Ceton Q DVR-HTPC Info Thread - Page 3

I agree with that guess, since erikotz seemed to be curious as to what type of HTPC you can put together for less than $600.

I had the same thought.

Maybe later they will release a version without blu-ray for $100 less.

I asked that question in another forum and the response was "Multiple SKUs has been an area of discussion, but we are not discussing plans at this time."

I have a PS3 and I'd rather have the Q have a blu-ray ODD so I don't need to play stuff on the PS3 - which would pretty much be the only thing I would use my PS3 for nowadays. I'd rather have a all-in-one type of box, even if it cost $100 more for blu-ray.

http://cetoncorp.com/blog/sneak-peek-the-ceton-megaq/

Gotta be April Fools right? hahah

"MegaQ features 10 Ceton InfiniTV 6 tuner cards, with ten CableCARDs allowing up to 60 HD programs to be recorded simultaneously."

That's all? My cable system has HUNDREDS of channels. What if I want to record ALL of them simultaneously?

10 GigE! hahahaha

I like that Ceton has a sense of humor and is joining other sites in making April Fool's jokes.

We'll be happy to discuss designing a custom solution for you that can allow you to record every single channel at once. However, I can guarantee you that it will cost more than I make in a year
Also keep in mind that CableCARDs can only decrypt 6 channels at once, so you will need quite the stack of them.

And that's not even considering the stack of tuning adapters some people would need.

All I want to know is when the InfiniTV 6 PCIe will be available for purchase...

Technically, recording *all* channels simultaneously would likely be impossible on a SDV system, as the whole point of SDV is to allow bandwidth oversubscription. Though MSOs can drop fiber feeds for someone with a big enough pocketbook

Well, there is that issue .

Clearly what is needed is an automated cablecard manager with built-in testing capabilities. It should have a 100 card hopper for the user to place cablecards, and a robotic arm to insert and remove cablecards and to transfer them to the automatic tester.

Ceton's Q DVR companion app for Windows Phone gets detailed tour (video)
http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/c...detailed-tour/

In all seriousness, has Windows Phone caught on enough to make that a good platform to target and invest so much time in? I thought their market share was pretty low...

Well they are doing iOS and android too. So if they have the resources why not. But I agree not sure why wp7 is being the the "franchise" player here. There must be a reason , we just don't know it. Maybe they got MS to do somethings they needed if they gave commitment to develop a wp7 client and make it the front runner. Pure speculation...

Whoa didn't even realize it was windows phone. Weak.

Probably because the new products are based on microsoft's software.

I'd be willing to pay $299-$399 for this then maybe $99 - $199 for the Echo. I'm cheap and that's why I never bought a Moxi or Life Time Tivo. I know paying monthly is a waste of money but the ROI is too far out for me to justify. If cutting out the Blu-Ray player makes the Q cheaper I would buy opt for that. I already have a Blu-Ray player and really don't need another. I just want the Q because I have a wife and a 2 year old that don't really get the whole HTPC and they just want to be able to use the TV like they did before without rebooting, checking HDMI connections or fumbling around with a lot of software. The Q seems to be the choice for me. Just don't make it so expensive that I won't want to buy it.

Looks like you won't be getting the Q, there's no way it will be less than $500 IMO. I also do not understand the need to put a BR player in the box, the standalone players work fine and are cheap enough.

If you're renting a DVR now, you're wasting your money. Even a lifetime Tivo (less than $500 on sale) will pay for itself in less than 3 years vs. renting. Same with a HTPC, which can easily be done for less than $500.

It depends on who your provider is. With Verizon FIOS, I pay $16/month for a DVR or $4/month for a cable card.

So for Verizon, the ROI is about 3.5 years.

When can you find a lifetime Tivo on sale? Looking at the website, it appears that the cheapest Tivo is $149 + $500 for lifetime subscription with a total cost of $650.

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I really see the value of having the BR player in the box. This gives me one fewer box in my main setup, and there's a lot less duplication: the Q, since it gives me Media Center features, duplicates all the "extra" features tacked on the BR player (e.g., Netflix, YouTube, access to my photos and media), so incorporating the BR player in the Q simplifies the system and increases the WAF. Also, I get to move my current BR player to the bedroom (replacing the old and balky DVD player that last resided there, before it gave up the ghost recently).

Its not really apples to apples comparison. If you are looking to replace just one cable box or one DVR then ROI is NOT good.I actually don't recommend WMC based HTPC solution to those friends. However if you are looking for a multi-room DVR with ability to watch recordings in atleast two or three rooms then its a good investment. Here is the math for me

Investment: $525
Computer Upgrade: $100 (extra memory, video card and disk)
Cable Card Tuner (Ceton, HDHR): 160
Used xBoxes (3): 180
Installation (wiring/outlets etc): $75

Monthly cost (cable card(: 3.99

Monthly cost without HTPC (Verizon):
Multi-room DVR: 19.99
Cable Box: 9.99 (includes discount for multiple boxes)
Add'l Cable Box: 9.99 (includes discount for multiple boxes)
Total: $40

Diff in monthly cost = $36 per month

Time to recover (with above setup): 15 months

Also for folks like me Tivo is NOT a solution because for $599 investment I get cable in one room only. So Tivo comparison is not Apple to Apples.

Edit: Writing this post got me thinking. Any price over 599 for Ceton Q would make it financially unlikable for new customers and folks like me will also stay away because we would need about 2 years to recover the investment.

Even at $599 thats a big price tag. I understand when you buy stuff like DVR's at full price they are expensive. But that is a large initial investment for a lot of people.

Its cool if it has blu ray. but most people already have those. Its seems logical to make one without it. But I'm sure they are trying to limit the amount of sku's.

I think the people who think even $600 is too much are not being realistic with the cost of what's most likely going to be inside it. Assuming they pick components equivalent to whats in their prototype.

When infinitv4's were first released they cost almost as much. And there was plenty of demand for them. People were buying them just to sell them on ebay for $500-600.

Maybe I'm not up to date on whats in it. A chip to play media, 6 tuners, a blu ray player and a hard drive? Is that what it is? I guess that is a lot of stuff. I remember when the ceton dropped for $400. And I waited and now its half the price. I have no need for a Q anyways. IBut I'm talking normal consumers not the enthusiast crowd. Although this may not even be aimed at the normal crowd.

Keep in mind that at retail, the 6 tuner InfiniTV card will probably be in the ~$250-300 ballpark given the current price for the 4 tuner version. Add essentially a HTPC (with a 1-2TB hard drive) and a copy of Windows 7 (embedded) to the price and something in the vicinity of $500-600 seems realistic to me. Much lower than that seems pretty unlikely.

+1

Well said!

Rew

I fully expect this thing to be in the $1000+ range.
Hopefully I am wrong. It will likely be priced close to, but slightly below a Tivo Elite + Lifetime? Otherwise they will look at it as leaving money on the table by their CFO.

Yah when you put it like that I can agree with you. I love my htpc. But if this thing can do all I need in a more CE device that would be awesome.

There's no way it will be in that range, it will never sell to more than a very small niche.

My prediction? $750, and it will kill Tivo Elites at that price (and which can be had around that price with lifetime, btw - Elites are on sale for less than $399 now at some retailers and lifetime with a discount code is $399). But I still think the BR player is an unnecessary added cost to the box.