Channel Master is probably best known for the CM-7000PAL OTA DVR, which was better known as the Dish Network DTVPal DVR when it launched back in 2008 to coincide with the digital broadcast transition. It is still out there, still available direct for $304.99 as a basic OTA ATSC DVR. (Amazon is actually more at $342.43.) It is a very basic unit. A dual-tuner DVR that records up to 130 hours of SD or 30 hours of HD, it relies on the free guide data encoded in PSIP for ATSC broadcasts. It is more like a digital VCR really, with recordings by time and channel or set from the limited guide. No ‘Season Pass’ style features, searches by title, etc. But it is a simple OTA DVR with no service costs after purchase and that’s all some people want, but more and more cord cutters are looking for something with more to offer and the CM-7000PAL is a bit long in the tooth.
So Channel Master is launching a new box, the Channel Master TV, aka CM-7400. This new model moves Channel Master a bit further up market. The biggest change is the addition of networking support, with Ethernet as well as built-in 802.11b/g/n WiFi. Note the three antennas you can see in the image gallery are for the WiFi, not ATSC, you need an external ATSC antenna. WiFi support something they can claim over TiVo. While the CM-7000PAL is a dual-tuner ATSC-only DVR, the CM-7400 is a dual-tuner ATSC & clear QAM DVR. No CableCARD, so you won’t be recording any encrypted digital channels, but you’ll be able to record any digital channels your cable provider sends in the clear. Note that it is digital only, so no analog cable support. It has a 320GB hard drive, which they claim provides up to 35 hours of HD recording, or 150 hours of SD.
Taking advantage of the networking support the CM-7400 includes Vudu support. No Netflix, no Hulu Plus, YouTube, etc. So none of the more popular services you might expect, but Vudu. That includes Vudu’s movies as well as Vudu Apps. Vudu Apps gives the CM-7400 access to a number of services, such as Pandora, Flickr, Picasa, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, Daily Motion, etc.
It still relies on the free guide data included with broadcasts to populate its guide. The new box claims“Advanced search features, schedule recordings, and parental control settings”, but it isn’t very specific so it isn’t clear how much of an improvement it is over the old box. However, as you can see from the image gallery, the UI is new and much improved.
The unit has two USB ports, which the documentation indicates can be used to attach a USB mass storage device, but there is no indication of what it would be used for. I’m presuming accessing media files, such as photos, for display. The unit does have an eSATA port, but the docs indicate it is for possible future expansion and not usable today.
The Channel Master TV CM-7400 is available for pre-order direct for $399.99, shipping in November. The dedicated ChannelMasterTV.com site has not yet gone live. If you’re curious you can check out PDFs of the Product Sheet, Brochure, or Quick Start Guide.
So, a worthy upgrade from the CM-7000PAL, but would I recommend this instead of a TiVo Premiere? No, I would not. The Channel Master TV is $399.99, while the TiVo Premiere is $99.99. Channel Master makes the argument that the TiVo requires monthly service, while the Channel Master TV does not, but that’s only half-true. First of all, you can currently get monthly service for just $9.99, instead of $19.99, if you use antenna only. So that would give you 30 months of service on the TiVo until you’ll have paid the same as the Channel Master TV. But that’s still not what I’d do.
No, I’d spend $99.99 on the TiVo Premiere (really less on Amazon and other sites) and buy product lifetime service, which is $499.99 for new subscribers, so $599.98 all paid for. Yes, that’s $200 more than the Channel Master TV. But for that $200 you get support for Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant View, Blockbuster On Demand, YouTube, Music Choice, and web videos. TiVo lacks Vudu, but for cord cutters these other services, missing from the CM-7400, offer a lot more choices, especially in TV content. TiVo also offers Pandora, Rhapsody, and Live365 music streaming, and photos from Photobucket and Picasa, as well as other services. And TiVo will stream video, music, and photos from devices on your LAN. Offers an official app for iOS (iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch), with one coming for Android, as well as third party apps for iOS and Android. Online scheduling support, season pass management, etc.
Speaking of Season Passes, that’s a basic feature of TiVo that is a huge advantage. TiVo has Season Passes, Wish Lists, Suggestions, etc. And TiVo has a detailed 14-day guide, with much more information and a longer span than the free guide data. These are all features you won’t find on the Channel Master TV, and I think they’re easily worth $200. Though you can cut $100 off the difference if you get a unit with MSD pricing, where lifetime is $399.99. You don’t have an active TiVo on an account to qualify? Do you know anyone with an active TiVo account? They can get MSD, and lifetime is tied to the unit, if they were to happen to pass it on to someone else. I’m just saying.
So for $100-$200 more than the Channel Master TV you can have a TiVo Premiere DVR with nothing more to pay – just like the Channel Master unit. Only you’ll have all of the advanced features of the TiVo software, and access to much, much more OTT content, which is key to cord cutting. And if you ever decide to go back to cable the TiVo is ready, just add CableCARD – the Channel Master TV can’t do that.
If cost is the overriding factor you can’t argue with the fact that the CM-7400 is the lower cost option. But, in may ways, you get what you pay for. You’ll pay less, but you’ll get less in the way of features and functionality. Channel Master’s one big edge over the TiVo Premiere is the built-in WiFi, but it is easy enough to add WiFi to a TiVo with an adapter or external bridge. They also have a few apps, through Vudu Apps, that TiVo currently lacks, but TiVo has a number of web video channels not included in Vudu Apps. So I’d call that a draw. The TiVo does require a broadband or phone connection for guide data, and you really want to use broadband as it is required for all the OTT features. But if you don’t have broadband why would you use the CM-7400 anyway? You may as well go with the cheaper CM-7000PAL if you just need an OTA-only DVR with no additional bells and whistles. And without broadband that’s all the CM-7400 is too.
The CM-7400 looks like a solid product, but I’d still have to recommend paying a bit more for TiVo.
Via CNET Crave.
EDIT: Additional information has come to light on the CM-7400, which I think makes it even less appealing.
I covered it in a new post.
The Channel Master press release announcing the Channel Master TV:
Continue reading →
Where do I get off saying that? Well, Nielsen did a survey of the top twenty Android apps as of July 2011, and broke down the results by gender. Click on the image for a larger version to see the results for yourself. The top five overall were the Android Market (which seems like of weak to include, it is really a meta-App) with 90.5%, Google Maps with 74.6%, Gmail with 74.5%, Facebook with 73.5%, and Google Search with 71.9%. But when you break it down, for men it is Android Market 90.6%, Google Maps 77.1%, Gmail 75.5%, Google Search 72.4%, and Facebook 66.9%. For women it is Android Market 90.5%, Facebook 81.0%, Gmail 73.4%, Google Maps 71.9%, and Google Search 71.3%.
