SA 8642 v. SA 8300HD - See Post 6 For Summary

[alebowgm]

Edit by 57 - Summary in post 6.

Friends,

I figured it was probably worth starting a new thread that is focused specifically on the differences between the SA 8642 and the SA 8300HD, so that it can be an easy guide for people to keep track of what each has and does not have.

For example...

SA 8300HD - Visual Call Display

SA 8642 - Quieter Hard Drive, Can view only what you have subbed to in the guide

I know there are more, so throw them at me and lets get a comprehensive list developed

[57]

Most of the differences have probably been outlined (but not summarized in a list) in the following owners thread:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=122118

Once the summary of differences is complete, I'll copy them as a summary to that (or this) thread. Someone should be able to quickly go through the owners thread and create a list and post here.

[romulus]

The absence of "Copy to VCR" makes the 8642 a no-no for me.

[knightwrangler]

Different color chassis, 8300 champagne gold, 8642 black

[wprager]

What I call a "Parental timer" on the 8642. You can program times when the system will be off unless you enter the parental lock PIN. One way to enforce TV viewing times

[alebowgm]

Edit by 57:

The firmware for the 8300 has just been updated. Some of the items below will no longer be different (I've already removed a couple). We will update as soon as we confirm the new 8300 features. Also, this reflects the "old" (SD) firmware, not the new (HD) firmware that some people have for the 8642/4642, which is completely different and has its own thread.

57, went through the thread, here is what I pulled...

Add that the Cisco 8642:

1. Faster loading On Demand sessions

4. takes a second or two for the audio to resume after a fast forward or rewind
5. Brighter LED display

7. Quieter hard drive
8. Digital only tuner
9. 500GB models may have macroblocking issue (and other issues mentioned in various threads)
10. Higher default contrast ratio

14. 3.5" SATA internal HDD up to 1TB recognized
15. Has MoCa which allows for Whole Home PVR functionality.

Add that the SA8300HD:

1. Has the Quick Start Guide
2. Ability to pause and then advance frame by frame, also "slo-mo".
3. Stronger IR sensor
4. Faster guide scrolling when active recordings
5. Visual Call Display (8642 and 4642 new firmware also now has call display)
6. Built-in Analog/Digital Tuner (lobby channel)
7. Interactive channels work (NEWS, SPORTS, etc)
8. Faster recording times at beginning of programs/Hard drive wakes faster (up to a 10 second difference)
9. Less sensitive tuner for signal quality
10. OPTION for sound over HDMI to be enabled or not (set to 'on' by default on 8642)

12. 3.5" IDE internal HDD up to 500GB recognized (but 500 GB IDE/PATA drives very difficult to find)

Has the Remote TV Manager functioning as of 2011.05.23. 8642 also now has Remote TV Manager as of 2012-12, but has been somewhat problematical, depending on your interface (smartphone, web, etc).
Has "appropriate" zoom levels which the 8642 with new firmware does not.

[57]

Thanks. Will leave this thread intact as other items may get added. I've added a link to post 1 of the other thread.

[Eluder]

I found an annoying difference between the 8642 and 8300...
The 8642 will not hide the FFWD or RWD bar when you hit Exit while performing either action. It will hide it and then return right away, while the 8300 will disappear until you perform another similar action.

[KJ]

That sucks because I always press exit when fastforwarding. Especially during sporting events where I want to be able to see the score and time while I fastforward.

- KJ

[Vager]

No one has seemed to mention that the new 8642 also has an Ethernet Port on the back. I'm not sure when this is going to be implemented by Rogers, but here's a snipit from the Cisco web page of what this box can do. There's even a video clip on what it can do as well.



Deliver the Connected Home Experience

Enhance multimedia capabilities and control through the Cisco Explorer 8600HDC DVR High-Definition Set-Top Series. This series helps enable whole home video, allowing consumers to share digital video recording (DVR) or user-generated, Internet-based video content across multiple set-tops or computers in the home.

The 8600 Series works in conjunction with our IP Services Gateways to extend medianet into the home and deliver the highest quality video to other consumer electronic devices. When the Cisco video network and next-generation devices come together, they create the opportunity to deliver unique experiences, as well as a wealth of new services.

[alebowgm]

Its not enabled so its not something I made mention of, although it was mentioned in the main thread. I figure it will allow STBs to share recordings if it is ever enabled.

[scotta]

Why use the ethernet port to share recordings? All boxes have to be hooked up to the CATV cable. Just use the cable connection as a network to share recordings. No extra wiring required.

[alebowgm]

I would assume its Internal Network v. External Network. But this is a topic for a different thread. Maybe an OP can split this off?

[JamesK]

Why use the ethernet port to share recordings?

You can't use the coax as it's already filled with the BDU's signals. An Ethernet network is yours to do what you want with.

[gzero]

Originally Posted by JamesK

You can't use the coax as it's already filled with the BDU's signals. An Ethernet network is yours to do what you want with.

A MoCA chipset is included with the 8642 specifically for media sharing over coax. This will co-exist with the BDU signal as it runs on a different frequency.