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Ceton Beta testers

11K views 47 replies 20 participants last post by  nrc 
#1 ·
#27 ·
I would have no problem signing a contract or even paying a refundable deposit for the hardware... That makes sense.

But purchasing and subscribing the unit - just to do their work for them... Uh, no.
This is pretty much common practice employed throughout the computer industry. People get an opportunity to try hardware and software before the rest of the population at a reduced cost and all they have to do is let the manufacturer know what they like or dislike about the product or report any glitches that occurred. It saves a lot of headaches for everyone in the long run. It's virtually impossible for any developer to test every single combination of hardware and software out there so having beta testers is paramount to providing a stable product. If you think Winows is buggy, just think how bad it would be if there was no beta testing program.
 
#28 ·
This is pretty much common practice employed throughout the computer industry. People get an opportunity to try hardware and software before the rest of the population at a reduced cost and all they have to do is let the manufacturer know what they like or dislike about the product or report any glitches that occurred. It saves a lot of headaches for everyone in the long run. It's virtually impossible for any developer to test every single combination of hardware and software out there so having beta testers is paramount to providing a stable product. If you think Winows is buggy, just think how bad it would be if there was no beta testing program.
I am a developer and have been managing development teams for over a decade...

The problem with a beta product is, that by definition it is going to change.

In this case, if the problems are all software releated, you may be OK long term. But if any of the issues require a hardware change you own the product and the manufacturer has no obligation to make you whole.

This is risk free for the manufacturer and they are counting on your enthusiasm for a new product to keep it that way.

I have no problem sharing risk - I am just not going to take all the risk and leave them scott free when the whole product comes tumbling down.
 
#29 ·
I hear what you're saying and agree with it in principal, especially with respect to any potential hardware changes. In the case of the Echo extender, any changes are likely going to be software related. I'd feel perfectly comfortable testing such a product if it gave me the ability to be an early adopter at a fraction of the retail cost with the potential of upgrading it to the full released version with a software update. I see any possible risk as being minimal at best.
 
#30 ·
I am a developer and have been managing development teams for over a decade...

The problem with a beta product is, that by definition it is going to change.

In this case, if the problems are all software releated, you may be OK long term. But if any of the issues require a hardware change you own the product and the manufacturer has no obligation to make you whole.

This is risk free for the manufacturer and they are counting on your enthusiasm for a new product to keep it that way.

I have no problem sharing risk - I am just not going to take all the risk and leave them scott free when the whole product comes tumbling down.
The product is a final hardware product. You are only testing the software.
 
#31 ·
The product is a final hardware product. You are only testing the software.
Nothing is ever final until it is final.

A good example of this is the OLED S3 platform that when released the hardware was considered production ready. It was also well documented that you could move to a single M-card when the cable companies finally deployed them. Well, as we know, when the m-cards finaly arrived they would not work on the hardware. Ooops! You had to upgrade to an HD model if you wanted to avoid the second cable card charge from your cable company.

Will this hardware you are purchasing be rock solid with no hickups or issues? Maybe, maybe not. That is the risk you are taking....

If there is a hardware issue identified during beta - Ceton will make adjustments before going into full production mode and the future customers will thank you for finding the glitches for them. You on the otherhand are stuck with whatever work arounds can be implemented. Not unlike having to lease 2 s-cards as opposed to a single m-card for the remainder of the units life.

If you guys are really getting a highly discounted rate - then maybe it is worth the risk. I am not sure what the deal looks like.
 
#35 ·
That sounds like a decent price for a low power extender.

Sent from my HTC ReZound using Forum Runner
 
#39 ·
I got picked and confirmed my commitment to join the Beta testing program in September. Some people have been griping about the $179 cost to join the program, but we get to play with the box for months before the rest of the public and the standard warranty period doesn't begin until it's available commercially. We'll also be getting the final software update when it goes public.

I've got an X-Box 360 that was purchased for use as an extender but found it to be too noisy, too hot, and had inadequate codec support for many popular video formats. The Ceton Echo will hopefully provide better support for additional formats and will definitely run cooler and quieter based on earlier reports. We never used the X-Box for gaming so that's a non-issue.
 
#44 ·
Nothing is ever final until it is final.
A good example of this is the OLED S3 platform that when released the hardware was considered production ready. It was also well documented that you could move to a single M-card when the cable companies finally deployed them. Well, as we know, when the m-cards finaly arrived they would not work on the hardware. Ooops! You had to upgrade to an HD model if you wanted to avoid the second cable card charge from your cable company.
I have one of the original S3's. I am pretty sure it was Tivo that didn't want to make software changes for an end of life product and not the hardware. Although with the early slots maybe it was a pita.
 
#45 ·
I think echo also has a browser, which makes it interesting if it let's you watch video on your TV like google TV.
 
#46 ·
Picked for the Echo and looking forward to getting to beta test it when it's available :up:
 
#48 ·
I can't provide a citation at the moment, but I think they've basically confirmed here that it was hardware, not just software.
TiVoPony's comments on the subject.
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6149876&highlight=risk#post6149876
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7854359&highlight=mcard#post7854359

Likewise, features such as QAM remapping and M-Card S3 support do not target a significant portion of our subscribers, both are in fact very small numbers of subscribers. That doesn't mean that they automatically get set aside, or that TiVo is ignoring or doesn't care about those customers. But it is a consideration when trading off those features against others (M-Card for S3 is technically possible, but also technically very complex. We've learned that there is a lot of risk inherent in that development).
The risk and complexity were because the S3 hardware was set before there were any certified Mcards to test with. As I recall, things did not work exactly as expected. It really doesn't matter whether you consider that a hardware or software issue. Ultimately it was cost vs benefit that caused TiVo to nix M-card development for the original S3.
 
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