Despite losing a long standing contract with Timewarner, Moxi has announced plans for a new set top DVR box that includes 3, yup 3 tuners.  That means you can record CNN, Fox and BBC all at the same time and then review them later to see just how fair and balanced they truly are.

They’ve also updated their Moxi Mate box to now let you view live TV – before it could only access recorded or Internet based programming.  Lastly, Moxi, just in time for the holidays has dropped the price of their 2-tuner box from the ridiculous $799 to $499, which ain’t bad since these players can access the usual streaming Internet content (Youtube, Netflix, etc) and don’t have a monthly subscription fee such as Tivo.

New Three-Tuner Moxi® HD DVR and Reduced Pricing for Moxi Multi-Room Packages Unwrapped for Holiday Season
Under ARRIS Ownership, Moxi Continues to Innovate and Deliver New Features to Consumers

SUWANEE, GA – November 10, 2009 – As part of its first product update since acquiring the award-winning Moxi product line from Digeo, Inc. in September, ARRIS (Nasdaq: ARRS) today announced the introduction of a three-tuner version of the Moxi HD DVR as well as reduced pricing for its two-tuner Moxi HD DVR and Moxi multi-room packages.

·         The new three-tuner Moxi HD DVR, which allows for recording of three channels simultaneously while watching a fourth recorded program, is available in a Moxi HD DVR plus Moxi Mate bundle for $799 MSRP.
·         The price of the two-tuner Moxi HD DVR introduced earlier this year has been reduced to $499 MSRP (formerly $799).
·         In addition, ARRIS is introducing a three-room multi-room bundle option—a three-tuner Moxi HD DVR plus two Moxi Mates that collectively serve three rooms for $999.

The company also announced plans to deliver live TV on the Moxi Mate via the Moxi HD DVR. The Moxi HD DVR will receive the update automatically through a software download.  Additionally, the price of the Moxi Mate has been reduced to $299 (formerly $399).

“We’ve heard from consumers that they love the Moxi products but are looking for different price and component options to serve their individual needs,” said Marc Beckwitt, VP of CPE Video Business Development, ARRIS. “The recent acquisition by ARRIS brings the market presence and leverage required to drive cost out of the product, and consequently, we’re able to offer these very competitive prices to consumers.”

ARRIS continues to stand by the commitment to deliver the Moxi “all in”, with no monthly or lifetime DVR service fees. Moxi also has no in-menu advertisements.

The Moxi HD DVR is designed to appeal to the most demanding digital cable entertainment enthusiasts.  Some of its key attributes include:
·         A native HD interface and Emmy® award-winning Moxi Menu
·         Up to 75 hours of HD recording space or up to 300 hours at standard definition, and expandable to 6.5 Terabytes for up to 1000 hours of HD recording with an external eSATA drive
·         Access to many Internet services consumers already use, such as Rhapsody®, Flickr® and online video from Netflix®, Hulu™, and YouTube™ via DLNA server software such as PlayOn™ (currently provided at no charge) running on their PC
·         Multi-room viewing with the Moxi Mate and the ability to record three channels simultaneously while watching a fourth recorded program on the three-tuner version of the Moxi HD DVR
·         Remote and mobile browser scheduling to set recordings while away from home
·         MoxiNet for full-screen web browsing and SupertickerTM —a ticker widget that provides information, such as weather, sports scores and news along the bottom of the screen

The Moxi HD DVR makes it effortless for consumers to discover, experience and share high definition media from their digital cable provider, PCs on the home network, and the Internet.

Also scheduled for release later this month are additional software upgrades to Moxi, which include new search and record option menus. These software updates will enable users to specify preferred record settings that can be applied to any new recorded TV shows or TV series. The new menu structure delivers easier access and better visibility related to the DVR function of the Moxi HD DVR, such as available hard drive space and other Moxi HD DVR related recording and scheduling functions.

Software upgrades, which have been delivered each quarter since unveiling the Moxi at CES in January 2009, continue to be delivered to the consumer automatically and at no charge.

Taking advantage of ARRIS e-tail infrastructure, the company is also introducing payment via major credit card instead of the PayPal option previously offered. The new Moxi pricing and bundle options are available now at www.moxi.com.

