Re: XBOX 360 as Set Top Box - 11/7/2010!!

Logical_Dolphin · ‎04-10-2009

Bad news for those hoping to hook up more than one Xbox, apparently there is a limit of 1 Xbox per account.

Hopefully this limitation will be lifted in the months ahead...

spd2demun · ‎07-28-2007

I was wondering about that.

wolfen · ‎04-19-2009

As I've posted in another forum, there seems to be a question as to what the $99 is actually covering. Some say it covers the cost of the kit, some say it is an activation fee. I say if it covers the cost of the kit and I'm the customer then I'm keeping the entire contents of that kit whether I need it or not since I'm paying for it. YMMV

This is where my sig would be if I had the option to use one instead of this macro I'm having to use.

2JZFAN · ‎10-12-2010

New video that shows a lot, enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vh5eNcXrM0

mickel1138 · ‎10-14-2010

One xBox conversion per account?!

That's not good news, I wanted to do 3, and was hoping the same CD could have been used on all three, since I have all of them connected to the RG and have remotes.

Logical_Dolphin · ‎04-10-2009

mickel1138 wrote:
One xBox conversion per account?!

That's not good news, I wanted to do 3, and was hoping the same CD could have been used on all three, since I have all of them connected to the RG and have remotes.

I'm hoping this is being done because at&t wants to do this rollout slowly. This leaked page on Engadget clearly shows that the customer can provide more than one Xbox 360...

http://www.engadget.com/photos/xbox-360-as-atandt-u-verse-iptv-receiver-leaked-slides-0/#3448294

wingrider01 · ‎05-26-2008

texasguy37 wrote:
wingrider01 wrote:
texasguy37 wrote:
wingrider01 wrote:

4 HD dvr's, can record 6 high definition shows and can still watch 2 others. that tops it easily
How much does it cost to have 4 HD DVR's?
with directv 14.97

When DirecTV can use an Xbox 360 as set top box, get back with us.

What exactly will the advantage be? Have a 2TB external drive on each of DVR's

dhascall · ‎04-21-2008

AT&T really has a chance to do good and bring in new subscribers with this definiate enhancement BUT they also have a tremendous chance of fouling it up, too.

dhascall · ‎04-21-2008

wingrider01 wrote:
texasguy37 wrote:
wingrider01 wrote:
texasguy37 wrote:
wingrider01 wrote:

4 HD dvr's, can record 6 high definition shows and can still watch 2 others. that tops it easily
How much does it cost to have 4 HD DVR's?
with directv 14.97

When DirecTV can use an Xbox 360 as set top box, get back with us.

What exactly will the advantage be? Have a 2TB external drive on each of DVR's

I think that TG37 was being mildly sarcastic. I would love to pay $14.97 and be able to record streams on all four of those HD DVR's (8, at least).

texasguy37 · ‎05-18-2009

dhascall wrote:

I think that TG37 was being mildly sarcastic. I would love to pay $14.97 and be able to record streams on all four of those HD DVR's (8, at least).

Sarcastic? Me? Never!

texasguy37 · ‎05-18-2009

wingrider01 wrote:
When DirecTV can use an Xbox 360 as set top box, get back with us.
What exactly will the advantage be? Have a 2TB external drive on each of DVR's

Using the Xbox 360 as an STB is kind of a novelty. Some may want to have just one box connect to their TV (i.e. Xbox 360) as opposed to two. Some others my be committed to U-verse long term and see a cost savings in not having to pay for an STB. Others will see this as a useless feature.

Logical_Dolphin · ‎04-10-2009

An advantage to using an Xbox 360 as a STB is that you can use it for both U-verse and digital cable.

To use the Xbox 360 with cable TV you rent a multi tuner cablecard from your cable company and install it in your PC equipped with Windows Media Center for Windows 7. It setup would act simular to U-verse in that it can only process 4 video streams. Since the PC will act as your DVR, you can expand the storage capacity as you wish. With this setup the only monthy equipment charge is the cablecard, where you shouldn't be charged any more than $6 a month and you can add as many Xboxes as you wish.

You do need to purchase a PC cable card tuner, and so far there is only one manufacturer.

http://www.cetoncorp.com/products.php

At one time Microsoft and DirectTV were working on an product to connect Windows Media Center to DirectTV, but for some reason that project was quietly canceled.

mickel1138 · ‎10-14-2010

Speaking with Sales now.

