After building up so much momentum in the US market, MoCA is now starting to show up in Europe most recently with the Asheridge Communications Echobox which is being marketed from the UK for Cable TV users as well as Over-The-Air TV viewers.  The Echobox is a nifty design that enables connections to Smart TV’s, HD set top boxes and online gaming consoles for customers who need a more reliable stable connection than WiFi can provide (see chart below).  We hope to see the same growth of MoCA across the pond as we’ve seen in the US.

Hey, better late than never – these guys at CNET Asia are finally seeing the benefits of MoCA as a way to network Home Entertainment products like TV’s, Bluray players, etc… but unfortunately don’t see the obvious distinction between Powerline and MoCA in terms of speed and quality that other more thorough reviewers are trumpeting.

However, it’s good to start seeing MoCA as part of the networking conversation when comparing alternatives for digital home entertainment.  Although it’s taking a while, folks are beginning to see how MoCA networking is the most convenient and cost effective way to install a wired network for entertainment without having to pull Ethernet cables.

Click here for the article.

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.

Following the FiOS TV Xbox intro, Comcast now supports XFINITY TV on Xbox 360!  That means Xbox’s can now access Xfinity Free Video On Demand, National Broadcaster VOD, and Premium VOD directly through the Xbox interface over their home network.  However, you must be a Comcast TV and Internet subscriber and Xbox Live member to watch, but as the Xfinity FAQ says the content you access will not count against Comcast’s Internet bandwidth cap.

This is exciting news for the over 20 million Comcast TV subscribers and 17M Internet customers they have and even more reason to use a wired MoCA network to attach your Xbox to the Internet.  Here’s a quick video on how to connect your Xbox using MoCA for the best HD streaming and Online Gaming performance!

Are you using MoCA with Xbox XFINITY TV?  Comment below for a chance to win a 4-port MoCA Ethernet-to-Coax adapter from Channel Master!

There is a lot of speculation that TiVo is going to offer their upcoming IP-STB for both their cable customers and retail customers.  So instead of having 2 separate DVRs in the house, you’ll have a Premiere Elite DVR as the server and a lot of these little set-tops scattered in different rooms streaming live TV and recorded DVR shows.  The STBs can also access the same Internet content as the standard TiVo’s so customers don’t miss out on any features, but save on the extra subscription fee.

One of the other questions is whether it will support a MoCA connection as the Elite does today.  TiVo recommends an Ethernet or MoCA connection for multi-room streaming so it’s not a stretch to think they might do the same for the IP-STBs.  Stay Tuned!

PS – another announcement that came from the TiVo quarterly call was the launch of Comcast VOD service and free Comcast installation for TiVo customers.  Starting in the San Francisco Bay area, Comcast and TiVo will be testing the new VOD software and installation offer before launching in other Comcast markets.

And last but not least, MOCA, DLNA and good old fashioned wi fi is always going to be a hassle. No one has perfect wi fi at their apartment or house. It always screws up. That may be acceptable to a price sensitive market. But when people want to see Tebow Tebow, buffering just wont cut it.

via The TV Business Keeps Getting Stronger ! « blog maverick.

Another post-CES article that details the 3 major networking options available today – WiFi, MoCA and Powerline.  MoCA is the fastest growing home networking standard worldwide, and new adapters like the Wi3 WiPNET will enable over 35M US households with MoCA coax networking by 2015 according to IMS market research.

DISH Network Starts Using MoCA Networking

MoCAlliance’s Channel – YouTube.

MoCA Alliance has a number of great videos including the DISH announcement of their new Whole Home DVR which uses MoCA networking, and videos from the Wi3 and Channel Master booths.

TiVo Updates to Multiroom Streaming on Premiere DVRs

Lifehacker

TiVo started to update the new multiroom streaming (MRS) software in their Premiere DVRs which allows streaming saved shows from TiVo-to-TiVo without having to “download” video anymore.  Not only does this create a more complete Whole Home DVR experience, but allows access to more shows that might have been blocked by copy restrictions.  TiVo recommends a Wired network connection, either Ethernet or MoCA, so expect a lot more TiVo users to be upgrading from WiFi to a reliable wired MoCA connection.

Actiontec Shows First Multi-band MoCA Networking Adapter

Press Release

The folks at Actiontec who build the MoCA routers and adapters for Verizon FiOS, have now come up with a new MoCA adapter that works in either Cable, Verizon, or DirecTV networks.  Called the Multi-band MoCA adapter, it works like the standard Ethernet-to-Coax adapter except now you don’t have to select between a Cable/VZ-only or DirecTV DECA, you can just use a single adapter for either network!  It’s also insurance if you decide to switch between Cable and Satellite, and could be bundled with a game console or connected TV at your local electronics store.

Samsung Includes DirecTV RVU Support on All 2012 Smart TVs

PC Magazine

Samsung threw even more support behind the RVU standard by announcing support for DirecTV in all of it’s new Smart TVs.  RVU is the standard that allows your TV to have it’s own set-top box features, connecting to a central RVU DVR server (the DirecTV HR34 Home Media Center) via Ethernet or MoCA networking.  The TV can then access DVR shows, Live DirecTV, PPV, etc… just as if it was connected to a set-top box.  Since the RVU software is basically just an App that runs on the Smart TV, don’t be surprised to see more support for DirecTV on other connected devices like bluray players, game consoles, tablets and smartphones.

 MyGica Introduces New MoCA Ethernet Over Coax Kit

Meritline.com

MyGica, known for it’s TV and PC video products, launched a new MoCA Ethernet Over Coax Kit to complement it’s lineup of USB video capture products and Android set-top box.  The kit includes 2 Ethernet-over-Coax adapters, is compatible with MoCA 1.1 networks, and ships directly from their online partner at a great value.  New users who are considering MoCA networking now have a lot of options to choose the solution that fits them best.

More accolades for Wi3 WiPNET, this time from EE Times which selected the Top 10 CE gadgets from the list of 32 Innovations award categories.  MoCA networking becomes more popular at the CES show every year and this year will showcase more new MoCA products than ever.

CES 2012 Innovations Award Winners

Building on the success of it’s WiPNET product, Wi3 announced that it had won the CES 2012 Best of Innovations Award in the Home Networking category.  The WiPNET replaces the coax outlet in your home and is described by Discovery Channel News:

Each patented in-wall sleeve and interchangeable cartridge features two Ethernet ports and is professionally installed in 5 minutes without ripping apart or drilling into sheetrock. Even better, the system is future-proof. As the technology evolves, you’ll be able to customize/upgrade your home media set-up by simply swapping in a new cartridge.

WiPNET has also won 2011 CEDIA Manufacturers’ Excellence Finalist, 2011 Resi Award for Industrial Design, 2011 CE Pro Best Technologies Award, and Communications Technology 2011 Platinum Award.  Congratulations to Wi3 and their amazing MoCA-based product.