ComcastTivo specifications?

[memoody]

Does anyone know what the ComcastTivo will (and more importantly, will not) let you do that a standalone Tivo can do?

- Hard drive size? Expandable via eSATA?
- Support MRV? (I'm guessing this is doubtful)
- Networking? Wireless access? Built in or Tivo Wireless Adapter?

Anything else?

I'm completely torn between:

1. Buying a TivoHD with eSATA expander, dealing with the cable card problems, and running the risk of Comcast blocking channels in the near future with SDV (I'm in the Boston area, I don't think any are blocked right now) before a dongle solution is out there.

2. Waiting for a ComcastTivo to avoid the SDV problems, but getting little of the Tivo features I already have and love.

3. Buying a TivoHD and hoping Verizon FIOS becomes available in my neighboorhood (its available in my town) before Comcast goes to SDV.

[bicker]

The Comcast TiVo will run on Motorola DVRs which come MOSTLY in 120 GB and 160 GB varieties. eSATA is not supported on the Comcast Motorola boxes. Networking is also not provided, though Comcast is working on their own broadband capability, which presumably will be offered on these boxes, regardless of which software they're running.

[Manticore]

The Comcast TiVo will run on Motorola DVRs which come MOSTLY in 120 GB and 160 GB varieties. eSATA is not supported on the Comcast Motorola boxes. Networking is also not provided, though Comcast is working on their own broadband capability, which presumably will be offered on these boxes, regardless of which software they're running.


Like bicker said it is probably not supported but the conncetions for eSATA is there. Maybe a hack?

[bicker]

I believe, at least here in this area, the port is disabled, via head-end configuration. As such, any hack would need to be so invasive as to result, eventually, in getting charged for damaging the box. Might was well by a real TiVo.

[Manticore]

When talking with the Tech at Circuit city yesterday. He told me he knows the eSATA is not activated, only the firewire. I asked him if they disabled it for content protection. He said isn't stopping mac users now. You can connect a Mac to it by firewire and copy the content onto the Mac's HD.

[BOMOON]

...Buying a TivoHD with eSATA expander, dealing with the cable card problems, and running the risk of Comcast blocking channels in the near future with SDV (I'm in the Boston area, I don't think any are blocked right now) before a dongle solution is out there.

Hi memoody,

I'm thinking of a Tivo HD-DVR too. I also live in the Boston area (southern NH, same services). I never heard of this SDV issue before. What is it? Can it essentially cripple a standalone Tivo HD-DVR?

Even though I'm only an hour from Boston (with no traffic!), I'm far enough out in the boonies to make FIOS a dream for future generations. I'm lucky to have broadband at this point.

Thanks for your time in reading this,
Big Al Mintaka

[BOMOON]

When talking with the Tech at Circuit city yesterday. He told me he knows the eSATA is not activated, only the firewire. I asked him if they disabled it for content protection. He said isn't stopping mac users now. You can connect a Mac to it by firewire and copy the content onto the Mac's HD.

Then I take it that a PC with Firewire inputs can do the same?

Big Al Mintaka

[classicsat]

Unless I am wrong:

The Comcast-TiVo is not a full-out TiVo DVR, but to a certain degree, TiVo middleware running on the normal cable box OS. Features such as networking and drive expansion rely on OS support, and enabled by the provider. Guide data and updates would come through the cable connection. There is no need, in Comcast's mind anyway, to network the unit on ones home network.

A functional equivalent of MRV would require both software and hardware support.

SDV doesn't "block" anything, technically. SDV, at its fundamental level, lets a provider send a particular channel only as customers request it, rather than have it there all the time, freeing up bandwidth. That request requires the set top box communicate the request back to the provider. The real Cablecard Tivos don't have the capability to communicate requests back to the provider, so SDV doesn't work on them. The cable industry is supposed to be working on a tuning reslolver that will allow one-way cablecard tuners such as TiVo communicate back SDV requests. Without that reverse communication, a one-way cablecard tuner isn't exactly crippled, it just won't get some channels.

[BOMOON]

...The real Cablecard Tivos don't have the capability to communicate requests back to the provider, so SDV doesn't work on them...

Hm. Are you sure those TiVo's have one-way comms? When I bought my S3 (it's "in the mail") they told me the cards provided by Comcast were multistream. They didn't elaborate on that but I've seen multistream cards referred to in other forums as having 2-way comm capability.

That doesn't mean that Comcast will communicate 2-way with the cards; but since they supply the cards, who knows?

I speak from ignorance on this topic. In fact all I have so far are a bunch of second-guesses. I won't really know until I get that S3 and get the cards installed.

Big Al Mintaka

[ajwees41]

Hm. Are you sure those TiVo's have one-way comms? When I bought my S3 (it's "in the mail") they told me the cards provided by Comcast were multistream. They didn't elaborate on that but I've seen multistream cards referred to in other forums as having 2-way comm capability.

That doesn't mean that Comcast will communicate 2-way with the cards; but since they supply the cards, who knows?

I speak from ignorance on this topic. In fact all I have so far are a bunch of second-guesses. I won't really know until I get that S3 and get the cards installed.

Big Al Mintaka



that's wrong

single stream is also 2 way

the tivo hardware is not 2 way that's why PPV,EOD, or SDV will not work on the S3 or TivoHD

[BOMOON]

that's wrong

single stream is also 2 way

the tivo hardware is not 2 way that's why PPV,EOD, or SDV will not work on the S3 or TivoHD

Once again I stand corrected; no big surprise at this end. Thanx aj.

I did the sensible thing I should have done in the first place and went to Wikipedia to nose around. The article on CableCards explains the gist of what they can and cannot do.

