# DIRECTV nomad PC version 1.01.40 and iOS version 1.0: Issues/Discussion



## Stuart Sweet

This is the official issues/discussion thread for the initial release of nomad.

PC version 1.01.40 download link
iOS version 1.0 download link

nomad™ First Look
nomad™ Manual
nomad™ Quick Start Guide

_We ask that you keep polite and focused within this thread, and post as much detail as possible.

Being part of the DBSTalk community means working together to help each other document issues and come up with solutions. While everyone gets upset from time to time, this is not the appropriate place for vents or rants. All off-topic posts and discussion will be deleted.

Thanks!_


----------



## Steve

jmf243 said:


> 2. It would be nice if the apps would have an "On Nomad" tab which lists the prepared shows. As it is now, you can click on a show that was already prepared for another device and download it from the Nomad but there is no way to see all of the previously prepared shows.


When you're in DVR playlist view, select "Filters", "Ready for Download". That should show you all files on the Nomad ready to copy that have not yet been downloaded to your client device.


----------



## Steve

Running the 1.0 PC client under Windows XP (laptop). Was working fine yesterday. Today, I get an "account activation" error screen when I try to start it up. Tried "re-try" and "restart", but neither worked.

*EDITED TO ADD:* Just fired up my Windows 7 client (desktop PC), and the started-up as expected.


----------



## Laxguy

Steve said:


> When you're in DVR playlist view, select "Filters", "Ready for Download". That should show you all files on the Nomad ready to copy not yet downloaded to your client device.


Do you mean it should immediately show such a list when you select the Ready option in the dialog rather than pressing Done to get to the list? 
If that isn't doable for some reason, and two button presses are needed, changing the Done button to "Select" would be more intuitive.


----------



## Laxguy

When you select a program to move onto the iPad, it correctly shows a message, "Preparing". But that page is usually dismissed quickly as one goes to look for others to d/l. So, I am suggesting that the dialog box at the bottom of the main page of both the DVR and iPad be changed from just "Downloading" to "Downloading/Preparing". That should obviate a bunch of questions from newbies.


----------



## Steve

Laxguy said:


> Do you mean it should immediately show such a list when you select the Ready option in the dialog rather than pressing Done to get to the list?
> If that isn't doable for some reason, and two button presses are needed, changing the Done button to "Select" would be more intuitive.


Correct. On the iOS client, you have to press "Done" to activate the selected filter. On the PC client, just selecting the filter is enough.


----------



## mikeharden

Just ordered Nomad and I am pleading that a WP7 (Windows Phone 7) App is made. I love the WP7 Directv App for telling my receivers to record, now we need a WP7 app for Nomad. There are some that do not like or use iPhone....


----------



## Davenlr

mikeharden said:


> Just ordered Nomad and I am pleading that a WP7 (Windows Phone 7) App is made. I love the WP7 Directv App for telling my receivers to record, now we need a WP7. There are some that do not like or use iPhone....


+1. Loving my Samsung Focus


----------



## bobnielsen

mikeharden said:


> Just ordered Nomad and I am pleading that a WP7 (Windows Phone 7) App is made. I love the WP7 Directv App for telling my receivers to record, now we need a WP7. There are some that do not like or use iPhone....


Likewise, clients for Android and OS X are needed.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

bobnielsen said:


> Likewise, clients for Android and OS X are needed.


Clients for Android and MAC are listed as "coming soon" on the DirecTV website.

I have not read anywhere anything about WebOS or Windows Phone 7 being supported.


----------



## KenW

Forgot to mention, I dropped an email to DirecTV, and they sent me the nomad FedEx tracking number. Not sure why they make it so hard. FedEx shows 2nd day service from Atlanta.


----------



## Diana C

bobnielsen said:


> Likewise, clients for Android and OS X are needed.


Those are being worked on, according to the Nomad page.

I have noticed a couple of issues with the iPhone client (running on an iPad 1 with iOS 4.3.5):

I have 3 DVRs and a long playlist (over 100 titles). One DVR in particular has a very long list. To make scrolling easier, I sometimes "hide" that DVR. When I do, it's playlist sometimes is hidden, sometimes not. When it is not, trying to select a program on the "hidden" DVR instantly updates the playlist correctly.

When I try to "enable" a hidden DVR, it's playlist is usually not added to the Nomad app unless I exit the app and restart it.

This is after waiting for the "loading" to complete.


----------



## Mike_TV

Mine came via FedEx on Saturday. I'm running both the PC and iOS client on Windows 7 x64 and an iPod Touch 32GB respectively. Both seem be working fine.

Does anyone know if the clients need to be up and running the whole time for the "preparing" step? I'm hoping you can kick off a bunch of jobs to prepare/transcode, put your PC to sleep or exit out of the iOS app and then come back later to do the download.


----------



## jmf243

Steve said:


> Running the 1.0 PC client under Windows XP (laptop). Was working fine yesterday. Today, I get an "account activation" error screen when I try to start it up. Tried "re-try" and "restart", but neither worked.
> 
> *EDITED TO ADD:* Just fired up my Windows 7 client (desktop PC), and the started-up as expected.


This happened to me also on a Win 7 laptop. Uninstalling and reinstalling the software fixed the issue for me.


----------



## jmf243

Mike_TV said:


> Mine came via FedEx on Saturday. I'm running both the PC and iOS client on Windows 7 x64 and an iPod Touch 32GB respectively. Both seem be working fine.
> 
> Does anyone know if the clients need to be up and running the whole time for the "preparing" step? I'm hoping you can kick off a bunch of jobs to prepare/transcode, put your PC to sleep or exit out of the iOS app and then come back later to do the download.


Client does not need to be up for preparing stage, only downloading stage.


----------



## fluffybear

IOS 4.3.5
Nomad

Unable to activate iOS Device

I have spent the last 2 hours trying to activate a iOS device with Nomad. I have spent the last hour (maybe even 2) on the phone with DirecTV who can nto seem to figure it out either.

Configuration:

1) Nomad is plugged directly into the router
2) Nomad updated it's firmware yesterday and ALL lights are SOLID BLUE
3) The connection light on the back is BLINKING GREEN


I have installed the lastest iOS app from Apple Store
I have logged into DirecTV.COM from the device
I have received a message informing me that my device has not yet been activated and that I have 5 available licenses

After pressing Activate iOS device, I wait about 10 minutes and then I am presented with an error message 'Activation Failed' and that I am missing one or more system requirements with an error code of AR/1001 in the bottom right hand corner. 

What I have done so far:

1) I have double checked that the nomad is connected correctly to the router
2) I have confirmed that all of the HD DVR's are visible on the network
3) I have verified that the Nomad is visible on the network
4) I have verified that the iOS device is visible on the network
5) I have performed both types of reset (3 second and 30 second RBR) on the Nomad
6) I have re-installed the iOS app.
7) I have verified that NOMAD Service is active on my DirecTV account
8) I have changed out the ethernet cable
9) I have moved the Nomad to different ports on the router

Any suggestions would be appreciated


----------



## dennisj00

Clients don't have to be up but you may have to restart downloading of the selected programs.


----------



## Laxguy

By any chance is there an apostrophe in your device's name? If so, change the name slightly, omitting everything but characters and numbers.

In the folder that holds apps for iDevices, what version number(s) are present? Look under both Nomad and DIRECTV nomad.


----------



## fluffybear

Laxguy said:


> By any chance is there an apostrophe in your device's name? If so, change the name slightly, omitting everything but characters and numbers.


removed any space and dashes - now using the following names

IPHONE4
IPODTOUCH

Still no luck


----------



## Laxguy

fluffybear said:


> removed any space and dashes - now using the following names
> 
> IPHONE4
> IPODTOUCH
> 
> Still no luck


Dang! One more little thing occurred to me: When registering hit Done, not Sign In.(or whatever the language)... hoping.....


----------



## TheJackal

All these people getting their nomads. I ordered the first day. I just accepted the fact that I probably needed to wait until Monday. I'm watching the game and the wife just yelled down to me "Are you gonna open those directv packages that gave been sitting in the foyer?" WHAT???? yup. My nomad has been sitting here for at least a day without my knowledge.


----------



## jmf243

I'd like to make a request for the iOS app. Allow multitasking so that the app can have shows downloaded to it while you're working in other apps.


----------



## Laxguy

jmf243 said:


> I'd like to make a request for the iOS app. Allow multitasking so that the app can have shows downloaded to it while you're working in other apps.


That'd be nice! I guess it will come, as it doesn't seem out of bounds as far as I understand Apple's rulz. (Which is cursory at best).

Sounds like you're aware that you can set a bunch of "preps"- and then download the bunch later. Downloading takes way less time than the encoding.


----------



## Laxguy

TheJackal said:


> All these people getting their nomads. I ordered the first day. I just accepted the fact that I probably needed to wait until Monday. I'm watching the game and the wife just yelled down to me "Are you gonna open those directv packages that gave been sitting in the foyer?" WHAT???? yup. My nomad has been sitting here for at least a day without my knowledge.


OMG! Packages, as in plural nomads? How many?? Or are you getting a new receiver or so...?


----------



## TheJackal

No. Just one nomad. I just unboxed it. I also need to confess that I previously exclaimed that the "jailbroken devices being unsupported" is a dealbreaker. I guess it was just a deal-delayer as I ordered just before midnight on the first day. The other boxes were deca units because my MRV setup needed to be a "supported" configuration with the nomad. The decas were free. As is the hddvr I'm expecting tomorrow to replace an r15. (R15 does not work with a supported MRV setup so they HAD to replace the r15). A truck is coming tomorrow am with the dvr. They credited me the $50 tech visit. Hopefully he just hands me a HR24 and can go on his way.


----------



## fluffybear

Laxguy said:


> Dang! One more little thing occurred to me: When registering hit Done, not Sign In.(or whatever the language)... hoping.....


hitting either one brings me to same screen informing me that I have 5 activations left.
At that point, pressing 'Activate iOS' device causes the unit to begin the activation process and then after 10 minutes, it craps out..
Supposedly, DirecTV is suppose to have someone from Engineering call me tomorrow afternoon to discuss the issue further.


----------



## R8ders2K

Just ordered mine, but it wasn't what I expected... 

So, can't wait!


----------



## Alanjudy

Got my nomad on Friday and put it through the ringer. Overall setup was easy, they have made things pretty idiot proof. 

What did disappoint me was the quality which I hope improves. I know the iPad is not fully supported, but I hope there is better resolution support when the iPad support is finally available. On the PC I felt the picture quality was poor and not watchable. When you compare the quality of other services (streaming - hulu, Netflix -- non streaming iTunes, Amazon) I felt the picture quality from the nomad was worse than these. ITunes in particular with HD options offers substancial better quality. For the iPhone quality was fine, because even though the retina display supports high resolution, the picture size hides much of the flaws in encoding.


----------



## Steve

Alanjudy said:


> What did disappoint me was the quality which I hope improves. I know the iPad is not fully supported, but I hope there is better resolution support when the iPad support is finally available. On the PC I felt the picture quality was poor and not watchable.


Were you converting SD or HD shows? I found that SD conversions played back on the larger PC screens are the worst quality. As you probably know, DirecTV SD is pretty compressed to begin with, and recompressing it results in even more loss of detail.

For HD originals, I think the parameters they chose deliver very good quality at reasonable file sizes up to the iPad's 9.7" screen. Go any bigger, say a 12"-15" laptop screen, or a 19" desktop screen, and you will see compression artifacts, especially if you're looking at the picture as close as a foot or two away.

FWIW, I posted a couple of my iPad screen grabs here.


----------



## Mike_TV

I've found the my first program that refuses to transcode or prepare and therefore won't download to any of my registered devices. It is the following...

*HDNet Test Pattern 10 min 0 sec recorded from HDN 5/30/2009 6:30a*

This is a short, ten minute, set of HD test patterns that HDNet would run ocassionaly. Many of us on DBStalk would record it, save it and use it to calibrate an HDTV.

From the Nomad client it just sits there saying "WAITING TO PREPARE" and never finishes. I've let it sit overnight and nothing happens.

I'm wondering if it has to do something with it being ten minutes or maybe it's age?

Anyone else run into this issue or other programs that refuse to prepare or download?


----------



## Diana C

Mike_TV said:


> I've found the my first program that refuses to transcode or prepare and therefore won't download to any of my registered devices. It is the following...
> 
> *HDNet Test Pattern 10 min 0 sec recorded from HDN 5/30/2009 6:30a*....


My Test Pattern recording is from 6/23/2009...channel 79 - that was still MPEG2 days, IIRC.


----------



## Steve

I had no problems transcoding HDNet Test pattern. That said, if there are any dropouts or "glitches" in the original recording due to signal problems, I've found that Nomad will sometimes get stuck transcoding files that the HRs are still able to play back.

What's still a work in progress, IMHO, is Nomad's ability to (a) report that it _can't_ transcode a file for whatever reason and (b) at some point "time-out" that transcode attempt, so it can continue to transcode other files that may be queued for conversion. Right now, the only work-around I've found is to manually cancel that "stuck" transcode.


----------



## dconfer

I just ordered one and when I got the email this was stated inside the email.
Service Commitment. You're set to receive the best in TV entertainment for 24 months as stated in your agreement.

Does this reset the commintment?


----------



## Mike_TV

dconfer said:


> I just ordered one and when I got the email this was stated inside the email.
> Service Commitment. You're set to receive the best in TV entertainment for 24 months as stated in your agreement.
> 
> Does this reset the commintment?


No. There was an error in the original confirmation email that erroneously stated a monthly fee and a 24 month commitment. Neither are correct. The Nomad is yours to keep after purchase with no monthly fee or contract requirements.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

Mike_TV said:


> No. *There was an error in the original confirmation email that erroneously stated a monthly fee and a 24 month commitment. Neither are correct.* The Nomad is yours to keep after purchase with no monthly fee or contract requirements.


Thanks for that post - it clarifies things for many reading this thread.


----------



## MichaelM84

Some more feedback from my Nomad Weekend Torture Test:

1. Preparing shares some of the unit's bandwidth with actual downloading: Downloading is significantly slower (roughly 2-3x greater download time) if prep is still going on in the background. 

2. After downloading about 7 or 8 shows, the prep and download progress windows vanished on the iPhone client. Hard iPhone reset did not help. Cycling the power on the Nomad restored the progress bars. I suppose this is not a surprise, considering we're working with v1.0 FW.

3. Speaking of cycling the power: Auto-download resumes automatically after power cycling . Nice.

4. Do not check your sports scores on the iPhone in the middle of a download.  You will have to re-start the download.

5. Watched a show on the iPad last night -- just because I could! Put down the iPad without closing the app, and work up this morning to a dead iPad. The app cancels autolock, even when a video is not running. So, be advised... On the flip side, it DOES mean that you can select your shows for prep and downloading at night, and wake up to find them nicely ready to go on the iPad in the AM -- provided you leave it plugged in to the charger.

6. Launch time for the app is a problem. Timed minutes ago on a freshly-booted iPhone 3GS: 2 minutes, 25 seconds to launch the app. Note that the default app behavior is for the app to launch and show the Playlist on all DVR's -- and I have 3 MRV units with healthy Playlists. No, it's not my network -- download for a 30-minute show is just over 4 minutes. Only way around so far is to exit the app, turn of WiFi, and relaunch, showing only the locally stored videos. The app launches in less than 5 seconds with WiFi off.

7. No way that I can see to directly select from which DVR a program should be downloaded -- because I am lazy I have the same programs (in some instances) being recorded on multiple DVR's, but they only appear once in the download list. Using the "DVR Playlist" feature can serve this purpose -- but it all the Playlist refreshing after making changes takes time.

8. Even with the Nomad crunching away at prepping a list of programs, I did not detect any slowdown on the DVR's while watching TV -- the upside of the real-time prep is a relatively low overhead load on the serving DVR. 

9. Programs already prepped and stored on the Nomad can immediately be downloaded to another device. HOWEVER, I don't see a way to identify which programs have already been prepped -- the Playlist listing is identical to the non-prepped programs, and the app immediately goes to the "downloading" section.

10. Still happy with video quality -- some artifacting is visible, but I'm pleased with the quality / size balance. I'd like to see a size-per-video option to help manage iPhone / iPad storage.


Question for the group: Anyone know what the FRONT USB is for? Manual sez additional storage should be connected to the REAR USB.


Thanks,

Michael in Michigan


----------



## Steve

MichaelM84 said:


> 4. Do not check your sports scores on the iPhone in the middle of a download.  You will have to re-start the download.


Roger that. Unfortunately, this is not an app that Apple allows to do any background multitasking, like apps that play audio. (I could be wrong, but I assume this is an Apple issue, and not a Nomad issue.)



> 5. Watched a show on the iPad last night -- just because I could! Put down the iPad without closing the app, and work up this morning to a dead iPad. The app cancels autolock, even when a video is not running. So, be advised...


Had the same experience with the iPad, but not my iPod Touch. I downloaded a few shows overnight on both, and in the morning, the iPad was on the same screen I left it, at full screen brightness. Fortunately it was plugged in. OTOH, the iPod Touch was locked and asleep. When I unlocked it, it was on the home screen. So the app closed, but not before it downloaded the files I expected it to. :up:



> On the flip side, it DOES mean that you can select your shows for prep and downloading at night, and wake up to find them nicely ready to go on the iPad in the AM -- provided you leave it plugged in to the charger.


Yes. Works the same for the PC client as well, as long as you leave it running. If you want the same overnight transcodes on multiple devices, be sure you select those shows for download on each device you want them on, otherwise they'll just auto-copy to the device that originally requested them.



> 6. Launch time for the app is a problem. Timed minutes ago on a freshly-booted iPhone 3GS: 2 minutes, 25 seconds to launch the app. Note that the default app behavior is for the app to launch and show the Playlist on all DVR's -- and I have 3 MRV units with healthy Playlists.


I sometimes see overly long start-up times as well. Not sure why the time varies. That said, the _quickest _I've ever booted up and seen my 3 HRs unified playlist on an iOS device is about 50 seconds, so still a considerable wait.


----------



## dennisj00

MichaelM84 said:


> Some more feedback from my Nomad Weekend Torture Test:
> 
> 9. Programs already prepped and stored on the Nomad can immediately be downloaded to another device. HOWEVER, I don't see a way to identify which programs have already been prepped -- the Playlist listing is identical to the non-prepped programs, and the app immediately goes to the "downloading" section.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Michael in Michigan


Be sure to check the 'Ready to Download' Filter on either client.

It shows you programs on Nomad that are ready AND not on your device.


----------



## xzi

jmf243 said:


> I'd like to make a request for the iOS app. Allow multitasking so that the app can have shows downloaded to it while you're working in other apps.


Came here to say exactly this. Background downloading is a must for iOS apps at this point. I'll survive in the meantime but this will quickly get old having to leave the open for an hour and avoid phone calls to get new content on it. 

Something like iTunes WiFi Sync will be perfect--automatically download new content every time it's plugged in and on the WiFi.


----------



## xzi

Steve said:


> Roger that. Unfortunately, this is not an app that Apple allows to do any background multitasking, like apps that play audio. (I could be wrong, but I assume this is an Apple issue, and not a Nomad issue.)


That hasn't been the case since iOS version 3. You can now background anything you want--including downloading. The music-only backgrounding was a limitation before version 4 though.


----------



## xzi

MichaelM84 said:


> Put down the iPad without closing the app, and work up this morning to a dead iPad. The app cancels autolock, even when a video is not running. So, be advised... On the flip side, it DOES mean that you can select your shows for prep and downloading at night, and wake up to find them nicely ready to go on the iPad in the AM -- provided you leave it plugged in to the charger.


I think the ideal solution is like the new iOS WiFi Sync, auto-download in the background when on a charger and on WiFi only. Manual is all other cases. That will solve this issue--that and now forcing the lockout obviously.


----------



## mnordberg

MichaelM84 said:


> 8. Even with the Nomad crunching away at prepping a list of programs, I did not detect any slowdown on the DVR's while watching TV -- the upside of the real-time prep is a relatively low overhead load on the serving DVR.


Just got the Nomad about an hour ago and it does look like the impact on the network is noticeable. I have 2 HD DVRs connected via wireless and nomad connected via a switch with the wireless router and during the preparing step, it is about 7Mbit/sec of usage for an HD tv show. During the download step from Nomad to my PC it is about 10Mbit/sec of usage for the transcoded HD TV show.


----------



## Laxguy

Michael-

Fine report! 

The Ready to D/l dialog selection requires you to then select Done.
Many of us feel it should bump you right to the selection rather than hitting a non-obvious additional button.


----------



## Stuart Sweet

MichaelM84 said:


> 4. Do not check your sports scores on the iPhone in the middle of a download.  You will have to re-start the download.


The iOS device has to be in the foreground when content is downloading. There may be a way to work around this in the future but at the moment there is not.



> 5. Watched a show on the iPad last night -- just because I could! Put down the iPad without closing the app, and work up this morning to a dead iPad. The app cancels autolock, even when a video is not running. So, be advised... On the flip side, it DOES mean that you can select your shows for prep and downloading at night, and wake up to find them nicely ready to go on the iPad in the AM -- provided you leave it plugged in to the charger.


You can transcode without the iOS device being on, but you cannot download without it being on. So maybe set up a bunch of shows to transcode and lock the iOS device. Come back later and download what you need.

Alternately you can set up transcoding using the PC client and download to iOS when ready.



> Question for the group: Anyone know what the FRONT USB is for? Manual sez additional storage should be connected to the REAR USB.


I don't think it can be used for much at this time.


----------



## xarxa

Mike_TV said:


> I've found the my first program that refuses to transcode or prepare and therefore won't download to any of my registered devices. It is the following...
> 
> *HDNet Test Pattern 10 min 0 sec recorded from HDN 5/30/2009 6:30a*
> 
> This is a short, ten minute, set of HD test patterns that HDNet would run ocassionaly. Many of us on DBStalk would record it, save it and use it to calibrate an HDTV.
> 
> From the Nomad client it just sits there saying "WAITING TO PREPARE" and never finishes. I've let it sit overnight and nothing happens.
> 
> I'm wondering if it has to do something with it being ten minutes or maybe it's age?
> 
> Anyone else run into this issue or other programs that refuse to prepare or download?


This is the same problem I kept running into over the weekend using the iPhone app on my iPad 2. I finally got the Nomad to prepare and download some programs. However, for a few programs, the status bars would disappear and it would either just say "Waiting to Prepare" or stay in the Preparation column. I would leave it like this for several hours or even overnight and it wouldn't change or ever download to the iPad. I would cancel the recordings and quit the app and unplug the Nomad and try again, but eventually would get the same issue.

Any thoughts on what is causing this?

On a separate note, does anyone have any insight when the iPad-native app will get released?


----------



## Steve

xarxa said:


> This is the same problem I kept running into over the weekend using the iPhone app on my iPad 2. I finally got the Nomad to prepare and download some programs. However, for a few programs, the status bars would disappear and it would either just say "Waiting to Prepare" or stay in the Preparation column. I would leave it like this for several hours or even overnight and it wouldn't change or ever download to the iPad. I would cancel the recordings and quit the app and unplug the Nomad and try again, but eventually would get the same issue.


Two possible reasons come to mind. If someone in the house is watching any recording that is being served by the DVR the shows you are trying to transcode are on, Nomad will take a back seat until that DVR is no longer acting as a server to someone else. Since you went over night without being able to transcode, that's probably not the case. I would check to make sure you didn't leave a client STB in a "paused" state and turn the TV off, however.

Second reason is there's a satellite glitch in the recording that is causing the transcode to fail. E.g., Pixelation or drop-outs. I'd try playing back the recording to see if you can spot it. If you have a queue of recordings not processing, you'll need to manually cancel the "stuck" recording before Nomad will move on to the next recording. I'm hopeful this is an issue they'll address in a future release.


----------



## MikeW

I'm quite disappointed with the speed of this process. Looks like it is going to take 60 minutes to prepare a 60 minute show. I thought that adding a hardware device such as the nomad would have some positive effects. Why does it take so long? Is it going to get better?


----------



## dennisj00

Some of the CES reports from back in January indicated possibly 50% of realtime - an hour program in 30 minutes plus the download time. So maybe 40 minutes instead of 70 for an hour program.

But you really don't have to babysit the process. Start the download on a PC client or queue up several for overnight, leave the mobile devices connected to a charger and then grab and go the next morning.

If it's something you really want to have on a long trip, download it a day or so before your trip in case there's a glitch.

$150 still doesn't buy a lot of CPU power!


----------



## MikeW

Just read parts of "First Look" and see it is mentioned that it's real-time for processing. I should have more thouroughly read the manual. I'd kind-of expect this from a software app, but I honestly thought it would be a speedier process. I would like to have been able to dump a couple of movies down to my laptop. The amount of time this is going to take in preperation is considerable.

Maybe something to add to a wish list somewhere is to send a recording to Nomad when you set it up to record on the DVR.


----------



## Stuart Sweet

With movies, there isn't much you can do, but with series, you can set them to auto-download so they transcode right after they record.


----------



## David Ortiz

Titan25 said:


> My Test Pattern recording is from 6/23/2009...channel 79 - that was still MPEG2 days, IIRC.


Has anyone noticed that the scale for the overscan at the bottom of the screen is wrong? The main grid line is 8, so the two smaller lines below should be 6 and 4, but they are 8 and 6!


----------



## KenW

My nomad is at home waiting for me to return. I did notice on my DirecTV account, it shows an Activate button for my nomad. It's on the My Services tab under nomad mobile DVR. 

What's that about?


----------



## denpri

My nomad installation was relatively painless and everything seems to be working. I know the nomad "system" relies on the DVR playlist but it's too bad you can't also review & select from the "To Do" list to facilitate the download/prep process on programs that haven't been recorded yet. Example - Would like to "flag" tonight's MNF program (Bears v. Lions), have nomad wait until the recording is complete (or, better yet, start the download/prep process DURING the recording) and then complete the download/prep AND transfer to my Ipad 2 overnight. I could then leave on a trip the next morning without having to perform any additional steps and the lengthy download/prep process could be performed during overnight hours.

I did discover you can "manually" start the download/prep process from the client ONCE the recording begins (i.e., item appears on DVR playlist) but, in my example above, I would have to remember to access the client AFTER MNF begins later tonight. Another option would be to "expand" the DVR recording options once a nomad is detected on the network and allow this "flagging" process to be done at the DVR when you schedule the recording. This approach could also be expanded to allow a user to schedule a recording AND nomad download/prep from a remote location via their Ipad/Iphone/Android phone. When they return home, all they would have to do is run the nomad app and complete the device transfer process.


----------



## Laxguy

KenW said:



> My nomad is at home waiting for me to return. I did notice on my DirecTV account, it shows an Activate button for my nomad. It's on the My Services tab under nomad mobile DVR.
> 
> What's that about?


I'd be inclined to ignore it, as I doubt it does anything at all. But if the normal install and d/l and play doesn't work, well, then.....


----------



## markrogo

denpri said:


> My nomad installation was relatively painless and everything seems to be working. I know the nomad "system" relies on the DVR playlist but it's too bad you can't also review & select from the "To Do" list to facilitate the download/prep process on programs that haven't been recorded yet. Example - Would like to "flag" tonight's MNF program (Bears v. Lions), have nomad wait until the recording is complete (or, better yet, start the download/prep process DURING the recording) and then complete the download/prep AND transfer to my Ipad 2 overnight. I could then leave on a trip the next morning without having to perform any additional steps and the lengthy download/prep process could be performed during overnight hours.
> 
> I did discover you can "manually" start the download/prep process from the client ONCE the recording begins (i.e., item appears on DVR playlist) but, in my example above, I would have to remember to access the client AFTER MNF begins later tonight. Another option would be to "expand" the DVR recording options once a nomad is detected on the network and allow this "flagging" process to be done at the DVR when you schedule the recording. This approach could also be expanded to allow a user to schedule a recording AND nomad download/prep from a remote location via their Ipad/Iphone/Android phone. When they return home, all they would have to do is run the nomad app and complete the device transfer process.


That would massively increase the utility of Nomad, it seems to me. It would be best if you could just flag something directly on the DVR, but absent that, pre-informing Nomad would be middle ground.

I think if you could not do it on the DVR but could on the website/apps, scheduling new recordings any other way would start to become less common for Nomad owners -- it'd be too nice to be able to hit "Record this and get it ready for Nomad".


----------



## mcap42

Once I found out that the Nomad will download directly to the iPhone without the need for iTunes as a go-between, I decided I did not need the app on my PC anymore. However, I cannot find how to deactivate a device. Does anyone know how to do that?


----------



## NR4P

markrogo said:


> That would massively increase the utility of Nomad, it seems to me. It would be best if you could just flag something directly on the DVR, but absent that, pre-informing Nomad would be middle ground.


I like the idea. The DVR sees Nomad on the home network and when you select record on your remote, an additional choice to have it grabbed by Nomad at the end of the recording would be useful.


----------



## dennisj00

Remember, this is the first iteration of the software and there should be updates coming in the coming months. (and hopefully enhancements)

Your current options (pre-nomad) are to play a recording to a dvd-recorder and take that dvd with you on a laptop with very bad battery life or rip it the next day (mostly real-time) and copy that to the laptop or possibly the iPad or iPhone.

Several hours of manipulating things to get an hour of video on your mobile device.

nomad now turns that into a few clicks on the same mobile device.


----------



## PCampbell

Nomad setup fine and works well with my ipad. Downloaded the PC ver to my win7 machine and try to activate. I get a message unable to activate. If nomad is not setup correct it would not work with the ipad. Why is it our Apple products work and my Microsoft stuff dose not.


----------



## NR4P

PCampbell said:


> Nomad setup fine and works well with my ipad. Downloaded the PC ver to my win7 machine and try to activate. I get a message unable to activate. If nomad is not setup correct it would not work with the ipad. Why is it our Apple products work and my Microsoft stuff dose not.


Is the PC on the same router as the Nomad hardware? Not being fed by a separate switch or access point?

And did you try it with any firewall off, just for activation.


----------



## PCampbell

Connected to the same wifi as the ipad.


----------



## NR4P

PCampbell said:


> Connected to the same wifi as the ipad.


Seems strange.

In an earlier post, someone wrote that apostrophe's in client names are an issue. Is it like Campbell's PC ?

If so, can you rename it without the apostrophe?


----------



## PCampbell

Just letters. This PC will be replaced by a Mac soon. My wife got a Mac last year to replace her old laptop and I have not needed to help her or fix it once. That was something I did about every day with the old PC.


----------



## Laxguy

PCampbell said:


> Nomad setup fine and works well with my ipad. Downloaded the PC ver to my win7 machine and try to activate. I get a message unable to activate. If nomad is not setup correct it would not work with the ipad. Why is it our Apple products work and my Microsoft stuff dose not.


As an Apple fanatic, I will refrain from the obvious.....

But: It's the software on the client that also has to be "right" with the world. Yes, nomad is working for you, but..... There have been a number of cases where it's been working on one client and not the other in the same household.


----------



## xarxa

xarxa said:


> This is the same problem I kept running into over the weekend using the iPhone app on my iPad 2. I finally got the Nomad to prepare and download some programs. However, for a few programs, the status bars would disappear and it would either just say "Waiting to Prepare" or stay in the Preparation column. I would leave it like this for several hours or even overnight and it wouldn't change or ever download to the iPad. I would cancel the recordings and quit the app and unplug the Nomad and try again, but eventually would get the same issue.
> 
> Any thoughts on what is causing this?
> 
> On a separate note, does anyone have any insight when the iPad-native app will get released?


I was finally able to isolate that the issue I'm having is that the Nomad gets stuck on the "Waiting to Prepare" for any program that comes from one of my two DVR's.

I have a HR20-700 in my main room and a HR23-700 in my bedroom. Both are networked via DECA and the iPhone app on my iPad recognizes the playlists from both. I don't have the Whole Home DVR service activated, but both DVR's are set to allow external access - my understanding is that you don't have to subscribe to the Whole Home DVR service for Nomad to work.

However, none of the programs on my HR23-700 will prepare (and therefore not download). When I select a program from my HR23-700, it starts out okay and shows a status bar with how much time is left in preparation for about 1-2 minutes. Then, the status bar disappears and it goes back to the "Waiting to Prepare" status where nothing happens and it never gets prepared or ready to download. I reset my HR23-700 and power cycled the Nomad to no avail.

Programs from my HR20-700 work just fine with no issue in preparing and downloading.

What am I doing wrong here? Any thoughts or insight you can share would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## R8ders2K

Can the nomad be connected to the extra ethernet port on the back of a HR-23?


----------



## bslayton

I can't believe how fast it arrived! 

One issue is that downloading it to my Vista Laptop kills the wireless connection. It will download for about 5 to 10 minutes before the notebook disconnects from the wireless network. I have not tried a hard wire yet but will give that a shot tomorrow. As soon as the wife gives me time on the notebook!  

However, downloaded the IOS app to my IPAD and that worked fine. Downloaded my 1 hour show in about 10 to 15 minutes. 

Great idea! I hope they have the full IPAD version ready by the time I go on a 14 hour flight next month! 

b.


----------



## markrogo

dennisj00 said:


> Remember, this is the first iteration of the software and there should be updates coming in the coming months. (and hopefully enhancements)
> 
> Your current options (pre-nomad) are to play a recording to a dvd-recorder and take that dvd with you on a laptop with very bad battery life or rip it the next day (mostly real-time) and copy that to the laptop or possibly the iPad or iPhone.
> 
> Several hours of manipulating things to get an hour of video on your mobile device.
> 
> nomad now turns that into a few clicks on the same mobile device.


Yes. Is it OK if every suggestion for improvement isn't followed by this disclaimer, as well? I'm not singling you out, but the same exact thing happened in the previous Nomad thread -- now closed.

If we are allowed to have discussions about future features we might iterate on them and, lo, DirecTV might actually implement them in ways that are fantastic and amazing and even beyond our imagination. The very discussion might benefit the product designers/developers. If every time someone suggests something and someone dares approve of the idea or suggest a small way to make that better there's an effort to shut that down with a "this is 1.0" comment, then we don't get to contriibute -- or really even talk about it.

If we need another thread to talk about the future, that's fine. But please, can we not be automatically shot down every time we dare to?


----------



## litzdog911

R8ders2K said:


> Can the nomad be connected to the extra ethernet port on the back of a HR-23?


No, not if that HR23 is part of your Whole Home DVR network. And even then it's not recommended.


----------



## bones boy

Loving nomad so far! Going on a trip this weekend and going to watch 2 movies that have been in my playlist for some time! 

Is there any way to check remaining capacity on the nomad? I hooked up a 1TB SATA drive via USB enclosure to the nomad just to see if it would work (and it did, brought up a cool little notification in the Windows client saying that it detected an external drive and asked me if I wanted to format it and use it) but there doesn't seem to be a way to check remaining space...

One suggestion for developers - don't alphabetize movies that start with "The" under "T". That's just silly.


----------



## markrogo

bones boy said:


> One suggestion for developers - don't alphabetize movies that start with "The" under "T". That's just silly.


I agree it's silly. It is consistent with the DVRs though.


----------



## dennisj00

Check usage and capacity of nomad under Help / System Info.


----------



## denpri

dennisj00 said:


> Check usage and capacity of nomad under Help / System Info.


Minor installation issue - Didn't check whether the external hard drive was recognized until this morning and discovered nomad didn't see the external drive yesterday as part of the initial bootup & firmware update. When I disconnected/reconnected the USB cable this morning, I immediately received the "Format?" message on the iPad client app and it now shows 2TB as "Available Storage".

Suggestion - When you perform the initial installation, do NOT connect an external hard drive. Wait until the initial bootup (&, if necessary, any firmware update) process is complete, you've installed the appropriate client app(s) and completed the activation process. THEN connect an external drive and it should be recognized.


----------



## Stuart Sweet

Mike_TV said:


> I've found the my first program that refuses to transcode or prepare and therefore won't download to any of my registered devices. It is the following...
> 
> *HDNet Test Pattern 10 min 0 sec recorded from HDN 5/30/2009 6:30a*
> 
> This is a short, ten minute, set of HD test patterns that HDNet would run ocassionaly. Many of us on DBStalk would record it, save it and use it to calibrate an HDTV.
> 
> From the Nomad client it just sits there saying "WAITING TO PREPARE" and never finishes. I've let it sit overnight and nothing happens.
> 
> I'm wondering if it has to do something with it being ten minutes or maybe it's age?
> 
> Anyone else run into this issue or other programs that refuse to prepare or download?


It should not have anything to do with the length of the recording or its age. There are a lot of factors that can cause this problem. If you have an iOS device AND a PC, see if you get the same issue on both. If it is just on one, it could be an issue of network latency or virus/firewall settings on the PC.


----------



## AndrewSi

A big +1 on the slow iPhone app startup time - particularly if you're connected to some wifi network other than the Nomad's home network. I timed app startup at 3 minutes 50 sec, when all I wanted to do was launch and watch a video I already had on the device! Turn wifi off (unacceptable workaround) and startup is reduced to eight seconds.

Other than that, it has been a pretty painless Out of the Box Experience, though, which is refreshing. (I had no apostrophes to screw it up.)


