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DirecTV is field testing RVU, will offer satellite TV without individual receivers in October
We've been waiting since 2009 for the RVU Alliance to deliver on its promise of TV service controlled by a main server that streams content to any screen in the home without requiring any set-top boxes and it appears DirecTV is ready to make it so. A press release issued today indicates it has started field trials of the HR34 RVU server that will be the keystone in its Home Media Center, and plans to roll the service out nationwide in October. If you want to know when to start buying HDTVs like the Samsung D6000 series, it also mentions RVU certification for those and DirecTV's own C30 Home Media Clients (check out a video demo here) is expected to be finalized in June. There's been some delays but if you were also hoping that 2011 would be the year we can get rid of the cable box, the progress is looking very promising. [Thanks, Tyler]
Could this be the year we get to ditch the cable box?
We've been coming to CES for years looking at demos of technologies that will let us watch HDTV without a set-top box, and yet here we are years later with little choice but to find a place to put that box. The big failures have been CableCARD and then tru2way, both of which have had little impact to mainstream America. But despite all of our disappointment over the years, we came away from CES this year with the feeling that this might actually be the year. Of course, the allure of Vegas has yet to wear off, but when Time Warner Cable, Comcast, DirecTV and Verizon FiOS TV are at the same show sending almost the same message and showing demos, we have a hard time not taking our skeptical shield down a little. Sadly it wasn't exactly the same message, and if you click on through you might discover the true future of how TV will be delivered. %Gallery-113471%
Panasonic shows its stuff at The Cable Show including a remote user interface
Panasonic always goes all out for The Cable Show, more so than most of the big consumer electronics companies and this year is no different. Obviously there were a few 3DTVs and tru2way set-top boxes for service providers, but what's new is its JavaScript based Remote User Interface (RUI) technology called AJAX-CE (Asynchronous JavaScript + XML CE). Now we're big fans of remote user interfaces and the promises they bring, but with DLNA having one protocol, the RVU Alliance having another, we wonder if anyone really needs a third. Panasonic is hoping that service providers choose theirs, but with most cable operators raving about DLNA's and DirecTV and FiOS showing lots of love for RVU, we're not sure who's left looking. Full release after the jump.
Engadget HD Podcast 185 - Jethead geeks out on RVU
Ever since we first heard of the RVU Alliance we've been excited about the technology and about the supporting members. At the time we didn't give much thought to the companies that we've never heard of that actually implement the technology, but when David Bye from Jethead reached out to us concerning a story, we just had to invite him on the show. David brought the head geek, Ben Payne, with him and for an hour we go on about RVU's abilities, shortcomings and possible implementations.Get the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).[RSS - AAC] Enhanced feed, subscribe to this with iTunes.[RSS - MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator[Zune]Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace[MP3] Download the show (MP3).Hosts: Ben DrawbaughGuests: Ben Payne VP Engineering and David Bye VP Marketing & Business Development of Jethead DevelopmentProducer: Trent WolbeProgram RVU Alliance gets Motorola, Pace, Thomson and others to dream the multiroom dream LISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)
DirecTV's new H24 HD receiver is one step closer to reality
We got a taste of DirecTV's new multi-room nirvana at CES but while we wait there is a new HD receiver. The H24 can act as both an HD satellite receiver but although it looks the same it isn't the same as HD DVR thin client via MoCA and RVU we saw at CES. Our friend Doug at DBSTalk.com had a chance to play with it and shared a first look with the world. The little guy is considerably smaller than its predecessors, is faster, and has DirecTV's flavor of MoCA called DECA (DirecTV Ethernet Coaxial Adapter) baked in -- regular MoCA isn't compatible with satellite. With coax networking built in one wire is all you need to use it as an HD receiver or to access internet enabled feature without running a CAT5 or depending on WiFi. One other item of note is that the new version of the ugly, cheesy, DirecTV remote now programs itself, useful for your mom, but not for you Harmony loving types. **UPDATE** The H24 will not be an RVU thin client, just a new HD reciever, so we updated the post for accuracy.
DirecTV's new HR24 DVR to reach customers this quarter
We showed you a video demo from CES that looked pretty good and apparently the new HR24 DVR and H24 thin client from DirecTV is already in production and will be reaching customers by the end of the quarter. No prices and specifics just yet, but we do know that this DVR has somewhere between three and eight tuners, and you can connect up to eight H24 clients up via coax (thanks to MoCA) and watch recordings or live TV in up to three other rooms of the house at the same time. The best part is that since there's only one server, no matter what room you're in, you get the same exact experience. We also expect to hear that both Samsung and Sony have built the RVU client directly into their new TVs, and if so, then you wouldn't even need a set-top at the TV to watch the HD DVR. UPDATE: The above pictured DVR that sports RVU is the HMC30, not the HR24. Which is due this quarter but is much more like the HR21 except with MoCA built in.
