A hopeful sign for HDdirecTivo

[Cudahy]

The head of Tivo says he's hopeful of Tivo restoring ties with Directv when Malone takes over later this year. He said that he has friends at Liberty that love Tivo.
Maybe I'll be able to keep my Directivo HD after all.
I had read earlier that the ownership change should be complete by July.

[supasta]

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb...d.php?t=354424

[bonscott87]

Originally Posted by Cudahy

Maybe I'll be able to keep my Directivo HD after all.

It still can't decode MPEG4 or see the new satellites. So you'll still need an H20 or HR20 to get the new HD.

[rmassey]

The question is why can't someone fix the 6.3d issues (reboots, missed recordings). Someone writes the code, someone schedules the updates to D* customers. IMO, one or both of those involved just does not care anymore.

[JimSpence]

Originally Posted by rmassey

The question is why can't someone fix the 6.3d issues (reboots, missed recordings). Someone writes the code, someone schedules the updates to D* customers. IMO, one or both of those involved just does not care anymore.

Sorry about your problems with 6.3d, but my HR10 is working just fine with 6.3d.

[Cudahy]

We'd have to get a new HDdirectivo if a new agreement is reached but I think that's Ok with anyone who wants to stick with both Tivo and Directv as we go HD.
I think the key is whether Malone was ever hooked on Tivo.

[rmassey]

Originally Posted by JimSpence

Sorry about your problems with 6.3d, but my HR10 is working just fine with 6.3d.

mine work OK 'most' of the time. It's not chronic for me, but I have been bit by both problems a few times.

[TyroneShoes]

Originally Posted by bonscott87

It still can't decode MPEG4 or see the new satellites. So you'll still need an H20 or HR20 to get the new HD.

I think that may be fairly obvious to most of us here, but that is still somewhat beside the point, IMHO.

Every HR10 will eventually bite the dust, just like every HR20 and every HR10 and HR20 owner will someday bite the dust. Also, even if a HR10 survives but still outlives its usefullness for a particular user, each of us will eventually have that one potential MPEG-4-only channel that they just won't be able to live without. That could come next year or 4 years from now for them, depending upon their personal tipping point, but it will come for each of us, more than likely. For me, it would have to take FX, SCIFI, and USA having more than 50% of their fare in HD, so I think I can breathe easy for some time, actually.

But with this new development, being faced with the grim reality that the HR10 has a finite shelf life is now accompanied with the realistic hope of an acceptable upgrade path (a M4 DirecTivo) instead of all of the current choices. Choices which many of us deem totally unacceptable (read: anything other than the HR10). IMHO, that is the point.

John Malone (and Tom Rogers) should also take note that many of us are willing to pay a premium for that upgrade path.

[bonscott87]

Originally Posted by TyroneShoes

I think that may be fairly obvious to most of us here, but that is still somewhat beside the point, IMHO.

I took the OP to mean that if Tivo and DirecTV started working together again that his HR10 was somehow saved. It's not and there are still many, many people that still don't understand what the MPEG4 conversion means (as seen by tons of posts to that fact on AVS and other forums).

Just simply trying to educate those people.

[Cudahy]

If Malone has used Tivo and wants to make more money he'll let Tivo sell an update for a premium.

[rminsk]

Originally Posted by Cudahy

If Malone has used Tivo and wants to make more money he'll let Tivo sell an update for a premium.

Then why do I pay DirecTV a DVR service fee?

[RS4]

Give me an upgrade path with a Tivo and I may re-consider leaving. Right now, I'm looking for an alternative.

[sgndave]

Originally Posted by rminsk

Then why do I pay DirecTV a DVR service fee?

'cause D* loves to charge users for everything they can. The current DVR service fee applies no matter what DVR you use. The suggestion is that D* could do what Comcast is doing - offer both Tivo DVR service and non-Tivo DVR service, and charge the customer more for the Tivo service than they do for the non-Tivo service.

[drew2k]

Originally Posted by supasta

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb...d.php?t=354424

Hey folks, did you click the link above? There's already a discussion on this topic, so add your voices to it!

[Sir_winealot]

Originally Posted by TyroneShoes

But with this new development, being faced with the grim reality that the HR10 has a finite shelf life is now accompanied with the realistic hope of an acceptable upgrade path (a M4 DirecTivo) instead of all of the current choices. Choices which many of us deem totally unacceptable (read: anything other than the HR10). IMHO, that is the point.

John Malone (and Tom Rogers) should also take note that many of us are willing to pay a premium for that upgrade path.

The fact that this is even the remotest of possibilities ...after reading many a post on this forum stating "MPEG4 DTiVo will never happen, get used to it (paraphrasing) ..." is truly exciting.

I intended on holding on to my HR10's for a while anyway, and would welcome having a 'choice' of HD DVR's.

