Comcast has officially launched its multi-room DVR service, dubbed AnyRoom DVR, in parts of Oregon and Washington. The long-anticipated service uses Motorola DCX set-tops with MoCA, and connects up to three client boxes to one 500GB DVR hub.
The wait for multi-room DVR from the cable industry has stretched far longer than many experts predicted was likely. The technology has been available for years, but the business model was not compelling enough for cable companies to make the feature a priority until recently. (Though Comcast did launch AnyRoom On Demand a while back) Now both Verizon and AT&T are well-established with their own whole-home DVR solutions, and general observation suggests home video networking leads to more set-tops in the home, more content watched, and more revenue generated.
According to EngadgetHD, Comcast is making AnyRoom DVR available in roughly 20 markets beyond Oregon and Washington, including the Bay Area, Western Massachusetts, Augusta, and other cities. And user posts over at Broadband Reports (aka DSLReports) suggest the service is coming soon to other areas as well, including parts of Pennsylvania and the Chicago area.
Curious how Comcast’s implementation differs from Verizon and AT&T? At a basic level, the Verizon deployment is very similar, with FiOS Home Media DVR using Motorola’s hybrid QAM/IP set-tops with MoCA. AT&T’s U-verse offering, on the other hand, uses all-IP Motorola set-tops with HPNA.
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