Posts Tagged ‘Tivo’

Video Servers–TiVo

In: Technology

By: Steve Stanfill on Jun 30, 2010 at 8:00 am

A couple of years at the NCTA (The Cable Show) I spent some time in the TiVo booth, talking with representatives of the company on how they were moving their product forward.  At the time, I was struck by the elegance of their on-screen GUI, the intuitiveness of their remote, and in general, the direction the company seemed to be heading.  Like the SA/Cisco DVR, a TiVo box is not a server in the classic sense of a DLNA based system, (more of a client really), but, like AppleTV, can function as a server for a single video system.  TiVo has enough uniqueness that I feel it bears some discussion here.

TiVo is representative of an increasing trend where video consumers purchase hardware that allows access to a number of digital video and music sources; i.e., cable, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, etc.  TiVo can function as a classic DVR, with the full feature set associated with that device.  But in addition, all of the new TiVo products are internet savvy, which allows access to popular digital sources available on the internet as well.

One of the most controversial aspects of TiVo is the monthly subscription fee, which, unlike cable video services or Netflix, does not buy access to any content.  It only buys access to the programming guide which is tightly integrated into the DVR system.  Cost per month varies from about $12.95 to a little under $7.00, depending on how long a contract is chosen.  Without the service contract, according to TiVo, the box “will have very limited functions…the only thing you would be able to do is record live TV.”  Basically a paperweight…

While as mentioned before, the box (currently the Premiere® or the Premiere XL®) is well designed generally, there are a few goofy things that should have been anticipated by the company.  For example, it lacks a built-in 802.11n network access point, and, if you want the internet enabled features over wireless, you must plunk down another $90 for the external adapter (another wired goober to hide somewhere).  If you have wired ethernet near your video set up, no problem.  But this is a design flaw that the company should have anticipated with its new set top design.

Most of the folks I have talked to that have the TiVo service think it’s great–it enhances the experience from cable, Netflix, and other video services.  The TiVo system does have a 30-day money back guarantee.

As we have covered some of the new generation HD sets available, it appears that many of them are incorporating internet savvy applications to access video content from a number of sources.  I’m anxious for the day when it will be possible to interface an external hard disk to the TV, and DVR functionality would then be part of the set’s interface.  That may not be that far off.

In the meantime, TiVo is a viable option out there to increase access to and usability of digital content in a sophisticated home theatre set up.  Whether it’s precisely the best alternative for you (as a video server or client) depends on your needs and tastes.

Until next time….

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Video Servers–Apple TV

In: Technology

By: Steve Stanfill on Jun 16, 2010 at 8:49 am

Last week we discussed perhaps the most ubiquitous video server technology out there–the DVR.  This week, we’ll discuss Apple TV, a fairly mature video server/client technology that has fairly widespread deployment throughout the country.  Again, the basic functions of a video server are to record/download content, store, catalog, and retrieve for viewing.  External to this basic definition, there are a host of feature sets that are attached to various approaches in this space, and Apple TV is no exception.

Apple TV meets the basic definition of a video server, but it can also function as a client in that it has the ability to tie into video content from several computer systems (which then act as the servers) to which it is linked via wi-fi or ethernet.  Apple gives the user access to any video content nested in iTunes (on either a PC or Mac platform), plus YouTube and content from the iTunes Store.  The device gives you the choice of either streaming from or syncing with a primary computer system, plus gives streaming access to all content on additional computers on the network as well.   This includes music, video, podcasts, photos, and other digital content that a user might wish to access on the primary theatre/sound system in the home.

In typical Apple fashion, the interface is intuitive, and set up is pretty easy.  As alluded to, the Apple TV can be a self contained server for a single video system, or it can act as a client for content stored elsewhere on computer systems in the home.  The one thing that it can’t do is record “off air” like a DVR or TIVO.  It is primarily designed as a portal for commercial free, costed content out of the Apple Store, or to access other digital content from YouTube or other mpeg-4 files stored locally within the home on various computers.  Video quality is excellent (particularly in HD), and the user experience is very straightforward and satisfying.

Additional specific features include:

1)  Ability to do full discrete Dolby 5.1 sound, if the source material was properly encoded.  (most of Apple’s “available for purchase or rent” content is 5.1, but other sources may not be)

2)  Full wi-fi capability.  If your local home network is 802.11(b,g,n) compatible, no additional wiring is needed to either stream or download content from local computers or the internet.

3)  That famously simple Apple interface–Very simple remote operation with a handheld the size of three postage stamps laid back to back.  Also, there’s a nice (free) app out there that let’s you control AppleTV with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Some have described Apple TV as an iPod on steroids.  I don’t necessarily agree with that assessment, but I do wish that Apple would do more with this product.  Here is my specific wish list:

1)  Support for Netflix and other video streaming sites available on the web.

2)  Support for 1080p content.  At present, Apple TV only supports 720p content–still great video, but technology marches on.  Even my home videos aren’t in 720p anymore.

3)  Support for add on QAM or ATSC tuner(s) that would allow recording from linear broadcasts.  This basic DVR functionality would allow users more flexibility in content choices.

I suspect that my suggestions are antithetical to Apple’s business model surrounding this product.  But I’d still like to see it happen.  Steve Jobs, are you listening?

Next week, DLNA servers…..

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Video Servers–The DVR

In: Technology

By: Steve Stanfill on Jun 09, 2010 at 8:23 am

The next few of weeks I would like to discuss the present state of video server technology and how that might enhance a home theatre system.  There are a number of options out there, and new options are proliferating as time goes on.  We will discuss general concepts as well as some specific products that may hold interest.

First, by definition a video server is a device that can be used to record, store, catalog, and retrieve video content on demand.  Now, by that definition, a SA/Cisco DVR (available from WOW!) is a video server, and indeed, fills the bill for “content on demand” for a great number of our customers.  So, many of us have the underpinnings of video server technology in our set up presently.

A DVR allows a user to record a program off of a linear broadcast for later viewing (”time shifting” for those who are particularly sensitive to DRM issues).  DVR technologies have improved a great deal over the last few years; they are more reliable, quieter (the early models had cooling fans that sounded like crazed eggbeaters), and have more flexibility in options available to the user.  They’ve also become more intuitive to use in recent years.

DVR units are computer systems masquerading as set top boxes.  They have internal hard disk drives which, in tandem with computer hardware and software, record and catalog the video content specifically requested by the user off of the cable system.  Most are not designed to record or stream video from sources other than a cable provider (TIVO is an exception), but the good news is that there is a lot of content to choose from the packages available from WOW!  Time shifting programs to watch at a more convenient time has become a way of life for many videophiles.  Since most modern DVR can record both standard definition and high definition video, there is little reason to stay glued to a TV when something else important is happening.  Time shifting allows us to choose when we want to be entertained.

In addition, there are a number of other options for video server technology.  A server, in the classic sense, should “serve” multiple “clients” in the household, and there are some options out there that do this.  WOW! has a number of technologies in the lab which will allow “whole house DVR”, or put another way, a video server that will allow viewing of different programs on different televisions.  Those offerings will be forthcoming in the near future, and will be offered for lease–this will mean that WOW! will own and maintain the equipment as part of your service package just as the DVR is packaged today.  In the meantime, if you have the ambition and the technical inclination, some of these video server technologies can be engineered presently.

More to come….

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