so no that it's all ironed out

got the new tivo with the comcast cablecard working (HD!)

got the new slingbox with HDMI working*

got the Roku stick working


streaming HD from the living room up here to my office TV and now I can get rid of the comcast DCA box (which is only SD anyway) and save 2 bucks a month

same for the barn TV



*- slingbox didn't work at first due to HDCP copy protection, which is part of the HDMI standard. But luckily I also just bought an HDMI splitter for 16 bucks because I didn't know if I wanted my Live TV signal in the living room traveling through the slingbox. It turns out of a lot of these little cheapo HDMI splitters don't adhere to the standard fully so HDCP isn't passed through.

So now that I'm familiar with the CableCard, I'm wondering if there is a device like a multi-tuner network box. Seems like a no-brainer.


-CableCard "M-Card" is multi-stream, and can support up to at least 6 independent video streams. For instance, my new TiVo has 4 tuners and can record 4 different shows at once via the M-Card.
-Comcast (and probably Fios) charges a single monthly charge for an M-Card- and if it's your only "device", it's included in the base cost.

So why doesn't someone make a tuner/HDMI/network device that fully leverages the M-Card?

Thinking of something like a multi-tuner box with an HDMI port or two and an ethernet port (and maybe WiFi). You install the M-Card, hook up to coax the network and HDMI for a local TV. You can use one of the onboard tuners for the "local" TV on the HDMI port. There are also remote stations on the LAN, provisioned with dedicated hardware (box with ethernet/HDMI) or existing devices via an app (like Roku).

So every "remote" TV in your house has a client via one of these methods and can change channels independently. The "local" TV also. So now we have a full house of TVs with no additional charge from your TV provider. AND, if you want to change providers, just swap out the M-Card with one from your new provider, maybe a little reconfiguration on the "main" box, and all TVs then instantly have access to the new feed without changing out a set-top box at each TV.

I've seen methods where people use a USB-type M-Card decoder and then have a mini PC in every room, but the complexity and cost of having PCs all over the house is too onerous IMO.

So does anybody know of anything like this?? Should we go in business???

There are a number of ways to go about it. There are others, but these are the best two methods IMO.

First there is the Ceton Echo (http://www.cetoncorp.com). It's a Windows Media Extender, which is used in conjunction with a Windows PC. You plug a Ceton Infinitv PCI card into the PC and then the M-Card into the InfiniTv. Your cable connects directly to the Infinitv card via an adapter which comes with the Infinitv card. The card then acts as a multichannel tuner, with Windows Media Center software and your computer acting as your DVR. You then use an Echo box (which is about the size of an Apple TV) in each room with a TV and connect the box to your computer via an Ethernet cable. You use no cable company equipment at all, except for the M-Card, which is free. Comcast is also surprisingly helpful in setting up your M-Card and the people at Ceton are very helpful, too. You can also use Microsoft XBox's as media extenders, too, in place of the Echo boxes.

The other, albeit more expensive way is Tivo. The new Tivo Roamio series boxes are the closest you can come to an overall cable, DVR and media player experience in one box because, in addition to the multiple tuners and DVR functionality just like your cable box, the Tivo box also provides various media player services such as NetFlix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. You just plug your M-Card into the Tivo box, connect the coaxial cable, call the cable company to activate and you're good to go. For other rooms, you use the Tivo Mini box, which can connect via either coax or Ethernet.

I used to use the Ceton method and it's very good. I moved away from it for 2 reasons: First, I was looking for an "all in one box" solution as much as possible. Ceton doesn't offer that, so you need a media player, e.g., Apple TV, Roku, WDTV Live, etc. (Roku is the best IMO, and I've used them all). Second, Microsoft has stopped development of Windows Media Center so, although it works very well, I was concerned about obsolescence.

So I did the Tivo investment and it is not a small investment. You have to buy the main, Roamio box and as many Mini Boxes as you need for other rooms, PLUS pay either a monthly or lifetime Tivo fee for each box. And, as it happens, I still need a media player (I use an Oppo BDP-103 BD player) for Vudu and to access all my movies, which I have stored on a WD MyCloud and I even use a Roku streaming stick to get Amazon Prime (Amazon Prime on a Tivo is a weird, truncated version).

For all its expense, Tivo is the state of the art IMO. It has a terrific interface and mobile viewing on our iPads and iPhones anywhere in the world (we watched the Eagles game here in Greece last Sunday on my iPad). Xfinity now has most of the same features, but you own your Tivo boxes and one great feature (which I don't know if Xfinity has) is that you can search for movie, stars, etc., and it will find them not only on cable, but also on NetFlix, YouTube, Amazon, etc.

If you're interested in the Ceton/Windows Media Exender route, I still have all my Ceton equipment (the Infinitv PCI card and the extenders). I can also help you with the setup of a dedicated HTPC, if you're interested.

One last note: If you're in the market for a Blu-Ray player, which is also a media player (NetFlix, Vudu, Spotify, etc.) and also has a great video processing chip, I recommend the Oppo BDP-103 (and their more advanced models) highly.

Aha, cool. So the TiVo mini can tap "live" into the main TiVo? I just bought a Roamio (base model, 4 tuners). And Weaknees right now has a special on TiVo Minis- $149 with lifetime service. Think I may order one right now to check it out.

One think I was wondering...one of the latest CableCard "developments" from Comcast was the addition of the guide and PPV capabilities. I wonder if the additional tuners also have independent capabilities like this or is it only one guide per card....I guess I'll find out!

That's a good deal on the Minis.

Yes, the Minis tap into the Roamio. Each has its own guide. The Roamio will assign tuners dynamically to itself and/or the Minis as necessary but, of course, you'll be limited to using a max of 4 at any one time, including any that are being used for DVR at any given time.

