WholeHome

Currently available on Newegg for between $219 and $269

Why review this item?

Primarily because it is currently the lowest cost security DVR available and many have been wondering if it worked and whether it would accomplish their goals. Turns out it is also a good opportunity to see how one of these DVRs works and the various options and features available.

Out of the Box experience:

Good packaging – this is the first device that has ever come “fully wrapped – in fact vacuum sealed. Packaging was in normal Styrofoam – and it all appeared “safe” – which is all you are really looking for. First impression was that there was an unusually small amount of documentation – everything must be on the CD?

8 Channels for around $200 is a great deal almost no matter what quality it really records or what the UI looks like, but let’s dive in, starting with the hardware and contents:

The CD

– what can I say except that the first impression is that I’m in trouble – no label of any kind – someone just bought generic cd-r discs, burned them, and threw them in the package. OK a little leniency because of the price point, but for the extra $.02 they could have at least labeled it to look professional:

Rest of the contents – looks good – I really like external power supplies – gives me maximum cord control and keeps some of the heat away from the rest of my components – check!

Simple Remote control – well laid out and English is all correct – check!

Very nice front and back panels – well laid out, controls as well as lights are easy to see and understand and it all matches the remote. Inputs and outputs on the rear panel are also well laid out and easy to read.

The alarm input/output is also industry standard, so anyone that has ever purchased a DVR will immediately recognize the layout.

Very nice to have a mechanical power switch as well as both VGA and S-Video outputs. Note that this particular DVR has the option of 720p out – seemingly pointless given security camera resolutions, but nice to have the option nonetheless.

My first mechanical issue, however, was that the front panel came partially detached – it appeared to be snapped on, but regardless of what angle or pressure I applied, it would not snap back on. Upon closer examination, it appears that it is actually screwed on with two small plastic straps that both broke in transit. Having done a considerable amount of mechanical engineering recently on BOCS, I can say with authority that this particular attachment system is highly flawed – the strength of these particular straps is clearly not adequate to securely hold on the faceplate in transit. My plan is to simply glue it in place later – it is imperative that it be secure since the DVR will be controlled by buttons on the faceplate.

Moving on to internals:

500GB hard drive included – SATA – and a WD at that.

It is interesting that the VGA output is laid out as if it were an option – a small plug in card that sits over the main board – not sure why – VGA seems like the industry standard for dedicated DVRs although in a home application, composite video and network control are beginning to dominate. Only concerning thing is that the video encode chip only has a stick on heat sync with a body fan that does not even blow directly on it. So, either this is going to be some not so great video or heat will be a long term issue – stay tuned.

Functionality:

Boot: fast – approximately 20 seconds from power to video display. Irritating that the alarm buzzer sounds for a bit while booting, but after hooking up a couple cameras and applying power, I immediately got video. As you can see, it comes up by default in full grid mode (to a monitor plugged into composite video out right next to the DVR) – that is my basement and upstairs living room on cameras 1 and 2.

Video quality locally is pretty good – small window, tiled, but all the features can be made out – keep in mind this is local video and pre-compressed though.

This means that as a simple tiler, it is doing well. It can easily be hooked into the BOCS system and whole-home security cameras on every TV is merely one wire away. It will be great to be able to see the front door, 4 or 5 rooms, and a couple pics of the backyard all on one screen on my 50” plasma and the bedroom TV simultaneously. CHECK!!

UI:

A collection of UI captures are below – overall, not bad. Everything is intuitive and fast to set up. IP address and all the network details are easily set up from the remote control. Frankly, better than most US companies. I’m impressed.

Even the motion detection screen is straightforward – you go to any particular camera view, place the cursor in the top left of the area you want to select for motion detection, hit select, then move it to the bottom right corner of the preferred area and hit select again – the system draws a nice box for your motion detection area. Simple, yet in many applications you have unusual or multiple areas on screen you want to detect – My favorite is a grid system where you get a nicely gridded selection on screen and you select any area(s) on screen you want to detect. This is especially helpful when you want to exclude specific moving things but include many other distinct areas on screen. So a + for simplicity, but a big – for flexibility.

Dynamic DNS!!

