# Nomad - Is it worth it?



## lgb0250

I recently purchased a slingbox for travel and found out the hard way that it wasn't what I needed. Evidently the resorts we tend to stay at don't have the highest bandwidth available and thus the slingbox is impossible to watch.

Am now considering the nomad and was hoping for some input from those of you that have the unit. Any input, good or bad, greatly appreciated. Thanks.


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## hdtvfan0001

lgb0250 said:


> I recently purchased a slingbox for travel and found out the hard way that it wasn't what I needed. Evidently the resorts we tend to stay at don't have the highest bandwidth available and thus the slingbox is impossible to watch.
> 
> Am now considering the nomad and was hoping for some input from those of you that have the unit. Any input, good or bad, greatly appreciated. Thanks.


You've actually touched upon one great reason for *nomad* : Freedom from the need to *find* enough broadband speed to stream.

*nomad* is specifically designed to be a mobile viewing device without the need for an Internet connection as you travel or leave your home.

As both a frequent traveler and a *nomad* user...my experience is that having the ability to watch virtually and DVR recorded content wherever you want is a great capability. The playback quality of the transcoded recorded content onto a mobile device is very, very good. It's great *not* having to deal with airport, hotel, and other slow bandwidth streaming.

I have a slingbox as well, and now hardly use it.

To answer the base question...if you are looking for the ability to take DVR-recorded content and be able to play it back on a mobile device anyplace and anytime...it's a perfect fit.


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## dennisj00

I echo HDTVFan's comments above. While we only rent a place if it has wifi, we find 'free' wifi exactly what you pay for! You may be able to get your email, but you're not going to be happy streaming Netflix, HBO/Go, ESPN or others.

Nomad allows us to carry the programs we want and watch on the iPadss or laptops with great picture quality.

It's also great to watch out on the deck or when you just don't want to crank up the big TV.


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## shedberg

I just purchased mine and am on a trip this week. I find it to be VERY useful. Especially when I can watch my recorded content on the plane. It makes three hours go by a lot faster.


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## trh

I really enjoy mine and the freedom to not have to have internet (which I don't have often while traveling), makes it real nice. I mainly use an iPad - picture quality is great. 

But you do have to plan ahead with what you want transcoded by the nomad and then downloading that to your device while on your home network.


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## NR4P

Is it worth it? YES

I use it many times per month on trips. I particularly enjoy watching folks on flights slide their credit cards to pay to watch the flight TV system while I'm settled in watching movies and tv shows from my DVRs, at no cost.


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## lgb0250

Thanks for all the replies. Makes my decision quite easy. Next question: Is it ok to purchase the nomad from Solid Signal instead of D*? Will I have any problems activating it if purchased from SS? Thanks again.


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## Sixto

If you actually want to enjoy watching a recording remotely, then nomad is a great option, and to be honest, it's the only "real" option for DirecTV content.

Slingbox (I have two - one on each HR34) is nice for a quick check of a "live" sporting event or when you need to access an individual receiver for any other reason, but if you want to watch a recording just like you're sitting in the room with your DVR, then nomad is perfect.

It still needs a little work, like a native iPad version, but I've used it dozens of times, and it's a great experience.

Recently, I've also brought along the iPad HDMI adapter and an HDMI cable, I've been lucky that most of the hotel rooms have had HDMI capable TV's, and the picture quality is not bad even on a large HD set.

The routine is that a couple of days before I leave for a trip, I transcode 5-10 recordings, I download them to the iPad the morning I'm leaving or the night before, sometimes also to the laptop (it uses the same transcoded file for both), and then I have the iPad for the plane, and the iPad and laptop for the hotel room.

For my recent flights, I've also added GoGo inflight internet to allow for online access at 30,000 feet to eMail and the forums, while also watching a nomad recording or two, and it's transformed the flying experience from boring to very productive.

Good luck if you decide to purchase one, it's fairly inexpensive (one time charge - no recurring charge), it's easy to setup, and we're always here to help. Enjoy!


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## Sixto

lgb0250 said:


> Thanks for all the replies. Makes my decision quite easy. Next question: Is it ok to purchase the nomad from Solid Signal instead of D*? Will I have any problems activating it if purchased from SS? Thanks again.


You should have no issue. It's just a simple piece of hardware that you just plug in and it works, and if there's any issue a quick call to DirecTV should resolve things.


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## BBM3

I think the best of both Sling and Nomad is Vulkano.
The Lava and Blast will give you total control of your DVR including recording and playback, stream live over wi-fi or 3G as well as save / transcode recordings to your mobile device.

Plus you can record and transcode to your mobile device outside of your home network.

I have been using a legacy model (Platinum) with a 500gb esata drive attached for about two years and have never had a problem.

Video quality is near HD. I can read the CNBC scroll even on an iPhone.

(Monsoon sells refurbished legacy Delux Pro units with 500gb drives on eBay).


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## Darcaine

I'm curious what makes this a better option than the Hauppauge HD PVR...They both seem to work the same (require you to play the video while you "record" it. But the PVR doesn't cripple the show with DRM that makes it unplayable after a month).

So other than customer support from D*, (and maybe price? Not sure what nomad costs) what does Nomad offer that the HD PVR doesn't?


