Metrocast Multiroom DVR...lol....

[ltown81]

Just when you think Metrocast has something right, they find a new way to surpised you with backwards ness. We have Metrocast here, and I have had 3 DVR's because my wife likes to record stuff, and watch it in the Living room, bedroom, or workout room. I was going to switch to DirectTV for the multiroom DVR..but I had held off because I had a bad experiance with them before and my TV being out 3 weeks. I saw on Metrocast's website they now have a multiroom DVR. so I called them to get the details. They offered me a triple play package that was less than I was paying for phone, DSL, and tv, so I decided to give it a try.

They show up last week to install the stuff. Now in my mind I am picturing a Master DVR for the living room, and little slave converters/boxes for all the rooms to connect to it. That is how I have seen Comcast do it.

Nope...they came out with 3 full DVR's, and now I also need to find a place for a 4th box that has to be plugged into one of the DVR's that is like the brains of the deal that lets them talk to each other. I was told to make sure the 4th box is never ever turned off because it will mess the world up. So basically they replaced my 3 DVR's with three new ones, and added a box so they could talk to each other, and you could watch recordings on one another. I look at the bill, and they are still billing me for 3 DVR's, and then giving me a $15 discount for having the multiroom package, which requires a 4th box?

Seriously....who does things like this? I mean they still work, and I am paying less..but i just can't imagine why company would roll out a system that requires more hardware to give you a discount?

 

[glhs837]

Because Metrocast equipment generally lags the industry stuff by about 2-3 years behind bleeding edge you might find in urban areas. When you search reviews on any given MC piece of gear, you find the first reviews from that long ago.

 

[kwillia]

Well what the heck are you going to do when you take a power hit or move things around have have to unplug one or more DVRs? Will it take a service call to sync 'em back up? Oh brother.

 

[GWguy]

Well what the heck are you going to do when you take a power hit or move things around have have to unplug one or more DVRs? Will it take a service call to sync 'em back up? Oh brother.

It requires the installation of a full-time diesel backup generator so the power never goes out.

 

[John Z]

Agreed; sounds crazy. The Verizon FiOS multi-room DVR isn't that illogical. I finally got an upgraded multi-room DVR (from 160GB to 500GB) so we won't stop running out of space.

I like the multi-room DVR, but sometimes the slight delays are a bit annoying when you operate the DVR from another set. And I miss being able to pause live TV when I'm at a remote set.

 

[metrocast]

MetroCast Multi-Room DVR (mDVR)

First, we apologize for any confusion and the less than thorough product training provided by the Installation Technician.

MetroCast’s Multi-Room DVR (mDVR) service is the most advanced system with the newest technology offered today. The MetroCast mDVR offers more advanced features not available on other multi-room devices offered by other companies. Other “Multi-Room” solutions offer “multi-view” which is like having a DVR in every room. In many cases, you do not have full DVR functionality such as rewind, pause, etc.

In the “multi-view” environment, DVR storage and functionality is limited to the primary DVR with only playback capability on the connected converters. The MetroCast mDVR allows you to interact between all devices. What you have in your home are 3 HD digital converters and 1 Jayhawk server which provides centralized storage and a shared list of recordings that can be accessed from the multiple HD Converters. The Jayhawk storage capacity is 500 GB, which translated means up to 360 hours of Standard Definition (SD) or 95 hours of High Definition (HD) content. The other great features you get with MetroCast mDVR are:

• Record up to 6 programs simultaneously including programs in HD. So if you have 3 HD Digital Converters you can record 2 programs on each converter at the same time.
• Pause Live TV on any connected TV
• Watch Live TV on main TV (DVR) while multiple recordings are occurring in the home at the same time.
• Initiate instant recordings on any TV in the home
• Schedule future recordings on any TV in the home
• Delete any recordings from any TV in the home
• Pause -playback of a recording in one room and resume playback from the same spot in another room
• Watch same recording simultaneously at different points in different rooms
• Watch VOD on the main TV while multiple recordings are in progress
We hope you enjoy the full DVR functionality from each HD digital converter. And you will never lose any content stored on the server even if the electrical power fails.

