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Comcast Rolling Out AnyRoom DVR

post #1 of 200
6/17/10 at 7:20am
Thread Starter 
Comcast Rolling Out AnyRoom DVR

Say hello to the new AnyRoom DVR.
Now you can share your DVR recordings with any room in the house.

With the new AnyRoom DVR Service, you can now share all your DVR recordingseven those in HDwith any room in the house. Now you'll get:

* HD service in every room.
* Full DVR functionality on your primary DVR.
* The convenience to start watching a recording in one room and finish it in another.
* The flexibility to watch different recordings on different TVs at the same time.

AnyRoom DVR has the same capabilities as a standard DVR.

Your new AnyRoom DVR can do everything a standard DVR can do. On your primary DVR you can:

* Schedule or delete a recording.
* Change the recording options.
* Slow the action with the slow-motion function.
* Pause live TV.



But now it shares well with other networked set-top boxes.

Talk about convenience! Now, on any TV in your home connected to a networked set-top box, you can:

* Sort and view completed recordings.
* View a recording in the process.
* Play, fast-forward, rewind, pause, skip ahead or back when watching a recorded program. (Remember, you can only pause live TV on the main DVR.)




Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Call for complete details. Comcast © 2010. All rights reserved.

http://www.comcast.com/anyroomdvr/
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post #2 of 200
7/1/10 at 3:32pm
Thread Starter 
Comcast starts offering multiroom features, 500GB hard drives with Anyroom DVR
By Richard Lawler posted Jul 1st 2010 6:21PM


Oregon and Southwest Washington are enjoying more than just the launch of Comcast's updated A28 guide today, the company also announced it has begun offering Anyroom DVR (not to be confused with Anyroom On Demand) setups in the area. It's a pretty standard MoCA implementation, one central HD DVR that allows customers to watch and control recorded programming from other hard drive-less set-top boxes in the same house. Comcast say Anyroom DVR is available in 20 markets including the Bay area, Western Mass, Augusta, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Little Rock and others, while forum posts on DSLReports indicate promos have been spotted in Chicago and Pennsylvania with a price tag of $19.95 for the main DVR, and the usual fees for the other boxes (maximum of 3).

We couldn't get an official confirmation on the amount of storage available, but the reported 500GB is an all too welcome improvement over the 160GB / 250GB drives still sitting in most standard DVRs Comcast issues or the FiOS one we tested a while back, outpaces the 250GB / 320GB options in AT&T's U-verse setups and would put it on par with DirecTV's HR24 (can be upgraded) and the new Cox Plus Package. Sure, it's a little late to record every World Cup match in HD (or 3D) but we're sure you'll find something to watch.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/01/c...ard-drives-wi/
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post #3 of 200
7/2/10 at 7:46am
Sounds like it works just like Directv's version. The only hangup is that one DVR can not tell another DVR what to record. Directv's is the same way. Otherwise it's a fantastic feature and you guys will love it.
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post #4 of 200
7/4/10 at 8:18am
Thread Starter 
In my area (Montgomery county, MD) this will be available starting July 7th.
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post #5 of 200
7/4/10 at 7:07pm
Available in Baltimore on or about 7/7. But I'd rather keep my two DVRs and have four tuners.
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post #6 of 200
7/6/10 at 12:08pm
Can I still keep my two DVRs? Is this a brand new box to replace an existing DVR?
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post #7 of 200
7/6/10 at 3:00pm
Thread Starter 
Yes, you need to replace your DVR the new one I believe it is the DCX3400M.
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post #8 of 200
7/6/10 at 5:34pm
Right.

(HD) DVRs - DCX3400m
-and-
networked (HD) cable boxes - DCX3200m.
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post #9 of 200
7/7/10 at 5:00am
And yet, I'm still stuck with the crappy ass Scientific Atlanta boxes.
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post #10 of 200
7/8/10 at 8:15am
I have this (Augusta GA). I do not belive it has any more storage than the previous comcast hd dvr i had. Also, there is a mandatory installation charge (they will not waive it. belive me i tried) and they will not let you install it yourself. Its an extra 4 bucks for the dvr i think, making it 19 a month.