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## trh

I know little about the Hauppauge (or Vulkano). They might be just as good or better than the nomad for all I know. But the OP didn't ask what the best option was; he wanted to know whether the nomad was worth it. BBM3 makes a strong case for the Vulkano. 

(And the nomad retails for $149.)


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## The Merg

"Darcaine" said:


> I'm curious what makes this a better option than the Hauppauge HD PVR...They both seem to work the same (require you to play the video while you "record" it. But the PVR doesn't cripple the show with DRM that makes it unplayable after a month).
> 
> So other than customer support from D*, (and maybe price? Not sure what nomad costs) what does Nomad offer that the HD PVR doesn't?


How easy would it be to put recordings from the Hauppauge PVR onto the iPad? The Nomad allows seamless download to PC/laptop, iPhone and iPad and soon to come Android device.

- Merg


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## Darcaine

The Merg said:


> How easy would it be to put recordings from the Hauppauge PVR onto the iPad? The Nomad allows seamless download to PC/laptop, iPhone and iPad and soon to come Android device.
> 
> - Merg


As easy as it is to move any compatible file (it records in MP4 format so its compatible with ipad) from the PC/laptop to a mobile device (not sure how easy that is on ipad, since well, its an Apple device, but its easy on every device by every other manufacture I've ever used).

You could probably record the show directly to the storage of any device you want (haven't tried it on anything other than my PC's hdd though). Maybe I will try recording directly to my android phone/tablet.

Is that really the only "benefit"? I was thinking about swapping out my PVR with a nomad, but since it works nearly exactly the same, it doesn't seem worth the restrictions placed on the recordings for the "benefit" of recording directly to my tablet (and may already be possible, now I'm curious about that), which is already copy/paste easy to move.


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## trh

Darcaine said:


> As easy as it is to move any compatible file (it records in MP4 format so its compatible with ipad) from the PC/laptop to a mobile device (not sure how easy that is on ipad, since well, its an Apple device, but its easy on every device by every other manufacture I've ever used).


So to get a recording on my iPad, I'd first have to import the file into iTunes and then sync with my iPad? With nomad, you don't use iTunes. The DirecTV app does all this 'work' for you.


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## Steve

The Merg said:


> How easy would it be to put recordings from the Hauppauge PVR onto the iPad? The Nomad allows seamless download to PC/laptop, iPhone and iPad and soon to come Android device.


Looks like it can save directly into .mp4 format, so that should be a straight copy onto an iPad, but they don't specifically say it, so I'm not sure. That said, even if it was compatible, you'd have to babysit (and tie up) the HR and the PVR while your playlist recordings are being transcoded, one at a time. Seems to me that would be a real PITA.

For those that are not aware, Nomad can be set to automatically transcode shows once they hit the HR playlist. And if your playback device is running the Nomad app overnight, it can automatically copy the transcoded files to it. If the app is not running, the transcoded files can be manually copied from Nomad to the playback device at a rate of about 3-6 minutes per 30-60 minute show.


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## Darcaine

Steve said:


> Looks like it can save directly into .mp4 format, so that should be a straight copy onto an iPad, but they don't specifically say it, so I'm not sure. That said, even if it was compatible, you'd have to babysit (and tie up) the HR and the PVR while your playlist recordings are being transcoded, one at a time. Seems to me that would be a real PITA.
> 
> For those that are not aware, Nomad can be set to automatically transcode shows once they hit the HR playlist. And if your playback device is running the Nomad app overnight, it can automatically copy the transcoded files to it. If the app is not running, the transcoded files can be manually copied from Nomad to the playback device at a rate of about 2-4 minutes per 30-60 minute show.


Ok that's what I was wondering about. So nomad = automated transcoding with a one month limitation on the recordings, and pvr = manual transcoding with no limitations (btw you can record simultaniously to your dvr and pvr, so no having to wait for the show to hit your HR playlist).

Not really worth the cost to upgrade for automation (and experation date, that's the one that kills me as often times I don't get around to watching the shows for several months and would hate to have to leave them on my dvr until I'm ready for them). Thanks for the info.


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## Darcaine

trh said:


> So to get a recording on my iPad, I'd first have to import the file into iTunes and then sync with my iPad? With nomad, you don't use iTunes. The DirecTV app does all this 'work' for you.


This is one of the reasons I don't use Apple products. Having to use the godawful itunes for something that should be as easy as copying from one folder and pasting into another, is rediculous.


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## Laxguy

Darcaine said:


> This is one of the reasons I don't use Apple products. Having to use the godawful itunes for something that should be as easy as copying from one folder and pasting into another, is rediculous.


We have a thread for knocking Apple. But I will say knowing a bit about how iTunes works makes for easy copying and so forth. It's hardly ridiculous.


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## Richierich

lgb0250 said:


> I recently purchased a slingbox for travel and found out the hard way that it wasn't what I needed. Evidently the resorts we tend to stay at don't have the highest bandwidth available and thus the slingbox is impossible to watch.


This is the Reason I am Selling my brand new Slingbox PRO HD which I have Never used. I had another one and I had to deactivate it because I had to use RF for my Directv Remote and it isn't compatible with RF so I am getting rid of it.

