Leave DirectTV for Series 3?

[Joe Jensen]

Hi,
I've been using DirectTivos since they were first launched and I love Tivo. With DirectTV changing a couple of major things I'm thinking of changing.
1) No more HR10-250 (true Tivo)
2) Any changes to the account make your HR10-250 into a "Leased" machine with a 2 year commit
3) The HR20 (Direct TV's HD machine won't record OTA locals)

But, I'm only paying $78 per month for Total Choice with HBO, HD programming, one HR10-250 and one old Philips Direct Tivo.

If I switch to cable I'll need to drop a ton of coin. Plus, I'm adding an HDTV to the bedroom soon so I'll really need 2 Series 3 Tivos.

I assume I need two subscriptions to Tivo, one for each machine?
Should I really have to drop $1K each (with 3 years of service) to have a true Tivo over the bastard child DVR from the cable company?

Unfortunately we are in a COX cable area and not Comcast so I don't see us getting a Tivo from COX.

[bareyb]

Should I really have to drop $1K each (with 3 years of service) to have a true Tivo over the bastard child DVR from the cable company?


The DVR from the cable company is pretty weak... but it is useable. At least the Moto box I have is. I found a way to enable 30 second skip so that helped a lot. Still having said that, I myself did pay the big bucks to have TiVo and I haven't regretted it. It's such a better experience. It has some glitches, but the Moto box has more. It's clunky and unresponsive to the point of being aggravating. If you can afford the S3 I personally think it's worth it. If I could get every cent of my money back today and go to the Moto box exclusively, I wouldn't do it. Even with the savings.

[bidger]

3) The HR20 (Direct TV's HD machine won't record OTA locals)


That's not true. The HR20 does record and display ATSC channels.

[dcpmark]

Unfortunately we are in a COX cable area and not Comcast so I don't see us getting a Tivo from COX.

What about FIOS? Except for the FF problem, it is AWESOME with the S3, and gives you more channels for much less than DTV.

[davidmin]

You can get $4-500 for your HR10 on ebay. Since I could still get a good price for the soon-to-be outmoded HR10, and dreaded committing 2 years to more HD-Lite, I went with my local cable co. I stuck it out with their DVR for a little while (it wasn't that bad when you get used to it) and went with an s3 after selling the HR10.

[Joe Jensen]

What about FIOS? Except for the FF problem, it is AWESOME with the S3, and gives your more channels for much less than DTV.

I'm in AZ, no FIOS yet but Verizon website says it's coming.

[Joe Jensen]

That's not true. The HR20 does record and display ATSC channels.

Is this recent? I thought I read on the Direct Tivo HD forum here only a couple of weeks ago that it still was not enabled. Promised, but not enabled yet....joe

[samo]

Is this recent? I thought I read on the Direct Tivo HD forum here only a couple of weeks ago that it still was not enabled. Promised, but not enabled yet....joe
Relatively recent, but more than couple of weeks. Also e-Sata is enabled for drive expansion. Much more stable than it used to be (I don't have S3, but from what I read - much less bugs than S3 has). 30 sec "slip" is fast enough to be useful. Very nice UI, I definitely prefer it to TiVo. Great machine and most importantly it has a future - in six months or so DirecTv will be adding 70+ HDTV channels that will not be available for HR10 and quite possibly on S3 (with potential SDV problem).
Cheapest way for you to go and don't forget that you have commit to TiVo service as well to a minimum of 1 year (3 years if you want to get half decent price for service).

[wmcbrine]

2) Any changes to the account make your HR10-250 into a "Leased" machine with a 2 year commitThat's not their policy. Owned machines should never change to "leased". They may mark it that way, by default or by mistake, but you can get it corrected.

And AFAIK, the 2-year commitment comes with new equipment, not with just any change to your account.

Unfortunately we are in a COX cable area and not Comcast so I don't see us getting a Tivo from COX.ISTR Cox has an agreement with Tivo similar to Comcast's.

[pkscout]

ISTR Cox has an agreement with Tivo similar to Comcast's.

