Moxi HD DVR - Page 14

I decided to try out the Moxi/Mate and purchased the combo. I placed the order on 8/31 to get the promotion, but it looks like the promo is still active on their website. The same Amazon promo ended as stated on 8/31. I will be comparing the Moxi Mate against using a Windows Media Center Extender. The Mate already has a disadvantage with not being able to stream live TV, but Moxi support promises this feature is coming soon.

As others mentioned, purchasing from the Moxi website through PayPal leaves you wondering if you really just placed a order. I received a PayPal confirmation, but nothing from Moxi. I emailed today and found the Moxi had already been shipped and is scheduled to arrive via FedEx today. So the fun begins this evening.

Thanks, I will keep trying

Does the Moxi buffer both tuners simultaneously, like Tivo and does it continue to buffer both tuners while you are watching a recording. I hate the SA8300 box from comcast as it only buffers one tuner at a time and if you are watching a recording nothing buffers at all.

Is the Moxi easy to repair (change hard drive, power supply etc) like the Tivo? Is there any info on restoring or backing up the software so you can replace a dying hard drive

Thanks

Me too actually! I've been busy lately and have focused attention elsewhere. It'll take awhile.

I bought the Mate quick because of the price deal, but really need it like another hole-in-the-head. I was surprised to learn that the Mate can used as a standalone recorder for internet sourced programs.


Moxi buffers both tuners but not like TiVo. Moxi's buffers are much longer (from 1½ to over 3 hrs. both hi-def and standard-def in both digital and analog through the dongle) but when tuners are switched the viewable buffer indicates the present. If you want to go back you've got to jump back (in 15 min. jumps).

Moxi can record 3 programs simultaneously (one analog standard-def) but can buffer only 2 programs.

Thanks but still a little confused. While watching a recorded program do the tuners still buffer? Say I had ABCHD on one tuner and NBC HD on another but was watching a recorded program for 15 minutes, then stopped the recorded program and went back to ABC or NBC, have those stations buffered for the 15 minutes?

The Moxi buffers both tuners, and each tuner is buffered longer than TiVo, but it does not save your place; it always reverts to live whenever you change channels or tuners. You can't pause one channel, switch to another channel (tuner), and then switch back to resume where you left off.

One big selling point for the Tivo is that the user can easily swap out harddrives and power supplies if needed. The software is available to load on a new drive.

How about Moxi, any info on user repairs to negate expensive trips back to Diego

I am trying to make sure I don't get a 800.00 box that is expensive to repair what should be an easy job

What is the truth, I have read statements similar to both of these around the net. Just wondering what is fact.


"Unlike TiVo's limitations regarding external HDDs, Moxi's system allows unlimited storage from DVR grade eSATA drives. Whether or not a user actually uses multiple drives it's nice to know that all won't be lost if a HDD fails. In its user manual Moxi claims to work with a 2TB maximum HDD size."



but I have also read things like

"One can connect an external hard drive to the Moxie, BUT if the Moxie unit fails the recordings on the hard drive, EVEN THOUGH IT STILL RUNS, become useless because the Moxie's software won't allow the hard drive to be recognized unless it was formatted by that unit originally! Even an identical replacement Moxie won't work and requires that the hard drive be formatted, erasing all recordings!"


Do you really lose everything if the unit fails?

Anyone want to speculate on how long it will take before there is some hack to transfer programs to a pc, is it just a matter of the moxi gaining popularity?

Can you customize the guide to not show stations that you receive. (i.e. Food Channel)

Yes. The CableLabs' DFAST licensing agreement -- which all manufacturers must agree to before they can sell a CableCard device -- requires that all recordings be (a) encrypted and (b) tied to a specific DVR. Recordings stored on an external drive cannot be accessed by a new device.

If your Moxi dies and/or needs to be replaced, then any recordings stored on the external drive become unusable.


According to Moxi (info@moxi.com), there are no plans to add that capability.

With DLNA 2.0 and DTCP-IP encrypted streaming, it may eventually be possible to view Moxi recordings on your PC using compliant software. But don't expect to ever have access to the recorded files themselves.

Yes. Go into the Settings - Channel List menu. You can add/remove channels from your guide there.

MUCH longer than TiVo. There's no chance that a user will be confused by what's going on when starting from live. Any part of Moxi's up to 3 hour long recording buffer can be recalled in seconds when jumping back 15 mins. at a time.

Moxi and TiVo are designed from significantly different perspectives.

At this point, if user repairability is a big concern, go with TiVo.

I have had the problem in the past with losing my recorded shows on my external HD, when my moxi had to be replaced.(Cable moxi not retail)

If you wanted to I supose you could always clone your internal HD (this would probably void the warranty I am not sure though), and that would allow you to put in a different internal HD if yours would crash. You would lose any changes on your internal that you made after the fact, and any programs that utilize both your internal and external hd wouldn't work right either.

I don't know if anyone has tried this yet so I do not know if this will work or if it will brick your moxi.

thanks

Does anyone know if Moxi is working on the i.TV API? I don't know if you've used it, but the i.TV iPhone app has totally transformed my TV watching. I constantly use it now instead of that slow Comcast/Motorola 6412 EPG.

The free i.TV app is awesome! It shows grid listings when you tilt it horizontal, individual listings vertically. I would love to have it control my Moxi, but it only handles TiVo right now.

