# Genie requires no additional boxes for other rooms now?



## KoRn (Oct 21, 2008)

Something new? I seen a commercial today with Directv advertising the Genie. It mentioned no other boxes are needed for other rooms. I actually have a Genie myself and a HR24 in another room. This is news to me?


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## gov (Jan 11, 2013)

Did not see the add, but perhaps reference is to RVU ?


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## tgater (Jul 24, 2007)

gov said:


> Did not see the add, but perhaps reference is to RVU ?


That's what I was thinking too. I meant to record to review the fine print which I find myself doing a lot of lately. Waiting for others to start posting the deceptive ad posts.


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## scott0702 (Nov 25, 2006)

KoRn said:


> Something new? I seen a commercial today with Directv advertising the Genie. It mentioned no other boxes are needed for other rooms. I actually have a Genie myself and a HR24 in another room. This is news to me?


The Directv website says no additional cable boxes needed so the commercial may have said no additional boxes needed. However you still need a Genie mini client which is a small box and allows you to have the same functionality as the main Genie receiver. I have the Genie at home and use my other HDDVR's rather than a client.


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## dishinitout (Jan 4, 2013)

It's in reference to if you have a Samsung tv with RVU built in you don't need the mini client box. A marketing tactic that only applies to 1% of tvs out there if that... Otherwise you still need client or other type of receiver.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

As usual, the fine print counters the ads deception.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

It's the thing I hate about commercials, the slick marketing isn't reality. Of course the one time I saw a commercial that I thought went over the top in being "fake", ends up was real (Pickup truck towing Space Shuttle.)

Sequences shortened, professional driver on closed course, results not typical, receiver may vary, aliens will not actually fight in your living room etc etc.


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## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

I hate that commercial. It's deceptive and the fine print is actually inaccurate.

The fine print says that a Genie (HR34) and a Genie Client (C31) are required. If a Genie Client was necessary (which it's not), I don't know how they could possibly claim that no box or wire is required.

The fine print also says that the Genie can only be used as a server to one client at a time, which is also not true. It can serve 3 clients at a time.

Where I think that the commercial is deceptive is where it claims that no cables are required. In today's wireless society, that commercial is implying that you can stick a TV on any wall in your house and get DirecTV service wirelessly. Even with a RVU client TV, you still need to run a coax (which, the last time that I checked, is a wire) to the location where the TV is mounted.


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

I thought the newest client was able to connect wirelessly. Or did I misunderstand some 'first look' or post here??


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## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

Lets all just calm down. It's a commercial. Are you all new to this concept?


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

lparsons21;3201345 said:


> I thought the newest client was able to connect wirelessly. Or did I misunderstand some 'first look' or post here??


There isn't a wireless client available. What some folks have tried is to use a DECA-W to set up a wireless connection to a C31/C41 but that's it and not a supported setup.


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

Aha! Thanks.


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

I asked this same question about the HR34 in another thread recently and was told you still have to have something attached to the TV unless it's one of the newest Samsung sets. The commercial to which I think he is referring is very misleading.


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## machavez00 (Nov 2, 2006)

Is it possible for the other "smart tv" (oxymoron? :lol manufacturers to upgrade their software and add an RVU app?


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## dishinitout (Jan 4, 2013)

machavez00;3201384 said:


> Is it possible for the other "smart tv" (oxymoron? :lol manufacturers to upgrade their software and add an RVU app?


Supposedly RVU is becoming part of the DNLA standard which will make it much more common. I haven't seen a time frame on this but Sony products are said to start being RVU compliant as well. I don't believe it's as simple as software upgrade to make past models compatible but it could be.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

People who actually believe what they see in commercials deserve to get fleeced.....


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

machavez00 said:


> Is it possible for the other "smart tv" (oxymoron? :lol manufacturers to upgrade their software and add an RVU app?


Why not, if they join the RVU alliance, write the code and get their product certified I don't see why they couldn't.


