Did you run your cable box thru your Xbox One?

[dmw16]

You really think so? I think the Xbox One's best usage scenario, doesn't really fit the majority of users.

"Are you a console gamer, with a cable service we support? That doesn't use a DVR to record shows? And has compatible cable equipment? That doesn't mind your audio having quality stripped? That ALSO doesn't use a media server? And you like our limited number of streaming content providers? AND you ALSO love voice controls?! Well, WE have a great solution for YOU!"

I think it sucks, personally. I can make a list of devices that are better at delivering media to my living room....

I think it's less about what the system can do and more about how easily it seems to do it based on the marketing and adoption rate. The average consumer and the average consumer on this forum are not one in the same. I don't think the other devices (Roku, home made HTPC, etc) will ever see main stream adoption because it isn't what the average person wants to deal with.

To me it's much the same problem with gaming PC's vs consoles. Most people want to come home, flop on their couch, and play a few video games without worrying about driver updates, system specs, etc.

 

[blurredvision]

I posted my thoughts elsewhere on running my DirecTV box through the One: http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=35842430&postcount=6144

 

[cmdrdredd]

I picked up an Xbox One yesterday (I had told myself I wouldn't go out of my way for one, but target had them on the shelf so what the heck ) and after a long second half of the day at work and a crap commute thanks to Northern Virginia drivers not being able to navigate rain (or perhaps unicorn tears judging by how they react) I get it home and start setting it up.

Initially I ran the cable box thru the console and it works surprisingly well. The guide loads properly, the pause is quick and smooth, and it transitions smoothly. But it seems a little cumbersome to need to have my Xbox one whenever I (or more importantly my wife) wants to watch TV.

Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like I need to have my Harmony remote and my Xbox controller to get TV going. And that seems kinda silly.

So am I missing something? Are you guys running your cable box thru your console? Are there real benefits?

I use my harmony remote for everything. The software has the IR codes for the Xbox One so you can control everything just fine. I made a "Play DVD" activity in the logitech harmony software and added my Xbox One as the DVD player. From there I added my TV, Receiver, and cable box to the in use list. Then I proceeded to customize a few buttons for functions that aren't native to the Xbox One but my Cable box has like DVR.

I walk in and say "xbox on" and my console, TV, Receiver, and cable box turn on. I use my harmony remote to navigate the menus on the dashboard and I set custom button assignments to bring up the one guide, favorite channels, controls for go back (B button), I have buttons for bringing up my DVR list from the cable box as well as on-demand. WHen I bring up my DVR list I simply switch the device my Harmony is set to cointrol and navigate the menus and selections by pointing the remote at the Xbox One, not the cable box. This also allows me to pause live TV by simply pressing pause (since it thinks my Xbox One is playing a DVD it programmed these button assignments.)

5.1 audio works flawlessly through it with Comcast, there's no picture difference.

My setup is as follows. (all connected via HDMI cables purchased from Monoprice)
PS4 to receiver and out to TV.
Cable Box/DVR to Xbox One to Receiver to TV
3D Blu-Ray player one HDMI to TV for 3D and one HDMI to receiver for lossless audio.


For anyone saying it will add a layer of difficulty when you want to watch TV. How about instead of holding your Harmony remote at your stuff waiting for it to turn on and hoping the IR signal hits the devices and also hoping you have the IR delays set properly so your receiver turns on after your TV input is set. Then when this doesn't work you press help and go through the game of 20 questions until everything is on and set to the correct input or you go manually do it anyway. Instead of all this, walk into the room and say "Xbox On" then 30seconds later your TV is on, the Xbox is on and ready at the dashboard, your cable box is on, your receiver is on. Then you say "Xbox Watch TV" and bam TV comes on. You never need to worry about IR issues from your remote because the Kinect blasts the room with IR and hits everything, other devices are turned on via HDMI-CEC where it's supported. Alternatively you can press the touch sensitive power button on the front of the console. Now if it wasn't already set, you'll have to set the input of your TV and receiver to the correct one for your Xbox console.

That's not even the best thing. I can be in a game and ready to stop playing for now and say "Xbox Watch TV" and it will instantly switch to TV and pause my game. It doesn't matter if I forget the game is on, it remembers my position. Then I can say "Xbox go to <game name>" and I'm back where I left off.

