Between my various work-related missions in NYC the last two weeks, I managed to sneak away to Digeo‘s suite for a briefing on their two upcoming Moxi stand-alone DVRs.
Moxi Home Cinema HD DMR
Digeo had a working prototype of the Moxi Home Cinema unit on display. This is their higher-end (read: more expensive) model that I expressed doubts about, in terms functionality and market position, after talking to CEO Mike Fidler back in January. I’m still not clear on who will buy this device and why. Moxi Home Cinema features ATSC and NTSC tuners for over-the-air and clear QAM tuning, plus an integrated 5.1 audio amp. And no CableCARD support. It sounds like they’re pushing this upmarket, but aren’t those folks interested in receiving digital cable too?
Moxi Multi-Room HD DMR
On the other hand… The Moxi Multi-Room HD DMR has got me totally psyched. It’s a CableCARD unit (one M-Card for dual tuning) that will come bundled with a “Moxi Mate” extender for multi-room viewing. Real-time streaming (including HD!) will utilize the 1394 spec over existing coax, rather than Ethernet or WiFi.
The Moxi Experience
Both units feature an integrated DVD/CD drive. Regular readers know I shy away from additional boxes, so this appeals to me (though maybe Blu-ray or HD-DVD drives are needed these days). The Moxi units will rip your CDs to the hard drive, plus pull album info and art from the net (Ethernet, no WiFi). Additionally, networked units will also playback MP3s and display digital images from a PC. One feature that looked pretty cool is a ticker, like those on ESPN or CNN, that runs across the bottom of the screen displaying current info such as news and weather. Storage can be expanded by adding an eSATA drive.
Digeo wasn’t ready to discuss retail partners, hard drive size, pricing, or specific launch timing. However, I get the sense that the units won’t come cheap (more than TiVo Series3?) and that they’re tracking for a fall release.
Below are some Moxi interface pictures and descriptions…
Moxi provides several filters for both live and recorded content, in this case HD.
Moxi Home Cinema amp settings.
Moxi’s live search finds embedded words/letters.
Rip your CDs to the hard drive for later playback.
A variety of casual games are included.
Free space indicator!
Photo viewer.
Guide with PIP – which can be paused.