Direct TV & TIVO Questions

[randys1]

Hi...I am a Direct tv subscriber who used to have the tivo that they supplied with hd, etc.


when I had the tivo what bothered me was you could not watch programming and do programming at the same time, schedule shows, review your lists, etc.

have they fixed that?



Thanks,
Randy

[John T Smith]

Did you have the HR10-250 model?

I have one of those (as well as 3 standard def models) and, with 2 coax feed lines going to each unit, I am able to watch one and record another or record two shows at the same time AND watch a recorded show at the same time that two are recording

I have never tried to "do programming" while something was recording, so can't comment on that

[randys1]

Did you have the HR10-250 model?

I have one of those (as well as 3 standard def models) and, with 2 coax feed lines going to each unit, I am able to watch one and record another or record two shows at the same time AND watch a recorded show at the same time that two are recording

I have never tried to "do programming" while something was recording, so can't comment on that
what i mean is, when you want to schedule a recording of something, on most hd boxes you can watch what is on tv in the upper corner of the screen while looking at your recorded show lists or while you are doing things inside tivo...on the tivo i had the entire screen was filled up with the tivo info and you couldnt see the tv show while you were there...

[TonyTheTiger]

The TiVo-based DVRs did not have this (much debated) feature.

However, the newer non-TiVo DirecTV Plus HD DVR (HR2x) does have a small window in the top left of the screen that shows live TV while the guide, now playing list and menu options are being viewed.

[randys1]

The TiVo-based DVRs did not have this (much debated) feature.

However, the newer non-TiVo DirecTV Plus HD DVR (HR2x) does have a small window in the top left of the screen that shows live TV while the guide, now playing list and menu options are being viewed.
yeah, i know i have several

so none of the tivo dvr's in use today allow this? you cant watch tv while using the tivo features? really? hard to believe they havent figured that out yet

[stevel]

It's not that "they haven't figured it out" but that they chose deliberately not to do that. You can view the guide which shows transparently over the playing program, but anything else brings you to the menus which no longer show what is playing.

There are many users of the DirecTV DVRs that hate the "picture in guide" feature.

[randys1]

It's not that "they haven't figured it out" but that they chose deliberately not to do that. You can view the guide which shows transparently over the playing program, but anything else brings you to the menus which no longer show what is playing.

There are many users of the DirecTV DVRs that hate the "picture in guide" feature.

really? people hate being able to watch and listen while they program?

i guess it takes all kinds, but that makes absolutely no sense at all to me...



if you are anything like me you spend a great deal of time, unfortunately, looking for shows, setting things up, etc., on a tivo all that time you cant watch while you do it as i recall

makes no sense, but that is just me i guess


i mean, if tivo has the ability to change that, surely the vast majority of people would prefer it...but maybe not, i cant imagine that not being the case, but i have been wrong before

[Dkerr24]

A feature that I never would care about... guess I'm typical of most of their users, therefore that's why they chose not to implement it.

[stevel]

Apparently it upsets people who are recording sports events to watch later - they don't want "the surprise to be ruined". Or something like that. For myself, I don't care.

TiVo has tried hard to keep its UI simple and uncluttered. Mostly they succeeded.

[Budget_HT]

On my DirecTiVo units (SD & HD) I just pause the program being watched during the "setup" activity and resume when finished.

[bengalfreak]

i mean, if tivo has the ability to change that, surely the vast majority of people would prefer it

I'm not sure that is the case. I, for one, have no desire to watch anything in a tiny corner of the screen. In fact, if tivo did offer this feature, I would simply press the pause button so as NOT to have live television going while I was "doing programming".

[shibby191]

The "picture in guide" (PIG) is a feature of most receivers and DVRs from most providers. Tivo was the one that never implemented that feature for whatever reason (not saying that is good or bad). When DirecTV went to their own DVR+ platform they included this feature which they have had on most of their other receivers since the beginning. People really got on DirecTV for this however history is on their side with that one.

The Comcast Tivo however does have it so Comcast wanted them to have it.

