at today’s DIRECTV is very different than it’s been in the past. They are willing to consider things they wouldn’t have in the past.

Makes sense they’d be ready to consider new things. It’s time to innovate to bring people back.

When I signed up at 9pm on Thursday, I was shocked to see an install open for next day at 8am - and every day of the week and next month. The installer said they never get installs anymore. He was shocked I wanted a satellite and his friends were texting him to see if he was really installing one.

As for the Apple TV app, it is like the iOS version in that it sees the hs17 and clients on the network. I prefer the Apple app UI over the UI on the Gemini. I hope they eventually make that their standard UI across all devices.

 

[John2021]

Makes sense they’d be ready to consider new things. It’s time to innovate to bring people back.

When I signed up at 9pm on Thursday, I was shocked to see an install open for next day at 8am - and every day of the week and next month. The installer said they never get installs anymore. He was shocked I wanted a satellite and his friends were texting him to see if he was really installing one.

As for the Apple TV app, it is like the iOS version in that it sees the hs17 and clients on the network. I prefer the Apple app UI over the UI on the Gemini. I hope they eventually make that their standard UI across all devices.

id'e go for a new genie setup vs a lousy streaming box. but that's not gonna happen anytime soon

 

[CSM]

The DTV app uses the DTV stream feed.

 

[iTurbo6]

id'e go for a new genie setup vs a lousy streaming box. but that's not gonna happen anytime soon

yeah - a new genie makes the least sense for their business. delivering satellite over people's existing hardware is the cheapest and most efficient solution. I understand that there may be codec issues and whatnot, but these are things that they should work to solve.

Then they'd essentially have 2 products:
1 - Directv Streaming (Internet) only
2 - Directv Full - Satellite with central DVR - 1 time box fee for each room or use your own box (Apple TV, etc.)

To install 2- tech would ensure satellite and hs17 is installed and that the apps are logged in under the correct user name and they are seeing the hs17 on the network.

Their UI should be the same across all. I think the Apple TV UI is the best I've seen of all the streaming platforms - its like a better YTTV.

 

[David Ortiz]

I brought my Apple TV 4K with me on a trip and I was surprised when I could play my latest recordings complete with my local commercials (I have DIRECTV satellite service.) I was able to FFWD through commercials as well. Is this a new capability for the DIRECTV app?

 

[KyL416]

Yeah, a few months ago they added support for the Genie's remote DVR functions to the new integrated app.

 

[CSM]

Yeah, a few months ago they added support for the Genie's remote DVR functions to the new integrated app.

I wonder if they will ever get the DTV App to be just like the Mini and also have the same channels, I wouldn't care about adding the shopping and informercial channels. Also add DTV Cinema. I guess if they did that DTV would charge $7 a month for that?