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Ceton Echo alternatives?

8K views 39 replies 16 participants last post by  dfkimbro 
#1 ·
I am using a Xbox for several years as a media extender to the ceton tuner.
All works well. But I would prefer a solution that is not as noisy and smaller. Ceton Echo would fit the requirements. But based on reviews online it appears that the Echo is not as good as a Xbox.
Are there other alternatives? Assuming there is no Ceton v2 on the horizon...
 
#3 ·
Stay away from the Echo.......


and there is NO "version 2" coming................


Toys
 
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#4 ·
What model 360 are you using? The newer iterations are a little smaller and a lot quieter than the original.

As far as the Echo goes, your satisfaction will generally depend on two things... how you plan to use it, and how "robust" your network is. If you are only using it for Live/Recorded TV then they generally work pretty well. Streaming will depend on what your media library looks like. I've heard reports of "It plays everything I've ever asked" of both the 360 and the Echo, but with a little probing those discussions usually boil down to "I've already re-encoded all of my media to fit a profile I know will work on that device" so of course it plays everything that you've specifically made to play on it. That said, a lot of the media I re-encoded to play on my 360 extenders won't play on the Echo. As far as your network goes, the Echo seems to be very fickle about network conditions. I've read a lot of reports of the Echo not behaving well when connected to various switches or routers.

If you do get an Echo, I would strongly recommend setting up a reserved IP address for it on your router/DHCP server, as the Echo doesn't support Static IP addresses, and from my experience if the IP address changes, (say for example you leave it off for a while and another device get the Echo's former IP address) you'll have to re-pair it with WMC as it won't reconnect after that.
 
#13 ·
What model 360 are you using? The newer iterations are a little smaller and a lot quieter than the original.

As far as the Echo goes, your satisfaction will generally depend on two things... how you plan to use it, and how "robust" your network is. If you are only using it for Live/Recorded TV then they generally work pretty well.
I don't think that most people have had this experience. It certainly wasn't mine or that of most people who responded when I solicited feedback about my issues. I don't want to start an argument, so I would simply suggest that the OP do some searches on the echo.

As for alternatives, have you tried any of the newer/quieter xboxes. Who is your cable provider? Do you have any premium channels? If you have a provider that does not mark content as "copy once" and don't watch HBO or premium content, you may want to try one of the non windows solutions like XBMC/Kodi.
 
#5 · (Edited)
If you aren't on cable I would recommend taking a look at the Chromebox running OpenELEC/Kodi. Watching The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (Windows 8.1 Kodi) right now via my WMC server. Even commercial skip is supported. My signature has a link to more info... another option is Fire TV with Kodi.
 
#19 ·
I'm using Linksys DMA 2100, and DMA2200, and an XBOX360.

I'm one of those who would say that "everything I have thrown at Linksys works" simply because I know what its limitations are, and I make sure my content complies with the design. i.e. I convert everything to XVID and it works.

My largest TV is 55" LED (connected to the HTPC) and the rest are 42", 2x24", and 2x 19". So, having perfect 1:1 BD rips is no an issue for this household. Heck, my kids watch Dora/Barney/Bob the builder/My little pony/Elmo.... in SD, because some of the episodes were recorded before HD was even available. And they could care less.
 
#8 ·
Ceton has abandoned all development of firmware for Echo. Mine still runs the last beta firmware when it was in beta. So, there is no change.


The menu is not that slow. PQ is debatable. The general stability is not good so I won't use it in my main setup. I won't recommend Echo for anyone.
 
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#11 · (Edited)
@metropole, because you are asking for alternatives to the Echo, and already have a 360 - that leaves you with the Linksys and HP extenders. I own a Linksys, for TV only it's fine (it is not in service anymore for me - as I have gone with 4x Xbox 360 E units around the house).

For ripped file playback - users reported the HP extender is better than the Linksys (as in supports more codecs, and higher bitrates). The Xbox is reported as even better than the HP though in that regard.