 

[ltown81]

I would not say I was confused..he explained to me what I was getting. However the setup Metrocast selected makes no sense and is wasteful. For someone like me who had a bunch of DVR's, the appeal of a multiroom DVR is to get rid of boxes to save on fees. In this setup, I ended up receiving more physical hardware and only a fairly slight discount. I really don't care about recording 6 shows at once, or so forth. DirectTV, Comcast, and Fios offer boxes that work fine, and don't require every room to have a DVR. At the end of the day it works, it just seems like a really inelegant soloution. Almost like Metrocast selected the multiroom DVR solution that would cost them the least box rental revenue.

First, we apologize for any confusion and the less than thorough product training provided by the Installation Technician.

MetroCast’s Multi-Room DVR (mDVR) service is the most advanced system with the newest technology offered today. The MetroCast mDVR offers more advanced features not available on other multi-room devices offered by other companies. Other “Multi-Room” solutions offer “multi-view” which is like having a DVR in every room. In many cases, you do not have full DVR functionality such as rewind, pause, etc.

In the “multi-view” environment, DVR storage and functionality is limited to the primary DVR with only playback capability on the connected converters. The MetroCast mDVR allows you to interact between all devices. What you have in your home are 3 HD digital converters and 1 Jayhawk server which provides centralized storage and a shared list of recordings that can be accessed from the multiple HD Converters. The Jayhawk storage capacity is 500 GB, which translated means up to 360 hours of Standard Definition (SD) or 95 hours of High Definition (HD) content. The other great features you get with MetroCast mDVR are:

• Record up to 6 programs simultaneously including programs in HD. So if you have 3 HD Digital Converters you can record 2 programs on each converter at the same time.
• Pause Live TV on any connected TV
• Watch Live TV on main TV (DVR) while multiple recordings are occurring in the home at the same time.
• Initiate instant recordings on any TV in the home
• Schedule future recordings on any TV in the home
• Delete any recordings from any TV in the home
• Pause -playback of a recording in one room and resume playback from the same spot in another room
• Watch same recording simultaneously at different points in different rooms
• Watch VOD on the main TV while multiple recordings are in progress
We hope you enjoy the full DVR functionality from each HD digital converter. And you will never lose any content stored on the server even if the electrical power fails.

 

[Beta84]

I would not say I was confused..he explained to me what I was getting. However the setup Metrocast selected makes no sense and is wasteful. For someone like me who had a bunch of DVR's, the appeal of a multiroom DVR is to get rid of boxes to save on fees. In this setup, I ended up receiving more physical hardware and only a fairly slight discount. I really don't care about recording 6 shows at once, or so forth. DirectTV, Comcast, and Fios offer boxes that work fine, and don't require every room to have a DVR. At the end of the day it works, it just seems like a really inelegant soloution. Almost like Metrocast selected the multiroom DVR solution that would cost them the least box rental revenue.

You might not need a bunch of shows recording or playing at once, but it probably works pretty well for larger families that have multiple kids that all whine for their shows on TV. If the concept doesn't make sense then it sounds like you're not understanding its purpose.

Next time, maybe you should ask questions about what you're getting BEFORE you have people walk into your room. That's negligence. Don't blame them for your mistake. Clearly you were expecting something else and didn't get it. What exactly were you expecting? One DVR that connects to all of your TVs? Can you tell us the kind of multi DVR setup that you were looking for? Please reference a real setup and not one you're imagining.

 

[hotmomma]

You might not need a bunch of shows recording or playing at once, but it probably works pretty well for larger families that have multiple kids that all whine for their shows on TV. If the concept doesn't make sense then it sounds like you're not understanding its purpose.

Next time, maybe you should ask questions about what you're getting BEFORE you have people walk into your room. That's negligence. Don't blame them for your mistake. Clearly you were expecting something else and didn't get it. What exactly were you expecting? One DVR that connects to all of your TVs? Can you tell us the kind of multi DVR setup that you were looking for? Please reference a real setup and not one you're imagining.

I have seen commercials for dvr where you have 1 box that records but can watch the recorded shows in any room. Maybe that is what he is referring to. The other rooms do not have the ability to record.

 

[glhs837]

http://mediacomcable.com/pdf/Pace DC900X_User_Guide.pdf

Here's the install manual for this system, made by Pace. I do apologize, this system is indeed a new rollout, looks like Pace first showed it out in late 2009, and deployed it early in 2010.

Pace Home Content Sharing - Page 2 - AVS Forum

Reviews seem mixed on AVS, and quite honestly, my experience with a Pace dual tuner box was less than satisfactory, after six months, I gave up and swapped it back for a Motorola box. Just an endless stream of missed recording, recordings with glitched sound or video, balky response to my Harmony remotes (this is not not Metrocasts fault, but the Moto boxes respond perfectly, and the Paces dont).

