Under new ownership, Moxi churns out more DVRs that can record three shows at once
Moxi is revamping its digital video recorder line-up for the first time since it was sold to broadband networking firm Arris Group in September.
Moxi is launching a new high-end multi-room DVR that comes with three tuners. That means it can record three shows at the same time even while it is playing a fourth show. Previous Moxi DVRs came with two tuners and could only record two shows at once. As you can tell, the Moxi gear is aimed at consumer electronics freaks.
DVRs are consumer set-top boxes that let you record shows and skip commercials. Moxi, which invented a cool user interface for navigating through tons of TV content, has been been around since 1999, when it was founded by WebTV founder Steve Perlman. Meanwhile, investor Paul Allen started Digeo, which was merged with Moxi. The company launched its line of Moxi HD DVRs for cable TV subscribers. But that market proved somewhat narrow and Moxi tried to sell its gear at retailers. Meanwhile, Moxi has added new content sources, such as the ability to surf Hulu.com, Netflix and YouTube directly from your TV.
Suwanee, Ga.-based Arris is now supporting the company’s effort to compete against the likes of Tivo and Sony. The new Moxi HD DVR with three tuners will sell for $799 and it will come bundled with a Moxi Mate, an accessory device that lets you watch different recorded content in another room of the house. You can get a three-tuner Moxi HD DVR bundled with two Moxi Mates for $999.
Meanwhile, the two-tuner Moxi HD DVR with a single Moxi Mate will sell for $499, down from $799. And a single Moxi Mate will sell for $299 instead of $399. With a fall software update, users will be able to watch live TV on a Moxi Mate. Previously, you could only watch recorded programs on a Moxi Mate.
The idea is to cover the whole spectrum of consumer preferences, said Marc Beckwitt, vice president of CPE video business development at Arris. There are no monthly DVR service fees or in-menu ads with Moxi. You can record up to 75 hours of high definition video on a Moxi product. Or, if you prefer, you can record 300 hours of standard definition video. The devices are expandable to record up to 1,000 hours of HD video.
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About the Author, Dean Takahashi
Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.