As with my other Slingbox PRO HD I couldn't use it effectively because my Bandwidth in my Marriott Vacation Villas didn't have enough Bandwidth to Support my Slingbox and I would get Pixellation and Macro Blocking so I just quit using it.

Also, if you can get Optional Bandwidth via other Services like Verizon your Slingbox will eat up your Bandwidth Allowance in a Heartbeat so I just went with Nomad and couldn't be Happier.

It lets you take with you What You Want To Watch When You Want To Watch It And Where You Want To Watch It and with HDMI Output I can even Watch It on the Big Flatscreen HDTV in my Condo.

It is Definitely Worth In My Opinion!!!


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## Richierich

Darcaine said:


> Ok that's what I was wondering about. So nomad = automated transcoding with a one month limitation on the recordings, and pvr = manual transcoding with no limitations (btw you can record simultaniously to your dvr and pvr, so no having to wait for the show to hit your HR playlist).


You can not Offload PPV or OTA Recordings at this time to your Nomad Device.


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## hdtvfan0001

I suspect one key differentiator between using *nomad* and anything else is the fact that it is/will be available on multiple platforms for viewing, and the process to get each that version on the mobile device is very straightforward.

Put another way...it's simple....it's easy...it works.


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## trh

Darcaine said:


> So nomad = automated transcoding with a one month limitation on the recordings,


just to clarify the "one month limitation": your recordings expire one month after sending to your device. But if you want it longer, you just download it for another 30 days. Takes about six minutes for a one-hour show. (show must still be on one of your DVRs).


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## lgb0250

Richierich said:


> As with my other Slingbox PRO HD I couldn't use it effectively because my Bandwidth in my Marriott Vacation Villas didn't have enough Bandwidth to Support my Slingbox and I would get Pixellation and Macro Blocking so I just quit using it.


This is the exact reason I'm getting rid of mine. Stayed at two of the Marriotts recently and couldn't use it at either one because of the bandwidth problems!

I remember talking to you about purchasing your Slingbox!! For your info I ended up paying $219 for a new one off of Ebay and turned around 3 months later and sold it used on Ebay for $205!

Thanks everyone for all the great information.


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## Richierich

I just Love having all of my Favorite Recordings at my Disposal while at the Airport or on a Long Flight to Hawaii or in a Restaurant waiting for my Food or up in the North Carolina Mountains where I can't get reception for TV and It Looks Great!!!

Great PQ!!!


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## The Merg

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Put another way...it's simple....it's easy...it works.


Are we talking about Nomad or an iDevice? :lol:

- Merg


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## Richierich

The Merg said:


> Are we talking about Nomad or an iDevice? :lol:
> 
> - Merg


Don't get HDTVFABOY started on the Apple think or you will regret it!!! :lol:


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## BBM3

trh said:


> I know little about the Hauppauge (or Vulkano). They might be just as good or better than the nomad for all I know. But the OP didn't ask what the best option was; he wanted to know whether the nomad was worth it. BBM3 makes a strong case for the Vulkano.
> 
> (And the nomad retails for $149.)


The Vulkano Lava, Blast, Platnium, Deluxe, and Deluxe Pro will do more than a Sling HD Pro + Nomad will for less $$$.

Nomad recordings expire after 30 days.
Nomad will not transcode outside home network.
Nomad has limited programing available including PPV and OTA.
Sling will not transcode to mobile devices.
Sling mobile apps cost $29.99 per device. :eek2:
Vulkano mobile iOS apps are free for legacy devices.
Vulkano mobile apps are available for iOS, Blackberry, and Android devices plus free PC and OSX clients.



hdtvfan0001 said:


> I suspect one key differentiator between using *nomad* and anything else is the fact that it is/will be available on multiple platforms for viewing, and the process to get each that version on the mobile device is very straightforward.
> 
> Put another way...it's simple....it's easy...it works.


The Vulkano is simple and straightforward. Only one button press to transcode to your mobile device.
Vulkano setup is simple. Assign a static IP and open two ports on your router. Done.

I promise I am not a Shill for Monsoon Multimedia just a satisfied customer.


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## NR4P

I think we answered the OP's question.

If we need to or want to debate Vulkano is vs. Nomad, someone could open that appropriate thread. I suspect the Mods would permit it with its own thread for the purpose.


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## cover

FWIW, I bought a nomad and have found it cumbersome to use. And the video quality, which may be OK on a phone or iPad was not so great full-screen on a laptop. 

For occasional travel, I've found it much easier and get better results paying a couple of bucks to buy a few shows in the iTunes store, download then into iTunes, and sync to the iPad if that's where I want to watch them. 

I think nomad is a great idea, but I'm not happy with how it was implemented.


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## BBM3

NR4P said:


> I think we answered the OP's question.
> 
> If we need to or want to debate Vulkano is vs. Nomad, someone could open that appropriate thread. I suspect the Mods would permit it with its own thread for the purpose.


I respectifully disagree.

The OP asked, "Nomad - Is it worth it?"

Not a single poster replyed NO to the question.
Other options have been discussed.
Is this not the point of sharing knowledge on an open forum?