 

[flyingdog]

If the concept doesn't make sense then it sounds like you're not understanding its purpose..

I think he gets the purpose; he signed up for his purpose, however, not anyone elses. There are many ways to get to the same result.

Next time, maybe you should ask questions about what you're getting BEFORE you have people walk into your room. That's negligence. Don't blame them for your mistake. Please reference a real setup and not one you're imagining.

First of all, when you sign up for something you aren't interested in the details around how it gets set up but the end result. The details around how it was set up did surprise him but he is not negligent for not asking. He still probably would have signed up even if he knew. He was simply surprised. I did the same thing. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I wanted the end result and so I signed up. I'm not going to unsignup because of the way it was done, but I was surprised by the way it was set up. I simply thought there was a better way, even if it was in my imagination, but it turns out it is not just in my imagination, and there are other ways. Since fios is not available in my area, and this is the only option, I'm willing to stick with it. That doesn't mean I can't roll my eyes at it and wonder why it isn't done differently.

 

[sparkyaclown]

This setup is a joke. I'm glad I saw this post as I had a real interest until I realized what it entailed. I am sure that I'm not the norm, but my family has never had a need to record more than 1 program at a time let alone the 2 the DVR is capable of. Putting a setup like that means I am throwing money away on capabilities I will never use. I was hoping for a setup that would allow us to watch a recorded program in our bedroom at night from the main DVR set downstairs.

Also do the new DVRs have the same crappy blue display? The one thing I truly hate about ours is it is pretty much impossible to read the display from any appreciable distance.

 

[Southern Belle]

Just when you think Metrocast has something right, they find a new way to surpised you with backwards ness. We have Metrocast here, and I have had 3 DVR's because my wife likes to record stuff, and watch it in the Living room, bedroom, or workout room. I was going to switch to DirectTV for the multiroom DVR..but I had held off because I had a bad experiance with them before and my TV being out 3 weeks. I saw on Metrocast's website they now have a multiroom DVR. so I called them to get the details. They offered me a triple play package that was less than I was paying for phone, DSL, and tv, so I decided to give it a try.

They show up last week to install the stuff. Now in my mind I am picturing a Master DVR for the living room, and little slave converters/boxes for all the rooms to connect to it. That is how I have seen Comcast do it.

Nope...they came out with 3 full DVR's, and now I also need to find a place for a 4th box that has to be plugged into one of the DVR's that is like the brains of the deal that lets them talk to each other. I was told to make sure the 4th box is never ever turned off because it will mess the world up. So basically they replaced my 3 DVR's with three new ones, and added a box so they could talk to each other, and you could watch recordings on one another. I look at the bill, and they are still billing me for 3 DVR's, and then giving me a $15 discount for having the multiroom package, which requires a 4th box?

Seriously....who does things like this? I mean they still work, and I am paying less..but i just can't imagine why company would roll out a system that requires more hardware to give you a discount?

I'm getting direct tv installed next week and cancelling my metrocast. I wanted dvr throughout the house and when I called metrocast for the price, I couldn't believe what I was being told. I compared the 2 for almost a month and decided to change because i'll be getting more for my money with Direct. I just hope I didn't make the wrong decision. Time will tell.

 

[SamSpade]

I'm getting direct tv installed next week and cancelling my metrocast. I wanted dvr throughout the house and when I called metrocast for the price, I couldn't believe what I was being told. I compared the 2 for almost a month and decided to change because i'll be getting more for my money with Direct. I just hope I didn't make the wrong decision. Time will tell.

We switched to Metrocast FROM DirecTV. Just got tired of poor reception and outages anytime it rained hard or was windy outside. Ditched their internet as well - it was never much faster than dialup and was subject to restrictions on how much bandwidth you could consume per day.

One thing I do miss - TiVo. TiVo is the best DVR interface yet conceived. I only wish Metrocast could use TiVo.

 

[glhs837]

I'm a Metrocast sort of guy, have been ever since I left a house that let me have DSL. But, in DirectTvs defense, if less that typhoon type rain or wind less than say 40mph or so interrupted your signal, that's a poor installation, not the providers fault.

