Xtender - Real User Installation Notes #1 - from Theo

Installation notes: from Theo, a real Xtender user.

Hi Howard,

We recently installed the Xtender and just wanted to send a quick note to let you know how much we look forward to using the system! We’re just about finished up with a grueling home remodeling project, so we haven’t had a chance to really get everything we can out of the device yet. That said, after having run the system through its paces and looking at a number of different options to get our cable, DVR and DVD content throughout the house, we’re confident this system will provide us with both better picture quality and a significant cost savings relative to its competitors.

Background

Our main system in the living room is a very modest setup, consisting of a Sony 60” LCD projection TV with an HD cable box and DVD player as source components. But now that we have the remodel out of the way, we plan on upgrading our cable service to include DVR capabilities, and with good quality LCD TVs getting less expensive every day, we’re really excited about having whole-home TV without breaking the bank.
One of the features that really attracted us to the Xtender is its ability to integrate into our existing coaxial cable wiring. As part of the remodel, we had new coaxial wiring routed throughout most of the house, but the upfront costs and high monthly fees associated with having to place a cable box and DVR at every TV was a real deal breaker for us. Renting cable and DVR for three bedrooms, the kitchen and an office would have cost at least $600 a year in fees, not to mention at least $100 in equipment deposits, whereas the Xtender allowed us to save over $300 in the first year alone. Also, we were looking to wall mount the TVs without unsightly cable runs and clunky boxes in every room, and the Xtender gets every TV access to the components in the main living room setup using just the regular coaxial wiring.



Packaging

Not much to say here – as you can see, the product was packaged safely and securely.



The Xtender package came with the Xtender box, their so-called “SuperCombiner”, an AC adapter and remote control. I also purchased the additional wiring pack, which included three composite cables (color matched to the Xtender zones), along with 3 IR blasters, a short coaxial wire and cable finder tool.





Installation

Although setting up the Xtender did involve some legwork on my part, the entire process was relatively painless. Between the included quick start guide, the full manual online, and even the step-by-step videos posted on YouTube, I was able to get the system installed and set up in an afternoon.

I attached the cable finder tool to the cable outlet in the living room where I wanted to install the Xtender.



Went to the basement, used the cable finder to verify the other end of the cable going to the living room setup. The cable finder was really useful and made finding the right cable virtually bulletproof.



Installed the SuperCombiner where the main cable line comes into the house, attached the living room cable to the Xtender output, and attached the included short coaxial to the splitters going to the rest of the house.





Went back to the living room and hooked up the Xtender box, wired up the IR Blasters and programmed the IR codes in the remote. Right now I’m using the Red channel for cable and the Blue channel for DVD, but I plan to replace the cable box with a DVR and may purchase another Tivo DVR for the Green channel.



As mentioned, I haven’t picked out the LCDs for the other rooms yet, but I did have an old CRT lying around just for testing purposes. Here you can see Denzel’s handsome mug in Déjà Vu, playing on both the main system and the CRT.


Movie on Main TV


Movie on 2nd TV


Although I was initially attracted to the Xtender based on the cost savings, I have to say that I really was genuinely amazed at the picture quality. Compared to having a cable box hooked up to each TV, I was definitely expecting to see a discernable difference in picture quality. And while I wouldn’t consider myself to be a videophile by any means, I’m really not sure I could even distinguish between the different setups.

Thanks again for creating such a wonderful product! I’ll be sure to update you with pictures of the full setup when I have everything up and running.


Best Regards,

Interview with David

Here are the notes from the interview session with David Feller, one of the Co-Funders of BOCS. In the interview, he went through the benefits, the installation and the future plan of the Xtender (A whole home content distribution device we have started to carry). If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at howard_chang"at"amperor.com.

BTW, come check out the Xtender Facebook page and remember to sign-up as a fan to the page.



Interview Result:

1) Who would benefit the most from this Xtender?

The great thing is that Xtender really is for everyone – but the people that benefit the most are Cable-TV customers with at least one DVR (Cable company or third party like a TiVo) and more than one cable-TV box in the home. If you and your family need multiple cable boxes so you can get your favorite digital channel on every TV or if you record shows in your living room but really wish you didn’t have to go down there to watch them, we really have something that could change the way you think about TV.


2) What are some of the benefits of installing the Xtender in your home?

I’d say there are four that we hear over and over:

a) Save a LOT of money. If you are paying the cable company to have more than one cable box in your home – frankly, you are insane. You want the cool digital channels – Disney, espn, NFL network or whatever, and the big companies have trained you to believe the only way you can get them is to rent another box for each of your TVs at up to $16/month/TV. Get an Xtender and share your living room cable box with the whole home.

b) Control – or Convenience – whatever you want to call it. Yet again you have been brainwashed into thinking that you record shows in your living room and you have to go sit there to watch them – OR you need to have a DVR in each room all recording the same show so you can watch where you want… Ridiculous – Xtender frees you from any particular room restriction and gives you whole-home control of all your entertainment devices. It kind of like having all your stuff (DVR, DVD player, iPod dock or whatever) on a little roll around cart that follows you into whatever room you go. You have access to all your stuff wherever and whenever you want.




3) So, how exactly does it work?

