DIRECTV Launches Field Test of its Home Media Server

[Scott Greczkowski]

DIRECTV Launches Field Trial of Its Home Media Center with Industry's First RVU-Enabled DIRECTV Server

New HR34 Server is the Hub of DIRECTV Home Media Center, which will Provide Customers with a ‘Receiver-less' Television Solution for the Home

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DIRECTV, the world's largest pay TV service, has recently started field trial testing for its highly anticipated DIRECTV® Home Media Center that will ultimately provide customers with a "receiver-less" solution for many TVs in their homes. The launch of field trial testing for DIRECTV's model HR34 RVU-enabled server, the heart of the DIRECTV Home Media Center, marks a major milestone both for the RVU technology and the new DIRECTV platform, which the company plans to begin rolling out nationwide to customers in October 2011.



RVU is a client/server-based technology that allows the television viewer to experience a consistent, pixel accurate server-generated user interface on various consumer electronics devices. The RVU specification uses widely implemented UPnP and DLNA technologies to enable a gateway device such as an advanced set-top box to work with non-proprietary client devices such as connected TVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes.

"The DIRECTV Home Media Center is going to simplify the way our customers watch television throughout their homes and give them access not only to their favorite content in HD and DVR functionality on each television, but to a consistent, feature rich user interface, no matter what room they are in," said Romulo Pontual, executive vice president and CTO for DIRECTV. "We made a commitment to RVU technology when we joined the RVU Alliance in 2009, and we are excited to see the fruits of the Alliance's labor becoming a reality with the launch of our DIRECTV Home Media Center field trial."

The HR34 will be compatible with RVU certified clients, including DIRECTV's C30 Home Media Clients and RVU compatible televisions. RVU certification for these products is expected to be finalized this June.

DIRECTV is currently a member of The RVU Alliance, founded by Broadcom, Cisco, DIRECTV, Samsung and Verizon, which facilitates the adoption of an open standard technology that allows service providers to expand their unique UI and user experience onto standard consumer devices without the need for proprietary equipment. For more information on the RVU Alliance please visit
RVU Alliance

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Warning: This is an Old Thread This discussion is older than 90 days. information contained in it may no longer be current

[JamesJ]

I want it....or at least to try it

[Scott Greczkowski]

It sounds very interesting!

[ckhalil18]

This will be huge for D* subs.

[Scott Greczkowski]

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I think this is a step ahead of what DISH announced last week.

The big thing however is your TV has to support RVU. And so far there has only been on Samsung TV which has been announced that supports it. (correct me if I am wrong) but with that said in the future tis could be HUGE!

[DVDDAD]

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So I'm guessing that TV's without RVU capabilities will need a separate RVU Set-top Box attached to them? Hence this really wouldn't be a "receiver-less" solution for most of us, unless you own all Samsung RVU enabled TV's. This can really take off, only if the RVU Set-top Boxes are affordable and once most TV & Blu-Ray manufacturers support RVU. I can see DirecTV leasing their own RVU Set-top boxes in the interim, sort of like the Dish XiP813/110 set up.