Thinking about getting a Genie but first want to understand all the fine-print, disclaimers, and limitations so I can prevent an "Oh Crap, I did't realize that" moment.
Current setup:
HDDVR's in living room and master bdrm.
HD receiver in rec room.
Everything connected via whole-home DVR.
Dilemma(s):
Conflicts when I want to watch live and two things are recording. I can record four total shows, which is normally enough but frequently a room will have two things recording and I want to watch live. So I have to cancel one or manually record it on the other DVR.
Also, one of the kids wants to get a TV in his room.
I was figuring I'd get another DVR for the rec room, move the HD receiver to the kid's room and then impose a rule forbidding the kids from recording anything in the living room (both dilemmas solved). But... the idea of replacing all DVR's with a Genie and mini's is intriguing.
Before I do that though, I want to make sure I understand any consequences or trade-offs.
Upsides:
-Record 5 shows at once
-PIP - main screeen only
-Looks like the Genie has just one input coax. Each DVR has two, plus those ugly, cumbersone, inline decrypter things.
-Up to 8 mini's - lots of expandability
-Wireless option for the mini's (less cable-clutter and some portability)
Concerns & Questions: I have the following after reading through the info and fine-print:
-"Additional fees apply". Worse than I already pay for 3 receivers and whole-home DVR?
-"Limit three remote viewings per Genie". Does this mean only 3 mini's (of the 8 that can be connected) can watch anything at any given time? If so, it's not quite as expandable as "Connect up to 8..." would lead one to believe.
-" Opt-in to Genie Recommends required. Icon displays when feature is available" This note appears to be related to the PIP feature. Does it mean PIP is only available sometimes and only with something the Genie thinks you want to watch?
-" Wireless remote viewing requires a Wireless Video Bridge". What's this? More gear and more cost?
-"Either configuration (wired or wireless) also requires a SWiM network". What the heck is this? I remember when I got whole-home-DVR....they wanted to install their own proprietary network....on some sort of coax I think. After signing a performance-waiver, they let me run whole-home on my wired ethernet which has worked just fine. Is "SWiM network" something similar? more cable runs & crap?
-Also, can TV's attached to mini's watch live shows from the guide or can they only watched recorded stuff? If only recorded stuff, can you work around that limitation by finding your show, hit record, and then watch it right away off the list? That lets you watch it "practically-live" but would use up one of the 5 available recordings.
That's what I can think of so far so if anyone can answer any or all of the questions, I'd really appreciate it. And, please clue me in if I'm missing anything that might turn into one of those "oh crap" moments.
Current setup:
HDDVR's in living room and master bdrm.
HD receiver in rec room.
Everything connected via whole-home DVR.
Dilemma(s):
Conflicts when I want to watch live and two things are recording. I can record four total shows, which is normally enough but frequently a room will have two things recording and I want to watch live. So I have to cancel one or manually record it on the other DVR.
Also, one of the kids wants to get a TV in his room.
I was figuring I'd get another DVR for the rec room, move the HD receiver to the kid's room and then impose a rule forbidding the kids from recording anything in the living room (both dilemmas solved). But... the idea of replacing all DVR's with a Genie and mini's is intriguing.
Before I do that though, I want to make sure I understand any consequences or trade-offs.
Upsides:
-Record 5 shows at once
-PIP - main screeen only
-Looks like the Genie has just one input coax. Each DVR has two, plus those ugly, cumbersone, inline decrypter things.
-Up to 8 mini's - lots of expandability
-Wireless option for the mini's (less cable-clutter and some portability)
Concerns & Questions: I have the following after reading through the info and fine-print:
-"Additional fees apply". Worse than I already pay for 3 receivers and whole-home DVR?
-"Limit three remote viewings per Genie". Does this mean only 3 mini's (of the 8 that can be connected) can watch anything at any given time? If so, it's not quite as expandable as "Connect up to 8..." would lead one to believe.
-" Opt-in to Genie Recommends required. Icon displays when feature is available" This note appears to be related to the PIP feature. Does it mean PIP is only available sometimes and only with something the Genie thinks you want to watch?
-" Wireless remote viewing requires a Wireless Video Bridge". What's this? More gear and more cost?
-"Either configuration (wired or wireless) also requires a SWiM network". What the heck is this? I remember when I got whole-home-DVR....they wanted to install their own proprietary network....on some sort of coax I think. After signing a performance-waiver, they let me run whole-home on my wired ethernet which has worked just fine. Is "SWiM network" something similar? more cable runs & crap?
-Also, can TV's attached to mini's watch live shows from the guide or can they only watched recorded stuff? If only recorded stuff, can you work around that limitation by finding your show, hit record, and then watch it right away off the list? That lets you watch it "practically-live" but would use up one of the 5 available recordings.
That's what I can think of so far so if anyone can answer any or all of the questions, I'd really appreciate it. And, please clue me in if I'm missing anything that might turn into one of those "oh crap" moments.