Microsoft's Mediaroom 2.0 running on the Xbox 360
By Ben Drawbaugh 
posted January 9th 2010 9:41AM
posted January 9th 2010 9:41AM
posted January 9th 2010 9:41AM
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time to get me some u-verse
@bigdonny
Much like AT&T's cell service, that isn't available in my area.
@7egend then lets hope with the increased demand for u-verse from 360 owners AT&T feels compelled to expand their coverage
@7egend I live in an apartment complex with 15 buildings. AT&T constantly advertises with flyers, signs, and even events at the leasing office for their u-verse service. I finally decided to take them up on it and talked to a service rep one day. Turns out, u-verse is available in buildings 1-8, but not buildings 9-15 (where I live). It's been like this for the better part of a year.
Basically what I'm saying is, "don't hold your breath."
@amolkold Thats great, just fantastic. They don't support service in the entire apartment complex, just a part of it. Just lol.
ATT loves to nickle and dime you. I'll stick with TWC and my Windows Media Center. Costs me $75/mo with internet. ATT wants $115.
HD-ready non-DVR Receiver $7.00
HDTV Service - HD Technology fee $10.00
HD Premium Tier $5.00
Speak for yourself... we have just one TV in our household.
One TV with Uverse, four computers, two cellphones, one Kindle, ~1,000 books and two people.
@quag Why would 2 people need 1000 books, and better yet how have you managed to buy 1000 books in the 2 years it's been out?
@MJGAMER 1991 XBL
You might remember "books"... they are pages of dead tree with squid ink smeared all over them.
My point was that we have better resources than the TV to educate / inform / entertain ourselves.
I'm afraid ATT is going to drag their heels on this and it's still 6-12 months out. As soon as they provide this service I will drop my DirecTV and Verizon FIOS.
I have 3 XBOX 360s and 5 HD-DVRs for DirecTV - this would be great to no longer need a set top box except for the XBOX. I've always been a huge fan of the Microsoft guide and tv controls.
@tdogdfw 3 XBOX 360's?
@Pookiewood Not to sound like a broken record, but isn't it poor planning to put so much behind a box that is so known for failures? People flip out when it takes weeks to get it back just for their MW2 fix. Missing out on your TV as well would be a geek disaster.
@Omen20
I've got 2 360s and a PS3 and the PS3 died before any of the 360s did. Only the first 3 Generations of 360 are prone to the RROD. If you go out and buy one now, or within the last year and a half or so, you'll be fine. You only hear about the RROD so much because 360s are like iPods, everyone and their grandmother has one.
@Pookiewood I use them as extenders to watch movies. The Windows 7 Media Center experience is great.
I miss Hey Arnold
@sullio I do as well. "Helga." "Move it football head!" "Hey Short Man!" :p
So.... I can record stuff to the Xbox 360 as well, then? If so, can I record only to the Xbox 360's HDD or to an external drive? (Please let me use an external one, 60 or 120 gigs is seriously not even enough for the demos and other crap I download :P)
@Eruanno You aren't recording to the Xbox, you are just scheduling recordings on the master DVR you are connected to (another box in the house). This is just a remote client.
@andysexton Crap! I wanted to use my Xbox as the DVR... or rather, a mini-DVR
@Eruanno If that's the case than wouldn't it be easier to just buy a Moxi?
But too bad Microsoft decides to keep Mediaroom under wraps for those who'd like to experiment with it - instead saying you must be "sponsored" by a current provider to get access to development tools.
Sure, I'd love to even have my hands on U-verse, but nope - even though it's video over TCP/IP I *must* have their VDSL service, which isn't offered in Verizon-land up here.
@dragonfli
Video over IP isn't the same thing as video over the Internet. You have to have VDSL because the U-verse private network only runs over VDSL.
Unless, of course, you've got an 18Mbit DSL connection and can run the wiring to an AT&T fiber node to connect to the U-verse private network.
Bring it on...
This and Natal for controller free media control will put an end to the remote.
@bob e
i really hope not. which gesture would you use to indicate a specific channel? buttons on a remote work just fine for that type of operation, and i cant imagine a gesture replacing that anytime soon.
@gerphimum, actually once setting up your favorite channels you simply gesture to the menu and flick through rows and columns and select. In the videos of other gesture based systems it seems quite easy. Can't wait to ditch the remote.
@gerphimum
Natal has voice recognition too, so I can only assume you'd be able to say 'Discovery HD' or whatever and it could take you there.