A video demo of RVU extending a DirecTV DVR to another room
We've been exited about the multiroom capabilities of the new RVU protocol built on top of DLNA since the alliance was announced -- DirecTV let its intentions of releasing products in 2010 known at the same time. Up until now we haven't actually been able to see it in action, but today we caught a great demo at the Entropic's booth, and it's cool. The demo showed a totally new DirecTV DVR connected to multiple TVs. The first TV was connected via HDMI and thanks to the wonders of MoCA, the others via coax. What is cool is that they all have the exact same experience and you can use it in up to 8 rooms, but only four TVs at the same time (one on the DVR, three via coax). Any TV with RVU built in -- Samsung and Sony are both a part of the RVU Alliance -- works without a set-top box, but for everything there's a small client. The new DVR obvioulsy needs more than two tuners to support all these clients but that information isn't public yet, but we were told it would be more than two tuners -- our guess is between four and eight. We were impressed and admit that this and 3D are two reasons we'll be seriously considering DirecTV as our HD provider. %Gallery-82509%
Broadcom and RVU alliance tout new chips and demos
One of the great expectations we had for CES 2010 is an honest to goodness multi-room DVR. Sure others have what they call MRV, but in reality it doesn't give the same great experience at every TV in the house. Now we've heard about the RVU Alliance's lofty goals and impressive list of founders, but lets face it, it doesn't exist until you see it for yourself. According to a few recent press releases, not only will we be able to bring you hands-on and videos of the technology in action, but Broadcom has a couple of new system on a chips (SoC) that have RVU Alliance's Remote User Interface (RUI) technology built right in -- you know the pixel perfect remote user interface technology. Stay tunned for more as we have a chance to search out the show floor for demos.
RVU Alliance gets Motorola, Pace, Thomson and others to dream the multiroom dream
Chalk up a few more for the multiroom crowd, as the RVU Alliance (get familiar) has added some power names from the set-top box market to its roster as "Promoter" members. The new additions appear to set things up for compatible solutions from your cable or satellite provider arriving sooner rather than later, capable of streaming video and interfaces from set-tops to any screen in the house. Names like Motorola, Pace and Thomson have probably already graced your entertainment rack, while lesser known additions include Entropic Communications, maker of hardware for home entertainment networking, JetHead, focused on creating RVU client software, and set-top manufacturer NXP. Is hoping for a big splash at CES too much? We think not.
DirecTV's CEDIA booth was all about multi-room viewing
When we were walking around CEDIA this past week we noticed a thing or two that we would've missed if we just focused on reader press releases. One of those things was the emphasis DirecTV put on multi-room viewing. This is good news to us, because we think that MRV is one of the next big things in the world of HD and DVRs. Most consumers just want to be able to watch whatever they want, wherever they want, so having the exact same experience on every TV in the house is key. Specifically DirecTV was showing its vision of the future including how the next generation of DirecTV HD DVR would work. What's interesting is that although DirecTV does allow customers to download beta software for the current HD DVR that enables MRV features, that isn't what these pictures are of. The current technology also isn't using the new RVU Alliance's technology, of which DirecTV promised to deploy next year. Overall we'll be keeping a close eye on the progress, but we were disappointed to hear the booth representatives describe the system without mentioning the full experience on the thin clients.
The RVU Alliance picks up Verizon as a founding promoter
Obviously Verizon is all about delivering a whole home DVR solution, so it's no shocker that something like the RVU Alliance is right up its alley. But we are glad to see the fiber to the home provider doesn't shy away from adopting someone else's technology -- we say this because we all know how much Verizon loves, tru2way -- and ask much as we want to be able to have access to the same content in every room of our house, we're not big on the current Verizon solution. The bottom line is that we are on the same page with Verizon here are glad to hear the CTO say that Verizon wants to "lead the industry to an ever-simpler process for integrating consumer electronics." What we hope he means though, is that Verizon will be bring an RVU server to the party so we can enjoy all those HD channels on a Samsung HDTV without a STB.
DirecTV, Cisco and Samsung have whole house DVR plans with RVU alliance
One of our dreams is to have a true whole home DVR that allows us to watch any show we want, on any TV we want; but so far the perfect solution has eluded us. TiVo was really the first to try with its Multi-Room Viewing, but missed the mark by not giving us a single Now Playing list for the whole house or even any automatic conflict resolution between units. The FiOS HD DVR was the next disappointment because it limits us to two tuners and 160GB for the whole house -- seriously is that enough for anyone? Currently Windows Media Center offers the best solution, but it's expensive after you pay $300 a pop for a CableCARD tuner, not to mention it requires more maintenance because it is based on a PC. Needless to say we continue to look for the perfect solution, and we think that the RVU (R-vue) alliance might be just what we ordered. In addition to DirecTV, Cisco and Samsung, the chip maker Broadcom is also one of the founding members of the alliance, but it is their goals that get us excited. So excited, that we'd actually be shocked if they were actually achieved, but you'll have to click through to learn why.
