Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
That said when I called DirecTV to get HD channels (old TV wasn't HD) I was informed that DirecTV no longer has an agreement with TiVo and no longer offers DirecTivo. DirecTiVo is a combo box that combines all of the features of DirecTV with TiVo in one box. The UI rocks. That is correct, the DirecTV/TiVo agreement is gone. They will eventually be phasing out support for all current TiVo units. Originally I heard this year, but it got pushed back. Apparently DirecTV is moving from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or something and the HD DirecTiVo DVR that I purchased just a few years ago isn't compatible with the new MPEG-4 compression or something... That is correct, they switched from MPEG2 to MPEG4 for local HD channels. The HD DirecTiVo can only get premium channels in HD. Has anyone on the list gone through this switch? Anyone using the DirecTV DVR? Any feedback on the system? I have not personally, but I've seen the DirecTV DVR, it's really not that bad. I think it's worlds better than the Comcast DVR. Anyone know if I'm getting ripped off? Should I really be paying for a new DVR when my old DVR is only 2 years old? If you want locals in HD, you really don't have a choice. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
On 5/22/07, Richard Soule [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: That said when I called DirecTV to get HD channels (old TV wasn't HD) I was informed that DirecTV no longer has an agreement with TiVo and no longer offers DirecTivo. DirecTiVo is a combo box that combines all of the features of DirecTV with TiVo in one box. The UI rocks. I'm really worried about switching to a new DVR as I'm terrified that the UI is going to suck. I don't know about the DirecTiVos but the regular TiVos don't do HD. Only the S3 which uses a CableCARD. I'm not sure it will work with DirecTV. I have 2 series 2 TiVos and love the interface too. But my next DVR will be MythTV. There's lots of advantages to Myth that you're not going to get with a builtin DVR or TiVo. In addition it will be portable to Satellite, Cable, FiOS or Antenna. Keep the DirecTiVo in any event. There are people hacking the DirecTiVo. It might be that someone has gotten it to be stand alone. At the least, there is eBay to sell it. I know there's something that allows Tivo2go to work with DirecTiVo. Another option might be Apple TV ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
I don't know about the DirecTiVos but the regular TiVos don't do HD. Only the S3 which uses a CableCARD. I'm not sure it will work with DirecTV. The HD DirecTiVo (can probably find on ebay) will do HD, but only for premium channels, and they will be phased out eventually. S3 will probably work with DirecTV with an IR blaster, but you won't get HD. Similar to the older SA TiVos I have 2 series 2 TiVos and love the interface too. But my next DVR will be MythTV. There's lots of advantages to Myth that you're not going to get with a builtin DVR or TiVo. In addition it will be portable to Satellite, Cable, FiOS or Antenna. Except you can't get premium content in HD with a MythTV box, unless you can get the firewire cablebox thing working. Also if you're in kind of a crappy area you won't even be able to get HD OTA due to reception problems. If you use it with Sat or a cablebox (be it cable or FIOS) you'll have to do either serial control or an IR blaster. Keep the DirecTiVo in any event. There are people hacking the DirecTiVo. It might be that someone has gotten it to be stand alone. At the least, there is eBay to sell it. I know there's something that allows Tivo2go to work with DirecTiVo. the DirecTiVo can only work with DirecTV due to the way it works. It just captures the sat feed and you play it back. This is why there's no quality settings. It can never be a SA TiVo. Also, from my understanding, unless it's hacked DirecTV can turn on or off the DVR function of the DirecTiVos, so it will become a normal receiver at some point. To get TiVo2Go to work with DirecTV you need to have a specific DirecTiVo box, and you have to hack it. When you do this you lose PPV purchases from the remote since you turn off the function of it to call home and perform upgrades and that's how DirecTV gets your PPV purchasing information. You're actually better off just hacking it and using TyTools to extract shows since that lets you transcode and you have more options with the show than TiVo2Go gives you. Another option might be Apple TV AppleTV has no recording functionality at all so I don't think it's the same type of device. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
On 5/22/07, Richard Soule [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: My 11 year old TV crapped out yesterday so I ended up picking up a 50 1080p Plasma (Panasonic TH50PZ700U). Wow! HDTV is really good. Blu-ray through the PS3 is pretty amazing. The BBC version of Planet Earth on Blu-ray is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen on a TV. Are you connecting with the HDMI cable? It's annoying, but it will only do 1080i UNLESS you use the HDMI. That said when I called DirecTV to get HD channels (old TV wasn't HD) I was informed that DirecTV no longer has an agreement with TiVo and no longer offers DirecTivo. DirecTiVo is a combo box that combines all of the features of DirecTV with TiVo in one box. The UI rocks. I'm really worried about switching to a new DVR as I'm terrified that the UI is going to suck. I don't have one yet, as DirecTV sucks bawls on customer