So wait... is there another dvr box somewhere in the house that the xbox talks to to watch and recorded tv? I am a bit lost on this. Is this setup wrong... One main AT&T dvr box connected to the network then talks to all the xbox 360s?
@Emiliano
because all receivers and the DVR are connected to the same network, the DVR works like a media server. Any set top (including the Xbox 360 with the update) will be able to talk to the DVR and stream any show currently stored on the hard drive. Since the boxes can talk to DVR, they can also tell it what shows to record. This makes it feel like the TV you are watching is on the master DVR when the DVR itself could be in another room.
Well I guess that would be nice if you have a service that uses this kind of thing. Why on earth can't there be a bring your own bandwidth type IPTV service so I can keep my cable internet and not have to use cable tv or pray FiOS comes to my area just to get IPTV service.
How does this relate to what is going to be on 7MC? Is it independent, or does it still have to have that master set top box in the house for DVR recordings?
Uverse is available in my market, but the 2 HD feed limit I think kills in for me.
So the setup work just like mediacenter with a main server and many extenders but you get the ui from the tv company. How many clients are you allowed to have for say an "unlimited" amount of tuners? MediaRoom and MC couldn't have merged? Or is Microsoft gonna merge Zune, MC, and MediaRoom (Pipedream)?
How is this better from just using a dedicated set top box? One less thing to clutter your entertainment center?
@Attila226 If you have multiple TVs in your house, it gives you whole home DVR access. And also presumably saves you rental on multiple set top boxes in the long run.
@andysexton
yeah, except its an XBOX360, so it's too loud, and you can't hear anything.
@Attila226
Yea, so my family has 4 people in this house, we have Uverse, and we have a box in each bedroom as well as the living room, which we have to pay for everyone (though it isn't all that expensive). But this would replace one of those boxes, making it one less thing to pay for.. and it is just convenient being able to access it from one place and not need a million different things hooked up to your TV.
@Wesscoast At least in MC exdender mode, it's really not horrible in my house where mine's set up. The drive doesn't run and it doesn't ramp up the fan past what you get when on the dashboard.
Could it be quieter? Sure, my HTPC is near silent and arguably more powerful. But the 360 is bearable. And if you already have a 360, it's one less box.
@zsmorr
A SDTV box on my IPTV is $4/mnth and a HD (non dvr) one is $7/mnth.
I'd pay the money then run my 4 times replaced xbox. I figure it would RROD sooner.
@Wesscoast You haven't seen the new ones - they are quiet and reliable. New 32nm chips and quiet disks equal much less/no noise.
@Wesscoast if you are using this feature the xbox is slilent. the old xbox used to be loud but now u can save all the games on the hd so the problem is solved. i havent hear my xbox in a full year
@Attila226 I'll tell you why. ATT wants to charge $55 just to come out and install the box and then it's an extra $5-10 a month. I already own 2 boxes and an X-Box. I need one more for my Media/office room. I own an X-Box 360. This is GREAT news for me.
@Wesscoast
I have 3 xbox 360's for Media Center duty. My older one is loud. My Jasper chip is very quiet. It will all depend on what revision of 360 you have.
I did a bit of research and stumbled across this unfortunate video: http://www.microsoft.com/Mediaroom/ExperienceIt.aspx
What's unfortunate is the VO guy, that's one horrible voice.
U-Verse seems like the way to go if it is available in your area. Only thing is you cannot get the NFL Ticket :-( I guess there is always the Sports bar to watch my Saints play...
@jazmill7312 ATT is in negotiations to buy DirecTV - which might mean NFL ticket to ATT.
You can record shows or movies either way the only drawback is you still need to lease the set top box that at&t provides you with... check out the hands on review of the mediaroom 2.0 in joystiq.com they were bummed out when they asked Mr. Greenberg... also you don't use your 360's hdd you actually could use the set top box that that its being connected to or you can also use your comp...
What's more likely:
A) This becomes available in Canada
B) I grow a third testicle
@MrGreen Does Canada have any IPTV providers the use Mediaroom like at&t does?
If the answer to that question is 0, then B
If the answer is greater than 0, then.....still probably B
Hi, my name is FIOS. I'd like to play too. :)
@palehorse
Media Center with Cablecard supports Fios so you could gett all your HD channels on any XBOX360 or other extenders.
@bluemanta
HTPC's are all well and good, and it's worth having one... but, I'm also fairly confident that a single multi-tuning Mediaroom DVR would be a few pennies cheaper.
What we really need, though, are newer (and quieter) extenders.