Potential Directtv subscriber (Need help on setup)

[Merciez]

I am considering a switch to Directv from my local cable company (Charter Communications). I need some help on what equipment I need and what is the best way to get a great deal with Directv. Your help is greatly appreciated.

My TV setup: Three TVs. Two of the TVs only need the basic signal (no tivo/hdtv). The third TV is an HDTV compatible TV. The only channels I desire to watch in HDTV are the local channels off the antenna (I do desire the antenna to be mounted to the Directv dish). No desire for ESPN in hdtv, only the local channels off the antenna.

When checking the Directv site, they list a required lease of $9.99/month for the two basic receivers, seems like I could get a better deal by simply buying the receivers myself. Is it possible to get Directv to throw these receivers in for free to eliminate the monthly lease?

I currently have a Humax Tivo series 2 box which has a CD drive which I like. Are there any newer generation Directv TIVO boxes that have a CD player built in that would allow me to record one channel and watch a second Directv channel on the same tv? Even better would be a tivo box/receiver that would allow me to record a hdtv channel off the local antenna and watch a Directv channel at the same time and play back the recording in hdtv.

One of the things I dislike about my current setup is I have to watch the cable channel I am recording on the Tivo box unless. I would like the ability to record one Diretctv channel and watch a separate Directv channel at the same time.

Would I need a three head lnb to allow each TV in the house to watch a separate channel?

Any advise/tips on the ways to get the best deal either through Directv or anyone else? (best buy etc...)

Thanks for your help.

[goony]

Wow, I'm not sure I can answer you questions properly, but here is some bits of info - others will fill in what I have left out:

- For SD (standard definition) TV signals that you won't be recording an ordinary DirecTV receiver should be able to do the job. So, you would need two of those.

- For HD (high-def), it sounds like you don't need any DirecTV gear at all since you say just your over-the-air HD locals are fine for you.

I'm not sure what the activation policy is at DirecTV is now with regards to receivers that you buy new/used from someone else other than them. Dish Network started the leasing of boxes in the DBS industry and DirecTV has followed suit.

Used to be that every satellite dealer (traditional or web-based) had a 'package' deal and there probably still is, but be aware you may be committed to some number of years of DirecTV without penalty in order to get the 'free' boxes.

I currently have a Humax Tivo series 2 box which has a CD drive which I like. Are there any newer generation Directv TIVO boxes that have a CD player built in that would allow me to record one channel and watch a second Directv channel on the same tv? Even better would be a tivo box/receiver that would allow me to record a hdtv channel off the local antenna and watch a Directv channel at the same time and play back the recording in hdtv.
Firstly, there are no combo DirecTV/DVD recorder boxes for SD or HD - they just don't exist. Broadcasters discourage the creation of equipment that makes it easy for you to make perfect digital copies of their programming.

Recording to DVD: Many people with SD DirecTV DVRs connect them to standalone DVD recorders via the composite or S-Video outputs and make pretty good recordings - some claim "close to 98% of the original quality". With that setup though, you have to sit and watch the program as it is being 'played' in real time to the DVD recorder as none of the DirecTV DVRs have separate programming outputs (i.e. watch one program on a TV while another program is being sent to an external DVD recorder) - all of the outputs on the back have the identical video on them at the same time.

Some people have a video/audio capture device on their PC and 'play' the show from the DVR to the PC, they then edit/burn the show onto a DVD that way.

Also note that a DVR has no idea what is connected to its outputs - could be a TV, a VCR, a DVD recorder or nothing at all. It is up to you to manually start the "play" on the DVR (or "save to VCR") and begin the recording on the external device. If someone comes along and interferes - changes the channel, halts the recording, etc. then too bad - your recording device will record it.

The DirecTV SD DVRs have dual tuners, so two other programs could be recording while the DVR is busy 'playing' a show already recorded.

The DirecTV HD DVRs have dual tuners for recording the satellite signals, but check the specs on these units to see what they can record from over-the-air (OTA) HD - the older H10 HD DVR can record OTA, but I'm not sure about the new H20. Also, the DBS DVRs usually cannot record OTA analog signals, just digital (ATSC) ones.

The H20 is a new non-Tivo DirecTV HD DVR that is available in a limited market (California) right now... you can read about it in the HD DVR forum.

The current DirectTV offering of SD DVRs (the R15) isn't Tivo based; many Tivo lovers don't like them and instead obtain older model DirecTV SD DVRs and have them activated on their account.

People with some models of the SD Tivo-based DirecTV DVRs have modified them (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=265929) to enable (most) of the same features that standalone Tivo users have; thus via a home network they can share programs between DVRs - thus, you could watch a program on television "A" from DVR "A" and at the same time be making a DVD recording from "DVR B" that was transferring a show from "DVR A".

Finally, in general, there is a 'format war' going on between competing formats of DVD recordables - "Blu Ray" and "HD-DVD" (just like the VHS and Beta VCRs of a few years ago). They are not compatable with each other and recorders and players are available for each but are expensive (compared to the standard def devices). To choose the wrong one will mean you have an obsolete piece of gear in a few years, so many comsumers (and retailers) are sitting on the fence and waiting for things to sort themselves out.