Is Time Warner going to offer the Multi-Room DVR?

[Danny Boy]

I was just poking around Scientific Atlanta's Website. I found the multi-room 8300 DVR You can see it here: http://www.scientificatlanta.com/consumers_new/CableBoxes/8300mr.htm

It seem to be similar to the Dish's dual tuner setups only with support for more televisions.

I wouldn't mind paying a little extra for the box instead of paying a rental free for each box in my house.

Or

To see it included in some of the higher end packages, as the standard box.

Update.. Each room still needs a box in order to use this.

 

[optimusprime]

They've been "testing"...

...that box in North Carolina since January. Forget the Multi-Room, I want the Multi-Room with built-in DVD burning.

http://www.scientificatlanta.com/newscenter/releases/05Apr02-1.htm

It downsamples HD ; )

 

[nateman99]

I konw the 8300HD is in North Carolina. It's the one I have. But, it looks like (from SA's website) that there are numerous variations on the 8300. The 8300HD doesn't appear to be the same as the 8300HD MultiRoom. Have you seen the Multi-room version in NC or just the 8300HD?

 

[optimusprime]

Two things...

Firstly, I have not actually seen a variation on the box. However, it would not shock me if SA needed a separate box for multi-room capabilities.

Secondly, and perhaps most scary, is that they are NOT networking the boxes in the sense that you or I would consider having them networked (Cat6, dammit!) They are going to use existing coax cabling in your walls to network the master and slave boxes. Very similar to VOD service, but local to your house.

It is this drawback that has kept Time Warner out in the field testing. If they can't overcome the hurdle that I might have really old crappy wiring to every room in my house, then I can't have multi-room DVR. I don't understand why they don't slap an RJ-45 on it, and make an ethernet network a requirement for using the "service". This of course, would require a different model 8300

 

[gbertler]

I can see there point to run the feature over existing cable, since it cuts down on installation time, plus they are probably worried about preventing people from using an ethernet port to gain access to the unit, like Directv and Tivo. A cable gal came here a few weeks ago and I asked her about it. She said they are testing it, of course it's been over 9 months since I started asking and they said they are "testing it". We currently have a SA 8300HD and in the installation menu, it shows information for multi-room viewing feature, but I don't think it's capable of it. I think all the 8300's have the same software in it, at least in my area. I think only the future 8300 MVR dvrs have it. I got all excited thinking they wouldn't have to replace my box, but now it looks like they do. They activated this feature globally, everyone in our area seems to have access to this feature once it's installed and setup. In the installation menu, it states on my SA2000 the MVR feature is "authorized". I can tune to the MVR channel, 851, it loads the interface up, but states after about 5 seconds, this feature is not available. Looks like it times out or something. If I receive any word or additional info, I'll post it here.

 

[Danny Boy]

Thank you, I'm just wondering how this is going to work and if it's going to be as clunky on the first run as the 8000 was as TW's first DVR

 

[optimusprime]

... if it's going to be as clunky on the first run as the 8000 was as TW's first DVR

I hope that it is this "clunky" problem that TW has spent so much time "testing" to work out. As has been noted by several people in this forum, TW has been "testing" for some 9-10 months now.

I understand the "ease of installation" bit associated with using existing coax... The only problem is, if I want to room-shift an HD program, I have to have newer cabling throughout my house. For a fair number of folks, this is certainly not the case. Again, I believe that TW should have a pre-wired ethernet requirement for using a multi-room DVR. I can also understand their fear of hackability, but that would mean that they presume every customer to be a thief, just like the MPAA and RIAA do... Damn the few who punish the many