Comcast Panasonic PCH-2180 HD DVR Official Discussion Thread

scanpa · 02-03-06, 11:46 PM

Lets talk about the New Panasonic 250GB HD-DVR STB, that is soon to be going into production for Comcast Cable.

I have begun to hear some rumers that Comcast in SE & SC PA will be getting them in stock to replace Motorola DCT series STB.

Some reported specs.

The Panasonic boxes will provide HD DVR capabilities, and offer triple tuners and a minimum of 250GB of storage--almost double the amount available on Comcast's existing DVR set-tops. The boxes will also have both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4/H.264 decoder capabilities: Comcast says that H.264 will not only allow higher video compression rates, but also allow consumers to use their televisions to "enjoy media elements commonly available on the Internet." In addition, the boxes will feature USB 2.0 functionality, allowing them to be connected to other media devices, such as digital cameras. The deal calls for Panasonic to initially supply Comcast with 250,000 of the boxes, and Comcast will have the option of acquiring up to a million of the boxes in the first year, and of ordering additional volumes in subsequent years. The first 250,000 boxes will be loaded with Panasonic's OCAP middleware.

QZ1 · 02-04-06, 05:48 PM

I am all for it, 120GB is great for my parent's Analog TV, but not for my HDTV, although I was going to get a second one.

Even with a 250GB DVR, I would still get two DVRs, as I want to have 4 tuners, as 3 are needed sometimes.

What rumors are you hearing as for a rollout month?
Because I might just hold out on getting a second DVR.

Do you think they would give out two to one customer?

So what are the key differences, besides 250GB?

Walter Lambert · 02-04-06, 05:58 PM

Check this link for some details: Three Tuners?
http://blog.itvt.com/my_weblog/2006/...t_in_ocap.html

scanpa · 02-04-06, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walter Lambert

Check this link for some details: Three Tuners?
http://blog.itvt.com/my_weblog/2006/...t_in_ocap.html

Thanks Walter, I updated my first post with some of the info provided.

scanpa · 02-04-06, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QZ1

I am all for it, 120GB is great for my parent's Analog TV, but not for my HDTV, although I was going to get a second one.

Even with a 250GB DVR, I would still get two DVRs, as I want to have 4 tuners, as 3 are needed sometimes.

What rumors are you hearing as for a rollout month?
Because I might just hold out on getting a second DVR.

Do you think they would give out two to one customer?

So what are the key differences, besides 250GB?

If we heard right, they should begin consumer production soon. I would expect them to be available by July - Sept. area.

From what several people are reporting, Comcast has started to run low on the 6200, 6208, 6412 STB. I have not heard anything about DCT-3412's out of stock yet.

QZ1 · 02-05-06, 01:16 PM

Great info.

Any info. on the dimensions of this DVR?

Three tuners! Yee..ha

Record three programs while watching a recording program.

Now, I didn't see anything about networking these DVRs with other boxes in the home. For HD, the other boxes would need to be HD anyway, I think. And I read in the other thread, that HD STBs (non-DVRs) are phased out in ADS areas. So, I guess they just will let people get two of these, if need be? (If not, initially, then eventually.)

Joe_M · 02-05-06, 01:37 PM

OMG, if our Comcast gets these I'm going to camp out and wait for one

scanpa · 02-05-06, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QZ1

Great info.

Any info. on the dimensions of this DVR?

Three tuners! Yee..ha

Record three programs while watching a recording program.

Now, I didn't see anything about networking these DVRs with other boxes in the home. For HD, the other boxes would need to be HD anyway, I think. And I read in the other thread, that HD STBs (non-DVRs) are phased out in ADS areas. So, I guess they just will let people get two of these, if need be? (If not, initially, then eventually.)

The 64xx & 34xx STb have 3 tuners.

1 OOB Tuner - Guide Data, STB data flow
2 QAM Cable Tuner (64xx have a duel Analog / QAM tuner)
3 QAM Cable Tuner (64xx have a duel Analog / QAM tuner)

I am not sure if there is a 3rd. QAM Cable Tuner in the panasonic. (it would be nice!

marcvh · 02-05-06, 03:51 PM

Would it? Wouldn't that mean another splitter and hence more signal degredation?

Matt_Stevens · 02-05-06, 06:14 PM

No mention of Firewire.

scanpa · 02-05-06, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt_Stevens

No mention of Firewire.

MSO's are required by law to have at least one working firewire port on all current and new Cable STB. There is a thread on this subject here on AVS.

(ii) Effective July 1, 2005, include both a DVI or HDMI interface and an IEEE 1394 interface on all high definition set-top boxes acquired by a cable operator for distribution to customers.

CKNA · 02-05-06, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt_Stevens

No mention of Firewire.

It will have to have firewire. If it does not, that means it will be breaking FCC rules as pointed out by scanpa.