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## KenW

I've expressed my opinion elsewhere on the nomad threads, but I'll say it here too. nomad is great for ease of use. I can set any series to be automatically downloaded. No fuss at all. There are several enhancements I'd like to see, but it's worth it for me. 

I also have a Slingbox, but it's no good in the hotel I've been using. I have a DVD Recorder, but nomad doesn't interfere with my DVR watching while I'm home. 

I've added USB storage, so most of the shows I want are available for immediate download.


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## dennisj00

cover said:


> FWIW, I bought a nomad and have found it cumbersome to use. And the video quality, which may be OK on a phone or iPad was not so great full-screen on a laptop.
> 
> For occasional travel, I've found it much easier and get better results paying a couple of bucks to buy a few shows in the iTunes store, download then into iTunes, and sync to the iPad if that's where I want to watch them.
> 
> I think nomad is a great idea, but I'm not happy with how it was implemented.


I'm not sure how nomad is any more cumbersome than 'buying a few shows on iTunes, downloading them to iTunes, and sync the iPad if that's where I want to watch them.'

The whole idea of nomad is you can select anything on your dvrs (yes it doesn't do OTA and VOD, but that's minor). They transcode while you are doing something else and they download while you're doing something else.

What's cumbersome about that? No synching with iTunes. Nothing but net.

And why pay again for content?

The picture quality is great on the iPad and as good as any streaming video you'll get on a laptop. It's actually pretty stunning on my wife's MacBook.

Again no net required while you're watching. Anywhere. Very simple.


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## dennisj00

KenW said:


> I've added USB storage, so most of the shows I want are available for immediate download.


With 32Gb sticks approaching $20, you can triple the memory on nomad very cheaply. I've had a 16 GB stick on mine since the first week or so. And it does add to the nomad memory.

It keeps the movies / documentaries /programs that I want to carry and downloads quickly.

The 30 day limit is just a check to be sure you haven't gone away as a sub. Just re-download if you want that content again.


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## Laxguy

cover said:


> FWIW, I bought a nomad and have found it cumbersome to use. And the video quality, which may be OK on a phone or iPad was not so great full-screen on a laptop.


I find the 'BEST' video q. for a laptop is to size the screen about the size of the iPad. Seems optimized for about that number of pixels. Screen quality and video chips/cards/processors can make a difference, too.


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## Steve

Laxguy said:


> I find the 'BEST' video q. for a laptop is to size the screen about the size of the iPad. Seems optimized for about that number of pixels. Screen quality and video chips/cards/processors can make a difference, too.


Agree. I'm pretty sure Nomad outputs everything at 720x480 with the appropriate aspect ratio (at about 1400-1500 kbps). Looks great on an iPod, fine on my iPad. Depending on the content, I sometimes see jaggies on the PC.


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## xcr440sp

I bought Nomad when it first came out. I hooked it up and tried it on my laptop and it worked great. That said, I wouldn't recomend it. Despite "coming soon for Android" since last fall, you can only use it with Iphone or PC, which makes it a totally useless device for me. I also fear that if they have that little concern with getting the other "coming soon" platforms, Directv has little plans or effort in supporting the platform which means it could become obsolete quickly. I'd go with one of the other suggestions.


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## Richierich

xcr440sp said:


> I bought Nomad when it first came out. I hooked it up and tried it on my laptop and it worked great. That said, I wouldn't recomend it. Despite "coming soon for Android" since last fall, you can only use it with Iphone or PC, which makes it a totally useless device for me. I also fear that if they have that little concern with getting the other "coming soon" platforms, Directv has little plans or effort in supporting the platform which means it could become obsolete quickly. I'd go with one of the other suggestions.


The CEO of Directv has stated that Nomad will be Available Un All Platforms Soon and I believe that it will be if that is his Wish as he is the CEO and can make things happen.

I just love my Nomad and take it with me everywhere I travel especially to Europe and Hawaii on Long Flights, Very useful and Entertaining!!!


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## hdtvfan0001

xcr440sp said:


> I bought Nomad when it first came out. I hooked it up and tried it on my laptop and it worked great. That said, I wouldn't recomend it. Despite "coming soon for Android" since last fall, you can only use it with Iphone or PC, which makes it a totally useless device for me. I also fear that if they have that little concern with getting the other "coming soon" platforms, Directv has little plans or effort in supporting the platform which means it could become obsolete quickly. I'd go with one of the other suggestions.


I would not be surprised to see multiple other mobile device versions offered in the near future. My guess it takes DirecTV time to test them for copyright protection, presentation, and other anomolies unique to different platforms.


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## nino2469

How large are typical files once they are on the ipad? If I have a 16Gb ipad how much would I have to put on there before it fills up?


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## Laxguy

nino2469 said:


> How large are typical files once they are on the ipad? If I have a 16Gb ipad how much would I have to put on there before it fills up?


That's been posted before, but I can't search for it right now. IAE, it's not huge, nor inconsequential, if that helps! You can get quite a few movies on there, also depends on other content you may have.


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## dennisj00

Based on the PC file sizes - an hour HD program is 4-500 MB.


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## Richierich

dennisj00 said:


> Based on the PC file sizes - an hour HD program is 4-500 MB.