----------



## markrogo

AndrewSi said:


> A big +1 on the slow iPhone app startup time - particularly if you're connected to some wifi network other than the Nomad's home network. I timed app startup at 3 minutes 50 sec, when all I wanted to do was launch and watch a video I already had on the device! Turn wifi off (unacceptable workaround) and startup is reduced to eight seconds.
> 
> Other than that, it has been a pretty painless Out of the Box Experience, though, which is refreshing. (I had no apostrophes to screw it up.)


So it's looking for the original network maybe while you're on some other network. And taking a good long while to time out internally perhaps. That seems like an easy thing to fix in a future rev: "Stop looking for Nomad/home net when Wifi network ID != Home network ID". (It would cache the ID the first time when you are loading content.)


----------



## xzi

markrogo said:


> So it's looking for the original network maybe while you're on some other network. And taking a good long while to time out internally perhaps. That seems like an easy thing to fix in a future rev: "Stop looking for Nomad/home net when Wifi network ID != Home network ID". (It would cache the ID the first time when you are loading content.)


Doesn't seem to be the case. Mine starts up way faster at work, on WiFi but outside my home. The only time it's slow is when I'm home and actually on the WiFi.


----------



## xzi

I noticed the other day with iOS 5 using iCloud backups that the Nomad app incorrectly considers all the videos as "app data". As such, it will attempt to back them ALL up to the cloud if you enable iCloud Backups.

So tomorrow when people start upgrading and iClouding, you may get an error that the next backup it too large and it will ask that you pay up for more storage. Here's a better way:

Settings > iCloud > Storage and Backup > Manage Storage > This Phone > Backup Options : Nomad : OFF


----------



## dennisj00

Yes, nomad videos are not considered 'videos' in the iPhone / iPad tally of usage.

Outside of nomad, these videos are useless data.


----------



## TheJackal

Originally, I was ok with the 5 device limit. Now it is starting to piss me off. In our house we have 3 laptops, 2 ipads, and 3 iphones. Why do I have to pick and choose?


----------



## Laxguy

dennisj00 said:


> Yes, nomad videos are not considered 'videos' in the iPhone / iPad tally of usage.
> 
> Outside of nomad, these videos are useless data.


D'ya mean data usage? Boy, they damn well better not count against it! 

I got stung in Canada for "data"- was largely map downloading, as I don't generally stream video, and read only some email.

And backing this up? Since I have the orignal on the DVR, a copy on Nomad, I don't need further backing up, thanks, Apple. And thanks for the heads up, xzi.
I am already on the cloud for Contacts and Calendar, have been for several years, but don't think I want to back up other stuff as most is on computer, which in turn is backed up. Or maybe I am missing a trick here.....?


----------



## PCampbell

What is needed to get Nomad to work with win7. Works with ipad great.
Letters only in name.
2G ram
lots of free disk space
DVRS and network connected to internet 16mbs
turned off firewall no help.


----------



## dennisj00

No data usage, just program data - useless outside of nomad.


----------



## dennisj00

PCampbell said:


> What is needed to get Nomad to work with win7. Works with ipad great.
> Letters only in name.
> 2G ram
> lots of free disk space
> DVRS and network connected to internet 16mbs
> turned off firewall no help.


What's your anti-virus? You might try temporarily turning that off.

And what error are you getting from the client?


----------



## xzi

dennisj00 said:


> Yes, nomad videos are not considered 'videos' in the iPhone / iPad tally of usage.
> 
> Outside of nomad, these videos are useless data.


True, but I don't think that would be necessary for this to work right either. Slacker can cache gigs of offline data that aren't considered for iCloud backups so I believe DIRECTV can fix this issue if they choose.


----------



## xzi

Laxguy said:


> D'ya mean data usage? Boy, they damn well better not count against it!
> 
> I got stung in Canada for "data"- was largely map downloading, as I don't generally stream video, and read only some email.
> 
> And backing this up? Since I have the orignal on the DVR, a copy on Nomad, I don't need further backing up, thanks, Apple. And thanks for the heads up, xzi.
> I am already on the cloud for Contacts and Calendar, have been for several years, but don't think I want to back up other stuff as most is on computer, which in turn is backed up. Or maybe I am missing a trick here.....?


If you start using iCloud, I think the default is to NOT use the new backup feature over the cellular network so you should be OK with data usage even if you do leave the new iCloud backup feature on for Nomad.

The other new iCloud features all use the cellular network so unrelated to Nomad might still be something to keep an eye on with iOS5. I know when I started using it about a month ago (I'm a Developer) I got my first ever overage charge


----------



## dennisj00

There's probably a difference in the cache dataspace than the application dataspace. For example the cache of Pandora or Netflix is transient, where the pdfs, videos or others in GoodReader are useful data.

At some point, you might have to mark files that need to go to the cloud.


----------



## PCampbell

Tried turning off antivirus same result.
Says I am missing requirements go to web Directv site. Site is no help.
If I am missing requirements why does it work on ipad and what else does it need.


----------



## pooch215

Is there a way to restart from where you left off when watching a program on the iphone. I was watching something today and had to leave the app to check on something. when i got back into the app, it started from the beginning. really annoying when you don't watch everything in one sitting.


----------



## dennisj00

PCampbell said:


> Tried turning off antivirus same result.
> Says I am missing requirements go to web Directv site. Site is no help.
> If I am missing requirements why does it work on ipad and what else does it need.


Do you remember anything about needing .Net installed?

I'd un-install (all options) and re-install.


----------



## Steve

dennisj00 said:


> Do you remember anything about needing .Net installed?


Nice catch, Dennis! That might be it. It was so long ago I had to install it, I completely forgot about .Net. I think it was _.Net Framework 4 Extended_ that I needed.

Hopefully that's PCampbell's solution.


----------



## irlspotter

OK, got my Nomad and started downloading to my Windows 7 PC. The PC shows a folder with three of the shows I downloaded, it shows expiration date - bit no date recorded. How do I know which one was originally recorded when? So I can watch the episodes in the order in which they were recorded.


----------



## PCampbell

.net 4 installed when I started the Nomad install.


----------



## dennisj00

irlspotter said:


> OK, got my Nomad and started downloading to my Windows 7 PC. The PC shows a folder with three of the shows I downloaded, it shows expiration date - bit no date recorded. How do I know which one was originally recorded when? So I can watch the episodes in the order in which they were recorded.


I checked several folders on my Win7 client and both the original air date and record date are shown . Double click on the folder.


----------



## dennisj00

PCampbell said:


> .net 4 installed when I started the Nomad install.


You might try un-installing it and starting the install completely over. Something didn't.

Edit: Just checked, I have .Net Framework 4 Extended and Client Profile installed


----------



## PCampbell

Uninstalled Nomad, Updated windows and re booted.
Reinstalled Nomad same thing.


----------



## PCampbell

I think I will watch the Tigers and try later.


----------



## litzdog911

A few folks in the DirecTV Support Forum have reported this PC installation/activation error ....

_the error message is 4-2010-1
"You are missing one or more system requirements to activate your Nomad. Please refer to the Quickstart Guide etc for more information."_

Anybody seen this before? Solution?

http://forums.directv.com/pe/action...PostID=10954431&channelID=1&portalPageId=1002


----------



## willmw

Same error on my wife's Win7 laptop. So far, no luck finding the problem/solution.

To update: Works fine on my 4 year old Vista laptop as well as my first generation ipad.


----------



## PCampbell

Same here, glad I am not the only one.


----------



## swyman18

Not sure if this will help with the folks having Windows 7 issues, but I always make sure I choose to run the install package "as Administrator". And, I also launch the app "as Administrator". I always have to click through the User Account Control box, but I very rarely have issues installing software on Windows 7 this way. Probably overkill in some cases.


----------



## KenW

Has anyone run nomad with an IOS 5 beta?


----------



## swyman18

"KenW" said:


> Has anyone run nomad with an IOS 5 beta?


I am. Seems to work fine.


----------



## xzi

swyman18 said:


> I am. Seems to work fine.


Same here, no issues.


----------



## MikeW

I don't know how you guys have the patience for this product. I installed the app on my wife's phone this evening at 5:15 and started to download an episode of 48 hours and a auto-transfer of People's Court. It's now 7:45 and the episode of 48 hours still has 10 minutes to download and the first People's Court has 50 minutes left to process. There also does not appear to be a method to display exactly what is in the queue of the nomad, nor is there any way to see what programs may already be ready to download from a previous "processing" event...such as items I downloaded to a different device.

I am also experiencing the Windows 7 install error that PCampbell has experienced. In total, I've played with this for 1 1/2 days over 4 devices and all I have is one CSI on my home PC, which will never leave the house.

On the other hand, I had never really played with Tivo 2 Go. I have a standalone Tivo to get some OTA programming that I can't get on my DirecTV box. I was able to download 5 different shows (3 of each) for a total of 15 programs. They were available in iTunes this morning and onto my phone within 10 minutes. It really does seem to be a much more efficient method of "To Go".


----------



## Laxguy

Go to DVR, hit Filter, choose "Ready to Download", then Done- a list of what's ready to d/l.

Generally prepare time- transcode- is about 1:1. D/l about 1:6 or so. Dunno what caused your poor results on your trial.


----------



## MikeW

Laxguy said:


> Go to DVR, hit Filter, choose "Ready to Download", then Done- a list of what's ready to d/l.
> 
> Generally prepare time- transcode- is about 1:1. D/l about 1:6 or so. Dunno what caused your poor results on your trial.


I'm wondering if the Nomad is processing stuff that I selected inadvertantly on my netbook. I've since removed it from the mix and couldn't figure out how to see what is on the Nomad.

Sorry I keep coming back here for the easy answers, I'm very limited with play time right now as I'm buried with work. So, one more RTFM question...is there someplace I can see what is queued to be transcoded so that I can make sure the box isn't being bogged down with work it doesn't need to do?


----------



## markrogo

xzi said:


> Doesn't seem to be the case. Mine starts up way faster at work, on WiFi but outside my home. The only time it's slow is when I'm home and actually on the WiFi.


Ah, maybe I misunderstood the previous post. If it's slow at home, then it's taking its own sweet time to get the info from Nomad. That could be an optimization thing which a software update could also solve. I really doubt multiple-minute launching time is something they intend to keep as part of the experience, even if its only hitting some people.


----------



## dennisj00

MikeW said:


> Sorry I keep coming back here for the easy answers, I'm very limited with play time right now as I'm buried with work. So, one more RTFM question...is there someplace I can see what is queued to be transcoded so that I can make sure the box isn't being bogged down with work it doesn't need to do?


Each client will show it's 'queue' and you can cancel from there.

The only problem I've experienced in the testing I've done is I had an episode that 'hung' the queue because it wouldn't transcode for some reason.

Once that was cleared, things were back to normal.


----------



## mnordberg

Update: Nevermind - didn't look in the obvious place of the filter list for "Ready to Download" filter.

New feature request: 

Would love to have DVR Playlist, On this PC and a new option that says "Ready for Download". Right now you have to hover over the download button on each show and if it says "Prepare", then it has to do the transcoding and download. If it says "download" it is already done and just needs to be downloaded. Knowing the state of the show is important in it determines how long it will take and with 2 people in the house picking shows, I don't know for sure what has and hasn't been done easily.


----------



## kwasnicka

I am also having issues on my Windows 7 PC. I meet all the requirments and everthing is hooked up properly. Nomad works on my Iphone and I have downloaded 3 shows but still cannot open Nomad on my PC. Keep getting the same message that the device cannot be activated that PCCampbell and others are receiving. No real help yet via the techincal forum on directv.com. Hope for a resolution soon.


All is working fine now. Whatever D* did it worked!


----------



## Steve

mnordberg said:


> New feature request:
> 
> Would love to have DVR Playlist, On this PC and a new option that says "Ready for Download". Right now you have to hover over the download button on each show and if it says "Prepare", then it has to do the transcoding and download. If it says "download" it is already done and just needs to be downloaded. Knowing the state of the show is important in it determines how long it will take and with 2 people in the house picking shows, I don't know for sure what has and hasn't been done easily.


May not be understanding you correctly, but you know there's a "Ready To Download" filter you can apply to the playlist that only displays shows already transcoded, right?


----------



## mnordberg

Steve said:


> May not be understanding you correctly, but you know there's a "Ready To Download" filter you can apply to the playlist that only displays shows already transcoded, right?


Ouch, you are right as i used the filter option when i first start and didn't see the ready to download option, just by show type. I looked everywhere but the obvious place.


----------



## paulterp

Also having the Windows 7 "4-2010-1" error. Supposed to be getting a call back from support this afternoon.

Maybe we can track down something common to all our configurations?
Win7 - SP1 (64bit)
Dual Monitors (caused a problem with Directv2pc, but don't think it would here)
VMWare (tried turning it off, no affect)
Microsoft Security Essentials (tried turning it off, no affect)
Windows Firewall Enabled (tried turning it off, no affect)
Internet Provider : Comcast (have secondary provider, tried it as well and no affect)


----------



## say-what

As others have noted, the intial login/startup is a bit slow.

Also, it seems that it will only allow one client at a time - at least while transferring content to another client

Poster art isn't appearing on my iPad, but is on the iPhone. However the poster art on the iPhone isn't appearing while I'm away from home.


----------



## Steve

say-what said:


> Also, it seems that it will only allow one client at a time - at least while transferring content to another client


You mean for transferring converted files, right? Otherwise, I've had all four of my clients up and running and communicating new download requests at the same time. It's just that only one client at a time can actually copy a file.


----------



## say-what

Steve said:


> You mean for transferring converted files, right? Otherwise, I've had all four of my clients up and running and communicating new download requests at the same time. It's just that only one client at a time can actually copy a file.


Right, I was transferring previously converted content from nomad to the iPhone and while that was taking place tried to login with the iPad. The iPad wasn't able to access nomad while the iPhone was downloading converted content from the nomad.


----------



## Steve

say-what said:


> The iPad wasn't able to access nomad while the iPhone was downloading converted content from the nomad.


Interesting. That's not the case here. I started up a transfer of some overnight transcodes to my iPod and while the copy was in progress, I fired-up the app on the iPad. Took about 90 seconds, but it did finally load.

Just noticed I also had an idle PC client running at the same time as the above.


----------



## raromr

Same issue here. Iphone works fine; PC not at all. Brand new computer; Windows 7; fast processor, etc. D* is clueless on how to fix.


----------



## dennisj00

paulterp said:


> Also having the Windows 7 "4-2010-1" error. Supposed to be getting a call back from support this afternoon.
> 
> Maybe we can track down something common to all our configurations?
> Win7 - SP1 (64bit)
> Dual Monitors (caused a problem with Directv2pc, but don't think it would here)
> VMWare (tried turning it off, no affect)
> Microsoft Security Essentials (tried turning it off, no affect)
> Windows Firewall Enabled (tried turning it off, no affect)
> Internet Provider : Comcast (have secondary provider, tried it as well and no affect)


You might see if there's an updated driver for your video card. I had a severely oversized screen upon startup with my dual monitors (nvidia geforce 7100) but normal with the stock Win7 driver. Back to oversized with their dedicated driver. With all the DRM crap, anything is possible.

And, be careful, Directv2pc is certainly fragile with drivers!


----------



## say-what

Steve said:


> Took about 90 seconds, but it did finally load.


Maybe I wasn't patient enough. I know I didn't wait that long, I probably waited less than a minute, but longer than the usual startup.

Just wasn't that patient as I was getting ready for work and just testing nomad on the iPhone.


----------



## Steve

say-what said:


> Maybe I wasn't patient enough.


Lots of patience here, as a retiree! :lol:


----------



## MikeW

paulterp said:


> Also having the Windows 7 "4-2010-1" error. Supposed to be getting a call back from support this afternoon.
> 
> Maybe we can track down something common to all our configurations?
> Win7 - SP1 (64bit)
> Dual Monitors (caused a problem with Directv2pc, but don't think it would here)
> VMWare (tried turning it off, no affect)
> Microsoft Security Essentials (tried turning it off, no affect)
> Windows Firewall Enabled (tried turning it off, no affect)
> Internet Provider : Comcast (have secondary provider, tried it as well and no affect)


Mine is a Toshiba laptop
Windows 7 - SP1 / 64 bit
AVG Anti Virus
Internet Qwest
It has an HDMI output
Single Monitor
I tried to run as admin, did not help.


----------



## paulterp

So for the people who have successfully installed on Windows 7 (if anyone), is it 32-bit? The only similarities I've seen with other people posting in various places is definitely Windows 7 and the few that have said have been 64-bit. I also tried to run as admin with no help.


----------



## dennisj00

I ran it under Vista 64bit, but currently have the PC client on a desktop Win7-32bit (dual monitors) and Win7 - 32 bit laptop.


----------



## Steve

paulterp said:


> So for the people who have successfully installed on Windows 7 (if anyone), is it 32-bit? The only similarities I've seen with other people posting in various places is definitely Windows 7 and the few that have said have been 64-bit. I also tried to run as admin with no help.


32-bit here.


----------



## jacobp

Has anyone had any luck running the PC version of Nomad in a virtual machine using Fusion? And yes, i know, they will be coming out with a Mac client.


----------



## jacobp

Can someone give me a recommendation on the best 32GB flash drive to get for the Nomad? Or, is there a particular specification for the USB drive that i should be looking for, or, are they all about the same?

Any recommendations on where to get it?


----------



## dennisj00

I just bought the cheapest 2.0 16gb drive from Buy.com at the time - $16 with free shipping. No brand on it, but the kind with the swivel metal cover. A 32 should be somewhere around $30-40.


----------



## MikeW

paulterp said:


> So for the people who have successfully installed on Windows 7 (if anyone), is it 32-bit? The only similarities I've seen with other people posting in various places is definitely Windows 7 and the few that have said have been 64-bit. I also tried to run as admin with no help.


I tried a few of the compatability modes, none helped. Error code changed to 2-4-2.


----------



## paulterp

Apparently resetting IE to all default settings fixes the issue (no idea why at this point), saw this on a thread on directv support forum and doubted it would work, but it did indeed.


----------



## paulterp

Here is a link to directions on how to do it:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923737


----------



## dennisj00

Wow! Could have been some IE add-on blocking the initialization.


----------



## MikeW

paulterp said:


> Apparently resetting IE to all default settings fixes the issue (no idea why at this point), saw this on a thread on directv support forum and doubted it would work, but it did indeed.


Worked here also. Thanks.


----------



## PCampbell

Mine is 32 bit.


----------



## Stuart Sweet

My friends at DIRECTV tell me that they made some changes on their end... resetting IE to defaults should not be necessary.


----------



## Diana C

paulterp said:


> So for the people who have successfully installed on Windows 7 (if anyone), is it 32-bit? The only similarities I've seen with other people posting in various places is definitely Windows 7 and the few that have said have been 64-bit. I also tried to run as admin with no help.


I have it running on 64 bit Windows 7 Enterprise Edition on a Dell E6400 laptop.


----------



## PCampbell

Opened explorer and right clicked on Nomad.exe run as administrator. The program activated and is working. I have security set to min so who knows. After that I started normal and it looks to be working, needs more testing to be sure.


----------



## PCampbell

Note This was Stuarts idea.


----------



## jhillestad

Is it possible to log into the nomad using a web browser on the local network just to talk to it and tell it what to convert or do I have to use the app ? I see the ip on my router sure would be nice just to pop in on it and check off stuff , etc.... I dont expect it to play or anything just want to be able to control it via the browser....


----------



## Stuart Sweet

You can't just go into a web interface, no. You have to use one of the client programs.


----------



## MikeW

jhillestad said:


> Is it possible to log into the nomad using a web browser on the local network just to talk to it and tell it what to convert or do I have to use the app ? I see the ip on my router sure would be nice just to pop in on it and check off stuff , etc.... I dont expect it to play or anything just want to be able to control it via the browser....


I like that idea. I'd really like to be able to set priorities on programs to be transcoded. I go through the list alphabetically and if I stumble across something I really want, I don't see a method for telling nomad to skip to this item next, then continue what it was doing.


----------



## Laxguy

MikeW said:


> I like that idea. I'd really like to be able to set priorities on programs to be transcoded. I go through the list alphabetically and if I stumble across something I really want, I don't see a method for telling nomad to skip to this item next, then continue what it was doing.


No, that would be nice, but it doesn't exist. After the intial few times with the box, though, most folk will probably run the bulk of stuff over night, D/L in the am, and so that last minute find before you head out the door on a trip can be done with nothing in the way.... YMMV!


----------



## KenW

Has anyone upgraded to IOS 5 today? Everything still cool with nomad? 

I saw earlier reports that the beta was working fine.


----------



## willmw

I didn't even have to download again to get it to work, so it must have definitely been something on the backend.


----------



## trh

KenW said:


> Has anyone upgraded to IOS 5 today? Everything still cool with nomad?


Yes; nomad running fine on my iPad1 with iOS5.


----------



## DogLover

Mr. DogLover has upgraded his iPad2, and Nomad is still working fine.


----------



## irlspotter

Mine only shows the expiration date - no broadcast date!! How do I know which episode to watch first??


----------



## sigma1914

irlspotter said:


> Mine only shows the expiration date - no broadcast date!! How do I know which episode to watch first??


Looks like it's from the bottom up. They should include it, though.


----------



## fluffybear

After havign spent 3 nights on the phone with DirecTV's cae management department, I finally have my nomad working. 

Tonight, we tried something different. We noticed that for some reason, my Surfboard 6580 Cable Modem/Router for some reason was blocking port 1900 & 30888. According to the gentleman I was speaking with, Nomad is not using either port however, As soon as I released them block, my nomad came up within a few minutes and is now working great.


----------



## AndrewSi

I'm seeing an interesting error this evening with the PC client (previously registered no problems.) App starts and the spinner goes for 5 or 10 seconds, then says "There is a problem with your Directv account." Gives error code 2-0-2, lets you try again, restart, or call customer service... Hmm.

Update: Still dead this morning. Called DirecTV, this is being escalated as the first-tier support reps weren't able to do anything useful beyond resetting the box and ensuring that the internet is accessible.


----------



## texasbrit

PC client screwed up last night, while watching a movie. Paused the playback for a couple of minutes, when I hit "play" again, no audio. Went back to playlist on PC, played a different movie, no audio. Had to close PC client software and reopen.

By the way, am I right there is no way to minimize the display when you pause playback? It seems like you have to close the currently playing movie, annoying when you've just received an e-mail.


----------



## Steve

texasbrit said:


> By the way, am I right there is no way to minimize the display when you pause playback? It seems like you have to close the currently playing movie [...]


Unfortunately, that's the case, AFAIK.


----------



## dennisj00

And if I remember, it ALWAYS stays on top!

You can only almost move it offscreen.


----------



## thekaus

AndrewSi said:


> I'm seeing an interesting error this evening with the PC client (previously registered no problems.) App starts and the spinner goes for 5 or 10 seconds, then says "There is a problem with your Directv account." Gives error code 2-0-2, lets you try again, restart, or call customer service... Hmm.
> 
> Update: Still dead this morning. Called DirecTV, this is being escalated as the first-tier support reps weren't able to do anything useful beyond resetting the box and ensuring that the internet is accessible.


I'm getting the same 2-0-2 error as AndrewSion my PC. While annoying, I didn't get the Nomad to watch on my PC.

My main issue is that every show i prepare and download to my iPhone from 358 Current TV has messed up audio that basically stops after a few seconds. I don't know if this is due to the fact that this channel is not available in HD. The HD shows I've tried have all worked. Even SD shows on HD channels have worked. Has anyone else had issues with messed up shows?


----------



## AndrewSi

Solved the 202 error with a complete uninstall/reinstall, including saying yes to removing user settings during uninstall. Didn't work when I told it to not remove them on the first try and then reinstalled, but it did work when I allowed it to remove the user settings when uninstalling again.

On this second reinstall, it decided to re-register, which seemed to be the trick: it gave a warning that the PC's license was messed up, which it seemed to fix automatically during reactivation, and it did not improperly consume another license count, which is good.

So it's up and running again, but the self implosion was pretty disconcerting.


----------



## Laxguy

I've just set a recording on CRNT, will test.


----------



## swyman18

"thekaus" said:


> I'm getting the same 2-0-2 error as AndrewSion my PC. While annoying, I didn't get the Nomad to watch on my PC.
> 
> My main issue is that every show i prepare and download to my iPhone from 358 Current TV has messed up audio that basically stops after a few seconds. I don't know if this is due to the fact that this channel is not available in HD. The HD shows I've tried have all worked. Even SD shows on HD channels have worked. Has anyone else had issues with messed up shows?


Interesting you should say that, I downloaded a show to my iPhone from channel 358 the other day and the audio was high pitched (like I was watching a Chipmunks movie). I thought maybe it transcoded badly on the Nomad, but when I downloaded that same recording to my PC, it was fine. I then thought it was maybe an SD issue, but I was able to download an SD show from a different channel to my iPhone with no issue.


----------



## KenW

I tried to Activate with my iPad, and it turns out nomad was upgrading. Put aside my iPad and waited for the three blue lights to come back. It went from three blue lights to an orange flashing light, and stalled. Waited a while, then I restarted nomad, but the same thing happened. Puzzled for a while, and then found the nomad program was still running on my iPad. So I shut it down on my iPad, and magically the blue lights came back on. Seems nomad didn't like the activation program to be running on my iPad when I turned it on. Thought I should post, in case this hits someone else.


----------



## KenW

I know everyone is familiar with the problem of sports programs running overtime. The only strategy I've seen is to excessively pad the end time of programs. I can just imagine how cranky folks will be when they settle down on their international flight to watch a program, and all they have is the last hour of a ball game. 

Moral of the story is to check your shows before you travel. Don't assume you can take the last 10 minutes before you run to the airport to transfer the recordings, and all will be well.


----------



## thekaus

I got rid of the 2-0-2 error with a complete uninstall and reinstall, but it isn't able to process a file. If i try to prepare a new show i get "Waiting to Prepare" and if I try to download a prepared show I get "Waiting to Download" with no process ever made. 

I tried a couple different shows from 358 CRNT on the iPad and they won't play at all on it. How can the channel cause an unplayable condition? Doesn't the Nomad convert everything into the same format?


----------



## Laxguy

thekaus said:


> I got rid of the 2-0-2 error with a complete uninstall and reinstall, but it isn't able to process a file. If i try to prepare a new show i get "Waiting to Prepare" and if I try to download a prepared show I get "Waiting to Download" with no process ever made.
> 
> I tried a couple different shows from 358 CRNT on the iPad and they won't play at all on it. How can the channel cause an unplayable condition? Doesn't the Nomad convert everything into the same format?


Well, I am sure it tries to! I did the test for a show on CRNT and it won't even start with the play button. I can scrub, but no play, no audio.

My bet is that there's something in the codecs used by that content provider that's mostly- but not all- compatible with the encoding that the iPad can properly transmit.


----------



## AndrewSi

"thekaus" said:


> I got rid of the 2-0-2 error with a complete uninstall and reinstall, but it isn't able to process a file. If i try to prepare a new show i get "Waiting to Prepare" and if I try to download a prepared show I get "Waiting to Download" with no process ever made.


I don't think the pc Sw problem has anything to do with this particular issue- are you sure the nomad box wasn't busy converting and/or downloading something else already, maybe for an iPod/iPhone? And have you tried resetting the Nomad?


----------



## Justin23

Is the only way to remove a program once it's loaded onto the nomad device to either delete it from your DVR, or after it's downloaded to a device? 


Is there an option to delete once it's "prepared", but not "downloaded"?


----------



## NR4P

Justin23 said:


> Is the only way to remove a program once it's loaded onto the nomad device to either delete it from your DVR, or after it's downloaded to a device?
> 
> Is there an option to delete once it's "prepared", but not "downloaded"?


Selective delete of an item in the Nomad hardware (without DVR deletion) is not available.


----------



## Steve

Is this a Parental Controls thing (see below)? I have none set, and never have, so I'm not sure why anything on my DVR playlist would be blocked.

The show is _"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"_, which is TV-MA-L-S-V, according to its HR info.


----------



## Steve

I'm almost done downloading a folder of 11 transcoded shows, but the status window is showing only 1 show has downloaded, while in fact it's currently downloading #11 of 11.


----------



## NR4P

Steve said:


> I'm almost done downloading a folder of 11 transcoded shows, but the status window is showing only 1 show has downloaded, while in fact it's currently downloading #11 of 11.


Your second photo shows a check box next to Video Downloaded. How long between the two photos? Wondering if it was a time delay to catch up to the status?


----------



## NR4P

Steve said:


> Is this a Parental Controls thing (see below)? I have none set, and never have, so I'm not sure why anything on my DVR playlist would be blocked.
> 
> The show is _"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"_, which is TV-MA-L-S-V, according to its HR info.


If you tap on Download, will it download?


----------



## Steve

NR4P said:


> If you tap on Download, will it download?


Good question. I'll give you a conditional "yes". 

I just told it to download, and it's showing "preparing" and the status light is "pulsing", like it normally does when transcoding. Just need to confirm it transfers and lets me play it back (and hopefully names it correctly).


----------



## dengland

Really on the fence with the purchase of the Nomad....

When I retired the HDVR2s (which were great for recording video, both network and "cable" channels, to be transfered to an iPad) I bought an ATSC tuner card for the 3 or 4 TV series that I record and primarily watch on flights between the coasts. My video workflow is to use VideoReDo to edit out commercials, name the files in such a way that I can tell the order in which to watch them, transcode them to m4v, load them in to itunes and then sync. Obviously, a bit of work.

Non-network shows had had to be acquired in a "different" manner.

Nomad is clearly a huge win for me with any non-network content. However, the scrubber bar seems to be a little awkward for trying to do anthing precise to go past the commercials on the recorded network TV.

For those of you that had been in similar situations and now have a Nomad, do I just need to get over it with repect to the commercials because the rest of the benefits out weigh the issue?

Thanks for your thoughts.


----------



## Steve

dengland said:


> Nomad is clearly a huge win for me with any non-network content. However, the scrubber bar seems to be a little awkward for trying to do anthing precise to go past the commercials on the recorded network TV.
> 
> For those of you that had been in similar situations and now have a Nomad, do I just need to get over it with repect to the commercials because the rest of the benefits out weigh the issue?


I hear you about the scrubber bar. Are you aware if you "pull down" on the bar, you can scrub with more precision, at half-, quarter- or fine-speed? That helps a lot, once you get used to it.

That said, would be helpful if DirecTV can call up the 30 second rewind button, like HBO GO does with the iOS player. Just my .02.

Nomad does not support OTA recordings, BTW, if that's how you record them on the HR2x's.


----------



## dengland

I am embarrassed to say that I did not know about the scrubber bar options. Thanks. I agree the 30 second button would help. 

I have enough boxes that don't have OTA for the CBS, FOX, etc., so I am good from that aspect.


----------



## Steve

dengland said:


> I am embarrassed to say that I did not know about the scrubber bar options.


I had an iPod for about 4 months before I discovered them, so don't be too embarassed!


----------



## Steve

Steve said:


> Is this a Parental Controls thing (see below)? I have none set, and never have, so I'm not sure why anything on my DVR playlist would be blocked.
> 
> The show is _"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"_, which is TV-MA-L-S-V, according to its HR info.





NR4P said:


> If you tap on Download, will it download?





Steve said:


> Good question. I'll give you a conditional "yes".
> 
> I just told it to download, and it's showing "preparing" and the status light is "pulsing", like it normally does when transcoding. Just need to confirm it transfers and lets me play it back (and hopefully names it correctly).


Well it not only prepared and copied, but it's now displaying the correct show name (see below)! I did have to quit the client and restart it, for the proper name to show, however.


----------



## Steve

Steve said:


> I'm almost done downloading a folder of 11 transcoded shows, but the status window is showing only 1 show has downloaded, while in fact it's currently downloading #11 of 11.





NR4P said:


> How long between the two photos?


Just the amount of time it took to switch views on the client.

It took a client quit and restart to get the screen to refresh properly, BTW.


----------



## KenW

nomad has recorded 35 programs. I was successful at loading 9 to my iPad, but it will not load any more. There are three more programs I've marked to download. When I load the client on my iPad, it says downloading, but the download doesn't finish. It skips to the next program, and does the same. After all three try, it loses contact with nomad, and I get the "Loading" screen. Eventually it times out, and I get the "Could not connect to nomad" message. After a few minutes, it reconnects, and starts the whole process over again. I was able to load the same programs on my laptop with the nomad client, so I think the programs are OK. 

I tried rebooting nomad and the iPad, but no luck. Any ideas?


----------



## Laxguy

KenW said:


> nomad has recorded 35 programs. I was successful at loading 9 to my iPad, but it will not load any more. There are three more programs I've marked to download. When I load the client on my iPad, it says downloading, but the download doesn't finish. It skips to the next program, and does the same. After all three try, it loses contact with nomad, and I get the "Loading" screen. Eventually it times out, and I get the "Could not connect to nomad" message. After a few minutes, it reconnects, and starts the whole process over again. I was able to load the same programs on my laptop with the nomad client, so I think the programs are OK.
> 
> I tried rebooting nomad and the iPad, but no luck. Any ideas?


What's the free space on the iPad?


----------



## KenW

Laxguy said:


> What's the free space on the iPad?


The About screen on the iPad shows 36.6 GB free. Unlike the PC client, the iPad System Info doesn't show device space available and used.


----------



## KenW

I think I found the problem. The three programs were really two shows. Both shows were set to Auto. I turned off Auto, and I was able to load the programs manually. One of the programs had the exact same recording of the same show. Has anyone else seen this problem?


----------



## dennisj00

I've had duplicate shows NOT show up in folders and you currently can't tell which dvr the show came from. So you have a 50/50 (or less if more duplicates) chance of deleting the one that's been transcoded.

And another oddity - probably guide data problems, the Ken Burns 'Prohibition' series created a folder for 2 episodes but two others were individual programs (sorted by episode name). The DVR playlist has them all in a folder.


----------



## Laxguy

Yes, as Dennis mentions, there were problems specifically with "Prohibition" (the show, not the act!....although....) 
Probably some glitch in the tagging; you found the solution!


----------



## KenW

Got to my hotel and tried out nomad from my iPad with Apple TV and Component cables. Apple TV gave me sound but no picture. Component seems to work OK, but a little glitchy. I'm running IOS 5. 

Overall video quality is less than I expected. I didn't expect DVD quality, but it could be better given the originals are in HD. My DVD recordings from composite output are much better, even after converting the video for my iPad. 

Convenience is great. Auto conversion and download is much better than my manual DVD recording and conversion process. The UI is still iPhone, so I expect better when the new iPad client is available. 

The other key difference is the captions. When I record to DVD, I can turn on the DVR captions, and they show in my recordings. So far nomad doesn't have captions. I know it's just the 1.0 release, so maybe they will add this in the future.


----------



## dengland

KenW said:


> Overall video quality is less than I expected. I didn't expect DVD quality, but it could be better given the originals are in HD. My DVD recordings from composite output are much better, even after converting the video for my iPad.


What is the resolution transferred to the iDevice?


----------



## KenW

dengland said:


> What is the resolution transferred to the iDevice?


Per an earlier thread:
...it is a 720x480 encode. The best estimation is 680MB/hour, so that ends up at about 1.5Mbit/sec.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=2873942#post2873942

Quality on the iPad is fine. I watched it on the plane with no issues. My complaint was on the TV at the hotel. It's still watchable, but compressed.


----------



## KenW

Another thing I noticed was the volume is pretty low on the recordings. I've watched four shows, and with all of them I had to turn up the volume on the TV near the loudest it can go. Am I just unlucky, or has anyone else noticed it?


----------



## KenW

Had my first glitch with a recording. The audio is out of sync with the video for the last half of a movie. The first half was fine. I tried rebooting my iPad, but it didn't help.


----------



## KenW

KenW said:


> I think I found the problem. The three programs were really two shows. Both shows were set to Auto. I turned off Auto, and I was able to load the programs manually. One of the programs had the exact same recording of the same show. Has anyone else seen this problem?


I reread this, and it was not very clear. The same program was recorded on two DVR's at the same time. That's the program that would not process. I manually selected one of the two recordings, and it was fine.


----------



## Laxguy

KenW said:


> Had my first glitch with a recording. The audio is out of sync with the video for the last half of a movie. The first half was fine. I tried rebooting my iPad, but it didn't help.


We've had that off and on, and I tried feebly to see if there were any common traits of those shows where there were issues, and those where there weren't.... so far, nada.

Sometimes, it turned out that the original had sync problems, too, but not that often.


----------



## Justin23

"KenW" said:


> Another thing I noticed was the volume is pretty low on the recordings. I've watched four shows, and with all of them I had to turn up the volume on the TV near the loudest it can go. Am I just unlucky, or has anyone else noticed it?


I've noticed the low volume on my iPad when trying it out in-flight using headphones. Wonder if this can be corrected in the future?


----------



## KenW

Justin23 said:


> I've noticed the low volume on my iPad when trying it out in-flight using headphones. Wonder if this can be corrected in the future?


I picked up one of these long ago:
http://boostaroo.com/store/product.php?productid=17550&cat=249

If I didn't have it, I would not have been able to use nomad on my iPad on the plane. Noise canceling was not enough.


----------



## Justin23

"KenW" said:


> I picked up one of these long ago:
> http://boostaroo.com/store/product.php?productid=17550&cat=249
> 
> If I didn't have it, I would not have been able to use nomad on my iPad on the plane. Noise canceling was not enough.


