[Cowbell]

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere - newb question - I looked around, but quickly got confused.

I currently have cable and two Series 2 SD Tivo's (1 lifetime, 1 monthly). I have the Tivos set up as such:
- 1 on an SD tv with digital cable (watch/record in SD),
- 1 on an HD tv with an HD receiver, so I can change the tv input to watch in HD or watch/record in SD on that tv.

Cable isn't getting me the programming (BigTen Network) that I need, so I'm considering switching to satellite.

Is it possible to change to either D* or Dish, and either:

1) get an HD receiver and SD receiver and configure the same setup as above
or
2) get a dish HD dvr, watch/record HD on that, and connect the Tivo to it for SD (on tv1) to also watch/record SD and watch/record SD on a standard receiver (tv2)?

I would think #1 is possible. I guess #2 may depend on the ability of the Tivo to change channels, etc on the HD dvr.

 

[milominderbinder]

No satellite provider sells TiVo boxes any more. You would have to buy second hand if you wanted to do that but even then you would not get the new HD channels. Sorry.

With DIRECTV, I think that the simple answer is to get two HR20's. They can receive SD, HD, and OTA HD and output any of those in HD (720p or 1080i) or SD (480i). So one HR20 outputs SD and HD to the HD TV and the other HR20 outputs SD to the SD TV and downconverts the HD to SD as well.

Even on my 20 year old Sony, the HD downconverted to SD is simply stunning. It is as good as the best DVD. All HR20 outputs are also on all of the time.

You could get one HR20 and 1 SD box as well but consider your total cost over the 2-year commitment. You will pay the same monthly fee for programming ($50?), HD ($10), DVR ($6), second receiver fee ($5) each month whether you have 1 HR20 or 1 HR20 and 1 SD box. In two years you will have spent around $2,000? So why not get all the programming at both TV's?

Use the steps in the HD DVR (HR20) Ordering Tips to see what kind of deal they might give you.

Also, here are the...

Top 20 Reasons to Use an HD Receiver with an SD TV

1. Your old SD TV can now show 70 New HD Channels!
2. Not all HD channels are available in SD.
3. Even some of the best premium channels are only in HD.
4. Same monthly receiver mirroring/lease cost of $4.99 for an SD or HD receiver.
5. Same monthly DVR of $5.99 for an SD or HD DVR.
6. Same monthly HD Access cost of $9.99 no matter how many HD receivers.
7. The picture quality of an HD channel on an SDTV is stunning.
8. The HD channels show the full letterbox the SD channels cut off.
9. Be ready when you upgrade the TV to HD.
10. Have the same user interface on all of your receivers in your house.
11. Play mpg3 music from your PC.
12. Watch jpg photos from your PC.
13. ATSC OTA and OTA subchannels
14. eSATA external drive option to add storage
15. DIRECTV on Demand (Video on Demand)
16. SWM (Single Wire Mutliswitch) compatible
17. 200 hours SD storage capacity
18. 50 Hours MPEG4 HD storage capacity
19. Start the 24 month commitment now to be able to upgrade in 24 months.
20. HR20 CE program is the flagship program
21. You may be able to get the HR20 for great price

How long would it be before the SD TV is gone anyway? Do you have a Costco or Fry's nearby?

- Craig

 

[Cowbell]

Thanks for the response Craig.

What if I did get two HR20's? Can I essentially use them as the receiver and connect a S2 Tivo to each of them for even more storage space?

The part I'm not sure about is if the HR20 and the S2 Tivo can work together. Can you advise on how that may work out?

 

[hiker]

I would not recommend trying to use a HR20 DVR with a S2 TiVo. You could get a H20 receiver, not a DVR, and it should work. It has the same IR code set as the D10 and H10, which are shown as compatible in the list here.

 

[milominderbinder]

Thanks for the response Craig.

What if I did get two HR20's? Can I essentially use them as the receiver and connect a S2 Tivo to each of them for even more storage space?

The part I'm not sure about is if the HR20 and the S2 Tivo can work together. Can you advise on how that may work out?

You can get an eSATA external hard drive but the TiVo's cannot be added as storage. The D10 and H10 can be connected to a TiVo but neither get the new HD channels.

To get the 70 new HD channels, you have to have the HR20.

- Craig

 

[hiker]

...
To get the 70 new HD channels, you have to have the HR20.

- Craig

A regular mpeg4 HD receiver, the H20 model, will also work to get new HD channels.