For more details, technical specifications and screen images of the Moxi HD DVR and Moxi Mate, please visit: www.moxi.com. You can also follow Moxi on Twitter at www.twitter.com/moxi_hd or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/moxi.hd.

About ARRIS
ARRIS is a global communications technology company specializing in the design, engineering and supply of technology supporting triple- and quad-play broadband services for residential and business customers around the world. The company supplies broadband operators with the tools and platforms they need to deliver, reliable telephony, demand driven video, next-generation advertising and high-speed data services. ARRIS products expand and help grow network capacity with access and outside plant construction equipment, reliably deliver voice, video and data services and assure optimal service delivery for end customers. Headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia, USA, ARRIS has R&D centers in Suwanee; Chicago, IL; Beaverton OR, Kirkland, WA; State College, PA;  Wallingford CT; Waltham, MA; Cork, Ireland; and Shenzhen, China, and operates support and sales offices throughout the world. Information about ARRIS products and services can be found at www.arrisi.com.

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ARRIS, Moxi, and their respective logos are the trademarks of ARRIS. Emmy is the trademark of ATAS/NATA. Flickr and the Flickr logo are the trademarks of Yahoo! Inc.  Rhapsody is the trademark of RealNetworks, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. Recording capacity times can vary depending on content type and bit rates utilized by the provider. Stated recording capacities are calculated in typical usage scenarios. Certain future services may be offered at additional cost.

Digeo issued a software update for their flagship Moxi HD DVR today that will let them more closely compete with the likes of Tivo.  The update is as follows:

• PlayOn – This media server software currently provides access to Internet videos from YouTube, Hulu, CBS, Netflix, CNN, ESPN and more through the Moxi HD DVR from a PC on the home network. Video formats are automatically converted so Moxi users can watch Internet video directly on their widescreen HDTV.
• Rhapsody® – The leading on-demand digital music service is now available through the Moxi HD DVR, allowing users to easily listen to any one of more than 7 million songs from all the major record labels and hundreds of smaller independent labels. Rhapsody delivers complete control over the music experience, helping users to easily find and play full length tracks, build playlists of favorites or listen to Rhapsody’s professionally programmed genre & artist channels. Starting today, Rhapsody and Digeo are bringing music without limits to every user of the Moxi HD DVR.
• Media Link – Certified to support the DLNA home networking standard, Media Link connects the TV or home entertainment system to PCs on a home network. Moxi users can easily stream digital movies, videos, music and photos from their PCs for viewing or listening from the comfort of their home entertainment environment.
• eControls – Moxi users can now manage their home entertainment environment through the Moxi menu to set the mood. Users can adjust most Z-Wave-certified products such as lighting (e.g., turning sets of lights on, off or dimming), control volume and power on AV devices, as well as monitor IP baby-cams or outside cameras, all from the remote control.
• Mosaic – A new browsing feature for the Flickr® online photo service available through the Moxi menu, Mosaic allows users to rapidly scroll up, down and across their photos as they are displayed as mosaic tiles on the display.
• MoxiNet –Moxi registered users can now bookmark their favorite websites at Moxi.com and browse them on their home entertainment display using the Moxi remote as a virtual mouse. This expands upon MoxiNet’s quick access to news, sports scores, movie times, weather and other information from the Internet.

While Moxi is probably still far from unseating Tivo as the number one DVR company, the companies latest offering is most certainly a refreshing choice in the buy and subscribe world.  For $800 you get the Moxi MR-1500T3 HD Digital Video Recorder, an EPG, no monthly fees, a CableCard slot and 500GB of storage.  And much like Tivo’s HD box you can record up to two programs at once, access files from PC and a few online services.

Unfortunately – this is why the Moxi MR-1500T3 HD Digital Video Recorder will never sell -  Tivo’s EPG guide is far superior, you can access a variety of online video sites including Amazon’s On Demand service as well as Netflix’s streaming service and all at a lower price (Moxi does offer a larger HDD, though).   Do the math: the Tivo HD box is $300 + $400 for a lifetime service = $700.  That makes Tivo $100 cheaper.  Sorry Moxi, you’re great alternative to Tivo via Time Warner (cringing while saying that), but that’s about it.

[Amazon via eHomeupgrade]