What if I cancel DirecTV service?

If you have DirecTV TiVo DVR's, you will be able to view your recorded content no problem.

If you have DirecTV non-TiVo DVR's, unplug the satellite inputs BEFORE deactivation so you can watch your recorded content. If you don't, DirecTV sends a signal down for their DVR's which kills the playback option, however this does not affect the TiVo's.

 

As a happy DirecTV customer for 12+ years, I'm curious to hear what you are fed up about.

 

That's a good question, since this was the first post by the OP. She found this forum just now?

Anyway, please report your Comcast experience.

 

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....I don't think we need a repeat of this.....http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=388774

 

You might be right. I'm just curious.

 

/Raises hand

I think I can be objective here.

I signed up for Dish in 1999 and LOVED them. This was before LIL, they were MUCH cheaper than cable. Cable was $45/mo for analog, dish was more like $30/mo.

Went to DirecTV in around 2003 and LOVED them even more.

Besides all of the DVR debates, now that satellite is offering LIL and HD-LIL, they basically ARE a cable company. I remember Dish was ALWAYS cheaper and never raised rates. Now all three raise rates constantly, nickel and dime you, have crappy service, have crappy equipment.

I think the comparison is not like it was in the 'old days'. It's all about which company meets your needs best. Want Sunday Ticket? Directv wins hands down. Other than that? Depends on what you want. Some love the HD on DirecTV, others love On-Demand, some love TiVo, some don't care as long as they get the programming they need.

It's not a cut and dry decision anymore....

 

That's interesting.
It's not important now of course, but I'd be curious to know which "TiVo" units you and your parents have and if these visual issues occur only on certain channels or all channels. Perhaps there's a flaky spot beam transmitter for your area. In the right circumstances, I could see the units rebooting and locking up while attempting to deal with a fluctuating signal.

Oh well, thanks for explaining!

 

The Tivo HD will record 2 channels at a time and has a retail price of $299, and a special going right now of $199. http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=390113&highlight=nea
Have you considered them? Comcast will give you the first multi-series cable card for free in this area, so one Tivo HD would record 2 channels from Comcast (both could be HD) or 2 channels from an antenna for your local channels.

 

Perhaps I'm somewhat out of the loop on this subject so bear with me. I have been around here for over 7 years (and have had two Series 1 DirecTiVo's during those 7 years) and also have a Series 2 Samsung. All three are hacked in some way. I've replaced at least 4 hard drives (Maxtor) over the years on the Series 1 units because they just don't seem to take the continuous use very well.

Other than that, It's really been smooth sailing for us and I'd imagine the same is true for most people. Very often around here we hear only the vocal minority that are having issues. Nobody complains when things work right! I "think" that is still true.

There are those with issues with 6.2f and honestly I'm not dealing with that myself so I have no business discussing it. But I also haven't seen a wave of individual complaints. (Maybe I'm not paying attention enough.)

My point is, although it looks like there are a lot of problems with DirecTiVos right now, There might be substantially more that don't have any problems and have no reason to seek out this forum to complain.

I can say that I know of 6 DirecTiVos within my family that are all running fine. (Ours, Parents, Wife's Parents) I don't know what software two of them are running, but I do know that the other four are either on 3.1x (Series 1) or 6.2a (Samsung).

That's curious on both the failure to update and the common behavior. It leads me to ask, are your DirecTiVo's plugged into a Uninterruptable Power Supply? (UPS)
http://www.amazon.com/APC-BE350R-Ba...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1208742191&sr=8-2

If not, I'd highly recommend that you pick up a 350VA (or higher) unit and see if that helps! Minor voltage fluctuations and "noise" can really upset computer equipment, and a DirecTiVo is very much like a computer.
An added benefit is that short power outages won't affect your recordings!

At this point, your concern would be with DirecTV. (As much as I hate to say so.) DirecTV handles the TiVo software for it's boxes. To what degree either TiVo or DirecTV is responsible for the current software, I don't know. It's not like it used to be a few years ago though.

And to be honest, I'm not sure that DirecTV is really in the position to improve the TiVo software on the existing/dwindling install base of DirecTiVos.
They now have their own software to deal with.

I do wish DirecTV would re-establish a relationship with TiVo!

Someday I might also be in your shoes. I will keep these DirecTiVo's running as long as I can. After 12 content years with DirecTV I would be hard pressed to switch to anything else.
I have experienced Comcast in our area and I really don't like it!

I do maintain that you shouldn't have to live with reboots and lockups on your DirecTiVos. I believe there are a few options available to you.

As I recommended before, get a UPS if you don't have one! It "can" make a huge difference in certain situations. (Based on your description of both your units and your Parent's unit, I'm leaning towards a local power grid issue.)

If the DirecTiVos have been in use for quite a few years, replace the drives. There are a few good companies around here that can ship you hard drives with TiVo software already on them. If you or your husband are technically inclined, you can also do the work at home with a drive from your local store. (It's become surprisingly easy these days for do-it-yourselfers and can be done in 30-60 minutes!)

You could also go the Repair route if you think your situation warrants it. Send one of your DirecTiVos to one of the friendly repair companies (almost all of them were started by TiVoCommunity members) that we associate with around here and have them check it out and replace the drive.
Fans could be stuck, cables can be loose, drives could be worn out, software could be corrupt, etc.

Lastly, many of us around here are more than happy to try and help you diagnose the problems and suggest further courses of action.
If you like your DirecTiVos and want to keep using them if you can get them working right, you are in the right place!

I'm going to go out on a limb and make one further suggestion though. If you are interested in High-Definition, maybe you could give one of DirecTV's HD-PVR's a try. It might turn out to be better than the used Comcast PVR you've experienced.

Let me(us) know if we can help you and/or your husband with any of this!

 

I'm anxious to hear what you find!

FWIW - Many years ago (before UPS's were commonly available) I had a computer in my office that would lock up when the copy machine a few rooms away would start up. It was somewhat embarrassing as the Network Engineer to have this happen many times a day and the copier was far enough away that I couldn't hear it and watch the computer at the same time. One day I happened to be watching the UPS status on the server and noticed that the momentary voltage drop coincided with the computer locking up. Sometimes it doesn't take much to upset equipment like this.

 

That's probably a good clue that the problem is either power or signal related. Hard disk issues could cause problems, but shouldn't cause near simultaneous lock-ups on separate boxes...

 

I also hve been a long time customer...but
I just found out that new subs are payin a whole lot less!!
$30 to $40 less for the same service I have now..
I feel like being NEW cut now..

any thoughts please

 

i doubt that unless they are getting a short term incentive credit applied. what are you paying?

 

I also would be shocked to see such a thing. I've never really found anyone offering a better deal on DirecTV than what I've been paying. I have changed my account a few times over the years to take advantage of new options or to remove packages that I no longer want.

More detail please! If possible, list the items on your bill and the price paid for each! (Leave out any personal info of course )

For example: (Here's mine)

4/21 5/20 TOTAL CHOICE PLUS Monthly 54.99
4/21 5/20 DIRECTV DVR Service Monthly 5.99
4/22 Additional Receiver 4.99


Also be aware that some/all new subs are getting incentives such as 3 months free premium packages. But that's only for a short time. I also enjoyed those types of incentives when I was new.

 

Any new to report on this?