QZ1 · 02-06-06, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scanpa

The 64xx & 34xx STb have 3 tuners.

1 OOB Tuner - Guide Data, STB data flow
2 QAM Cable Tuner (64xx have a duel Analog / QAM tuner)
3 QAM Cable Tuner (64xx have a duel Analog / QAM tuner)

I am not sure if there is a 3rd. QAM Cable Tuner in the panasonic. (it would be nice!

For the 6400 series, I think you mean to say, it has two Analog / QAM tuners or dual-Analog/QAM tuners once.

As for the number of QAM tuners advertised, Motorola calls their latest DVRs 'dual-tuner', and Panny is calling their DVRs 'triple-tuner', IIRC. So, that tells me it has three QAM tuners. It makes sense, as people only care about how many tuners they can use to record or watch; any other description would confuse people.

tall1 · 02-08-06, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CKNA

It will have to have firewire. If it does not, that means it will be breaking FCC rules as pointed out by scanpa.

Don't they have to be able to provide you a STB with firewire? So if you asked for firewire they could offer you the 3412.

scanpa · 02-08-06, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tall1

Don't they have to be able to provide you a STB with firewire? So if you asked for firewire they could offer you the 3412.

no, an IEEE 1394 interface on all high definition set-top boxes acquired by a cable operator for distribution to customers.

It's going to have 2 FW ports.

QZ1 · 02-15-06, 02:01 PM

Would I be correct in assuming that this DVR will be all Digital?
I can't see tham having three analog tuners.
We have ADS and 3412, so it would work here.

scanpa · 02-15-06, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QZ1

Would I be correct in assuming that this DVR will be all Digital?
I can't see tham having three analog tuners.
We have ADS and 3412, so it would work here.

AFAIK, Yes it is a All Digital or ADS cable STB like the Moto DCT-3412 STB. No Analog.

dt_dc · 02-16-06, 10:16 AM

One thing to note is that these OCAP based boxes can not (and will not) be deployed anywhere untill cable's OCAP based applications (guide, VOD, etc) are ready and deployed. Ie, the current iGuide, VOD, and other applications running on your cable box won't run on these boxes. They need to deploy OCAP versions ... which they have been working on for a while but haven't actually deployed yet.

Comcast has said that they expect to deploy OCAP later this year in the following markets:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Denver, Colorado
Union, New Jersey
Boston, Massachusetts
http://blog.itvt.com/my_weblog/2006/...g_cable_e.html

Those markets should be the first to see these new OCAP based boxes ...

km · 02-18-06, 05:46 PM

Is there any indication that the Comcast/Tivo option will be available on the Panasonic boxes? The Tivo CEO only mentioned the Motorola platfrom in his quarterly press conference. It would be a shame if Comcast charges a premium for Tivo and then confines it to older generation hardware.

Also, where does this leave the future of multiroom media sharing? I thought Comcast was buying into Motorola's "WHMS".

lovingdvd · 02-18-06, 11:24 PM

Yes, I too was wondering what DVR functionality we should expect. Any one know? For example, would the boxes have TiVo, or perhaps a OCAP version of the existing DVR software?

Mainly I would like to see: a) a quieter box that runs a lot cooler, b) better responsiveness of the box (i.e. faster channel changes, and most importantly stop hanging for 30 seconds between remote control commands at random!), c) support for extra HD space via external drives, d) VERY key would be the ability to control the box (set records, etc) from a remote location on the net. Any word about any of these capabilities?

snidely · 02-19-06, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by km

Also, where does this leave the future of multiroom media sharing? I thought Comcast was buying into Motorola's "WHMS".

In Jan. at CES, Moto was demonstrating a multi-room system using the 6412 units. In my opinion it was no where near being a finished product. I didn't spend much time looking at it, tho. My main question was: "Have any of your cable clients asked that the SATA port be activated?" The answer was: "No". As an aside both reps i spoke to admitted that you ran out of room fast using the unit for HD recording.

...mike

scanpa · 02-19-06, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snidely

In Jan. at CES, Moto was demonstrating a multi-room system using the 6412 units. In my opinion it was no where near being a finished product. I didn't spend much time looking at it, tho. My main question was: "Have any of your cable clients asked that the SATA port be activated?" The answer was: "No". As an aside both reps i spoke to admitted that you ran out of room fast using the unit for HD recording.

...mike

Motorola has sent every STB that Comcast has ordered with a SATA port Active & Installed. It has nothing to do with Motorola! It is Comcast.

Comcast has not turned it on in the settings at the head end, nor have they added the drivers into the firmware currently downloaded to the subscribers.

