Gateway pre-purchase questions

[Kritiker]

Still no ETA yet for availability of 2nd generation Portals (with external IR reception support) or Gateways with larger HDDs, I assume.

[Jetranger]

Interesting that you should ask as I was wondering this myself just last week. Apparently a couple of 'boxes' have made the rounds but were non-functional units, just 'physical examples'. The one new Portal is very small and has just an HDMI output. No word on when anything new might be available though.

[w.smith]

Originally Posted by Jetranger

The one new Portal is very small and has just an HDMI output. No word on when anything new might be available though.

probably too much to ask for it to have bluetooth or RF connectivity so the box could be velcro'd to the back of the set..

[cdncableguy]

If you are wiring his house, wire everything fro the demark. Each TV should have its own independent line from the demark, including the gateway. If the demark is by the electrical panel, that is probably the best location for the gateway. Make sure you use RG6 and not RG59 wire.

[Kritiker]

Thanks Jetranger. The disappearance of inputs & outputs seems to be a growing problem.

Deciding when to jump in to a Gateway/Portal system seems to be tricky. Jump in too early and miss out on hardware improvements. Jump in too late and some functionality has disappeared or the price has increased or a new product is announced shortly after.

Ah well, I am trying a Gateway/Portal right now. The experience isn't overwhelming, even having been prepared for it via this thread and the others. Wish me luck.

[Jason316]

Gateway is awesome. 6 tuners really come in handy for me so i can record shows & NHL center ice games while my wife can still watch tv on the big screen(eventhough we have 3 tvs).

Only thing that sucks is it is VERY slow compared to my Pace & DX3400 boxes. The user interface looks much better on the gateway but again very slow and way too many clicks especially when you want to record something.

Also no source button!!!!!!!!!! Which is very frustrating because then i need 2 remotes instead of 1. The DX3400 and Pace box both had source buttons so i only used one remote.

Other than that i am having a blast with the gateway.

[Jetranger]

Video 'transport' commands are considerably better in the soon to be released update so you should notice an improvement in the weeks to come.

[mike70sk]

I would like to know about this to many clicks to record. I'm using an old moto if im on the channel i press record, if im not on the channel i go to guide locate the channel and show and press record.

What is the procedure for recording on the gateway????

I would like a 6 tuner pvr but will all the bugs and slowness and not to mention the price, i will hold off for a while.

The lacking of a source button is a complete joke.

Why does shaw keep buying all these dud set top boxes, i dont see people that have bell,telus,sasktel, rogers have so many complaints.

[Jetranger]

Press the record button twice, no big deal. If you want to change the options you have previously set then you will need to do more button pressing but I haven't found any trouble adapting to the Portal/Gateway process. It's actually handy to have the different options, I think.

[GamerGuy]

I think I'm going to get the Gateway/Portal. (Currently $398 on sale.) I'm hoping I don't see, or can live with some of the issues I've seen mentioned around the net.

My Pace box, with a Nexstar CX enclosure + HDD lost it's PVR functionality after years of mostly good results. The Pace box works fine without the HDD. I went and bought an official expander to test and it's back to being a functional PVR. The Nexstar CX would lock up within 5 minutes of a fresh HDD format/box power cycle.

It must be the enclosure as I tried 2 different drives, both having been extended/long scanned by there manufactures diagnostic tools. They came back fine. The enclosure and drives still work great in a Windows environment though. I'm going to return the expander if I get the Gateway/Portal as I can't afford them both.

They will be by tomorrow to hook it up. (If I follow through.) Crossing fingers, and praying to the tech gods I don't regret it. My main issue with the Pace box is needing to record 3+ shows at the same time and not being able to. I have to play around finding re-airings to make it work. Do I spend $400+ to resolve this issue (simplicity) or do I just stay with the Pace (minor annoyance and not quite as simple) and have extra money to throw at other things? (I suck at financial decisions like this. Really, it's a toy, and expensive toy for me.)


I guess I am still trying to talk myself into it. (Sorry for the long ramble.) I haven't actually bought the hardware yet. I sold my second TV to cover the cost if I do but keep flip flopping.

It's so hit and miss as to peoples issues and tolerances. I just can't decide if it's worth it to me.

[merve04]

Originally Posted by Flash604

Technically all the portals are watching streamed TV; but you can stream it live. But on any of them you can rewind at any time because they are always recording; the recording is just not saved unless you specify. This differs from say the Microsoft Media Centre, for which you must press record if you want the ability to rewind your live TV.

I dont need to hit any record buttons when switching from one channel to the other to have skip, pause and forward functions on live tv.

[Flash604]

@JetRanger - Are you sure? I was basing this off the question in the customer survey that asked which features we'd like to see enabled in the future, and it included "Ability to extend internet through portals to other devices (gaming consoles, Smart TV's etc)".

@merve04 - Yes, that is exactly what I meant. You can hit rewind because it is automatically recording. Think about it, how can you rewind unless things are being constantly recorded? But when using Media Centre, you can only rewind if you start it recording.

[downbeat]

There are existing threads covering all aspects of the Shaw Gateway, including the ones discussed here. Please consult the following message for a few links:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=145360
Let's reserve questions here solely for basic, prepurchase questions.
Thanks for your cooperation.

[lcann25]

Hey Everyone,

I've been following this thread for quite a while wanting to get back with Shaw. Now with this newest code update, and the positive comments I'm reading, I finally feel the gateway system is now stable enough for me to jump onboard. I have found a Gateway and two portals used on Kijiji for $400. Would this be a wise buy, or should I just rent to own from Shaw? Also, The guy selling is not with Shaw anymore, what should I be looking for before buying?

[Jetranger]

You need the serial numbers off all the boxes you are looking at buying and you need to confirm with Shaw that the seller is allowed to sell them. Then you would also need to make sure the current owner has told Shaw to 'release' them from his account. The best way to do that is to either call or chat with Shaw at the time of purchase so you don't get burned.

The price depends on what you are comfortable paying. If you have at least two services with Shaw, the equipment will be 'warrantied for life' so that shouldn't be an issue. Just make darn sure Shaw says it's OK for the equipment to be sold to you and that the owner releases them from their account.