There are ALL KINDS of ports on the back. Even on the secondary box. not sure what they do but i plan on playing with it tonight. One thing thing i did notice is that it has a M-CARD (new cable card standard) INSIDE the box with a sticker covering the hole to remove it. If anyone is interested i can take pictures.

The comcast interface is a LOT more snappy on it.
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post #11 of 200
7/8/10 at 8:51am
I think I'm just better off with two DVRs for a total of four tuners. My wife and I watch enough conflicting shows.
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post #12 of 200
7/8/10 at 2:54pm
Unless you have the Comcast Triple Play Premier it looks like a complete and utter ripoff.

On the Comcast bill I just received it said "Monthly pricing starts at $19.95 for the primary outlet and is offered at no additional cost to your Comcast Triple Play Premier customers. In addition to your primary outlet, you can add up to 3 additional outlets to accesds Anyroom DVR Service at a monthly price of $9.25 per outlet in additional areas of your home. Applicable equipment, installation and service fees may apply."
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post #13 of 200
7/9/10 at 11:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nottenst View Post

Unless you have the Comcast Triple Play Premier it looks like a complete and utter ripoff.

On the Comcast bill I just received it said "Monthly pricing starts at $19.95 for the primary outlet and is offered at no additional cost to your Comcast Triple Play Premier customers. In addition to your primary outlet, you can add up to 3 additional outlets to accesds Anyroom DVR Service at a monthly price of $9.25 per outlet in additional areas of your home. Applicable equipment, installation and service fees may apply."

Wth? I thought the other outlets were included in the $19.95. Or does primary outlet mean the Anyroom DVR plus one remote box?

What is Triple Play Premier? I don't even know if I have that or not.
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post #14 of 200
7/9/10 at 12:01pm
Oh, we have Preferred Plus. Damn, they're giving away iPod Touches with the packages now.
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post #15 of 200
7/9/10 at 1:01pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike20878 View Post

Wth? I thought the other outlets were included in the $19.95. Or does primary outlet mean the Anyroom DVR plus one remote box?

What is Triple Play Premier? I don't even know if I have that or not.

The $19.95 is just for the DVR box (DCX3400m). The additional boxes (DCX3200m) cost $9.25 each in my area.

In my area a regular DVR cost $15.95 and a standard HD box costs $9.25. So the only additional cost is $4.00 per month.
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post #16 of 200
7/9/10 at 1:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulGo View Post

The $19.95 is just for the DVR box (DCX3400m). The additional boxes (DCX3200m) cost $9.25 each in my area.

In my area a regular DVR cost $15.95 and a standard HD box costs $9.25. So the only additional cost is $4.00 per month.

We're in the same area apparently but I didn't notice the $9.25. Maybe I overlooked it. We have two DVR's at $15.95 each and an HD box in our bedroom.
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post #17 of 200
7/9/10 at 1:51pm
I'll just add, that in this region, (and others), they changed the cable box fees, as of the May bill, such that HD DVRs on any outlet are $15.95, and HD boxes on any outlet are $9.25. Of course, now we have the AnyRoom HD DVR at $19.95, indeed, effectively a $4 surcharge to the HD DVR.
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post #18 of 200
7/9/10 at 5:43pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike20878 View Post

We're in the same area apparently but I didn't notice the $9.25. Maybe I overlooked it. We have two DVR's at $15.95 each and an HD box in our bedroom.

Some packages include one HD box.
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post #19 of 200
7/10/10 at 12:26am
I am in the Oregon market and have it scheduled to be installed at 2pm tomorrow. Word of advice, if you call comcast their reps know nothing about the multi-room. I asked specific questions like, "So does this work over a network feed or the cable lines?" "can i just go to the retail center and pick up the box?" "is their any additional fees?" After arriving at the retail center and a 20 minute wait...i was informed that every answer he gave me was exactly the opposite of the correct answer. anyway make sure you don't waste time with the retail centers. I will post my thoughts after I have messed around with it
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post #20 of 200
7/13/10 at 7:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bradley D View Post

I am in the Oregon market and have it scheduled to be installed at 2pm tomorrow. Word of advice, if you call comcast their reps know nothing about the multi-room. I asked specific questions like, "So does this work over a network feed or the cable lines?" "can i just go to the retail center and pick up the box?" "is their any additional fees?" After arriving at the retail center and a 20 minute wait...i was informed that every answer he gave me was exactly the opposite of the correct answer. anyway make sure you don't waste time with the retail centers. I will post my thoughts after I have messed around with it

Bradley ..... How'd the install go and how are things working? Does the DCX3400M also still have a Component output (not to be confused with Composite)?