Cool Beans!!!

I was wondering how large they would be.


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## nino2469

thats not bad at all


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## heathramos

can you add hard drive space by connecting a USB hard drive instead of just a thumb drive?


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## Steve

heathramos said:


> can you add hard drive space by connecting a USB hard drive instead of just a thumb drive?


Yes. But keep in mind once the "parent" show is deleted from the HR, it will be deleted from Nomad storage as well.


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## heathramos

Steve said:


> Yes. But keep in mind once the "parent" show is deleted from the HR, it will be deleted from Nomad storage as well.


thanks

just making sure since I have 3 DVRs and if I chose to transcode everything a thumb drive might not be enough


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## Beerstalker

I have had this drive hooked up to my Nomad since October and it has been working great for me.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ELOSEG/ref=wms_ohs_product


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## Steve

heathramos said:


> thanks
> 
> just making sure since I have 3 DVRs and if I chose to transcode everything a thumb drive might not be enough


My PC transcodes are averaging just under 300 Mbytes on my PC disk per 30 minutes of show, or 10 Mbytes/minute.

The 16GB Nomad internal storage is really closer to 15GB actual storage, so I'd conservatively estimate about 25 hours of storage on the device itself. Add a 16GB or 32GB thumb drive, and you're looking at 50 or 75 hours total.


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## lgb0250

As a follow up to my original post I wanted to give everyone an FYI.

Ordered from Solid Signal. Sent two emails over a 5 day period asking for status of shipping! No responses. Decided to call them and was told it was a pre order and on back order until the end of June!! I cancelled the order.

Ordered from D* for about $25 more and it was here in one day. After a little bit of challenge getting it to work properly, it is now up and running. Thanks for all the help.


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## dennisj00

Sometimes it amazes me, the amount of videos and music we can carry - each one of us!!

And there's not enough time to watch / listen to it all because we keep adding more!


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## Laxguy

Steve said:


> Yes. But keep in mind once the "parent" show is deleted from the HR, it will be deleted from Nomad storage as well.


But isn't that only if nomad needs the space to transcode and store other programs??


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## Steve

Laxguy said:


> But isn't that only if nomad needs the space to transcode and store other programs??


If you mean does it physically remove the bits as well? I'm sure it doesn't. It tells the Nomad device that space is available for storage, if need be, and at the same time removes that show's entry from the "ready to download" lists. So for all intents and purposes, that show is deleted.

Just like when we delete a show from the HR playlist right now. Its bits are still on the HR drive, but we'll never be able to play it again, because we don't have a recycle bin from which to rescue it.


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## Laxguy

No, I don't mean overwrite the bits; not one bit!

I am not sure of it either way, but I don't believe it's unavailable on nomad just because the show is gone from the DVRs. I am getting on a plane early tomorrow, so I don't have time to test that.


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## Steve

Laxguy said:


> I am not sure of it either way, but I don't believe it's unavailable on nomad just because the show is gone from the DVRs.


From the Nomad FAQ:



> *Do shows stored on nomad™ expire? *
> Shows stored in nomad's™ internal memory will not expire. However,
> 
> when nomad™ needs space for a new conversion, the oldest are deleted to make room.
> when the original DVR recording is deleted, it's deleted from nomad™ as well.


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## KenW

As long as you have them on your device, you have 30 days to watch them even if they are gone from your DVR and nomad.


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## KarenRichmond

Ok, I'm confused about Nomad. You hook it up to the home network, then it transcodes (un-encrypts?) the shows you select and then it does indeed download it to the device? Not something like putting it "on the cloud"?


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## NR4P

KarenRichmond said:


> Ok, I'm confused about Nomad. You hook it up to the home network, then it transcodes (un-encrypts?) the shows you select and then it does indeed download it to the device? Not something like putting it "on the cloud"?


Nomad lists everything on your Directv HD DVR's. You select what you want, it transcodes it (i.e. converts it to a smaller file) and then you copy it to your device (computer, ipad, iphone). So you can watch what was on your DVR when you have no internet connection.

My favorite place to watch my Nomad content is around 35K feet while others on the plane are spending $6.99 or more for 20 channels of TV for a 2 hour flight. Once you have Nomad its free to copy the content to your device of choice.


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## hdtvfan0001

NR4P said:


> Nomad lists everything on your Directv HD DVR's. You select what you want, it transcodes it (i.e. converts it to a smaller file) and then you copy it to your device (computer, ipad, iphone). So you can watch what was on your DVR when you have no internet connection.
> 
> My favorite place to watch my Nomad content is around 35K feet while others on the plane are spending $6.99 or more for 20 channels of TV for a 2 hour flight. Once you have Nomad its free to copy the content to your device of choice.


I second that motion.


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## Justin23

"KarenRichmond" said:


> Ok, I'm confused about Nomad. You hook it up to the home network, then it transcodes (un-encrypts?) the shows you select and then it does indeed download it to the device? Not something like putting it "on the cloud"?


Not "in the cloud". The content resides on your device, much like music on an iPod. You don't need Internet connection to watch the shows once they are on your PC/Tablet/Smartphone


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## KenW

If you travel, it is definitely worth it. Hotel Internet can be spotty, and as others mentioned, it's great on the plane.