I don't think it's the actual headphones or device itself, because other things I have downloaded on my iPad (podcasts, apps, etc) have enough volume.

But I might grab one of those anyway...thanks for sharing.


----------



## KenW

Some folks had issues with this model, but it's been solid for me. Even if the volume is fine, it helps with battery life on those long international flights.


----------



## markrogo

Justin23 said:


> I've noticed the low volume on my iPad when trying it out in-flight using headphones. Wonder if this can be corrected in the future?


In-flight headphones are notorious for having terrible amplification. Get a set of real headphones and your problem is very likely to go away. I mean you can try the Boostaroo, but with decent headphones it will likely not be required.

I find most aircraft headphones are nearly useless with my laptop or iPod, yet my Apple earbuds, Bose noise canceling, and whatever other branded things I've ever borrowed work just fine.


----------



## KenW

markrogo said:


> In-flight headphones are notorious for having terrible amplification. Get a set of real headphones and your problem is very likely to go away. I mean you can try the Boostaroo, but with decent headphones it will likely not be required.
> 
> I find most aircraft headphones are nearly useless with my laptop or iPod, yet my Apple earbuds, Bose noise canceling, and whatever other branded things I've ever borrowed work just fine.


I'm not sure about Justin, but I'm using Sennheiser noise canceling headphones. Still the volume of nomad recordings is very low. Even with Boostaroo, I had the iPad, and the headphones near the highest possible volume.


----------



## Justin23

"KenW" said:


> I'm not sure about Justin, but I'm using Sennheiser noise canceling headphones. Still the volume of nomad recordings is very low. Even with Boostaroo, I had the iPad, and the headphones near the highest possible volume.


I use Bose in-ear (regular, not noise-canceling). I ordered a Boostaroo and hopefully it will improve the volume level. I think it's the nomad software though, because like I said plenty of other podcasts, videos, and apps have decent volume.


----------



## KenW

I'm thinking of upgrading the USB drive in my nomad. I installed an 8 GB stick, and I'm feeling that may not be big enough. Has anyone done this? Do you just pull the old one?


----------



## NR4P

Justin23 said:


> I've noticed the low volume on my iPad when trying it out in-flight using headphones. Wonder if this can be corrected in the future?


I have used Bose QC15's with great success on many cross country trips. Yes I know pricey but terrific.


----------



## markrogo

Justin23 said:


> I use Bose in-ear (regular, not noise-canceling). I ordered a Boostaroo and hopefully it will improve the volume level. I think it's the nomad software though, because like I said plenty of other podcasts, videos, and apps have decent volume.


Yes, I missed your follow-on post before posting mine. Honestly, I'm guessing the amp will work. But you are solving a problem their software ought to fix in a future revision. There is no reason volume should be low across the board. Yet it appears to be.


----------



## Rtm

I don't know where else to post those but since installing nomad my two HR22s are extremely slow not just from iPad directv app but using the physical remote as well to pull up. The guide and recording list.


----------



## litzdog911

KenW said:


> I'm thinking of upgrading the USB drive in my nomad. I installed an 8 GB stick, and I'm feeling that may not be big enough. Has anyone done this? Do you just pull the old one?


I added a 32GB USB Flash Drive and it works fine. More info here ....
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=197817


----------



## jurples

KenW said:


> Had my first glitch with a recording. The audio is out of sync with the video for the last half of a movie. The first half was fine. I tried rebooting my iPad, but it didn't help.


i've got an iPad 1 running version 4.3.3.

watched a couple of shows taped off the local NBC affiliate on sunday (_the chris matthews show_ and _meet the press_) and didn't notice any issues.

went to watch a couple of movies tonight, _to live and die in l.a._ (taped off showtime extreme) and _13 rue madeleine_ (from 5 star cinemax). the audio for _to live and die in l.a._ was seriously delayed pretty much from the beginning, whereas _13 rue madeleine_ was fine for the first 30-40 minutes before starting to slip and then getting progressively worse the rest of the way.


----------



## R8ders2K

*64 GB iPhone 4S, iOS 5.0 (9A334)*

Whenever I launch the nomad app, it loads and when I press the Activate This iOS Device, the app starts, and I see the D* logo and the spinning indicator, but then it quits and exits out to the Home page.

Anyone else having this problem...?

No problems with the app on Win7 or my iPhone 3GS with iOS 5.


----------



## pooch215

So i have two problems that i need help with. I have a program that seems to have failed to convert correctly. It's a hour long program that converted to 7 hours, and at 50 minutes it just goes wonky. Audio doesn't match, video stops playing, etc. Is there a way to delete and reenocode.
Second problem is I recorded a football game this weekend. Set the recording to 4 1/2 hours in case of overage. I tries to download to my iphone and looks to complete the transfer, but the program never shows up on the phone. How do i troubleshoot?


----------



## R8ders2K

To quote Gilda Radner, "Nevermind..."

Figures, simply deleted the app, reinstalled the app, all's fine...


----------



## KenW

litzdog911 said:


> I added a 32GB USB Flash Drive and it works fine. More info here ....
> http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=197817


I didn't see any posts in that thread where someone had removed a drive.


----------



## Laxguy

pooch215 said:


> So i have two problems that i need help with. I have a program that seems to have failed to convert correctly. It's a hour long program that converted to 7 hours, and at 50 minutes it just goes wonky. Audio doesn't match, video stops playing, etc. Is there a way to delete and reenocode.
> Second problem is I recorded a football game this weekend. Set the recording to 4 1/2 hours in case of overage. I tries to download to my iphone and looks to complete the transfer, but the program never shows up on the phone. How do i troubleshoot?


What iOS and device?

What program? Where does it indicate 7 hours? Does it play all right on the DVR?

As to FB game- does it show it's been fully transcoded? Does it offer to play while downloading?


----------



## dennisj00

KenW said:


> I didn't see any posts in that thread where someone had removed a drive.


I would just power down nomad, pull the stick and repower. Do the same on adding the next stick and the client should ask about formatting it.


----------



## litzdog911

KenW said:


> I didn't see any posts in that thread where someone had removed a drive.


I think you simply ....

Power down the Nomad
Remote the old external USB drive
Power up the Nomad
Wait for the front lights to stabilize
Launch a client (iPad, PC)
Connect the new USB drive
Select "format" when the prompt pops up on the client

Realize that any prepared recordings that were stored on the old drive will now be gone.


----------



## dennisj00

pooch215 said:


> So i have two problems that i need help with. I have a program that seems to have failed to convert correctly. It's a hour long program that converted to 7 hours, and at 50 minutes it just goes wonky. Audio doesn't match, video stops playing, etc. Is there a way to delete and reenocode.
> Second problem is I recorded a football game this weekend. Set the recording to 4 1/2 hours in case of overage. I tries to download to my iphone and looks to complete the transfer, but the program never shows up on the phone. How do i troubleshoot?


Currently, there is no file management of nomad and I assume it's a first in, first out when space is needed.

A long (either 2 or 3 minutes) reset should clear nomad of everything.

And I think I've seen some problems with programs over 4 hours. You may try a short reset before clearing everything.


----------



## KenW

pooch215 said:


> So i have two problems that i need help with. I have a program that seems to have failed to convert correctly. It's a hour long program that converted to 7 hours, and at 50 minutes it just goes wonky. Audio doesn't match, video stops playing, etc. Is there a way to delete and reenocode.
> Second problem is I recorded a football game this weekend. Set the recording to 4 1/2 hours in case of overage. I tries to download to my iphone and looks to complete the transfer, but the program never shows up on the phone. How do i troubleshoot?


For the audio issue, I've not seen or heard of any way to force a reencode. Maybe a reset that wipes everything is the only option? Will that mess up the Activation? I've had the same problem with a program this week. It's really irritating when your on the road. Did you try to reboot and start from where you left off?

For the missing program, I'd suggest trying another device, like a PC. There is no log on the i-Devices, and the nomad log you can get on the PC is not human readable.


----------



## KenW

litzdog911 said:


> I think you simply ....
> 
> Power down the Nomad
> Remote the old external USB drive
> Power up the Nomad
> Wait for the front lights to stabilize
> Launch a client (iPad, PC)
> Connect the new USB drive
> Select "format" when the prompt pops up on the client
> 
> Realize that any prepared recordings that were stored on the old drive will now be gone.


I'm guessing the specific programs that are lost are random, but that's not a huge problem. I just have to make that the last thing I do before I head out the door for my next trip.


----------



## Herbie

So I seem to be having some repeating errors with the Windows Client.

I previously had the 2-0-2 "Something is wrong with your account" error and after a lengthy tech support call involving uninstalling and reinstalling the PC client things were working again.... until I actually took the PC on a trip.

Then it failed AGAIN in the field, couldn't watch the sideloaded content (luckily had some other digital content on the laptop or my 2-year-old would have melted down). 

Back home trying to diagnose the issue I'm now getting code 2-4-2. Oddly it seems to be "intermittent", and not just a matter of lost/corrupted data, as it worked on one out of five attempts this AM.

I will try another uninstall/reinstall, but since that process requires re-initialization with the Nomad hardware, it isn't a practical approach for a "field fix" if things break while away from home again.

Any other ideas on how to nail down this issue?

On the first uninstall (while on with tech support), it did report that it couldn't find a particular file (didn't write down name but was an .xml file with "user config" or something like that in the title), seems like a good candidate as the culprit if this file gets lost, corrupted, or remains access locked incorrectly after the client exits or something. I'll nail it down on the next uninstall/reinstall when I get home tonight.


----------



## KenW

Herbie said:


> On the first uninstall (while on with tech support), it did report that it couldn't find a particular file (didn't write down name but was an .xml file with "user config" or something like that in the title), seems like a good candidate as the culprit if this file gets lost, corrupted, or remains access locked incorrectly after the client exits or something. I'll nail it down on the next uninstall/reinstall when I get home tonight.


I do see a user.config file stored in: \AppData\Local\DIRECTV\DIRECTVnomad.exe_Url_...\1.0.1.40


----------



## Mike_TV

Nomad PC version appears to stop transcoding if you haven't downloaded in a while. In other words, if you queue up 50 programs to prepare and download then shut the client down, at some point, Nomad "gives up" and just waits until you start up the client and start downloading the already prepared programs again. Doesn't seem to be a matter of free space since I have 130GB free. It seems like 5 or 10 programs queue up to download and then Nomad just sits there with however many left in the queue to prepare. Anyone else see this behavior?

I really thought Nomad would continue on and prepare all of the programs in the background without having the need to have the client up and running but that doesn't appear to work.


----------



## Laxguy

Sorry, I haven't been close to that volume- probably have no more than 50 unwatched, including saved- about 12 movies- on each DVR. 
Is this a limitation by nomad, or the PC client?


----------



## Beerstalker

I haven't run into this yet, but sounds like something I will run into.

I would love it if DirecTV would just give us an option to set Nomad up to just automatically transcode everything stored on our DVRs. I realize that not everyone will need it, but it would be really nice for those of us willing to put big external drives on ours to do this.


----------



## pooch215

Laxguy said:


> What iOS and device?
> 
> What program? Where does it indicate 7 hours? Does it play all right on the DVR?
> 
> As to FB game- does it show it's been fully transcoded? Does it offer to play while downloading?


I am running IOS5 on iPhone 4.

So for the 1hour show, it was Secrets of Seal Team 6. On both the phone and windows app it shows the same behavior where the show it over 7 hours long, and it stops at 49:12. When playing on the DVR, the DVR gives an error "All or Part of this program did not record dur to lost satellite signal", though it does play the entire show.

For the football game, it downloads fine to the windows app and runs. On the iphone app I am given the option to play while it is downloading, and it does "stream" while it is downloading. However, once it finishes downloading, I never see it to be able to play it.

I will try reset and encoding over again tonight and update tomorrow.


----------



## dennisj00

Beerstalker said:


> I haven't run into this yet, but sounds like something I will run into.
> 
> I would love it if DirecTV would just give us an option to set Nomad up to just automatically transcode everything stored on our DVRs. I realize that not everyone will need it, but it would be really nice for those of us willing to put big external drives on ours to do this.


Just set everything to Auto-Download on a client with lots of space.


----------



## AndrewSi

"Rtm" said:


> I don't know where else to post those but since installing nomad my two HR22s are extremely slow not just from iPad directv app but using the physical remote as well to pull up. The guide and recording list.


Nobody seems to have responded, but yes, I'm definitely seeing slow responsiveness on my HR21's since setting up the Nomad. That's pretty annoying.


----------



## NR4P

AndrewSi said:


> Nobody seems to have responded, but yes, I'm definitely seeing slow responsiveness on my HR21's since setting up the Nomad. That's pretty annoying.


I had an HR21 connected and didn't experience that. Perhaps you can disconnect the Nomad from your router and see if the HR21 is the same with and without the Nomad box connected.


----------



## NR4P

Herbie said:


> So I seem to be having some repeating errors with the Windows Client.
> 
> I previously had the 2-0-2 "Something is wrong with your account" error and after a lengthy tech support call involving uninstalling and reinstalling the PC client things were working again.... until I actually took the PC on a trip.
> 
> Then it failed AGAIN in the field, couldn't watch the sideloaded content (luckily had some other digital content on the laptop or my 2-year-old would have melted down).
> 
> Back home trying to diagnose the issue I'm now getting code 2-4-2. Oddly it seems to be "intermittent", and not just a matter of lost/corrupted data, as it worked on one out of five attempts this AM.
> 
> I will try another uninstall/reinstall, but since that process requires re-initialization with the Nomad hardware, it isn't a practical approach for a "field fix" if things break while away from home again.
> 
> Any other ideas on how to nail down this issue?
> 
> On the first uninstall (while on with tech support), it did report that it couldn't find a particular file (didn't write down name but was an .xml file with "user config" or something like that in the title), seems like a good candidate as the culprit if this file gets lost, corrupted, or remains access locked incorrectly after the client exits or something. I'll nail it down on the next uninstall/reinstall when I get home tonight.


First, WELCOME to dbstalk.

I did experience something similar once that the uninstaller and installer couldn't find a particular .msi file. Drove me crazy. Finally I went into the registry and manually deleted every instance of Directv Nomad there. Some bad install caused something.

Before you do this, be sure you know what you are doing. Nomad as a name is used by other companies. For example you might come across NomadBranch or NomadSMS, they are not Directv Nomad files.

Once I did that and reinstalled, all was good.

So if you choose this method, be aware of the risks, and backup your registry first. If this is all new to you, don't do it. Find a knowledgable PC person that can tackle it. And good luck.


----------



## Rtm

AndrewSi said:


> Nobody seems to have responded, but yes, I'm definitely seeing slow responsiveness on my HR21's since setting up the Nomad. That's pretty annoying.


We have 2 HR22s and 5 other hd receivers I have the whole home though wired Ethernet. I also use the iPad app and all receivers are connected with static IPs on my LAN and everything was zippy per say for directv. But now it's all come to a grinding hault after adding Nomad, I asked my mother and she said her HR dramatically slowed down too. The iPad app is faster than the physical remote but theyre both terrible slow I'm about to call up and ***** and I don't normally do that kind of stuff but paying $150 to slow down the whole system I guess?


----------



## jurples

anybody had any issues with using nomad to put sporting events on their devices? i dvr'd the rangers - canucks game last night and it wouldn't complete the preparing / download process.

a few questions / theories:

- i'm not an nhl center ice subscriber. the game is part of the free preview going on until the 24th. is it possible that the nomad is doing some sort of authorization check and, seeing that i'm not a subscriber, not allowing me to put the game on my ipad?

- i know it's been mentioned before that nomad doesn't allow the transfer of pay per views. does directv categorize all sports subscriptions as pay-per-view, and therefore any sporting event recorded from mlb extra innings, nfl sunday ticket, nhl center ice, etc. cannot be moved onto your device of choice?

- is this prohibition just for sporting events shown on seasonal subscriptions, or is it league / sport-wide? as an example, should i be able to record and transfer hockey games recorded off of nbc, nhl network, versus, fox sports west / prime ticket, etc., or does directv's deal with the nhl preclude _any_ games from being transferred?


----------



## tcrabtree

AndrewSi said:


> Nobody seems to have responded, but yes, I'm definitely seeing slow responsiveness on my HR21's since setting up the Nomad. That's pretty annoying.


When my HR21P was recording 2 programs and downloading 2 streams to Nomad to a PC and iPad, I could not play recorded programs on my HR21P. It just displayed black where the picture would be. The timeline progressed but no picture. While watching live tv on one of the currently recording channels, I could not rewind live tv. Again the timeline moved but the picture was a still shot of the last frame before rewinding. When downloading a single stream to the Nomad, the HR21P behaves normally. (Note: My HR21P was hacked by DirecTv to make the device appear as a HR21 for testing as Nomad does not yet work with HR21P. We have since changed it back to HR21P and the Nomad no longer works.) Does anyone with a normal HR21 experience the recorded show playback showing a black screen when 2 streams are going to Nomad while 2 programs are being recorded? Does the Nomad typically allow two programs to be transcoded at the same time, one on the iPad and one on the PC or is it supposed to queue them and do one at a time?


----------



## dennisj00

In my experience with nomad, it only transcodes one program at a time from a DVR - when it's available. If someone wants to MRV a program from that DVR, nomad will bow out and start over when the DVR is available again. All other transcode requests are queued.

Not sure how your're seeing 2 streams transcoding or how the 21 was 'hacked' by DirecTV.


----------



## Laxguy

tcrabtree said:


> When my HR21P was recording 2 programs and downloading 2 streams to Nomad to a PC and iPad, I could not play recorded programs on my HR21P. It just displayed black where the picture would be. The timeline progressed but no picture. While watching live tv on one of the currently recording channels, I could not rewind live tv. Again the timeline moved but the picture was a still shot of the last frame before rewinding. When downloading a single stream to the Nomad, the HR21P behaves normally. (Note: My HR21P was hacked by DirecTv to make the device appear as a HR21 for testing as Nomad does not yet work with HR21P. We have since changed it back to HR21P and the Nomad no longer works.) Does anyone with a normal HR21 experience the recorded show playback showing a black screen when 2 streams are going to Nomad while 2 programs are being recorded? Does the Nomad typically allow two programs to be transcoded at the same time, one on the iPad and one on the PC or is it supposed to queue them and do one at a time?


The transcoding takes place on the nomad black box, not on the viewing devices, and it's sequential. I've read of problems if two devices are trying to do things at once.

Playing a show on the DVR while being transcoded is a no-no, so I've read, also.


----------



## tcrabtree

dennisj00 said:


> In my experience with nomad, it only transcodes one program at a time from a DVR - when it's available. If someone wants to MRV a program from that DVR, nomad will bow out and start over when the DVR is available again. All other transcode requests are queued.
> 
> Not sure how your're seeing 2 streams transcoding or how the 21 was 'hacked' by DirecTV.


I am not certain about both my iPad and my PC downloading programs from the Nomad at the same time. Each was showing a progress bar. It is possible that they went one at a time while we focused on testing the HR21P. I say that DirecTv "hacked" the 21 because that is what DirectTv and I decided to do. They changed my receiver in thier local account database from an HR21P to an HR21. I call it a "hack" because the person that did it became unavailable an knowone knew how to switch it back and had never seen it done before. It took days to switch it back while they tracked down the original support persons secret technique.


----------



## dennisj00

tcrabtree said:


> I am not certain about both my iPad and my PC downloading programs from the Nomad at the same time. Each was showing a progress bar. It is possible that they went one at a time while we focused on testing the HR21P. I say that DirecTv "hacked" the 21 because that is what DirectTv and I decided to do. They changed my receiver in thier local account database from an HR21P to an HR21. I call it a "hack" because the person that did it became unavailable an knowone knew how to switch it back and had never seen it done before. It took days to switch it back while they tracked down the original support persons secret technique.


Still don't know from this description what's going on, but typically nomad will 'transcode' one program at a time when it's available on a non-busy DVR.

It can download simultaneously one or more programs (already transcoded and 'Ready to Download') to different clients at the same time - although more slowly on the downloads that are happening simultaneously.

I haven't tried how many that will support. But I have had two or three going at the same time.


----------



## MikeW

I've given this stuff some time and I am more confused about this than ever. Last week, I had set up People's Court, Tom and Jerry and CSI to auto download series. I was able to transfer a few shows to my wife's phone and left it at that. Today, I un-jailbreak my phone and install the app. It's now been 7 hours and I have nothing on the phone. I fire up the PC app and it is downloading 5 of 16. None of the auto-series are saved to Nomad, everything needs to be transcoded. 

Am I required to have a device open at all times to enforce the auto downloads? It seems nothing is coming across unless a client is active. Is there anything I can do on my phone to tell Nomad to stop transcoding and start sending me something?

Is each client able to select its own programming or does the Nomad playlist go to each device? For example...I'd want People's Court on her phone, Tom and Jerry on the laptop and CSI on my phone. I don't want them all on every device. Is that the way it is supposed to work?


----------



## Beerstalker

As far as I can tell it will only auto download to the devices you have it set to auto download to. And it only downloads to those devices while the Nomad app is running on the screen.

As far as getting the stuff to transcode I still haven't quite figured that out. I'm beginning to wonder if you don't have to leave them set to auto download on something in order for them to keep transcoding. I've had some programs that I originally set up to auto download that I then went through and deleted them from auto download on that device later. It seems that after I deleted the program from auto download it also stopped automatically transcoding.

I should have got my external drive today to hook up to my Nomad. I'll try messing with some settings tonight and see if I can figure this thing out. I really just want my Nomad set up to just automatically transcode anything I record. I don't want it trying to automatically send the file to any of my devices though. I guess if I have to I can always install the app on my computer and just let it automatically copy everything over to it. I really hate to waste the hard drive space on it though just to get my Nomad to work the way I want it to (and the way I think many people will want it to).

I just want a simple setting somewhere I can set to have the Nomad automatically transcode anything I record. Or maybe like someone else mentioned, have 2 seperate options for each show, one to auto transcode the show, and one to auto transfer the show. So if I want a show to always auto transfer to my iPad I can set it up that way, but if I want another show just to be available to transfer to my iPhone if I need to and have free space (sometimes my iPhone is full) then I can do that too.


----------



## Laxguy

Each device can have its own material. ---- edit.... I see Beerstalker has replied while I was starting out.....


----------



## KenW

Thought I'd give an update. I came home from my trip and fired up the nomad client on my iPad, and just like that a bunch of shows downloaded. No issues at all. I have to give nomad a 10 on convenience.


----------



## R8ders2K

My first attempt was the Raiders-Browns game. But when I tried to play it, it the audio seemed fine, but the video was frozen. And I also noticed that the 3 hr record displayed as if it was a 6:30 hr recording.

My second attempt was a 1 hr show, Falling Skies and it was fine.

We need a forward advance or skip ahead button!


----------



## cover

Sorry if this has been covered already - haven't had time to go through the whole thread.

I'm disappointed in the picture quality for watching full screen on a laptop, my primary intended use of nomad.

I know there may need to be some compromise in file size vs. picture quality and it may be fine for phones and iPads.

I'd like to see a control setting or option that would allow selection of higher picture quality at the expense of file size and/or preparation time if needed.


----------



## Steve

cover said:


> I'd like to see a control setting or option that would allow selection of higher picture quality at the expense of file size and/or preparation time if needed.


Seems like a reasonable option request to me. There's no doubt viewing quality suffers when you go bigger than tablet-sized output.


----------



## NuklearNik

Been working with DTV for over a week on an activation issue with a Win 7 64 bit client. It will activate in safe mode but not real mode. DTV have been very responsive but unable find a solution. Anyone out there had a Win 7 64 bit issue resolved?


----------



## mnMark

+1 to getting the Nomad to 'auto transcode' by default everything on my DVRs. I would love that.


I'm having a problem today, whereby I cannot select the auto-download option on my PC-connected device. I had 20 programs selected to auto-download, and the behavior the app is showing is that, when clicking the check box, the box will briefly show selected, then go back to cleared.

Thinking there may be a limit, I removed one of the auto-download shows, then attempted to add a new one. Same behavior is showing.

My setup: Win7 Pro, 64bit (1.0.1.40), and the Nomad (FW 1.0.p25.36929S) has a 1.5TB external drive attached. The transcoding, downloading, etc is all working just fine. My only problem is getting the auto-download to select.

Anyone else experiencing this?


----------



## markrogo

mnMark said:


> +1 to getting the Nomad to 'auto transcode' by default everything on my DVRs. I would love that.


It's funny. I had a long back-and-forth in PMs about this with a forum mod. The upshot of it was more or less "such a feature is really not needed, Nomad is so simple". I'm so completely with you on this; I just want to be able to take whatever is on my DVRs with me whenever I want to head out with something. DirecTV seems to get this by allowing "season passes" to be auto added to Nomad. Maybe eventually they'll realize it should be a toggle for any recording. Seems very arbitrary it isn't.


----------



## KenW

markrogo said:


> It's funny. I had a long back-and-forth in PMs about this with a forum mod. The upshot of it was more or less "such a feature is really not needed, Nomad is so simple". I'm so completely with you on this; I just want to be able to take whatever is on my DVRs with me whenever I want to head out with something. DirecTV seems to get this by allowing "season passes" to be auto added to Nomad. Maybe eventually they'll realize it should be a toggle for any recording. Seems very arbitrary it isn't.


The season passes are fine for regular TV series, but not good for movies and other programs. You need to remember to start the encode, or it won't be there when you are ready to go. Would be nice to have this feature.


----------



## litzdog911

I don't want EVERY Series Recording to be automatically transcoded to my Nomad. But it would be nice to have the DVR's Series Recording options include a selection to automatically transcode that series, rather than having to set that up from the Nomad Client software.


----------



## Steve

litzdog911 said:


> I don't want EVERY Series Recording to be automatically transcoded to my Nomad. But it would be nice to have the DVR's Series Recording options include a selection to automatically transcode that series, rather than having to set that up from the Nomad Client software.


+1. At least for SERIES, we have a work-around. There are times I'd like to be able to tag single records for transcoding, tho, before they're actually on the LIST. No way to do that at all, now.


----------



## markrogo

I think we're all in agreement: 

* Ability to tag a series on setting it up for auto-transcode without a separate step.
* Ability to tag an individual recording for auto-transcode.

Perhaps someone would want to actually transcode everything, but that could actually be covered by the above (esp. if you could set it as a default). The person who wants absolutely everything transcoded is probably somewhat rare, but based on DBSTalk at least exists.


----------



## inkahauts

I wonder if its simply about not wanting anything on the actual dvrs that will keep these ideas from ever coming to fruition.


----------



## markrogo

inkahauts said:


> I wonder if its simply about not wanting anything on the actual dvrs that will keep these ideas from ever coming to fruition.


I dunno. There are apps on the DVRs already. It seems like DVRs that are aware of the Nomad and can interact with it are hardly far-fetched.


----------



## Diana C

IMHO, it will depend on the number of Nomads that get installed. If they become sufficiently popular, DirecTV would consider changing the software to support them. Of course, if they become *really* popular, we might see a future DVR with the Nomad functions built in.


----------



## techm8n

Video volume on iPad is too low. I max out the volume on my iPad and its still not loud enough compared toother videos. Podcast, youtube, rippedvids, etc.


----------



## markrogo

techm8n said:


> Video volume on iPad is too low. I max out the volume on my iPad and its still not loud enough compared toother videos. Podcast, youtube, rippedvids, etc.


You're not the first person to report this; sounds like a level problem in the software. Hopefully a fix in the next rev.


----------



## Rtm

"techm8n" said:


> Video volume on iPad is too low. I max out the volume on my iPad and its still not loud enough compared toother videos. Podcast, youtube, rippedvids, etc.


Unacceptably low for $150 they need to be more proactive at fixing this


----------



## lucky13

techm8n said:


> Video volume on iPad is too low. I max out the volume on my iPad and its still not loud enough compared toother videos. Podcast, youtube, rippedvids, etc.


Yes. 
Volume is fine when run through earbuds, or bluetoothed to my car stereo.
But it's uncomfortably low if you're just using the iPad internal speaker. Not satisfactory for more than one person watching.


----------



## poppo

I just ordered mine and I have a few questions. On the DirecTV site, it says 'broadband Internet connection required'. I assume that is only for it to be able to authenticate etc.. Unlike the DirecTV iPad app that now streams live TV via the Internet, the nomad doesn't really use any significant amount of your ISP bandwidth correct? 

Also is there any way to set a static IP for for the nomad or can it only use DHCP?


----------



## kmcrobb

Rtm said:


> Unacceptably low for $150 they need to be more proactive at fixing this


They are supposed to be coming out with a native IPAD app so hopefully it wont be an issue once its released.


----------



## Laxguy

poppo said:


> I just ordered mine and I have a few questions. On the DirecTV site, it says 'broadband Internet connection required'. I assume that is only for it to be able to authenticate etc.. Unlike the DirecTV iPad app that now streams live TV via the Internet, the nomad doesn't really use any significant amount of your ISP bandwidth correct?
> 
> Also is there any way to set a static IP for for the nomad or can it only use DHCP?


Yes, the nomad uses virtually no bandwidth (of the internet type!).

Dunno 'bout setting an IP address on it. That'd be a nice feature.


----------



## Stuart Sweet

As far as I know the nomad requires DHCP and cannot be set to a static address.


----------



## Steve

Stuart Sweet said:


> As far as I know the nomad requires DHCP and cannot be set to a static address.


Ya. AFAIK, best can do is reserve an IP for it in your router. If you're not sure which MAC address belongs to Nomad, it can be found on a sticker beneath the unit.


----------



## poppo

Stuart Sweet said:


> As far as I know the nomad requires DHCP and cannot be set to a static address.


Ok. The reason I asked is that some devices (i.e. my Apple TV) for some reason won't work right with DHCP (issue with the DNS). Part of the problem may be because I am on a WISP and my external IP is actually another private 10.10.x.x addresss. If I set it with a static IP and 'hard code' the DNS address, it works fine. Hopefully I won't have any problems.

That said, it seems odd that they would not let you set a static IP like you can with the DVRs.


----------



## NR4P

poppo said:


> That said, it seems odd that they would not let you set a static IP like you can with the DVRs.


With the DVRs you can set the IP address via the tv screen and remote. Nomad doesn't have any such interface.


----------



## poppo

NR4P said:


> With the DVRs you can set the IP address via the tv screen and remote. Nomad doesn't have any such interface.


It 'could' use the app to do it. I have other devices with no 'screen' that can be set via an app or web browser. Point being, it does not need a screen to be able to do it since the app is the screen and remote.


----------



## trh

NR4P said:


> Selective delete of an item in the Nomad hardware (without DVR deletion) is not available.


Maybe something that needs to be added.

I recorded Revenge last night and had it set for Auto-Download. Got up this AM and downloaded to iPad. Tried to view the show later and the video didn't work. Picture locked up; audio worked fine. I fast-forwarded to other parts of the show -- again audio worked fine, but still the same 'frozen' picture. Got home, deleted Revenge from the iPad and downloaded again. Same problem. I was able to play the show from my DVR(s) just fine. So I'm guessing something happened during the transcoding. So it would be nice to be able to delete the show so I could trancode it again.


----------



## dennisj00

Though rare, this has happened to some folks. Short of a long reset to flush everything, the only other alternative is hope you can record it again. A simple 'Delete from Nomad' needs to be added.


----------



## NR4P

A week ago, activated a new iphone 4S as my 5th license. Worked great. Sadly, it died a few days later, the phone, not Nomad.

Replacement phone arrived but cannot transfer the license from old 4S to new 4S. Directv Nomad tech support stumped. (no apostrophes or commas). I learned from the CSR that there's a 30 day re-license rule. Meaning once a device loses it license due to transfer, it can't have it back for 30 days.

They don't believe one must keep a license for 30 days but can't explain why new 4S can't replace defective 4S. So for now, wait to see if they resolve this and get back to me.


----------



## trh

NR4P said:


> I learned from the CSR that there's a 30 day re-license rule. Meaning once a device loses it license due to transfer, it can't have it back for 30 days.


Glad you mentioned this, because I read about this 30-day rule in the manual and I didn't (maybe still don't) understand it. The manual states


> A device may be reactivated 30 days after it is deleted.


 I didn't understand this but putting this statement together with what you were told, I think I may now. Does it mean that a device *can't* be reactivated until 30 days from the date it was deleted? If so, is the reason they are doing this is because deleting a device doesn't delete any shows on the device and this is how they are going to control someone downloading to more than five devices?


----------



## NR4P

trh said:


> Glad you mentioned this, because I read about this 30-day rule in the manual and I didn't (maybe still don't) understand it. The manual states I didn't understand this but putting this statement together with what you were told, I think I may now. Does it mean that a device *can't* be reactivated until 30 days from the date it was deleted? If so, is the reason they are doing this is because deleting a device doesn't delete any shows on the device and this is how they are going to control someone downloading to more than five devices?


The rule does make sense. If there wasn't a 30 day relicense requirement, one could just license devices every day, pushing out the oldest and then the next day that same deleted one could come back and grab someone else's license.

In my case, I wondering if there's also a requirement that once a device is licensed, it's license can't be transfered for 30 days. That might explain why I can't do the defective phone transfer since that license is only a week old.
Of course I could try a different device to transfer and if successful that would explain it. But then that PC or iPad can't be used again for 30 days so I don't want to try that.

Or I wait 3 more weeks and then will know if that was it since the defective phone was licensed about a week ago. This may be an unintended issue that reporting here will help solve.


----------



## poppo

Another question I don't recall seeing asked already. Will having a wireless n router transfer things faster then g, or is the write time on the iPad going to slow it down enough that it won't make any difference? Has anyone tried both?


----------



## Rtm

poppo said:


> Another question I don't recall seeing asked already. Will having a wireless n router transfer things faster then g, or is the write time on the iPad going to slow it down enough that it won't make any difference? Has anyone tried both?


Well they are both flash memory but it still seems to go pretty slow I don't necessary think it will speed it up much or at all I have N router



poppo said:


> Ok. The reason I asked is that some devices (i.e. my Apple TV) for some reason won't work right with DHCP (issue with the DNS). Part of the problem may be because I am on a WISP and my external IP is actually another private 10.10.x.x addresss. If I set it with a static IP and 'hard code' the DNS address, it works fine. Hopefully I won't have any problems.
> 
> That said, it seems odd that they would not let you set a static IP like you can with the DVRs.


Looks like your using an Apple router with 10.x.x.x addresses (or another router) try DHCP Reservations most have it including Apple routers that allowed me to set a "static" IP on my nomad as well as all my receivers


----------



## Rtm

Nomad returnable?


----------



## hdtvfan0001

poppo said:


> Another question I don't recall seeing asked already. Will having a wireless n router transfer things faster then g, or is the write time on the iPad going to slow it down enough that it won't make any difference? Has anyone tried both?


I used both.

The wireless "N" router is definitely faster *for the download stage *of the process than using a "G" router.


----------



## poppo

Rtm said:


> Well they are both flash memory but it still seems to go pretty slow I don't necessary think it will speed it up much or at all I have N router


Thanks for the info on the N and transfer speed. I had a feeling it would not be much faster due to the flash memory. But if anyone else has actually done a G vs N transfer speed comparison test with the nomad, please post your findings.



Rtm said:


> Looks like your using an Apple router with 10.x.x.x addresses (or another router) try DHCP Reservations most have it including Apple routers that allowed me to set a "static" IP on my nomad as well as all my receivers


I don't have a Apple router. My LAN IPs are 192.168.x.x. , but my external IP on my router is a 10.10.x.x. address supplied by my ISP. My ISP (wisp) then routes the 10.10.x.x addresses out to public addresses. The problem is that when using DHCP, the router doles out the router's IP as the DNS server to the devices. The router does have the DNS addresses set up on it, but some devices just don't work properly with this setup. I just assume it's because of the 10.10.x.x external address thing. Oddly my iPad works fine, but my Apple TV would not. The Apple TV could see my lan, but would not connect to the Internet. I had to use a static IP on the Apple TV and 'hard code' the actual DNS addresses into it before it would work.

Reserving addresses won't help because it will still be using DHCP and using the router as the DNS server. I need to be able to put the DNS addresses directly on the unit to eliminate the problem.

My nomad should arive today. Hopefully it will not be an issue.


----------



## NR4P

Rtm said:


> Nomad returnable?


That would be a good question for a csr. Not liking it or just worried you may not like it?


----------



## Steve

poppo said:


> Thanks for the info on the N and transfer speed. I had a feeling it would not be much faster due to the flash memory. But if anyone else has actually done a G vs N transfer speed comparison test with the nomad, please post your findings.


I did some timings off the same Actiontec router on a 295.2 MB transcode.

Hardwired was 145 seconds (16.8Mbps) to a PC.
G and N to an iPad each took about 240 seconds (10.1Mbps).


----------



## litzdog911

Rtm said:


> Nomad returnable?


Call and ask. But generally "accessories" like Nomad, AM21 Off-Air Tuner, etc. are not returnable.


----------



## Rtm

"NR4P" said:


> That would be a good question for a csr. Not liking it or just worried you may not like it?