I have had a few days now to play around with the Moxi/Mate. Overall I have been very impressed. I was worried about the video quality streaming to the Mate, but have found no noticable degradation. The responsiveness of the Mate is excellent. I have actually found it seems to be "snappier" than the Moxi while going through menu options. The included PlayOn license key was a nice benefit. I love being able to watch Hulu through either the Moxi or Mate. This opens up endless amounts of video content.

I also own a Sony DHG-HDD250 HD DVR. There are a few features the Sony has that I have grown to appreciate, but the additional capabilities of the Moxi make those found in the Sony easier to live without. There is a learning curve on the Moxi, especially with remote commands. You definitely need to read the manual on this one. I can see why Moxi doesn't include a copy of the manual. Moxi is constantly implementing new features and changing the manual as the Moxi evolves. The Moxi GUI and channel guide has grown on me, but my wife prefers to use the grid guide.

The back-lit remote is nice. At first I found the button layout non-intuitive. But after using for a couple of days I have become more accustomed to it. My number one gripe would be they left out the TV "Input" button. The remote will control your TV's power and audio, but cannot select input. With my particular setup I am frequently changing TV inputs, so I often have to grab a second remote to select the input.

One odd thing I discovered is that you lose the "bonk" sounds (heard during remote commands) when you set the audio output to Dolby Digital. This isn't mentioned in the manual. This may or may not be a good thing if you normally like having the audio feedback of the bonk sounds. Personally I like them and hope this gets fixed in a future update.

The Moxi does not have the hardware to insert sounds into a Dolby Digital bitstream. The Tivo has the same limitations wrt navigation sounds. If you don't like having navigation sounds on some channels and not others, then you can always disable sounds.

Didn't see this mentioned anywhere:

Is this a good thing or bad thing??

No idea, but it sounds like there will be more details later on today. It looks like EndgadgetHD will be covering the conference call and has offered to pass along any questions that are left in their comment section.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/09/22...development-s/

The end may or may not be near but in the meantime...an ARRIS pat!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMsBT...eature=related

I just posted a comment on Engadget asking what happened to the conference call. I'm not getting a good feeling from this $20 million firesale, especially since Paul Allen reportedly sank hundreds of millions into the company over the past 10 years.

Odd thing is, I had just recently become aware of the Moxi unit (thanks to a glowing review in Home Theater magazine) and was seriously considering it - in fact, about to pull the trigger on ordering the Moxi and a Moxi Mate. Wednesday, when I went back to their website for a few final answers and saw the notice about the sale to Arris, the first thing that struck me was "$20 million all cash offer."
I thought "really? only $20 million?" And "all cash" tells me that somebody wanted to cut their losses and run. Then I came over here to see what else I could learn about Digeo. Suffice to say, I decided to go with a couple of TiVo units instead. Sorry Moxi. I'm just not convinced that Arris really will continue to develop the product. It appears to me that Arris really wanted some particular intellectual property and their related patents more than continuing the development of the Moxi.

I bought a new Moxi off of Craigs list for $400! I've had it for two weeks and I am very pleased with it. I had the latest Comcast/Motorola DVR before. The Moxis video is significantly better. Better sharpness, colors, contrast.

The audio, though it is digital out only better than the Comcast boxes digital out in a BIG way. I was always bugged by the Comcast DVRs sound quality digital out. It is very compressed, edgy and lacked any bass. I was chalking it up to Comcasts compression, but the Moxi sounds about as good as my Oppo DVD player did.

One thing that is bugging me is the sound of the hard drive in the Moxi. For some reason I am ultra sensitive to the sound of 3.5 inch drives, they have a high pitched wine that even when it's low and in the background, make my ears ring. The Moxi drive is not that loud, I am just very sensitive to it.

I would love to replace the 3.5 inch drive with a 2.5 inch drive. Does anyone know what format the drive is? Is it NTFS, or Fat etc. Is the Moxi a Linux box? I have a lot of experience cloning drives, so I want to try this.

I haven't noticed the whine sound but I do notice the "read/write" clicking sounds from the hard drive. I think the sounds just kind of resonate in the metal case. Makes a huge difference just placing a cloth on top, although I don't want to do that for heat reasons. The box is still very quiet. Quieter than my Sony HD DVR.

I think Engadget's initial review of this box didn't do it justice. Some of the negatives of the review were just plain not knowing how to use the functions of the remote. I'm sure the review didn't help sales on the units, especially since there isn't a lot of reviews to look at. The Home Theater magazine was a better review in my opinion.

I agree. But I bet the few existing standalone Moxi's will remain fun to play with and that Moxi's EPG info will remain available well beyond the life of this thread.

Looks like you can listen to the conference call here. I haven't listened yet, but will tonight after work.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix....ventID=2449527

Here is an interesting PDF highlighting the convergence of ARRIS AND MOXI:

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External...xUeXBlPTI=&t=1

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External...xUeXBlPTI=&t=1

Arris's proposed Moxi® Home Gateway appears to be an evolutionary standalone Moxi branded product.

From their conference call, it sounds like they are focused on cable operators, with the new home IP gateway product slated for 2011.

During the conference call, they mentioned that Digeo only saw $5 million in total revenue per quarter. If that's true, it's no wonder they were having difficulty.