support, and I'm supposedly on a waiting list to get one for free (like THATS ever going to happen). But the UI is supposed to be simular to the one on the normal HD receivers. If that's the case, the UI isn't really that bad, but it's not good either. Apparently DirecTV is moving from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or something and the HD DirecTiVo DVR that I purchased just a few years ago isn't compatible with the new MPEG-4 compression or something... Correct. They're migrating all of their HD feeds to MPEG-4. While it's unknown how long the premium HD channels will be broadcast in MPEG-2 (of which there aren't very many anyway, currently), the new HD channels they are rolling out sometime in the next six months over their new satellites will all be in MPEG-4. I've got the dude coming out tomorrow to set me up with the new box for $99. It's supposed to be $299, but apparently my long time subscription status is getting me a discount. Must be nice to actually get some service from the farkers. Anyone know if I'm getting ripped off? Should I really be paying for a new DVR when my old DVR is only 2 years old? I think the resounding answer will be yes, you're getting ripped off, but unfortunately, what can you do. When they started migrating, they'd already terminated the business deal with Tivo. :-( -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
Anyone know if I'm getting ripped off? Should I really be paying for a new DVR when my old DVR is only 2 years old? I think the resounding answer will be yes, you're getting ripped off, but unfortunately, what can you do. When they started migrating, they'd already terminated the business deal with Tivo. :-( Yah, that's really it.. What are your choices? Continue to get only a few HD channels for who knows how long then be forced to upgrade (probably without the discount) or switch to another provider of TV, all that are either more of a pain, cost more, suck worse, or some/ all of the above. I noticed that my DirecTV subscription went up $4/month. I have the middle package and two premium channels with locals and one DVR receiver (a hacked series 2 DirecTiVo). But it's still cheaper than cable and overall I'm happy with the service. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
On 5/22/07, Travis Roy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Anyone know if I'm getting ripped off? Should I really be paying for a new DVR when my old DVR is only 2 years old? I think the resounding answer will be yes, you're getting ripped off, but unfortunately, what can you do. When they started migrating, they'd already terminated the business deal with Tivo. :-( Yah, that's really it.. What are your choices? Continue to get only a few HD channels for who knows how long then be forced to upgrade (probably without the discount) or switch to another provider of TV, all that are either more of a pain, cost more, suck worse, or some/ all of the above. In my case, the boonies of Lyndeborough means that I either have Dish network, or DirecTV. While DirecTV policies and support suck, I can at least get the channels I want to watch, and hopefully, soon even more HD channels. Also, I don't NOT get anything I pay for. I can bitch to my hearts content that I can't hook up a MythTV box, but they don't offer that as a service, and they really can't offer it and still use HDMI. :-( I also didn't have a DirecTivo, so I don't have a complaint that they let me buy something and then ripped it out from under me. I noticed that my DirecTV subscription went up $4/month. I have the middle package and two premium channels with locals and one DVR receiver (a hacked series 2 DirecTiVo). But it's still cheaper than cable and overall I'm happy with the service. My big gripe is their customer service is hit or miss. If for some reason they CAN'T do something, they'll lie, cheat and steal to make you feel better, only to find out that there is no mention in your account fo what they promised. -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
On 5/22/07, Travis Roy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: S3 will probably work with DirecTV with an IR blaster, but you won't get HD. Similar to the older SA TiVos To the best of my knowledge: The S3 will only work with terrestrial OTA or cable. No satellite. It only has coax inputs (one each for cable and antenna). While it might be technically possible to use an FM modulator to get a signal out of the sat decoder box, and then have the TiVo internally tune to channel 3 to acquire the content, I don't believe the TiVo software offer satellite options for channel lineups on the S3. The S3 has two CableCard slots and works fine with digital cable, including high def. However, satellite TV is not as heavily regulated as cable TV, so the satellite industry does not support CableCard. (All the TV delivery companies generally sees interoperability as a threat. They want to lock you into their box. The FCC is presently forcing cable TV to enable some interoperability. Satellite is more of a free market.) -- Ben ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
