AT&T rolls out upgrade to U-verse DVRs

AT&T is upgrading the digital video recorder on its U-Verse Internet-based television service, allowing users to record and play back multiple programs on up to eight televisions.

The upgrade, called Total Home DVR, is free as part of a U-verse subscription, which costs from $44 to $99 a month. The service is already available in the San Francisco Bay Area and is expected to be rolled out to all customers by the end of the year, the company said.

Total Home DVR, which can store up to 133 hours of standard-definition programs or 37 hours of high-definition programming, can also simultaneously play back four SD recordings or three in HD.

While DVRs have made it easier to watch programs whenever viewers want, they are considered a key component to attracting and retaining customers in the market for bundled Internet, video, and phone services.

The upgrade gives AT&T bragging rights against rival Verizon Communications, whose Fios TV service offers programming access from seven televisions, compared with AT&T's eight. However, Verizon still dominates the sector, with 1.4 million subscribers, compared with AT&T's 549,000. AT&T hopes that the Total Home DVR will help it achieve its stated goal of 1 million subscribers by the end of the year.

I was an early U-verse trial user in Antonio when they first announced the initial service. I now blog about U-verse and the AT&T three screen strategy at: http://www.3screens.net

TotalHome DVR works because of the HomePNA standard for home networking. This lets service providers like AT&T deploy triple-play home networking solutions for distributing entertainment data over both existing coax cable and phone lines.

Longer term, you will start to see service providers upgrading to G.hn, which is the next generation of home network technology standard that is being developed under the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

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U-Verse is implementing an unfair price increase. FCC complaint filed as follows: On 9/15/09 I got a postcard from AT&T U-Verse TV stating I will lose 2 channels from my service on 11/16, because the channels are being moved to "HD Premium", a more costly service tier. AT&T gave NO explanation, but did advise I could get the channels back by subscribing to the HD Premium service. Net result is less product for the same monthly. This is the SAME tactic used by Comcast in 2008 which prompted my complaint to FCC and my move to AT&T U-Verse. AT&T has failed to state this is a 'PRICE INCREASE' as required by law. Instead, they simply notified customers of the channel loss, with no offer of a price reduction. This Marketing 'spin' needs to stop. If cable companies plan to keep nudging customers to spend more money by taking their channels away, then they need to follow certain minimum rules of communication. PLEASE REQUIRE these comapanies comply with the letter of your law by plainly using the words 'PRICE INCREASE' whenever they employ this distasteful practice.