This topic has been covered at least 25 times already in over 10 topics.

balazer · 02-19-06, 01:55 PM

Does Comcast intend to stop buying Motorola boxes, or to begin replacing Motorola boxes in the field with other brands?

scanpa · 02-19-06, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by balazer

Does Comcast intend to stop buying Motorola boxes, or to begin replacing Motorola boxes in the field with other brands?

In areas that the Head End is upgraded to OCAP abilities, then the local office will get the Panasonic STB.

They still have 3 years left in there Motorola Deal. The 3412 / 6412p3 STB are still going to be used for the Home Media Center & the TiVo Software upgrade.

QZ1 · 02-19-06, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scanpa

In areas that the Head End is upgraded to OCAP abilities, then the local office will get the Panasonic STB.

They still have 3 years left in there Motorola Deal. The 3412 / 6412p3 STB are still going to be used for the Home Media Center & the TiVo Software upgrade.

I have a 6412 with DVI, I don't know if it is a p1 or p2.
(Funny, I never heard of p2 until p3 arrived, maybe comacst never saw the p1?)
Does that mean I can't get HMC or Tivo?
Of course, I could swap the box for a 3412.

Regardless, as much as HMC is great, I think 250GB HDD and three tuners is better. I think I would swap for a Panny instead.

How do I find out if our Cable Headend has been upgraded, here in the Willow Grove, PA service area?
Do you have a list?

dt_dc · 02-20-06, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by km

Is there any indication that the Comcast/Tivo option will be available on the Panasonic boxes?

Tivo would have to make an OCAP version of their software to run on these boxes. I have not seen a 'definitive' source for whether Tivo is 1) writing software that will run natively on the Motorola boxes or 2) writing OCAP software that will run on the Motorola boxes with a middleware implementation.

If they are doing 1 ... makes it unlikely you'll see a Tivo offering on the new OCAP boxes any time soon.

If 2 ... makes it more likely you'll see a Tivo offering on the new OCAP boxes sooner.

Like I said ... I don't know which they're doing. I think they are going the "native" application route (number 1). But that's just my gut ... I don't have a 'definitive' source.

Quote:

Originally Posted by km

Also, where does this leave the future of multiroom media sharing? I thought Comcast was buying into Motorola's "WHMS".

Comcast has said several times that they are looking at / evaluating multiroom functionality / platforms. I don't think they have ever tied themselves to one particular vendor / solution. There's lots of different vendors / solutions for them to choose from.

dt_dc · 02-20-06, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QZ1

Do you have a list?

This is the list of markets Comcast expects to upgrade to OCAP by the end of the year:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&&#post7143118

I don't know about the Motorola boxes ... but the Scientific Atlanta boxes have an "applications" page in the diagnostic screens. You can usually tell from this page if there is any OCAP software running ...

scanpa · 02-23-06, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dt_dc

This is the list of markets Comcast expects to upgrade to OCAP by the end of the year:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&&#post7143118

I don't know about the Motorola boxes ... but the Scientific Atlanta boxes have an "applications" page in the diagnostic screens. You can usually tell from this page if there is any OCAP software running ...

The SA STB will not run OCAP, they will run there own version of middleware that will do the same thing.

as for Motorola, the DCT-34xx series STB is already OCAP ready and will be used with the new Panasonic HD DVR STB...

QZ1 · 02-24-06, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scanpa

The SA STB will not run OCAP, they will run there own version of middleware that will do the same thing.

as for Motorola, the DCT-34xx series STB is already OCAP ready and will be used with the new Panasonic HD DVR STB...

Do you mean Motorola systems have become OCAP-ready and those areas can use the 3412 and the Panny DVR?

What then would happen to my 6412, is it still compatible?

JohnnyRose · 02-24-06, 06:35 PM

What will happen first......

I get FW 12.22 or I get a Panasonic STB?

02-03-06, 11:46 PM	#1 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a4ac4393' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:30&n=a4ac4393' border='0' alt=''></a>
scanpa AVS Special Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: SE / SC PA Posts: 2,356	Comcast Panasonic PCH-2180 HD DVR Official Discussion Thread Lets talk about the New Panasonic 250GB HD-DVR STB, that is soon to be going into production for Comcast Cable. I have begun to hear some rumers that Comcast in SE & SC PA will be getting them in stock to replace Motorola DCT series STB. Some reported specs. The Panasonic boxes will provide HD DVR capabilities, and offer triple tuners and a minimum of 250GB of storage--almost double the amount available on Comcast's existing DVR set-tops. The boxes will also have both MPEG-2 and MPEG-4/H.264 decoder capabilities: Comcast says that H.264 will not only allow higher video compression rates, but also allow consumers to use their televisions to "enjoy media elements commonly available on the Internet." In addition, the boxes will feature USB 2.0 functionality, allowing them to be connected to other media devices, such as digital cameras. The deal calls for Panasonic to initially supply Comcast with 250,000 of the boxes, and Comcast will have the option of acquiring up to a million of the boxes in the first year, and of ordering additional volumes in subsequent years. The first 250,000 boxes will be loaded with Panasonic's OCAP middleware. __________________ --------------------------- Comcast of Lebanon PA. Last edited by scanpa; 02-04-06 at 06:42 PM..