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## Beerstalker

KenW said:


> If you travel, it is definitely worth it. Hotel Internet can be spotty, and as others mentioned, it's great on the plane.


And in the car, on the bus, on the train, etc. Nice to be able to watch stuff without relying on WiFi or especially 3G/4G service where you can eat up your data package pretty quick.


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## realfan

So I am confused. The DirecTV website states that nomad for iPad isn't yet available. However, several of you in this thread and other threads seem to be already using nomad to download shows to their iPads. Is this something I can begin using now to record shows to my iPad, or do I have to wait?


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## Steve

realfan said:


> So I am confused. The DirecTV website states that nomad for iPad isn't yet available. However, several of you in this thread and other threads seem to be already using nomad to download shows to their iPads. Is this something I can begin using now to record shows to my iPad, or do I have to wait?


The iPhone client works find on the iPad. Just use it in 2x mode. It's just the GUI that's up-sized. Video is full-screen, and wouldn't look any better, even if there was a dedicated iPad client.


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## dennisj00

Adding to Steve's post, Nomad on the iPad gave me about 6 hours of watching on the iPad last night when we lost power for about 16 hours. Not normally what we would have watched program wise, but we were able to watch a movie and concert with no power in the house.

Otherwise, it's amazingly quiet in the house when the power is off!


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## billcoff

Steve said:


> The iPhone client works find on the iPad. Just use it in 2x mode. It's just the GUI that's up-sized. Video is full-screen, and wouldn't look any better, even if there was a dedicated iPad client.


It would be nice to have the GUI in landscape. My iPad is usually in its Logitech Keyboard and I get a sore neck bending it to the left.


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## Steve

billcoff said:


> It would be nice to have the GUI in landscape. My iPad is usually in its Logitech Keyboard and I get a sore neck bending it to the left.


I know what you mean. Even without a keyboard attached to my iPad, I often find myself (lazily) just using the GUI sideways.


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## dennisj00

Even using the iPad in bed propped up with a pillow, I use it sideways. I don't spend a lot of time in the playlist and don't sweat the small stuff.

I'd suspect it'll eventually be integrated into the DAFI app with all the bells and whistles but it's very usable on the iPad now.


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## inkahauts

There will be an ipad specific nomad app out latter this year. It won't be built into he ipad app we have now, unless something changes dramatically between about two weeks ago and when it launches...


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## The Merg

"inkahauts" said:


> There will be an ipad specific nomad app out latter this year. It won't be built into he ipad app we have now, unless something changes dramatically between about two weeks ago and when it launches...


Awesome. Although that is sarcastic for the fact that the DFIA won't have nomad functionality built in. It would be nice to be able to go to one app for all my DirecTV viewing on the iPad.

- Merg


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## inkahauts

"The Merg" said:


> Awesome. Although that is sarcastic for the fact that the DFIA won't have nomad functionality built in. It would be nice to be able to go to one app for all my DirecTV viewing on the iPad.
> 
> - Merg


I agree,but for some reason they seem to want to keep the separate. I think its because one is for taking content with you, the other for everything else? Bt if we ever get streaming from the nomad of our recordings, then talk about convoluted....

I hope I just misunderstood how they said it myself, but I don't think I did.

I'm still surprised we cant access and mess with our accounts n the apps yet either.


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## JAYPB

I posted an issue a few weeks ago in the Nomad software release thread regarding a few particular "shows" that I can't seem to get to prepare properly but never got a response as to whether anyone had seen similar situations with their nomad/apps/client. 

What is happening is I'm trying to get one particular show to finish "preparing" and then be available to download to my phone/touch/netbook.

The show is "Training Camp Daily" and it is/was on CSN Mid-Atlantic (642). The app/client shows all episodes where I can select them to prepare/download---I then go to set them to "prepare" (either manually or via the auto download)....and the first one will start preparing----the progress bar will get down to 30 minutes/29/28/27 (i.e. showing "progress"....all the way down to 1 minute left to prepare----and then it will say "calculating" and then start preparing again...never being available to download to my iphone/ipod touch/netbook.

This happens whether I try and do just one episode manually, ALL manually or auto download.

I called tech support, they gave me a pin #/case # to call back about...but the issue is I went away on vacation the next day so I never called. And now that I'm back in town it's still now preparing/downloading so I'll have to call again to re-open the case. And when I did talk to the tech he said he'd never personally heard of a situation like this...and there was nothing in his system to compare it to ?!?!

So: Has anyone else had a show/series that will not prepare/download...although it's available to do so?


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## Laxguy

Never happened to me. 

It could be that it's mis-tagged, and hence being treated as if it were a PPV, which are not allowed on nomad. 

I'd watch it on TV and delete.


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## JAYPB

Laxguy said:


> Never happened to me.
> 
> It could be that it's mis-tagged, and hence being treated as if it were a PPV, which are not allowed on nomad.
> 
> I'd watch it on TV and delete.


So can I use that phrase when I get around to calling Tech Support again---"mistagged" so as to possibly lead them in the right direction as to why it starts to prepare, counts down as if it's going to complete the task...and then restarts ?!?!