They do but:

a) Comcast hasn't rolled anything out yet, so the Cox one's are even further behind
b) For either Comcast or Cox this is only for Motorola hardware. So if you are in an area with SA equipment you are out of luck (like I am here in Las Vegas)

[dswallow]

b) For either Comcast or Cox this is only for Motorola hardware. So if you are in an area with SA equipment you are out of luck (like I am here in Las Vegas)
Let's phrase that better.

The TiVo software for the Motorola receiver rolls out first, followed by the Scientific Atlanta rollout. It's not an overall "out of luck" situation; it's just the Motorola areas will be get it first.

[Joe Jensen]

Can I get a couple of clarifications?
Very nice UI, I definitely prefer it to TiVo.
You prefer the user interface and features of the HR20 to the HR10-250? I haven't tried one and don't know anyone who has one. Does either Circuit City or Best Buy carry them?

DirecTv will be adding 70+ HDTV channels
It's my understanding that this is the count for new locals, and not 70 channels of unique content. Is there a channel lineup listed anywhere? Would this be stuff like the history channel, lifetime, etc? If the content is available on Sat, wouldn't it also be available to cable companies, or is this DirectTV owned content?

Thanks....joe

[aaronwt]

That number is for National channels, not locals. Most of the HD channels they signed agreements with won't start broadcasting until later this year. Assuming both satellites have a successful launch, they will have the capacity to add 150 national channels and many times more local channels.
I'm in the process of leaving DirecTV. Comcast had a deal and all I had to do was give them any old DirecTV box. I got digital cable with HBO and Showtime for $30 a month for 12 months. It would normally cost $85 a month. They also gave me $7 off the internet price for a year. And they will start offering phone service in March which will save me $10 a month over Verizon.
I also purchased the HR10-250 boxes when they were first released. The Series 3 is much better than the HR10-250.

[samo]

Can I get a couple of clarifications?

You prefer the user interface and features of the HR20 to the HR10-250? I haven't tried one and don't know anyone who has one. Does either Circuit City or Best Buy carry them?
I'm not sure, I got my from DirecTV directly, but it never hurts to check with local B&M stores.

It's my understanding that this is the count for new locals, and not 70 channels of unique content. Is there a channel lineup listed anywhere? Would this be stuff like the history channel, lifetime, etc? If the content is available on Sat, wouldn't it also be available to cable companies, or is this DirectTV owned content?

Thanks....joe
We are on a verge of big expansion of HDTV offerings by both cable and satellite. DirecTV announced that they have agreement with content providers for 70+ channels pending launch of new satellites. Not to be outdone, some cable providers announced that will start using switched video (SDV) to increase number of HDTV offerings. The problem for S3 owners is that S3 is only capable of one way communications and can not receive any SDV channels. At this point nobody knows what channels will become available on either satellite or cable. But I like to be prepared for a future instead of looking back at the past performance. Sure, TiVo has been know to produce reliable DVRs and eventually S3 will be just as good as S2 or S1, but I don't want to find myself in a situation were my DVR RELIABLY does not receive most of the available channels.

[Runch Machine]

My Series 3 HD Tivo is 100% reliable. It has never missed a recording or operated in an unexpected way. I use it for over the air recording for HD and analog cable for low def.

[dswallow]

As a recent convert to Comcast from DirecTV, I'm not worried about SDV at all. By the time SDV is an issue, Comcast will have TiVo software for their Motorola and Scientific Atlanta HD DVR's, and those will be able to handle SDV channels as well as On Demand and PPV programming.

People in areas not served by Comcast or Cox would perhaps have a different set of concerns.

[jbrasure]

Hey Joe,

I did exactly what you're thinking about. I left DirecTV after several years of service, and switched to Comcast. The HR20 DirecTV DVR is absolutely aweful. I lived with it for 4 months, and finally shipped it back to DirecTV. It was the worst piece of consumer electronics that I ever owned.

Here is a thread where I give all the gory details: DBSTalk (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=74714)

And here is what the people at Amazon think:Amazon reviews (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B000K6EQNG/ref=cm_cr_dp_pt/102-6219098-4487301?ie=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics)

In comparison, the Tivo Series 3 is heaven. It works soooo much better than the HR20. I've been using it for more than a month now, and I absolutely love it. In fact I love it so much that I just bought a second one.

In short, give Cable a try. The Tivo Series 3 will make it worth it.

[zalusky]

I say drop DTV and go with Cable. Down the road if things change maybe you will go back.

