DIRECTV2PC MULTIROOM VIEWING VIA PC Introduction Imagine high-definition DIRECTV television programs streamed directly to your PC. Imagine the ability to watch a different program than what is on the television - at the same time. Today, Multi-room viewing is here. The Basics: Windows XP/Vista only Advisor app to check for compatibility HD streaming Watch something different from Since the day DIRECTV added network connections to their set what is showing on your TV top boxes, subscribers have been hoping for an easy, low-cost solution for DVR interconnectivity. Multi-room viewing may one Keyboard/mouse-based navigation day be enabled between set top boxes, but the first step is to enable Jump directly to any point in the a connection between the set top box and a personal computer. playlist DIRECTV2PC is what makes that happen. Any PC that can play Blu-ray discs should be powerful enough to run the DIRECTV2PC application. Unfortunately, not everyone has an above average PC. In that case, the DIRECTV2PC application may not perform as expected. However, folks with new PCs will likely be able to enjoy this new feature from DIRECTV. DBSTalk.com is proud to provide a First Look at DIRECTV2PC, the next step in DIRECTV s home entertainment evolution. 2 2008, DBSTalk.com, all rights reserved. Reproduction is permitted as long as all DBSTalk.com copyright information is preserved. All trademarks are property of the respective trademark holders.
GETTING STARTED WITH DIRECTV2PC The installation requirements for the DIRECTV2PC application are very demanding. An Advanced DVR STB (set top box) is needed. Current models are R22, HR20, HR21 and HR22. Be prepared to have a powerful CPU or better yet, a video card with MPEG4 decoding built in. Lots of memory and a fast network connecting the PC and STB is also important. For a detailed list of requirements, see Appendix A. The software itself is an executable file that installs the DIRECTV2PC application. Follow the prompts and be prepared to watch your recordings on your PC! Starting Up for the First Time The first time DIRECTV2PC starts, you have the ability to choose which STB will send video to your PC. (Figure 1). The RID (Receiver ID) of the receiver is what identifies which STB is being used. An advisor app is available to let you know at a glance if your PC is powerful enough. Figure 1 Navigating the DIRECTV2PC Application The DIRECTV2PC application uses the same familiar GUI found on your DIRECTV set top box. Once the application is launched, the playlist comes up (Figure 2). Just like your DIRECTV STB, the playlist also has folders that can be expanded.. 2008, DBSTalk.com, all rights reserved. Reproduction is permitted as long as all DBSTalk.com copyright information is preserved. All trademarks are property of the respective trademark holders. 3
USING DIRECTV2PC Using DIRECTV2PC is very much like using the DIRECTV HD DVR. The controls and menus are designed to be familiar. After selecting the show to watch, a more detailed description and the option to play the show comes up (Figure 3). Once you select play, the show will be played on your PC just as if it were playing on your TV. Trick play functions can be used to find the right spot in your program. You can even skip to any point in the show by clicking on the progress bar! There is also a volume control at the lower right of the playback screen. (Figure 4). Selecting Info from inside the show will display a brief description of the show. (Figure 5) From the Info tab, More Info can be selected displaying more information about the show while the program continues in the upper right corner of the application, just as if the user were watching television in front of the STB. (Figure 6, next page) 4 2008, DBSTalk.com, all rights reserved. Reproduction is permitted as long as all DBSTalk.com copyright information is preserved. All trademarks are property of the respective trademark holders.