[bonscott87]

I still find it amuzing that the CEO of Tivo simply saying that perhaps DirecTV might talk to them again translates to "Tivo is coming back or will be on the DVR + receivers". Simply amuzing.

[RS4]

It could be because most of us on this forum enjoy Tivo and are not looking forward to the alternatives being offered by Direct that you seem to love so much.

What gets me is why there hasn't been a class action lawsuit against D* for putting out a product like the HR20 and calling in a DVR. That would imply that it could do basic functions, but as we all know, a few months ago at least that was not possible. Then D* seemed to hold people to a 2 yr lease even when the bloody thing didn't perform the most basic functions.

I'm amazed at you guys for putting up with that kind of service. But instead, you seam to tout all of the niceties of functions not working and maybe they will in the future.

It's quite clear that Direct released a product way ahead of it's time and that the product is below the quality of what most of us have come to expect in Tivo.

So, I am quite excited even about a rumor - it gives me hope - hope that I will have an alternative to the inferior products that you guys seem to accept without cause for concern.

My suggestion to you is if you don't find anything exciting in a rumor, then maybe you should spend more of your time on the forum that you seem to love so much. Folks here are interested in quality products. You never seem to have anything good to say about Tivo anyway.

[Sir_winealot]

Originally Posted by bonscott87

I still find it amuzing that the CEO of Tivo simply saying that perhaps DirecTV might talk to them again translates to "Tivo is coming back or will be on the DVR + receivers". Simply amuzing.

Always makes me happy to amuse...




"G-13....that's G-13."
"I-27.....tha's an I-27."

[bpratt]

Originally Posted by RS4

It could be because most of us on this forum enjoy Tivo and are not looking forward to the alternatives being offered by Direct that you seem to love so much.

What gets me is why there hasn't been a class action lawsuit against D* for putting out a product like the HR20 and calling in a DVR. That would imply that it could do basic functions, but as we all know, a few months ago at least that was not possible. Then D* seemed to hold people to a 2 yr lease even when the bloody thing didn't perform the most basic functions.

I'm amazed at you guys for putting up with that kind of service. But instead, you seam to tout all of the niceties of functions not working and maybe they will in the future.

It's quite clear that Direct released a product way ahead of it's time and that the product is below the quality of what most of us have come to expect in Tivo.

So, I am quite excited even about a rumor - it gives me hope - hope that I will have an alternative to the inferior products that you guys seem to accept without cause for concern.

My suggestion to you is if you don't find anything exciting in a rumor, then maybe you should spend more of your time on the forum that you seem to love so much. Folks here are interested in quality products. You never seem to have anything good to say about Tivo anyway.

Have you considered the "guys" making these posts are D* employees being paid to make us TiVo lovers believe the HR20 is a good product?

[fasTLane]

bingo

[bonscott87]

Or perhaps you should consider that only a few people have problems?

I've had my HR20 since September. Only missed a couple recordings, both on the same night, about 8 months ago. I've had a couple lockups in the last couple months, however I have been running beta software most of the time. To be expected. Other then that, no problems, has recorded everything I ask it to. Same for hundreds of others.

What I don't do is claim that it's perfect and I also don't claim that people don't have problems.

Same as you shouldn't claim that every single user with an HR20 has problems.

Just not the facts.

I can quickly point out many threads right in this very forum that might give an uninformed person the impression that the HR10 is riddled with problems. Why? Because people with problems post on forums trying to get help or to vent. Not often do you get people coming to a forum to post "wow, this thing is awesome!"

If you've been on the net more then 6 months you should know this.

[bonscott87]

Originally Posted by bpratt

Have you considered the "guys" making these posts are D* employees being paid to make us TiVo lovers believe the HR20 is a good product?

Maybe you should actually try it if you'd get your head out of the sand.

[Sir_winealot]

Originally Posted by fasTLane

bingo

Hold on folks....let's check his card to make certain this is a real bingo.....

[bonscott87]

Look guys. If there was an MPEG4 Tivo for DirecTV I'd have it. But there isn't one and believe me, there won't be one.

So for me *content* is KING and the overriding factor of anything. DirecTV offers me the best content for the price of any of my other choices (Dish or Charter). Thus DirecTV gets my business. To get the HD I want I need an MPEG4 DVR, the HR20. Thus I got one *with an open mind*.

Sure there are trade offs.
Dual Live Buffers or Red Wings in HD....
Advanced wishlists or SciFi in HD.......

Content wins out every time....for me.

We all have to make that choice.

If content isn't as important to you or another provider can offer you better then by all means, jump at it.

