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“Stream thousands of movies instantly to your TV.”
“Setup is a breeze.”
“Open the door to a whole new world of entertainment.”
DIRECTV’s video on demand service sounds great! Only one problem. My router is way over there, and I’m not crazy about running an ethernet cable across the room…or down the hall for that matter. No worries. Drop some cash on a wireless adapter…problem solved!
The Wireless-N adapter offered up by DIRECTV is a hundred bucks; and if you don’t have one of those money trees, then that’s another problem. There are a few less expensive options that offer the same quality and streaming capability as the one endorsed by DIRECTV. Of the choices I found while lurking around on the satellite forums, the best all-around option based on price and reviews appears to be the TRENDnet Wireless N Gaming Adapter (Model TEW-647GA).
SETTING UP YOUR ADAPTER. One of the common issues regardless of which adapter you use seems to be setup. But I found this process to be a breeze. My TRENDnet came with an AC power cord, ethernet cable, and a setup CD. I tried using the Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) method; but after a couple of failed attempts, I used the setup CD. The directions that come with the adapter are perfect. Take your laptop with you to the room with your HD DVR. Setup involves plugging your adapter into the laptop via the ethernet cable, powering up the adapter, and following the TRENDnet setup menu.
Once setup completed, I removed the ethernet cable from the laptop and plugged it into the DIRECTV Plus HD DVR (I’m using model HR22). Next I pressed the MENU button on my DVR remote, chose “Parental, Fav’s & Setup”, and then “System Setup”. Go to “Network Setup” and choose “Connect Now”. This will prompt your DVR to begin accessing the VOD menu. You’ll get a message that says something about taking 24 hours to complete the process. Regardless, there should be VOD offerings to begin watching immediately.
So far, my experience has been great. Streaming quality is excellent although that’s helped by a buffer. It’s important to point out that I’m using a cable connection piped through a Wireless-N router; but if you have an opportunity to use dual-band wireless router (like the Linksys E3000), you’ll better off in the long run especially if you have simultaneous usage across your home network.
Now go watch something. I’ve got Hot Tub Time Machine queued up.
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DIRECTV’s multi-room HD DVR service isn’t new news, but it is coming to a living room…bedroom…media room (you get the idea) near you. The service is currently available to the public in a beta testing phase for those with HD DVR receivers that are already networked.
DIRECTV.com
According to the DIRECTV website, multi-room viewing (MRV) provides a single, combined playlist of all your recorded programs on any connected TV. You can also record and delete shows from any TV connected to an HD receiver, not just the one connected to the HD DVR.
The folks over at DBStalk.com have been testing the service for several months now, and provided their readers with a First Look (pdf link) of the service with some details of their findings and some tips and tricks for future beta testers.
The kicker is that DIRECTV plans to charge for the service. Hey. It’s a great service, but not one worth paying for in my opinion. Regardless of what I think, keep the enhancements coming, DIRECTV. Especially to Video On Demand.
[Hat Tip: DBStalk.com]
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