# Sad Day: No more DTiVo



## mjh (Dec 19, 2002)

It's a sad day for me. I just cancelled my DTV service. I was having a problem with my 2nd tuner, so I called DTV to try and replace my unit. They told me that they could ensure me that I'd get a TiVo, but that what they really needed to do was complete a service call first, and that they couldn't ship me anything until I'd done the service call. They said that if the wiring were bad it could be causing the tuner to fail. So I got the service call which positively determine that the 2nd tuner was in fact bad. When I called back to ask them to ship me a TiVo, they told me that they couldn't guarantee that I'd get a TiVo. That I might, in fact get a DVR+ unit.

Suffice it to say: I don't want that. I've read ebonovic's review and other people's experiences here. Additionally my neighbor has one. I played with it for a few minutes and I don't like it.

So I told them if they couldn't give me a TiVo unit, that they were no better than Dish Network or my local cable company and I might as well disconnect. So they sent me to customer retention and they had the same story. They offered me $50 off my next bill, but they still couldn't guarantee me a TiVo. They offered me $50 off the price of an HDTiVo, but that's still $350 and I don't want to pay that.

I am^H^Hwas a DTV customer because of their integration with TiVo. If they're not going to offer that, then I'm going to look elsewhere. I shoulda acted on this problem earlier, then maybe I would have a TiVo today. Oh well. Live & learn.


----------



## Adam1115 (Dec 15, 2003)

mjh said:


> It's a sad day for me. I just cancelled my DTV service. I was having a problem with my 2nd tuner, so I called DTV to try and replace my unit. They told me that they could ensure me that I'd get a TiVo, but that what they really needed to do was complete a service call first, and that they couldn't ship me anything until I'd done the service call. They said that if the wiring were bad it could be causing the tuner to fail. So I got the service call which positively determine that the 2nd tuner was in fact bad. When I called back to ask them to ship me a TiVo, they told me that they couldn't guarantee that I'd get a TiVo. That I might, in fact get a DVR+ unit.
> 
> Suffice it to say: I don't want that. I've read ebonovic's review and other people's experiences here. Additionally my neighbor has one. I played with it for a few minutes and I don't like it.
> 
> ...


I know your mad and probably hate direcTV right now, (I don't blame you), the DirecTiVo IS the best DVR out there.

I'd buy a used one off of ebay, for aroun $50-$75. Money well spent really..


----------



## dtremain (Jan 5, 2004)

mjh said:


> It's a sad day for me. I just cancelled my DTV service. I was having a problem with my 2nd tuner, so I called DTV to try and replace my unit. They told me that they could ensure me that I'd get a TiVo, but that what they really needed to do was complete a service call first, and that they couldn't ship me anything until I'd done the service call. They said that if the wiring were bad it could be causing the tuner to fail. So I got the service call which positively determine that the 2nd tuner was in fact bad. When I called back to ask them to ship me a TiVo, they told me that they couldn't guarantee that I'd get a TiVo. That I might, in fact get a DVR+ unit.
> 
> Suffice it to say: I don't want that. I've read ebonovic's review and other people's experiences here. Additionally my neighbor has one. I played with it for a few minutes and I don't like it.
> 
> ...


How does your spited face look without a nose? Just follow the previous poster's suggestion. Even the r-15 has to be a lot better than what I've read about the Dish machine, and, you really don't want to go back to the expense and aggravation of cable, do you?


----------



## spartanstew (Feb 24, 2002)

Can't you take the $50 off deal and then wait and see if they send you a TiVo unit? If they don't, you can cancel or look for a used deal then. If they do, you got your TiVo and some money off.


----------



## danny7481 (Dec 6, 2005)

yeah i would just get another dtivo off ebay....thats where mine came from.


----------



## rilbiz (May 7, 2006)

Stay with the mother ship...don't leave!!!


----------



## ScubaCat3 (May 19, 2005)

They've still got R10's at compusa ... have you checked there? If not, I can send you one if you just reimburse me the cost... ($99 plus shipping basically). That minus the $50 will get you a new DirecTivo...


----------



## mjh (Dec 19, 2002)

Adam1115 said:


> I know your mad and probably hate direcTV right now


I'm not mad at DTV. I'm disappointed that they aren't going to do what they said they'd do, but they're just after their best interests, which in this case is not satisfying me. Which is fine. It just means that I don't want to be their customer anymore.


> I'd buy a used one off of ebay, for aroun $50-$75. Money well spent really..


I've looked on ebay and maybe that with the $50 discount is what I need to do... assuming that they'll activate it for me. I'll probably need to get a new card, which IIRC costs ~$25.


----------



## mjh (Dec 19, 2002)

spartanstew said:


> Can't you take the $50 off deal and then wait and see if they send you a TiVo unit? If they don't, you can cancel or look for a used deal then. If they do, you got your TiVo and some money off.


True. (As a Badger fan, it's hard for me to admit that.)


