MCE and DIRECTV Viiv in the works
by Ben Drawbaugh 
posted Mar 16th 2006 at 7:30AM
I know it isn't news, but it is good to hear someone mention it since CES. Each year at CES
there are at least a few items that end up being vapor ware. Here at HDBeat we love to stream HD Content around our house
and using XP Media Center Edition with an Xbox360 is
always a good option. Of course the biggest problem is that we can only stream OTA content and other HD content from our PC,
but not content from Cable or satellite. We are so excited about being able to use either CableCARD or a Viiv powered DIRECTV STB that you can bet we will keep you updated as soon as we find out more. For now all we have is a mention by DIRECTV CEO Chase Carey at the Intel development conference's keynote. He said that the Viiv-certified DIRECTV box was in the works.
The real question is if it will be available before the standalone HD TiVo. I probably won't buy both, but I will buy the first to market.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ben Drawbaugh @ Mar 16th 2006 8:45AM
Great point!
It is so many things it is hard to keep a handle on it.
But for the purposes of this article it is going to let you watch HD DIRECTV content on your XP Media Center Edition PC.
Jim @ Mar 16th 2006 8:56AM
Lets hope they get smart about it and allow us to build our own pc's and not be forced into buying overpriced underpowered ViiV's or whatever they are calling them now
Kraig @ Mar 16th 2006 8:56AM
Wow! I'll be keeping an eye on this one. When MPEG4 from D* becomes available in my area, this would be prefect. Especially if I can stream content to my X360 in another room of the house. Can't wait to see where this goes.
EdwardA @ Mar 16th 2006 1:13PM
Yes, exactly more flexibility with content is what I want. But assuming you already have an xbox 360, why would you pick the stand-alone HD Tivo if it drops first?
Ben Drawbaugh @ Mar 16th 2006 2:09PM
I do already have an Xbox360 but don't see use its media center features since it is too loud. I can't stand to hear the fans roaring during the quit sceans in movies.
Plus the HDTivo I have now is more reliable than my MCE and it should have all the flexibility that the standalone versions have. Home media option etc.
BolderX @ Mar 16th 2006 3:00PM
Ben, is your 360 loud when not playing a game disc??? The only time mine is loud is with a game disc. I use it for streaming music off my laptop through my home theater system because it makes no noise when not running a disc. Even playing games on the Xbox hard drive is silent.
I still want to see how they integrate Directv with the 360.
Ben Drawbaugh @ Mar 16th 2006 3:13PM
Yeah mine is pretty loud, I am sure there is something wrong with it or more people would be complaining. I do have an OCD when it comes to ambient noise so it may just be me. 99% of computers bother me too, but not as badly as the Xbox360.
I am also interested in seeing the level of integration between DIRECTV, MCE and Xbox360.
Kraig @ Mar 16th 2006 3:35PM
Yeah, my X360 doesn't make a noise when there isn't a game in it. It's very quiet. And I've noticed that different games have different levels of noise as well, but I think that has to do with loading into memory vs. streaming off the disc.
TV @ Mar 16th 2006 5:23PM
Ben,
I guess there's something wrong with my SD DirecTiVo (I assume you have an HD DirecTivo as I know of no other one) because that thing keep me up at night, I have to unplugged it.
Tivo more reliable, huh? My dedicated (meaning, I don't use it ever to check email, play games etc.) is more reliable that the Tivo box (maybe it's dying) which I will dump as soon as get a second MCE machine for the bedroom.
I don't have a 360, but it couldn't be louder than my furnace in the basement!