If it wasn't a feature most users expect to have then Dish, DirecTV, FIOS, Uverse and cable wouldn't have it as a key feature of their boxes. Again, not saying that Tivo is "wrong" for not having it, maybe they have it right. But I think the best would be to have it with an option to turn it off for those that don't like it.

[randys1]

If it wasn't a feature most users expect to have then Dish, DirecTV, FIOS, Uverse and cable wouldn't have it as a key feature of their boxes. Again, not saying that Tivo is "wrong" for not having it, maybe they have it right. But I think the best would be to have it with an option to turn it off for those that don't like it.

exactly, and i spend a great deal of time using the search functions of the tivo while watching tv, kinda obsessive and so on, assume others are the same

oh well, clearly providing as an option is the way to go

[bengalfreak]

exactly, and i spend a great deal of time using the search functions of the tivo while watching tv, kinda obsessive and so on, assume others are the same

oh well, clearly providing as an option is the way to go

Clearly, not enough people have complained about it to make it a priority or Tivo would have added it by now.

[wblynch]

Tivo chooses which customers to listen to and which to ignore. Probably the ones that DON'T want that feature are more vocal than those who DO want it.

It's likely that 99.9% (choose your own percentage) of Tivo users never go to a Tivo message board or blog or contact Tivo.

Too bad they won't do a survey to find out.

[Leland Ray]

I have that feature now on my Charter HD DVR. I could go either way but I can do some programing while my wife watches a show. Otherwise I would have to wait until her show is over.

I do miss the simplicity and ease of use of the Tivo, also without the advertisements.

[bengalfreak]

Too bad they won't do a survey to find out.

I'm sure they have. Its not like they don't do any market research.

[bengalfreak]

I have that feature now on my Charter HD DVR. I could go either way but I can do some programing while my wife watches a show. Otherwise I would have to wait until her show is over.

I do miss the simplicity and ease of use of the Tivo, also without the advertisements.


You must have a very large screen TV. My wife would bitch endlessly if I reduced one of her programs to a little screen in the upper corner while I "did programming."

[Leland Ray]

You must have a very large screen TV. My wife would bitch endlessly if I reduced one of her programs to a little screen in the upper corner while I "did programming."

57" Samsung DLP. I can only do it for a minute or two before she gets pissed. Mostly I will do it during a commercial if we are watching live tv and flip it to full screen once I see that the commercials are over.

[TonyTheTiger]

How about hitting Pause while you program? Then no-one gets upset!

[Rodney]

Apparently it upsets people who are recording sports events to watch later - they don't want "the surprise to be ruined". Or something like that. For myself, I don't care.

TiVo has tried hard to keep its UI simple and uncluttered. Mostly they succeeded.

Put me in the upset category. It annoys me when I use the DirecTV DVR and I am recording a football game to time shift, and turning on the tv and going to guide will not stop me from hearing the announcer and/or seeing the score. Even pause can ruin it, though I have trained myself not to look in the upper right corner of the screen.

If TiVo ever does implement this "feature", I hope they do it right and offer it as an option to turn on or off, so everyone will be happy.

-Rodney

[stevel]

So after you start the game recording, change the channel.

[bengalfreak]

How about hitting Pause while you program? Then no-one gets upset!

My wife already says I hit the pause button way too often as it is.

[TolloNodre]

If TiVo ever does implement this "feature", I hope they do it right and offer it as an option to turn on or off, so everyone will be happy.

+1 to that

I can understand why some people would want this 'feature' but I am not one of them.

What I don't understand is why some people - like the OP - can't understand why I wouldn't want it. But that's probably because they watch way more live TV than I do. They don't really get the whole 'TV on your schedule' concept.

[bengalfreak]

+1 to that

I can understand why some people would want this 'feature' but I am not one of them.

What I don't understand is why some people - like the OP - can't understand why I wouldn't want it. But that's probably because they watch way more live TV than I do. They don't really get the whole 'TV on your schedule' concept.


ditto, with a DTivo with dual live buffers, why would you be watching a second of LiveTV?