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## machavez00 (Nov 2, 2006)

machavez00 said:


> Is it possible for the other "smart tv" (oxymoron? :lol manufacturers to upgrade their software and add an RVU app?





dishinitout said:


> Supposedly RVU is becoming part of the DNLA standard which will make it much more common. I haven't seen a time frame on this but Sony products are said to start being RVU compliant as well. I don't believe it's as simple as software upgrade to make past models compatible but it could be.


My LG Infinia saw my HR20 ad sees the HR34 Genie as a Directv2PC server and can look at the files, but can't play them. It reports them as unsupported files.


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

CCarncross said:


> People who actually believe what they see in commercials deserve to get fleeced.....


That's a pretty cynical remark.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

My PS3 has seen my DVR's and the playlists for years now....just cant play them because there is nothing in place on the ps3 to let the dvr know its ok to play the recordings.


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## studechip (Apr 16, 2012)

Hoosier205 said:


> Lets all just calm down. It's a commercial. Are you all new to this concept?





CCarncross said:


> People who actually believe what they see in commercials deserve to get fleeced.....


So both of you think it's okay to have a commercial that is deceptive because a:it's only a commercial after all and/or b:anyone that is fooled by such deception deserves what they get. 
Um, okay!


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

Marketing has always been the biggest joke on the planet....there has never been truth in advertising....as they take liberties in literally every commercial I have ever seen. Should I believe the commercial about the Budweiser Clydesdales in Chicago? Did that scorpion really undo that hot model's bikini in that new Fiat 500 commercial? How about the MRV commercials where they show a holographic battle scene in the middle of your living room, then you pause it and go to another room and the holographic battle scene continues in another room. Am I supposed to assume from that commercial that Directv is holographic? Of course not. The commercials are meant to pique your curiosity about a product or idea so you'll look into it more.


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## studechip (Apr 16, 2012)

Hoosier205 said:


> Lets all just calm down. It's a commercial. Are you all new to this concept?


So you are the voice of reason here?


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## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

RAD said:


> There isn't a wireless client available. What some folks have tried is to use a DECA-W to set up a wireless connection to a C31/C41 but that's it and not a supported setup.


There have also been rumors about a future wireless client (C41-W?) posted here over the past few weeks/months.


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## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

CCarncross said:


> The commercials are meant to pique your curiosity about a product or idea so you'll look into it more.


There's a big difference between piquing someone curiosity with images and flat-out lying about the capabilities of a product.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

CCarncross said:


> Marketing has always been the biggest joke on the planet....there has never been truth in advertising....as they take liberties in literally every commercial I have ever seen. Should I believe the commercial about the Budweiser Clydesdales in Chicago? Did that scorpion really undo that hot model's bikini in that new Fiat 500 commercial? How about the MRV commercials where they show a holographic battle scene in the middle of your living room, then you pause it and go to another room and the holographic battle scene continues in another room. Am I supposed to assume from that commercial that Directv is holographic? Of course not. The commercials are meant to pique your curiosity about a product or idea so you'll look into it more.


Don't forget how erectile dysfunction commercials can allow you to go sailing, have you and your spouse sit in separate bathtubs in beautiful meadows, etc.


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

Bill Broderick said:


> There's a big difference between piquing someone curiosity with images and flat-out lying about the capabilities of a product.


But they aren't flat out lying. The fact is if you have a compatible RVU TV you don't have to have "another box" at that TV.

The fact that only a few people have RVU compatible TVs doesn't make DirecTVs ad a lie.


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## jceman (Aug 20, 2007)

Bill Broderick said:


> There's a big difference between piquing someone curiosity with images and flat-out lying about the capabilities of a product.


Exactly - the thing that piqued my interest in that commercial is not that they imply that there are NO cables involved, but they actually say it and further the idea by clearly removing both the box and all cables from the picture. Unless there is some sort of wireless connection coming down the pike soon, this is a deliberate falsehood.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

Bill Broderick said:


> There's a big difference between piquing someone curiosity with images and flat-out lying about the capabilities of a product.