02-05-06, 01:37 PM	#7 \| Link
Joe_M AVS Special Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Maryland Posts: 2,412	OMG, if our Comcast gets these I'm going to camp out and wait for one __________________ There is no "best", best is what's best for you... Have you tried searching first?

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Matt_Stevens AVS Addicted Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: NYC Posts: 11,961	No mention of Firewire. __________________ Watch out for The Kung-Fu STAR in 2009.

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JohnnyRose Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 172	So the race is on! What will happen first...... I get FW 12.22 or I get a Panasonic STB? __________________ ______________________________ Elite PRO-1130 Integra Reasearch RDC 7.1 Gemstone Audio Blue Diamond 7X200 Elite DV-79avi Paradigm Signature (S4, C3, 4 X ADP) Velodyne DD-12 Motorola 6412 III

02-04-06, 05:48 PM	#2 \| Link
QZ1 AVS Special Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. PA Posts: 3,940	I am all for it, 120GB is great for my parent's Analog TV, but not for my HDTV, although I was going to get a second one. Even with a 250GB DVR, I would still get two DVRs, as I want to have 4 tuners, as 3 are needed sometimes. What rumors are you hearing as for a rollout month? Because I might just hold out on getting a second DVR. Do you think they would give out two to one customer? So what are the key differences, besides 250GB?

02-04-06, 05:58 PM	#3 \| Link
Walter Lambert Member Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Hampton, NH Posts: 42	Check this link for some details: Three Tuners? http://blog.itvt.com/my_weblog/2006/...t_in_ocap.html

02-05-06, 01:16 PM	#6 \| Link
QZ1 AVS Special Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. PA Posts: 3,940	Great info. Any info. on the dimensions of this DVR? Three tuners! Yee..ha Record three programs while watching a recording program. Now, I didn't see anything about networking these DVRs with other boxes in the home. For HD, the other boxes would need to be HD anyway, I think. And I read in the other thread, that HD STBs (non-DVRs) are phased out in ADS areas. So, I guess they just will let people get two of these, if need be? (If not, initially, then eventually.)

02-05-06, 03:51 PM	#9 \| Link
marcvh Some Guy Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 159	Would it? Wouldn't that mean another splitter and hence more signal degredation?

02-15-06, 02:01 PM	#16 \| Link
QZ1 AVS Special Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. PA Posts: 3,940	Would I be correct in assuming that this DVR will be all Digital? I can't see tham having three analog tuners. We have ADS and 3412, so it would work here.

02-16-06, 10:16 AM	#18 \| Link
dt_dc Mostly Harmless Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 3,333	One thing to note is that these OCAP based boxes can not (and will not) be deployed anywhere untill cable's OCAP based applications (guide, VOD, etc) are ready and deployed. Ie, the current iGuide, VOD, and other applications running on your cable box won't run on these boxes. They need to deploy OCAP versions ... which they have been working on for a while but haven't actually deployed yet. Comcast has said that they expect to deploy OCAP later this year in the following markets: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Denver, Colorado Union, New Jersey Boston, Massachusetts http://blog.itvt.com/my_weblog/2006/...g_cable_e.html Those markets should be the first to see these new OCAP based boxes ...

02-18-06, 05:46 PM	#19 \| Link
km Senior Member Join Date: Sep 1999 Location: Atlanta, Ga Posts: 400	Is there any indication that the Comcast/Tivo option will be available on the Panasonic boxes? The Tivo CEO only mentioned the Motorola platfrom in his quarterly press conference. It would be a shame if Comcast charges a premium for Tivo and then confines it to older generation hardware. Also, where does this leave the future of multiroom media sharing? I thought Comcast was buying into Motorola's "WHMS".

02-18-06, 11:24 PM	#20 \| Link
lovingdvd AVS Special Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 6,404	Yes, I too was wondering what DVR functionality we should expect. Any one know? For example, would the boxes have TiVo, or perhaps a OCAP version of the existing DVR software? Mainly I would like to see: a) a quieter box that runs a lot cooler, b) better responsiveness of the box (i.e. faster channel changes, and most importantly stop hanging for 30 seconds between remote control commands at random!), c) support for extra HD space via external drives, d) VERY key would be the ability to control the box (set records, etc) from a remote location on the net. Any word about any of these capabilities?

02-19-06, 01:55 PM	#23 \| Link
balazer AVS Special Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Sunnyvale, CA Posts: 3,317	Does Comcast intend to stop buying Motorola boxes, or to begin replacing Motorola boxes in the field with other brands?