Knew a lady who's Dish used to rock, but after a year and a half or so, it went to hell. Was installed so that it was pointing right above a tree brach, and as the branch grew, it obscured the signal, fall came, and it got magically better All winter it was fine. Spring arrived, and the branch grew longer, with more leaves, and it crapped out completely. Told her it was the brach, refused to listen. then, a week later, storm tore that branch down. Wala, all was right.

 

[sockgirl77]

We switched to Metrocast FROM DirecTV. Just got tired of poor reception and outages anytime it rained hard or was windy outside. Ditched their internet as well - it was never much faster than dialup and was subject to restrictions on how much bandwidth you could consume per day.

One thing I do miss - TiVo. TiVo is the best DVR interface yet conceived. I only wish Metrocast could use TiVo.

Last I checked they could. I'll try to dig up the thread but I know of a few forumites that have MetroCast service and use TiVo. I have MetroCast's Motorola DVR and have never had a problem with it. But, it's the only box that I have in my house. The kids are in bed by time I get a chance to watch TV. They just have DVD players in their rooms.

So, you might want to give them a call to see if TiVo will work with their system.

 

[Baja28]

We switched to Metrocast FROM DirecTV. Just got tired of poor reception and outages anytime it rained hard or was windy outside. Ditched their internet as well - it was never much faster than dialup and was subject to restrictions on how much bandwidth you could consume per day.

One thing I do miss - TiVo. TiVo is the best DVR interface yet conceived. I only wish Metrocast could use TiVo.

Sam,
I have Metrocast and Tivo. I have a wireless antenna on my tivo that talks to my wireless router that is connected to Metrocast's modem. Works great.

 

[sparkyaclown]

Sorry fo the long post

Even though I really didn't need the capability to record that many programs at a time, we really wanted a multi-room DVR solution. After speaking to Metrocast about their Multi-Room DVR, I actually went out and got Tivo instead of using Metrocast's backward setup. While there is an upfront cost associated and a subscription service instead of a rental fee I think it's a better deal. For my 2 room setup it is slightly cheaper per month to subscribe to Tivo for 2 boxes than to rent a 2 multi-room DVR setup from Metrocast. While it will take a while for the up-front cost to get completely absorbed, I look at a DVR as a long term investment which will eventually save money and headaches in the long term.

My Metrocast Pace DVR was unreliable as far as setting up a season of a programs to record. Even though it showed that it was set to record a new episode it often didn't and I got to the point of setting up individual schedules for each episode as it always worked fine that way. Tivo seems to have no issue with that so far with their season pass function which will capture all the new episodes of the season.

Also Metrocast has no solution for transferring any recorded programs off of the DVR. There are shows, especially some of the older Christmas specials that just don't get shown anymore and are not really available in any form out there that I wanted to save. Luckily I had a DVD player with a record function to facilitate that for the Pace unit. The Pace DVRs appeared to have the ports to facilitate that functionality, but they are tagged as future use and disabled on the unit. Tivo has a network connection in which your computer can communicate directly to the Tivo box to transfer programs off or even load programs on. So you can use your computer's hard drive as extra storage or to burn the keepers onto a more permanent storage solution. I was told that transfer to your home PC was not available on the newer multi-room setup either (so much for cutting edge technology ). So even though the base Tivo unit has a 45 hour HD capability compared to Metrocast's 95 hours, I can expand into my home computer system so I can easily double or triple that amount.

I will admit, I like Metrocast's guide feature better from a cosmetic standpoint as it is easier to discern not only what is on now but what is coming up next several channels at a time . However, from a functionality perspective, Tivo's ability to customize the Guide to show only the channels that I actually watch makes surfing through the guide much quicker. Tivo has the information of what is coming on next, but I have to scroll through each individual channel within the guide to see it. Again, not really that big of a deal because I am not scrolling through channels I never watch. It also can search for specific shows and or actors and provide a schedule of showings/ channels based on the criteria if any are appearing in the upcoming weeks.

The biggest complaint I have about the Tivo units is that they have no clock display. I don't see this as a big trade off over Metrocast because even though the Pace units have one, it's useless if you are more than 2-3 feet away as their crappy blue display isn't bright enough to be of any use.

 

[Metrocrap]

We provide the worst programming at the highest price, what is there not to like about us?

 

[sockgirl77]

We provide the worst programming at the highest price, what is there not to like about us?

So...how's your service when it is storming or very windy? DirecTV's bites. I will never go back to satellite again.