Isn't a C31 using a wireless CCK, a wireless client? I believe the C41 or whatever is supposed to have wireless built-in, isnt that correct? I haven't seen this commercial so I dont know the specifics of this commercial and what it is claiming or what the fine print says...


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

jceman said:


> Exactly - the thing that piqued my interest in that commercial is not that they imply that there are NO cables involved, but they actually say it and further the idea by clearly removing both the box and all cables from the picture. Unless there is some sort of wireless connection coming down the pike soon, this is a deliberate falsehood.


If we are talking about the commercial I think we are (guy swimming in a lake and gets out with leeches all over him), they say stop looking at wires and boxes. They show a cable company receiver on a stand below the TV with all the wires going up to the TV. They then make that receiver and it's wires disappear.

So they are talking about getting rid of the wires between the cable box and TV. Again this is not a lie, it is true. With a RVU TV the only cable is an ethernet cable hooked up to the TV, or a coax hooked up to a DECA adapter and then ethernet to the TV, both of which could easily be hidden behind the TV. Therefore you no longer have to look at the box or wires, which is what the ad says.


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## TheRatPatrol (Oct 1, 2003)

You still need the power cable.


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

TheRatPatrol said:


> You still need the power cable.


When I wall mount a TV I tend to put a power oulet recessed in the wall behind it, so the power cables needed can be hidden as well.


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## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

CCarncross said:


> Isn't a C31 using a wireless CCK, a wireless client? I believe the C41 or whatever is supposed to have wireless built-in, isnt that correct?


C31 using a wireless CCK is not a configuration that is supported by DirecTV. Are you suggesting that it's appropriate for DirecTV to advertise functionality that they don't support?

The C41 does not have wireless built-in. According to the First Look, the biggest functional differences between the C31 and the C41 are the ability to use the new RF remote and the external power brick has mounting holes to allow for a wall mount.


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## Mike Greer (Jan 20, 2004)

This is hilarious! 

Let's face it, the commercial is misleading as are most commercials. DirecTV is by far more interested in adding subscribers than truth in advertising. We're talking about a multi-billion dollar corporation here and its goal is to make money. Period.

Carry on!


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Bill Broderick said:


> C31 using a wireless CCK is not a configuration that is supported by DirecTV.
> 
> ...


eSATA isn't supported, but many people use it. So is MRV with your own network. So is using the ethernet plug on the Genie to get your boxes to get internet. What's the big deal?


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

I think they may be pushing the fact that a C31 client is small enough that it can be mounted behind a wall mounted TV. Their recent installer training goes over a number of mounting options.


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

studechip said:


> So both of you think it's okay to have a commercial that is deceptive because a:it's only a commercial after all and/or b:anyone that is fooled by such deception deserves what they get.
> Um, okay!


 Its only deceptive if its a Dish Network commercial.

Since its Directv that makes it OK!


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## Mike Greer (Jan 20, 2004)

damondlt said:


> Its only deceptive if its a Dish Network commercial.
> 
> Since its Directv that makes it OK!


Ha ha!:lol:

Wait - you may have something there!

If the regulars here aren't sure what the commercial means there is no chance in hell regular old people watching TV will think anything but they don't need receivers or wires - just a Genie and all your dreams will come true!


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## acostapimps (Nov 6, 2011)

There's a difference between long and existing customers that knows all to well about these commercials and read the fine print first, And new or potential customers who believed what the commercial was saying, only to find out later after they sign up that other stuff were required. That in itself in deceptive.


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## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

sigma1914 said:


> eSATA isn't supported, but many people use it. So is MRV with your own network.


By that logic it would be appropriate for them to advertise that you can store 10,000 hours of HD content with the Genie because it's possible for you to build a huge external RAID box that you can connect to the DVR and then telling you "tough luck, we don't support that" when you have a problem.