My receivers are bogged down with it sounds ridiculous but they are so slow even when not transcoding on nomad


----------



## poppo

Steve said:


> I did some timings off the same Actiontec router on a 295.2 MB transcode.
> 
> Hardwired was 145 seconds (16.8Mbps) to a PC.
> G and N to an iPad each took about 240 seconds (10.1Mbps).


Thanks. I was thinking about upgrading my router, but it does not look like it would gain anything.


----------



## Steve

poppo said:


> Thanks. I was thinking about upgrading my router, but it does not look like it would gain anything.


Probably not. I had 3 bars (max) wifi signal on my iPad, and it was in the same location when I downloaded both. All I did was change the router from N to G and reconnect the iPad after the router rebooted.


----------



## poppo

My nomad just arrived.  Thanks to reading this thread, setup was a breeze. They included a big notice to not do anything for about 10 minutes so it could download new firmware (which it did). Everything else went pretty quick. I'm doing a test download now.


----------



## trh

jurples said:


> anybody had any issues with using nomad to put sporting events on their devices? i dvr'd the rangers - canucks game last night and it wouldn't complete the preparing / download process.
> 
> a few questions / theories:
> 
> - i'm not an nhl center ice subscriber. the game is part of the free preview going on until the 24th. is it possible that the nomad is doing some sort of authorization check and, seeing that i'm not a subscriber, not allowing me to put the game on my ipad?
> 
> - i know it's been mentioned before that nomad doesn't allow the transfer of pay per views. does directv categorize all sports subscriptions as pay-per-view, and therefore any sporting event recorded from mlb extra innings, nfl sunday ticket, nhl center ice, etc. cannot be moved onto your device of choice?
> 
> - is this prohibition just for sporting events shown on seasonal subscriptions, or is it league / sport-wide? as an example, should i be able to record and transfer hockey games recorded off of nbc, nhl network, versus, fox sports west / prime ticket, etc., or does directv's deal with the nhl preclude _any_ games from being transferred?


I am. I've tried to download two different hockey games. Neither completed the "preparing" process so neither could be downloaded. I did a manual record on NHL CI channel (set for 3 hours; not 6). Shows recorded fine and can be watched on our home DVRs. I watched one game get down to about 58 minutes left of preparation and then it reset and went back to 3 hours ( and a few minutes). It did that twice before I cancelled the download. DVR that recorded the game was not in use during the prep time. I really want to figure this out; one of the main reasons for getting a nomad was to watch late night hockey games the following day when not at home.
EDIT/Added: On my nomad System Info, it says I have 10.24 GB free of 15.26GB. Should be enough room for a 3-hour show, correct?


----------



## poppo

I just re-read the whole thread and am a little confused on one thing. If a program is in the process of 'downloading' to the nomad and you start a MRV from that DVR, the nomad takes a back seat. But does it pick up where it left off or does it need to start all over?

Also, I think this has already been mentioned, but DirecTV needs to be more consistent in their terminology on this. If you have set up a show to download (DVR to nomad), the main screen shows a bar at the bottom that says downloading 1 of 1, but click on the little up arrow to expand it, it says 'preparing'. IMO the term 'prepare' or 'tanscode' should be used on any screen when talking about shows being moving from the DVR to the nomad. And 'download' or 'transfer' should be used when talking about the show moving from the nomad to the device. It can be confusing if you have several processes going on at the same time and the screens are inconsistent.


----------



## Steve

poppo said:


> I just re-read the whole thread and am a little confused on one thing. If a program is in the process of 'downloading' to the nomad and you start a MRV from that DVR, the nomad takes a back seat. But does it pick up where it left off or does it need to start all over?


It has to start over from the beginning.


----------



## Beerstalker

poppo said:


> I just re-read the whole thread and am a little confused on one thing. If a program is in the process of 'downloading' to the nomad and you start a MRV from that DVR, the nomad takes a back seat. But does it pick up where it left off or does it need to start all over?
> 
> Also, I think this has already been mentioned, but DirecTV needs to be more consistent in their terminology on this. If you have set up a show to download (DVR to nomad), the main screen shows a bar at the bottom that says downloading 1 of 1, but click on the little up arrow to expand it, it says 'preparing'. IMO the term 'prepare' or 'tanscode' should be used on any screen when talking about shows being moving from the DVR to the nomad. And 'download' or 'transfer' should be used when talking about the show moving from the nomad to the device. It can be confusing if you have several processes going on at the same time and the screens are inconsistent.


They are pretty consistent. The problem is they only allow you to set up stuff to download. So when you tell it to download a show, you are actually setting up 2 steps, the transcoding and the transferring to the device. If the program is already transcoded then it just skips that step.

What needs to happen is DirecTV needs to separate these two steps. You should be able to set up shows for transcoding and transferring to a device separately.

My guess is they did it the way it is currently to cause less confusion. People wouldn't be calling up saying "I set my Nomad to transcode these shows but they aren't on my device" because they weren't going through the separate step to actually transfer it.


----------



## Laxguy

One can effectively make it two steps: After choosing programs to transcode, quit the nomad app.


----------



## Beerstalker

Laxguy said:


> One can effectively make it two steps: After choosing programs to transcode, quit the nomad app.


Yes, and that is what I currently do. The annoying thing is though that it starts downloading everything as soon as you start the app back up though. So like last night, I set up about 50 things to transcode because I am getting ready to leave on a week long trip. I don't know yet if I am going to take my wife's iPad, or just my iPhone, so I don't want it to transfer anything to any devices yet. I do want them to get transcoded though so once I figure out what device I am taking I can then just transfer them over.


----------



## KenW

I was expecting the default would be to transcode and download, with an option to just transcode. Similar to the checkbox we have today, you could select not to download. 

I agree it needs to be as simple as possible, so the default will be what most folks intend. 

I also had to chose which device to use for the download, my laptop or my iPad. My iPad was mostly for the plane, since it has limited space, but much longer battery life. The laptop has much more space, but very limited battery. I went back and forth a few times before starting the downloads.


----------



## Laxguy

I'd comment that you guys are the epitome of power users! I doubt that many will find the stumbling blocks (much less the solutions) that you've overcome.


----------



## markrogo

Laxguy said:


> I'd comment that you guys are the epitome of power users! I doubt that many will find the stumbling blocks (much less the solutions) that you've overcome.


I'd comment that this is an all-too-frequent occurrence here. Someone makes a perfectly reasonable feature request and they're basically told something like: "Oh, you're just an outlier."

I'd comment that, but it'd get reported as somehow offensive, so I urge you to read the above as a hypothetical.


----------



## mcnallc1

Version 1.8.1 is now available. 

Just listed bug fixes with a message to watch out for new features.


----------



## KenW

mcnallc1 said:


> Version 1.8.1 is now available.
> 
> Just listed bug fixes with a message to watch out for new features.


Has anyone taken the plunge and upgraded their iPad? I'd hate to lose my programs when I'm traveling.


----------



## poppo

Beerstalker said:


> They are pretty consistent.


Not really.

Step one - select 'download to iPad' from the DVR list (that is already misleading because that is not what it is actually going to do yet). Now go back to the main screen and it says downloading 1 of 1 on the bottom. Well, does that mean downloading to the iPad or to the nomad? (yes I know what it's doing). But then select the up arrow on the right and the screen now says:

Downloading
Programs will download after preparing.

So why does the previous screen say it's downloading when this say it will download later?

Then below that it says: 
Preparing
xxxxxxx
xxx min left

Which is actually what it is doing (and what I think the other screen should say). Then later when a program is ready, you are once again given screens that say downloading (to the iPad).

Not constant at all IMO.


----------



## mcnallc1

"KenW" said:


> Has anyone taken the plunge and upgraded their iPad? I'd hate to lose my programs when I'm traveling.


I upgraded mine and ended up having to remove the app and all the data to get it to work. So you may want to hold off.


----------



## deffdino

Argh!!! New upgrade ..... Had to reinstall app, lost shows and now won't recognize the nomad on my network.


----------



## poppo

KenW said:


> Has anyone taken the plunge and upgraded their iPad? I'd hate to lose my programs when I'm traveling.


I just did. Didn't lose anything. Not sure about any new features yet.

Note: I updated via iTunes. And I made sure the app was totally shut down first.

Hmmm..... iTunes updated it, but oddly the app still says V1.0.1


----------



## RAD

"poppo" said:


> I just did. Didn't lose anything. Not sure about any new features yet.
> 
> Note: I updated via iTunes. And I made sure the app was totally shut down first.
> 
> Hmmm..... iTunes updated it, but oddly the app still says V1.0.1


I've been told in the past that it can take a day for the iTunes server farms to propagate the updated code to all of them.


----------



## poppo

RAD said:


> I've been told in the past that it can take a day for the iTunes server farms to propagate the updated code to all of them.


But why would iTunes say there was an update available and download it if it wasn't the updated version? Seems like that could cause people to be running the wrong version of a lot of apps.


----------



## Justin23

Downloaded the iOS update, then an hour later the App Store says there is another update....but for version 1.0? Did they roll it back that soon?


----------



## poppo

I think there is a typo on iTunes site. My touch has 1.0.0 and my iPad now has 1.0.1 after the update not 1.8.1 Going from 1.0.0 to 1.8.1 would seem odd.

<edit> now iTunes shows 1.0 again.


----------



## KenW

Looks like the new version is gone. It must have been pulled back.


----------



## poppo

Did anyone who downloaded the one that gave them trouble actually look and see what version the app said it was under system info? I'm curious if there ever really was a 1.8.1 or if it was the 1.0.1 that I am now running. As noted above, my other device still has 1.0.0, so I do have some sort of update or at least verion number change.


----------



## Steve

poppo said:


> Did anyone who downloaded the one that gave them trouble actually look and see what version the app said it was under system info? I'm curious if there ever really was a 1.8.1 or if it was the 1.0.1 that I am now running. As noted above, my other device still has 1.0.0, so I do have some sort of update or at least verion number change.


I downloaded what was listed on the App Store as 1.8.1, but your post made me check, and System Info is showing my iPad2 is running 1.0.1.

Based on how the betas were numbered, my guess is the internal numbering scheme is different than the NR numbering scheme, and last night's release was published with the wrong file name at first, and they've since corrected it. Just my .02.


----------



## poppo

Steve said:


> ... and last night's release was published with the wrong file name at first, and they've since corrected it. Just my .02.


But corrected to what? It's now showing the original version (and description) again. I guess I'm trying to figure out if they pulled the 1.0.1 that I am now running or what. I have not had any problems, but if they pulled it for a reason.....


----------



## Steve

poppo said:


> But corrected to what? It's now showing the original version (and description) again. I guess I'm trying to figure out if they pulled the 1.0.1 that I am now running or what. I have not had any problems, but if they pulled it for a reason.....


Could just be an App Store update issue. I've heard from developers that it sometimes takes 24-48 hours for updates to propagate.

Even if they pulled it, that version we d/l'd last night _seems _to be working fine. Doesn't look any different from a UI standpoint than 1.0, so whatever's changed is UTH.


----------



## jpelam

What is your router make/model?

I have a Linksys E4200 Router


What is the IP address of your PC and STB's?

Notebook (Wireless) = 192.168.2.117 (cliet Software 1.0.1.40)
Ipod Touch (Wireless) = 192.168.2.104

Nomad 192.168.2.110



Subnet 255.255.255.0

What is the IP range you are using?

192.168.2.100 - 192.168.2.119

How many STB's do you have and what type?

2 STBs, HR22-100, HR20-100

Are you using Whole Home?

USing Whole Home

How are you networked, CAT5, MoCA, home plug, CCK-W (wireless), wireless gaming adapter?

Using Cat 5 Nomad is plugged directly to E4200


Nomad has 3 blue lights when I run the client on the Notebook I recieve:

1. Found Directv Nomad (check)

2. Activated Device (Check)

3. Unable to register Directv Nomad (Error code 5-0-0)



On The Ipod Touch the error is Unable to register Directv Nomad (Error Code (Nomad/65535)

also have received (NSPOSIXErrorDomain/51)



- I have tried to uninstall Apps and reinstall apps

- Disabale AV/Firewall Software (Norton 360)

- Reset Nomad (using reset button)



Please Help


----------



## cancun64

Ok I went onto to DTV Nomad site and it said iPad and Mac coming soon. So at this point my iPad will not work with this device yes or no ?


----------



## cancun64

What did you all pay for Nomad $$


----------



## Stuart Sweet

It will work on the iPad as an iPhone app.


----------



## Beerstalker

$150 plus tax and shipping. I haven't heard of anyone getting a deal on one.


----------



## cancun64

Everybody paid $149 ?


----------



## Stuart Sweet

Pretty much... I haven't heard of any discounting.


----------



## poppo

I doubt we will see any discounts any time soon since there is no extra charge, and there are costs involved with developing the app, etc. Maybe if it turns out to not sell well, then maybe. But until I start seeing them turning up used on ebay, I would not expect to see them sold any cheaper.


----------



## Fraaaak

Has anyone got the Windows Nomad software to work in VMWare Fusion using the NAT network adaptor? It works great using the Bridge adapter, but can't find the Nomad when Fusion is using the NAT adaptor.

It's not really a big deal, since I can just switch back to NAT when I leave the house, but if I can eliminate switching to Bridged to load up videos, that would be great.


----------



## cancun64

"Stuart Sweet" said:


> It will work on the iPad as an iPhone app.


This is the DTV site where it states coming soon for Mac and iPad


----------



## KenW

cancun64 said:


> What did you all pay for Nomad $$


$150 + tax.


----------



## KenW

jpelam said:


> Nomad has 3 blue lights when I run the client on the Notebook I recieve:
> 1. Found Directv Nomad (check)
> 2. Activated Device (Check)
> 3. Unable to register Directv Nomad (Error code 5-0-0)
> 
> Please Help


I had something similar. I had left the nomad client running on my iPad when I rebooted the nomad. Seems it didn't like that combination.

Is the DVR set to allow client access?


----------



## jpelam

Yes, all my settings are set to "Allow" on both my DVRs


----------



## cancun64

I go to App store search Nomad and what comes up is Nomad for iPhone. Can somebody send me link for iPad App please


----------



## trh

cancun64 said:


> Ok I went onto to DTV Nomad site and it said iPad and Mac coming soon. So at this point my iPad will not work with this device yes or no ?





Stuart Sweet said:


> It will work on the iPad as an iPhone app.





cancun64 said:


> I go to App store search Nomad and what comes up is Nomad for iPhone. Can somebody send me link for iPad App please


Use the iPhone app on your iPad. Works just fine on both iPad and iPad2.


----------



## cplusj

So, I just spent the past hour reading all 13 pages of this thread and there are some general questions I didn't see asked that I was wondering if anyone could answer.

Before that, I had a thought for the people having trouble getting NHL games to their device. Have you tried recording the replay instead of the live event? I no longer subscribe to Center Ice because I have all the sports channels. While I can't watch the game live, I CAN record and watch the replay of the game that most of the Fox channels play about two hours after the game is over. Maybe that replay will work with Nomad also?


On to my questions. I see a lot of people comment that they have the Nomad app on their iPad. I assume you're just using the iPhone app and installed it on the iPad? If that's the case, when the real iPad native app comes out, will you have to "delicense" your ipad and wait 30 days before installing the native app on it?


Next question - from time to time I get the "cannot connect to Nomad" message on my iPHone app when trying to download. Does the app keep trying in the background to reconnect on its own or do I need to babysit the app and manually click the retry button? If I put my phone on my nightstand before I go to bed with the app downloading shows, am I going to wake up to find that it lost the connection an hour after I went to sleep and since I wasn't awake to click "reconnect" nothing got downloaded?

Right now, if I set the filter to show only shows ready to download, I have a show (Glee) that shows up. But, at the same time, it still has a downloading bar indicating 12 minutes left. Why is it "ready for download" but still has 12 minutes left? AND, when I tap on Glee, there is a "Play" button, but if I view shows that are currently on my iPhone, Glee is not one of them. How can I "Play" it if it's not on my iPhone? And yes, I clicked play it it works... the entire show is there, and it started playing just fine... yet it says 10 minutes left now on the download progress bar and the show doesn't show up as being on my iPhone... odd. And there is not an option to "delete from iPhone". (I only have one episode of Glee on my DVR, so it's not a multiple episode issue).

How much memory does a show take up on the iPhone?

If I set multiple shows to be downloaded to Nomad, how do i selectively control which ones get put onto my devices? (I have two iphones and two ipads). I don't want it to automatically start downloading every show that has been "prepared". I want to choose which shows get put on which device.


Apologies that most of my questions sound like gibberish. I'm not that good at putting thoughts into written form.


----------



## Justin23

Looks like iOS version 1.8.1 update is available again...


----------



## poppo

Justin23 said:


> Looks like iOS version 1.8.1 update is available again...


Ok, just as an FYI, iTunes it would not let me download it since I already had the other night. So I first made a backup copy of 'nomad 1.0.1.ipa', and then deleted it from iTunes. It then let me download it again. When I was done the app still was named 'nomad 1.0.1.ipa' like I had downloaded the other night. However, I did a file compare against the two and they are different. (72K bytes different)

My iPad also said everything is up to date. So I took a chance and deleted the app from the iPad and reinstalled it (from iTunes). I did lose the shows I had on the iPad and had to reactivate the iPad, but it went fine. And the ap again shows v1.0.1.

Anyway, if anyone downloaded 1.0.1 the other night, this verion still says 1.0.1, but there are differences in the code. So you may need to delete it before iTunes or the iPad will update again.


----------



## poppo

cplusj said:


> Right now, if I set the filter to show only shows ready to download, I have a show (Glee) that shows up. But, at the same time, it still has a downloading bar indicating 12 minutes left. Why is it "ready for download" but still has 12 minutes left? AND, when I tap on Glee, there is a "Play" button, but if I view shows that are currently on my iPhone, Glee is not one of them. How can I "Play" it if it's not on my iPhone? And yes, I clicked play it it works... the entire show is there, and it started playing just fine... yet it says 10 minutes left now on the download progress bar and the show doesn't show up as being on my iPhone... odd. And there is not an option to "delete from iPhone". (I only have one episode of Glee on my DVR, so it's not a multiple episode issue).


Once you start downloading to the iPhone, you can start playing it. You won't be able to delete it until it is finished downloading.

As for the video file sizes, it will vary, but a 1 hour show uses about 500MB.


----------



## trh

I still am unable to get a hockey game downloaded to my nomad. I've tried manual recording on a NHL CI channel (3 and 2.5 hours), and 3 and 2.5 hours on Fox RSN channel. On each one of these, the transcoding on the nomad just keeps recycling (it starts off with 2.5-3 hours left, gets down to under 1 hour remaining and then starts all over again). I every case, I could play the hockey game on my DVR, so the recording itself doesn't appear to be the problem.

Any ideas? Is there tech support at DirecTV that can answer questions/help with the nomad? Any help would be appreciated.


----------



## cplusj

trh said:


> I still am unable to get a hockey game downloaded to my nomad. I've tried manual recording on a NHL CI channel (3 and 2.5 hours), and 3 and 2.5 hours on Fox RSN channel. On each one of these, the transcoding on the nomad just keeps recycling (it starts off with 2.5-3 hours left, gets down to under 1 hour remaining and then starts all over again). I every case, I could play the hockey game on my DVR, so the recording itself doesn't appear to be the problem.
> 
> Any ideas? Is there tech support at DirecTV that can answer questions/help with the nomad? Any help would be appreciated.


Have you tried recording the replay on the Fox RSN channel? Usually about two hours after the original game ends they broadcast a replay. The replay is not subject to subscription (i.e. NHL package not required) to view and therefore perhaps it will work?


----------



## trh

The RSN recordings I did were from my local RSNs so not part of my CI subscription. There is a repeat on later tonight that I just set -- not to see whether the repeats work, but the 2.5 hour live broadcast has been edited down to 2 hours.


----------



## jkimrey

+2 on the desire for a WP7 app.

Nomad would go great with Mango.


----------



## su_A_ve

150??? 

They should put a software version of it. With a core i5 I can bet it can actually transcode a lot faster than real time.

Heck, even expand direct2pc... All it's doing is opening up the encryption, transcoding and putting dmr on the resulting mpg4...


----------



## markrogo

su_A_ve said:


> 150???
> 
> They should put a software version of it. With a core i5 I can bet it can actually transcode a lot faster than real time.
> 
> Heck, even expand direct2pc... All it's doing is opening up the encryption, transcoding and putting dmr on the resulting mpg4...


I agree there ought to be a software version. I am curious if you ever transcoded 1920 x 1080i video on your machine down to, say 720 x 480. Do you have any sense of how long it actually takes to transcode an hour of video with it?


----------



## Rtm

I'm starting to feel confused. Resizing a 1920x1080 photo down to 1280x720 or whatever close resolution Nomad uses generally makes it look better, although I understand compression for iPad and such but the Windows application the video is terrible looking.

are they looking to improve it at all?


----------



## markrogo

Rtm said:


> I'm starting to feel confused. Resizing a 1920x1080 photo down to 1280x720 or whatever close resolution Nomad uses generally makes it look better, although I understand compression for iPad and such but the Windows application the video is terrible looking.
> 
> are they looking to improve it at all?


I think I addressed this above, but again, there is so much more to the _quality_ of what you see than resolution.

It's actually three things:

(1) Resolution, which you totally understand
(2) Bitrate, which is how much data there is. All else being equal, more is better, Nomad's bit rate, however, after transcoding is perfectly reasonable
(3) Encode quality. *This is a variable that is actually independent of both bitrate and resolution*. From the anecdotal complaints here, it's pretty clear than Nomad's encode quality is not especially high.

To improve (3), the firmware on Nomad itself would have to be altered. And, if anything, it's likely the encodes would take even longer than they do now -- which is about 1 hour per 1 hour, or "real time". This seems unlikely.


----------



## Rtm

markrogo said:


> I think I addressed this above, but again, there is so much more to the _quality_ of what you see than resolution.
> 
> It's actually three things:
> 
> (1) Resolution, which you totally understand
> (2) Bitrate, which is how much data there is. All else being equal, more is better, Nomad's bit rate, however, after transcoding is perfectly reasonable
> (3) Encode quality. *This is a variable that is actually independent of both bitrate and resolution*. From the anecdotal complaints here, it's pretty clear than Nomad's encode quality is not especially high.
> 
> To improve (3), the firmware on Nomad itself would have to be altered. And, if anything, it's likely the encodes would take even longer than they do now -- which is about 1 hour per 1 hour, or "real time". This seems unlikely.


I'd love a little more control over it then we have now maybe an option for what quality we'd like and it could maybe list better quality = longer time. iTunes 720 hd videos are great quality in generally small files sizes to boot.

They just need to be a little more transparent about their future plans for it as well the update for the iPhone app said stay tuned for future firmware and software updates to improve your nomad. It's a good device its just a little unpolished for them to ship out I suppose I should have known because they list 5 devices and 3 the apps are coming soon.


----------



## markrogo

Rtm said:


> I'd love a little more control over it then we have now maybe an option for what quality we'd like and it could maybe list better quality = longer time. iTunes 720 hd videos are great quality in generally small files sizes to boot.


That's certainly a realistic way to achieve the result you (and others) are after. I'm not sure they will ever do this, but it would be a great work around for those that would trade quality for speed.


----------



## mikeharden

I bought this Nomad unit and do not use it very often because there is no Windows Phone 7 App. Please get this done soon! I occasionally use the PC, but I do not like Apple products and do not use Android devices. PLEASE get a WP7 app!


----------



## dualsub2006

"mikeharden" said:


> PLEASE get a WP7 app!


The last mobile OS report that I saw showed that WP7 was actually losing some of what little market share that it had.

There isn't even a WP7 coming soon on the Nomad page, I'd imagine that won't change until WP7 sells a few devices.


----------



## Rtm

Today the app kept messing up when trying to rewind and go forward on two different occasions the last 2 occurring after I closed out and reopened the app, then it just kept freezing and the video would close then the app would crash.

Finally I left the iPad for like 10 minutes to go eat and came back to play it again and it worked this time but it was a really odd occurrence.

*FYI I think the volume issue is fixed?*


----------



## dsexton

So I settled into my seat on the plane, cranked up the Win 7 64-bit PC, started Nomadand got a 2-4-2 error. The message said there was a problem with my DirecTV account, that I should connect to the network via wifi, and if that did not correct the problem to call support with the 2-4-2 error code. Today at home I connected to my network via wifi and everything is fine. Has anyone else had this? It was annoying to be all set to watch Nomad recorded programs to kill time on the flight and not have it work. I am wondering how likely it is that this will happen again.


----------



## p3pilot

dsexton said:


> So I settled into my seat on the plane, cranked up the Win 7 64-bit PC, started Nomadand got a 2-4-2 error. The message said there was a problem with my DirecTV account, that I should connect to the network via wifi, and if that did not correct the problem to call support with the 2-4-2 error code. Today at home I connected to my network via wifi and everything is fine. Has anyone else had this? It was annoying to be all set to watch Nomad recorded programs to kill time on the flight and not have it work. I am wondering how likely it is that this will happen again.


I am very interested also in hearing what causes that error. I have been using my player often on flights and would be upset if it just decided not to play .


----------



## litzdog911

dsexton said:


> So I settled into my seat on the plane, cranked up the Win 7 64-bit PC, started Nomadand got a 2-4-2 error. The message said there was a problem with my DirecTV account, that I should connect to the network via wifi, and if that did not correct the problem to call support with the 2-4-2 error code. Today at home I connected to my network via wifi and everything is fine. Has anyone else had this? It was annoying to be all set to watch Nomad recorded programs to kill time on the flight and not have it work. I am wondering how likely it is that this will happen again.


Yes, I've seen this problem. I was traveling recently and had this same error pop up while in a hotel room. Fortunately they had wireless internet, so after I connected my laptop to their wireless internet my Nomad client behaved properly. I wonder if the client needs to connect with the DirecTV servers every few days? I thought it only need to do this every 30-days though.


----------



## Mike_TV

litzdog911 said:


> I wonder if the client needs to connect with the DirecTV servers every few days? I thought it only need to do this every 30-days though.


I've seen this too and thought the next time I travel I better run the PC client before going to the airport to download anything new and get a "fresh authorization" for travel.


----------



## Rtm

I just notice that my iPhone and iPad have been backing up 5.5 and 8 gb respectively at night to my iCloud account. I think they only backup once per show and it just scans for changes but still holy cow they should warn you incase you have a bandwidth cap. 

I did turn it off btw but I was blown away when I saw it.

Edit: directv needs to change their app as this would be of no use if you restored your phone it would take to long to download them

And if restored you would have to reactivate your device on nomad anyways it would be much faster to re download from nomad than the Internet


----------



## Laxguy

Rtm said:


> I just notice that my iPhone and iPad have been backing up 5.5 and 8 gb respectively at night to my iCloud account. I think they only backup once per show and it just scans for changes but still holy cow they should warn you incase you have a bandwidth cap.
> 
> I did turn it off btw but I was blown away when I saw it.
> 
> Edit: directv needs to change their app as this would be of no use if you restored your phone it would take to long to download them
> 
> And if restored you would have to reactivate your device on nomad anyways it would be much faster to re download from nomad than the Internet


Which is why backing up is, in many ways, an undesired redundancy. However, I don't see a reason why DIRECTV® needs to change the app due to this. Having it default to the most conservative stance is probably the best stance. Perhaps a warning as to what is happening would be "a good thing"..


----------



## Rtm

Laxguy said:


> Which is why backing up is, in many ways, an undesired redundancy. However, I don't see a reason why DIRECTV® needs to change the app due to this. Having it default to the most conservative stance is probably the best stance. Perhaps a warning as to what is happening would be "a good thing"..


They need to change it to not automatically backup I had no clue it was backing up when I plugged my iPhone and iPad in, I just knew my Internet had slowed to a crawl(I'm a bit of a night owl) and I was getting ready to call up and gripe at Comcast.

I'm not sure what you mean by conservative but I view this as liberal disregard for the user their limited iCloud storage (most only have 5GB it would take up all their storage a couple shows) and internet connection. Most I know use DSL and have usually 2 or 3 mbps upload I don't see all that uploading in one night iCloud backup



Apple Developer Website said:


> *iCloud Backup*
> 
> Users can now opt to have their applications and application data backed up directly to their iCloud account, making it easier to restore applications to their most recent state. Having data backed up in iCloud makes it easy for a user to reinstall that data to a new or existing iOS device. However, because the amount of space in a user's iCloud account is limited, applications must be even more selective about where they store files.
> 
> The placement of files in your application's home directory determines what gets backed up and what does not. Anything that would be backed up to a user's computer is also backed up wirelessly to iCloud. Thus, everything in the Documents directory and most (but not all) of your application's Library directory. To minimize the amount of data stored in the user's iCloud account, developers are encouraged to put more files in the Library/Caches directory, especially if those files can be easily re-created or obtained in another way.


There is no reason for it to backup to iTunes if you choose that route at take up an extra 15GB (it's already stored on the NOMAD it doesn't need a third redundant place the file is) which is conservative on your hard drive in my case a small SSD 128GB or to backup all that to iCloud.


----------



## Laxguy

Rtm said:


> They need to change it to not automatically backup I had no clue it was backing up when I plugged my iPhone and iPad in, I just knew my Internet had slowed to a crawl(I'm a bit of a night owl) and I was getting ready to call up and gripe at Comcast.


They- Apple or nomad or DIRECTV®?

In any event, it's up to us users to be clued in, which, thanks to you, I am! _At least more so than I would have been._ I just now activated iCloud, as I was putting it off as I am good through next June with the previous (paid) incarnation.

I chose to not use the cloud to back up all that other stuff, as synching with the tether works just fine for me, and I can be assured I won't screw up next time I go to Canada. Calendars, Mail, and Contacts, and a few other things will continue through the ether, by Cloud or iDisk or whatever.


----------



## Laxguy

Rtm said:


> There is no reason for it to backup to iTunes if you choose that route at take up an extra 15GB (it's already stored on the NOMAD it doesn't need a third redundant place the file is) which is conservative on your hard drive in my case a small SSD 128GB or to backup all that to iCloud.


I agree fully that there's no need for that particular backup, and it will not suit a number of people. But folks should check on what's what, as you did. I think nomad should include a heads' up on that as a courtesy.

ps- You added some stuff since I started my reply, no? It corn-fused me a bit, it did!


----------



## Rtm

> To minimize the amount of data stored in the user's iCloud account, developers are encouraged to put more files in the Library/Caches directory, especially if those files can be easily re-created or obtained in another way.


There is no need because it requires reactivation on your home network where the files are stored vs the server far away.

Exactly people should pay attention but a lot of people don't pay attention and I'm unsure how to stop it from backing up to iTunes but I don't use that method anymore I use iCloud backup. But, that quote I state form the Developer site just says it all and the fact most only have 5GB of iCloud storage not the 25GB you and I most likely have (from the paid incarnation MobileMe?).

I shouldn't have had to look where 15GB of my iCloud storage went in the first place though but whatever


----------



## Rtm

Laxguy said:


> They- Apple or nomad or DIRECTV®?
> 
> In any event, it's up to us users to be clued in, which, thanks to you, I am! _At least more so than I would have been._ I just now activated iCloud, as I was putting it off as I am good through next June with the previous (paid) incarnation.
> 
> I chose to not use the cloud to back up all that other stuff, as synching with the tether works just fine for me, and I can be assured I won't screw up next time I go to Canada. Calendars, Mail, and Contacts, and a few other things will continue through the ether, by Cloud or iDisk or whatever.


If you still use iTunes which you still do even if you decide to backup to iCloud for Music syncing unless you get iTunes Match. But there is iTunes Wifi sync which I'm sure you've heard of you can check when your iWhatever is plugged in the USB cord in the Summary tab of the device in iTunes.


----------



## Laxguy

Rtm said:


> If you still use iTunes which you still do even if you decide to backup to iCloud for Music syncing unless you get iTunes Match. But there is iTunes Wifi sync which I'm sure you've heard of you can check when your iWhatever is plugged in the USB cord in the Summary tab of the device in iTunes.


Yes, thanks, I am pretty sure I will avoid doing WiFi synch for the large files, and the smaller ones are already on that.

The real hooker will come from those who have enabled "Use cell phone transmission for data back up" (not actual language), and stray into Canada.


----------



## Rtm

Laxguy said:


> Yes, thanks, I am pretty sure I will avoid doing WiFi synch for the large files, and the smaller ones are already on that.
> 
> The real hooker will come from those who have enabled "Use cell phone transmission for data back up" (not actual language), and stray into Canada.


Apple did not want that publicity, iCloud will only backup on Wifi thankfully.


----------



## Steve

It's the first 32GB USB *3.0* flash drive I've seen at < $1/GB.

$29.95 if you use coupon code *EMCJJJE72 *at check-out.

http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/275670?source=dealalert&subSource=10/11


----------



## Laxguy

Rtm said:


> Apple did not want that publicity, iCloud will only backup on Wifi thankfully.


I may have misread a dialog box, then. Perhaps the option to use 3g or whatever cell transmission pertains only to the normal Address Book/Calendar, etc. synchs.


----------



## KenW

I've been out of the counrty for the last week, and I've been on the road for over 2 weeks so far. nomad on my laptop is now giving me the 2-4-2 error, so I have no access to my content. I do have an Internet connection, and an active account. 

Very frustrating!


----------



## KenW

KenW said:


> I've been out of the counrty for the last week, and I've been on the road for over 2 weeks so far. nomad on my laptop is now giving me the 2-4-2 error, so I have no access to my content. I do have an Internet connection, and an active account.
> 
> Very frustrating!


Just for fun, I tried connecting on a different wifi network, just a few minutes later, and I'm able to access my recordings. What the heck is this thing doing?


----------



## NR4P

KenW said:


> I've been out of the counrty for the last week, and I've been on the road for over 2 weeks so far. nomad on my laptop is now giving me the 2-4-2 error, so I have no access to my content. I do have an Internet connection, and an active account.
> 
> Very frustrating!


What is the wording on the 2-4-2 error?
Has it been 30 days since you last were connected with Nomad app open on your home network?


----------



## KenW

NR4P said:


> What is the wording on the 2-4-2 error?
> Has it been 30 days since you last were connected with Nomad app open on your home network?


I can't remember the specific wording, but something about Authorization. Options were to Retry or Restart nomad client. I tried both, but to no effect.

I was last on my home network on Oct 30th, so it's not yet been 3 weeks.


----------



## poppo

They really need to speed things up with this app. It just takes way too long to open. I know it's not a connectivity thing since the directv app opens and is connected in just a few seconds. 

And just how long until we see a native iPad app?


----------



## NR4P

KenW said:


> I can't remember the specific wording, but something about Authorization. Options were to Retry or Restart nomad client. I tried both, but to no effect.
> 
> I was last on my home network on Oct 30th, so it's not yet been 3 weeks.


Have you tried launching Nomad with the wireless connections off? So it doesn't even try to find Nomad. It may be trying to find Nomad and authenticate if wireless is on.


----------



## poppo

NR4P said:


> Have you tried launching Nomad with the wireless connections off? So it doesn't even try to find Nomad. It may be trying to find Nomad and authenticate if wireless is on.


That doesn't do much good when I actually want it to find the nomad.


----------



## NR4P

The above was in response to someone on the road having trouble seeing his recordings so your issue may be different.


----------



## poppo

NR4P said:


> The above was in response to someone on the road having trouble seeing his recordings so your issue may be different.


Whoops, I didn't see the quote. Yeah, turning off the network probably would keep it from trying to authenticate.


----------



## Hoffer

I just put my iPhone in airplane mode and launched the Nomad app. It came up in like a second or two. I was able to play a video without problem.

So, it must be doing some type of online validation whenever you launch the app, even when away from home. Either that or it is wasting time trying to find a Nomad.

I agree they need to speed up the launching of the app. It just takes too darn long.


----------



## jhillestad

The app opens up so SLOW that I just stopped using it...... this thing is way beta and is in need of dire changes......


----------



## stogs

I am also getting the Unable to register Directv Nomad (Error Code (Nomad/65535) using a link sys E4200, has anyone found a resolution for this....quite frustrating.


----------



## NR4P

stogs said:


> I am also getting the Unable to register Directv Nomad (Error Code (Nomad/65535) using a link sys E4200, has anyone found a resolution for this....quite frustrating.


Have logged into directv.com with the same user name and pw and verified Nomad service is activated on your account?


----------



## stogs

Thanks, it is not activated. It won't let me do it online. I will give DTV a call.


----------



## stogs

No luck, I had DTV activate the service on my account and it still won't register my nomad. I was on the phone with case management and they could not help, he said he would have to escalate. I even tried changing to a different router (DIR-655) with no luck. I put the nomad in the DMZ, disabled firewalls, and it still will not register. I watch the logs in my router and I cannot see it doing anything....I tried this from iOS and PC, with the same results, only slightly different error code, on pc i get 5-0-0, help.


----------



## trh

I just tried to activate a new laptop. Fails every time. I wonder if there is something wrong with the computers @ DirecTV that activate devices?


----------



## stogs

I am able to activate the client (PC or iPhone), at least it says it did....it is the next step that fails when it is trying to register the nomad with DTV (step 3 in the PC client). I just received the nomad today, so I have never been able to make it work.


