Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have lots of DVDs but not enough time to watch them.That is, not enough time to sit at one location to watch all of them.I can rip the shows onto my IPod Touch and take them with me wherever I go.This works well when I'm traveling but not ideal when I'm at home.The 3.5 inch screen and tiny speaker of the IPod is just too difficult to enjoy if I am doing work at the home office, cooking dinner in the kitchen, folding laundry, doing work in the garage workshop or in the bedroom before I go to bed in the evening.So, I have been taking the DVDs with me to play back at different parts of the house.The inconvenient part is I need to remember to bring the DVDs with me as I move around the house but also to find the spot on the show where I had left off when I pop the DVD into another player.
I came across the BOCS Xtender while surfing on the web.The interesting thing that caught my attention was I don't need to run new wires all over the house nor have to mess with setting up a wireless video distribution network.The ability of the Xtender to use the existing antenna cable network already inside my walls and the ability to use each TV's built-in tuner without requiring an additional set-top decoder box for each TV location sounded really promising.
The Xtender arrived about 2 weeks ago.Installation initially appeared challenging but the quick-start guide made the process manageable.I had some problems initially in locating the central distribution of the antenna cable network but a call into the support number helped me locate it.I was glad the rep on the phone was very knowledgeable, courteous and spoke English that I can understand easily!
The unit retails for $500 but I got mine for significantly less searching around the web.Housing for the unit is a sturdy cast metal enclosure about the size of a hardcover novel.One way to describe how the unit works is to think of it as having 3 miniaturized TV broadcast stations.Each one of these broadcast stations will take any composite audio/video signals (typically these are the yellow for video and red/white for audio connectors located in the back of DVD players, DVR, VCR, camcorder, etc.) and broadcast these contents all over the in-house antenna cable network without interfering with the normal cable TV or over-the-air TV receptions.Quality of the video signal is quite good and is comparable to other over-the-air channels coming from my rooftop antenna.
The Xtender broadcast is based on the NTSC analog standard instead of the ATSC digital standard.This actually worked towards my favor since I still have a few older TVs with only analog tuners.The one in the kitchen is the type that mounts underneath the kitchen cabinet with a flip down screen.There is really no room in the kitchen counter to add a digital tuner box.I hooked up my Channel Master CM-7000 digital tuner to the blue channel of the Xtender and now I have access to digital channels with my all of my older TVs.Which means I don't need to get a separate digital tuner for each TV!
Each of the mini broadcast stations are color coded.For example, you can hook up your DVD player to the red channel with the supplied set of red A/V cables.If you are in front of your bedroom TV, pressing the red channel button on the remote will automatically tune your bedroom TV to the channel assigned for the DVD player and simultaneously send an RF signal to the Xtender in the other room telling it that subsequent button pushes such as play, stop, ff, rew, etc. will access the DVD player connected to the red channel.Same thing applies for the green and blue channel so the remote can control three additional devices besides your TV.The unit is really easy to use and not much different from using a standard TV remote.With the Xtender, you are getting 3 additional TV channels (red is channel 14, blue is 96 and green is 98)with whatever audio and video contents you wish to put on them as long as the sources comply to the composite a/v standard.
Everyone in the family including the kids have been delighted with the Xtender.I am using a single-disc DVD player hooked up to the red channel but I am seriously considering getting a 300 discs player and load up a good part of my DVD library in order to have instant access to any one of the 300 DVDs in the player anywhere there's a TV in the house.We no longer need to argue about what to play on the big screen TV in the family room.The kids can go to another room and access the cartoons recorded on the family room DVR while my wife and I watch our High Def. shows there.
Pros
-Share 3 audio/video sources all over the house.I no longer need to have a separate DVD player at every TV.
-Hit pause and go to another room to continue where I had left off.
-No more arguing what to play on the big screen after dinner just because the kids' shows are on the family room DVR.
-3 new channels simultaneously.Kids can be watching cartoons on the green channel while I am catching up on last night's Tonight Show or viewing the latest rental from Netflix on the red and the wife is catching up on episodes of Grey's Anatomy on the blue.Everyone is happy!
-Good video quality as comparable to good NTSC OTA reception.
-Really simple to use.Even the kids can do it.
-Using Picture-in-Picture capability of my TV, I can monitor what the kids are watching without having to get out of chair/bed.
-I can easily play the same music all over the house when having a house party.
-Connect multiple analog TVs throughout the house to a single digital tuner.
Cons
-Quite an investment at full retail price.For me, the added convenience was more than worthwhile.
-Programming each remote for each TV took some effort.Luckily you only need to do it once.
-No High Definition support.Would be nice to be able to broadcast High Def contents.
-Installation requires some work.May want to hire an electrician if you are not handy
-Only 3 channels.4 or five would be nicer.
-Description here at Amazon is not very detailed.Just go on the web and Google XSB08-01
-Extra remotes are kind of pricey.Only one remote is included with the Xtender.
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Product Description:
Sleek and easy installation Watch any Tivo DVR from any TVPause a program in one room and continue watching it in another roomPlay a DVD on all TVs in the house simultaneouslyHooks up an iPodwhole home music systemXtenderremote wirelesslycommunicates with Tivo DVR from any roomIncludes remote control
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