Having unsupported features is one thing. Advertising an unsupported feature as a feature would be inappropriate and misleading.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

I just saw an ad, it says "you don't have to look at a box in every room". Considering the options for a client, certainly is true.


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## RACJ2 (Aug 2, 2008)

sigma1914 said:


> Don't forget how erectile dysfunction commercials can allow you to go sailing, have you and your spouse sit in separate bathtubs in beautiful meadows, etc.


At least they are upfront with a disclaimer that advises you to to call a doctor, if their pills works so well that it last for hours!


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

I looked that up once, and what can happen... :eek2:


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## Volatility (May 22, 2010)

acostapimps;3201712 said:


> There's a difference between long and existing customers that knows all to well about these commercials and read the fine print first, And new or potential customers who believed what the commercial was saying, only to find out later after they sign up that other stuff were required. That in itself in deceptive.


In some states, the customer does have a timeframe to cancel before they get charged the ecf. I can understand your point of view however.


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## deanandmaria (Feb 28, 2012)

IMO, AT&T U-Verse started this, DTV is just jumping on the train.

AT&T's campaign about their wireless receivers is even worse. It eliminates the wire from the wall to the cable box. There's still the power cords (2) and the cable from the box to the TV. What's worse is that they market the thing like you can take it out in the middle of your back yard if you want.

Thankfully the swimming pool one seems to be off the air. Yeah people . . . let's encourage kids to take a powered television poolside.


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## Athenian (Nov 16, 2005)

deanandmaria said:


> IMO, AT&T U-Verse started this, DTV is just jumping on the train.


That was my first thought when I saw the ad. AFAIK though, DirecTV doesn't have anything right now that actually competes with the U-Verse wireless receiver.

Ads that imply that you can move the TV out to the middle of the yard are silly (you still need power to the devices) but there is a real market for moving televisions around. Our third TV gets so little use that I've often considered discontinuing it. It would be much more useful to be able to move it around as needed -- out on the patio, down to the shop, etc.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

sigma1914 said:


> Don't forget how erectile dysfunction commercials can allow you to go sailing, have you and your spouse sit in separate bathtubs in beautiful meadows, etc.


And Pepsi ads show people drinking Pepsi and behaving as if they were high as a kite.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

deanandmaria said:


> IMO, AT&T U-Verse started this, DTV is just jumping on the train.
> 
> AT&T's campaign about their wireless receivers is even worse. It eliminates the wire from the wall to the cable box. There's still the power cords (2) and the cable from the box to the TV. What's worse is that they market the thing like you can take it out in the middle of your back yard if you want.
> 
> Thankfully the swimming pool one seems to be off the air. Yeah people . . . let's encourage kids to take a powered television poolside.


Actually, if the swimming pool meets code, you could dump a plugged in TV into a swimming pool and all you'd do is wreck the TV. Don't believe me? My wife didn't until I threw a plugged in extension cord into our pool and...nothing happened except the GFI tripped, as I told her it would.

Rich


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## Kaiser Bob (Aug 17, 2012)

RAD said:


> I think they may be pushing the fact that a C31 client is small enough that it can be mounted behind a wall mounted TV. Their recent installer training goes over a number of mounting options.


+1

When they worded it stop looking at boxes and cables I figured they meant the C31 mounted behind the tv in RF mode.


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## deanandmaria (Feb 28, 2012)

Rich said:


> Actually, if the swimming pool meets code, you could dump a plugged in TV into a swimming pool and all you'd do is wreck the TV. Don't believe me? My wife didn't until I threw a plugged in extension cord into our pool and...nothing happened except the GFI tripped, as I told her it would.


Want to bet how many homes out there meet the required codes? Would you have tried it with your wife IN the pool? Don't answer that! I might question your intentions.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

deanandmaria said:


> Want to bet how many homes out there meet the required codes? Would you have tried it with your wife IN the pool? Don't answer that! I might question your intentions.


