Ceton previews multi-room DVR and Echo extender
Some “out of left field” news from the Ceton camp, but interesting as well. The folks over at Ceton have been busy and I mean very busy. They are inviting the press at CES to their suit to show off their new Media Center Extender, as well as their dedicated Set-Top-Box based of of Windows 7 embedded which will include their very popular InfiniTV6 cable card tuner.
Ben Drawbaugh was one of the lucky ones to get a full hands on with the new 6 tuner Set-Top-Box and companion Extender. So head over to Engadget HD for a full gallery.
Ceton is also developing their own software add-in for Media Center creating an online, over the top video streaming hub. No word or full details on exactly what the new Extender and STB will cost but they both will be available some time in 2012, I definitely can not wait!
The company that has single handedly spurred the golden age of CableCARD has found a new way to deliver its technology to consumers with a 6 tuner multi-room DVR with a 2TB hard drive, codenamed Q, and its companion extender, codenamed Echo. No word on the price of either but both are expected to ship in 2012.
Yep, Media Center is dead.
Yep, Media Center is dead.
Yeah, because products that
Yeah, because products that incorporate WMC kill it….
Deader than SageTV.
Deader than SageTV.
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
Throw makryger a few $’s and
Throw makryger a few $’s and put some logos in there….or get your own logos I guess. I’m not a fan of that background artwork either. I’m sure I’m not the only one that would like to change it out for something else.
Other than that, it looks great.
Looks promising. Whats the
Looks promising. Whats the codec support like on the extenders just like the current xbox or better? Not a fan of the dvr unit but I suspect most htpc users won’t be they like their own 😉
Please expand. What about the
Please expand. What about the Q doesn’t work for you?
I am just a more build it
I am just a more build it myself type of guy but once specs are released on the Q I could easily change my mind ;).
Q and Echo (when paired w/ Q)
Q and Echo (when paired w/ Q) will be themeable out of the box and come with several to choose from.
I for one am super excited
I for one am super excited about this. I just hope that additional support for tuners like the Silicon Dust HD Homerun will be supported. 6 tuners is nice, but I like having “backup” with OTA tuners.
Themes are awesome, for me stability is the #1 thing, but I am also interested to see what the online streaming looks like, how it works with the new extender, and what the codec support looks like with the new extender.
Can I pay to beta test/review it?;)
-Josh
Very very cool stuff and the
Very very cool stuff and the first thing I’ve seen that makes me think there might be a real atlernative to my SageTV install which brings up a few questions.
1) Will you be able to play ripped blurays (in bdmv folders) on either the Q or Echo?
2) Since the Q has a bluray drive, will you be able to play the inserted disc on an Echo?
3) Is it just a coax connector on the back of the Echo for MoCA support?
Today was only a preview so
Today was only a preview so we can’t commit too much information until the full press release. What I can say is that most people who know me, and my co-workers, know that I’m a HTPC enthusiast. While are tastes may differ I’m sure our feature wish list are similar and we’ll do our best to bring the best product to market and listen to our customers.
The DVR portion has limited
The DVR portion has limited appeal to me as I already have a system and I like being able to cheaply piecemail upgrades as needed to it. But if the price/functionality is right, I could see recommending it to family/friends who are setting up systems from scratch. I’ve helped a few set up Vista/7 MCE systems over the years and the once/twice a year phone call because something went sideways gets old fast.
Man, I read this and about
Man, I read this and about came out of my chair. Talk about exciting news! I’m also curious about the features (especially around the bluray support side with the extenders).
From the info provided, it seems that Ceton will allow modifications to the UI, which is great.
Would like to know more about the extender’s supported functionality with an existing MediaCenter host system vs the Q/E combo.
Would also like to know a bit more about the Netflix plugin. Will it support 720p/1080p 5.1? And the fact that it’s avail as (what appears to be) a widgit w/o having to close the MCX is cool too!
All in all– very excited and looking forward to it. Glad to see Ceton is still innovating. These guys have been our family’s hero with our two cards.
