DirecTV @ CES - Home Media Center and new channels

DirecTV gave details of their Home Media Center (scheduled for 2006), which allows subscribers to access content (video, photos, and music) from anywhere around the house via a main central server unit. The current DTV receivers will not be able to work as servers and stream the data around, but they may work as clients. Live and recorded content can be sent around the home, and recordings can be scheduled for central server storage from any room with a media center client. They were sketch about whether any of the current TiVo DirecTV receivers could co-exist and work with the Home Media Center.

DirecTV will offer three Mix Channels (available now), which is one channel showing six similarly themed channels at once (great for the sports junkies we're sure). News Mix will be on channel 102, Sports Mix on 104, and Kids Mix will be on channel 111. Interactive features to be available in Feburary to all customers will give users personalized news and weather forecasts, horoscopes, and lottery results (yee haw).

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[Griffon @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

I don't get what the mix channels are for they just seem like a less usfull preview/add channel... course given that every other channel these days is PPV or NFL I guess that should not be shocking.

[a.sintic @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

From what I gather, it'll be like watching six picture-in-pictures at once.

[Galley @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

Finally, local weather. DirecTV used to offer this via Wink-technology "back in the day".

[marcel @ Dec 19th 2005 1:47AM]

So if the current DTV receivers can not act as servers, I'm curious as to what DirecTV sees as main central server unit? Have they talked about it in some way?