 

[gorcorps]

Why would you need both the Xbox remote and your harmony? Just put the Xbox in your harmony

 

[Topweasel]

Why would you need both the Xbox remote and your harmony? Just put the Xbox in your harmony

So you can do things before even sitting down and grabbing the remote. Like having it start everything as you walk into the room by saying Xbox on. He clearly defined several reasons why its nice for him not to rely on the harmony for everything.

 

[cmdrdredd]

So you can do things before even sitting down and grabbing the remote. Like having it start everything as you walk into the room by saying Xbox on. He clearly defined several reasons why its nice for him not to rely on the harmony for everything.

He was responding to the one guy above who said he doesn't see a way to get around having to use both the Xb1 controller and the Harmony I think. You can program almost everything to the harmony with a little work customizing buttons.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

Like everyone else I was skeptical about the cable TV integration, so I decided not to set it up initially. Eventually I caved and gave it a try.

Best fucking decision I ever made. First of all, I use DirectTV and cannot notice any difference in signal quality. The ability to seamlessly switch between games, Netflix, Amazon Instant Prime, etc. is a game changer. I control everything with Kinect and hardly ever need my remotes unless I want to watch something on the DVR. The level of integration is phenomenal and frankly works very well for a 1.0 product. It's only going to get better from here.

I'd say if you're on the fence, give it a try for a week. You'll never go back. Remotes are a thing of the past now.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Like everyone else I was skeptical about the cable TV integration, so I decided not to set it up initially. Eventually I caved and gave it a try.

Best fucking decision I ever made. First of all, I use DirectTV and cannot notice any difference in signal quality. The ability to seamlessly switch between games, Netflix, Amazon Instant Prime, etc. is a game changer. I control everything with Kinect and hardly ever need my remotes unless I want to watch something on the DVR. The level of integration is phenomenal and frankly works very well for a 1.0 product. It's only going to get better from here.

I'd say if you're on the fence, give it a try for a week. You'll never go back. Remotes are a thing of the past now.

The remotes for changing the volume are still infinitely better than saying "Xbox volume down" 15 times, and it is the only way to change the inputs. When I watch local tv I use an OTA antenna because it offers better quality. So I have to change my TV input for that and also for blu-ray.

 

[Wingznut]

Like everyone else I was skeptical about the cable TV integration, so I decided not to set it up initially. Eventually I caved and gave it a try.

Best fucking decision I ever made. First of all, I use DirectTV and cannot notice any difference in signal quality. The ability to seamlessly switch between games, Netflix, Amazon Instant Prime, etc. is a game changer. I control everything with Kinect and hardly ever need my remotes unless I want to watch something on the DVR. The level of integration is phenomenal and frankly works very well for a 1.0 product. It's only going to get better from here.

I'd say if you're on the fence, give it a try for a week. You'll never go back. Remotes are a thing of the past now.

I completely agree, especially the bolded part! And has said before, being able to pause a game, watch TV, then immediately resume the game from EXACTLY where you left off, is ground breaking. No loading, no waiting.

And I too do not notice any picture degradation (I have DirecTV, also.)

Personally, I only talk to my Xbox when I'm turning it on and when I shut if off. I prefer to use my Harmony remote.

 

[EightySix Four]

I use my harmony remote for everything. The software has the IR codes for the Xbox One so you can control everything just fine. I made a "Play DVD" activity in the logitech harmony software and added my Xbox One as the DVD player. From there I added my TV, Receiver, and cable box to the in use list. Then I proceeded to customize a few buttons for functions that aren't native to the Xbox One but my Cable box has like DVR.

I walk in and say "xbox on" and my console, TV, Receiver, and cable box turn on. I use my harmony remote to navigate the menus on the dashboard and I set custom button assignments to bring up the one guide, favorite channels, controls for go back (B button), I have buttons for bringing up my DVR list from the cable box as well as on-demand. WHen I bring up my DVR list I simply switch the device my Harmony is set to cointrol and navigate the menus and selections by pointing the remote at the Xbox One, not the cable box. This also allows me to pause live TV by simply pressing pause (since it thinks my Xbox One is playing a DVD it programmed these button assignments.)

5.1 audio works flawlessly through it with Comcast, there's no picture difference.

My setup is as follows. (all connected via HDMI cables purchased from Monoprice)
PS4 to receiver and out to TV.
Cable Box/DVR to Xbox One to Receiver to TV
3D Blu-Ray player one HDMI to TV for 3D and one HDMI to receiver for lossless audio.