Motion Detection “Block” selection

One more note on functionality – something not well documented, at least on the newegg site: This DVR supports Dynamic DNS – and can be set up right from the remote control.

DDNS is a nice little system that will let you get to this DVR from the internet even if you are a Comcast subscriber and your IP address changes every day. It maintains a link with a free outside service and allows you to set your own domain name and assign it to the dynamic IP of your broadband connection. Very nice. Normally, you have to run this on another PC in the house, but for standalone applications, this makes everything easier.

The PC application:

Initial installation is straightforward and comes with both a real application and an active-x control so you can access the DVR from any web browser. Within, seconds, again, it was at least up and running.

Right off the bat, though, a few problems:

1) You have to manually connect every time you open it or switch to the viewer from the DVR function and re-enter the password. It would be really nice to have some way to save the password at least. Picky? Perhaps.

2) Controls basically mimic the remote control – you cannot click on the menu/popups onscreen – this is basically just a pipe of the video output and a relay of the remote control. This makes things easy to understand but a pain to control. Pressing right 6 times to enter a password seems a real pain given that I have a mouse and keyboard (neither of which is recognized)

3) DVR playback controls – none are functional – unless you install the right player – there are 4 included on the CD with no instruction as to how to choose the right one.

4) Playback is straightforward as long as you choose not to record all the time and rely just on motion detection. Then when you playback it only displays the camera where motion was detected and only for the motion duration plus the delay (I had 10 seconds set) – nice but a couple of skip buttons would have made finding the events much easier. Poor interface on this one.

5) Stabilty – Out of the box, the unit (mine anyway) was completely unstable. It would lock up and reboot almost every time it began a recording (motion detection or manual). I solved this by reformatting the hard drive. It apparently does a quick format as it only took about 30 seconds, but that solved all stability issues.

Video Quality:

For network connection as well as DVR recording, the system uses motion jpeg – not the best encode type, but with good cameras and putting record quality on high (no problem with motion detection and a 500GB drive) it is good enough to catch a good pic of that intruder. License plates, for instance, might be tough to pick out without careful camera aiming, and good lighting.

For a basic system, this is about the best you are going to get under $500. In fact, the next better quality system I’ve seen runs in the $1500 range. I would say that meeting expectations

Whole-Home distribution:

My next step was to route the video signals home-wide so I could see all the cameras on any TV. The BOCS system is ideal for that – with composite video output right from the DVR as well as the DVR being capable of receiving IR signals, it allows whole home viewing AND control (so I can scroll back and see intruder events from any TV. )

General qualifier here, I work for a company that distributes the BOCS system although I would have used it regardless…

The hookup is pretty simple, BOCS takes composite video in (you need a BNC to RCA adapter) and the system comes with a little stick-on IR emitter that attaches to the front of the DVR so the BOCS remotes can control it.

So, the end result is all the cameras on every TV in the house – here is the resulting picture displayed on my 50” plasma – note that for this review I only have two of the cameras hooked up. Unfortunately, my camera does not seem to be able to capture a good (non-washed out) picture of the plasma screen, but the quality is really good. I’m headed to put the other 6 cameras up this week.

Latest in a series of exceptional sources for the BOCS system – a media player with Blu-Ray capabilities.

I’ve had an HDX-1000 for a long time, and if you’ve read previous posts/reviews, you will recall my findings that it has an exceptional Codec list and can play perhaps the largest set of media out there. Combined with a decent online experience and both SD and HD capabilities, it has been at the top of its class for a long time.  My gripes, however, have been a lack of BluRay support, a less than navigable UI, and a lack of streaming online service (the latter is perhaps not fair since I’m asking for the box to be more than what it was intended).

Now – comes the HDX-BD1. — Frankly, a huge improvement, with a few issues, but a definite upgrade.

I’ll do a full review and post on AVS next week, but a few notes here so yall can go take a look at it.

The new system has:

• Full BD support – once ripped, a locally stored file plays flawlessly (Solving 50% of the issue with the 1000)
• The same exceptional codec coverage – including some of the best A/V sync in the industry
• Hugely improved UI

See the basic page on AmperorDirect HERE. A good general overview can also be found there.

And best of all, the Amperor folks put together a very detailed “Things to Consider before you buy” page HERE.  I havn’t seen that kind of up-front honesty and detailed analysis of a new product in a long time.

