It is safe to say that I'm someone who takes his cable TV very seriously. I remember the exact date when my family first was wired up with the magical cable that came into the house - and for the record it was August 21, 1980. Over the years other devices and technology have come (some come and gone) that have improved the TV viewing experience. There was VHS, DVD, HDTV and of course DVR (Digital Video Recorder). The latter was one of those devices that truly "changed my life" and I do mean for the better.
While DVD and HDTV made the viewing experience look better, VHS, recordable DVD and finally DVR were the technologies that allowed me to have a bit more flexibility with my schedule. No longer was I a slave to the TV broadcast schedule, something that drove my parents crazy when I was a youth, and something my wife actually understands today.
So it was fitting that on August 20, the day before one of the most important anniversaries in my life, the Moxi HD DVR arrived, was set up and ready to go. Ever since this year's Consumer Electronics Show, when I attended the Digeo press conference and saw the Moxi unveiled, I've waited for this basic black box to arrive. And, after multiple delays in shipping, as I finally opened the box, and as the cable guy plugged in the multi-stream CableCARD I was wondering if it would deliver the goods.
Installation, Set-up and First Impressions
Having tried out various DVRs including boxes from TiVo and ReplayTV, as well as an assortment of cable set top boxes with DVR functionality and even a DVD player with a hard drive, I'm used to the subtle differences and nuances that each manufacturer brings to the table. One major difference with the Moxi HD DVR from those past devices - the earlier generation TiVo and ReplayTV boxes - is that this requires a CableCARD. Of course other DVRs today require one as well (assuming you have cable), so this isn't really unique, but as I've endured life with the various cable boxes, this was something new to me.
Time Warner Cable in New York City requires that a cable guy be sent out to set up the card, and unfortunately there isn't an option to go and get one yourself. Likewise, I was prepared for the cable company to try to talk me out of going with a 3rd party DVR. Reason after reason was provided; including the fact that should my DVR lock up the cable company will be unable to help me, and that I'd be unable to purchase On-Demand movies. After five minutes of saying, "the damn thing is here, there is no going back," I was told, "fine, there will be a $60 one time fee for the cable installer to come out."
This sounded like a lot of money for a guy to come out, plug in a card and leave, but honestly the Time Warner installer (his name was Eddie), was very pleasant and was intrigued about the box. He took the time to wait during the full install, from the moment it came out of the box until we were watching TV.
Be prepared however, as this was about a 45-minute set-up. The Digeo Moxi box requires three things: a power outlet (obviously), a CableCARD (at least for HD content) and a broadband Ethernet connection. The latter could be a problem for some, especially if your modem or router isn't sitting near your TV. I opted to do this installation in my home office, at least for the initial testing. This ensured that I was within two feet of the router, and gave me access to the computer - more on that in a minute. It took about five minutes to set up the box, plug into the various connections and then sit back and... wait.
The broadband connection is necessary to update the device, which took about 30 minutes. After that it was up to Eddie to do his magic, which involved calling into the home office at Time Warner to initialize the CableCARD. After another 10 minutes the box was pretty much good to go.
Part of the 30-minute installation and update involved registering the Moxi HD DVR online, so that's why having this next to a computer was helpful. The box provides a registration number, which then involves going online, setting up an account and entering the data. Doing this with the PC directly next to the TV was helpful to say the least. So after about 45 minutes, my cable box was gone and it was replaced by Digeo's Moxi.
The first and most noticeable thing with the Moxi is what you lose, at least if you've relied on a cable box for years. There is no clock on the front display. This isn't different from a TiVo or other DVR, but with those earlier boxes I had the TiVo and a cable box. With the Moxi I just have a black box... which has a bright "Moxi" logo on the front, which was distracting to say the least. Fortunately, there is an option to dim or even turn off the logo. Done.
Now it was time to actually watch some TV. And as a note, as the article's headline suggests these are my first impressions after about a week or so with the box. A full review will be coming in a few weeks, after I've put this through its paces and had some time to gauge its reliability.
Extra Steps Like a Stairmaster
Compared to the cable box, the interface is radically different. But that's to be expected. It relies more heavily on a GUI (Graphical User Interface) than most previous devices, but there are options for a channel list, as well as a traditional "TV Guide" style grid. Finding programs to watch is thus pretty straightforward. But it should be mentioned that the remote offers two menu buttons. There is the "Moxi" button, which pulls up a channel list that goes bottom to top - unlike many cable box listings that go top to bottom - as well as a slightly angled square button that is the access to the various viewer options. This seemed a little quirky, but I adjusted pretty quickly.
One major issue popped up almost immediately. Because the Moxi gets its program listing from Tribune, there are some noticeable shortcomings. Channels aren't exactly absent from the listings, but the name of the channel is, along with the appropriate logo. While you might ask, "how important is the BBC America HD logo?" the answer is, "it isn't that important, if the channel were at least listed as 'BBC America HD.'" Instead, as you surf through the listings you come across numerous channels - notably those HD versions - that appear as unnamed as a villain from a Harry Potter film. And because more and more HD channels have been added in recent months, my provider (again Time Warner) has been moving channels around.
This just adds to the challenge of finding particular programs. In some cases I was able to find the standard definition version listed, and then had to search for the HD version. It is just an unnecessary additional step, but one that Digeo assured me would remedied in time.
The other interface strangeness, at least compared to other DVRs that I've tested is that if I'm recording a show and try to access it from the guide listings I have the option to "cancel recording" or "watch" but the latter option takes me to the program "live," as in where it is during its broadcast. To access a show in progress but to watch it from the beginning you need to take an extra step and go to the "Find & Record" option and scroll over to the particular program. Again, not a huge deal, but still more steps.
Beyond the Basics
One of the big reasons why the Moxi HD DVR is so life-changing is that this device offers the ability for me to set a recording time via the Internet. While the VHS allowed me to record a program, and the TiVo let me pause live TV, now I can decide to record a program from anywhere. And as I will be traveling over the next three weeks I'll be sure to put this feature to the test. [editor's note: DVRs from DISH Network, Fios and TiVo also currently offer remote web-based DVR programming so this feature is not unique to Moxi.]
Picture-wise I've been pretty impressed with the results. The Moxi delivers as good a picture as the various Time Warner cable boxes I've tested (the Moxi HD DVR is currently being used with a brand new 42-inch 1080p LCD TV from LG). There has been some noticeable digital interference, brief lockups and other visual glitches, but it is hard to tell whether these are a result of the DVR or are from the cable feed. But it isn't anything that isn't a normal occurrence with Time Warner's digital cable.
So Far So Good
So with one week down, the Moxi so far has held its own. It will be interesting to see how reliable the device proves over the next few weeks. Check back on Big Picture Big Sound and we'll have a full review of the rest of the device's functionality, including how it fares for viewing photos, and works as media center for music and other entertainment.
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