My Xbox 360s are a lot more stable than Echo ever could be. But, YMMV. I just telling my own experience.
Yup @Foxbat121 , my experience with the Ceton Echo completely mirrors yours; just to give another data point for @metropole . My Xbox 360s are way more stable in every regard than the 2 Echos I've owned ever could hope achieve. The Linksys I own is also more stable than my 2 Echos were. And with no more firmware updates, the Echos are not going to improve any further. :frown:

Also, as to @metropole 's question about menu slowness on the Echo - I never measured actual response time, but you can't use menu animations on the Echo. That might be what people are talking about; or they might mean actual response time. The Xbox 360 is the only extender that works properly with menu animations. For the Linksys, HP and Echo, you will need to turn menu animations off, as they do not work properly/smoothly.
 
#16 ·
I have a Xbox 360. I was looking at the newer Xbox. The newest model is even bigger than mine. Maybe quieter.
You must mean the new Xbox One which doesn't support WMC extender at all. Only the Xbox 360 supports WMC Extender. And the newer Xbox 360 should be the smallest, not bigger.

How about going the route of a small PC? e.g.:
http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4888#ov
and run win& on it?
How well can it implemented as a extender with a standard remote?
There is no way to make a PC as extender. You can make it a separate WMC PC to watch TVs and use network sharing to share the non-copy-once recordings.
 
#18 ·
If you think a PC can be an extender, then you need to brush up on the definition of an extender. Please read this for the definition of an extender and all possible alternatives:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Media_Center_Extender

The major drawback I've found with older extenders is the lack of wake-on-lan.

I think you should try an Echo before you dismiss it completely. Much of what you've read about them is outdated.
 
#22 ·
I won't called it 'extenders' because of two things it can't do:
1. It can't share tuners with other stations/extenders if they happen to view the same channel. So, you need a lot of spare tuners available to satisfy both recorders and viewers.
2. You can't watch a recording. Stop in the middle and pickup from another TV.


This concludes our weekly extender meeting in AVS HTPC forum where pro-extenders, extender haters, echo haters and echo defenders all pitched in :)


As for OP, do a search next time.
 
#23 ·
I won't called it 'extenders' because of two things it can't do:
1. It can't share tuners with other stations/extenders if they happen to view the same channel. So, you need a lot of spare tuners available to satisfy both recorders and viewers.
2. You can't watch a recording. Stop in the middle and pickup from another TV.
This is true, that's why I call them 'pseudo-extenders'. Feel free to call them 'half-baked extenders' 'half-assed extenders' or 'almost extenders' if you so please :p
 
#25 ·
This is where the upcoming Android TV comes into play. It brings TV (via only HDHomerun tuners ATM) to the STB crowd, and brings the HTPC crowd to the STB market (potentially).

I have one, but it's no where near a finished state ATM and only does Live TV, no recording - so we'll have to wait till it's final form (or if they add DVR functions after initial release) to see how useful it will be.

SiliconDust will also be bringing their own app to the platform, so DVR might come in the form of that; where as Google only bakes in Live TV functionality on their end.
 
#37 ·
And copy-once only matters if you have CableCard, not QAM or ATSC - then you have no restrictions! And still none, if you have CableCard and everything is flagged copy-freely; though your CableCo could change that at any time. We already pointed that out though so that @adam1991 doesn't have to :D

@Foxbat121 came up with some reasonable distinctions of where these setups lack from traditional extenders; but that's why I don't call them extenders as I mentioned. But it's not, even with the points @Foxbat121 made, a 'FAR cry off' from being one. It's become a much thinner distinction.
 
#39 ·
The 360 is cheap and the new design is relatively problem free.

My only concern at this point is how long is Microsoft going to support the Windows Media server and extender model.

You can't tell me the cable companies are trying to get MSFT to drop it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#40 ·
The 360 is cheap and the new design is relatively problem free.

My only concern at this point is how long is Microsoft going to support the Windows Media server and extender model.

You can't tell me the cable companies are trying to get MSFT to drop it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I agree with all this. I'm hoping MSFT doesn't drop channel guide support and WMC entirely, with Windows 9 preview just around the corner.
 
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