I'm also scheduled for a service visit on Monday 7/19 for an upgrade to Comcast AnyRoom in Beaverton, OR. I presently have the Triple Play with HBO but my 4-year-old DCT-3412 HDTV DVR is finally starting to fail so I dropped into the Nimbus center while passing by there this afternoon (w/o my DCT3412). After a 20 minute wait to see if they had any regular 250GB DCX3400 units (which they did), I started asking about the 500GB hard drives that are only available with the DCX3400M units for AnyRoom. I presently have a second non-recording DCT-700 SD STB in the bedroom room upstairs and thought it might be nice to be able finish watching recorded programs from the bedroom. The customer service rep double-checked that the the DCX3400M units have 500GB hard drives with the install department and did a fairly accurate job of describing how the system works (I had already researched things here on the internet). She mentioned that the one time $15.00 install fee is required because they send an installer out to do the install/swap-out and install some filters (or something). My net Triple Play monthly cost increase will come to another $4.50/mo. This upgrades me to a 500GB DCX3400M HD-DVR and a "HD" DCX3200M-P2 .... Look's like it's time now to finally buy an HDTV for the bedroom. Plus, she added STARZ to my HBO. My new rate is month-to-month with no contract other than they guarranty it for one year from the install date.

Time will tell how well this AnyRoom setup will work ..... BTW, from what I've researched, it looks like you can only initiate a new recording only from the main host DCX3400M ..... Is that what you've discovered?
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post #21 of 200
7/15/10 at 1:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by George-O View Post

Bradley ..... How'd the install go and how are things working? Does the DCX3400M also still have a Component output (not to be confused with Composite)?

I'm also scheduled for a service visit on Monday 7/19 for an upgrade to Comcast AnyRoom in Beaverton, OR. I presently have the Triple Play with HBO but my 4-year-old DCT-3412 HDTV DVR is finally starting to fail so I dropped into the Nimbus center while passing by there this afternoon (w/o my DCT3412). After a 20 minute wait to see if they had any regular 250GB DCX3400 units (which they did), I started asking about the 500GB hard drives that are only available with the DCX3400M units for AnyRoom. I presently have a second non-recording DCT-700 SD STB in the bedroom room upstairs and thought it might be nice to be able finish watching recorded programs from the bedroom. The customer service rep double-checked that the the DCX3400M units have 500GB hard drives with the install department and did a fairly accurate job of describing how the system works (I had already researched things here on the internet). She mentioned that the one time $15.00 install fee is required because they send an installer out to do the install/swap-out and install some filters (or something). My net Triple Play monthly cost increase will come to another $4.50/mo. This upgrades me to a 500GB DCX3400M HD-DVR and a "HD" DCX3200M-P2 .... Look's like it's time now to finally buy an HDTV for the bedroom. Plus, she added STARZ to my HBO. My new rate is month-to-month with no contract other than they guarranty it for one year from the install date.

Time will tell how well this AnyRoom setup will work ..... BTW, from what I've researched, it looks like you can only initiate a new recording only from the main host DCX3400M ..... Is that what you've discovered?

If I remember correctly it has component out. My fiance is currently sleeping upstairs or I would confirm but I will tomorrow. As far as the install goes it went smooth. It was a sub contractor for comcast which confirmed my suspicion about the service charge. As far as the host box goes he was not sure how big the hard drive was claiming that no one has told him because "they" don't know either, which is a bunch of crap, he just wanted to deflect the blame. As far as storage so far I have exactly 14 hours and 15 minutes recorded all in HD and my DVR says its 17% full so that is a vast improvement. I already had the DCX3400 (no m) downstairs so I wasn't expecting much of a change, which there isn't. The best part of the new boxes is by far the DVR manager. Its exponentially easier to go through the DVR clean-up feature over selecting each individual show for removal. The mulit-room box upstairs is much smaller then the previous box which is nice for a bedroom. It's the last week of the first session of summer term here in Eugene so I haven't had much time to play with the multi-room functions yet but from what I have done it's very easy to use. Simply press the DVR button and you are in all of your recordings. The only negative thing I have found so far is that when fast forwarding or rewinding there is a fair amount of lag.

