For you Directv

I herd that D* dumped TiVo because they didn't want to pay the $1 per subscriber fee that TiVo charged D*. That's why D* came out with their own box. I would have gladly payed the extra $1 in order to keep TiVo as the provider of hardware for the next generation (H20)MPEG4 boxes. I will stay with D* until the sun sets on the MPEG2 SD and HD stream, then I'm gone to whoever is providing the TiVo software in their box. It would have been very easy for TiVo to come out with a MPEG 4 box if D* asked them to, but like Ford with the Edsel, D* thought that they had a better idea that backfired on them. The best thing that they could do is to have TiVo write a version of there software to run on the H20. That would keep me with them for years to come. But alas, that is just a pipe dream. Time is just ticking down until the HR10 will become a door stop. Oh, Yes, I payed $1k for my 1st HR10, $800 for #2, and $800 for my dad's box, and I pay for his full subscription every year as his xmas gift. #3, 4 and 5 cost me $400 ea. # 5 is on the shelf as a spare. I am a very long time subscriber to D*. I have been very happy with them until they started shaving bandwith off of their channels to squeeze more shopping channels in. The macro blocking has increased quite abit on AMC, TCN FMC and others. The HD channels BW have been squeezed down so much, that now I can see macroblocking on fast motion. The picture quality is a mere shadow of what it was when you 1st started broadcasting HD. D*, You control your own fate and future. Continue on your path of self destruction, and you will be loosing alot of your customers down the road.

Off of my soap box for now, I know that D* hears, but doesn't listen to its subscribers!

 

Geo2000, I was thinking the exact same thing yesterday as I was forcing phone calls. Wouldn't that be a great way to start an update rollout... First few days/week, the users who force 2nd or 3rd calls, get it.
That way, the user gets to 'self-select' as an early adopter. Who is in a better position to really document issues and call customer service with a consise statement about what is going on when there is an issue?
Sure beats my 76yo mother calling with a problem!

I've always felt that this forum contains everyone Directv (or tivo) would ever need for a really solid, through beta of any upgrade.

oh well....

 

...and if DirecTV is reading this, please note the following:

- Stop with the endless 2 year contracts
- Stop switching over owned equipment to leased
- Stop forcing us to crappy NDS DVRs, we want Tivo
- Offer more National HD channels NOW !
- Stop giving us HD lite
- Stop shutting down HD channels for NFL ST
- Stop saying "we have never heard of this problem" to all customers that call in
- Fix the damn Audio drop outs problem
- Get the HR10 6.3a release fixed and released NOW !
- Quit flipping on the shopping & religious channels in the CIR list
- Add guide data for my local NBC HD OTA channel (KOAA)

... more to come.

 

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Gee... what an unrealistic rant...

2 yr. contracts stabilize their revenue stream and ensure they recoupe the cost to acquire and retain a customer

The leased equipment is one I don't get, so I agree with you there

How do you know the NDS DVR is crappy. Until I have an HR20 in my cabinet, I'm saving judgement. It has a lot of features I feel the almighty TiVo fell asleep on.

What national HD are we missing and with what bandwidth do they propose they add it? Same for your HDLite issue. I'd rather they drop the resolution than the bitrate. Would you rather lose a little sharpness or spend all your time bitching about compression artifacts and macroblocks?

So you'd propose they keep one small part of the 10/month package in order to screw over customers who've paid big $$$'s for ST and SuperFan?

All CSR's follow a script intended to filter through non-questions. Most users here know more about D* and the technical aspects of their service than an L1 CSR. If you wanted knowledgable people picking up the phones, be ready for a big price hike or long wait times (or both).

What if the audio dropout problem is caused by TiVo owned software? How can D* fix code it only licenses?

They are releasing it. Read the threads, people are getting it all the time. While I share your desire to get it quickly and your bad luck to be near the end of the list, that is nothing more than good deployment process.

I agree, I wish I could axe those channels in a reliable way.

That could easily be your affiliates fault, not D*'s.


I am now prepared to be strung up, quartered, and run thru the mud by everyone ready to label me as a D* apologist, but if you're a shareholder, these decisions look like they make good business sense. Everyone here gets so upset D* and TiVo broke up without knowing what went on behind closed doors. Neither party could find an arrangement that worked, so they moved on. Get over it. Or even better, exercise your capitalist right (duty) to move your dollars to someone who better meets your needs.

 

Amen, my brother, Amen.

 

All the items I mention above are reasons why I am now actively researching other HD service providers. Trust me I will vote with my dollars at or near to my current contract date with D*.

BTW, we have exhausted all possibilities to determine that the missing guide data for my local NBC OTA HD channel is on the D* side of things. Non HR10-250 users see the guide data, Dish users see the guide data, Zap2it shows current guide data via it's web page. I am blue inthe face discussing this topic on AVS and with D* CSRs and it renders my HD Tivo useless to record programms via a season pass. This one item alone will push me to dish or cable.....

 

Can you use the issue as grounds to end your contract with D* and leave early w/o penalty?

 

I agree with you Joe. If they take away from the HD channels your paying to watch to give more band-width to football, I think that could be grounds to nullify your contract unless it says they can do that in said contract.

 

Amen.

I have yet to hear positive things about DirecT'v's DVR. DirecTv give it up already and if it means an additional $1 a month so be it, I would gladly pay the extra dollar for Tivo boxes to come back into the fold. I love my HR10-250, but I know that once DirecTv starts rolling out channels in MPEG4 that I will not be able to receive them.

(Thank goodness I get free HD programming from the cable company, not that they can keep up w/ DirecTv).

 

Maybe I could, but I am currently paying zero for the HD pkg so I guess I should quit bitchin'.

I think they have a clause in the contract somewhere where it says they can do whatever they want, whenever they want and it's still a binding contract.

I wonder waht they could do, if I just quit an stop paying. They have never received my CC info and I own the equipment. I guess they could just try to ruin my credit rating, etc.

I thought we already were paying an extra dollar, when we went for $4.99 to $5.99 for DVR service? Greedy B*stards. How many more dollars do they need?

 

As with all GreedyB*****, just the "next" one.