I am excited about this and
I am excited about this and the efforts of Ceton. They are an example of great American innovation, hardwork and effort. Of course the isse with the actual Set Top Box will be the market of people who know Ceton have already built their own setup. However, I think the extender is going to sell very well. The jet engine I’m using now will gladly be replaced. I just dont see how they can beat TiVo and that other box (Mobi??? it think). If anything they should partner up with some smaller cable co’s and get them to use this box!
One word: amazing.
I love my
One word: amazing.
I love my HTPC and my kids and wife have come to love it too, however, the initial setup was a bit of work as well as the fact your are maintaining a Windows machine (windows updates, firewall, antivirus). This appears to remove that and give me the best DVR experience I could imagine. My only suggestion is a lower priced unit based on the 4 tuner. The 4 tuner only requires one cable card rental, I only have 3 TVs connected to my system now (HTPC and 2 XBOX) and rarely record more than two things at once. I might be the minority on the number of tuners but it is nice to have options and one that should offer lower hardware costs. As far as extenders go I specifically bought one of my two Xbox360 just to be an extender. I only use it for live TV. If the Ceton extender handles the movie library better than an Xbox (read transcoding) then that is a huge bonus with the caveat being the price of the Ceton extender can not greatly exceed that of an Xbox. I would gladly sell my Xbox and switch over to a better extender if they are price comparable. My HTPC would likely be relegated to becoming an office computer or secondary choice for video based upon what I see here. Many friends have asked about my setup, this I feel I could recommend to non-techies.
You can actually use six
You can actually use six tuners with only 1 cable card.
This seems like the perfect setup, I just hope it doesn’t lose too many features between now and when it’s released. I love my HTPC, but if I could run this with plugin support (My Movies, Media Browser, Recorded TV HD, etc..) it would be the best of both worlds. Please include support for Bluray-DVD folder and ISO playback on both the Q and Echo and I’d buy this in a second. I’d also recommend it to anyone in my family.
meoge wrote:Please include
[quote=meoge]
Please include support for Bluray-DVD folder and ISO playback on both the Q and Echo and I’d buy this in a second. I’d also recommend it to anyone in my family.
[/quote]
I’m not making any promises….but I did develop Mount Image for a reason and wouldn’t want to lose functionality 🙂
After I posted I looked the
After I posted I looked the pictures over again and saw one M card inserted into one slot. I had no idea a M card was 6 streams. I always believed it to be 4. This is a nice bonus! I am interested to know more. I see USB 3.0, USB 2.0, ESATA, a NIC (hopefully Gigabit),HDMI, etc. I am interested to know what they are using for the graphics and one thing I have overlooked and many of the other comments have too, power use! With the ability to hook this up with a NAS or external drives (maybe even a USB Ceton tuner for you channel hungry types?) it looks like a winner. I hope it makes it to market and sooner than the InfiniTV did.
rarefc3s wrote:My only
[quote=rarefc3s]
My only suggestion is a lower priced unit based on the 4 tuner. The 4 tuner only requires one cable card rental,[/quote]
If you look at cable card specs, and the pictures of the Q it only requires a single cable card. Cable cards support more than 4 tuners.
The only reason you see the current 6 tuner on the market requiring 2 cable cards, is because that is really 2 x three tuner boxes in a single enclosure. Ceton’s 6 tuner is much different.
I already have an htpc with a
I already have an htpc with a CC tuner/buray, but I am very interested in the Echo and will be looking to see how it stacks up to the 360. So long as its cheaper that should jump the 360 in my mind, but I’m also hoping for smaller and quieter.
To be honest, as far as the
To be honest, as far as the Echo goes– given it appears to have a Netflix widget… and assuming it’s a real HD/5.1 widget– as long as the price isn’t MORE then an XBOX– I’d still be willing to use it over an xbox as I wouldn’t have to pay the extra $$$ for an xbox live gold membership just to get HD Netflix!
a modern extender with
a modern extender with universal codec/container support and common streaming options is my number one want for media center.
for anyone that does not want an entire pc at the television they need several boxes – MCE extender, internet video player (roku), network media player (Dune/popcorn hour).
im extremely curious to know what the per unit licensing costs for some of these codecs, like DTS and MPEG2, are that manufacturers leave them off of their products.
pittsoccer33 wrote:im
[quote=pittsoccer33]
im extremely curious to know what the per unit licensing costs for some of these codecs, like DTS and MPEG2, are that manufacturers leave them off of their products.