My mistake was in thinking that "multistream" had something to do with two-way comm, but according to the article it actually means that the cards can decode multiple channels simultaneously.

I may have mentioned this before, but my old DirecTV DVR used a separate analog phone line for the two-way comm. According to the product specs on the TiVo site, the series 3 HD does not have anything resembling an RJ45 connector in the back.

However, Comcast's cable in also carries a two-way digital phone signal. In my case a broadband modem must be used to split that off and run it through a D/A for the house phones.

Whatever - via that phone signal there's at least an option for TiVo to run a two-way comm between their standalone DVRs and Comcast, whether or not they can do it now or choose to do it in the future.

Is this how the Motorola's and SA's accomplish two-way comm for On Demand and PPV?

Big Al Mintaka

[ajwees41]

no it's all done on the cable no phone line needed.

The SA and motorola's have it built in the hardware where the two Tivo's do not.

[memoody]

Since eSATA is not supported, would there be anything technical that would prevent doing a standard upgrade of the internal hard drive in the Comcast Tivo? Not saying that I would ever do this or recommend it... just curious more than anything.

[ajwees41]

Since eSATA is not supported, would there be anything technical that would prevent doing a standard upgrade of the internal hard drive in the Comcast Tivo? Not saying that I would ever do this or recommend it... just curious more than anything.

You don't actually own the Comcast Tivo you rent it from Comcast, so I would not do it or if you brake it you pay for it.

[rick123]

I have a comcast HD DVR in southern NH. I'm not home to check but I believe it is a Motorola. The esata port does work as I have an external 500 gb HD plugged in the back.

I'm considering the lifetime HD tivo offer, but now getting scared off by the SVD issue (as well as no PPV VOD option)...

[bicker]

After last week's announcements, SDV is no longer a major concern to me.

[andydumi]

After last week's announcements, SDV is no longer a major concern to me.

The only thing that still worries me is that the cable companies are still going to control/distribute it. Which means another few bucks a month charge, plus an interminable series of delays in its actual availability on the market.

On the up side, the development of such a thing indicates that SDV is really coming, and hopefully with that and the all digital move, we will see a nice fat upgrade in the amount of HD channels we can receive, plus perhaps an a la carte way of buying cable.

[CrispyCritter]

The only thing that still worries me is that the cable companies are still going to control/distribute it. Which means another few bucks a month charge, plus an interminable series of delays in its actual availability on the market.The delays I agree with. But according to TiVo, the large cable companies will not charge for the dongle rental or installation.

[bicker]

When did TiVo say that?

[CrispyCritter]

When did TiVo say that?Last conference call (and I'll be quiet now, since I agree it's off topic for this forum) And to your question on charges, our anticipation is that the large cable operators are not going to charge customers for this additional device or the installation of it. That’s all part of the cable industry looking to make sure that after all, these are cable subscribers using cable cards who they want to leave happy and not be disgruntled in any way and TiVo boxes are certainly a way to hold on to those cable subscribers because they can enjoy the benefits of the TiVo service, so both cable and ourselves are incented to make sure this is a happy experience.

[ajwees41]

Last conference call (and I'll be quiet now, since I agree it's off topic for this forum)

They actually didn't say it would be be free, they are suggesting that it be included it the cable card price.

[andydumi]

It seems they are hoping it will be free, but no guarantee.

After all Comcast will probably still try to push its own DVR over any Tivo solution, and they will make it difficult to get these things, or put a fee on it, or require the infamous "truck roll".

Heres to hoping though. A free dongle that comes with the cable card seems like such a simple solution...

[tivoro]

What is Comcast charging, if anything, for TiVo on its box in the New England area. Do you have to take the Comcast box back to them or is the software loaded remotely?

[BlackBetty]

What is Comcast charging, if anything, for TiVo on its box in the New England area. Do you have to take the Comcast box back to them or is the software loaded remotely?

Are you joking us?

[bicker]

Just in case tivoro isn't joking: $2.99 per account. The software is supposed to be loaded remotely, but they've been having trouble with that: You may encounter EITHER case.

[John Pomeroy]

I just want to warn you all, so sorry if this sounds like wining. As much as I loved my TiVo Series 2 Humax DVD-R, I have had the MOST frustrating experience trying to get the TiVoHD working with 2 Comcast Cablecards here in Naples, FL. The Comcast tech didn't even know how to install them nor did he read the instructions until the second visit. Even though I subscribe to ALL the channels, I got less than the first 100 channels at first scan. It has taken 3 days of hours and hours on the phone with Comcast and TiVo to get even an acceptable amount of channels. The TiVo phone tech was the one who finally figured out I had to used the zip code from another city(Cape Coral) 30 miles away to get the correct channel lineup for my service(still not all the channels), then he had to get on the phone with a Comcast rep in that city to get it working. I was cut off from the first 3 Comcast techs and had to start from square one because the techs can't call out from their phones. I don't know how anyone in Naples has been able to install this before me, if I couldn't get anyone who knew anything about hooking it up. Also, I am disappointed that no one(Circuit City or Comcast) bothered to tell me until the very last tech, that I wouldn't be able to get the Video-On-Demand service, which I used a lot. I am so frustrated now that I am going to return my TiVo and just get the Comcast HD-DVR. I don't get the feeling that Comcast is screwing things up just to get this result. I just think they really don't know how to make it all function. Again, sorry if it sounds like wining, but you should all know what you might get yourselves into.

[hongcho]

...

FYI, this is the section for the TiVo software on the Comcast STB (moto or sciam). The message board has a separate section for the TiVo HD DVRs and the Series 3 DVRs.

Hong.