The key seems to be that the HdX company in China is actively working on the new firmware since they took it on themselves for this upgrade instead of licensing a third party. It is not yet fully complete and there are definitely a few issues, but the product is clearly ready for prime-time and their work will only serve to make things better.

David

Got your flatscreen? Updated to Blu-Ray and high refresh rates? Beginning to consider that craving to go 3D at home?

Next to “smell-a-vision”, 3DTV has long been the ultimate goal of the home theater enthusiast. I recall the thrill of the first 3D broadcast premier of “Creature from the Black Lagoon” using the old red/blue glasses and thinking what a technological miracle the slimy arms of the monster represented. Now, the thought of the blue bombshell with the erotic tail (from Avatar) in my own home – in 3D – makes my heart go pitter patter. If only it were that simple.

The best technology on the way uses special glasses that pass light alternately allowing each eye to get its own view – pretty straightforward. Obviously, the TV needs to support the technology and many are beginning to come on the market. The problem is that the vast majority of consumers buying flatscreen 3D TVs will be tragically dissapointed. Why? Turns out size really does matter – let me explain.

A typical home flatscreen setup is a 46″ to 55″ TV mounted on a wall 10-15′ from the viewing location. Very reasonable for “TV” – even 2D Blu-Ray. The bigger the better, obviously, but except for a more grandiose experience, anything over 50″ does not enhance the experience that much. Not so with 3D. The powers that be in the industry have come out with new recommendations, and while these “powers” are usually on the extreme side, this time they got it right. 3D requires a LOT more screen area to give you a good experience – 75% or more of your field of vision needs to be screen for 3D to be really immersive. So, just for fun, lets run those calculations. A typical TV room or home theater has a 12′ distance from screen to viewing location so lets use that for our example.

The recommendation then, is for a MINIMUM 93″ screen. Oops – 100″ flatscreens are not viable in most installations (and budgets) – meaning you are almost required to jump to projection. Is it really that different an experience if you don’t follow the recommendations – absolutely…

A really great experiment is to head down to your local home installer who has a 3D flatscreen set up – try the experience at 12′ away, then step right up – stand within 4′ of the screen and your eyes will pop.

Summary? Want 3D – go for a HUGE projection setup. Don’t bother with 3D on a flatscreen.

You will notice a previous blog entry on this same topic, but it has been such an overwhelming topic of discussion lately that I need to update a few things.

Why is it such a big topic? Mainly because Comcast has done such a poor job of explaining what they are doing and why. The best example so far? I was standing in a Comcast office recently and this poor guy came in with a stack (6) set top boxes that he had ripped out from all his TV locations. He said he had received a letter saying Comcast was going all digital and that he needed to get equipment for all his TVs to be able to view the new digital channels. What a huge waste of this guy’s time – having to rip them all out and then just put them all back when the lady behind the counter said he didn’t need to change anything… He was pissed, and all it would have taken was a little bit better consumer education.

Instead of the standard – almost unreadable – red screen saying Comcast is converting, how about putting up a simple 1 minute instructional video that repeats… Come in, I mean this really is not that hard.

Bottom line, we have tried to explain the “backside” of what the cable companies are doing – with a new set of webpages – why, how, when, and how much it will cost you… Check it out here.

If you want the condensed version, just check out the youtube video (but if you get hooked on the video you will go to the website anyway… It is an addiction.

I don’t often provide info on new products out there that are not mine – but I believe this particular product will appeal to the readers of this blog. If you have a laptop and want to play the latest games but can’t because the video card in your computer does not support them – AND it cannot be upgraded then this is for you.

The Vidock – Basically, it is an external box that plugs in via express card and can add a top of the line video card to your laptop. So halo and the latest games, you don’t have to buy a whole extra PC to run them.

Check it out at: http://www.amperordirect.com/pc/c-video-cards/audiovideo-ViDock_2_4670.html

If it has not hit your area yet, it will, and soon. Change is part of life. Before I tear into them, let me say I am a loyal Comcast customer and a huge fan. BUT the latest digital move is a crock and makes me want to rethink my whole relationship with them. i.e. This SUCKS.