Btw, it's very easy to upgrade your Roamio to a 3TB HD yourself, if you want more storage. I recommend doing so over an external drive because, with an external drive, the Roamio spans storage over both the internal and external drives so, if your external drive fails, you lose all your recordings.

I don't think the storage will be a big deal for me. I will record the occasional program but the real use is live TV. The wife now has the 1TB series 2 in the bedroom that she uses for project runway and all that other nonsense.

So it turns out the TiVo is changing the licensing model for the mini. The price will always include lifetime service- I guess they got enough heat about charging 6 bucks a month for a box with no storage and which is is dependent on the main DVR. There was a little loophole that I just barely missed out on- Tivo apparently made the switch on Monday, and many retailers still had stock they were selling for 80-90 bucks with the thought being that one would then have to purchase a separate lifetime plan or pay monthly. But if you got one of these boxes, you could go activate it lifetime for no cost. And of course by the time I learned that today nobody has any of the cheap boxes left

Don't feel bad. I have 4 minis, two of which I had already paid the lifetime fee. I got them to knock down the lifetime fee to $50 for each of the other 2, but that was the best I could do without pitching an extreme fit, which I just didn't feel like doing.

I'm looking for a bitchin' gadget. Specifically, I am looking for a very small speaker that can play bluetooth from my computer and has the ability to run on battery or charge. And it can't be too expensive. I know I'm asking a lot.

Monkeyboy wrote:I'm looking for a bitchin' gadget. Specifically, I am looking for a very small speaker that can play bluetooth from my computer and has the ability to run on battery or charge. And it can't be too expensive. I know I'm asking a lot.

Actually they are quite common. Check out dealnews.com or techbargains.com. I have a couple of bluetooth speakers but not specifically the kind you are looking for. You can often find a jawbone refurb for around 60 bucks but seen some decent ones in the 20 dollar range. Just go to amazon or some tech site for reviews.

Monkeyboy wrote:I'm looking for a bitchin' gadget. Specifically, I am looking for a very small speaker that can play bluetooth from my computer and has the ability to run on battery or charge. And it can't be too expensive. I know I'm asking a lot.

I have this thing

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E ... UTF8&psc=1

Which I got on sale, from amazon, for $20 recently which would seem to fit what you're looking for. I use it in the backyard, it's not incredibly loud, but it's impressively loud for its size. To give you an idea of the size, it comes shipped in a container that is about the same size as (and looks completely like) a large coffee cup from dunkin donuts. It charges via micro USB, and has a longer than you'd expect battery life, I get about 12 hours of play time on a charge.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check them out.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/product/B00LVVEOTK?tag=tbprod-20

This bluetooth speaker got over 4.5 stars on amazon and is half price at 49.99 with free shipping.

Thanks for the tip, Jamie.

If anyone needs a TiVo Mini with lifetime service, Radio Shack has them online for $99. Just came back in stock. Their systems haven't caught up with the new $149 price yet, so act fast!

By the way, this MoCa stuff is pretty cool. It allows IP over coax, including the same coax runs that are handling your TV traffix. The Roamio DVRs "plus" and "pro" has a MoCa bridge built-in. So just connect that to the incoming cable and your router via ethernet, then any other MoCa device you want to add (like a TiVo mini, which has built-in MoCA support) just plugs into the existing coax then talks through the bridge (in this case the Roamio DVR) and gets an IP address and is able to get on the web (as well as communicate with other devices on your local network). Was amazingly easy- I thought I would have to dedicate coax runs to it, but nope. I made zero changes to my cabling.

They also make standalong MoCA bridges and device adapters in case you have a circumstance where you need hard-wired performance and have coax but not Cat5/6.

I only discovered this because TiVo has some sort of oddity where they can't pass traffic through certain switches on a multi-switch network, so I figured I'd try this before replacing a bunch of my switches.

You're welcome. Yeah, MoCA is a lifesaver in homes without ethernet cabling.

Pre-Ordered a Amazon fire tv stick today, it's normally $40, but, for prime members, you can pre order it for $19 today and tomorrow. I've goy more streaming boxes than I really know what to do with right now, but I'm gonna replace my roku with this. It's got Netflix, plex, Amazon streaming, Hulu and will have HBO go by the end of the year. Seems like a no brained to grab one if you can at $19. From what I read, you can get this for the sale price even if you are on the 30 day prime free trial.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GDQ0RM ... SY200_QL40

nice, wasn't going to order bc of the hbo thing, but now i will

might get it just to stream amazon

Bill McNeal wrote:Pre-Ordered a Amazon fire tv stick today, it's normally $40, but, for prime members, you can pre order it for $19 today and tomorrow. I've goy more streaming boxes than I really know what to do with right now, but I'm gonna replace my roku with this. It's got Netflix, plex, Amazon streaming, Hulu and will have HBO go by the end of the year. Seems like a no brained to grab one if you can at $19. From what I read, you can get this for the sale price even if you are on the 30 day prime free trial.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GDQ0RM ... SY200_QL40

Jumped on this. Thanks for the info.

I think I'm going to be holding out for this as my primary streaming device...

https://play.google.com/store/devices/details/Nexus_Player?id=nexus_player&hl=en



Google's version of the fire tv.

I think I'm DONE with garmin GPS. google maps seems to ALWAYS have a better route. And not trivially, either- today I got 15 miles from garmin, 11 miles from google, with google 6 minutes shorter. Which proved true, btw.

So I still want a dedicated GPS in my car though. I guess the remaining choices are TomTom and Magellan. Any thoughts in BSGland??