LaRue Medlin
In Memoriam 1955-2017
I'm thinking of adding it for $10 more a month. I read stuff on how it works, just confused I guess.. Help????:smack:
Who has "whole home dvr"?????
- Thread starter LaRue Medlin
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Thomas Rogers
Well-Known Member
LaRue,
Comcast (my provider) has whole home DVR, and it doesn't cost any more than their regular DVR. However, to utilize the whole home feature you need additional, digital set-top boxes in the home, and they charge monthly fees for those.
Who is your provider?
What specific questions do you have?
Comcast (my provider) has whole home DVR, and it doesn't cost any more than their regular DVR. However, to utilize the whole home feature you need additional, digital set-top boxes in the home, and they charge monthly fees for those.
Who is your provider?
What specific questions do you have?
LaRue Medlin
In Memoriam 1955-2017
Tom, right now Directv. How do they get the two receivers to work together? Do they run a cable line to each one and then hook them into my home network or something?
Bo Loo
Well-Known Member
I have AT&T Uverse which includes whole home DVR with 1 extra box, phone and internet. We switched from Brighthouse a few years ago. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.
The Uverse system has a gateway box that is the central control unit for everything and serves as the WIFI router. It also comes with a small power UPS unit. There is a main DVR and then other "satellite" boxes at the other TV's. Those boxes have independent tuners, but access the recorded content on the main DVR.
Both boxes are connected to the gateway; it's a bit like a server for all functions. If it goes down, you lose everything. That surprisded me one day when we had a lightening strike which killed the gateway. In theory, I should be able to watch the recorded content on the main DVR, as it has an HDMI output to the TV, but that content was not available since the gateway was down.
They advertise you can record up to 4 programs at once, which is true, but, you can only record/watch 2 High Definition channels at once.
My main complaint is in the event of a recording conflict, it will switch channels without prompting you. So, imagine, you have are watching a movie on an HD channel, you're recording another HD channel and then another recording is scheduled to kick in. It will swtich away from your movie and go to the new channel being recorded without warning.
The Brighthouse system would prompt you a few minutes prior to the recording to ask what you wanted to do. If you didn't respond, it would then make the switch.
Another thing I don't like is that the two boxes' tuners are separate. There are probably a hundred channels I don't subscribe to or watch. So, on the main DVR, I programmed it to hide those so I don't have to scroll through them. That programming isn't carried over to the other box, so I have to repeat that process.
One other little thing that bugs me is that there is no display on the DVR, no time or current channel - I liked that on the Brighthouse box.
The Uverse system has a gateway box that is the central control unit for everything and serves as the WIFI router. It also comes with a small power UPS unit. There is a main DVR and then other "satellite" boxes at the other TV's. Those boxes have independent tuners, but access the recorded content on the main DVR.
Both boxes are connected to the gateway; it's a bit like a server for all functions. If it goes down, you lose everything. That surprisded me one day when we had a lightening strike which killed the gateway. In theory, I should be able to watch the recorded content on the main DVR, as it has an HDMI output to the TV, but that content was not available since the gateway was down.
They advertise you can record up to 4 programs at once, which is true, but, you can only record/watch 2 High Definition channels at once.
My main complaint is in the event of a recording conflict, it will switch channels without prompting you. So, imagine, you have are watching a movie on an HD channel, you're recording another HD channel and then another recording is scheduled to kick in. It will swtich away from your movie and go to the new channel being recorded without warning.
The Brighthouse system would prompt you a few minutes prior to the recording to ask what you wanted to do. If you didn't respond, it would then make the switch.
Another thing I don't like is that the two boxes' tuners are separate. There are probably a hundred channels I don't subscribe to or watch. So, on the main DVR, I programmed it to hide those so I don't have to scroll through them. That programming isn't carried over to the other box, so I have to repeat that process.
One other little thing that bugs me is that there is no display on the DVR, no time or current channel - I liked that on the Brighthouse box.
we looked into "Tha Hoppa" from Dish Network after we moved into our new house. We also looked into AT&T U-Verse, DirectTV, and TimeWarner Cable. Cable/Satellite is way too expensive for me. I am tired of paying over a C-note for entertainment a month. Regardless what the commercials say, Cable is not more expensive than dish, and AT&T U-verse does not offer anything close to cable/dish service.
Running rabbit ears on the TV along with Netflix and only internet, I am saving over 100 bucks a month and I am loving it!!!
I have my "land Line" through Ooma, and 10 MBPS internet. Between the antenna, Netflix, and online viewing of popular shows I have all the entertainment I have time to watch and I have more money in my pocket.
When I told my cable company to drop my rate, they told me there was nothing they could do since I was paying way less than what I should be paying. I returned the hardware and told them to pound salt. 24 hours later, they offered me the same service for 1/2 price of what they said I was paying less than I should have been. They were told that I was not interested in doing business with them any more. 3 days later, they called again and offered me the service for another 15% off the previous offer.
Still told them to pound salt.
So, I was paying around $135.00/month when I asked them to drop the rate. They said no. 24 hours later, they really wanted me back so they would give me the same service (10 MBPS internet, DVR, Digital Cable, Free HD service though I do not have an HD TV, and about 250 channels) for $66.00/month. 3 days later, they dropped it to $56.00/month.
Still happy I went without.
Tom
Running rabbit ears on the TV along with Netflix and only internet, I am saving over 100 bucks a month and I am loving it!!!
I have my "land Line" through Ooma, and 10 MBPS internet. Between the antenna, Netflix, and online viewing of popular shows I have all the entertainment I have time to watch and I have more money in my pocket.
When I told my cable company to drop my rate, they told me there was nothing they could do since I was paying way less than what I should be paying. I returned the hardware and told them to pound salt. 24 hours later, they offered me the same service for 1/2 price of what they said I was paying less than I should have been. They were told that I was not interested in doing business with them any more. 3 days later, they called again and offered me the service for another 15% off the previous offer.
Still told them to pound salt.
So, I was paying around $135.00/month when I asked them to drop the rate. They said no. 24 hours later, they really wanted me back so they would give me the same service (10 MBPS internet, DVR, Digital Cable, Free HD service though I do not have an HD TV, and about 250 channels) for $66.00/month. 3 days later, they dropped it to $56.00/month.
Still happy I went without.
Tom
Doctor CAD
Well-Known Member
My Time Warner is whole-house DVR.
Nothing other than the standard cable added.
I really don't care if there are elves inside the boxes to make it work, because it does. That is all that matters.
Nothing other than the standard cable added.
I really don't care if there are elves inside the boxes to make it work, because it does. That is all that matters.
Thomas Rogers
Well-Known Member
LaRue,
I checked their forum and it seems that DirectTV boxes do use Ethernet for at least the command and control aspect of the whole-home DVR, maybe even for the transmission of the stored programs on the DVR to the other boxes.
However, if you don't have a home network already, convenient to your boxes, and don't want to run CAT-5, then the DirectTV can and will likely use DECA boxes that adapt and allow ethernet to go across the coax (cable) connections throughout your house.
I suspect they give you those boxes for free to use.
See more below...
I checked their forum and it seems that DirectTV boxes do use Ethernet for at least the command and control aspect of the whole-home DVR, maybe even for the transmission of the stored programs on the DVR to the other boxes.
However, if you don't have a home network already, convenient to your boxes, and don't want to run CAT-5, then the DirectTV can and will likely use DECA boxes that adapt and allow ethernet to go across the coax (cable) connections throughout your house.
I suspect they give you those boxes for free to use.
See more below...
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