Marketing at cable and satellite companies is now completely out of hand – you get about the same thing with any of them yet they insist on trying to compete with each other by making my life harder. The ONE distinguishing characteristic of cable (not having to have a set top box under every TV) is now gone. Just to keep what I have I now must pay Comcast MORE for renting a new cable box for every TV. Really?

Lets examine:

• Do I really need them to “add more bandwidth” so I can get another hundred worthless cable channels? NO
• Does my cable bill go up? YES
• Do people really like having extended basic cable service directly to every TV? YES
• And what did they replace my beloved SciFi channel with ?? You guessed it – QVC – again really?
• BOCS really does make it all better – yeah, I’m shameless, but it is exactly the feedback I’m getting from new customers!

Want more information – I just published a new page describing the whole conversion, what you have to do to get ready, and how to cope.

I also previously did a little presentation on why digital gives you more channels with some cool graphics to make the technology come to life.

Couple of quick comments on the “DTA” (the new little cable box) Comcast wants you to put on every TV:

1. It does NOT have a guide – you get channel up/dn and a very basic Comcast remote.
2. ONLY the new remote works with it – you need to reprogram any universal remote you have – see my XMP posts for more information
3. It does NOT have power off pass through – so if you want analog cable and/or BOCS with it you MUST use the RCA jacks.

So – Comcast… you suck, but like everything else, we Americans have a short memory. We will adapt and forgive you before our morning coffee. sigh…

DF

I did a post a while back on XMP based remote controls, and I’ve noticed a LOT of interest in the subject so it’s time to give a bit more detail since Comcast, in particular, is beginning to hand those remotes out like candy.

So, let’s start with the basics – most people are trying to get more information because they got a new Comcast DVR and suddenly neither their old Comcast remotes or their fancy universal remote will work with the new box. In fact, in many cases, a code does not exist in your universal remote nor can it learn the codes for the new box. Your first thought is, “What, are they insane? – putting out a system that completely cripples all my controllers dooming me to have to explain to my wife again how all the fancy toys are worth it when no one can even change the TV channel anymore…”

There are three “typical” remotes being handed out right now, and it is easy to tell the difference -

The one on the left is the standard Comcast remote and works all of the legacy Motorola and Scientific Atlanta Boxes. The old familiar black(SD) and Silver(HD and DVR) boxes as well as the newer “compact” SD box (Not the DTA) all work with the legacy remote only.These are the ones to look for…

Newer boxes – namely the Cisco RNG/PNG200 series and the latest Motorola boxes (look for the more square front ones)

and the new Mot boxes (the top one in this pic) use the newer XMP protocol (the middle remote above – the “dark grey one”)

The bottom box is a DTA – and uses a completely different remote… (The litle black one in the top picture)

One note, some of the newer Motorola DVRs will accept EITHER the legacy silver comcast remote or the dark grey one – A very nice thing indeed.

To decode a little, the silver remote uses a legacy code that nearly every universal remote already has in it and it is easily learnable.

The dark grey remote uses the XMP protocol and the DTA is different than both of them.

The XMP protocol is a new development from Universal Electronics – bottom line is that it functions much like a standard code but they tightened up the specs. Specifically the tolerances are such that without a patch, a standard universal remote cannot learn the codes. Why? because according to the older specs, it is ok to be a little sloppy – that rising edge of the pattern might be off by 7% or so and nothing in the system really cares. The new protocol has to be much more accurate. Here is the really fun part, most legacy UEI remotes cannot even learn the new codes. In their brilliance, UEI made it so they obsoleted many of their own remotes in the field.

Why would they do this? Opening the door for later two way communications is one good reason – future remotes that can actually receive data about what is being played and show it right in your hand – cool (but dont count on ever getting anything like that free from Comcast – are you kidding?)… More likely it is a competitive thing – what better way to step on UEI competitors than making it so that the latest cable systems won’t work with competitors products – because UEI has BOTH Comcast, DirecTV and Dish contracts as well as a very healthy stand alone universal remote  business. For shame.

And, Cisco implemented the remote receiver extremely poorly – even with a really good remote control, the suckiness of the Cisco box means you almost have to be right in front of it to change the channel – forget about changing the channel from the kitchen. Makes sense I suppose as Cisco is new to the business just having purchased Scientific Atlanta, and when one company buys another they always seem to know more about how to do things than the expert company they bought – this is the perfect example. My suggestion, if Comcast tries to hand you a Cisco box – refuse – demand Motorola.