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## Laxguy

It's a possibility.

If it were me, I'd delete it and move on. I call tech support once every 15th blue moon.


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## billcoff

The Nomad is supposed to receive an update today. Maybe that will fix your problem. I say "supposed" because the update was supposed to be last week, but Customer Service told me it was delayed and I would get it today.


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## Beerstalker

inkahauts said:


> I agree,but for some reason they seem to want to keep the separate. I think its because one is for taking content with you, the other for everything else? Bt if we ever get streaming from the nomad of our recordings, then talk about convoluted....
> 
> I hope I just misunderstood how they said it myself, but I don't think I did.
> 
> I'm still surprised we cant access and mess with our accounts n the apps yet either.


I'm curious though who you are hearing this from. If it's a regular CSR on the phone I wouldn't count on them being right. If it's someone on here who might actually know then it would be more reliable (but if that was the case I would think they would have told you not to be talking about it).


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## inkahauts

"Beerstalker" said:


> I'm curious though who you are hearing this from. If it's a regular CSR on the phone I wouldn't count on them being right. If it's someone on here who might actually know then it would be more reliable (but if that was the case I would think they would have told you not to be talking about it).


Stuart invited me to a conference call with some DIRECTV people, which is where I found out about all this. It was mainly about the new iPad app, but they also mention a little about the nomad. Definetly not a csr type, but people who would actually know.


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## Beerstalker

In that case, yes it does seem a lot more credible. It still seems really strange to me that it has taken so long to get an iPad Nomad app though if it was going to be a seperate app. I always figured the delay was because it was going to be built into the DirecTV App For iPad (DAFI).

Since it is going to be a seperate app, I hope they at least just take the iPhone app and make it a universal app that is designed to work on both the iPhone and iPad, rather than having a seperate iPhone app, iPad app, iPhone Nomad app, and iPad Nomad app. It would be much nicer to have just to apps. Make the DAFI app universal for both the iPhone and iPad, and make the iPad app universal for both so it's just two apps instead of 4.


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## dueport

"dennisj00" said:


> With 32Gb sticks approaching $20, you can triple the memory on nomad very cheaply. I've had a 16 GB stick on mine since the first week or so. And it does add to the nomad memory.
> 
> It keeps the movies / documentaries /programs that I want to carry and downloads quickly.
> 
> The 30 day limit is just a check to be sure you haven't gone away as a sub. Just re-download if you want that content again.


I never knew you could do this - very helpful! Thank you!


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## dueport

"lgb0250" said:


> I recently purchased a slingbox for travel and found out the hard way that it wasn't what I needed. Evidently the resorts we tend to stay at don't have the highest bandwidth available and thus the slingbox is impossible to watch.
> 
> Am now considering the nomad and was hoping for some input from those of you that have the unit. Any input, good or bad, greatly appreciated. Thanks.


I know I'm late responding to your initial post and you've already bought your nomad but for anyone else who may be on the fence I want to echo the enthusiastic comments of others who have posted. In fact, I've been meaning to post about how useful we've found the nomad. My wife and I recently did a cruise to the Bahamas which involved both a long flight and expensive, dial up level speed on-ship Internet. Obviously, a streaming solution is out of the question for watching on a cruise (or a plane). The nomad is a perfect solution. It made the flights and layover go by very quickly with little stress. And, although we didn't actually end up watching much on the cruise itself, it was nice to know we could. As others have said, it is very nice to be using your nomad on a trip and know that you're not paying additional money for content - you're really extending the value of your existing subscription, and that is very satisfying.

I hope they continue to support and develop the nomad platform. On my wish list: remote access to your DVRs through the nomad app. This way, when you're on a trip you could remotely see what new recordings you have, select them for encoding, and download to your device (if you find you happen to have the bandwidth to do so). It would be nice to have the ability to get shows that have been recorded to your DVRs after you left the house. We've found that we have enough to watch as it is but this would be a nice option.


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## The Merg

JAYPB said:


> I posted an issue a few weeks ago in the Nomad software release thread regarding a few particular "shows" that I can't seem to get to prepare properly but never got a response as to whether anyone had seen similar situations with their nomad/apps/client.
> 
> What is happening is I'm trying to get one particular show to finish "preparing" and then be available to download to my phone/touch/netbook.
> 
> The show is "Training Camp Daily" and it is/was on CSN Mid-Atlantic (642). The app/client shows all episodes where I can select them to prepare/download---I then go to set them to "prepare" (either manually or via the auto download)....and the first one will start preparing----the progress bar will get down to 30 minutes/29/28/27 (i.e. showing "progress"....all the way down to 1 minute left to prepare----and then it will say "calculating" and then start preparing again...never being available to download to my iphone/ipod touch/netbook.
> 
> This happens whether I try and do just one episode manually, ALL manually or auto download.
> 
> I called tech support, they gave me a pin #/case # to call back about...but the issue is I went away on vacation the next day so I never called. And now that I'm back in town it's still now preparing/downloading so I'll have to call again to re-open the case. And when I did talk to the tech he said he'd never personally heard of a situation like this...and there was nothing in his system to compare it to ?!?!
> 
> So: Has anyone else had a show/series that will not prepare/download...although it's available to do so?