----------



## poppo

stogs said:


> I am able to activate the client (PC or iPhone), at least it says it did....it is the next step that fails when it is trying to register the nomad with DTV (step 3 in the PC client). I just received the nomad today, so I have never been able to make it work.


Did you follow the directions for the nomad and let it update the firmware etc? Are all of the status LEDs blue?


----------



## stogs

"poppo" said:


> Did you follow the directions for the nomad and let it update the firmware etc? Are all of the status LEDs blue?


Yep. Followed all the instructions. Saw it go thru the firmware upgrade and then lights went all blue.


----------



## NR4P

Interesting series of failures activating in a short time span. Maybe trh is right. Wonder if there are server issues. Might be worth a try tomorrow. 

Curious how they escalate this and get back to you.


----------



## stogs

I will try again tomorrow. As far as how they get back to me, since it is case mgmt I was given a number and a pin to call back in and they followup with a call in a few days.


----------



## KenW

KenW said:


> I can't remember the specific wording, but something about Authorization. Options were to Retry or Restart nomad client. I tried both, but to no effect.
> 
> I was last on my home network on Oct 30th, so it's not yet been 3 weeks.


I didn't try with the wifi off. Since I had already watched the recordings, I didn't care that much!

I just tried with I arrived home and it still would not Authenticate. I tried Retry and restarted the app, but no go.

I deleted the app and reinstalled, and it's working now. I did lose my Auto-Downloads, but no big problem.


----------



## jhillestad

stogs said:


> Yep. Followed all the instructions. Saw it go thru the firmware upgrade and then lights went all blue.


When I has activation issues the cure was to delete the iphone app all together then open the usb flap and press and hold the reset button until it reset everything and start over ... Now the important part : DO NOTHING for at least 15 minutes - when I say nothing I mean nothing ... it will do its thing then after at least 10 minutes reinstall the app and try again.... the tech I spoke to told me that if the nomad is interfered with in anyway on initial install ,it will screw it up and you need to completely start over... do not stare at it and wait til the lights are ready and the firmware is updated just wait 10 to 15 minutes before you even try to talk to it.....


----------



## Rtm

"jhillestad" said:


> The app opens up so SLOW that I just stopped using it...... this thing is way beta and is in need of dire changes......


Haha. More like alpha. It doesn't work like someone ever tested it and the recordings always have like green/electronic glitchy looking boxes for a second or two a couple times through each recording taking the picture away. Not to mention the quality


----------



## trh

NR4P said:


> Interesting series of failures activating in a short time span. Maybe trh is right. Wonder if there are server issues. Might be worth a try tomorrow.
> 
> Curious how they escalate this and get back to you.


Got my new laptop to register just fine this AM.


----------



## stogs

I tried again this morning. No luck. It will not register. Any ideas?


----------



## jpelam

stogs said:


> I tried again this morning. No luck. It will not register. Any ideas?


I Also have a E4200 and had ressolved the registarion issue by adding the Nomad to the DMZ.....Not a perfect solution but it did work.


----------



## stogs

I will try that again....I am running out of ideas. Thanks.


----------



## stogs

Still no luck. I put the nomad in the DMZ (again), after holding the reset for 30 seconds, waitng 30 minutes. Re-installing the client application, and it says it activates the client, but then fails on the next step trying to register the Nomad with a very nodescript error (5-0-0). Is there anything I am missing, I wish there was some way to see what is failing, but I am seeing nothing in my router logs.


----------



## Laxguy

Rtm said:


> Haha. More like alpha. It doesn't work like someone ever tested it and the recordings always have like green/electronic glitchy looking boxes for a second or two a couple times through each recording taking the picture away. Not to mention the quality


Quality problems with the picture?? What are you using?


----------



## Laxguy

stogs said:


> I tried again this morning. No luck. It will not register. Any ideas?


Are you able to log onto your DIRECTV® web account? Could you possibly have PW or user typed wrong?


----------



## stogs

I am able to log into my directv.com account.


----------



## stogs

I did find this in my router outgoing logs when it was trying to register:

LAN IP Destination Port
192.168.1.135	99.193.226.69	442

When I look up the destination IP it is registered to NetNameIRECTV-BROADBAND

The nomad's ip address is 192.168.1.135 on my network


----------



## stogs

I was able to get it to work. I turned off my Windows Home Server and that seemed to do the trick.


----------



## daveriv

Hi - I have a couple of questions - just received my Nomad last week. And apologize if these were already answered elsewhere.

I'm using the PC application to manage what is prepared and available to download to my iPhone and iPad and noticing a couple of things:

1) The PC app seems to regularly "re-prepare" shows. Meaning the show is available for download and already downloaded on my PC, yet the PC app shows that it is preparing. Is this normal?

2) There are shows that were downloaded on my PC that are no longer on my DVR or available via Nomad. My understanding is that once a show is deleted from the DVR, it is no longer available on Nomad and is deleted anywhere it is deleted. I'm starting to wonder if this is not true, but it is deleted after the 30 day period even if it's no longer on the DVR/Nomad. Is this accurate.

Thanks in advance for the input!


----------



## daveriv

daveriv said:


> Hi - I have a couple of questions - just received my Nomad last week. And apologize if these were already answered elsewhere.
> 
> I'm using the PC application to manage what is prepared and available to download to my iPhone and iPad and noticing a couple of things:
> 
> 1) The PC app seems to regularly "re-prepare" shows. Meaning the show is available for download and already downloaded on my PC, yet the PC app shows that it is preparing. Is this normal?
> 
> 2) There are shows that were downloaded on my PC that are no longer on my DVR or available via Nomad. My understanding is that once a show is deleted from the DVR, it is no longer available on Nomad and is deleted anywhere it is deleted. I'm starting to wonder if this is not true, but it is deleted after the 30 day period even if it's no longer on the DVR/Nomad. Is this accurate.
> 
> Thanks in advance for the input!


I think I figured out my first issue - looks like the external hard drive I have connected to Nomad "lost it's connection" and so Nomad was looking to prepare those on the internal drive????


----------



## Lowpro

I just purchased the DIRECTV Nomad on Thursday. To my suprise it was sitting on my front porch when I got home from work on Friday. Had no issues last night getting things setup. Everything with off without a hitch until I started selecting items to prepare for download using the PC application. All the items I had selected were simply stating, "waiting to prepare....". After about 15-20 minutes it was clear to me there was a problem. A quick reset of the Nomad resolved the issue. In this case I just power cycled the device by holding down the red reset button for 3 seconds. Once powered back up it immediately started preparing each item one by one for download. Has been a little over 9 hours now and it's still going strong having successfully prepared 9 hours of programming for download. Have yet to download any content to my PC or iPhone. Looking forward to giving that a try later. For anyone setting up the Nomad for the first time it might not be a bad idea to just reset the unit after getting it setup prior to selecting any items to be prepared for download.


----------



## Laxguy

Lowpro said:


> I just purchased the DIRECTV Nomad on Thursday. To my suprise it was sitting on my front porch when I got home from work on Friday. Had no issues last night getting things setup. Everything with off without a hitch until I started selecting items to prepare for download using the PC application. All the items I had selected were simply stating, "waiting to prepare....". After about 15-20 minutes it was clear to me there was a problem.


First, welcome to DBSTalk! 
What was the clue you saw as to a problem? (i.e., anything in addition to a seeming stall)


----------



## Lowpro

Laxguy said:


> First, welcome to DBSTalk!
> What was the clue you saw as to a problem? (i.e., anything in addition to a seeming stall)


The "waiting to prepare..." message should only be shown for a given item in cases where there is already another item actively being prepared or if the DVR in question is unavailable for whatever reason. At least that's my understanding. In my case all items I had selected were showing as "waiting to prepare...". That begs the question, waiting for what? As there wasn't already an item actively being prepared I checked the status of each of my HD DVR's. Neither DVR was actively accessing recorded content from the other across the network or actively recording or playing an item I was trying to prepare. Also found no issues with the Whole-Home and Network status of each DVR or any issues with my home wired/wireless network and Internet connection. That left the Nomad which according to the indicator lights was just sitting there waiting for something to do. As such, I decided to perform a quick reset of the Nomad. As soon as it powered back up it immediately started preparing an item I had selected for download indicated by the blue status light which was slowing blinking. Confirmed the same when checking the PC application. That being said, when initially setting up the Nomad it downloaded and installed a firmware update. This would not be the first time I've had to perform a reset of a device to get it to working properly after having performed a firmware update. Not saying this is what happened in this case, but it's certainly a possibility.


----------



## Laxguy

Nicely put, and thanks. 

I've occasionally seen some similar holdups, but due to something in the queue being amiss (such as having deleted the item from the DVR list prematurely, or someone watching the program while it tries to prepare.)


----------



## Lowpro

As the title of my reply states, how do I delete prepared content from the Nomad only. It appears that the only way to delete content from the Nomad is to delete the same content from the DVR. If so, this is a fundamental flaw in how this product is designed in my opinion and for me a total deal breaker. I've watched a number of programs which I've downloaded to my iPhone already, but the rest of my family hasn't had an opportunity to watch those programs yet and even if they did we like to keep programs on our DVR's for repeat viewings until we start running out of room. As I understand it deleting a given program from my iPhone does not delete it from the Nomad. This makes perfect sense as that allows one to re-download the given program to the same device or download to another device without having to go through the prepare process all over again. This begs the question however, how does one delete prepared content from the Nomad to make room for new prepared content short of deleting the given program from the DVR. The only method provided to communicate with the Nomad is through the use of the PC and iPhone applications and neither application as far as I can tell gives the option to delete prepared content from the Nomad. That only leaves deleting the program from the DVR to get that prepared content off the Nomad which is something I don't want to have to do. The PC and iPhone applications should offer the ability to delete any prepared content from the Nomad directly which would allow for retaining that content on the DVR's. Am I missing something here or is there really no way to just delete prepared content from the Nomad short of deleting the program from the DVR or reformatting the Nomad's hard drive.


----------



## Lowpro

Steve said:


> You're not missing anything. Apparently Nomad is not intended to be used for off-DVR archiving, at least not at this time.


Think you misread my post. I wasn't talking about using the Nomad for off-DVR archiving. I wanted to know how to delete prepared content off the Nomad to make room for new prepared content. Appeared to me the only way to delete prepared content from the Nomad was to delete the given content from the DVR which is something I didn't want to have to do. We have the right with few exceptions to keep recorded content on our DVR's indefinately. That being said, I posed this same question on DIRECTV's support forum. Was told that the Nomad will automatically delete the older prepared shows if it needs room for newer shows, so there is no need to be able to delete prepared content residing on the Nomad ourselves. This is great news though it would be nice to be able to selectively delete prepared content from the Nomad if we so choose.


----------



## poppo

Lowpro said:


> As the title of my reply states, how do I delete prepared content from the Nomad only. It appears that the only way to delete content from the Nomad is to delete the same content from the DVR. If so, this is a fundamental flaw in how this product is designed in my opinion and for me a total deal breaker. I've watched a number of programs which I've downloaded to my iPhone already, but the rest of my family hasn't had an opportunity to watch those programs yet and even if they did we like to keep programs on our DVR's for repeat viewings until we start running out of room. As I understand it deleting a given program from my iPhone does not delete it from the Nomad. This makes perfect sense as that allows one to re-download the given program to the same device or download to another device without having to go through the prepare process all over again. This begs the question however, how does one delete prepared content from the Nomad to make room for new prepared content short of deleting the given program from the DVR. The only method provided to communicate with the Nomad is through the use of the PC and iPhone applications and neither application as far as I can tell gives the option to delete prepared content from the Nomad. That only leaves deleting the program from the DVR to get that prepared content off the Nomad which is something I don't want to have to do. The PC and iPhone applications should offer the ability to delete any prepared content from the Nomad directly which would allow for retaining that content on the DVR's. Am I missing something here or is there really no way to just delete prepared content from the Nomad short of deleting the program from the DVR or reformatting the Nomad's hard drive.


You don't need to manually delete anything off the nomad. When it gets full, it will auto delete the oldest thing, which most likely you have already download to your device.


----------



## dennisj00

Unfortunately, if you read the entire thread, we have had some users that have programs in nomad that won't play. In that case, the only option (outside of completely re-initing nomad to delete everything) is to delete the program from the dvr, re-record (if possible) and re-download.

I said 'if possible' because a lot of network shows aren't repeated very frequently.


----------



## poppo

dennisj00 said:


> Unfortunately, if you read the entire thread, we have had some users that have programs in nomad that won't play. In that case, the only option (outside of completely re-initing nomad to delete everything) *is to delete the program from the dvr, re-record* (if possible) and re-download.
> 
> I said 'if possible' because a lot of network shows aren't repeated very frequently.


But if they delete the program from the DVR, won't it still delete it from the nomad? Are there instances of a recording NOT deleting when deleted from the DVR?

In any case I suppose there might be some rare instance where you might need to delete a recording, but in normal use it's FIFO.


----------



## dennisj00

But it's always THAT program, the big game, the awards show, etc. that Murphy messes with.

It would be nice to have a minimal 'delete' from nomad option without having to delete from the DVR.


----------



## Lowpro

dennisj00 said:


> But it's always THAT program, the big game, the awards show, etc. that Murphy messes with.
> 
> It would be nice to have a minimal 'delete' from nomad option without having to delete from the DVR.


I totally agree. I would strongly prefer to manage the storage space on the Nomad myself. It's great that I don't have to delete the program from my DVR in order to remove the prepared version of that program from the Nomad. Not so great that I don't have a choice as to what is deleted from the Nomad when I've run out of room and am preparing new content. Seriously. How difficult would it be to allow for selectively deleting prepared content from the Nomad? Should not be difficult at all and integration of the option via the PC and iPhone applications would simply involve adding a "Delete from Nomad" button for any item selected that is already prepared. Would make managing the prepared content on the Nomad much easier in my opinion rather than always having the Nomad filled to capacity cluttered with older programs I've already watched along side new programs I've just recently prepared.


----------



## dennisj00

Something as simple as a file delete does have bigger implications than most realize, particularly when you start including iPhone or iPad apps.

Currently, the H/HR systems, the iPhone / iPad apps (non nomad) don't know anything about nomad. And adding a 'delete from nomad' on the nomad clients isn't as simple as putting a button on a screen.

I tend to move programs like concerts, movies, documentaries to nomad rather than weekly episodes and I don't generally delete those from the dvrs. So my nomad stays full of the same programs until one gets pushed out and another takes its place.


----------



## jhillestad

It's pretty safe to say that the Nomad is a " DOG WITH FLEAS " - not ready for prime time AT ALL .


----------



## Laxguy

-1


----------



## KenW

Works pretty well for me. I know it could use some improvements, but it's quite usable as it is.


----------



## Lowpro

dennisj00 said:


> And adding a 'delete from nomad' on the nomad clients isn't as simple as putting a button on a screen.


Of course the implementation would not be a simple matter of adding a button to the interface. In my prior comments I stated I did not think the option would be that difficult to implement. I then stated that the "integration" of that option within the user interface would be a simple matter of including a "Delete from Nomad" button for any item selected that is already prepared. Of course there would be work involved to implement the option from a programming standpoint. Would require an update to the client apps and a firmware update for the Nomad most likely. That being said, the client app doesn't need to know how to do jack. All it needs to be able to do is send a command to the Nomad. The client apps already know whether an item is prepared or not. The software developers would simply need to add the capability to send the Nomad a command to delete the prepared content for a given item that's selected. The user presses the "Delete from Nomad" button. The app sends the Nomad the appropriate command. The Nomad deletes the prepared content. The client app updates accordingly to reflect that the item is no longer ready to download.


----------



## Lowpro

KenW said:


> Works pretty well for me. I know it could use some improvements, but it's quite usable as it is.


I agree. While there are a number of improvements I'd like to see I'm finding the product quite useable as well. Have really been enjoying it. As currently designed it has been performing flawlessly so far.


----------



## Laxguy

KenW said:


> Works pretty well for me. I know it could use some improvements, but it's quite usable as it is.


Agree. (Just to clarify, as my earlier "-1" could be seen as the more normal +1.)


----------



## litzdog911

jhillestad said:


> It's pretty safe to say that the Nomad is a " DOG WITH FLEAS " - not ready for prime time AT ALL .


Not my experience at all. I love it. Works great.


----------



## p3pilot

litzdog911 said:


> Not my experience at all. I love it. Works great.


I completely agree. I have made 4 trips now and have used Nomad on each one flawlessly. Still want to see a Mac and native iPad app, but good enough for now. It has allowed me to watch shows that would have taken me much longer to get around to seeing.


----------



## NR4P

litzdog911 said:


> Not my experience at all. I love it. Works great.


Agree
My wife and I used it last week. We went on a trip, each downloaded our favorite shows on our iPads and enjoyed them at 35K feet. Of course there could be some improvements but it does what it is advertised to be.


----------



## mnMark

On my desktop PC, I've been getting the error stating that "There is a problem with your DIRECTV account"...the error code is 2-0-2. This is happening at least weekly, maybe slightly more. In addition, I cannot choose "auto download" for at least 40% of the items on my DVRs...the checkbox will 'check' and uncheck immediately. Setting a manual transcode/download works, but nothing in batch.

Like many on here, removing the app and reinstalling (_with_ deleting all transfers I have onboard at that time) works...but, this really sucks.

The Question:
Is there a path to communicate directly with the engineers of the Nomad? I'd be more than happy to try fixes, send logs, etc, with people who are working towards an answer. I've tried first level support, and the response, while working (see above), really is not ideal. If there's any way to actively be part of the solution I would jump at the chance to join in....


----------



## trh

Just noticed something this AM on my iPad. While looking through my DVR listing, I noticed the names on the three Lord of the Rings movies I recorded this weekend are to long to display. Just shows "Lord of the Rings:...". Even when I select one of the movies, that display shows the same abbreviated title. Only way to tell which movie is which is by the date listed for when the movie was made. Maybe on long titles the fonts need to be reduced?


----------



## Lowpro

trh said:


> Just noticed something this AM on my iPad. While looking through my DVR listing, I noticed the names on the three Lord of the Rings movies I recorded this weekend are to long to display. Just shows "Lord of the Rings:...". Even when I select one of the movies, that display shows the same abbreviated title. Only way to tell which movie is which is by the date listed for when the movie was made. Maybe on long titles the fonts need to be reduced?


They should have the titles that are too long to display scroll instead just as they do with a number of other iPhone apps that I have installed.


----------



## poppo

I sure hope we don't end up with abandonware. A native iPad app should have been released by now.


----------



## Fraaaak

Hi, I'm running the PC app in a vmware fusion win7-64bit virtual machine, and would like to save the files outside of the vm hard drive file(s), but the "Where would you like to save your videos?" location is shaded grey and the browse button is disabled. I have a 500 gb drive connected to the nomad, so I'd like to load up a couple of hundred gigs worth to my macbook pro, but don't want to expand the vm disk that large.

I seem to recall that previously it would not accept a mapped network drive location, either. Is there a way to do that?

Also, does anybody know the status on a mac os x version of the app? Will it be through the mac app store or directv.com?

Also, what's up with the volume? It seems very low.

thanks in advance.


----------



## dconfer

I have been waiting for the andriod version. Soon just cant come fast enough for me at this point.


----------



## KenW

Low volume is a known issue. I've still had to use an amplifier on my flights with the latest version.


----------



## KenW

poppo said:


> I sure hope we don't end up with abandonware. A native iPad app should have been released by now.


I'm hoping they are fixing some of the reported issues, and ran into the holiday season.


----------



## Stuart Sweet

poppo said:


> I sure hope we don't end up with abandonware. A native iPad app should have been released by now.


Trust me, a lot of work is going on right now.


----------



## Aztec Pilot

Just Got my Nomad yesterday. Plugged it in. It did a quick update. Installed on my daughters ipad touch. Loads Slow (this seems to be a known problem). Found all DVR's and master playlist. Very Cool. Picked a show and a movie to transfer. Never got past preparing on the show. Movie took a while. 

Then it said I had one download. It was the movie. I told it to download. It did not. I tried again this morning and it worked in about 20 minutes. I think that when I exit the app, the app stops working. It does not work behind the scenes.

I am not fluent in apple yet. We only have one touch, with an ipad and another touch coming for Christmas.

Does the app need to stay open and running for the entire process?


----------



## Stuart Sweet

Unfortunately it does. You can do the transcode part on a PC and then transfer it to the iPod when it's done; the transfer part only takes a few minutes.


----------



## Aztec Pilot

OK, that is cool. I install it on a pc. "prepare" everything I want. Then everything I prepared will be available for download on to all 5 of my devices? When does the 30 day clock begin?

I can not wait for other platforms. Everyone in the family will have an apple by Christmas, except for me. I am an Apple holdout! Nomad did cause me to buy an ipad for my wife.


----------



## Laxguy

Aztec Pilot said:


> OK, that is cool. I install it on a pc. "prepare" everything I want. Then everything I prepared will be available for download on to all 5 of my devices? When does the 30 day clock begin?
> 
> I can not wait for other platforms. Everyone in the family will have an apple by Christmas, except for me. I am an Apple holdout! Nomad did cause me to buy an ipad for my wife.


30 days begins when it's downloaded to the client on which you'll view it.

I have sometimes kicked off a bunch to be prepped on the nomad, quit the iPad, and have them ready in the a.m. to d/l.

" Nomad did cause me to buy an ipad for my wife."

I am sure somewhere St. Steve is smiling down at you!


----------



## KenW

Stuart Sweet said:


> Trust me, a lot of work is going on right now.


It would make a nice Christmas present! :lol:


----------



## Hoffer

p3pilot said:


> I completely agree. I have made 4 trips now and have used Nomad on each one flawlessly. Still want to see a Mac and native iPad app, but good enough for now. It has allowed me to watch shows that would have taken me much longer to get around to seeing.


I would really like a Mac and iPad version too. I have Windows 7 for my main home PC, but have a MacBook Air I'd really like Nomad on. Went to my parent's for Thanksgiving and I wish I could have brought the hours worth of DirecTV stuff I have sitting on my DVR.

I'll be at my parent's even longer for Xmas. I really hope we get a Mac client before then. I tried hooking my iPhone 4S up to my parent's HDTV. The video doesn't fill the entire screen. More like 80% of the screen. Hopefully a Mac or iPad version won't have that issue.


----------



## Fraaaak

Stuart Sweet said:


> Unfortunately it does. You can do the transcode part on a PC and then transfer it to the iPod when it's done; the transfer part only takes a few minutes.


I thought the Nomad itself was a transcoder?


----------



## Hoffer

Fraaaak said:


> I thought the Nomad itself was a transcoder?


Yeah, I sure don't need the Nomad software open on any device for the transcoding to happen. I launch the Nomad app on my iPhone every morning to download any shows recorded and transcoded the night before.


----------



## Fraaaak

It would also be nice if you could choose what resolution to transcode to - i.e.. a "Best" level for a notebook or pc, "Better" for a tablet and "Good" for a smartphone.


----------



## Laxguy

Fraaaak said:


> It would also be nice if you could choose what resolution to transcode to - i.e.. a "Best" level for a notebook or pc, "Better" for a tablet and "Good" for a smartphone.


I doubt that will happen. Even if the hardware and software could easily be developed to handle that handily, it'd create way too much confusion on the part of users- not thee nor me, nor anyone here-but the less involved viewer.

Truly, the iPad is the vehicle of choice in terms of ideal size and pixel density. Don't think it will ever get shown on any of my TVs.


----------



## KenW

I'm watching on the TV in my hotel tonight. I use the Component cables from Apple.


----------



## Laxguy

KenW said:


> I'm watching on the TV in my hotel tonight. I use the Component cables from Apple.


Cool! Is it a HD TV? Like the picure?

For me, a photographer who used to peep pixels, I like 'em packed, so the iPad is just right for nomad. I meant to convey that I personally don't care to watch such on TV.


----------



## markrogo

The Nomad is the transcoder. Stuart's comments refer to using the PC to get the transcoding going, since that's the slow part.


----------



## KenW

Laxguy said:


> Cool! Is it a HD TV? Like the picure?


The picture is acceptable (not great) when I'm across the room. I'm one of the folks that would use a high quality option if it was available for nomad. I watch some programs when I'm on the plane or at the airport, but most of the time I'm in a hotel room.

The best option for me would be support for high quality and Apple TV. I really like the remote that Apple TV provides. It's really slick for skipping commercials, much better than the slider. Apple TV from my iPad is not working with nomad today, so I'm forced to the Component cables.


----------



## Stuart Sweet

markrogo said:


> The Nomad is the transcoder. Stuart's comments refer to using the PC to get the transcoding going, since that's the slow part.


Absolutely right. What I do is, I set a bunch of programs to transcode from the PC. The nomad does all the work... I just let it sit there overnight and when the hard stuff is done I transfer it to my iPad.

As far as the quality, it's... not bad. Yes you will see some artifacts if you try to throw it to a large display. But it's not really meant for that. It's pretty good from an HD source viewed on the PC or iPad. On SD sources, well garbage in garbage out, really.

The goal is to have the files fit down to about 1GB/hour. Let's be honest, Blu-ray is about 20 times that, give or take. So you're not going to get that level of quality. But on the other hand how many people want to fill up a mobile device with 25GB rips?


----------



## taylorhively

I've been using the Nomad for about a week and a half. I'd say over all this is an admirable attempt at making recorded content portable. It works, that's for sure.
I would prefer the ability to manually select shows to "prepare" without requesting a "download.
But I'm sort of getting over that now that I see how it works. On the iPhone you select "download" and episode. It goes in to "preparing" then you shut down the app. Return later when it's ready and the iPhone app asks you want to download now or later (at least it's not automatic.) So I am getting used to how to work it.

Complaints:
1) The PC Windows app and iPhone app are far too inconsistent. I was quite confused at first trying to use both until I figured out to just not use the PC app (until a later date should I need to.)
2) I would like the ability to delete shows off the nomad. Even the 30 second press reset doesn't delete content.
3) The iPhone app needs to use background download mode. It's a feature built in to iOS. I use several other apps that take advantage of this. You start your queue of download items, close the app, and it continues to download them (apps even notify me when the downloads are done.) It's kind of ridiculous that I have to leave the app open to get my downloads.
Pretty much I open the app, start the downloads, plug it in, and go to bed (or go do something that takes 1/2 hour or more.)
4) The device register/unregister process should be better. They should let you register a device and delete the app without having to wait 30 days. Or at least allow us more than 5 devices. Between my wife and I we have two iPhones and two iPads. That doesn't leave room for kids to use it (thankfully mine is only 1 year old right now.)
5) Start up time on the iPhone app is a joke. It should start up instantly to the downloaded tab and do it's syncing in the background making those tabs available when they're ready, not hold you hostage while it figures it out.

The video quality is very good and totally acceptable for it's intent which is watching on portable devices. This isn't intended for large screen viewing on the go.

Over all, with a little getting used to it, I think this very much serves it's purpose and I'm thrilled that I can take almost any show with me. I hope to see improvements over time. I understand this is very much a 1.0 product.


----------



## Hoffer

I installed the PC and played around with it for 5 minutes and haven't touched it since. My only PC is a desktop and I'm not taking that thing anywhere. DirecTV2PC offers much better video quality.

I agree with the complaints about the iPhone app. It should be able to download stuff in the background. I don't find it hugely annoying. I usually have it downloading stuff while I'm getting ready for work. The startup time for the app is definitely something they need to work on.


----------



## markrogo

Stuart Sweet said:


> The goal is to have the files fit down to about 1GB/hour. Let's be honest, Blu-ray is about 20 times that, give or take. So you're not going to get that level of quality. But on the other hand how many people want to fill up a mobile device with 25GB rips?


The other goal is not to have the transcodes take forever. I have files that are 400MB / hour that are artifact free and look decent on the big screen (not to mention the iPad). It's pretty clear that Nomad uses a purpose-built hardware encoder that does some kind of single-pass encode that's quick and dirty. I tend to agree with Stuart that for its intended purpose, it's doing about what's right.

It does seem realistic, though, if the Nomad hardware permits it, to have a not-easily-found (for ease of use purposes for the "masses") high-quality mode. That might take twice as long but would yield a higher-quality encode -- and might not even be a larger file (or might be somewhat less bigger than you'd think). This is a possible enhancement down the road if there is enough demand for better quality encodes.


----------



## Laxguy

markrogo said:


> It does seem realistic, though, if the Nomad hardware permits it, to have a not-easily-found (for ease of use purposes for the "masses") high-quality mode. That might take twice as long but would yield a higher-quality encode -- and might not even be a larger file (or might be somewhat less bigger than you'd think). This is a possible enhancement down the road if there is enough demand for better quality encodes.


I'm sure the demand will be there, but not sure if licensing agreements with the content providers won't get in the way.


----------



## Fraaaak

Laxguy said:


> I'm sure the demand will be there, but not sure if licensing agreements with the content providers won't get in the way.


I would like a higher quality choice, because the artifacts are noticeable on 15" macbook pro.

Are the resulting videos watermarked with the dtv account?


----------



## KenW

Not visibly in the picture, but I understand they are wrapped with DRM.


----------



## Laxguy

Fraaaak said:


> I would like a higher quality choice, because the artifacts are noticeable on 15" macbook pro.


I shrink my window to the size of an iPad when on MBP or Air. Don't like the q on any larger screen.


----------



## markrogo

Laxguy said:



> I'm sure the demand will be there, but not sure if licensing agreements with the content providers won't get in the way.


Again, no. As irrational as the licensing agreements are, I cannot believe they specifically require encoding the streams badly. Yes, they may limit the resolution but I promise you the problems people are experiencing are not a function of resolution primarily. The resolution is more or less DVD resolution and DVDs can be blown up to many feet without significant artifacting.

The artifacting is an encode-quality issue and I cannot accept that DirecTV is under contract to encode the streams on Nomad "only well enough such that at least some people find the quality unacceptable on 15" laptops" or any equivalent terminology to define the same result.


----------



## Laxguy

Whoa! You make assumptions that are unwarranted. Never implied that quality would be purposely degraded, but rather that full HD may be off limits. 

That leaves the question of what is a reasonable size? Answer: iPad dimensions, currently. Anything larger will start to fall off in quality, though the degree to which it becomes objectionable will vary by person as well as hardware.


----------



## markrogo

Laxguy said:


> Whoa! You make assumptions that are unwarranted. Never implied that quality would be purposely degraded, but rather that full HD may be off limits.
> 
> That leaves the question of what is a reasonable size? Answer: iPad dimensions, currently. Anything larger will start to fall off in quality, though the degree to which it becomes objectionable will vary by person as well as hardware.


You ought to read what I wrote. The quality issues with Nomad are almost certainly not a function of resolution. Encode quality and resolution have nearly nothing to do with one another. And for what it's worth, I very much doubt that there is a contractual limit on resolution anyway. The reason to cap resolution is file size. The reason encode quality isn't what it could be in spite of sufficient file size is doubtless a combination of expediency, software and hardware. I believe it's fixable even if I'm not sure they ever will. And this still has nothing to do with resolution.


----------



## Laxguy

Resolution is excellent on an iPad. Bigger suffers. Other hardware suffers. 
It may be that your definition of resolution is different from mine. 

I know that you believe you understood what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.


----------



## poppo

The nomad seems to be pretty 'chatty' with the Internet. We have been having a lot of outages here, and very shortly after things go down, I get the amber LED on the unit. It's not that it's not detecting the LAN or DVRs, but that it can't do whatever communications it's doing on the Internet. I just don't see why it needs to be constantly accessing the Internet so often.


----------



## markrogo

Laxguy said:


> Resolution is excellent on an iPad. Bigger suffers. Other hardware suffers.
> It may be that your definition of resolution is different from mine.
> 
> I know that you believe you understood what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.


Resolution has a very very specific meaning. It refers to the _number of pixels in the image_. The resolution of Nomad is actually quite similar to the resolution of DVD. (They are both very approximately 720 x 480.)

It's patently obvious from the complaints here and my limited experience seeing someone's Nomad recordings, that Nomad is nowhere near DVD quality. Now, again -- and I'm kind of done explaining this -- the _image quality_ you see is not merely a function of the resolution of the image. You have a video file that's define by a number of key attributes. They are:

1) Encoding method used (e.g. MPEG-2, MPEG-4 -- which comes in a ton of variants, by the way such that almost everything you get these days is some kind of MPEG-4 encode)
2) Bitrate of the file (which determines how big the file is when multiplied by the number of minutes in the files)
3) Resolution of the file (the number of pixels, 720 x 480, 1280 x 720, 1920 x 1080, etc. etc.)

You'd think that looking at those three attributes would actually tell you how good the file is. *It doesn't*. Now, the question is why. And the answer is complex and beyond the scope of this discussion and to some extent my knowledge, but I'll summarize.

To encode a video file from one codec (e.g. MPEG-2) to another (e.g. MPEG-4) or to transcode it from one resolution (e.g. 1920 x 1080) to another (e.g. 720 x 480) requires significant amounts of processing power. So much so that in the case of transcoding, even a modern Core i7 doesn't do an amazing job at this without some help. However, there is often help in the form of purpose-built chips that can encode or transcode data in _real time_ or even faster (in other words, they can take 1 minute of video and process it in 1 minute or even less). Someone made a design decision to have Nomad retail for $149 and also offer real-time transcoding of MPEG-4 satellite broadcasts that are up to the higher single-digit-megabit range (someone can confirm DirecTV's top bitrate here, I'm not sure what it really is).

But here's the thing, the _image quality_ you see is a function of how good that encode is, regardless of the speed with which it is performed, the resolution of the resulting file and even the bitrate. And the reason for this is the better the processing that is done -- and the longer it's allowed to be done -- the better the result. Perhaps a good analogy would be the difference between Rembrandt and the guy who paints the exterior of the local Public Storage. One has skill the other lacks and one has time the other lacks. Imagine if you had Rembrandt on a chip. Even with the equivalent amount of time to the Public Storage painter, he'd make a lovelier painter. And with more time? Well, he might paint a masterpiece.

Encode quality is the system's "skill" and it's not measurable. It's a function both of the innate abilities of the processor involved in the device (in this case the chip that is Nomad's "brain"), plus what it knows (Nomad's software), plus how long it has to solve the problem (in this case, Nomad is instructed to encode no slower than 1:1 or real-time).

I actually am not rendering an opinion on whether the quality is good enough for iPod, iPad, or iMac (or their Windows or Android equivalent). That's incidental to what I'm trying to explain. Which is this: If there is to ever be a better result from Nomad -- in other words, a prettier to look at file, it does not need necessarily need to be any larger. Making it larger would allow for a higher bitrate or higher resolution -- or both. And either or both of those could improve the image quality. But an alternative would be to simply allow it to encode more slowly -- more diligently if you will -- after giving it more "skills" to use the time to get a better quality result. The files would then retain their portability, would not take up any more space on Nomad itself, but would look far better on larger-screen laptops, etc.

Nomad's file size is actually quite large. It's roughly twice the size per hour of the most comment torrent files, which tend to be based on OTA or cable TV broadcasts. Those torrents tend also to have resolution similar to Nomad's files. They can, however, often be blown up to a 50" screen without significant picture quality degradation. They are perhaps a bit soft and the lesser of them might suffer macroblocking under extreme conditions, but they are clearly superior to Nomad files despite having half as many bits. This is not in any way a knock on Nomad. Those files are made on high-end PCs, do not have to be completed in real time, etc. It just points out what is possible with even fewer bits than Nomad. I would suggest that those people wishing for higher quality Nomad files would be well served by arguing for quality rather than quantity.

The quantity argument will cause files to fit less well on smartphones and tablets which are often memory constrained. Quality, however, could be achieved merely through patience -- assuming, again, the Nomad hardware has the capability to be "taught" to do better if allowed more time to study the problem at hand.


----------



## Fraaaak

I think quality is the discussion here, regardless of whether posters (including me) occasionally use incorrect terminology - your point is taken.


----------



## Laxguy

Yes, and Markrogo, I appreciate your explanation, which I will read and try to digest a bit later. 

For me, a layman, resolution means the total visual experience, heavily dependent on there being enough pixels. As a photographer, I'd rather have 2,000 good pixels than 4,000 mediocre ones. Lots of variables in how one gets to good pixels that are right for the intended viewing screen's size and pixel count, and hardware putting out the signal.


----------



## markrogo

"As a photographer, I'd rather have 2,000 good pixels than 4,000 mediocre ones"

Yes, and in video the getting of those 2,000 good ones is that much trickier than it is with stills -- where as you probably know, megapixels don't equal picture quality in any way and 2 different 8 megapixel images can range in quality from awful to amazing.

Anyway, if after you read my long post you have a question, ask.


----------



## poppo

markrogo said:


> -- where as you probably know, megapixels don't equal picture quality in any way.....


That's not exactly true. The higher the pixels density, the more detail. To exaggerate a bit, here is an example. A picture (still or video) with a very low pixel count, may have one pixel that would be assigned to someone's eye. So the whole eye would have to be one color. A higher pixel density might have 10 pixels assigned to that eye, thus giving you the ability to see the white and the pupil as different colors. Thus more detail and higher picture quality.

