Is it time to merge the two DirecTV forums into one?

[drew2k]

By my unscientific analysis (quick glances) there are less than 100 new posts per day in each of the DirecTV forums, and more often than not, the same topics are often being discussed in each forum.

Having one forum would make it easier to keep up with general news about DirecTV, including rate increases, new channel offerings and packages, and the upcoming ownership change.

Any support for this idea of merging the forums into one DirecTV forum?

[Gunnyman]

this is a good idea IMHO

[mphare]

which two are you considering?

[dswallow]

Technically if you want a place for general DirecTV news/discussion to keep up on, you really should go over to dbstalk.com. :)

[drew2k]

Technically if you want a place for general DirecTV news/discussion to keep up on, you really should go over to dbstalk.com. :)Technically, yes, but that won't stop people from posting DirecTV-specific topics here. If we can limit those topics to only one forum, and prevent repetition in two forums, don't we all benefit? ;)

Also, at least one of my examples of general topics directly impacts the future of TiVo under DirecTV, and it's not as if the other topics being duplicated in each forum are NOT TiVo related. We have the same discussions on problems with Season Passes, how to create WishLists, which universal remotes work with the receivers, etc.

(BTW, I created a poll in each of the two DirecTV forums here at TCF pointing back to this thread, asking for replies to be given here so that forum operators have input from readers of each forum.)

[drew2k]

which two are you considering?

These two:

DIRECTV Receiver with TiVo (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=7)

and

DirecTV HDTV TiVo Powered PVRs (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=36)

[dswallow]

Technically, yes, but that won't stop people from posting DirecTV-specific topics here. If we can limit those topics to only one forum, and prevent repetition in two forums, don't we all benefit? ;)

Also, at least one of my examples of general topics directly impacts the future of TiVo under DirecTV, and it's not as if the other topics being duplicated in each forum are NOT TiVo related. We have the same discussions on problems with Season Passes, how to create WishLists, which universal remotes work with the receivers, etc.

(BTW, I created a poll in each of the two DirecTV forums here at TCF pointing back to this thread, asking for replies to be given here so that forum operators have input from readers of each forum.)
There's always a certain amount of that. I wonder if it'd be better to have one forum and then tag each thread based on the content/topic, allowing a thread to fall under multiple categories. But I guess that'd be a whole new forum paradigm.

Maybe there's just a need to make one forum for DirecTV DVR w/TiVo discussions but have 2 subforums that are receiver-specific (or SD/HD at least). There's really a third category of people -- those using a standalone TiVo with DirecTV... they'll have DirecTV issues, and TiVo issues, and all sorts of different crossover concerns. :)

I don't really know what I'd do. I really just don't like dbstalk.com myself. Can't even quite explain why. I just find it cold and argumentative over there.

[goony]

Since these products are now somewhat 'mature', I vote to combine the two mentioned DirecTV DVR forums and create a new one for the Comcast Motorola Tivo box - that unit doesn't really have a home forum right now but it will eventually need one.

[balboa dave]

I find all the whining when something goes wrong with a HD broadcast to be very annoying. It's bad enough in the Now Playing forum. Until DirecTV officially stops support for TiVo units, I vote to continue with a separate HD free forum.

[Arcady]

I think they should be combined. Why have two forums for people to discuss leaving DirecTV?

[Billy66]

I think one forum is enough. They are both there now to essentially bash DTV or pray that DTV takes TiVo back. The whining and dup threads will combine. One is enough for these units now. There aren't many differences in them now.

[nrc]

I think it's too soon. From my unscientific analysis (set "From the last 2 days) for active threads) those two forums independently appear to be as busy as most of the other forums in the Tivo section. Give them another year or so.

[drew2k]

Unfortunately, a lot of those active threads are simply the same topic repeated in each forum...

[smimi10]

I will say that with the recent set of problems that affected all the Direct tivos, that I spent a good deal of time in both forums and saw the same things being discussed.

As a counter point, prior to those problems, I rarely if ever visited the SD Direct Tivo forum. That could beg the question, "what did I miss?"

I think I would like to see them combined.

[ToroGuns]

I vote to combine them...

[chrishicks]

I vote that I don't care either way. :) I'll still visit whichever forum to get my DTivo news.

[RexB]

The poll results show 34 yea and 34 nay in one thread, 25 to 18 in the other, lol.

I voted yes because many of the topics overlap, and we need to sift through the posts in each section to get the best information. And to get All the information posted by y'all "Heavies" :~)

(Oops, so I copied this from the Other thread)

DTV + TiVo was da' Best, bring it back!

[krk502]

I voted yes, I would imagine there are alot of users who have both an R10 and an HR10 or some other combination of an SD and the HR10, and you know the overall numbers of users will be dropping. Should make it easier and quicker to get an answer if you have a question or problem.

[David Bott]

Thanks for the thought. It will be considered but not likely at this time for we like to keep the two formats separate if we can. (HDTV and SD) Will look at it more later but at this time even the polls show it is not time based on the results of more or less 50/50.

Thank you.

[drew2k]

David - Thanks for considering this for the future. I'll post a note in each poll, but please feel free to close the polls early.

Poll 1 (in DirecTV SD forum): http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=336331
Poll 2 (in DirecTV HD forum): http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=336332

In the meantime, is there any way we can prevent the same thread topics from being repeated in each forum? I hate the idea of running to a mod to move a thread or ask for them to be merged, but that's the only thing I can think of to avoid having duplicate threads ...

Thanks.

[lew]

Customers that don't own a HD DTivo aren't likely to read that forum and vice versa.

A certain number of duplicate thread is inevitable, and not necessarily bad.



David - Thanks for considering this for the future. I'll post a note in each poll, but please feel free to close the polls early.

Poll 1 (in DirecTV SD forum): http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=336331
Poll 2 (in DirecTV HD forum): http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=336332

In the meantime, is there any way we can prevent the same thread topics from being repeated in each forum? I hate the idea of running to a mod to move a thread or ask for them to be merged, but that's the only thing I can think of to avoid having duplicate threads ...

Thanks.

[goony]

Unfortunately, a lot of those active threads are simply the same topic repeated in each forum...There needs to be better "stickies" at the top then - I know everytime someone has a dying SD DTivo they start a new thread and the same info is passed along by the SD DTivo denziens (hard drive probably dying, pointer to do-it-yourself info, etc).

[drew2k]

By my very unscientific and quick survey of the two DirecTV forums, it looks like there are less than 100 new posts a day. Also, all the same issues previously mentioned in this thread exist in those two forums: duplicate thread topics in the two forums, threads posted to the wrong forum, etc., so I'm going to revive this thread and ask again if the time is right to merge the two forums.

Please say it is! :)

Thanks.

[David Bott]

Sorry Drew....We will be keeping SD and HD separate at this time for they are different boxes. If the SD DTV areas slows down, then we can relook at it.