Even if cable were an option I'd have this to choose from:
S3 Tivo for mega $$$$ and $13+ a month and the fact it will be obsolete very soon as cable moves to Switched Video
OR $4.99 a month for the DirecTV DVR which has the same basic functions and records what I ask of it
OR similar priced Dish ViP DVR.

Again, a choice we must all make.

But if people here want to delude themselves into thinking there is more to it then just the CEO of Tivo trying to prop up his stock price when speaking *to investors* then by all means. I wish the best for you.

But I've moved on and things are just fine. I'll be enjoying my interactive Sunday Ticket and 50+ HD channels by years end. And that is what is most important to me, not the OS of the stupid DVR.

And with that I leave you all to argue and hope and I'll go back to answering questions where I can and try to direct people to DBSTalk so that threads about the big bad evil HR20 won't pollute this forum.

[rminsk]

Originally Posted by bonscott87

And that is what is most important to me, not the OS of the stupid DVR.

What is important to me is that a DVR record what I ask it too when I ask it too. The four HR20-700 I have access to have not passed that simple test. As soon as they can go one month without missing a recording or having a short recording then I will be happy.

[RS4]

It's one thing to argue the merits of one product versus another. I don't think any of us have a problem with that. What we have a problem with is all of the remarks from folks like you telling us how great the HR20 is when we know for a fact that you guys have just been Beta testers plain and simple.

It may be that the HR20 is finally developing into something worth while, but don't come on this site day after day and badmouth the Tivo with the shenanigans that Direct has been pulling on you and tell us how great things are.

I think most of us know when a product is superior over another. Clearly in this case, it appears for the last several months that the HR20 has not worked very well for a huge number of people.

My guess is that you and some others are getting paid a lot of money to come onto this site and tell us how great things are going to be - just wait another 20 minutes - when it's more like 20 months before things start working like they should.

Yeah, if Tivo doesn't get on board with the new ownership of D*, then we will end up with the HR20 or something else, but you'll have a tough time getting me to believe that it will ever be the quality that Tivo is.

The fact of the matter is that D* could have offered it's customers a lot of the options that Tivo had years ago. But instead, they've chosen to ignore the clients that are probably some of their top-tier spenders. Why - arrogance, plain and simple.

[Sir_winealot]

Originally Posted by rminsk

What is important to me is that a DVR record what I ask it too when I ask it too. The four HR20-700 I have access to have not passed that simple test. As soon as they can go one month without missing a recording or having a short recording then I will be happy.

Yep, same here. For some reason the HR20 cannot pitch a complete 9 inning game.

Originally Posted by bonscott87

And with that I leave you all to argue and hope and I'll go back to answering questions where I can and try to direct people to DBSTalk so that threads about the big bad evil HR20 won't pollute this forum.

Thank you, I think we all appreciate that. Really, all that needs to be said is: "dbstalk.com."

[bonscott87]

Originally Posted by RS4

but don't come on this site day after day and badmouth the Tivo

So who's badmouthing Tivo?

My guess is that you and some others are getting paid a lot of money to come onto this site and tell us how great things are going to be

Maybe in your dreams. Or perhaps mine.
Might want to look when I joined this forum, way back in October 2000 with a stand alone Tivo that lasted me many good years. As well as several DirecTivo's. I remember being in the Tivo beta test to get the 2nd tuner activated and chatting up with our beloved Richard Bullwinkle from Tivo. Still have 2 DirecTivo's active in my house and they aren't gonig anywhere. And now I have an HR20 and it's been fine. No "beta testing" here other then what I volunteer to do. Maybe I've been lucky, who knows.

But hey, believe what you want. It's a free country.

[RS4]

"So who's badmouthing Tivo?" You, for one. You have nothing good to say about Tivo and on the contrary you try to tell us how marvelous the HR20 is. Don't you think we're getting a little tired of it? You keep justifying how well everything is with the HR20. Your answer to a guy complaining about a feature on the HR20 that wasn't working was to not use that feature.

At the same time, the first words your wrote on this thread was that the current Tivo wouldn't work with Mpeg4 - nothing good to say about Tivo and lies about the HR20.

Maybe you should consider giving us a break for a while.

[ad301]

Originally Posted by bonscott87

Look guys. If there was an MPEG4 Tivo for DirecTV I'd have it. But there isn't one and believe me, there won't be one.

You can't possibly make that statement with such certainty. Yeah we all know your wishful OPINION, but you have no idea what Malone may or may not do. Of course, neither does anyone else here. But for those of us who'd like to see a new DirecTiVo, it's a nice thought. My personal favorite option would be a full featured stand alone capable of accessing D* programming, analagous to a Series3 with CableCards. Let TiVo control the programming, testing, feature-set, support, etc, and let D* handle the billing and share the profits between them. Win-win. D* would even continue to market their own attempt at a dvr, for those less demanding users. Probably won't happen.....