However the display device is equally as important. An LCD has a fixed number of pixels. So for example lets say it is 1024x768. Ideally the original picture would have been taken in the same resolution for a 1 to 1 pixel match. If the original is less pixels, then more pixels have to be assigned on the display device for each one of the original. That means some distortion will be introduced. You see this with the nomad main program (not the video) on an iPad when you blow it up to fill the screen. On the flip side if the device has less pixels then the original, then you have to decide what to discard. Again using the eye as an example, if it started out with 10 pixels, and now you only have 1 to display it, detail will be lost.

In the case of the nomad, the primary ways to increase the quality is to either transcode to the resolution (pixel count size) of the target device (not perfect if using different devices), and increase the bit rate.

Anyone who transcodes videos for portable devices a lot, knows that you have to select the target screen size (resolution) and select the best bit rate (the higher the rate, the better the quality, but at the expence of file size).

Now I don't know if the nomad could be made smart enough to know what device picked a show to transcode. In a perfect world, it would know the screen size of the target device and transode it specifically for that device. This would result in videos optimized for the device it will play back on.

However even if it could, the resulting videos will never look very good if played back on a different device (i.e. a HDTV) that will require scaling it back up again.


----------



## Fraaaak

I have the pc nomad program running in a virtual machine - tonight I expanded the virtual disk a bit and now am getting "Account Validation Required - There is a problem with your DirecTV account. Please insure that you have internet access and Try-again if this problem persists Restart the application or call Customer Service at 1-800-531-5000 and report the diagnostic code below. 2-0-2"

I figure this particular installation needs to be reactivated - everything clickable is disabled, even the "?" help button.

Short of uninstalling the entire application (and deleting a couple of other folders that the uninstall routine forgets to, according to posts on DirecTV technical forums), is there anyway to reactivate? It can talk to the Nomad (I mean it's on the same local network, and my iPhone app is running fine), so where is the list of activated clients, and how do you delete and re-authorize clients?

edit: I ended up doing a full uninstall and reinstall, and that seemed to work fine. My fear was the "if you deactivate a device, you must wait 30 days to reactivate..." caveat in the manual. Apparently they aren't enforcing that yet?


----------



## markrogo

poppo said:


> That's not exactly true. The higher the pixels density, the more detail. To exaggerate a bit, here is an example. A picture (still or video) with a very low pixel count, may have one pixel that would be assigned to someone's eye. So the whole eye would have to be one color. A higher pixel density might have 10 pixels assigned to that eye, thus giving you the ability to see the white and the pupil as different colors. Thus more detail and higher picture quality.
> 
> However the display device is equally as important. An LCD has a fixed number of pixels. So for example lets say it is 1024x768. Ideally the original picture would have been taken in the same resolution for a 1 to 1 pixel match. If the original is less pixels, then more pixels have to be assigned on the display device for each one of the original. That means some distortion will be introduced. You see this with the nomad main program (not the video) on an iPad when you blow it up to fill the screen. On the flip side if the device has less pixels then the original, then you have to decide what to discard. Again using the eye as an example, if it started out with 10 pixels, and now you only have 1 to display it, detail will be lost.
> 
> In the case of the nomad, the primary ways to increase the quality is to either transcode to the resolution (pixel count size) of the target device (not perfect if using different devices), and increase the bit rate.
> 
> Anyone who transcodes videos for portable devices a lot, knows that you have to select the target screen size (resolution) and select the best bit rate (the higher the rate, the better the quality, but at the expence of file size).
> 
> Now I don't know if the nomad could be made smart enough to know what device picked a show to transcode. In a perfect world, it would know the screen size of the target device and transode it specifically for that device. This would result in videos optimized for the device it will play back on.
> 
> However even if it could, the resulting videos will never look very good if played back on a different device (i.e. a HDTV) that will require scaling it back up again.


I agree with very little in your post.

It's simply not correct that the "higher the pixel density the more detail" unless you add the caveat "holding all else equal'. There are plenty of 14-megapixel cameras that capture less _detail_ than better 8, 10 and 12-megapixel ones. Why? Sensor quality, lens quality, software quality, etc.

Yes, you need a certain amount of resolution to capture a certain amount of detail. No, it's nowhere near what marketing leads people to think it is.

Everything you say about video continues to ignore _encode quality_ which is every bit as important as bitrate, resolution, etc. It's just not some spec-sheet item, so people can't measure it like their genitalia.

You can get better results from lower bitrates or better results from higher resolution or better results from all sorts of things. Yes, if you hold everything equal, more bits are better, more pixels are better, etc. But you rarely hold everything else equal. I promise you I could make videos from the same program source as Nomad with half as many bits, the same number of pixels, and dramatically better picture quality. It would, however, require my computer and much more time than Nomad takes. And that's the point.


----------



## trh

Fraaaak said:


> My fear was the "if you deactivate a device, you must wait 30 days to reactivate..." caveat in the manual. Apparently they aren't enforcing that yet?


yes, they are enforcing this. But from your description, you didn't deactivate your device, you just reinstalled the software. The software/DirecTV knew this and didn't count your device twice.


----------



## Fraaaak

trh said:


> yes, they are enforcing this. But from your description, you didn't deactivate your device, you just reinstalled the software. The software/DirecTV knew this and didn't count your device twice.


Hmm, I wonder why the program thought it couldn't run. I did make a couple of changes to the VM it's running in - expanded the allowable maximum size of the vm disk and changed the MAC address, perhaps that's what did it. But the DTV site still shows 3 authorized devices, which is correct.


----------



## KenW

I've seen this in the past as well. My answer was also to reinstall.


----------



## harsh

markrogo said:


> Resolution has a very very specific meaning. It refers to the _number of pixels in the image_.


It should be noted that this is the computerly definition of resolution. In TV, resolution is a much more meaningful (and perhaps more subjective) metric. TV resolution is a measure of how fine the detail of the finished product is.

The pixel matrix is one element of TV resolution but it only tells part of the story. TV resolution takes into account the ravages of the transport method that computer resolution doesn't consider. There's also the concern of display speed (much like CRT persistence) that literally muddies the resultant picture.

Somewhere in the middle, we have digital video resolution which is impacted by the pixel matrix, scaling and lossy compression damage.


----------



## Hoffer

Fraaaak said:


> I have the pc nomad program running in a virtual machine - tonight I expanded the virtual disk a bit and now am getting "Account Validation Required - There is a problem with your DirecTV account. Please insure that you have internet access and Try-again if this problem persists Restart the application or call Customer Service at 1-800-531-5000 and report the diagnostic code below. 2-0-2"
> 
> I figure this particular installation needs to be reactivated - everything clickable is disabled, even the "?" help button.
> 
> Short of uninstalling the entire application (and deleting a couple of other folders that the uninstall routine forgets to, according to posts on DirecTV technical forums), is there anyway to reactivate? It can talk to the Nomad (I mean it's on the same local network, and my iPhone app is running fine), so where is the list of activated clients, and how do you delete and re-authorize clients?
> 
> edit: I ended up doing a full uninstall and reinstall, and that seemed to work fine. My fear was the "if you deactivate a device, you must wait 30 days to reactivate..." caveat in the manual. Apparently they aren't enforcing that yet?


I got an "Account Validation Required" error today. I got error AR/3004 though. This is on an iPhone I've been using Nomad on for weeks. I even launched the app last night without issue.

Not sure what I should do about it. Do the uninstall/install thing I suppose.


----------



## inkahauts

harsh said:


> It should be noted that this is the computerly definition of resolution. In TV, resolution is a much more meaningful (and perhaps more subjective) metric. TV resolution is a measure of how fine the detail of the finished product is.
> 
> The pixel matrix is one element of TV resolution but it only tells part of the story. TV resolution takes into account the ravages of the transport method that computer resolution doesn't consider. There's also the concern of display speed (much like CRT persistence) that literally muddies the resultant picture.
> 
> Somewhere in the middle, we have digital video resolution which is impacted by the pixel matrix, scaling and lossy compression damage.


!rolling

Resolution means the same thing on TV's, you're just confused.

What a TV does with a imagine at any given resolution and how it displays it does not change the physical resolution that a tv can display. Don't confuse quality and quantity.


----------



## trh

Hoffer said:


> I got an "Account Validation Required" error today. I got error AR/3004 though. This is on an iPhone I've been using Nomad on for weeks. I even launched the app last night without issue.
> 
> Not sure what I should do about it. Do the uninstall/install thing I suppose.


Same thing happened with my iPad this AM. I haven't had time tonight to see if I still have the same problem.


----------



## markrogo

inkahauts said:


> !rolling
> 
> Resolution means the same thing on TV's, you're just confused.
> 
> What a TV does with a imagine at any given resolution and how it displays it does not change the physical resolution that a tv can display. Don't confuse quality and quantity.


Precisely. Resolution = pixel count.

All the other things mentioned in the post you quote are not resolution, even if they are part of picture quality. In fact, that's what I've been harping on with Nomad from the beginning. It's "weakness" appears to be the quality of its encoding, which has nothing to do with the resolution choice DirecTV has made _per se_. If they upped the resolution and still made mediocre encodes, the picture would look no better or not much better.

A great example is YouTube where many of the "HD videos" have clearly higher pixel counts, but have as much digital noise, macroblocking, etc. as some of the lower res ones (rarely are they are bad as the lowest resolution ones, which honestly are too low resolution for full-motion video that mimics what the eye sees) and they have no more color information some of the time. The problem is -- and this is where it gets confusing -- _some of those YouTube videos look amazing, but why?_.

People have conflated the term resolution with all sorts of things it doesn't mean thanks in part to things like YouTube where is technically just means pixels, but often also appears on better encodes with higher bitrates, more color info, etc. Those things that are not pixels, however, are not resolution.


----------



## Laxguy

Here's another wrinkle: The same transcode (of Arial America:Hawaii) looks better on an iPad than on a new MacBookAir, especially if the pictures are stopped and compared. Running, not so much. Same with America's Test Kitchen- better on iPad than new MacBook (screens sized the same). The ones on the laptop are softer that the iPad display. If there's that much discrepancy between two recent products from one company who's outstanding in display technology, imagine how hard it'd be to optimize for every dang device.....

Further, the quality of AA:Hawaii is higher than ATK on both screens, leading me to believe that that's a function of the quality of the transcode, or original pixels provided by the content maker to DIRECTV®.


----------



## Rtm

Fraaaak said:


> I would like a higher quality choice, because the artifacts are noticeable on 15" macbook pro.
> 
> Are the resulting videos watermarked with the dtv account?


Bootcamp? how are you watching on macbook pro? I wanna watch on my 17" macbook pro


----------



## Fraaaak

Since my reinstall yesterday, I have been getting frequent 8-8-0 messages (the nomad could not be found). I check that the nomad is pingable, which it is, and hit the Retry button - but that just gives me the 8-8-0 message again.

If I quit the Nomad program and then restart it, it immediately finds the Nomad - so there seems to be a problem with the Retry routine.

Also, if I just hit cancel and go into offline mode, there seems to be no mechanism for going back to online connected to the Nomad mode. That would be a nice feature to have.

Edit: got the same message this morning, but the Retry option did work. Thankfully, the Nomad itself keeps chugging away at transcoding programs while the client is disconnected


----------



## markrogo

Laxguy said:


> Here's another wrinkle: The same transcode (of Arial America:Hawaii) looks better on an iPad than on a new MacBookAir, especially if the pictures are stopped and compared. Running, not so much. Same with America's Test Kitchen- better on iPad than new MacBook (screens sized the same). The ones on the laptop are softer that the iPad display. If there's that much discrepancy between two recent products from one company who's outstanding in display technology, imagine how hard it'd be to optimize for every dang device.....
> 
> Further, the quality of AA:Hawaii is higher than ATK on both screens, leading me to believe that that's a function of the quality of the transcode, or original pixels provided by the content maker to DIRECTV®.


Certainly interesting info. The freeze frame differences could be a function of how the respective video playback software freezes a frame, though. I really have no basis for comparison. You said the running video looks similar though?

Anyway, interesting insight either way.


----------



## Fraaaak

Rtm said:


> Bootcamp? how are you watching on macbook pro? I wanna watch on my 17" macbook pro


I'm using Vmware Fusion, with Win7 64bit in a virtual machine. Parallels is another popular vm option. I'm sure BootCamp would work just as well, though you would have to reboot into it - the virtual machine products allow you to run windows from within os x.

This is on an early 2011 macbook pro (8,2) 2.2 GHz i7 - with OS X Lion


----------



## poppo

markrogo said:


> I agree with very little in your post.
> 
> There are plenty of 14-megapixel cameras that capture less detail than better 8, 10 and 12-megapixel ones. Why? Sensor quality, lens quality, software quality, etc.


As I agree with very little of yours. You are talking about cameras, and we are talking about transcoding. Apples and oranges.


----------



## Lowpro

Bottom line. The Nomad does a piss poor job of encoding. The resulting videos viewed via the PC app are very poor. Doesn't matter how small you make the player window. Doesn't matter what display you are using that's connected to the computer or the laptop screen you may be using. Anyone that feels the quality is comparable to a DVD needs to buy some glasses, seriously. Makes no difference what the stated resolution is if a poor job is done during the encoding. Viewing the videos on an iPhone is one thing. I find the quality completely acceptable due to the size of the screen which actually provides for a solidified image. Currently limiting my Nomad viewing to the iPhone as a result. If I want to view the given program on a larger screen I'd just assume wait until I can view it at home on one of the displays I'm outputting my DVR's to.


----------



## Laxguy

It may look poor on your equipment, but it's fine on iPhone and iPad.


----------



## Lowpro

As I said, I find the quality completely acceptable via the iPhone due to the size of the screen and am limiting my viewing as such.


----------



## NR4P

Laxguy said:


> It may look poor on your equipment, but it's fine on iPhone and iPad.


+1
I am very satisfied with the performance on my iPad. I'm either waiting somewhere in a room full of people or at 35K feet on a crowded plane and find the ability to store and watch movies from SHO and HBO as well as various TV series a great experience.


----------



## litzdog911

Lowpro said:


> Bottom line. The Nomad does a piss poor job of encoding. The resulting videos viewed via the PC app are very poor. .....


Respectfully disagree. Looks just fine on my laptop PC.


----------



## markrogo

poppo said:


> As I agree with very little of yours. You are talking about cameras, and we are talking about transcoding. Apples and oranges.


You obviously couldn't be bothered to read what I wrote. The point about cameras was an analogy. You make several inferences in your earlier post about what will yield better quality that are simply wrong.


----------



## Fraaaak

My nomad seems to be preparing episodes that are already downloaded to my pc. Is there a way to view the contents of the Nomad disk itself to find out what is going on?


----------



## Laxguy

Fraaaak said:


> My nomad seems to be preparing episodes that are already downloaded to my pc. Is there a way to view the contents of the Nomad disk itself to find out what is going on?


Not that I am aware of. Been suggested many a time, along with the ability to simply delete specific shows.


----------



## DogLover

Laxguy said:


> Not that I am aware of. Been suggested many a time, along with the ability to simply delete specific shows.


Actually, there is a filter to view just what is "ready to download", which would be what is on the nomad.


----------



## Laxguy

DogLover said:


> Actually, there is a filter to view just what is "ready to download", which would be what is on the nomad.


Well, yes, indeed there is, but that list doesn't really show "what's going on"- but a good catch for those who might've overlooked that.


----------



## KenW

You can see how much of the space on your nomad is used. Could it be that some old shows were deleted for space?


----------



## wco81

So how long do the transcodes/downloads?

Curious about how Nomad is overall as a place shifting solution, compared to getting an external Sling box, in terms of cost, convenience/time, reliability, quality.

Or some cheaper packages like the Vulkano boxes.

Or transcoding downloaded content for your mobile device. For instance, I've played around with Air Video and Zumocast on the iPad, more transcoding and loading onto the iPad than streaming to it. Took a LONG time, movies would take more than real-time and some higher bitrate files would not play back well on iPad 1.

Of course, all these are political restrictions because of the media companies, probably why these solutions are technical compromises at best -- for instance, why not be able to directly transfer files on your DVR over to your device, or maybe to a computer for doing the transcoding if necessary?

Now the MPAA is using scare tactics about how piracy is like terrorism while at the same time lobbying for Draconian laws. We consumers pay big money to get this content but they obviously want more. They don't want you to be able to place shift with the content you already paid for, they want you to buy a digital copy or a DVD/Blu-Ray if you also want to watch on a mobile device or while away from home.


----------



## Fraaaak

Received an update to version 1.0.1.51 of the PC nomad app today!


----------



## markrogo

wco81 said:


> So how long do the transcodes/downloads?


As noted several times, transcodes take about 1:1... One hour show takes about one hour. Downloads take much, much less time.


> Curious about how Nomad is overall as a place shifting solution, compared to getting an external Sling box, in terms of cost, convenience/time, reliability, quality.


Nomad is cheaper than HD sling (slightly more than SD sling), works when you have no internet connection on the remote end. Sling lets you watch 100% of your programming (Nomad doesn't). Sling requires no pre-preparation or downloading and can let you watch things that have aired since you left home. It needs an internet connection with decent bandwidth on both ends. (I have a Sling. It is amazing in most hotels I've been to.)


> Or some cheaper packages like the Vulkano boxes.


Generally those are consider Sling-like, but most people prefer Slings. I say most because it's not true of all. The overpriced Sling clients are a lot of the reason; the reliability is another. There are some nice features on the more expensive Vulkanos. I'm not an expert on why you'd choose one; I trusted the sum total of a few reviews to know a Sling was a better bet for me.


> Or transcoding downloaded content for your mobile device. For instance, I've played around with Air Video and Zumocast on the iPad, more transcoding and loading onto the iPad than streaming to it. Took a LONG time, movies would take more than real-time and some higher bitrate files would not play back well on iPad 1.


If you want to transcode DVR content, get a Nomad. It just does it. Very simple and effective, works on nearly all your content on the DVR (not VOD, for example). Life is too short to screw around replicating those functions. Nomad at $150 will just handle it.


> Of course, all these are political restrictions because of the media companies, probably why these solutions are technical compromises at best -- for instance, why not be able to directly transfer files on your DVR over to your device, or maybe to a computer for doing the transcoding if necessary?


Well, direct DVR transfer to phones would result in lots of consumer unhappiness. Most people lack a lot of storage on their phones. The bitrate used for HD on most DVRs would mean very full phones very quickly. Bad in a consumer product. Transcoding is a necessary evil, I'm afraid. Now, yes, your PC is going to outdo Nomad. As for why they didn't do this, they'd have had to engineer the solution, bolt it down with DRM, and then support people's PCs.

With Nomad, the bolting down is easier, but more importantly, the support is easier. The closed-box approach meets the needs of more consumers than the more-flexible PC-based approach would. I'm not saying I like it that way, but it's why it is that way.


> Now the MPAA is using scare tactics about how piracy is like terrorism while at the same time lobbying for Draconian laws. We consumers pay big money to get this content but they obviously want more. They don't want you to be able to place shift with the content you already paid for, they want you to buy a digital copy or a DVD/Blu-Ray if you also want to watch on a mobile device or while away from home.


They are giving away digital copies now with UltraViolet so I can't say I agree with the latter half of your tirade, there. But I can agree with your general sentiment that the MPAA is out of control.


----------



## KenW

Fraaaak said:


> Received an update to version 1.0.1.51 of the PC nomad app today!


I upgraded and again had the nightmare of 2-4-2 and 2-0-2 errors.

I tried retry and restart. No go.

I uninstalled, but left the user settings. Same error.

Finally I uninstalled and removed the user settings. When I activated, it required a new license. Not sure why, since I'm on the same PC. Maybe I used a new Device name?

Anyway, it's finally working again. Have you found any changes?


----------



## KenW

I was on the Morega site checking on the progress on an iPad app, and I see they have lots of open developer and QA positions. I think that's a bad sign for getting quick upgrades for nomad. 
Morega


----------



## Fraaaak

Not really. Well, some things I've noticed but I'm not sure if they're new features or I just discovered them. It seems to go from offline to online quicker than before.

If I use the "Get Log" command it gives me a 50 MB or so file of binary data - not sure if the log is supposed to be used by some other program, but it doesn't seem to be text.

Also, I've noticed that programs that have finished preparing and have downloaded still appear on the preparing list, but with no "Waiting to prepare" message next to them, if I quit and restart the Nomad PC app, the list only shows episodes that are actually preparing or waiting to be prepared. For instance, the list showed 7 shows - nothing in the download section, with three programs listed with no status next to them on the prepare list and 1 preparing and 3 waiting to prepare. When I restart it shows only 4 items in the drop down box - so there seems to be a problem with correctly displaying the download/prepare list.

Edit: I think the reason that they aren't showing up as downloading is that they were already downloaded - I had to reattach my 500 GB drive because it turns out it wasn't actually using it, so the Nomad is transcoding shows that it had previously transcoded and downloaded to my client, but aren't on the Nomad anymore.


----------



## Fraaaak

KenW said:


> I was on the Morega site checking on the progress on an iPad app, and I see they have lots of open developer and QA positions. I think that's a bad sign for getting quick upgrades for nomad.
> Morega


Hmm... I wonder if by senior mac developer they mean "old" - if that's the case, I'm in!


----------



## wco81

markrogo said:


> They are giving away digital copies now with UltraViolet so I can't say I agree with the latter half of your tirade, there. But I can agree with your general sentiment that the MPAA is out of control.


I was referring to the fact that you pay a lot for TV service but if you want to view those shows on a mobile device, you have to pay again, either buy a disc or download from a service like iTunes.

Do TV show box sets also include the UV digital copy? And is it a copy or is it a stream in the "cloud" that they can shut down at some point?


----------



## wco81

OK, so it just works over ethernet, doesn't require the WholeHomeDVR networking?

And it transcodes from the actual file rather than the component video output, which is what Sling and Vulkano does.


----------



## KenW

Fraaaak said:


> Hmm... I wonder if by senior mac developer they mean "old" - if that's the case, I'm in!


You'd need to move to Canada though!


----------



## KenW

wco81 said:


> OK, so it just works over ethernet, doesn't require the WholeHomeDVR networking?
> 
> And it transcodes from the actual file rather than the component video output, which is what Sling and Vulkano does.


nomad doesn't require WholeHomeDVR. It connects to the DVR over your home network. It does need an ethernet cable.

The best thing is the Auto Download mode. If you mark a series it will automatically transcode them and have them ready when you want to download them. When I return home from a trip, I start nomad on my iPad and new episodes start downloading automatically!


----------



## dennisj00

I'd have to say it's the perfect device for the traveler, the weekly warrior. With the example above, I'm not sure how'd you'd keep up with different series and travel each week.

Just in our monthly or quarterly long weekends, and around the house, it's been useful.


----------



## Fraaaak

KenW said:


> You'd need to move to Canada though!


I see they're about 20 minutes from YYZ - bet it gets cold there...


----------



## markrogo

wco81 said:


> I was referring to the fact that you pay a lot for TV service but if you want to view those shows on a mobile device, you have to pay again, either buy a disc or download from a service like iTunes.
> 
> Do TV show box sets also include the UV digital copy? And is it a copy or is it a stream in the "cloud" that they can shut down at some point?


It's off-topic... and UltraViolet is _just_ getting started. But they are digital copies, not streams. The idea being content you purchase can be toted around on iPad, your phone, whatever...

As for the fact that you pay for cable and satellite and would like all that content without paying for it, that's never been real unless you make your own recordings. While I don't love that system, the billions people have willingly spent on home video ownership suggest it's pretty fair.


----------



## Fraaaak

markrogo said:


> It's off-topic... and UltraViolet is _just_ getting started.


Digital copies have been offered with various dvds and blu-rays for quite a while now. Ultraviolet is just a new branding - studios probably figured they would name it after the worst Milla Jovovich movie of all time and that would limit illegal file trading. :lol:


----------



## markrogo

Fraaaak said:


> Digital copies have been offered with various dvds and blu-rays for quite a while now. Ultraviolet is just a new branding - studios probably figured they would name it after the worst Milla Jovovich movie of all time and that would limit illegal file trading. :lol:


Yes, digital copies have been offered for a while. UltraViolet is a bit more than branding, though... It's an effort to standardize formats and such and allow you to re-download content onto multiple devices. Anyway, it's currently a fiasco. I'm only a fan in theory on what it could be, not what it is.


----------



## KenW

I see Apple has a freeze on the App Store from Dec 22-29th. Only one more week to get a nomad iPad App out in time for Christmas, or even this year. Since we've not even heard it was submitted, my hopes are dwindling.


----------



## KenW

My firmware was updated to: 1.0.p30-39265S

As reported elsewhere, the PC client is: V 1.0.1.51

My iPad is running nomad client: 1.0.1


----------



## shedberg

Any word on when we might see an app for mac or android?


----------



## Fraaaak

shedberg said:


> Any word on when we might see an app for mac or android?


I'd like that too. Or read-only access to the subversion or cvs or whatever system so I could hack at it on my own...


----------



## dualsub2006

"Fraaaak" said:


> Or read-only access to the subversion or cvs or whatever system so I could hack at it on my own...


I cracked a rib when I read that, I laughed so hard.

You stand a better chance of being struck by lightning AND winning the mega millions lottery on the same day than you do getting access to D*'s version control system.


----------



## dennisj00

Or getting mauled by a Polar Bear on the same day that you got mauled by a Black Bear. . .


----------



## Fraaaak

dennisj00 said:


> Or getting mauled by a Polar Bear on the same day that you got mauled by a Black Bear. . .


I guess I'll just have to get into the Heart of Gold and start up the infinite improbability drive... :sure:


----------



## darman

I haven't seen nearly the discussion about Nomad vs. Jailbroken iPhone as I have Directv app vs. iPad. Would I have issues with a jailbroken iPhone 4 (4.3.5)? I don't want to order if it will not work.

Thanks


----------



## litzdog911

darman said:


> I haven't seen nearly the discussion about Nomad vs. Jailbroken iPhone as I have Directv app vs. iPad. Would I have issues with a jailbroken iPhone 4 (4.3.5)? I don't want to order if it will not work.
> 
> Thanks


There's a separate thread here for discussing Jailbroken devices ....
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=198258


----------



## poppo

This nomad is getting frustratrating. I had made a minor change to my router's wifi setting to improve a connection problem with my Kindle Fire (changed the data rate from default to auto). No problems after that with any of my wifi devices. However, the nomad app on my iPad would no longer connect to the nomad. The directv app worked fine along with everything else, just the nomad app that sat there on the 'connecting' screen. Rebooted everything and still nothing. I don't see how the change I made would have any effect, but after I changed it back, it worked again. This thing it still still too slow and buggy when running the app.


----------



## dennisj00

I'd be more interested in why you had to change from the wireless defaults for the Kindle. In all the years and wireless devices, I've never touched any of the wireless settings except possibly default channel.


----------



## NR4P

poppo said:


> This nomad is getting frustratrating. I had made a minor change to my router's wifi setting to improve a connection problem with my Kindle Fire (changed the data rate from default to auto). No problems after that with any of my wifi devices. However, the nomad app on my iPad would no longer connect to the nomad. The directv app worked fine along with everything else, just the nomad app that sat there on the 'connecting' screen. Rebooted everything and still nothing. I don't see how the change I made would have any effect, but after I changed it back, it worked again. This thing it still still too slow and buggy when running the app.


I had a similar experience. My ipad was downloading Nomad shows really, really slow. Used a speedtest app and found I was getting about 50-70kb.
Problem was that when I went into my router a week earlier to set up a guest network, I accidentally changed my default speed rate from Auto to 300mb.

Changed it back to Auto and voila, my speedtest and Nomad were flying again. So your router experience like mine, shows that it was an ipad/router issue, not a Nomad app issue. Download a speedtest app and you can see without Nomad running what speed you get. I now download at 130mb. A one hour show transfers via Nomad in 10 mins.


----------



## poppo

dennisj00 said:


> I'd be more interested in why you had to change from the wireless defaults for the Kindle. In all the years and wireless devices, I've never touched any of the wireless settings except possibly default channel.


The Kindle Fire has what I would call an 'auto speed' feature to save power. If you are not doing anything on wifi, it drops the link speed to 1mbps. Then if you go on the Internet, it is 'supposed' to throttle up. However, it doesn't always work properly (especially if accessing things on the LAN like a media server) and stays 'stuck' at 1mbps. Changing the router setting forces it to link at the higher speed (I can live with a little less battery life). Unfortunately fixing the Kindle issue, made the nomad app not work at all.

The Kindle 6.2.1 update seems to help a bit, but it still sometimes will not ramp up from 1mbps (even with max wifi signal).


----------



## dennisj00

You didn't mention what router you had. You might check it's support Knowledge Base or forum for some other setting or report the problem.

Personally, I wouldn't change a router setting for one device when things are working for all the others. Report the problem to Amazon. Likely a future update will fix it completely.


----------



## KenW

The nomad client on my laptop stopped working. Seems to be a regular event. I removed and reinstalled, and it registered as a new activation. I checked online and I see three instances of my laptop on my account. They all look like this:
Client #3
Status: Active
Friendly Name: xxxxxxx
Phone Number: xxx
Device Type: Computer
Manufacturer: 
Model: 
Operating System: 
Operating System Version: Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1
Last Transfer Date: 

It does seem it can't determine if a device has already been registered. I removed the phone number and Friendly name above, but each instance is different.


----------



## pheffner

Hello Talkers!

I have a few questions about the Nomad and it's display app:

- Does the Nomad application for Windows 7 have the same usage restrictions as DirecTV2PC? Specifically, does it do a check to see if the monitor supports DRM via HDCP? I can't use 2PC on my (not very old) Sony Vaio Laptop because it feels I'm a potential pirate 'cause the laptop display won't do HDCP. Likewise I can't use it on my 4-core Win 7 system as it's monitor doesn't HDCP. Does the Nomad application have the same restrictions?

- Does anyone know if DirecTV intends to add support to allow the Nomad to take content from the new HD DirecTivo? It doesn't show same on the list of supported devices.

- Likewise, does anyone know if the Kindle Fire will be a supported device on the Android side? The Fire can only get apps from the Amazon store, not the Android Marketplace, so DirecTV would have to submit it to Amazon.

Thanks!


----------



## dennisj00

pheffner said:


> Hello Talkers!
> 
> I have a few questions about the Nomad and it's display app:
> 
> - Does the Nomad application for Windows 7 have the same usage restrictions as DirecTV2PC? Specifically, does it do a check to see if the monitor supports DRM via HDCP? I can't use 2PC on my (not very old) Sony Vaio Laptop because it feels I'm a potential pirate 'cause the laptop display won't do HDCP. Likewise I can't use it on my 4-core Win 7 system as it's monitor doesn't HDCP. Does the Nomad application have the same restrictions?
> 
> - Does anyone know if DirecTV intends to add support to allow the Nomad to take content from the new HD DirecTivo? It doesn't show same on the list of supported devices.
> 
> - Likewise, does anyone know if the Kindle Fire will be a supported device on the Android side? The Fire can only get apps from the Amazon store, not the Android Marketplace, so DirecTV would have to submit it to Amazon.
> 
> Thanks!


I haven't heard any complaints, er. . posts . . that any PC has the HDCP problem with Nomad playback. Probably because it's a reduced resolution.

2) I wouldn't hold my breath on any support for the DirecTvio until the population gets much bigger. The population of DirecTivo and nomad has to be really small.

3) I also wouldn't hold my breath on support for the Fire or any modified tablet or iPad. Again the population is very small - for a free app!


----------



## DMKertes

Hello,

I am hoping someone can help. I have been on the phone with DirectTv for the past two days. I recieved my Nomad early yesterday and I can get it to work on my IPAD, but not my Dell Latitude E6410.

When I start the Nomad software it tells me "We could not find your directTv Nomad on your home network"

1) I can see the Nomad is connected to my Network.
2) The IPAD is connected to the same network via a wirless connection and it works fine.
3) I am using an AT&T 2-wire 2701HG-B
4) I have loaded and unloaded the Nomad software on my dell laptop twice
5) I have turned off the firewall on my laptop
6) I have tried to connect the dell using wireless and an ethernet cable with no sucess
7) I see a code in the bottom right hand corner of the screen "5-123-0"

Has anyone else had this problem? This really sucks because I have a business trip on Monday and I wanted to load up my Laptop this weekend.


----------



## KenW

DMKertes said:


> Hello,
> 
> ... I can get it to work on my IPAD, but not my Dell Latitude E6410.
> 
> When I start the Nomad software it tells me "We could not find your directTv Nomad on your home network"


When you removed the software from your laptop, did you remove the user settings? 
Are all three on the same subnet? (e.g. 192.168.0.xxx)
Can you ping the nomad from your laptop? 
How about virus software, could it be blocking? 
What OS on your laptop? I'm on W7 with a Dell Latitude E5400.

I've not had success switching from ethernet to wifi with my laptop. nomad seems cranky.


----------



## DMKertes

KenW said:


> When you removed the software from your laptop, did you remove the user settings?
> Are all three on the same subnet? (e.g. 192.168.0.xxx)
> Can you ping the nomad from your laptop?
> How about virus software, could it be blocking?
> What OS on your laptop? I'm on W7 with a Dell Latitude E5400.
> 
> I've not had success switching from ethernet to wifi with my laptop. nomad seems cranky.


Hi...

1) I did not remove any users settings? I actually do not know how. Do I need to? What do I need to do?

2) Sorry...not sure how to Ping the Nomad from mylaptop - Any help?

3) I am running Windows XP on my dell laptop. I just loaded Nomad on my New Dell XPS 8300 Windows 7 64bit and it works fine

4) Good I dea about teh Virus software, I will check that next.


----------



## DMKertes

Hi Ken,

I just tried to Ping the Nomad from my laptop. It worked fine. It said it sent 4 and recieved 4 with no loss. So at least my laptop can see the nomad.

Anything else I should try?


----------



## NR4P

DMK, an addition to the code S-123-0, is there a particular error message?

And what OS? 
Also, is it a corporate laptop with any particular security settings? Such as VPN capability?


----------



## DMKertes

Hi,

Thanks for helping me.

I am using XP Professional, Version 2002, Service Pack3.

Yes, It is a corporate Computer that I use from my Home office. I have a CISCO VPN, but I only use that in order to connect to my Corporate drives. I am not using VPN when I am trying to use Nomad

I have turned off my firewall in order to try and connect with my Laptop. 

Where should I be looking for any special security settings? I tried poking around, but could not find anything different than my Del XPS 8300 (Which has Nomad and it works fine).

Look forward to fixing this soon.

Thanks


----------



## DMKertes

oops...Also...No other Error code. Only thing that shows up is the 5-123-0 (or S-123-0) in the grey box in the bottom right hand corenr.


----------



## NR4P

DMKertes said:


> Hi,
> 
> Thanks for helping me.
> 
> I am using XP Professional, Version 2002, Service Pack3.
> 
> Yes, It is a corporate Computer that I use from my Home office. I have a CISCO VPN, but I only use that in order to connect to my Corporate drives. I am not using VPN when I am trying to use Nomad
> 
> I have turned off my firewall in order to try and connect with my Laptop.
> 
> Where should I be looking for any special security settings? I tried poking around, but could not find anything different than my Del XPS 8300 (Which has Nomad and it works fine).
> 
> Look forward to fixing this soon.
> 
> Thanks


I had a similar problem with my work PC and XP SP3.
Although I was an administrator on the PC, my work domain would not work.

When you start up your PC, you probably log in as a local user but on your company's domain. Even though you have not launched VPN, you are still logged in as a user on the company domain name?

If that's the case, and you are an administrator, instead of logging on the company domain, see if you have a drop down for "xxxx this computer". In my case I did and when I logged in as a local only administrator user, I could load the app and launch it fine.


----------



## KenW

DMKertes said:


> 1) I did not remove any users settings? I actually do not know how. Do I need to? What do I need to do?


When you remove the software, it should prompt if you want to remove the user settings. I always had to remove them.

When you reinstall, it should prompt you to authenticate. Did that happen too?


----------



## KenW

Here are the steps for a clean install:

Perform a complete uninstall of the PC client,
Verify the following folder are removed:
C:\Program Files\DIRECTV\Nomad
C:\Users\(user)\AppData\Roaming\Nomad

Perform a 2 minute reset on the nomad (hold the reset button for at least 2 minutes)
Wait for the nomad to full restart to blue LEDs
Install the PC app and proceed with the activation

The directions came from here:
http://forums.directv.com/pe/action/forums/displaypost?postID=10961149


----------



## KenW

Anyone else find the nomad app quits unexpectedly? I can play 2-3 shows and then it seems to crash. I wouldn't mind, but it often loses my place in the show, so I need to chase it down.


----------



## Rtm

KenW said:


> Anyone else find the nomad app quits unexpectedly? I can play 2-3 shows and then it seems to crash. I wouldn't mind, but it often loses my place in the show, so I need to chase it down.


Yes it crashes because it has a memory leak if we're talking about the iOS app.

Settings > General > About > Diag & Usage, look through a few you'll see the nomad app in there I don't know much of how to read those logs but understood that though for sure. Try to check it after the app crashes, but I feel you when I'm watching a show and don't know where I was and scrolling through the commercials is horrible with the bar it jumps around to easily doesn't scroll through the time.


----------



## DMKertes

Thanks..I will give that a try. I believe that may be the problem. If that is the case, I will just watch it on my IPAD. I did on the plane and Dexter and Boardwalk Empire worked great and looked great.


----------



## poppo

poppo said:


> I sure hope we don't end up with abandonware. A native iPad app should have been released by now.