Is this happening with one particular episode of the show or any episode?

- Merg


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## hdtvfan0001

dueport said:


> I know I'm late responding to your initial post and you've already bought your nomad but for anyone else who may be on the fence I want to echo the enthusiastic comments of others who have posted. In fact, I've been meaning to post about how useful we've found the nomad. My wife and I recently did a cruise to the Bahamas which involved both a long flight and expensive, dial up level speed on-ship Internet. Obviously, a streaming solution is out of the question for watching on a cruise (or a plane). The nomad is a perfect solution. It made the flights and layover go by very quickly with little stress. And, although we didn't actually end up watching much on the cruise itself, it was nice to know we could. As others have said, it is very nice to be using your nomad on a trip and know that you're not paying additional money for content - you're really extending the value of your existing subscription, and that is very satisfying.
> 
> I hope they continue to support and develop the nomad platform. On my wish list: remote access to your DVRs through the nomad app.


What a neat post. 

It contains many of thes same observations those of us who travel experience.


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## dconfer

After reading the above post I wish they would get the andriod app out. 
I have nomad but cant use it since no app. Coming soon yea right.


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## dennisj00

JAYPB said:


> So: Has anyone else had a show/series that will not prepare/download...although it's available to do so?


A few months ago, I had a program that wouldn't complete but after a firmware update, it started to work properly.

Watching on the dvr there was a 'glitch' in the video that was probably causing the problem.


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## ejjames

BBM3 said:


> I think the best of both Sling and Nomad is Vulkano.
> The Lava and Blast will give you total control of your DVR including recording and playback, stream live over wi-fi or 3G as well as save / transcode recordings to your mobile device.
> 
> Plus you can record and transcode to your mobile device outside of your home network.
> 
> I have been using a legacy model (Platinum) with a 500gb esata drive attached for about two years and have never had a problem.
> 
> Video quality is near HD. I can read the CNBC scroll even on an iPhone.
> 
> (Monsoon sells refurbished legacy Delux Pro units with 500gb drives on eBay).


I love the vulkano! I use it after being a longtime slingbox user. The vulkano seems to be much more reliable when streamed remotely. It encodes using h.264.

This a vulkano screenshot...local streamed wifi 1080i component, vulkano output @ 720x480.


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## JAYPB

dennisj00 said:


> A few months ago, I had a program that wouldn't complete but after a firmware update, it started to work properly.
> 
> Watching on the dvr there was a 'glitch' in the video that was probably causing the problem.


You're definitely onto something there. I had 2 separate "discoveries" recently when trying to diagnose just WHY shows would go through the "preparing" stage--sometimes almost FULLY preparing (i.e. 1 minute left) and then it would start preparing again.

First issue: As above in one of my original posts, I had one series (on an out of market RSN) that was working fine for the first week of the shows airing. Then all of a sudden it would get to the point where it would almost FULLY prepare each episode...and then...poof....start from the beginning again. I sat down to watch a few of the episodes (that I couldn't get onto my iphone/netbook) on my TV to figure out WTF was up. Turns out at the end of almost EVERYONE (i.e AFTER the show actually ended and the next show was starting) a black box popped up in the bottom right hand corner of the screen stating that the following show was blacked out---so I'm guessing the nomad read that information and would NOT finish downloading the showing.

Second issue: I had one episode of a show that WOULD prepare for about 20-30 seconds and immediately stop. I sat down to watch that show...and as you said above, there was a visual "glitch" on the screen for about 1-2 minutes---possibly a thunderstorm came through...thus screwing up the recording for only a few minutes---but it must throw off the nomad and make it stop preparing.

It's a shame that there's no way for the nomad to TELL YOU why it won't finish downloading or for some on screen prompt to pop up telling you that the recording has some issues and therefore can not prepare/download.

I can only imagine how many people just take the Nomad and return it or will do nothing but complain about how it's a piece of junk--instead of understanding (easily) just WHY a particular show/episode/channel isn't working properly on the preparation/downloading stages.


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## The Merg

@jaypb:

That's a good problem analysis there. Make sure to post that in the nomad issues thread so the powers-that-be see your issue and what might be causing it.

- Merg


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## trh

JAYPB said:


> Turns out at the end of almost EVERYONE (i.e AFTER the show actually ended and the next show was starting) a black box popped up in the bottom right hand corner of the screen stating that the following show was blacked out---so I'm guessing the nomad read that information and would NOT finish downloading the showing.


Great observation. I was having problems last season (Hockey) trying to get games I recorded to my Nomad. They were all live games, so I added the 30 minutes. And since the Center Ice (CI) channels are 'mirrors' of RSNs that I don't subscribe too, I'm wondering if this was causing my problem. I had the same issue: goes through the whole transcoding, only to start all over each time. I never noticed the 'not subscribed' box though because I never watched those shows in their entirety.

Several calls to DirecTV and working through Case Management, they told me CI had been coded as PPV and that was causing my problem.

But I like your reasoning better.


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## JAYPB

I went ahead and reposted the possibility of glitching/end of show "blackouts" as a reasoning for why several of my recordings would not finish preparing.

Thanks for the nudge in the right direction guys!

:grin:


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