 

[RS4]

A couple of the things that Craig failed to mention is that if you don't like the HR20, you will still need to pay for viewing it - i.e. it will cost you up to $300. DirecTV has no policy of trying out the product at home for 15 or 30 days, so you are stuck.

The other thing he didn't point out is that many Tivo users consider the Tivo to be the best dvr and are unhappy with home-grown products from DirecTV. According to different polls, somewhere between 10 and 20% of the Tivo users hate the DirecTV box, while another 30 - 40% feel it is second-rated to a Tivo.

 

[milominderbinder]

A couple of the things that Craig failed to mention is that if you don't like the HR20, you will still need to pay for viewing it - i.e. it will cost you up to $300. DirecTV has no policy of trying out the product at home for 15 or 30 days, so you are stuck.

The other thing he didn't point out is that many Tivo users consider the Tivo to be the best dvr and are unhappy with home-grown products from DirecTV. According to different polls, somewhere between 10 and 20% of the Tivo users hate the DirecTV box, while another 30 - 40% feel it is second-rated to a Tivo.

RS4, the DVR buyout is not $300. Look it up. It is $480. It is not fair to not tell people the full contract buyout amount.

This month there was a Poll of HR20 users that asked: Would you Recommend the HR20 to a Freind?

Of 767 HR20 users: 92% said "Yes", they would recommend the HR20 to a friend.

Similarly, if you surveyed people I bet more would prefer eating a hamburger to eating a salad. I also bet most would recommend eating a salad.

- Craig

 

[RS4]

RS4, the DVR buyout is not $300. Look it up. It is $480. It is not fair to not tell people the full contract buyout amount.

This month there was a Poll of HR20 users that asked: Would you Recommend the HR20 to a Freind?

Of 767 HR20 users: 92% said "Yes", they would recommend the HR20 to a friend.

Similarly, if you surveyed people I bet more would prefer eating a hamburger to eating a salad. I also bet most would recommend eating a salad.

- Craig

Craig,
I'm not sure what your $480 is. When I asked if I did not like the HR20 after trying it at home and sent it back, they told me 3 times it would cost $300.

The poll you referred to did not even ask about the Tivo. The polls I was referring to did. Here are a couple of examples:

Would you trade?

If the HR10-250 TIVO had mpeg4 HD would you prefer it to the HR20-700?

My contention all along has been that the majority of Tivo users prefer Tivo. These polls clearly reflect that. We are on a Tivo forum and I believe Tivo users have a right to know what others think when comparing DirecTV's products and practices. Honesty is the best policy - not half truths.

 

[milominderbinder]

Craig,
I'm not sure what your $480 is....

RS4,

It is not fair to not give people the full information. The contract buyout is $480, $20 x 24 months for an HD DVR. Call 800-531-5000 and they will tell you. It is on their script that they will read if you sign up for a new HD DVR.

Granted if you only have 15 months left it could be $300 but the maximum is $480. You may also be grandfathered at $300 but all new HD DVR customers have a $480 commitment.

- Craig

 

[fasTLane]

$480 ??? What a ripoff!

 

[RS4]

RS4,

It is not fair to not give people the full information. The contract buyout is $480, $20 x 24 months for an HD DVR. Call 800-531-5000 and they will tell you. It is on their script that they will read if you sign up for a new HD DVR.

Granted if you only have 15 months left it could be $300 but the maximum is $480. You may also be grandfathered at $300 but all new HD DVR customers have a $480 commitment.

- Craig

So, if I understand you correctly - If I wanted to test the HR20 at home and didn't like, DirecTV is going to charge me $480? Gee, that sounds fair

 

[hiker]

Well there's cable, they don't have commitments. Oh wait, I almost forgot, Comcast raised prices here 11% this year in 2 increments. DirecTV will undoubtedly raise prices next year. Someone has to pay for all this new HD.

 

[tivowiz]

The $480 buyout price also doesn't take into account the money that DirecTV charges up front to "lease" the HR20. Since it's a crapshoot as to who you get when you call, you could pay anywhere from $0 to $299 +$19.99 shipping + tax.
BTW - I just yanked this from their site:
IF YOU FAIL TO MAINTAIN YOUR PROGRAMMING COMMITMENT, DIRECTV MAY CHARGE PRORATED FEE OF UP TO $150 FOR STANDARD RECEIVERS (UP TO $300 FOR ADVANCED RECEIVERS).