For anyone saying it will add a layer of difficulty when you want to watch TV. How about instead of holding your Harmony remote at your stuff waiting for it to turn on and hoping the IR signal hits the devices and also hoping you have the IR delays set properly so your receiver turns on after your TV input is set. Then when this doesn't work you press help and go through the game of 20 questions until everything is on and set to the correct input or you go manually do it anyway. Instead of all this, walk into the room and say "Xbox On" then 30seconds later your TV is on, the Xbox is on and ready at the dashboard, your cable box is on, your receiver is on. Then you say "Xbox Watch TV" and bam TV comes on. You never need to worry about IR issues from your remote because the Kinect blasts the room with IR and hits everything, other devices are turned on via HDMI-CEC where it's supported. Alternatively you can press the touch sensitive power button on the front of the console. Now if it wasn't already set, you'll have to set the input of your TV and receiver to the correct one for your Xbox console.

That's not even the best thing. I can be in a game and ready to stop playing for now and say "Xbox Watch TV" and it will instantly switch to TV and pause my game. It doesn't matter if I forget the game is on, it remembers my position. Then I can say "Xbox go to <game name>" and I'm back where I left off.

This essentially mirrors my experience. I think I would like it less if it wasn't for my Harmony remote, but it is very good with my remote.

I have a Harmony 650 with it set-up as Watch-TV. All of the buttons are mapped appropriately for the Xbox One (OneGuide -> Guide, B -> Back, etc) and I have placed the DVR controls on the screen itself. The only thing I don't like at this point is I can't find a way to keep the Harmony from wanting to turn everything on if for some reason it leaves the "Watch TV" activity.

 

[Topweasel]

You really think so? I think the Xbox One's best usage scenario, doesn't really fit the majority of users.

"Are you a console gamer, with a cable service we support? That doesn't use a DVR to record shows? And has compatible cable equipment? That doesn't mind your audio having quality stripped? That ALSO doesn't use a media server? And you like our limited number of streaming content providers? AND you ALSO love voice controls?! Well, WE have a great solution for YOU!"

I think it sucks, personally. I can make a list of devices that are better at delivering media to my living room....

You assume that all of that matters. The One and Kinect can be used in several different ways to intigrate it into your system in a comfortable manner.

For example Why does DVR stuff mean you can't use it for cable? Not everyone watches everything only after it's DVR'd first. Even then For example I might hunt down the remote to start the video. But I can still use the Kinect for play, pause, FF, and RW.

Getting supported boxes is more likely than non-supported.

Audio quality is debatable. I haven't noticed it. Not an Audiophile and currently with the Xbone in my room I am only using the TV speakers. I think you would be surprised at how few people have a prosumer stereo and audio fidelity is more subjective than video PQ.

I don't know why having a media server is an issue, just like last Gen I expect better HTPC support to come. Specially considering the amount of effort MS put into it in the past. But as it is I can move video's to skydrive and navigate to them by Voice. I would assume when local streaming apps hit, they will very similar in navigation.

Again streaming content providers. Not only is the list pretty strong right now. All you need to is check the current selection on the 360 to see that the list will continue to grow. It might be your 1 that you always use that's missing but between rental services, purchase services, Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu I think it covers 90% of the video streaming services most people use. The other 9% Is itunes stuff which will never be on there. That shouldn't be a limiting factor.

I would debate it the other way. If you don't like voice controls. Don't have a compatible Media server system and are unwilling to wait for more applications. Have a problem with it reworking the audio feed in to combine with Xbox generated audio. Only watch DVR content, have one of the few set top boxes it doesn't support, and find that your semi obscure streaming service isn't included and again not willing to wait. Then it's not a system for YOU. I would argue that instead of the usefulness being an extremely niche market. That it's flexible enough that the people who can't find a use for it in their entertainment center (outside not liking voice controls) is extremely niche.

 

[boomhower]

What's the power usage of the xbox one? DVR's aren't exactly light, kinda curious how much we are adding.

 

[Topweasel]

What's the power usage of the xbox one? DVR's aren't exactly light, kinda curious how much we are adding.

http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/1...to-sony-advantage-and-future-efficiency-gains

Basically 1W off, 18W Idle, 70W when doing stuff and 110W when gaming.

 

[Axon]

That's exactly why I skipped it. My wife just wants the thing to work when she hits "watch TV" on the remote. I don't see a lot of added value to running thru the Xbox.

What's the point? So I can play video games and watch TV at the same time?

Minimal Voice commands, no need to switch inputs between TV/Xbox gaming, an arbitrary guide that appears on xbox if you're logged in.

