I am usually the first kid on th eblock with technology. I never really got into Tivo though. Now I am thinking I want a DVR device to go with my DirecTV. However, I am reading really bad things about the units that replaced the Tivo boxes in the DirecTV lineup.
I am coming to ask opinions here. What should I get if I want a DVR to use with DirecTV? I would like to be able to record shows while I am watching others. If I bought a Tivo box, it seems like I would need 2 satellite boxes to be able to do that. So am I just stuck with the DirecTV branded DVRs?
What units are they using now? I’ve had my TiVo for 2-3 years now and it’s seriously one of the Top Two Toys I Ever Bought (the other is my iPod). Ours is a Hughes machine that came directly from DirecTV. We’ve had no problems with it, unless the TiVo suggestions count as problems – but only because I am not interested in the history of military aircraft.
I have it, and think it’s great. It’s the only DVR I’ve ever used, so maybe I don’t know what I’m missing.
The receiver and DVR are in the same box, and it works with the standard antenna they’ve been using for the last couple of years. You just need to run two lines from the LNB.
You can record one show and watch another, or you can record two shows, but you have to watch one of them. The software will notify you if you try to watch a third.
One complaint is that it starts bumping episodes of a show once it has five. After that, it will jettison the earliest episode and replace it with a new one. This may or may not be bothersome, depending on how your viewing habits. I have it up at my cabin, and I’m not there all the time, so I’ve had some problems with that. Given that a lot of stations show stuff multiple times it’s not that big a deal, but it is an occasional nuisance. I’m sure work-arounds exist but I haven’t bothered to figure them out.
Aren’t Media Center PC’s an option? They have updated MCE2005 to be able to use up to four tuners at the same time.
I use it with Cable (Time Warner) and it works great. The listings are downloaded from MS and it works great. No HD recording, that is, you can record an HD program, it just won’t be in HD when you watch it later.
It’s free!
I do not think so. The problem is that the tuner cards in the PC are not DirecTV tuners. Therefore, I think you would need 1 DirecTV box for what you watch & another (and hence another monthly fee) for what you were taping.
I have the R15. Judging from some of the reviews I’ve read former tivo owners hate it.
I don’t know exactly what reviewers mean by slow, nor do I know why they find the remote so complicated. Some complained about slow fast forward, but they haven’t bothered to learn that the speed can be adjusted by pressing the ff button up to four times to go from slow to blazing.
Setting a program to record couldn’t be easier. You highlight the program and press record. Done. To record a series press record twice. To cancel a recording press it three times. It’s not rocket science.
I had to reset it once, but I had to do that with the old directv receiver as well.
My needs are pretty simple, so there could be other issues that I haven’t come up against.
Like I said, I never had Tivo, so I don’t know how different it is. I think the R15 is fine. I know it’s a hell of alot easier to navigate than my mom’s comcast DVR box.