Xbox kit initially available for new customers only, right now tech only can upsale.

Will be available for existing customers on Nov 8, also in Mobility stores by then.

But a sidenote says that if the existing customer insists an xBox kit can be issues after being qualified.

There still will be a $55 truckroll, but it appears this would cover multiple installs. At this time there is no selfinstall of software only kit.

Still a little hesitant at this time, not use if the $7 a month is worth the extra ontime of the xBox.

salwin2 · ‎10-15-2010

I actually think this is the way I'm going minus the uverse. I already have three 360's and a htpc that I use as media center extenders for all our movies, photos, music etc. Uverse would have been the icing on the cake. But at $355 dollars for uverse iptv on the 360's or worse yet an arbitrary one box limit, I think i'm going to drop uverse and move to back to cable. $400 dollars for the 4 hd tuner multistream cable card tuner, no more HD fee, no more equipment rental fees, faster internet speeds plus a lower overall price. With the cost savings I should make it back in ten months. I'll still be able to record 4 hd channels and stream all shows through the house plus I'll never run out of room on my pc. It always made sense financially but I really liked uverse however these prices have just about made me throw in the towel.

mickel1138 · ‎10-14-2010

The kit is available in the sytem. But may not be available for order just yet. Could be system glitch.

But the bad news, only ONE is supported at this time. So it's a NO GO for me. I'll wait untill either a selfinstall on more than one is supported.

It is uncertain if the disc remains with the customer and if one could install the software on other xbox's. Would love to hear from some who got the install.

robgut3 · ‎10-15-2010

I am getting the install performed tomorrow. I called up ATT and stayed on the phone for 30 minutes trying to do something about the kit because I'm not going to need it. My house is wired for cat5 and coax, plus I already have the Xbox media remote. I've had it for years. The customer service rep said that there was nothing they could do about the cost of the kit or the install fee. She did give me some money off of my internet service for the next six months. She also said that I can talk to the installer about the kit. If I can convince the installer that I dont need the kit and he can physically see that I am hoping that ATT will remove the 99$ charge on my bill. It all depends on the installed. If he is unable to cooperate and do this, it very well may push me over the edge and jump to DirecTV or some other option. It's ridiculous for these outlandish fees when its your equipment. What employee(s) in a conference room in ATT headquarters thought of this stuff and this preposterous pricing scheme?!? These kits should be OPTIONAL. The Xbox 360 has been out for several years. Let the customer decide on the remote functionality for the console. It's not like ATT is going to provide any type of warranty or troubleshooting to the customer in the event that there is a problem with the 360.

texasguy37 · ‎05-18-2009

robgut3 wrote:

I am getting the install performed tomorrow. I called up ATT and stayed on the phone for 30 minutes trying to do something about the kit because I'm not going to need it. My house is wired for cat5 and coax, plus I already have the Xbox media remote. I've had it for years. The customer service rep said that there was nothing they could do about the cost of the kit or the install fee. She did give me some money off of my internet service for the next six months. She also said that I can talk to the installer about the kit. If I can convince the installer that I dont need the kit and he can physically see that I am hoping that ATT will remove the 99$ charge on my bill. It all depends on the installed. If he is unable to cooperate and do this, it very well may push me over the edge and jump to DirecTV or some other option. It's ridiculous for these outlandish fees when its your equipment. What employee(s) in a conference room in ATT headquarters thought of this stuff and this preposterous pricing scheme?!? These kits should be OPTIONAL. The Xbox 360 has been out for several years. Let the customer decide on the remote functionality for the console. It's not like ATT is going to provide any type of warranty or troubleshooting to the customer in the event that there is a problem with the 360.

If you decide to leave U-verse because of the $99 fee, will DirecTV or some other TV provider allow you to use your Xbox 360 as an STB?

muzzymate · ‎11-09-2009

Yes, you'd simply join the Xbox to a Windows 7 PC running Windows Media Center that has a cablecard-based or cable-based tuner. Did it for years. Works wonderful!

freeorelse_1 · ‎08-03-2010

$99 AND A TRUCK ROLL PLEASE!

Why on earth did they screw up a simple great idea like that.

Might as well just pay 2 years worth of extra stb fees instead.

Logical_Dolphin · ‎04-10-2009

muzzymate wrote:
Yes, you'd simply join the Xbox to a Windows 7 PC running Windows Media Center that has a cablecard-based or cable-based tuner. Did it for years. Works wonderful!