----------



## rogrrr (Jan 17, 2004)

Uhhhhh...I don't get it. Why don't you just BUY a new R10? Or even a 2nd hand one? Heck, I've got a 40hr standalone I rarely use...

oops, my bad. Your photo should have clued me in.


----------



## Tonedeaf (Sep 24, 2004)

Time to play some CSR roulette to get yourself a DirecTivo. They are out there, just have to get a CSR willing to dig in the system for you.


----------



## jasonv1 (Dec 13, 2002)

I just today returned to DirecTV/Tivo (older hacked HDVR2, newer HR10-250) after being forced into cable after my move (no line of site when I moved, I had to cull some trees).

Having spent the last 10 months on a combination of TWC Explorer Scientific Atlanta 8000HD / 8300HD PVR boxes (after spending 5 years using a Tivo in one way or another) boy am I glad to be back. The 8000 was absolutely horrid, while the 8300 was at least somewhat decent, but both paled in comparison to the Tivo. Couple that with the cable equipment rental costs and generally expensive cost of service and it just added fuel to the fire (or chainsaw in my case) to jump back. I'm already re-appreciating my keyword searches and superior season passes, alas how I missed them so.

What is sad is that we have two companies (DirecTV and Tivo) who combined to make a product (dual tuner satellite DVR's) that was/is so much better than anything else out there, and they just can't learn to get along.

That being said, I'll use my Hughes boxes till the day they either die (and cannot be replaced) or until the replacements dry out. I keep them plugged into nice UPS units, so hopefully they will last until MPG4 finally forces us away from them.

Like everyone else said, find another unit. Ride it till the Tivo/DirecTV union dies, and maybe just maybe these two companies will come up with a way to be full partners again.



mjh said:


> It's a sad day for me. I just cancelled my DTV service. I was having a problem with my 2nd tuner, so I called DTV to try and replace my unit. They told me that they could ensure me that I'd get a TiVo, but that what they really needed to do was complete a service call first, and that they couldn't ship me anything until I'd done the service call. They said that if the wiring were bad it could be causing the tuner to fail. So I got the service call which positively determine that the 2nd tuner was in fact bad. When I called back to ask them to ship me a TiVo, they told me that they couldn't guarantee that I'd get a TiVo. That I might, in fact get a DVR+ unit.
> 
> Suffice it to say: I don't want that. I've read ebonovic's review and other people's experiences here. Additionally my neighbor has one. I played with it for a few minutes and I don't like it.
> 
> ...


----------



## Pab Sungenis (Apr 13, 2002)

jasonv1 said:


> I just today returned to DirecTV/Tivo (older hacked HDVR2, newer HR10-250) after being forced into cable after my move (no line of site when I moved, I had to cull some trees).
> 
> Having spent the last 10 months on a combination of TWC Explorer Scientific Atlanta 8000HD / 8300HD PVR boxes (after spending 5 years using a Tivo in one way or another) boy am I glad to be back. The 8000 was absolutely horrid, while the 8300 was at least somewhat decent, but both paled in comparison to the Tivo. Couple that with the cable equipment rental costs and generally expensive cost of service and it just added fuel to the fire (or chainsaw in my case) to jump back. I'm already re-appreciating my keyword searches and superior season passes, alas how I missed them so.


Why does everyone act like the only choices are DirecTV or a POS cableco box? The standalone Series 2 DT has all the functionality of the DTiVo boxes (other than the HD one) and tons more. It's a much better box, and it works with cable.


----------



## Rkkeller (May 13, 2004)

Goodbye. What brand of DVR a service uses is not even part of the equation in selecting a service provider for me. All DVR's have their advantages and disadvantages, its just personal preference really on what features you like and which GUI you like better. I am most used to TiVos interface but have used a couple other DVR's and you get used to them just the same.


----------



## cheer (Nov 13, 2005)

Pab Sungenis said:


> Why does everyone act like the only choices are DirecTV or a POS cableco box? The standalone Series 2 DT has all the functionality of the DTiVo boxes (other than the HD one) and tons more. It's a much better box, and it works with cable.


I dunno...cost, I suppose. For me, I'd be paying an increase to go to cable anyway; replacing my four DirecTivos ($5.99/mo DVR fee) with four S2DT units (4 x $16.95/mo) is a huge hit...and then, the S2DT won't tune encrypted channels, so I have to monkey around with IR blasters or whatever.

And, as you mention, it isn't HD.

--chris


----------



## rogrrr (Jan 17, 2004)

Pab Sungenis said:


> Why does everyone act like the only choices are DirecTV or a POS cableco box? The standalone Series 2 DT has all the functionality of the DTiVo boxes (other than the HD one) and tons more. It's a much better box, and it works with cable.


Hello? My standalone series 2 cannot record 2 programs at once! Am I missing something?


----------



## iaflyer (Oct 21, 2001)

rogrrr said:


> Hello? My standalone series 2 cannot record 2 programs at once! Am I missing something?