The important thing is to send a message that you will leave them or anybody at a moments notice if the options are better somewhere else.

Dont't give them undeserved loyalty, they really dont care about you as an individual and you shouldnt care about them as as a company. Its just business and they need to work at it every day.

[Corran Horn]

I just dropped DirecTV yesterday. I wanted to give my S3 and Comcast CableCards a few weeks of normal operations to make sure everything was going smoothly before I pulled the satellite plug. Three weeks with no issues and I made the call.

I had no trouble with DirecTV's service. If they'd had a Tivo offering with their HD-DVR, I might have stayed with them. But the S3 was just too much too pass up, and I'm loving it.

I'd read a really negative review (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2097242,00.asp) of their DVR from PC Magazine and I cited that as a reason I was leaving. They tried to lure me back with the "150 new HD channels" but I figured it was national channels...not like having History Channel, Sci-Fi, and others channels suddenly becoming HD (along with all their content).

The Series2 DirecTivo is still running as I watch the remaining programs on it. It's going in the closet just in case the day comes where it is needed again...

[Nightfall]

I am in the same boat you are in.

I have been with directv for a while now and I have not been the happiest with the picture quality on my local channels. After 2 years, and a few dish realignments, and replies from customer service indicating that the locals have a bad feed, I am planning on switching back. I am really leaning towards getting a nice Tivo Series 3 as well since I will probably be getting a nice HD TV later this year and I can't stand the thought of getting a crappy Comcast box.

The only thing holding me back from doing all this now is my NHL Center Ice package. I have that through Directv and I am not skipping the last few months of the season to switch now. After the first couple rounds of the playoffs are over, I set things in motion.

[Nightfall]

The other thing I have to consider is the Tivo unit itself. I could pay for the Series 3, which would run me a nice chunk of change. The cable card rental would be $8 a month for the second card through Comcast. First card is free. If I get the Comcast branded DVR, it would run me $10 a month. I could then wait for the Tivo software to be rolled out which will be later this year.

Tough decisions.

[20TIL6]

I did just that. Left DTV entirely because of TiVo. Went with S3 units and TWC (will become Comcast later this year) in Houston. I hooked up an OTA antenna, subscribed to digital cable, and the cablecard install was a piece of cake.

My PQ is as good, and now with HD, better than what I had with DTV. I only had SD with DTV. SDV does not scare me at all. Seriously, most of my viewing/recording is from OTA content.

A big benefit over the DTV/TiVo and other DVRs: I am now broadband enabled. So bring on the TiVoCast, bring on the Amazon Unbox. With the S3, I'll have content sources from OTA, cable, and broadband. Like I said, SDV does not concern me. I have too many other options for content with the S3. Cable needs my money more than I need their particular pipe for content. And as digital content becomes more pervasive, that's all they are, a pipe.

So yes, you will drop some serious coin to make this change. But you will be happy with the results. I am.

[fcorey]

I also switched recently. I've had DirecTV for about 6 years. I didnt have the option of staying with them for HD. Their installers, who have been here twice, couldnt get a lock for HD from our dish. They got to a point where they said I would need to install a pole in my front yard about 10' tall to get it. There was no way that is happening. So the new Plasma was suffering with only SD signal from DirecTV until we got Comcast to come out and install an HD DVR. Only problem is that in my area they only use SA boxes, not motorola. Also the installer said that they were unsure as to whether they would EVER have the Tivo software for the SA boxes. He told me he hoped that they switched to motorola.

Anyway, I had made up my mind to just deal with the SA8300HD 's shortcomings. I figured it had decent disk space, eSATA and decent HD signals. But honestly the interface is garbage. Its not really intuitive and has missed a few shows in the week we've had it. Today it locked up, then rebooted or somethign and was unusable for 5 minutes. I was still resigned to just keeping it though. After all I had just come home with a new plasma tv that filled up the 6' x 6'built-in entertainment center I just built!

It was my wife that thew in the towel and bought a series 3 after a week with the Comcast box. So I am eagerly awaiting Comcast's visit Monday to install the cablecards and collect their DVR. It would be a better business move for them to have a cheaper box, the $635 we paid from Circuit City is allot for a DVR, i just hope its worth it