As a side note, BOCS systems actually use a uEI chip and a simple firmware upgrade solves the issue (more suspiscion that this is a competitive strike), and like new DVD encryption that comes out periodically (like on the latest Twilight-New Moon DVD) it is quickly broken and systems are patched.

Bottom line – if you got a new dark grey comcast remote and your older universal will not work with your new set top box, go to your universal remote’s website and see if there is an upgrade – likely it will take a little work but you can do it.

I’ve collected a LOT of data and scope/screen shots of the new protocols and happy to share that with anyone that wants to take the next investigative step -

Good luck and don’t forget that with the new Comcast “going all digital” changeovers, there is no better way to get all your channels back than to install a new BOCS system.

DF

So, you have a TiVo, you recorded a really great episode of CSI and you want to share it with your best friend. If it is not clear, TiVo absolutely does not allow that, and while the networks also frown on it, you really really want to do it. Keep in mind that before the days of Comcast DVRs and TiVos there was a nifty startup called ReplayTV that allowed just this sort of thing – sharing between boxes and even [carefully] over the internet. TiVo, however, is careful to encode/encrypt everything and make it nearly impossible to access anything beyond the confines of their own walled garden.

There is a Chinese company, Moyea, that has released a new version of their video transcoder software that at least offers some hope in this area. I’ve purchased previous versions of their software – specifically to convert my video camera files to flash (Check out my flash creation – I sneak out from behind an active BOCS demo on the virtual BOCS page). Their software is extremely easy to use and worked exactly as advertised.

But, there are a few issues: Getting video off of a TiVo is a real pain in the first place. For some reason, downloading video from a TiVo (Series 2 and beyond only) is about the most frustrating thing a human can do. It is basically only a real time transfer – meaning a one hour show takes an hour or longer to get it off the TiVo. They have posed plenty of excuses, but personally I think they did it on purpose – perhaps even at the request of the ever-evil MPAA. So once you get it off of a TiVo, run it through the Moyea conversion software (assume again at least real time kind of time to convert unless you have a screaming computer) and then the time to upload… Yes, you can share your stuff with a friend, but something like three hours of effort to share a 1 hour show? It better be a friend-with-benefits. All kidding aside, this is at least a good step in the right direction…

DF

So, you’ve got a new PC-DVR but you have also been playing around with Hulu, NBC, CBS and other online sources of video. But, if you havn’t noticed, it is hard to find what you want to watch, espescially from the remote control in front of your TV. Enter Clicker.com… If you havn’t run across it yet, it is the google of the online video world – complete with a very nice text entry interface so it will work well with only a wireless mouse/remote. While it is missing youtube and other clip services, it provides a simple interface to search all legal sources for TV and other copyrighted materials.

As a side note, if you use HIP (a remote control interface program) you can easily set up a special key on your remote control to flip back and forth between a browser running clicker and your favorite DVR program.

The latest Nielson survey says that Americans are now surfing and watching TV Simultaneously.

Almost 60% of folks use the internet and watch TV at the same time – hugely significant for advertisers but the big result deals with how we get our content.

For every minute Americans spend watching “traditional TV” (Tune your TV to good old live channel 9 and sit through the commercials), we spend 5 times as much time on time shifted TV (Yeah – everyone has finally figured out the concept of a DVR – about time).  I’ve seen a huge surge in folks building their own DVR as well – perhaps a cobination of enlightenment, tough economic times, and a desire for self accomplishment.

Interestingly, for that same reference “traditional TV minute” folks spend 10 times as much time on the internet, but what Nielson missed was asking what they are doing on the internet. If the answer is watching shows on hulu or clips from youtube, that is much more significant than just surfing. Advertisers will need to be shifting their spend quickly to keep in front of the average consumer. Obviously the big question is how will TV be suported as advertising dollars begin shifting away.

One more needed study – for any given advertisement, correlating web hit timing to when the commercial airs – sounds like folks are headed out to get more information in real time with laptops right in front of the TV. Also huge for the tie in of ads and websites!