There is a new standalone series 2 Tivo out that has two tuners and an ethernet jack.

http://www.tivo.com has it on their front page at the moment, or at http://www.tivo.com/2.0.boxdetails.asp?box=series280hrDTDVR


----------



## mjh (Dec 19, 2002)

Tonedeaf said:


> Time to play some CSR roulette to get yourself a DirecTivo. They are out there, just have to get a CSR willing to dig in the system for you.


I didn't think about that. Sounds like a sensible idea. I wonder if the CSR's get rewarded for a "turn around", e.g. bringing back a customer who was ready to cancel.


----------



## mjh (Dec 19, 2002)

Rkkeller said:


> All DVR's have their advantages and disadvantages, its just personal preference really on what features you like and which GUI you like better.


Well that's exactly my point. I like TiVo. I think it's better than just about anything out there. But if I can't get TiVo from DTV, now they're exactly the same as Dish and Cable. In other words, DTV has lost the edge that they had, and I might as well look at other providers offerings.

Like I said, I'm not mad at DTV. They own the service that they sell. If they decide that they're not going to sell TiVo service any more, that's their prerogative. I own my money, and since they have decided to change their service, I'm going to have to decide what to do with my money. That's my prerogative. DTV & I are good. We just don't want to do business with each other anymore.

That is unless I can find some way of getting a working DTiVo. Then I'll reconsider sending my money to DTV.


----------



## lawnmowerdeth (Jan 11, 2003)

Hopefully if enough people do this exact same thing, Rupert will give in and stay with TiVo.


----------



## aztivo (Feb 23, 2005)

lawnmowerdeth said:


> Hopefully if enough people do this exact same thing, Rupert will give in and stay with TiVo.


that is funny


----------



## Mixer (Mar 5, 2005)

Well.......

* Record from two basic cable channels, or one basic cable and one digital cable channel, at once. Does not support recording from two digital cable or satellite channels at once. Supports recording from cable and satellite sources only; does not support recording from over-the-air antenna.

Not exactly the same what the DTiVo can do is it?



iaflyer said:


> There is a new standalone series 2 Tivo out that has two tuners and an ethernet jack.
> 
> http://www.tivo.com has it on their front page at the moment, or at http://www.tivo.com/2.0.boxdetails.asp?box=series280hrDTDVR


----------



## iaflyer (Oct 21, 2001)

Mixer said:


> Not exactly the same what the DTiVo can do is it?


I never said it was - the comment he made was "Hello? My standalone series 2 cannot record 2 programs at once! Am I missing something?"

I just mentioned that there was a new Standalone Tivo that had two tuners which he didn't seem to know about - nothing more. The Series2 DT DVR can do some things a DirecTivo can't do out the box and there are some things a DirecTivo can do that it can't.


----------



## mjh (Dec 19, 2002)

Tonedeaf said:


> Time to play some CSR roulette to get yourself a DirecTivo. They are out there, just have to get a CSR willing to dig in the system for you.


It turns out that this strategy worked. I called back and got a CSR that was willing to make sure I got a TiVo. It's pretty sad that this strategy worked.


----------



## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

Mixer said:


> Not exactly the same what the DTiVo can do is it?


Nope, and it's a deal-breaker in my opinion.

I don't want to have to worry about if the program I want to record is basic cable or not when determining conflicts. When stand-alone TiVos can truly record 2 channels at once, regardless of what channel it is, then I'll be tempted to ditch DTV too.

I disagree with a previous poster in that I do have some brand loyalty to Tivo. TiVo has improved my life in a small way and when I can, I will reward them with my business. Not that I will ignore everything else or let TiVo rip me off, but I do have some loyalty to the brand.


----------



## mjh (Dec 19, 2002)

Quick follow-up: DTV sent me two R10's! I got home from work, and there they were. Turns out that they ordered one when I cancelled, and they ordered another one yesterday when I played CSR roulette. The first one requires that I send in my old HDVR2. I'm a bit disappointed about that, but I'd rather have the 2nd tuner. The 2nd one comes with a 2year commitment, so that's the one that I'm sending back.

Anyway, I'm a DTV customer with TiVo again.


----------



## mjh (Dec 19, 2002)

Make that three. DTV sent me *ANOTHER* one. I've returned one and am waiting on return labels to return the other R10 and my non-functioning HDVR2.


----------



## mikeg_ms (Oct 3, 2002)

mjh said:


> Make that three. DTV sent me *ANOTHER* one. I've returned one and am waiting on return labels to return the other R10 and my non-functioning HDVR2.


KEEP! YOUR! SHIPPING! RECEIPTS!!

D* is horrible about tracking shipments and return shipments. About 6 months from now they may try and charge you a crazy price for them. Keep the waybills (tracking numbers) so you know who a D* received them when they ask.


----------



## narnia777 (Jan 12, 2003)

Are these 3 new tivo's leased? And do you have pay $99 each for them for the lease fee?

I would have just found another used one or something. I'm glad I have 3 units myself (one activated at once), and I own all 3 

Jim


----------