This is actually pretty simple, somewhere you have a stack of “stuff” – a DVR, a DVD player, an iPod dock, a security camera – or whatever – you put an Xtender there and connect your devices to it – just like hooking a DVD player up to a TV. Xtender then creates new TV channels and adds them back into the coax cables already in your walls so all the rest of the TVs in the home can see those channels. We allow you to plug in up to three devices and we color code them to make it simple – one device each into Red, Green, and Blue channels. So now, you still have NBC on channel 9, CBS on 11 (or wherever it is), but now you have your DVR available on the Red channel everywhere in your home and your other stuff on Green and Blue.

With a BOCS remote control in each room of your home – it’s a full universal remote with three new buttons – Red, Green, and Blue – you can get to and control anything. Press 9 to watch NBC, press Red, and your DVR pops up and you have full control – play, pause, guide – anything – even if you are on the other side of the home from your DVR.



4) Is the installation easy enough for the average consumer? Or, will they need to hire an A/V equipment installer to perform the installation?

This is the best part – YES – you can definitely do it. We put a lot of work into making installation simple and straightforward. If you can plug a DVD player into your TV you can do this. Most folks can complete an installation in a Cable-TV home in about an hour. We have a comprehensive support system for you – phone support, online videos – watch one of our guys doing an entire installation, online wiki and forum community support, and in some markets there are experts who can come to your home (for a fee) and give you a hand. And in all cases, we promise not to tell your wife you had to call us.



5) Will the Xtender work for both Cable and Satellite TV customers?

Yes.

Cable TV homes are the simplest kind of installation – everything you need to get it done quickly is included in the kit. We have 100% success rate in these kinds of homes.
Dish-Network homes are a bit more difficult – there is (or will soon be) a comprehensive explanation of how Xtender works in that environment up on the support Wiki at www.myXtender.com/support . Basically, since you can use diplexers with Dish installations, it is pretty simple to combine the two systems.

DirecTV is the other end of the spectrum – it will definitely work, and we can walk you through it, but it takes a little more planning and in about 20% of installations a new multiswitch needs to be installed. We offer a free pre-purchase consultation service that includes an in-depth analysis of your home satellite setup and BOCS will provide detailed customized installation instructions for DirecTV homes.




6) As the digital conversion is near, will the Xtender help reduce with conversion costs?

If you have cableTV or Satellite, you don’t need to worry about the conversion at all – nothing will change. But that still leaves millions of Americans who use an antenna to get their TV fix. All they have to do is put a converter box on each TV – BUT the government only gives you two per home. So if you have more than two TVs you are out at least $60 or $70 per TV. So why not get your free converter and hook it up to Xtender – share the converter box with every TV in the home.


7) Is the Xtender capable of distributing HD content throughout the house as well?


This version of Xtender is HD-compatible, meaning that for the typical home (an HD setup usually in just one room – big screen, HD-DVR, and maybe a Blu-Ray player with the rest of the TVs in the home tubes or flat panels but not with HD sources) Xtender works in conjunction with your HD setup – takes those HD sources and redistributes them to the rest of the TVs in your home at DVD quality. It depends on the viewer, but the majority are not going to be able to tell the difference on the smaller TVs in the rest of the home – if you, however, are one of those folks that have invested in other large (32” or larger) flat panels, then our next generation is really going to appeal to you. Full high definition distribution will be available later this year as a simple modular upgrade to the existing system.



8) The Xtender is a good concept for the consumer market. Can business operations benefit by installing the Xtender in their facilities as well? If so, please give us some examples.

Absolutely – while Xtender was designed specifically for the residential market, it has found application in a host of commercial establishments.

We have installed Xtender in bars and restaurants all across the country – it is simple to use, gives the host/bartender complete control of all the TVs in the establishment, and significantly reduces the cost of offering entertainment to patrons.

The latest trend has been using Xtender in health clubs – instead of everyone having to watch the same show, Xtender gives full and independent control to every workout machine in a gym. Each treadmill, rowing machine, or whatever can have its own TV that the user has full control of – most places are even putting a stack of DVD players in so users can bring their own movies and watch as they progress from machine to machine.



9) This may be a bit premature, but what can we expect to see in the 2nd generation Xtender?

Current plans are to release a high definition version later this year. We have taken great pains to make sure that HD will be a simple upgrade – meaning that if you go ahead and put in Xtender now you lose nothing. The current Xtender system is, in fact, the base unit for the HD distribution upgrade. So get your system up and running now!

BOCS Xtender on Buy.TV - w a beautiful show hostess

As you might notice, we have started to carry a new A/V product, Xtender, from BOCS. It is a house entertainment distribution device which can send your cable TV, Tivo, DVD or HTPC output to everyplace in your house via coax connection. With the Xtender installed, there is no need to buy the 2nd DVR, receiver, and DVD player, or worry about the network connection availability at each room. In a pre-wired house, the Xtender is the ultimated content distribution device you ever need.



I'll do more posts to introduce Xtender. If you have more questions, you can check our product page or send me an email to howard_chang"at"amperor.com.

Buy.TV is now having a good introduction video produced by BOCS' CEO, Todd, and a beautiful show hostess. Click on the below image to watch the video.