MRV Comes to DIRECTV
For many months now users of the DIRECTV Cutting Edge program have been helping DIRECTV create and fine tune a feature called Multi Room Viewing (or MRV for short.)
MRV allows DIRECTV customers with network receivers to enjoy DVR recorded shows on any networked receiver in the house. Meaning you can record a show in your living room, start watching it then pause it and go to your bedroom and continue watching it from there.
DIRECTV is now rolling out software which will let any DIRECTV customer “opt-in” to a special beta to enable MRV in the household.
In order to opt in you will need a few things… First off you need a MPEG4 DVR which is running software revision 0×0395 or higher. This software just started rolling out and may take a few weeks before its available to all MPEG4 DVR’s. To view MRV in other rooms you will need a MPEG4 DVR or a MPEG4 receiver such as a H21 or H23. And finally you need to be hooked up to some kind of network which can handle 40Mbps speeds of data transfers. Wireless G is not recommended.
Once everything is hooked up you can opt-in to the beta by pressing MENU, Parental, Fav’s & Setup, System Setup, Multi-Room and then beta. This must be done on every compatible networked receiver in your house.
Once you have opted in you will see status menus and options to share your playlists.
By sharing playlists you control what can be viewed by other receivers in your house. This will make sure that your kids are not watching programming not meant for them.
If you have a H21 or H23 receiver you can also schedule recording on any DVR in your home. These programs when recorded will be viewable on any networked receiver in your house.
While thoroughly tested by Cutting Edge members please remember this is still a beta, and not everything will work right, this beta is meant to help get the final bugs out of the software.
When MRV comes out of beta testing it is expected that DIRECTV will begin charging a monthly fee rumored to be $3.99 a month to activate the MRV service on your receivers. If your a technical person and want to try MRV out this is a great time to jump in.
It should be noted that because this MRV feature is in beta it means that the feature is not supported by DIRECTV. If you have an issue or a problem you should post your issue to the Cutting Edge support forums found online at SatelliteGuys.US or DBSTalk.COM.
Once released this will give DIRECTV a slight advantage over Dish Network, while Dish Network currently only can share programming between two TV’s they do not have the ability to share recordings with the whole house
A hats off to the MRV Team and Cutting Edge testers who worked hard to bring this software to this special public Opt-In beta.
SLewis commented:
I have an HR22 Receiver and two others that are D11. How can I opt in?
Bob commented:
B is slower than G, so no. I would recommend running a hard wire or upgrading to N.
James commented:
Scott,do you know when the 922 is coming out in february the date?ty
ICUDoc commented:
I wonder if this will be supported in the TiVo/DirecTV DVR as well - one of the reasons I wanted it is the ability to watch TiVo on any PC that was networked with the DVR - would be nice if they all play together - and would be the last straw for me to get rid of my old UltimateTV DVR and upgrade that one as well.
Jamie H commented:
Why is Wireless G not recommended? My router does b&g would I be better off switching back to b?
GreggC55 commented:
The dual tuner feature in Dish's 722 receiver allows me to watch other channels and recordings on any TV in my home without another receiver. The picture may not be in HD, but I think this is a bigger advantage than MRV.
Jim commented:
i should say scott how does this compare to dish networks new 922 receiver that is coming out soon?do you know when the 922 is coming out in february?ty
Jim commented:
scott,how does this compare to dish networks receivers?ty for your reponse and keep up the good work
Jim commented:
Scott, How dos this compae to Dish Network receiver?
ty for your response and keep up the good work
Scott K commented:
I wonder what happened to that whole house DVR that Voom had demonstrated just before shutdown of it's satellite service and it's subsequent partnership with Dish. Of course Dish