Overall, I've used it for a couple weeks and find it decent, but certainly not revolutionary. I do like saying "xbox, turn off" and "xbox on" and the quick swap between TV and Netflix. And that's about it. Still, the quick swap is pretty damn solid, especially with voice command.

 

[Aikouka]

I don't know why having a media server is an issue, just like last Gen I expect better HTPC support to come. Specially considering the amount of effort MS put into it in the past. But as it is I can move video's to skydrive and navigate to them by Voice. I would assume when local streaming apps hit, they will very similar in navigation.

Are you talking about the Windows Media Extender capability that the 360 has? I don't know -- it seems that Microsoft is pushing away from that. They shutdown development for Windows Media Center a few years ago, which is pretty lame for us HTPC folk. Windows Media Center is pretty much your only program for CableCard-based encrypted channels such as HBO.

 

[Topweasel]

Are you talking about the Windows Media Extender capability that the 360 has? I don't know -- it seems that Microsoft is pushing away from that. They shutdown development for Windows Media Center a few years ago, which is pretty lame for us HTPC folk. Windows Media Center is pretty much your only program for CableCard-based encrypted channels such as HBO.

They might be pulling away from WMC. But they aren't new to the home streaming media bus. Technology grows and changes and some solutions get killed off when they don't serve as much a solution. I am just saying that the App options 3 weeks into a consoles 8 year lives for something MS has been very familiar with shouldn't be treated as the future outlook for console for that 8 year period.

 

[Wingznut]

Overall, I've used it for a couple weeks and find it decent, but certainly not revolutionary. I do like saying "xbox, turn off" and "xbox on" and the quick swap between TV and Netflix. And that's about it. Still, the quick swap is pretty damn solid, especially with voice command.

I disagree... I would certainly call the quick swap revolutionary for a console. To swap between gaming to TV to Netflix and back to gaming (and then picking up immediately exactly where you left off) without load times or swapping inputs or powering anything on or off, is pretty awesome.

 

[Axon]

I disagree... I would certainly call the quick swap revolutionary for a console. To swap between gaming to TV to Netflix and back to gaming (and then picking up immediately exactly where you left off) without load times or swapping inputs or powering anything on or off, is pretty awesome.

Meh, semantics. It's certainly a step forward and it's certainly good.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

It was cool but it wasn't working right. Weird pink tint on the video and changing channels took forever. This was with Time Warner Digital Cable.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Hey for anyone with harmony remotes have you programmed the number buttons on your remote to change channels directly? For example if fox sports is channel 123 can you press 123 and have the Xbox change to that channel for you or do you have to use the guide?

 

[EightySix Four]

Hey for anyone with harmony remotes have you programmed the number buttons on your remote to change channels directly? For example if fox sports is channel 123 can you press 123 and have the Xbox change to that channel for you or do you have to use the guide?

I haven't programmed the numbers, I generally use voice. "Xbox Watch Fox Sports"

 

[cmdrdredd]

I haven't programmed the numbers, I generally use voice. "Xbox Watch Fox Sports"

For me that doesn't work well because my kinect is too close to my center speaker and it doesn't pick up my voice well. Maybe I'll try it and see.

 

[Bacstar]

I have a couple issues. The first one I was able to solve. Hopefully, #2 gets fixed, or I spend the time experimenting with the different brands in the list. I also have the option to reprogram or "re-learn" the various controls on the soundbar, but I've been too lazy to mess with that yet.

1. XB1 wouldn't change the channels until I found the settings in my cablebox and turned on the option for IR Blaster. 2. My soundbar is a Paradigm, and xb1 doesn't have an option for it.

 

[SaurusX]

It's funny that Microsoft was able to include DirectTV support for the XB1 when they could never close the deal to include support for Media Center. A few years ago there was serious buzz about a DTV tuner in the works for WMC and there were even test units at MS HQ. Sadly, the deal fell through pretty much putting the final nail into WMC's coffin.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I have a couple issues. The first one I was able to solve. Hopefully, #2 gets fixed, or I spend the time experimenting with the different brands in the list. I also have the option to reprogram or "re-learn" the various controls on the soundbar, but I've been too lazy to mess with that yet.

1. XB1 wouldn't change the channels until I found the settings in my cablebox and turned on the option for IR Blaster. 2. My soundbar is a Paradigm, and xb1 doesn't have an option for it.

No settings to turn the soundbar on and off you mean?