On 5/22/07, Ben Scott [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On 5/22/07, Travis Roy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: S3 will probably work with DirecTV with an IR blaster, but you won't get HD. Similar to the older SA TiVos The S3 has two CableCard slots and works fine with digital cable, including high def. However, satellite TV is not as heavily regulated as cable TV, so the satellite industry does not support CableCard. (All the TV delivery companies generally sees interoperability as a threat. They want to lock you into their box. The FCC is presently forcing cable TV to enable some interoperability. Satellite is more of a free market.) *supposedly* DirecTV is working with Micro$oft on a CableCard card for use with Vista Media Center. Of course, they where also working with Microsoft on the DirecTV Media Center, which has seemingly fallen apart considering they have released no update on the vaporware media center in over a year and a half. -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
On 5/22/07, Thomas Charron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On 5/22/07, Ben Scott [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The S3 has two CableCard slots and works fine with digital cable, including high def. However, satellite TV is not as heavily regulated as cable TV, so the satellite industry does not support CableCard. (All the TV delivery companies generally sees interoperability as a threat. They want to lock you into their box. The FCC is presently forcing cable TV to enable some interoperability. Satellite is more of a free market.) *supposedly* DirecTV is working with Micro$oft on a CableCard card for use with Vista Media Center. Of course, they where also working with Microsoft on the DirecTV Media Center, which has seemingly fallen apart considering they have released no update on the vaporware media center in over a year and a half. Found the source of this, but as I said, nothing in the 16 months since the partnership announcement. http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/jan06/01-05WMDIRECTVPR.mspx -- -- Thomas ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
Thomas Charron wrote: Are you connecting with the HDMI cable? It's annoying, but it will only do 1080i UNLESS you use the HDMI. Yeah, using HDMI. I'm not quite sure why HDMI is an issue? When you have a 1080p TV there really isn't that much difference between a 1080i signal and a 1080p signal anyway from what I hear. Everything looks great. I'm really worried about switching to a new DVR as I'm terrified that the UI is going to suck. But the UI is supposed to be simular to the one on the normal HD receivers. If that's the case, the UI isn't really that bad, but it's not good either. I've got the new box now. The UI is good so far, I think. The skip ahead 30 seconds feature does a fast forward for 30 seconds instead of a true skip. This is slightly annoying but I'm sure I'll get used to it. It might even be better as I can actually see when the commercial ends and the show starts. Sometimes with the old UI I'd end up skipping into a show by 30 seconds when I was right at the very end of the commercial before the show starts. Now I'll be able to see that I'm at the end of the commercial. This might be a wash. The rewind feature is 6 seconds instead of 7 seconds. Total wash. I'm not sure how the DVR is going to handle groups of programs. TiVo has folders, I'm really hoping I don't end up with a single big list as folders were nice. This one could be an issue. I never used the thumbs up/thumbs down feature of the TiVo (I don't really want to watch more TV), so I'm not missing that. Basically I'm going to say the new UI is good. Much better than the cable DVRs, but not quite as good as TiVo. My comparison: No DVR: Walking through a broken glass filled lot with no shoes. Cable DVR: Like having flip flops on your feet. With holes in them. DirecTV DVR: Like driving a Mustang through the lot. DirecTiVo DVR: Like driving a Ferrari through the lot. Must be nice to actually get some service from the farkers. The schedule was from 9:00 am to 12:00. Around 9:30 the installer called me and let me know what his schedule was going to be. He said I'll be there between 11:00 and 12:00 so if you want to go anywhere this morning feel free. He showed up at 11:00. He was done by 12:30. He was polite and showed me a thing or two about the new system. I guess he was happy that he didn't have to live in the frozen wasteland that is New England. ; ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
OT: DirecTivo vs. 'New Direct TV DVR'?
My 11 year old TV crapped out yesterday so I ended up picking up a 50 1080p Plasma (Panasonic TH50PZ700U). Wow! HDTV is really good. Blu-ray through the PS3 is pretty amazing. The BBC version of Planet Earth on Blu-ray is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen on a TV. That said when I called DirecTV to get HD channels (old TV wasn't HD) I was informed that DirecTV no longer has an agreement with TiVo and no longer offers DirecTivo. DirecTiVo is a combo box that combines all of the features of DirecTV with TiVo in one box. The UI rocks. I'm really worried about switching to a new DVR as I'm terrified that the UI is going to suck. Apparently DirecTV is moving from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or something and the HD DirecTiVo DVR that I purchased just a few years ago isn't compatible with the new MPEG-4 compression or something... I've got the dude coming out tomorrow to set me up with the new box for $99. It's supposed to be $299, but apparently my long time subscription status is getting me a discount. Here are the questions: Has anyone on the list gone through this switch? Anyone using the DirecTV DVR? Any feedback on the system? Anyone know if I'm getting ripped off? Should I really be paying for a new DVR when my old DVR is only 2 years old? Thanks, Rich ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