ADVANCED FEATURES Figure 6 The menu feature of the DIRECTV2PC application has only a few options compared to the STB software. The options are playlist, system setup, and parental controls. The playlist brings up the shows recorded on the STB that is currently connected to the DIRECTV2PC application. System setup allows you to choose which STB is connected to the DIRECTV2PC application. Captioning can be used to turn closed captioning on and off. (Figure 7). Parental Control is also just like its STB software counterpart (Figure 8). Keyboard Shortcuts Figure 7 Figure 8 Enter Select ESC Back Tab Switch Playlist / Showcases F8 Mute Sound F9 Decrease Volume F10 Increase Volume F11 Windowed/Full Screen CTRL-M Menu CTRL-P Play CTRL-R Rewind CTRL-S Stop CTRL-F Fast Forward CTRL-K 30 Second Skip CTRL-I Quick Rewind Mouse Scroll Scroll the Playlist 2008, DBSTalk.com, all rights reserved. Reproduction is permitted as long as all DBSTalk.com copyright information is preserved. All trademarks are property of the respective trademark holders. 5
SCREEN CAPTURE GALLERY How do they do it? DIRECTV uses a combination of different technologies to make sure that video from your STB can only be viewed on your home network. The most simple of these is the extremely high bandwidth required for the signal, and the low latency necessary for continuous operation. Most people will easily be able to handle this traffic on their home networks, however, DIRECTV2PC is limited to home use only. DIRECTV also uses industrystandard encryption and security protocols to make sure that the receiving PC is on the same network as the STB. It s possible that in the future, this technology will also enable other devices or applications to receive video from your DIRECTV STB. 6 2008, DBSTalk.com, all rights reserved. Reproduction is permitted as long as all DBSTalk.com copyright information is preserved. All trademarks are property of the respective trademark holders.
PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS Required bandwidth for SD playback fluctuates between 2Mbps and 3.5Mbps Bandwidth for HD playback fluctuates between 7Mbps and 15Mbps Using wireless N provides much better streaming between wireless STB and PC Wireless performance depends on many different variables, signal strength / signal quality / connection speed. Variations in any of these can potentially lead to less than ideal performance over a wireless connection Formatting options (Pillar box / Crop / Stretch) are unavailable. The ability to resize the application window eliminates the need for pillar/crop/stretch modes. No ripping to PC. This only allows for streaming, not saving Dual monitor systems are currently not supported. The application will not stretch across the monitors or mirror across two or more. General Capabilities: Watch content from the STB on any compatible PC in the house with the client software installed Stream from STB while two other shows are recording Watch video in full resolution Hear audio in full 5.1 surround (when available) Stream DoD programs Watch the source STB (change channels, etc.) independent of what is being watched from the PC Stream a show to the PC while it is recording Take advantage of all trickplay functions during playback including clicking the mouse directly on the progress bar to jump to a specific time index Take advantage of closed captioning support You should be aware that: System requirements are slightly high for some users Live TV can not be watched from the DIRECTV2PC application unless it is currently recording Wireless 802.11g connections are rarely stable and fast enough for HD video playback Unable to stream over Internet, only over home LAN Playlist and recording management is not yet available at this time HDCP compliant monitor is required Audio subsystem must be able to support SCMS for playback of DRM protected content Windows XP/Vista are the only supported operating systems 2008, DBSTalk.com, all rights reserved. Reproduction is permitted as long as all DBSTalk.com copyright information is preserved. All trademarks are property of the respective trademark holders. 7
CONCLUSION From a usability perspective, DIRECTV2PC is about as easy as it gets. The familiar interface coupled with the point and click of a mouse is a slick way to view programs from your DIRECTV set top box right on your PC screen. Although some people may not be able to use this application on older PCs, folks with newer computers should find this to be a wonderful application. Multi-room viewing is now just a mouse click away. The DIRECTV2PC application is just another innovation bringing us closer to full multi-room viewing capabilities and another step in DIRECTV s home entertainment evolution. Special thanks to the entire DIRECTV2PC Testing Team: Doug Brott, Michael D Angelo, dettxw,, Drew2k, dvrman, jclarke9999, kocuba, lukep10, mhayes70, phat78boy, PoitNarf, RAD, Tom Robertson, Stuart Sweet, tfederov, UPEngineer, VLaslow, and of course DIRECTV (for without them, none of us would be doing this). Since its inception in 2001, DBSTALK.com has grown to represent the satellite communities for DIRECTV, Dish Network, Sirius/XM and Free-to-Air satellite reception. We provide user-to-user support for tens of thousands of users and are read by millions across the Internet, giving us the title of The Internet s Satellite Resource. DBSTALK.com is the home of the DIRECTV Cutting Edge program, where users actively participate in testing pre-release software for DIRECTV receivers. The resulting rapid-deployment development method allows for faster fixes and abundant new features. 8 2008, DBSTalk.com, all rights reserved. Reproduction is permitted as long as all DBSTalk.com copyright information is preserved. All trademarks are property of the respective trademark holders.