[/quote]
On this note, what would you think if you at least had the option, but perhaps had to pay for the codec if you wanted it similar to how Windows XP had this for Dolby Digital(MPEG2–sorry, getting my Windows 8 and XP mixed up!) support?
XP wasn’t for DD support, XP
XP wasn’t for DD support, XP was for mpeg2 decoder, which also included DD. So in order to record and watch tv in XP MCE you needed to install an mpeg2 codec.
I am fine with having to pay for a codec, that honestly isn’t a deal breaker for me, I honestly could care less. You get codecs when you purchase powerdvd, or TMT ect… and you’d more than likely need one of those apps for true BD playback anyways right?
-Josh
well for instance, Logitech
well for instance, Logitech really hamstringed the Revue with it’s codec support. Even though Google TV technically supports a larger number of them, it cannot play mpeg2, dts, or the new hd audio codecs. it cannot even pass any of those audio formats through to a receiver. one of their product managers even said on their forum that they made a business decision not to include those codecs. lack of DTS is an issue on a number of the streaming media boxes, and the new hd formats even more so.
those boxes all sell for $99-$199, so how much extra does that capability cost? $5? $30?
now that people are moving their storage from a desktop pc to very low power NAS type devices, transcoding becomes out of the question.
I’m already onboard for both!
I’m already onboard for both! (times a couple for extenders)
Hopes & Dreams!!!!
In addition to NetFlix: Vudu, Amazon, Rhapsody, Pandora (the popular ones)
If not locked up: RecordedTV HD, MyMovies, Commercial Skip setup, MCL, Remote Potato and ….?
ISO ( 🙂 Mount Image mention), mkv and ?
Bit streaming
Server/WHS 2011 “easiness” (tuners in WHS?, extenders only, but of course all the goodies!)
Menu Strip (already in Ceton) / Tile manipulation
Backlighted remotes with keyboards
Ability to add my OTA tuners for when cable isn’t available
With these items above….. Nirvana!
please send your final box(es) to Middle Atlantic so we can get Custom Faceplates, without sending the units in! and a long wait!
And a credit so I can switch out my droid for a windows phone early! 🙂
Jeff
Glitchy wrote:
Hopes &
[quote=Glitchy]
Hopes & Dreams!!!!
In addition to NetFlix: Vudu, Amazon, Rhapsody, Pandora (the popular ones)
[/quote]
Make that HD Vudu and Amazon. If they use the standard Windows clients for those platforms, HD will be disabled, so hopefully there will be Windows Embedded versions which aren’t restricted to the SD limit we see today on HTPCs. Of course, this is also the pipe dream of Intel Insider (not to be confused with Intel Inside®
) so perhaps they can leverage that, but I think that’s up to the Vudu and Amazon code, not the device manufacture. Anyone have real insight here?
The noise factor of the Xbox
The noise factor of the Xbox 360 as an extender has always been an issue.
having a silent Q or Echo would be a great product.
Also consider the ability in the GUI to have the front panel lights dim or set to off.
A real plus for the already bright panel lights on most consumer products.
This could be exactly what
This could be exactly what I’ve been looking to do with Sage and/or Media Center for years! I’m guessing my concerns will match many, how much content from my personal audio/video library will I be able to painlessly playback on the head unit as well as the extenders.
The great thing about Sage is you could through most anything at it, and the extenders could decode the content without server side transcoding, and extender handled it like a change, no sluggish response, etc.
I’ve been stuck in the middle of getting my Ceton InfiniTV working with my provider (Charter Communications in Madison, WI) for about 4 months now, so my other concern would be banging my head against that wall all over again. Ceton has been willing to help as much as they can, and have even been using channels they have into Charter to try and move things along when my regional support group goes radio silent. Hopefully if/when they get my current problem figured out, it will be a non-factor when this puppy is available.
Assuming so, sign me up for one head and 5 extenders!