Posts filed under ‘Multiroom DVR’
Sony PS3 becomes a Time Warner Set-Top Box by using MoCA
Xbox isn’t the only game console starting to be used as a set-top box as it’s recent announcements with Verizon FiOS TV and Comcast XFINITY TV indicate. Sony’s Playstation 3 is also starting to take on set-top box (STB) features starting with the ability to play back recordings from a Time Warner DVR. If you already use Time Warner’s Whole Home DVR service (which uses MoCA networking) then it looks like you can also connect your PS3 to the same network using a MoCA Ethernet-to-Coax adapter to the PS3 and another MoCA adapter to connect your router to the MoCA network. Now you can use your PS3 in your game room or kid’s bedroom to watch your recorded TV shows in addition to Netflix, VUDU and online gaming. Here’s what you need:
- Time Warner Whole Home DVR service
- Playstation 3 (with DTCP-IP enabled)
- MoCA Adapter Kit (one connected to the PS3, the other to your router)
Now that your PS3 is networked to the DVR, the DVR will show up on your PS3 as a media server (SamSTB below).
And you can select the DVR media server to access the recorded TV shows, listed by recording date, and start playing them on your PS3 in HD quality or however the shows were recorded just like it was a STB.
Fast forward, rewind, pause all work similarly to as if the content came off a networked drive and the only real drawback is that sometimes the PS3 will show a TV show that has been deleted from the DVR, but for some reason still shows up on the list. The other obvious difference with an actual STB is the lack of Live TV on the PS3, possibly one day TWC will have a PS3 app similar to the Live TV app they have for the iPad.
The PS3 DVR feature is another small step for connected CE devices to start accessing the Cable or Satellite TV service you pay for every month. Besides iPad apps and Xbox TV, another example is the Samsung SmarTV which acts like a full fledged set-top box with Live TV and DVR features when connected to DirecTV’s new RVU Server via a MoCA network.
Since MoCA is the de facto standard for Cable and Satellite TV networking, don’t be surprised to see even more benefits to connecting your CE devices to a wired MoCA network using MoCA Ethernet-to-Coax adapters.
Update: Tivo Has Joined MoCA (Really)
TiVo made an announcement that it has joined the Multimedia over Coax Alliance. The one mild surprise is that they have joined as an associate member and not the contributor status as previously seen on the MoCA website. Either way, it’s another step for MoCA into consumer’s new digital entertainment systems.
To read the article click here
September 16, 2010 at 2:17 pm Smart Phone Dojo Leave a comment
15 Million Cable STBs Expected to Offer MoCA Support by 2014, Says ABI Research
15 Million Cable STBs Expected to Offer MoCA Support by 2014, Says ABI Research.
Your cable and satellite TV provider will soon be adding a MoCA network to your home in the form of new Cable DVRs. Calling MoCA “one of the most widely-supported home media networking technologies”, ABI Research estimates 15 million next generation set-top boxes will have MoCA by 2014. The network will be used for both “communication between multiple service operator boxes” and “communicating with third-party devices”. MoCA is gaining a lot of traction in North America, and consumers are figuring out that they need more than just a wireless network in the home – they also need a wired network for the new digital entertainment services being offered. With more MoCA networking products being introduced, consumers will have a choice of how they want to connect their home theater equipment whether it’s using a MoCA Ethernet-to-Coax Bridge or with a MoCA DVR.
Stay tuned for more MoCA product announcements. Read the article here.
Motorola and Time Warner Team Up to Deliver Multiroom DVR
Motorola has teamed up with Time Warner Cable Inc, in order to develop a multi-room digital video recorder (DVR). Motorola is going to be using the MoCA technology to network all the DVRs in the house. This will bring features such as changing rooms while watching television by use of the “Follow Me” feature, being able to stream HD content to your DVR from your computer or other media devices, and much more that would not be possible with traditional Wi-Fi networks. The best part about using MoCA in the DVR is that consumers will not have to worry about slow downs or cutouts that are inherent with wireless networks.
Using MoCA (Multimedia over Coaxial Alliance) technology, the solution creates a multimedia network using existing coaxial cable in consumer homes. The network is capable of transporting high-definition video, high-quality digital voice, and high-speed data to televisions, DVRs, game consoles, wireless access points, and home computers. – Motorola Media Center
MoCA Powers Cisco’s New Cable Boxes
OK, I know this is an ad but it does give a good glimpse of what’s coming soon to a MoCA-enabled cable box near you. Specifically, the ability to play DVR-ed content on non-DVR cable boxes in another room! So now, instead of having to rent multiple DVRs for each room of the house, you’ll just need one living room DVR and a standard digital cable box in each bedroom. Each bedroom will be able to access the main DVR like it was there under the TV. The Cisco guy also talks about other great new features that will be added once your cable boxes can talk to each other via the MoCA network.
Tivo also has a similar feature that transfers shows between Tivos in different rooms.