Microsoft did show at CES 2010 that Win 7 Media Center can be configured to run an IPTV service like Uverse and act as additional storage. If you had this configuration you can still set up additional Xbox recievers at will to work as extenders.

I doubt that at&t is going to allow this capability any time soon...

Logical_Dolphin · ‎04-10-2009

salwin2 wrote:
I actually think this is the way I'm going minus the uverse. I already have three 360's and a htpc that I use as media center extenders for all our movies, photos, music etc. Uverse would have been the icing on the cake. But at $355 dollars for uverse iptv on the 360's or worse yet an arbitrary one box limit, I think i'm going to drop uverse and move to back to cable. $400 dollars for the 4 hd tuner multistream cable card tuner, no more HD fee, no more equipment rental fees, faster internet speeds plus a lower overall price. With the cost savings I should make it back in ten months. I'll still be able to record 4 hd channels and stream all shows through the house plus I'll never run out of room on my pc. It always made sense financially but I really liked uverse however these prices have just about made me throw in the towel.

It is still up for interpretation, but I doubt that at&t would charge $355 for 3 Xbox installs, most likely it would be $155. But hopefully this will all clear up in the upcoming weeks...

Logical_Dolphin · ‎04-10-2009

Here is a new one!

This article (dated today 10/15/10) states that existing customers will be able to download the software for $59.99!

http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/107978

I don't know where that number came from since all the numbers I have heard tossed about lately was $99 and $55...

salwin2 · ‎10-15-2010

I had spoken to customer service and they said I needed a kit for every xbox. But they never mentioned the one xbox limit.

Ronin559 · ‎11-26-2008

This is tuning into a cluster frack... leave it to a&t... way to screw up an easy opportunity to get some good PR. They Tech and gaming communities would have echoed loud and far in a positive way for Uverse, and At&t as a whole if they had rolled this out right. Many of us would have touted Uverse as a cutting edge company in internet and TV if you did not make it such a money grab. The $99 “Installation Kit” sound like something Best Buy’s Geek Squad would have pushed to it unsuspecting customer to make a quick buck, but At&t figures out a way to tick off everyone by forcing the kit upon ignorant masses as well as the knowledgeable techies alike.

This fiasco in addition to the crippled iPhone app is embarrassing, why could you not just follow the lead of Direct TV? They at least pretends to care for their customers, they don’t develop these services and blindly make up prices for them like At&t seams to.

texasguy37 · ‎05-18-2009

Ronin559 wrote:

This fiasco in addition to the crippled iPhone app is embarrassing, why could you not just follow the lead of Direct TV? They at least pretends to care for their customers, they don’t develop these services and blindly make up prices for them like At&t seams to.

What is wrong with the iPhone app?

2JZFAN · ‎10-12-2010

My question is, what is in the kit? I see a media remote which I already have.. a panthlet, a cd-rom case, and an unknown box with what looks like a coax end..? The media remote retails for $19.99.. Do we own that box in his hand? Why didn't they explain what was in the kit. I have an install on the 20th and the support rep I got knew nothing about it but thanked me for informing him. Nice guy, but maybe this is a sales thing at the moment, I'll try them tomorrow.

oh and this one is for those talking about the small print:

Logical_Dolphin · ‎04-10-2009

It is an HPNA bridge. If you connect to Uverse through a Coax line, this device will convert it to Ethernet so you can plug your Xbox 360 into it...

alemis · ‎10-11-2010

The U-Verse Facebook page confirmed the tvtechnology writer got it wrong. I can't decide if there are so many differing articles out there due to journalistic incompetence or if the writers can't believe that AT&T would charge $155 to use your own equipment.

texasguy37 · ‎05-18-2009

I questioned that article, because there is no mention of downloading the software in any AT&T press release. I wonder where the writer would have gotten those "facts" and a price for the download. It seems very odd.

2JZFAN · ‎10-12-2010

Logical_Dolphin wrote:
It is an HPNA bridge. If you connect to Uverse through a Coax line, this device will convert it to Ethernet so you can plug your Xbox 360 into it...

Ok so now we've determined many of us will be paying at least $99.99 for a compact disc and a $19.99 remote control.. I thought M$ was bad. I'd be more comfortable paying a reduced monthly fee to enable my 360 rather then be hijacked for this kit.