[wm_cheng]

Hi all,

After some reading here and finding out that the new FibeTV runs on Microsoft Mediaroom, my question is that can it stream from a computer on the network running Windows Media Center or Windows Media Player? Can it act like a DNLA complaint device? I'd love it if it could access my library of movies on my server like my PS3.

Thanks.

 

[Dr.Dave]

Fibe TV currently doesn't offer any of those features.

Telus recently announced Xbox 360 support and AT&T has said they plan to implement Xbox support this fall, so Bell may also license the software. The software allows you to watch TV and play recorded programs from the central PVR without needing an extra STB.

Microsoft has announced Mediaroom 2.0, but no provider has implemented it yet. This version will allow Windows 7 Media Center PCs to watch TV as well. There are a number of other features in Mediaroom 2.0, such as watching internet and other audiovisual content, but how those features will be implemented wll depend on the providers.

 

[hermite]

Isn't it a lot of waste of hardware inventory & installation time + Customer headaches (PVR and additional Terminals) if MS Media Room will do the trick in a not so far future...? I guess Bell needed a temporary product to show it's still well alive in the market place.

 

[Tom Foolery]

I'm trying to set up fibe with mediacenter myself. Reading this i gather there is no way to get an integrated experience, but is there any way to get the video and possibly audio onto the computer

 

[Dr.Dave]

@hermite, I don't understand your question. Microsoft Mediaroom 1.6 is currently running on the PVRs and STBs. The hardware can be upgraded to Mediaroom 2.0 from the head-end without any extra hardware or installation time. Mediaroom is not just a temporary product. It currently has the largest worldwide IPTV installed base by a large margin.

 

[Dr.Dave]

@Tom Foolery, this isn't possible unless you want to output the analog signal from a STB to the PC using RCA connectors.

 

[Fry1989]

@Tom Foolery, this isn't possible unless you want to output the analog signal from a STB to the PC using RCA connectors.

maybe for now, but in theory, since both your STB and your Computer would be using the same Fibe internet service, and MediaRoom is available on PC, perhaps eventually it might be possible, with provisions and regulations from Bell

 

[pjakob]

For those of us who have been on Bell Entertainment (which is now FibeTV) one of the initial features was the ability to browse your Photos on your computer from your STB. I tired this and it required your to share your media library on your PC but otherwise it worked well. The ability for your STB to see your other device on your network is possible. After about a year Bell removed that feature. Not sure why - I suspect it was because of complexity of setup on the PC/ version of Windows Media Center/ etc and the support costs associated with this feature.

The other issue with streaming from your PC to the STB is the business conflict - I might be completely wrong but if you made Netflix/YouTube/local video files available on the TV it might make it harder to sell premium channels and PPV?

Increased support costs and decreased revenue?

The quick answer to the streaming issue might be to buy one of those media players (like WesternDigital) plug it onto the back of the STB for a wired LAN connection (or wireless) and your TV and your done. $99 at TigerDirect.ca now. That way if FibeTV is down you can stream instead.
If you have a PS3 or XBOX360 you can stream right now too.

 

[timmaywpg]

Mediaroom 2.0 allows users:

* The ability to stream live and on-demand content to the TV but also devices such as PCs and phones
* The same on-demand experience on the PC with Windows Media Center (WMC) in Windows 7

So this service is available if your TV provider runs Mediaroom 2.0, I'm not sure if Bell has upgraded to this version yet or not?

The IPTV streams are available via your home network, you just need a software that allows you to decrypt the IPTV stream. This software would have to come from your TV Provider, so far I havn't heard of any providers allowing their customers to stream TV to a PC.

Media room has had the ability to use a 360 as an STB since 2007, and now 3 years later some providers are finally rolling this feature out. Based on this I imagine we'll be waiting a while for them to enable WMC access on PC's.

 

[wm_cheng]

Thanks, that's exactly what I was hoping that it would do. Lets hope Bell implements 2.0 sometime soon.

Then again, I was hoping for Tivo 10yrs ago!

I wonder how this would work on my network though, I have the Bell modem as just a modem connected to my D-Link Router (which is much better and more robust). I actually can't access the modem setup page from within my network, I have to plug directly into the modems other LAN jacks to access my modem page as they are "outside" my router's firewall. I don't want to use the Bell modem as a router or wifi server. This is all just pie in the sky for now!