As a matter of fact, I was in my electrical apprenticeship when a near naked man greeted our class in an electrical lab that we used for hands on learning. We were told to sit down and stay in our seats. The man (wearing only shorts) proceeded to wrap bare wire around his upper body and got into a large tub filled with water and told the instructor to "Plug me in!)...

Let me back up here. The person in shorts was going around the country with his tub and introducing the GFCI (note the difference in the acronym from the now accepted GFI) a new device that...well, let's get back to the story...

So, the instructor first points to the LED on the receptacle and tell us to note the LED is on and the receptacle is energized. Then he plugs in the plug on the bare wire and...nada. We do hear a click and the light on the receptacle goes off, but the guy in the tub is unharmed! Then, he climbs out of the tub and takes the wire off his body. He spent the rest of the session explaining how the GFCI works.

I'm not gonna try to explain how it works, but I will tell you what you'd see if an oscilloscope was used: First, imagine an ordinary single phase 120VAC sine wave. The straight line is 0 volts, the line that shows the voltage is rising and falling between (doing this on memory alone, correct me if I'm wrong) 167VAC measured from the top of the positive sine to the bottom of the negative sine. (I was wrong when I first posted and *VOS* caught it, bless his heart) Got that? Now imagine that the voltage induced just starts to ascend and is shut off very close to the straight line that signifies 0 volts. That's what happens when a GFI trips. Practically no voltage before shutting down and that's the life saver. I don't know or remember exactly what voltage it trips at, but it's so quick nothing bad can possibly happen.

It's been ~ 40 years since that demonstration and I've never seen a GFI fail. So, yeah, I know what would happen if I threw my wife in the pool with the extension cord plugged into a GFI wrapped around her...nothing. Would I try it? No.

With no GFI, the person would die. He/she would be electrocuted. Another thing to remember, there is no second chance with electrocution. You die. I know state mandated electrocutions have failed, but that's because the electrocution process failed. If you actually get electrocuted there are no second choices.

One more thing about the GFIs: They should be used when a double-insulated tool is used. During the course of their evolution, someone discovered that not only do they interrupt the circuit if it is suddenly grounded, but they also measure leakage from hot to neutral wiring and trip immediately if something is amiss. We had a guy get a wicked shock when using a double-insulated drill and immediately rewrote our hot work procedures to include using a GFI when using double-insulated tools. This information is included in the paperwork you get when you buy most GFIs. Or was.

Rich


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## machavez00 (Nov 2, 2006)

LG has a FiOS app for their newer Smart TVs

http://us.lgappstv.com/appspc/store/product/retrieveProductInfo.lge?dummy=003&appId=13322

Seems to me DirecTV could do the same.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

machavez00 said:


> LG has a FiOS app for their newer Smart TVs
> 
> http://us.lgappstv.com/appspc/store/product/retrieveProductInfo.lge?dummy=003&appId=13322
> 
> Seems to me DirecTV could do the same.


Be a little hard to do with Directv since FIOS is basically internet streaming in the 1st place. Two completely different animals as far as delivery systems go.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

CCarncross said:


> Be a little hard to do with Directv since FIOS is basically internet streaming in the 1st place. Two completely different animals as far as delivery systems go.


I thought FIOS TV used the same system as cable TV (not IPTV) just that it was delivered over fiber. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verizon_FiOS


> One of the three wavelength bands is devoted to carrying television channels using standard QAM cable television technology. The other two wavelengths are devoted to all other data, one for outbound and the other for inbound data. This includes video on demand, telephone and Internet data.


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

It says "FiOS customers subscribing to FiOS TV and FiOS Internet can download our newest app to watch live streaming of select channels and view commercial movies through select LG devices." 

To me that sounds kind of like DirecTV's TV anywhere, except its on an LG TV instead of an iPhone/iPad. I think theoretically DirecTV could do pretty much the same thing if they wanted. Take the DirecTV apps for the iPhone or iPad and make them work for different TVs, Blu-Ray players, or something like an AppleTV or Roku.


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