Enjoy!
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post #22 of 200
7/15/10 at 9:49am
I was about floored when I saw that Comcast was finally starting a multi-room DVR Service. I can’t wait till Atlanta/Marietta gets the new service.

What I would be interested in hear about from those lucky one with access or knowledge of the system, is the different configurations that are currently available or might be available in the near future. My biggest concern is that I have two primary TVs with DVRs at the moment as my wife and I have different viewing habits and every so often we are watching/recording 3 shows at a time. So my first question… is it possible for a single house to have 2 DCX3400m DVRs, and if so, will they be able to see each others recordings? Second, since the DCX3200m is not a DVR, I know it can’t pause live TV. However, is there a MoCa enabled single tuner DVR that would be able to access the home server?
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post #23 of 200
7/15/10 at 10:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by joed32 View Post

Sounds like it works just like Directv's version. The only hangup is that one DVR can not tell another DVR what to record. Directv's is the same way. Otherwise it's a fantastic feature and you guys will love it.

It's totally NOT the same as DirecTv's version. With DirecTV's version, as I have, I share between multiple DVR's.

Comcast's "solution" is only one DVR (Server) for the house (And thus only recording two things at once), the other boxes are clients. We haven't heard anything about having one DCX3400m DVR in one room, another DCX3400m DVR in the other, and sharing between those boxes.

Comcast's MRV appears to be a severely cripped version of DirecTV's (unless I am missing something and you are actually able to have several of the DCX3400m DVR's and watch programs off any of them). But for Comcast customers, I suppose it is better than nothing.
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post #24 of 200
7/15/10 at 11:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bradley D View Post

If I remember correctly it has component out. My fiance is currently sleeping upstairs or I would confirm but I will tomorrow. As far as the install goes it went smooth. It was a sub contractor for comcast which confirmed my suspicion about the service charge. As far as the host box goes he was not sure how big the hard drive was claiming that no one has told him because "they" don't know either, which is a bunch of crap, he just wanted to deflect the blame. As far as storage so far I have exactly 14 hours and 15 minutes recorded all in HD and my DVR says its 17% full so that is a vast improvement. I already had the DCX3400 (no m) downstairs so I wasn't expecting much of a change, which there isn't. The best part of the new boxes is by far the DVR manager. Its exponentially easier to go through the DVR clean-up feature over selecting each individual show for removal. The mulit-room box upstairs is much smaller then the previous box which is nice for a bedroom. It's the last week of the first session of summer term here in Eugene so I haven't had much time to play with the multi-room functions yet but from what I have done it's very easy to use. Simply press the DVR button and you are in all of your recordings. The only negative thing I have found so far is that when fast forwarding or rewinding there is a fair amount of lag.

Enjoy!

The installer also puts a filter on your system to prevent neigbors with the same AnyRoom service from inadvertantly accessing your recordings which is the real reason for the mandatory service visit. Whether they should charge us for the visit is matter for another discussion.

If your 14+ hours of recordings are all HD, then you've definately got a 500GB hard drive. The Comcast DVX3400M should be a just regular DCX3400 except with a bigger 500GB HD and the AnyRoom circuitry activated .... Thus my question about the Component outputs?

Here's a couple of other operational questions:

Can a "new" recording be initiated from the smaller DCX3200M?

When playing back a recording via the smaller DCX3200M, can a person in the main room still initiate a "different" recorded playback from the larger DCX3400M (i.e. each TV is playing back a different recording simultaneously)?

Thanks!
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post #25 of 200
7/22/10 at 12:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pappy97 View Post

It's totally NOT the same as DirecTv's version. With DirecTV's version, as I have, I share between multiple DVR's.

