Rumored DTV Over IP Prices Plus Two New DTV Now Packages
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I would take the model numbers with a grain of salt Unless a new model C71 is released with coax. It is not going to work with Sat service
No. Forget about the satellite TV UI that's currently on the HR54, HR44, C61, etc. That UI will likely stay on those boxes but not spread forward to any new generations of AT&T hardware.
The C71 -- as you can see in the video you posted here yesterday -- uses the DTV Now UI. I expect that to always be the case, regardless of what kind service it gets used with, whether streaming or satellite, and whatever the associated brand of the service may be, whether that's DTV Now, or DTV, or AT&T TV, or some new brand that AT&T comes up with.
IF the C71 does get deployed as part of a new generation of DTV satellite hardware, it would be in conjunction with a central server (e.g. HS27 or HS17) containing the satellite tuners and whole-home DVR hard drive; the C71 would connect to that server wirelessly. The server would connect to the satellite dish via coax. So there wouldn't necessarily be any need for a coax port on the C71.
That said, we also know that there's more than one model number associated with the C71; there's the C71KW-200, C71KW-400 and C71KW. Perhaps one of those does include a coax port to allow for a MoCA connection to a central server?
I get what you are saying now. However, they just updated the UI for DTV over SatelliteTV would they want to change it again using the DTV Now interface?
The C71KW could theoretically work as a wireless 4K box for Directv satellite. The docs with it say it is for HS27, but it isn't as if they couldn't modify its software to be able to work with the HS17 if the HS27 isn't going to appear anytime soon. But "could" doesn't mean "will", and there's no point in guessing until it happens.
I agree that the 'C71' naming suggests it fits in with the satellite client line, but that doesn't mean this specific box is designed to work with the satellite client line. Just like they have C61, C61W and C61K, they might have multiple boxes for the satellite line. Or they might decide having one "do everything" box makes more sense - but if they were going to do that it would have made more sense to stick an F connector on the C71KW so it really is a "do everything" box with 4K, with wifi, ethernet and DECA/MoCA capability and work with both satellite and IP product line.
I agree that the 'C71' naming suggests it fits in with the satellite client line, but that doesn't mean this specific box is designed to work with the satellite client line. Just like they have C61, C61W and C61K, they might have multiple boxes for the satellite line. Or they might decide having one "do everything" box makes more sense - but if they were going to do that it would have made more sense to stick an F connector on the C71KW so it really is a "do everything" box with 4K, with wifi, ethernet and DECA/MoCA capability and work with both satellite and IP product line.
Oh, come on, if we took away the guessing how would we pass the time on these message boards?
I don't have any basis for speculating about that one way or another. Guess it depends on how much it might cost AT&T to code and roll out the new UI for that hardware (I don't know what OS those boxes run or what kind of processing power they have) and whether it would be worth the effort.
The old manual that referenced the HS27 doesn’t exist anymore. The manual that shipped with the beta boxes is completely different and was posted on reddit
I honestly think the HS27 is gone People on Reddit also have gotten both the -200 and the -400 and neither has a coax port
Yeah, the manual that currently exists appears to be for distribution to the beta testers who are DTVN subscribers. I expect that the final manual will again be different.
You could be right that there won't be an HS27. But whether or not any particular model of the C71 box has a coax port, it's still possible that it could connect wirelessly to a server, including the existing HS17.
Then again, it's possible that the C71 won't be ever be used with satellite TV service -- only ever used with streaming service -- and the current generation of DTV satellite hardware is the last generation that is ever produced. We'll see in time...
So are Osprey beta testers posting at Reddit that the C71KW manual doesn’t say future HS-27 anymore?
If its going to take awhile to phase out SatelliteTV how long can the HS-17 last until then? If they can get the cloud DVR just like the HS-17 then you wouldn’t need the HS-27.
So again, just yesterday, the AT&T CFO affirms the vision of a future "full linear product," i.e. a flagship "cable TV" product on the same level as traditional DirecTV or Uverse TV, that is delivered via OTT streaming to the C71 box. And a big reason for that is to reduce the installation and equipment costs for acquiring new customers vs. their satellite service.
Another way that AT&T has talked about how their streaming TV services could generate additional revenue, and therefore be made available at relatively lower costs, is through the use of targeted ads. AT&T's Xander platform will almost certainly be used across DTV Now, the future "full linear" streaming service, as well as some content on the WarnerMedia SVOD. Targeted ads are more lucrative than regular ads and command higher rates per impression. The existing satellite service does allow for targeted ads to some extent (ads downloaded to the DVR via satellite and swapped into existing recordings, I think) but my guess is that the Xander platform cannot be fully implemented there. I have no idea whether Xander could be implemented on Uverse TV or if they would even try, given that it's a service that's supposedly deprecated.
All of those cost savings/increased revenues will supposedly allow AT&T to offer this upcoming full linear OTT service at a modestly reduced cost versus satellite DTV or Uverse TV. I don't know what the hold-up is at this point to rolling out this new full linear OTT service. Perhaps it's because certain technical aspects, such as the cloud DVR or the C71 box, are still being fine-tuned, or maybe it's because AT&T is still negotiating for carriage of certain channels, such as locals around the country.
The "update" to the HS17 that removed the eSATA port, upgraded the USB port to USB 3.0, and changed a few things including the tuner chips it uses (going from DVB-S2 to DVB-S2X) might be what they did instead of rolling a whole new HS27.
As I've said before, there really isn't anything they would likely plan to change between the HS17 and future models like HS27 and HS37, other than the usual cost cutting type changes like they did in the HR2x series. The only real limitation it has that they would need to address for the future is supporting only two 4K TVs at once, but it isn't clear exactly why that limitation exists. The only things it can be are MoCA versioning (i.e. you'd need to run at MoCA 2.0 speeds which only the HS17 and C61/C61K support to handle more 4K clients) or limitations related to transponder bonding (which the new rev may address thanks to the new tuner chips)
Since AFAIK the 4K limitation extends to recording and not just clients I think it has to do with transponder bonding. Which they won't need for years - basically until there are more than 36 4K channels they can do one 4K channel per transponder. Which may never happen.
As I've said before, there really isn't anything they would likely plan to change between the HS17 and future models like HS27 and HS37, other than the usual cost cutting type changes like they did in the HR2x series. The only real limitation it has that they would need to address for the future is supporting only two 4K TVs at once, but it isn't clear exactly why that limitation exists. The only things it can be are MoCA versioning (i.e. you'd need to run at MoCA 2.0 speeds which only the HS17 and C61/C61K support to handle more 4K clients) or limitations related to transponder bonding (which the new rev may address thanks to the new tuner chips)
Since AFAIK the 4K limitation extends to recording and not just clients I think it has to do with transponder bonding. Which they won't need for years - basically until there are more than 36 4K channels they can do one 4K channel per transponder. Which may never happen.
So I guess they wont even use the C71KW with the HS-17 or make the C71K? They will just go with the HS-17/C61K/C41 and C41W as the main units until they go all internet streaming? Unless a person wants the HR-24, HR-44 and HR-54?
Until it is officially released we won't know anything so I wouldn't worry about it now.
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