Stuart Sweet said:


> Trust me, a lot of work is going on right now.


6 weeks since my post above. They must not be working too hard.


----------



## taylorhively

poppo said:


> 6 weeks since my post above. They must not be working too hard.


You'd be surprised at how much time and work it takes for even apparently simple iPad apps.


----------



## poppo

taylorhively said:


> You'd be surprised at how much time and work it takes for even apparently simple iPad apps.


The iPhone/Touch app already work on the iPad. How hard is it to just create the proper resolution GUI graphics? It's not like they have to reinvent the wheel.


----------



## inkahauts

"poppo" said:


> The iPhone/Touch app already work on the iPad. How hard is it to just create the proper resolution GUI graphics? It's not like they have to reinvent the wheel.


How do you know they aren't integrating it into he iPad app we currently have. That would be awesome and I hope that's what they end up doing!


----------



## dennisj00

The video player will be the same on an iPad native app. Compare the video with HBO/Go or any of the others -- the overall effect won't be very different.

I just returned from a long weekend with nomad. Perfect! The condo had wifi but not good enough to support streaming via Netflix or HBO/Go. So Nomad fit the bill!


----------



## pnessutt

I'm looking to purchase Nomad and am wondering how it works with the IOS devices. For example:
- once it has the content on the Nomad device, does it synch to the IOS device once it is connected - or do I need to copy the content into iTunes for it to synch to my iPad?
- is it a wireless synch?
- will the content be backed up to my iTunes (via iCloud or my iTunes device)?
- how long with the content stay on my IOS device?

I'm excited about what this means for me as I travel alot and having the recorded content available on my iPad would be wonderful. If there is a guide or site that you would recommend, please let me know.

Thanks for your help!

-Bob


----------



## Laxguy

No, you don't use iTunes with Nomad. It syncs on your LAN only, and backups I don't even care about- don't know if it does or doesn't- because they are on the DVRs. I don't think there's a way to put it/get it on the cloud. The content is there for 30 days. 

As to guide, afaik, here is about the best. 

Enjoy!


----------



## NR4P

pnessutt said:


> I'm looking to purchase Nomad and am wondering how it works with the IOS devices. For example:
> - once it has the content on the Nomad device, does it synch to the IOS device once it is connected - or do I need to copy the content into iTunes for it to synch to my iPad?


You tell he app to copy something from any DVR. It then copies it to the Nomad h/w. Takes about an hour for a one hour show. Then it wirelessly moves it to your ipad. About 10 mins for this step for an hour show.



pnessutt said:


> - is it a wireless synch?


Yes



pnessutt said:


> - will the content be backed up to my iTunes (via iCloud or my iTunes device)?


iTunes is not used



pnessutt said:


> - how long with the content stay on my IOS device?


Content is there for 30 days or until you delete from the DVR. If more than 30 days pass and its till on the DVR you can re-copy.



pnessutt said:


> I'm excited about what this means for me as I travel alot and having the recorded content available on my iPad would be wonderful. If there is a guide or site that you would recommend, please let me know.
> 
> Thanks for your help!
> 
> -Bob


I travel alot and its an awesome product.


----------



## pnessutt

Thanks for your feedback and answers. A couple of more questions -

 Apps and their data on the IOS device do backup to your PC pr iCloud (for restore purposes). Does anyone know how much storage a 1 hour show (does HD and/or resolution make a difference) takes on an IOS device?
 Has anyone expanded their storage on nomad using the USB expansion? If so, what size HDs have you used and/or are their restrictions (ex. the DVR will default to the connected drive vs. expanding if you use one on that device)? How large is the internal hard drive on the nomad?
 Any comments on what is occurring during the 1 hour conversion? I'm suspecting it is condensing the normal show format down to a smaller configuration (normal iTunes movies are 1.3-1.8GB in size). If DirecTV is committed to improving Nomad then perhaps they'll improve speed and other functionality in the future? Thoughts?

This is great feedback and I'm happy to hear it works so well for NR4P... Having this would allow me to watch my recorded content on the road more. I think I'll order mine right away to take advantage of it on my upcoming trips.

Thanks again!

-Bob


----------



## dennisj00

A 1 hour program on the PC client takes about 5-600 MB. Since a transcoded program is also loaded to the IOS client with no changes, it should be the same size. I haven't downloaded many SD programs but I expect they would be less.

I've added a 16 GB USB stick to mine. I know of some that have put a 1 or 2 TB harddrive and it works fine. LOTS of watching to do! Programs are a first in / first out on nomad and are deleted if you delete them from the DVR.

The transcoding process is just reducing the resolution for download to the mobile device. I expect we'll see some future enhancements, but PQ on the iPad matches any streaming or downloaded content that I've seen.

If you travel and want to watch your DVR content, go for it!


----------



## NR4P

pnessutt said:


> Apps and their data on the IOS device do backup to your PC pr iCloud (for restore purposes).


Yes that is correct but for Nomad its irrelevant. Its just taking up space on a backup operation.
Nomad content on the iOS device (or PC) expires in 30 days. You can't save it and reuse it forever.

At the end of the 30 days, you need to go back on Wi-Fi and download it again. If its on the DVR, no problem. But if gone from the DVR, Nomad doesn't have access to it.


----------



## pnessutt

Thanks, Dennis and NR4P! 

One final question - does adding additional space via USB invalidate the internal HD or is it smart enough to expand/contract if the unit is connected or disconnected?

Looks like I will need to place my order. Only the DirecTV site was showing it being available.

Thanks!

-Bob


----------



## KenW

pnessutt said:


> One final question - does adding additional space via USB invalidate the internal HD or is it smart enough to expand/contract if the unit is connected or disconnected?
> -Bob


I added a thumb drive, and it was added to the available storage. It shows 24GB total available. You don't need a lot of storage, since the transcoded programs are all that is kept.

I love the Auto-Download feature. It will transcode and automatically download shows that are flagged. You just fire-up nomad when you get home, and they start downloading.


----------



## pnessutt

KenW said:


> I added a thumb drive, and it was added to the available storage. It shows 24GB total available. You don't need a lot of storage, since the transcoded programs are all that is kept.
> 
> I love the Auto-Download feature. It will transcode and automatically download shows that are flagged. You just fire-up nomad when you get home, and they start downloading.


Thanks, Ken. I will put a larger drive on the box when it arrives and see how things go. With 2 DVRs it will be interesting to see if I can get both to populate nomad for me as well.

-Bob


----------



## pnessutt

Anyone know when an iPad version might be available? The iPhone/iPod version isn't optimized for the iPad, unfortunately.

-Bob


----------



## KenW

pnessutt said:


> With 2 DVRs it will be interesting to see if I can get both to populate nomad for me as well.


I have two DVR's and programs from both appear on the list. We have His and Hers DVR's.


----------



## Laxguy

KenW said:


> I have two DVR's and programs from both appear on the list. We have His and Hers DVR's.


I have mine and mine/my son's, but also never a problem with nomad seeing them both.


----------



## dennisj00

Five here and it shows all five. No OTA or recorded VODs / PPVs.


----------



## pnessutt

My nomad just arrived. I wonder how this will compare to "DirecTV Anywhere" as they were discussing in a separate thread. For now I'm downloading and excited abouttaking it with me on the road!


----------



## tonypitt

Not sure if this is the right thread to ask my question in, but I've got my fingers crossed that it is.

Got my Nomad on Monday and set it up. I plan to mainly use it in conjunction with my iPads, so I have only installed the software apps on those devices. I'm not understanding how the process of transferring content to my iPads is supposed to work.

I was able to go in and designate shows to be managed on an ongoing basis. This started the processing of those shows on the Nomad. There were 19 of them currently on my DVRs, so I knew this would take some time.

As far as the Nomad's processing, that seemed to go as I expected. It was about a day until the entire queue of programs were processed. 

I loaded up the Nomad app on my iPad and could see where it was transferring a show. I closed my iPad cover, plugged it in to charge, and left it overnight. I was surprised to see the next morning that no shows were yet on my iPad. I looked at the queue and saw one was in process with 10 minutes remaining, so I left the Nomad app active and on my screen for 10 minutes until that finished. I then started watching the program.

Fast forward a day when I was at work until 10 p.m. I get home, plug my iPad into a charger, and go to bed. I wake up the next morning (today) expecting that additional shows would be on the iPad. Nope, still just the one I had watched being loaded the day previous. Other ones were still in the queue and started being transferred when I looked at the queue status.

Is this way this is supposed to work? I'm not 'killing' the Nomad app, so I assumed it would continue running in the background and keep transferring content on an ongoing basis. It doesn't seem to be doing that, though. It seems to only be transferring content when I'm actively looking at the queue screen.

Answers? Recommendations? 

Thanks.


----------



## KenW

tonypitt said:


> Is this way this is supposed to work? I'm not 'killing' the Nomad app, so I assumed it would continue running in the background and keep transferring content on an ongoing basis. It doesn't seem to be doing that, though. It seems to only be transferring content when I'm actively looking at the queue screen.


It does not download programs in the background. You need to leave your iPad on and running the nomad app to get the downloads. I just leave my iPad plugged in while the downloads complete. Luckily, the downloads are pretty speedy. The transcoding takes the most time, and you don't need to be connected for that process.


----------



## tonypitt

KenW said:


> It does not download programs in the background. You need to leave your iPad on and running the nomad app to get the downloads. I just leave my iPad plugged in while the downloads complete. Luckily, the downloads are pretty speedy. The transcoding takes the most time, and you don't need to be connected for that process.


Thanks for clarifying that. That is really not handy. Certainly hope that is something being looked at for a future refinement.


----------



## KenW

tonypitt said:


> Thanks for clarifying that. That is really not handy. Certainly hope that is something being looked at for a future refinement.


I feel the same. There is a lengthy wish-list for nomad. We do know they have plans for enhancements, but specifics are kept quiet.


----------



## pnessutt

KenW said:


> I feel the same. There is a lengthy wish-list for nomad. We do know they have plans for enhancements, but specifics are kept quiet.


I believe they can address this in future releases as IOS 5 made much of this possible for other applications (apps in the background).

What I'd like to see is a nomad iPad HD version that has the menus and other items running in the iPad's resolution framework vs. the subsumed delivery we see now. Speed wise it seems to work well and I'll get my first taste of usability very soon. I would have recorded more on my DVRs if I had purchased this unit sooner - my problem is one of not being around to watch what I record otherwise.

-Bob


----------



## wco81

pnessutt said:


> I believe they can address this in future releases as IOS 5 made much of this possible for other applications (apps in the background).
> 
> What I'd like to see is a nomad iPad HD version that has the menus and other items running in the iPad's resolution framework vs. the subsumed delivery we see now. Speed wise it seems to work well and I'll get my first taste of usability very soon. I would have recorded more on my DVRs if I had purchased this unit sooner - my problem is one of not being around to watch what I record otherwise.
> 
> -Bob


Look how long they talked about Nomad before they came out with it.

Look how long there were all kinds of wish lists for the HR2x and a lot of those items still aren't implemented.

Speed is not exactly their forte.


----------



## inkahauts

"pnessutt" said:


> I believe they can address this in future releases as IOS 5 made much of this possible for other applications (apps in the background).
> 
> What I'd like to see is a nomad iPad HD version that has the menus and other items running in the iPad's resolution framework vs. the subsumed delivery we see now. Speed wise it seems to work well and I'll get my first taste of usability very soon. I would have recorded more on my DVRs if I had purchased this unit sooner - my problem is one of not being around to watch what I record otherwise.
> 
> -Bob


Ios5 isn't really as multitasking as people believe I have found. I don't know of any app that will sync or download in the background without the app being active when it starts, and most the time till its also done downloading. Do you? I'm curious if anyone has found a way to do that yet.


----------



## KenW

inkahauts said:


> Ios5 isn't really as multitasking as people believe I have found. I don't know of any app that will sync or download in the background without the app being active when it starts, and most the time till its also done downloading. Do you? I'm curious if anyone has found a way to do that yet.


Newsstand does this. If you start a download, it will complete in the background, even if you switch away.

From my reading, nomad is not the kind of task Apple wants running in the background, since it uses a lot of resources. They define very specific types of applications that can run in background like VOIP, Audio, Location Services and Newsstand. I expect Apple would need to approve this use of a background task.

Even if it can be done, there is still the question of will nomad implement it. It's a much more complex application design. For me, running the app for an hour when I get home is not a severe hardship.


----------



## dennisj00

One workaround is install the client on a PC and select the programs you want. You can even cancel the download process if you close the PC client and re-open later.

The programs will continue to transcode on the nomad.

Then on the iPad, select the ones you want to download- they're easy to find with the 'Ready to download' filter - it's around 5 minutes for a 30 minute program. But keep the ipad on during this time.


----------



## tonypitt

For me the issue is one of 'workflow' and what I've come to expect. Most of my iPad content (and I use it for email, social media, books, and a wide variety of applications), I have become accustomed to having new content pushed to me. I don't want to 'babysit' my iPad. I want to pay it attention when I want to use it. To have to remind myself to download content to it, and then monitor that downloading process, breaks my preferred style of using the device.

I can see where using Nomad to transfer content to a PC might be different as you are using it in a different way and have the ability to multitask. With a mobile device where you can do only one thing at a time, having to manage the transfer to the exclusion of being able to do anything else with the device creates an entirely different method of interaction.


----------



## dennisj00

I don't see a problem in getting up in the morning after selecting programs to transcode the previous night, turning on the ipad, select several programs for download, go take a shower, get dressed, and leave an hour later with programs on the nomad client for the ipad.

No babysitting necessary, and you can't use it in the shower!

I actually have to download a PDF of my local paper everyday - oh, the horror!!! But it's quicker than walking out to get the paper! (which I no longer get except weekends.)

The books that I've purchased from Apple or Amazon have to be selected to be 'pushed' to me. No different than nomad.


----------



## tonypitt

dennisj00 said:


> I don't see a problem in getting up in the morning after selecting programs to transcode the previous night, turning on the ipad, select several programs for download, go take a shower, get dressed, and leave an hour later with programs on the nomad client for the ipad.
> 
> No babysitting necessary, and you can't use it in the shower!
> 
> I actually have to download a PDF of my local paper everyday - oh, the horror!!! But it's quicker than walking out to get the paper! (which I no longer get except weekends.)
> 
> The books that I've purchased from Apple or Amazon have to be selected to be 'pushed' to me. No different than nomad.


I'll have to check what I'm doing, but if I do what you've described I don't get content. My device, based on the security profile of my employer, will time out and 'sleep' after a few minutes of inactivity. As a result with mine if I don't in some way interact with the device every few minutes it sleeps and the transfer is aborted.


----------



## dennisj00

I generally have mine plugged in while it's downloading and it doesn't timeout. (I also have to do that when Tune-in-Radio is recording a show.)

But the iPad will be fully charged as you run out the door!


----------



## KenW

tonypitt said:


> I'll have to check what I'm doing, but if I do what you've described I don't get content. My device, based on the security profile of my employer, will time out and 'sleep' after a few minutes of inactivity. As a result with mine if I don't in some way interact with the device every few minutes it sleeps and the transfer is aborted.


It should not timeout, mine does not, even with an idle lock set. Did you test it with the nomad app and this was your observation?


----------



## NR4P

Very little interaction time with Nomad is required.

When you select a new program to download, the first thing that happens is the app requests that the hardware prepare/transcode the content. Once this is done, you will notice the Nomad hardware blue light (one on the left) flashes very slowly. At this point you could turn off the ipad/iphone. The time for this step is about 1:1 with the program.

Anytime after that, bring up the Nomad app and complete the transfer. The app then has to be up and running during this phase, but its quick.


----------



## Laxguy

My tests a month or so ago indicated it came out to about 15% of the time (length) of the recording to download it. YMMV.


----------



## Rtm

tonypitt said:


> I'll have to check what I'm doing, but if I do what you've described I don't get content. My device, based on the security profile of my employer, will time out and 'sleep' after a few minutes of inactivity. As a result with mine if I don't in some way interact with the device every few minutes it sleeps and the transfer is aborted.


Settings > General > Auto-Lock > Never

I guess you could do that every time your using the nomad app if thats your only option.


----------



## tonypitt

Rtm said:


> Settings > General > Auto-Lock > Never
> 
> I guess you could do that every time your using the nomad app if thats your only option.


I'm guessing that the security profile of the device has an impact on this as I do not have a 'Never' option. I have 5 choices, the longest of which is 15 minutes.

I did test this again last night, and I don't think the device locked while the Nomad app was the active program. (Since I was looking at and holding the device in my hand, I don't know if I might have touched the screen or otherwise 'kept it alive' manually during the 30 minutes or so while programs transferred.)


----------



## dennisj00

It's not very different for getting content on the iPad from any other program and thank heaven, we don't have to go via iTunes!

I use GoodReader a lot for doc, manuals, videos, the daily paper, and you can use its built in webserver to 'push' from a PC browser or use its HTTP or FTP clients to pull content into GR.

And with Nomad, you can always watch something while the download is going on!


----------



## Rtm

tonypitt said:


> I'm guessing that the security profile of the device has an impact on this as I do not have a 'Never' option. I have 5 choices, the longest of which is 15 minutes.
> 
> I did test this again last night, and I don't think the device locked while the Nomad app was the active program. (Since I was looking at and holding the device in my hand, I don't know if I might have touched the screen or otherwise 'kept it alive' manually during the 30 minutes or so while programs transferred.)


It took 30 minutes to transfer? I scream when it takes 5 minutes for a 30 minute episode what was your show like 3 hrs long?


----------



## tonypitt

Rtm said:


> It took 30 minutes to transfer? I scream when it takes 5 minutes for a 30 minute episode what was your show like 3 hrs long?


I've found that the device reports about 7 minutes to transfer 1 hour of programming on my network. (I haven't timed it independently to see if that timing is accurate.) In my case, I was still trying to get my initial set of programming transferred to the device, which consisted of 9 1-hour shows. I transferred five of them in the session reported above.

To me this points to a reason why perhaps it might seem inordinately long to me. I'm more likely to transfer a batch of 10-15 hours of shows one day to view over the next week. That means 70+ minutes of transfer time. I'd love to be able to plug in my device at the end of the day, load up Nomad, and then go to bed. Unfortunately, if I do that, my screen stays on all night, and I really don't want to do that.

Just to be clear, I like Nomad and think it has potential, but I do look forward to forthcoming improvements.


----------



## Rtm

tonypitt said:


> I've found that the device reports about 7 minutes to transfer 1 hour of programming on my network. (I haven't timed it independently to see if that timing is accurate.) In my case, I was still trying to get my initial set of programming transferred to the device, which consisted of 9 1-hour shows. I transferred five of them in the session reported above.
> 
> To me this points to a reason why perhaps it might seem inordinately long to me. I'm more likely to transfer a batch of 10-15 hours of shows one day to view over the next week. That means 70+ minutes of transfer time. I'd love to be able to plug in my device at the end of the day, load up Nomad, and then go to bed. Unfortunately, if I do that, my screen stays on all night, and I really don't want to do that.
> 
> Just to be clear, I like Nomad and think it has potential, but I do look forward to forthcoming improvements.


Yes I wonder why the details on future plans for our investment are kept under wraps.

I use a Time Capsule (dual-band 802.11n) and the nomad plugged in a switch with my receivers connected to the time capsule and they are pretty zippy to download you should look into your network shouldn't take that long i don't think.


----------



## pnessutt

Rtm said:


> Yes I wonder why the details on future plans for our investment are kept under wraps.
> 
> I use a Time Capsule (dual-band 802.11n) and the nomad plugged in a switch with my receivers connected to the time capsule and they are pretty zippy to download you should look into your network shouldn't take that long i don't think.


Same here... I'm not happy yet with the iPad interface though. I'd like to see an iPad version delivered soon.

Good stuff, though!

-Bob


----------



## scm

One enhancement I'd like to see is a flag to set for when you are off your home network..that way, you wouldn't have to wait to start a program while your device is searching for a Nomad. And an iPad version and I'm an even happier camper.

Quick ? - I know the picture quality isn't the best as the screen grows in size. Has anyone ever used the Apple composite a/v connector to play Nomad content on say a hotel room TV? Is it even possible?


----------



## Laxguy

scm said:


> One enhancement I'd like to see is a flag to set for when you are off your home network..that way, you wouldn't have to wait to start a program while your device is searching for a Nomad. And an iPad version and I'm an even happier camper.
> 
> Quick ? - I know the picture quality isn't the best as the screen grows in size. Has anyone ever used the Apple composite a/v connector to play Nomad content on say a hotel room TV? Is it even possible?


I believe it's possible, though I'd never do it. For the number of pixels, I'd not want to go larger than the approx. size of an iPad screen.


----------



## dennisj00

It does work with the HDMI or composite adapters and is a watchable picture, often better than some hotel / motel sources.

It doesn't work with Airplay via Apple TV.


----------



## darman

scm said:


> Quick ? - I know the picture quality isn't the best as the screen grows in size. Has anyone ever used the Apple composite a/v connector to play Nomad content on say a hotel room TV? Is it even possible?


Spent the weekend in the NC mountains and did just this for the kids. PQ was reasonable to pretty good, and I only have the composite cables (not that I think the HD would help w/nomad). TV was probably 42in.


----------



## KenW

scm said:


> Quick ? - I know the picture quality isn't the best as the screen grows in size. Has anyone ever used the Apple composite a/v connector to play Nomad content on say a hotel room TV? Is it even possible?


I watch on the hotel tv every week with component cables. My hotel has 37" LCD, and it's watchable.


----------



## ejjames

Just want to double check something. I live in a remote part of the country, so OTA via AM21 is essential. Am I correct that nomad will not work for these channels?


----------



## pnessutt

Now that I've started to work with Nomad, I've noticed that some programs - although they are downloaded to my iPad - won't play. They just stop. I'm not sure why that is and so I'm going to reload them and see what happens. I'm thinking it has to do with the memory on the device being used up. It sure would be nice to have a way of checking how much memory is used on the unit if possible.

-Bob


----------



## Laxguy

That's the story currently. I'll test it again to be sure, but I am afraid that's the deal.


----------



## Laxguy

pnessutt said:


> Now that I've started to work with Nomad, I've noticed that some programs - although they are downloaded to my iPad - won't play. They just stop. I'm not sure why that is and so I'm going to reload them and see what happens. I'm thinking it has to do with the memory on the device being used up. It sure would be nice to have a way of checking how much memory is used on the unit if possible.


To see how much is used and how much available on the iPad, connect it up to iTunes as in a sync, and then select the iPad, and then the Summary section.


----------



## pnessutt

Laxguy said:


> To see how much is used and how much available on the iPad, connect it up to iTunes as in a sync, and then select the iPad, and then the Summary section.


LAXGUY - I was thinking of how much space was used on Nomad, not on my iPad. It seems to use very little space on my iPad - even though I do have quite a bit of content downloaded.

Has anyone else seen an issue with content that is downloaded and it won't play... it just goes to "pause" right away whenever you try to start it?

-Bob


----------



## Laxguy

pnessutt said:


> LAXGUY - I was thinking of how much space was used on Nomad, not on my iPad. It seems to use very little space on my iPad - even though I do have quite a bit of content downloaded.
> 
> Has anyone else seen an issue with content that is downloaded and it won't play... it just goes to "pause" right away whenever you try to start it?


Issues have been seen, but that one not a lot. If it's downloaded to the device, how full the nomad is won't matter. Have you restarted the iPad?


----------



## ejjames

Pretty new to nomad. I'm wondering, when viewing an HD program on the PC client, how is the resolution? Does it look close to HD, or is it fairly compressed?


----------



## dennisj00

ejjames said:


> Just want to double check something. I live in a remote part of the country, so OTA via AM21 is essential. Am I correct that nomad will not work for these channels?


Nomad won't download OTA, VODs, or PPVs.

And Pic quality on the PC client is good, not HD. PQ on the iPad is very good.


----------



## dennisj00

Bob, do the same programs 'pause' on the PC client? If so, I'd do a 2 minute + reset on nomad to clear it completely and re-download.

If it's just on the iPad, I'd delete and re-download the IOS client and retry things.

Otherwise, you may have a bad nomad.


----------



## pnessutt

dennisj00 said:


> Bob, do the same programs 'pause' on the PC client? If so, I'd do a 2 minute + reset on nomad to clear it completely and re-download.
> 
> If it's just on the iPad, I'd delete and re-download the IOS client and retry things.
> 
> Otherwise, you may have a bad nomad.


Dennis -

No pause on the PC client for Nomad. I guess I'll reload the app on the iPad and see if I ca download it again. Thanks.

-Bob


----------



## pnessutt

pnessutt said:


> Dennis -
> 
> No pause on the PC client for Nomad. I guess I'll reload the app on the iPad and see if I ca download it again. Thanks.
> 
> -Bob


Nope. That didn't work. I will try resetting the Nomad and see if that cures it.

-Bob


----------



## dennisj00

Be sure you delete the client from the iPad, reboot it, delete it from iTunes and then re-download, init, etc.


----------



## pnessutt

dennisj00 said:


> Be sure you delete the client from the iPad, reboot it, delete it from iTunes and then re-download, init, etc.


I did that. Didn't fix the problem. Must be something about the Oprah episode with George Lucas that it doesn't like... ST:TOS vs. STARWARS, maybe? oh well. Everything else works fine!


----------



## Laxguy

pnessutt said:


> I did that. Didn't fix the problem. Must be something about the Oprah episode with George Lucas that it doesn't like... ST:TOS vs. STARWARS, maybe? oh well. Everything else works fine!


You could delete it from the 'Pad, then redownload. But if so, check on the DVR that it recorded fine in the first place.

So everything is a go but a specific show or two?


----------



## dennisj00

I've had a couple of programs that refused to transcode, but nothing that has given problem on playback if it downloaded.


----------



## pnessutt

dennisj00 said:


> I've had a couple of programs that refused to transcode, but nothing that has given problem on playback if it downloaded.


It did transcode correctly. 2 episodes of the Oprah show - but they won't play appropriately on my iPad right now - but I can watch them on my PC fine.

I'm going to watch them there (on the PC) and we'll see if this happens again in the future or not. It's probably a minor nit and we'd all like to see other features released with nomad clients (especially for iPad).

-Bob


----------



## likegadgets

I downloaded several shows to my iPad Nomad App. At home they worked OK.
I am traveling and basically, when using the iPad when there is no connectivity (such as an Airplane without WiFi service) the App states: you have zero licenses - would you like to transfer one?

However:

1) The minute there is connectivity - the app and all shows work again
2) The iPad is the only device where I have the NOMAD App (just 1 license has been used)

I called Directv and they conformed there in no need for connectivity to view, and that they just don't have a clue as to why this is happening (they are escalating).

I cannot delete and reinstall - as all shows will be removed and will not reload until I return home.

I can view only when I access WiFi - it seems the app "re-authorizes" every time it starts and needs to check home with DTV.

Any clues or suggestions?


----------



## dennisj00

Try killing the multi-task version of nomad (double click the home button, hold nomad until it shakes and press X) and restart nomad.

Sometimes it gets confused.


----------



## likegadgets

"Kill the multi-task version of nomad "

Thanks. I tried that and even killing all multitask apps, shutting down and restarting. Same problem.


----------



## pnessutt

likegadgets said:


> "Kill the multi-task version of nomad "
> 
> Thanks. I tried that and even killing all multitask apps, shutting down and restarting. Same problem.


Interesting... I've not had that problem and mine work fine without any network connection active. Can you test by using airplane mode to see if it works?

-Bob


----------



## likegadgets

pnessutt said:


> Interesting... I've not had that problem and mine work fine without any network connection active. Can you test by using airplane mode to see if it works?
> 
> -Bob


It is exactly when in Airplane Mode that the App states: You have 0 Licenses left. It did work on a previous trip.

thanks


----------



## LimeyFK

cplusj said:


> So, I just spent the past hour reading all 13 pages of this thread and there are some general questions I didn't see asked that I was wondering if anyone could answer.
> 
> Before that, I had a thought for the people having trouble getting NHL games to their device. Have you tried recording the replay instead of the live event? I no longer subscribe to Center Ice because I have all the sports channels. While I can't watch the game live, I CAN record and watch the replay of the game that most of the Fox channels play about two hours after the game is over. Maybe that replay will work with Nomad also?
> 
> On to my questions. I see a lot of people comment that they have the Nomad app on their iPad. I assume you're just using the iPhone app and installed it on the iPad? If that's the case, when the real iPad native app comes out, will you have to "delicense" your ipad and wait 30 days before installing the native app on it?
> 
> Next question - from time to time I get the "cannot connect to Nomad" message on my iPHone app when trying to download. Does the app keep trying in the background to reconnect on its own or do I need to babysit the app and manually click the retry button? If I put my phone on my nightstand before I go to bed with the app downloading shows, am I going to wake up to find that it lost the connection an hour after I went to sleep and since I wasn't awake to click "reconnect" nothing got downloaded?
> 
> Right now, if I set the filter to show only shows ready to download, I have a show (Glee) that shows up. But, at the same time, it still has a downloading bar indicating 12 minutes left. Why is it "ready for download" but still has 12 minutes left? AND, when I tap on Glee, there is a "Play" button, but if I view shows that are currently on my iPhone, Glee is not one of them. How can I "Play" it if it's not on my iPhone? And yes, I clicked play it it works... the entire show is there, and it started playing just fine... yet it says 10 minutes left now on the download progress bar and the show doesn't show up as being on my iPhone... odd. And there is not an option to "delete from iPhone". (I only have one episode of Glee on my DVR, so it's not a multiple episode issue).
> 
> How much memory does a show take up on the iPhone?
> 
> If I set multiple shows to be downloaded to Nomad, how do i selectively control which ones get put onto my devices? (I have two iphones and two ipads). I don't want it to automatically start downloading every show that has been "prepared". I want to choose which shows get put on which device.
> 
> Apologies that most of my questions sound like gibberish. I'm not that good at putting thoughts into written form.


Any luck resolving this issue? I'm having the same trouble fully downloading NHL games.


----------



## LimeyFK

trh said:


> I still am unable to get a hockey game downloaded to my nomad. I've tried manual recording on a NHL CI channel (3 and 2.5 hours), and 3 and 2.5 hours on Fox RSN channel. On each one of these, the transcoding on the nomad just keeps recycling (it starts off with 2.5-3 hours left, gets down to under 1 hour remaining and then starts all over again). I every case, I could play the hockey game on my DVR, so the recording itself doesn't appear to be the problem.
> 
> Any ideas? Is there tech support at DirecTV that can answer questions/help with the nomad? Any help would be appreciated.


Sorry, I quoted the wrong post. Any luck resolving this issue? I'm struggling to get a recorded NHL game transcoded and downloaded fully. I can play while it's "downloading," but it never completes and never shows up as downloaded content. I'm wondering if this may be true for all sporting events.


----------



## kmcrobb

Update available for the Desktop version, Just updated to 1.01.1.51.


----------



## poppo

likegadgets said:


> It is exactly when in Airplane Mode that the App states: You have 0 Licenses left. It did work on a previous trip.
> 
> thanks


I just tested this on my iPad. If I select airplane mode OR turn 3G and wifi off, I get the 'This iPad has not been added yet. You have 0 available licence(s). You must be within your home network to activate your service.'

I also tried it with wifi on (3G off), but had it forget my network and also got the same message. I know that worked before.

BTW, I tried this after successfully connecting. So it's not an issue of not being connected for a while. I agree that it is trying to re-authorize when the app is started.


----------



## poppo

poppo said:


> I just tested this on my iPad. If I select airplane mode OR turn 3G and wifi off, I get the 'This iPad has not been added yet. You have 0 available licence(s). You must be within your home network to activate your service.'
> 
> I also tried it with wifi on (3G off), but had it forget my network and also got the same message. I know that worked before.
> 
> BTW, I tried this after successfully connecting. So it's not an issue of not being connected for a while. I agree that it is trying to re-authorize when the app is started.


Ok, so here is what I did.
1. With iTunes, I deselected the nomad app and did a sync,
2. I then re-checked the Nomad app and did another sync to reinstall it.
3. I fired up the app and it wanted me to log in (as expected).
4. When I logged in, it said 'There is a problem with your licence. Do you want to reactivate the device?' I clicked yes.
5. It reactivated and I could see my DVRs
6. I totally exited the app and turned on airplane mode.
7. I started the app again and it worked fine.

So I have no idea what happened to cause it to be failing earlier. But apparently there is some sort of bug. I suggest anyone planning on making a trip, test it in airplane mode before they leave.


----------



## pnessutt

kmcrobb said:


> Update available for the Desktop version, Just updated to 1.01.1.51.


Where did you get the update? Does it have a link from the app?

-Bob


----------



## kmcrobb

I received a pop up window saying an update is available, do you want to update. The app was running sitting idle for a while before I noticed it.


----------



## trh

LimeyFK said:


> Sorry, I quoted the wrong post. Any luck resolving this issue? I'm struggling to get a recorded NHL game transcoded and downloaded fully. I can play while it's "downloading," but it never completes and never shows up as downloaded content. I'm wondering if this may be true for all sporting events.


I still have problems with this. I have been able to get this to work if I record from the NHL Network or my local RSN. But when I did a manual record of a game this weekend from CI (I did manual so it wouldn't be 6 hours long), it never got past the Preparing stage. It went through Preparing at least 4 times and when it would get down to under 10-20 minutes left, it would start all over again. I finally canceled the event.


----------



## trh

poppo said:


> I just tested this on my iPad. If I select airplane mode OR turn 3G and wifi off, I get the 'This iPad has not been added yet. You have 0 available licence(s). You must be within your home network to activate your service.'
> 
> I also tried it with wifi on (3G off), but had it forget my network and also got the same message. I know that worked before.
> 
> BTW, I tried this after successfully connecting. So it's not an issue of not being connected for a while. I agree that it is trying to re-authorize when the app is started.





poppo said:


> Ok, so here is what I did.
> 1. With iTunes, I deselected the nomad app and did a sync,
> 2. I then re-checked the Nomad app and did another sync to reinstall it.
> 3. I fired up the app and it wanted me to log in (as expected).
> 4. When I logged in, it said 'There is a problem with your licence. Do you want to reactivate the device?' I clicked yes.
> 5. It reactivated and I could see my DVRs
> 6. I totally exited the app and turned on airplane mode.
> 7. I started the app again and it worked fine.
> 
> So I have no idea what happened to cause it to be failing earlier. But apparently there is some sort of bug. I suggest anyone planning on making a trip, test it in airplane mode before they leave.


I got this same error today while at work. I was using my iPad at home this weekend -- I watched and deleted some shows and I added a few while at home. I turned my WiFi off at the office (which is what I typically do). Got home tonight, turned on WiFi, opened Nomad and all is "right". I had not changed or used the Airplane mode. First time I've had this error before. Real pain because I couldn't access anything on the iPad.


----------



## trh

Went to turn on my iPad to watch a show using nomad while at the office. Same error as yesterday (see attached screen shot). WiFi was on, but not connected (no wifi in range). So I turned on the Hotspot on my cell phone, and re-opened nomad. Works fine. Turned off the Wifi, and the same error came back up.

So right now mine is only working if I am connected to WiFi (but it doesn't have to be my home network to work). Sort of defeats the purpose of getting a nomad. This is the same iPad I've been using for months without any changes to it or my home system. I'll try uninstalling and then reinstalling tonight.


----------



## likegadgets

trh said:


> Went to turn on my iPad to watch a show using nomad while at the office. Same error as yesterday (see attached screen shot). WiFi was on, but not connected (no wifi in range). So I turned on the Hotspot on my cell phone, and re-opened nomad. Works fine. Turned off the Wifi, and the same error came back up.
> 
> So right now mine is only working if I am connected to WiFi (but it doesn't have to be my home network to work). Sort of defeats the purpose of getting a nomad. This is the same iPad I've been using for months without any changes to it or my home system. I'll try uninstalling and then reinstalling tonight.


I eventually fixed a similar problem by completely removing the app from my iPad and redownloading from the App store. Upon install, it stated that it needed to re-register the device (but the same one license as I was using).

You can only do this while on the home network and all shows on the iPad will be erased and will have to load again. But since then it has worked without connectivity.

Clearly DTV has a lot of work to do on the Nomad


----------



## Rtm

Can anyone provide any kind of eta for when any update or anything is going to be done for our nomads? This is getting pathetic an iPad app doesn't take 4 months to code wen the only thing different is the screen size between devices


----------



## trh

likegadgets said:


> I eventually fixed a similar problem by completely removing the app from my iPad and redownloading from the App store. Upon install, it stated that it needed to re-register the device (but the same one license as I was using).
> 
> You can only do this while on the home network and all shows on the iPad will be erased and will have to load again. But since then it has worked without connectivity.


That's exactly what I had to do to fix this. It's the second time I've had to delete the App and reload everything since I've had my nomad. Reloading the recordings isn't a problem, but getting all the Auto-Download Series set back up again is a pain.


----------



## Rtm

Is this a joke? (see image) 

Expired look at the date it was tonight? DirecTV needs to get cracking on their **** or that company that makes the Nomad software what is their name?


----------



## Laxguy

Rtm said:


> Is this a joke? (see image)
> 
> Expired look at the date it was tonight? DirecTV needs to get cracking on their **** or that company that makes the Nomad software what is their name?