Comcast's "solution" is only one DVR (Server) for the house (And thus only recording two things at once), the other boxes are clients. We haven't heard anything about having one DCX3400m DVR in one room, another DCX3400m DVR in the other, and sharing between those boxes.

Comcast's MRV appears to be a severely cripped version of DirecTV's (unless I am missing something and you are actually able to have several of the DCX3400m DVR's and watch programs off any of them). But for Comcast customers, I suppose it is better than nothing.

I also have multiple DVRs with DirecTV and I use the MRV to share recordings between them. With two 500GB hard drives between the DVRs (HR24's) and the MPEG4 compression, DirecTV has the superior solution.

I would be very interested in the Comcast solution if you could share between more than one DVR. I do miss the ability to record to my PC via firewire from my old Motorola boxes. The Anyroom feature is live in my market right now, but if I can't have multiple DVRs, which not only gives more space but the ability to pause and record live tv on any box, I will definitely pass for the foreseeable future.
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post #26 of 200
7/22/10 at 1:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by George-O View Post

The installer also puts a filter on your system to prevent neigbors with the same AnyRoom service from inadvertantly accessing your recordings which is the real reason for the mandatory service visit. Whether they should charge us for the visit is matter for another discussion.

If your 14+ hours of recordings are all HD, then you've definately got a 500GB hard drive. The Comcast DVX3400M should be a just regular DCX3400 except with a bigger 500GB HD and the AnyRoom circuitry activated .... Thus my question about the Component outputs?

Here's a couple of other operational questions:

Can a "new" recording be initiated from the smaller DCX3200M?

When playing back a recording via the smaller DCX3200M, can a person in the main room still initiate a "different" recorded playback from the larger DCX3400M (i.e. each TV is playing back a different recording simultaneously)?

Thanks!

Simple answers: no you can not initiate a recording from the DCX3200. Some people are probably getting confused or going to be because when you press something to record it shows it scheduled but its actually trying to set up a recording for a VCR. As for the second question the answer is yes. I tried playing the same recording on the 3200 while it was playing on the 3400M and it was perfect then I selected a different recording to play on the 3200 and it worked flawlessly.
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post #27 of 200
7/22/10 at 1:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bradley D View Post

Simple answers: no you can not initiate a recording from the DCX3200. Some people are probably getting confused or going to be because when you press something to record it shows it scheduled but its actually trying to set up a recording for a VCR. As for the second question the answer is yes. I tried playing the same recording on the 3200 while it was playing on the 3400M and it was perfect then I selected a different recording to play on the 3200 and it worked flawlessly.

Okay, great ..... thanks for the update. I figured as much regarding the initiating of a recording from the DCX3200-M (that it would simply start the unit up for a VCR like the old unit). I'm waiting on Comcast to show up here at any minute now to replace the DCX3200-M as it still is not communicating after 3 days with the host DCX3400-M.

BTW, in a few months they will roll out the "DCX3200-M P" which will have a station (or clock display .... your programmable choice) on the front like the host DCX3400-M .... I'm going to grab one of those when I can.
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post #28 of 200
7/23/10 at 2:45pm
I'm about ready to pull the trigger on this. But before I do, is there any way to truly tell if the dcx3400Ms really have a 500G drive? Can you see the drive number through the case? Or tell with some menu? I think I have some leverage with Comcast since I plan to switch my phone service over too. But if they don't give me at least a 500G drive, I'd tell them to take a hike.
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post #29 of 200
7/23/10 at 8:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by crossbeaux View Post

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on this. But before I do, is there any way to truly tell if the dcx3400Ms really have a 500G drive? Can you see the drive number through the case? Or tell with some menu? I think I have some leverage with Comcast since I plan to switch my phone service over too. But if they don't give me at least a 500G drive, I'd tell them to take a hike.

FWIW, I got the service on Monday and the front of the case says DCX3400-M and the unit's service menu shows 500GB. My recordings are only taking up 1/4th of the space on my old 120GB DCT3412 unit. The Comcast Tech said all the AnyRoom that they ordered from Moto are the 500GB flavor.
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post #30 of 200
7/25/10 at 11:00am
I keep reading that the client boxes are "networked", or "hang off the home network". Does the main DVR share the recordings via Ethernet? Do the client boxes require a cable coax connection?
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