Morega.

But I don't see a joke. Recordings expire in 30 days.


----------



## Rtm

Laxguy said:


> Morega.
> 
> But I don't see a joke. Recordings expire in 30 days.


It was just recorded this evening at 7:30 and downloaded, the date is right their in the image.


----------



## Beerstalker

"Laxguy" said:


> Morega.
> 
> But I don't see a joke. Recordings expire in 30 days.


Last I looked Feb 27th is less than 30 days away from Feb 27th 

That is definitely a strange error. My only guess on how to fix is the same way we seem to have to fix all the other issues. Remove the app from your device and add it again, then transfer the program again.


----------



## Rtm

Beerstalker said:


> Last I looked Feb 27th is less than 30 days away from Feb 27th
> 
> That is definitely a strange error. My only guess on how to fix is the same way we seem to have to fix all the other issues. Remove the app from your device and add it again, then transfer the program again.


I tried a bunch of different shows all did the same thing just wanted to see if maybe I could use a little netbook laying around for it (my normal computer is a MacBook Pro). But apparently no dice even though it's meets minimum requirements.


----------



## StephenT

I upgraded my iPhone 4S to iOS 5.1 yesterday, and when I run the Nomad app I get the AR/3004 validation required error. It seems that whenever iOS is updated you need to delete and reinstall the app. They couldn't have fixed this by now?

Oh also same thing when I upgraded my phone from 3GS to 4S. The backup restored on the 4S, and the Nomad app wouldn't work until deleted and reinstalled.


----------



## pnessutt

StephenT said:


> I upgraded my iPhone 4S to iOS 5.1 yesterday, and when I run the Nomad app I get the AR/3004 validation required error. It seems that whenever iOS is updated you need to delete and reinstall the app. They couldn't have fixed this by now?
> 
> Oh also same thing when I upgraded my phone from 3GS to 4S. The backup restored on the 4S, and the Nomad app wouldn't work until deleted and reinstalled.


Hmm. Not seeing any issues here and I just did all my upgrades of OS (OTA) to iOS 5.1. Seems to be working fine.

I, too, wish they'd upgrade the app. Maybe they were waiting for the new iPad HD features to be available... .

-Bob


----------



## RAD

Also no problems here upgrading to 5.1.


----------



## StephenT

Hmm, to be honest I also hadn't used it in a long time. Has anyone noticed that mattering?


----------



## tonypitt

The video player for Nomad desperately needs a 30 second skip/slip button for navigating through commercials. I realize that the slider can be used to advance in the video timeline, but it's too hard to move it to exactly the desired location. Because of this issue, and because I've found it extremely frustrating to watch commercials anymore, I find that don't use my Nomad as much as I thought I would.


----------



## KenW

I upgraded to 5.1 day one too. No issues with nomad.


----------



## irlspotter

I am trying to delete two of my NOMAD PC devices on the DirecTV web site, but I can't seem to find a way to do that. Does anybody know how? 

Thanks,


----------



## NR4P

irlspotter said:


> I am trying to delete two of my NOMAD PC devices on the DirecTV web site, but I can't seem to find a way to do that. Does anybody know how?
> 
> Thanks,


No need to do anything with Nomad on the website. Just leave the PC's as is. When you need to add a new client to Nomad, just grab one of the licenses of the two PC's you no longer want to use Nomad. BTW, you can't take a license unless its been active 30 days.


----------



## irlspotter

How do I see how much space my NOMAD is using? I've been having a problem where my multi-room viewing stutters so severely that you can't watch anything in another room, but the stuttering goes away immediately if I power down the NOMAD.


----------



## RAD

irlspotter said:


> How do I see how much space my NOMAD is using? I've been having a problem where my multi-room viewing stutters so severely that you can't watch anything in another room, but the stuttering goes away immediately if I power down the NOMAD.


Nomad doesn't take any 'space' on the HD DVR's, it just reads the information off the harddrive via the network connection and then stores it in its internal memory. It would be helpful to know how all your equipement is connected, are you use DECA, wireless or unsupported ethernet?


----------



## irlspotter

I know it doesn't take up any space on my DVR, I am asking about how to see how much space is consumed on the internal flash drive on the NOMAD itself. Becuase when it prepares a show it stores it on the NOMAD before transferring to a PC, right? I am using unsupported ethernet. What happens when I have set up programs to auto download, but they take up way more space than what is on the NOMAD?


----------



## RAD

irlspotter said:


> I know it doesn't take up any space on my DVR, I am asking about how to see how much space is consumed on the internal flash drive on the NOMAD itself. Becuase when it prepares a show it stores it on the NOMAD before transferring to a PC, right? I am using unsupported ethernet. What happens when I have set up programs to auto download, but they take up way more space than what is on the NOMAD?


To see how much space you're using on NOMAD, start the PC client and click on the ? and then select System Info, you'll then see the storage total and free numbers. If using IOS client on iPhone/iPad it's the same process to find out.


----------



## Laxguy

Content isn't so much "transferred" as copied to....i.e., the nomad retains the shows you've put on your devices until it runs out of room, and then it sloughs off as needed. 

Sounds like your LAN is stuttering on load perhaps? I.e., it sounds like this problem doesn't happen when your nomad is not 'busy'....? Is there generally other network activity as well?


----------



## KenW

You could test it with a single show. 

First test
Set nomad to encode it, but don't start downloads. That checks to see if the problem is between your DVR and nomad. 

Second test
Make sure nomad is not encoding (nothing shows as "preparing"). Start the download with the nomad client on your PC or iPhone. This will check the connection between nomad and your PC. Your DVR is not involved at all. 

Check which scenario causes your DVR to stutter.


----------



## irlspotter

How do I reset the NOMAD back to factory default settings?


----------



## KenW

From the manual, page 20.

Resetting the nomad™
On the front panel behind the cap is a Red reset button. This button has three types of Resets that are initiated by pressing and holding the button.

Press for 3 seconds: simulated power cycle
Press for 30 seconds and release: remove user configurable options
(all user settings set back to default and content is kept)
Press for 2 minutes and release: Factory Reset
(wipes all settings and content)


----------



## cpbradley

mnMark said:


> +1 to getting the Nomad to 'auto transcode' by default everything on my DVRs. I would love that.
> 
> I'm having a problem today, whereby I cannot select the auto-download option on my PC-connected device. I had 20 programs selected to auto-download, and the behavior the app is showing is that, when clicking the check box, the box will briefly show selected, then go back to cleared.
> 
> Thinking there may be a limit, I removed one of the auto-download shows, then attempted to add a new one. Same behavior is showing.
> 
> My setup: Win7 Pro, 64bit (1.0.1.40), and the Nomad (FW 1.0.p25.36929S) has a 1.5TB external drive attached. The transcoding, downloading, etc is all working just fine. My only problem is getting the auto-download to select.
> 
> Anyone else experiencing this?


Has a solution been found for the auto-download issue. I opened a ticket with DirecTV. Received a return call and was told they would be contacting software engineering and call back. That was three weeks ago.


----------



## txfeinbergs

StephenT said:


> I upgraded my iPhone 4S to iOS 5.1 yesterday, and when I run the Nomad app I get the AR/3004 validation required error. It seems that whenever iOS is updated you need to delete and reinstall the app. They couldn't have fixed this by now?
> 
> Oh also same thing when I upgraded my phone from 3GS to 4S. The backup restored on the 4S, and the Nomad app wouldn't work until deleted and reinstalled.


I ran into the same issue restoring my iPAD 2 backup onto the iPAD 3. Had to delete and reinsall the app and then the authentication worked.


----------



## Rtm

I see my Nomad firmware updated recently are we gearing up for some of those "Coming Soon" or more things that we've been waiting for 6 going on 7 months for?


----------



## shedberg

Any chance for nomad for Mac soon?


----------



## NR4P

"Rtm" said:


> I see my Nomad firmware updated recently are we gearing up for some of those "Coming Soon" or more things that we've been waiting for 6 going on 7 months for?


Can you determine what your new firmware version is?


----------



## inkahauts

"Rtm" said:


> I see my Nomad firmware updated recently are we gearing up for some of those "Coming Soon" or more things that we've been waiting for 6 going on 7 months for?


I get the feeling that we will see an update to nomad and such in the next quarter, based on all the announced additional streaming and such in the second quarter by DirecTV.


----------



## harsh

shedberg said:


> Any chance for nomad for Mac soon?


Anything is possible but don't hold your breath. DRM is a difficult task on computers.


----------



## Laxguy

harsh said:


> Anything is possible but don't hold your breath. DRM is a difficult task on computers.


It is? Not on Macs, however. I suppose you're a PC *and* Dish kinda guy??


----------



## harsh

Laxguy said:


> It is? Not on Macs, however.


That must surely be why Blu-ray is so insanely popular and widely supported on the Mac.


----------



## Laxguy

harsh said:


> That must surely be why Blu-ray is so insanely popular and widely supported on the Mac.


Sarcasm becomes you, but your inference fails.


----------



## BudShark

harsh said:


> That must surely be why Blu-ray is so insanely popular and widely supported on the Mac.


REALLY?????

Macs lack of support of Blu-Ray has NOTHING to do with DRM and EVERYTHING to do with the fact that Apple strategically is reducing support of physical media in favor of iTunes, streaming, and digital copies. They didn't want to ADD something they INTENDED to not support in hardware long term, especially with licensing and other associated components. Considering third party add-ons for Blu-Ray playback as well as the fact that Apple's OWN TOOLS support the writing of Blu-Ray, your comment related to DRM being somehow difficult is an outright LIE and JOKE.

I suggest you stick to topics you know and understand. Although, that might severely limit your number of posts.


----------



## KenW

NR4P said:


> Can you determine what your new firmware version is?


I have 1.2.P14-46159S.


----------



## buckZor

PC App is up to version: 1.0.1.54
Nomad firmware: 1.2.p14-46159S

As of March 23rd, 2012


----------



## trh

I still can't get a 3-hour manually recorded hockey game from an NHL CI channel to transfer to my Nomad devices (iPad or a PC).

I've been working with DirecTV case management and they called tonight and gave me this update: "according to our engineers, the NHL CI channels are coded as PPV channels therefore you can't watch them with a Nomad." The CSR told me that she is trying to figure out whether this is going to be corrected as the DirecTV web site doesn't mention that NHL CI can't be transferred (and we should be able to watch NHL CI channels via nomad).

Case management has had me try different DVRs in our house (HR21, 22 and 24) and also try recording SD NHL CI games. None would transfer over to the PC or iPad.

I do not have the Sports package; I have been able to transfer & watch games from NBC, NHLN, my RSN and NBC Sports network via nomad. 

Anyone else having this problem? Should my little red BS flag be flying right now with this answer (NHL CI is coded as PPV)? 

If this is in fact accurate, I wonder if the same will be true for MLB EI?


----------



## dengland

trh said:


> I have been able to transfer & watch games from NBC, NHLN, my RSN and NBC Sports network via nomad.
> QUOTE]
> 
> I thought locals would not transfer. Is tthe NBC you reference a local?


----------



## dengland

trh said:


> I have been able to transfer & watch games from NBC, NHLN, my RSN and NBC Sports network via nomad.


I thought locals would not transfer. Is the NBC you reference a local?


----------



## trh

NBC games transfer. It is only the Center Ice channels I can't get to transfer.


----------



## NR4P

dengland said:


> I thought locals would not transfer. Is the NBC you reference a local?


Locals transfer from SAT channels. OTA channels will not.


----------



## dengland

NR4P said:


> Locals transfer from SAT channels. OTA channels will not.


Ahh...Good to know. Thanks.


----------



## irlspotter

I have a recording showing up as "On This PC", but it is not actually there, as when I go to play it, it says it needs to download it, but it is not showing up on the DVR Playlist, nor is it anywhere on any DVR. How do I delete this porgram from my PC (although it isn't really there to be deleted). i just want to get rid of it showing in "ON THIS PC"


----------



## NR4P

irlspotter said:


> I have a recording showing up as "On This PC", but it is not actually there, as when I go to play it, it says it needs to download it, but it is not showing up on the DVR Playlist, nor is it anywhere on any DVR. How do I delete this porgram from my PC (although it isn't really there to be deleted). i just want to get rid of it showing in "ON THIS PC"


There's probably an item in the Nomad folder that is there with the recording's name on it. If you search your PC for the Nomad folder and open it, look for the title. Delete it manually but nothing else. That should get rid of it and be gone next time you launch the app.


----------



## Laxguy

NR4P said:


> There's probably an item in the Nomad folder that is there with the recording's name on it. If you search your PC for the Nomad folder and open it, look for the title. Delete it manually but nothing else. That should get rid of it and be gone next time you launch the app.


Interesting! Having title names and not strings of numbers/letters will be very useful in Explorer or Finder.


----------



## Mike_TV

I have a "new" iPad. Set up Nomad a little more than a month ago with a bunch of recordings that downloaded and played fine. Now they all expired and I have no more recordings on the iPad

I get the message that says "There are no recordings on your iPad"

If I go into iPad, Settings and then Usage I'm showing Nomad is still taking up 13.2 GB of space on my iPad. This is with zero shows downloaded.

With no recordings on the iPad is there any way to free up that 13.2 GB of space that Nomad is taking up?

Version 1.0.1
Firmware 1.2p14-46159S


----------



## RAD

"Mike_TV" said:


> With no recordings on the iPad is there any way to free up that 13.2 GB of space that Nomad is taking up?
> 
> Version 1.0.1
> Firmware 1.2p14-46159S


The only way I know of is to delete the nomad client then reinstall.


----------



## Mike_TV

RAD said:


> The only way I know of is to delete the nomad client then reinstall.


I was afraid of that. I'll wait until the next version and see if they fix this problem.


----------



## Laxguy

Mike_TV said:


> I was afraid of that. I'll wait until the next version and see if they fix this problem.


I wonder if "dead" programs get deleted when the 'Pad is nearing capacity and more space is required?


----------



## Richierich

Laxguy said:


> I wonder if "dead" programs get deleted when the 'Pad is nearing capacity and more space is required?


That is what I think would logically be the case.

Why not just give us the Ability to Delete Recordings stored on Nomad or our Mobile Device so we can Manage it ourselves???


----------



## Richierich

BudShark said:


> REALLY?????
> 
> Considering third party add-ons for Blu-Ray playback as well as the fact that Apple's OWN TOOLS support the writing of Blu-Ray, your comment related to DRM being somehow difficult is an outright LIE and JOKE.
> 
> I suggest you stick to topics you know and understand. Although, that might severely limit your number of posts.


WOW!!!

What a Post!!! :lol:


----------



## Laxguy

Richierich said:


> WOW!!!
> 
> What a Post!!! :lol:


Well, somewhat harsh if you catch my drift.


----------



## Richierich

Laxguy said:


> Well, somewhat harsh if you catch my drift.


Just a Great Post and a Great Way To Word It!!! :lol:


----------



## Rtm

Laxguy said:


> I wonder if "dead" programs get deleted when the 'Pad is nearing capacity and more space is required?


Yea it seems to be a very popular way to write apps(Apple almost encourages it) including Spotify where they fill up all your storage and it gets cleared when it's needed but makes people think their using more storage then they are.

It's genius on Apples part


----------



## Richierich

Rtm said:


> Yea it seems to be a very popular way to write apps(Apple almost encourages it) including Spotify where they fill up all your storage and it gets cleared when it's needed but makes people think their using more storage then they are.
> 
> It's genius on Apples part


I wouldn't call it Genius by any means or use of the Word but more like Bad Coding Strategy.

I think it is Confusing in that it makes people think they are running out of space when in fact they have a lot more space than they think if they took into consideration that the used space will be deleted when needed.


----------



## Laxguy

Well, thank you dyed-in-the-wool PC guys! :eek2:

It may not be a coding issue, but a decision by Apple to allow for this, pretty neat for songs or videos that you may delete, but reload the following week.

I *suspect* that Morega has an option of allowing this or not.


----------



## poppo

poppo said:


> I sure hope we don't end up with abandonware. A native iPad app should have been released by now.





Stuart Sweet said:


> Trust me, a lot of work is going on right now.


Five months later (from these posts) and still no iPad app. I guess this is just another one of DirecTV's half baked projects. :nono2:


----------



## inkahauts

"poppo" said:


> Five months later (from these posts) and still no iPad app. I guess this is just another one of DirecTV's half baked projects. :nono2:


I highly doubt that....


----------



## Rtm

inkahauts said:


> I highly doubt that....


We must be using Directvs dictionary the same one they got "Fast" from for the new HD GUI and "Coming Soon" for the apps on the nomad site. Speaking of coming soon hell they've put up 2 coming soon signs for Chase banks in my area and completed the one about to open and the other is almost getting brick/stone on the outside this is all in less than 3 months and Directv can't get an app for Nomad that natively works at the iPads resolution when the 4S and iPad 2 have the same exact processor and ram and drive space.


----------



## alexcohen

Oh DBS Talkers please help me again! I have one of the first nomads available & I'm having trouble. I hadn't used it in months but I got new internet service (TWC) & a new Linksys EA4500 router I figured I would try again. At first it did download to my iPad but sometimes nomad can't find my DVR's on my iPad, iPhone or PC. When it does find them it just seems to keep preparing & never actually downloading. I held down the red button for 3 minutes to reformat & have restarted nomad several times as well as deleting & re-adding the app. Any ideas???


----------



## Laxguy

alexcohen said:


> Oh DBS Talkers please help me again! I have one of the first nomads available & I'm having trouble. I hadn't used it in months but I got new internet service (TWC) & a new Linksys EA4500 router I figured I would try again. At first it did download to my iPad but sometimes nomad can't find my DVR's on my iPad, iPhone or PC. When it does find them it just seems to keep preparing & never actually downloading. I held down the red button for 3 minutes to reformat & have restarted nomad several times as well as deleting & re-adding the app. Any ideas???


Let's deal with just the iPad for a moment. In settings, deep down, change the DNS from its default to 8.8.8.8. (The 'Pad needs to check with DIRECTV® servers, and this will help it find it more reliabley.)
That solved a lot of problems for me.


----------



## alexcohen

Laxguy said:


> Let's deal with just the iPad for a moment. In settings, deep down, change the DNS from its default to 8.8.8.8. (The 'Pad needs to check with DIRECTV® servers, and this will help it find it more reliabley.)
> That solved a lot of problems for me.


Thanks, I'm trying that now.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

poppo said:


> Five months later (from these posts) and still no iPad app. I guess this is just another one of DirecTV's half baked projects. :nono2:





inkahauts said:


> I highly doubt that....


I'm with Inky...

How many times are things silent on a product or service for a bit...only to be surprised soon thereafter...

It's happened many times before. The more sophisticated the offering, sometimes the longer it takes to launch. I've seen that happen numerous times in the tech industry.


----------



## Richierich

Laxguy said:


> Well, thank you dyed-in-the-wool PC guys! :eek2:
> 
> I *suspect* that Morega has an option of allowing this or not.


You are Welcome you Dyed In The Wool Apple Guy!!! :lol:

How does the Apple Flavored Koolaid Taste!!! :lol:


----------



## Richierich

poppo said:


> Five months later (from these posts) and still no iPad app. I guess this is just another one of DirecTV's half baked projects. :nono2:


Maybe it is just taking a long time to get it Coded and Tested Right on all Platforms so they don't Rush it to the Market Place Half-Baked.


----------



## dennisj00

Sometimes you can't win on updates. People complain loudly when things are released too early claiming 'half-baked' and people complain when they think it should have been released by now also claiming 'half-baked'.


----------



## Laxguy

Richierich said:


> You are Welcome you Dyed In The Wool Apple Guy!!! :lol:
> 
> How does the Apple Flavored Koolaid Taste!!! :lol:


Ah, Richie, my friend, it's *smooth, nutritious and only slightly fattening*!

But I also maintain that PC users owe a pile to Apple, and Mac users owe a pile to Gates & Co. Otherwise, we Mac guys would be on OS 9.787 with a 12" screen, and PC guys would be looking at DOS 58.9.4.....!:eek2:


----------



## alexcohen

Laxguy said:


> Let's deal with just the iPad for a moment. In settings, deep down, change the DNS from its default to 8.8.8.8. (The 'Pad needs to check with DIRECTV® servers, and this will help it find it more reliabley.)
> That solved a lot of problems for me.


Thanks again, changing the DNS helped the iPad find the DVR's but the same recording I tried to transfer before is still preparing. Interesting thing though, now my PC & iPhone have no trouble finding the DVR's even though I didn't change their DNS settings. I'm thinking of buying an Ethernet adapter for the iPad, maybe it will work better if it's not wireless


----------



## Richierich

Laxguy said:


> Ah, Richie, my friend, it's *smooth, nutritious and only slightly fattening*!
> 
> But I also maintain that PC users owe a pile to Apple, and Mac users owe a pile to Gates & Co. Otherwise, we Mac guys would be on OS 9.787 with a 12" screen, and PC guys would be looking at DOS 58.9.4.....!:eek2:


I Totally Agree!!!

Look at some of my Posts about IPAD and Apple and Tablets.

I think that the IPAD2 pushed ASUS to come out with an even Better Tablet, the ASUS Transformer Prime, which then Pushes Apple to come out with a Better IPAD3 and that is why I think Competition is Great.

It makes for Better Products for us all to select from, whatever the Product or Company. 

Also, I have 3 IPODs and I have ITUNES on all of my PCs. :lol:

If I like it I buy it regardless of who makes it or what the Brand Name is.


----------



## Richierich

Laxguy said:


> Ah, Richie, my friend, it's *smooth, nutritious and only slightly fattening*!
> 
> But I also maintain that PC users owe a pile to Apple, and Mac users owe a pile to Gates & Co. Otherwise, we Mac guys would be on OS 9.787 with a 12" screen, and PC guys would be looking at DOS 58.9.4.....!:eek2:


You need to get the New Low Fat Apple Flavored Koolaid just out from APPLE. :lol:


----------



## Richierich

dennisj00 said:


> Sometimes you can't win on updates. People complain loudly when things are released too early claiming 'half-baked' and people complain when they think it should have been released by now also claiming 'half-baked'.


EXACTLY!!! :lol:


----------



## TheWizz

I like to use the recorded list "color coding", e.g. white recordings are new/haven't been viewed yet, to keep track of what I have / haven't watched yet. I have Nomad set to auto-download some of my series and I have found that the Nomad will mark the recordings it downloads as "watched" and it is no longer a bright white even though I haven't watched it yet. It is driving me crazy... :whatdidid

I like being able to auto-download, however, I wish it could keep from marking shows as "watched" when they have not been watched - only downloaded. Is there any setting I can change to avoid this?


----------



## Laxguy

alexcohen said:


> Thanks again, changing the DNS helped the iPad find the DVR's but the same recording I tried to transfer before is still preparing. Interesting thing though, now my PC & iPhone have no trouble finding the DVR's even though I didn't change their DNS settings. I'm thinking of buying an Ethernet adapter for the iPad, maybe it will work better if it's not wireless


If I see a recording has stalled as you describe, I just delete it, and make sure the other devices are not also trying to prepare it. Then re-roll it.


----------



## NR4P

alexcohen said:


> Oh DBS Talkers please help me again! I have one of the first nomads available & I'm having trouble. I hadn't used it in months but I got new internet service (TWC) & a new Linksys EA4500 router I figured I would try again. At first it did download to my iPad but sometimes nomad can't find my DVR's on my iPad, iPhone or PC. When it does find them it just seems to keep preparing & never actually downloading. I held down the red button for 3 minutes to reformat & have restarted nomad several times as well as deleting & re-adding the app. Any ideas???





Laxguy said:


> If I see a recording has stalled as you describe, I just delete it, and make sure the other devices are not also trying to prepare it. Then re-roll it.


Lax's advice is what I do too.

Sometime's I just can't get an item to complete preparing So I delete it and try something else and voila, it works. Then I watch the content on TV and see a bad glitch or 771 message briefly and I think that screws up Nomad.

Also if it Prepares but won't download, be sure your iPad or whatever has enough memory available. On my 16gb iPad, I was down to my last gb of memory on a 2 hour movie and it made things difficult.


----------



## harsh

Laxguy said:


> But I also maintain that PC users owe a pile to Apple, and Mac users owe a pile to Gates & Co. Otherwise, we Mac guys would be on OS 9.787 with a 12" screen, and PC guys would be looking at DOS 58.9.4.....!:eek2:


Apparently you missed the more important contributions of GEM, AmigaDOS, NeXT and BeOS in grinding personal computing forward.


----------



## Laxguy

Apparently some one overlooked the fact that a humorous statement need not be all inclusive.


----------



## Richierich

Laxguy said:


> Apparently some one overlooked the fact that a humorous statement need not be all inclusive.


!rolling


----------



## hdtvfan0001

Laxguy said:


> Apparently some one overlooked the fact that a humorous statement need not be all inclusive.


Most of us...got it....


----------



## harsh

Laxguy said:


> Apparently some one overlooked the fact that a humorous statement need not be all inclusive.


Was it humorous because it wasn't particularly true?

Given the distinct lack of progress in personal computer technology since Windows dominated the marketplace, I don't think it is funny at all. Surely personal computers have become more powerful, but they haven't become substantially better.

Whoda thunk that we'd still be forced to use drive letters, suffer pissing matches over what should be used to provide the function of Adobe's Flash or have to fall back on Microsoft's miserable office suite to exchange documents between platforms?


----------



## hdtvfan0001

The real humor here is any Dish owner trying to contribute one ounce of intelligence regarding discussion *nomad* - the topic.

In contrast to the many folks here who actually have used the device...in some cases for quite some time...using 3nd hand online info or printed literature as a source of wisdom to "contribute" insight is purely the biggest joke of all.

*This is an issues/discussion thread on a DirecTV device*.

If someone doesn't either have one or is planning to get one...and on top of that doesn't even have DirecTV service....posting on this topic would typically be considered trolling at most websites.

Funny how discussions on Hopper and Joey aren't disrupted by DirecTV only customers...

Getting back to topic. The release of updated firmware for hardware has been done at DirecTV for years. It would come as no surprise to see that *nomad* will get an updated version that likely address the reported issues as well.


----------



## TheWizz

TheWizz said:


> I like to use the recorded list "color coding", e.g. white recordings are new/haven't been viewed yet, to keep track of what I have / haven't watched yet. I have Nomad set to auto-download some of my series and I have found that the Nomad will mark the recordings it downloads as "watched" and it is no longer a bright white even though I haven't watched it yet. It is driving me crazy... :whatdidid
> 
> I like being able to auto-download, however, I wish it could keep from marking shows as "watched" when they have not been watched - only downloaded. Is there any setting I can change to avoid this?


I have a Nomad and would like to know if others have this same (perceived) issue of it marking shows as "watched" when they have not - they have simply been Prepared for Download by Nomad and not watched. Has anyone else noticed this and is there anything that can be done to prevent it? Thnx.


----------



## dennisj00

I've used nomad quite a lot with the PC and iPad clients and I don't recall that the program status has changed by nomad. However, I haven't used the Auto function.


----------



## DogLover

TheWizz said:


> I have a Nomad and would like to know if others have this same (perceived) issue of it marking shows as "watched" when they have not - they have simply been Prepared for Download by Nomad and not watched. Has anyone else noticed this and is there anything that can be done to prevent it? Thnx.


Just checked mine. None of the ones prepared/downloaded by nomad are marked As watched.


----------



## NR4P

"dennisj00" said:


> I've used nomad quite a lot with the PC and iPad clients and I don't recall that the program status has changed by nomad. However, I haven't used the Auto function.


Likewise here. Nomad does not change the watched flag.


----------



## TheWizz

Interesting... it does this on my HR34 for all recordings I have set to Auto-Download the Series from my Win7 PC Nomad APP... 

Thanks for the feedback!


----------



## Laxguy

TheWizz said:


> Interesting... it does this on my HR34 for all recordings I have set to Auto-Download the Series from my Win7 PC Nomad APP...
> 
> Thanks for the feedback!


I have Macs, iPad and iPhone, and an HR24 and 20, have not seen the Marked as Played phenom., but that's of little use to isolate for your situation. Do you have another DVR to test, and/or another client to test?


----------



## TheWizz

Laxguy said:


> I have Macs, iPad and iPhone, and an HR24 and 20, have not seen the Marked as Played phenom., but that's of little use to isolate for your situation. Do you have another DVR to test, and/or another client to test?


I'll setup a recording on my HR24 and then download it and see what happens. Thanks.


----------



## poppo

dennisj00 said:


> Sometimes you can't win on updates. People complain loudly when things are released too early claiming 'half-baked' and people complain when they think it should have been released by now also claiming 'half-baked'.


The app is already there and mostly works fine. It's not rocket science to just change the GUI graphics to the iPad resolution. But even the existing bugs seem to get ignored. How hard can it be to for the app to figure out it's not on the home LAN and start up without a 5 minute delay while it keeps looking? Geeze, a simple checkbox of "Only search for Nomad if connected to xxx network", and problem solved.

DirecTV has a notorious habit of releasing things "half baked" and then mostly abandoning them, or moving on to something else before finishing the current project.


----------



## Sixto

nomad changes the watched flag for every recording that I prepare. This has always been the case, I just assumed it was normal operation. I only use it with HR34's.


----------



## Laxguy

Pop-

Have you set your iPad's DNS address as recommended? [8.8.8.8]


----------



## Beerstalker

Laxguy said:


> Have you set your iPad's DNS address as recommended? [8.8.8.8]


I have 2 iPones and 2 iPads with the Nomad app installed, I assume I need to change the DNS address on all of them? Where/how do you do this? Does this have to be done for every WiFi network you join?


----------



## Laxguy

Beerstalker said:


> I have 2 iPones and 2 iPads with the Nomad app installed, I assume I need to change the DNS address on all of them? Where/how do you do this? Does this have to be done for every WiFi network you join?


No, DNS lookups will work across other networks, but it's only your home network that "counts" in most regards with nomad.

Dunno about iPhone- I read somewhere that you can't change that, and I hardly ever use the iPhone app.

Why not change one on one iPad and test how much of a diff it makes? As to how, it's in settings somewhere under Network. Sorry don't have it handy to give exact path.


----------



## wco81

Those who got the Nomad, is it worth it?

Sounds like various issues still.

I guess there are no alternatives on D*. There is talk of Tivo coming out with some ability to sync to mobile devices. Not clear if there's additional one-time cost like the Nomad or some ongoing fee (beyond their normal Tivo service fee).

Otherwise, HTPC and WMC may be something to investigate too. I wouldn't leave D* just because of the situation with Nomad and mobile device support. There are other reasons but this would be a capper.


----------



## hdtvfan0001

wco81 said:


> *Those who got the Nomad, is it worth it?*
> 
> Sounds like various issues still.
> 
> I guess there are no alternatives on D*. There is talk of Tivo coming out with some ability to sync to mobile devices. Not clear if there's additional one-time cost like the Nomad or some ongoing fee (beyond their normal Tivo service fee).
> 
> Otherwise, HTPC and WMC may be something to investigate too. I wouldn't leave D* just because of the situation with Nomad and mobile device support. There are other reasons but this would be a capper.


Yes....especially if you use a mobile device when traveling or other non-home location.

I suspect the posts related to issues center on a needed update to the firmware and/or client program that will resolve the issues. Since it's introduction is relatively new, and base on previous new device releases...I would not be surprised to see something arrive in the near future.

As for use - my experience has been very positive, especially on planes and hotels.


----------



## Sixto

You buy it once and forever can take shows on the road. A no brainer for me. A zillion times more valuable to me then streaming.

Yep, it has a few quirks but is a great asset, and will only get better.


----------



## Richierich

hdtvfan0001 said:


> As for use - my experience has been very positive, especially on planes and hotels.


+1.

I couldn't agree more.

I just Love watching a Golf Tournament or watching Diners, Driveins and Dives or whatever but the PQ is Great and it Works For Me!!!


----------



## Rtm

wco81 said:


> Those who got the Nomad, is it worth it?
> 
> Sounds like various issues still.
> 
> I guess there are no alternatives on D*. There is talk of Tivo coming out with some ability to sync to mobile devices. Not clear if there's additional one-time cost like the Nomad or some ongoing fee (beyond their normal Tivo service fee).
> 
> Otherwise, HTPC and WMC may be something to investigate too. I wouldn't leave D* just because of the situation with Nomad and mobile device support. There are other reasons but this would be a capper.


Oh it's coming http://www.theverge.com/2012/1/10/2...-streaming-dvr-content-to-ipad-with-prototype


----------



## Laxguy

Rtm said:


> Oh it's coming http://www.theverge.com/2012/1/10/2...-streaming-dvr-content-to-ipad-with-prototype


OMG! It's an Apple TV with a grid top!


----------



## hdtvfan0001

Laxguy said:


> OMG! It's an Apple TV with a grid top!


:lol: Sort of...and you may have seen yourself how unstable it was at demos at CES...

*nomad* seems to have so much more to offer...


----------



## Rtm

http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/23/2820527/tivo-transcoder-ip-based-set-top-box-release-summer


----------



## Laxguy

Is that link not essentially the same as you posted earlier? If not, what is the information you wish to convey?


----------



## alexcohen

Download the new version now!!!


----------



## rmonio

alexcohen said:


> Download the new version now!!!


I did. I also had to reload the app on my iPad.

Question - what did the new version address? I've noticed that some of the transcoded recordings that didn't work before now work correctly (which is nice), but the app is still not optimized for the iPad. Anyone else notice what the differences were?

-Bob


----------



## KenW

rmonio said:


> Anyone else notice what the differences were?


There is a thread for 2.0.

So far:

Starts up faster
Shows the download speed along side the percent
The shows are in descending order by date recorded 
Supports multiple concurrent downloads
Displays shows that are being encoded for other clients


----------



## poppo

Updated my iPad and first got greeted with invalid password. Then it complained about something with wrong with the activation. Then I tried to reactivate and it said I was missing some requirement. Huh? It's an iPad. What can I be missing?  Had to uninstall it (and lost my shows). After all of that, still no native iPad support.:nono2:

Also, is there some place where you can see what devices have used a license? After the above issue, it said I have 2 licenses left. But as far as I know, I only activated two iPads.


----------



## Lowpro

poppo said:


> Also, is there some place where you can see what devices have used a license? After the above issue, it said I have 2 licenses left. But as far as I know, I only activated two iPads.


DirecTV allows you to have up the five devices active for your Nomad at any given time. You can view what devices have been activated for use with your Nomad by going to DirecTV's website. Once logged in go to "My Equipment->Accessories" from the account overview page.


----------



## jmagoo

I see where the devices are listed but how do I remove?


----------



## Lowpro

jmagoo said:


> I see where the devices are listed but how do I remove?


From what I understand it's not possible to remove a device until you go to add a 6th device. As there is a 5 device limit when going to add a 6th device you'll then be given the option to remove one of the existing devices in favor of the new device.


----------



## NR4P

Lowpro said:


> From what I understand it's not possible to remove a device until you go to add a 6th device. As there is a 5 device limit when going to add a 6th device you'll then be given the option to remove one of the existing devices in favor of the new device.


Thats accurate but there are also some other nuances to note. 
If a device was a new license within the past 30 days, it cannot be removed until after 30 days.

And the Directv website is not always up to date with the devices so don't worry about that.


----------



## Lowpro

NR4P said:


> Thats accurate but there are also some other nuances to note.
> If a device was a new license within the past 30 days, it cannot be removed until after 30 days.
> 
> And the Directv website is not always up to date with the devices so don't worry about that.


This too. Thanks for chiming in!


----------



## irlspotter

I am out of town and trying to watch a couple of nomad programs.

One does not expire until 09/29/2012 and the others are all 10/02/2012 

All of them will not play saying that they are expired!! 

This sucks!! 

The other day, when I was offline on an airplane - it said my account couldn't be verified that I needed to be online to verify my account before I could watch shows.

What's the point of this thing if I have to always be tethered to watch anything.

Also, even though I have auto download it never auto prepares anything.

Dan


----------



## NR4P

Something isn't right. Obviously.
Do you have all wireless connections on the PC turned off? Wi-Fi, Bluetooth etc?


----------



## KenW

I've not seen the problem with programs expiring. I have seen nomad fail to prepare. It's usually because the receiver is in use or you have a corrupted program. 

Seems you can get it to record programs, just not Auto?


----------



## irlspotter

Now today it says I have no programs on my device. The bad part is I had like 40 programs on there and I am the road for the next two weeks.

I turned off all wireless and wired connection - rebooted still no programs.

Why would it erase them all.

I bought this to purposely watch programs offline and have never ever been able to do that without problems.


----------



## KenW

Did you have USB storage, or just the built-in? USB could be lose or broken.


----------



## irlspotter

KenW said:


> Did you have USB storage, or just the built-in? USB could be lose or
> broken.


No I am offlline - my nomad is at home - I'm out of town. I transferred all my shows to my PC before I left. I want 10 shows that had the same expiration date of 9/30/2012 - then yesterday I tried to watch and even though it says it will expired 09/30 - it is already expired!! All shows....then I rebooted and went back into Nomad Player offline and it shows no shows on PC!

The NOMAD needs a bunch of work - I've had numerous problems where it just keeps preparing and preparing and preparing the same show over and over again.


----------

