# GOODBYE to TiVo- it's been great



## randyf (Mar 15, 2000)

Well after... uh .. FOREVER it's time to kick the TiVo's to the curb.

IMO they just haven't kept up with technology, and don't have much to offer anymore. The Premiere is the same old stuff in a new package at a higher cost.. grr!

I got my New DirectTV HD DVR setup installed last week, and all I can say is WOW ! 

Even the installation is elegant ! a SINGLE coax running through the house, that supports INTERNET access, programming and multi-room sharing ! DVR's that are smart enough to manage multiple recording, and present themselves as a single unit. Remote sheduling that ACTUALLY WORKS! and a desktop PC interface that doesn't crash every 10 minutes

and, of course another bonus is getting rid of COX ..

it will be VERY interesting to see what the new DirecTV / TiVo looks like when (if ) it ever shows up.... they've been talking about it for 2 yrs now. 

We'll see..


----------



## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

How do you get Internet and directTV on that one coax?

If you're talking about a satellite internet service, they are slow and expensive -- not attractive to me.


----------



## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

I'm not a fan of satellite. Cable Internet is faster. 

But I do agree the Premiere wasn't an upgrade and kind of insulting to long time Tivo users.


----------



## wesmills (Mar 8, 2006)

dlfl said:


> How do you get Internet and directTV on that one coax?
> 
> If you're talking about a satellite internet service, they are slow and expensive -- not attractive to me.


DirecTV uses a technology called DECA that can bridge Ethernet (i.e. wired home networking) onto coaxial cable. It's very similar to the MoCA technology used by Verizon's FiOS service to provide data to their set-top boxes.

It works with any Internet source, not just satellite-delivered Internet.


----------



## Kablemodem (May 26, 2001)

I just switched from cable back to DirecTV, but only because I was fed up with TWC, their tuning adapters, price increases, and blocking MRV. My S3s are still superior to any other DVR out there, and I will continue to use them for OTA. The one place where the DirecTV DVR excels is the whole home setup. It's very nice to be able to stream programs from one room to another, even when they are in progress. Otherwise, it can't hold a candle to TiVo.


----------



## plazman30 (Jan 23, 2005)

i just switched from the DirecTV DVR to the TiVo Premiere and FIOS and I don't regret it. We originally had a DirecTivo and we really felt the new DVR was a step down in UI.


----------



## randyf (Mar 15, 2000)

dlfl said:


> How do you get Internet and directTV on that one coax?
> 
> If you're talking about a satellite internet service, they are slow and expensive -- not attractive to me.


I still use a Cable Modem for internet, but what I meant by single wire for network and TV was the SWM / DECA technology .. As WESMILLS stated, the DECA puts the network access onto the coax so the DVR's can communicate with each other, and the internet via a SINGLE connection.

Pretty slick.

The thing that I think is most impressive is the integration of multiple boxes.. you could effectively have a 12 tuner DVR if you wanted too.

But it really is nice to just see all the recordings in one menu. It's as slick as Replay TV was back in the day!


----------



## randyf (Mar 15, 2000)

Kablemodem said:


> My S3s are still superior to any other DVR out there, and I will continue to use them for OTA. Otherwise, it can't hold a candle to TiVo.


I guess if you like Antiques..

Many people still have VHS's and record players too!

about the ONLY thing I will concede at this point is the TiVo interface is prettier. But that's about it.

I also looked at Cox's DVR but it REALLY sucked IMO..


----------



## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

randyf said:


> I still use a Cable Modem for internet, but what I meant by single wire for network and TV was the SWM / DECA technology .. As WESMILLS stated, the DECA puts the network access onto the coax so the DVR's can communicate with each other, and the internet via a SINGLE connection.
> 
> Pretty slick.
> 
> ...


Currently I have a cable TV splitter on the exterior wall of my home with N RG6 cables coming inside - one for Cable Modem and N-1 for TV drops (TiVo). I have wired and wireless Internet through the house via router fed by the cable modem. How much of my existing coax cable would I be able to use if I replaced the N-1 TiVo/Cable-Drops with DirectTV DVR's? What DECA boxes would I have to add? Is the SWM Cable topology a star like my current structure, i.e., each cable from a DVR going to a common box or splitter? I looked at the DECA link wesmills provided but these answers didn't jump out at me.

EDIT, after skimming the first 40 posts in the dbsTalk DECA thread:
Since I can provide hardwired ethernet connections to every DVR location, it appears there is no advantage of DECA for me.


----------



## Kablemodem (May 26, 2001)

randyf said:


> about the ONLY thing I will concede at this point is the TiVo interface is prettier.


Well, that's one thing that is great about TiVo and one of the things I miss the most when using the DirecTV DVR. One more big advantage for TiVo.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

randyf said:


> and a desktop PC interface that doesn't crash every 10 minutes


Do they actually offer a way to transfer videos from the DVR to your PC? If so what format are the recordings in? Do they use any sort of DRM?

Dan


----------



## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

randyf said:


> But it really is nice to just see all the recordings in one menu. It's as slick as Replay TV was back in the day!


is there an option to not see all the recordings?

I have TiVo DVrs with 1TB drives and the number of shows in a single display would be mostly noise - especially wading through all the kids shows that are on the DVR in the bonus room. For some people that feature is like PIP - nice to have at times but ultimately would want it off 80% of the time


----------



## mask2343 (Jan 6, 2003)

I'm leaving DirecTV this month for OTA Tivo. Haven't had a Tivo for 6 years and I miss it dearly. Believe me, in 6 months when the DirecTV box starts to slow down (1 second per scroll command!) you'll be wanting to go a different route. 3 levels of menus just to get to your season pass manager!

The new DirecTV boxes are much faster but I don't want to sign another 2 year agreement. They still have the ugly interface too. The internet options are terrible too. Worthless Apps and the linking to the PC never worked for me. The iphone app for DirecTV remote scheduling is great though.


----------



## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

randyf said:


> I guess if you like Antiques..
> 
> about the ONLY thing I will concede at this point is the TiVo interface is prettier. But that's about it.


The S3 may be an oldie but a goodie, but it's hardly an antique. The Tivo HD was just a stripped down version that allowed the use of an M-card instead of two S-cards. The Premiere is a step sideways at best and not exactly what you would consider an innovation.

I dropped DirecTV over four years ago because they had just introduced their new DVRs and they weren't getting a lot of good press at the time. FIOS had just moved into my area and they had the best HD available from any provider, including DirecTV. The FIOS internet was the real icing on the cake that sold me.

Currently, the DirecTV DVRs have improved vastly and I probably wouldn't miss my Tivos had I stuck with satellite. The one major drawback that has always stuck in my craw with DirecTV is that they never offered all of my local channels via satellite, plus they limited me to only a single TV market. My physical location puts me between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore and FIOS gets me all the local channels at no extra cost.

I actually get my local channels via OTA and record them on an HTPC so the local channel issue is pretty much moot nowadays. With the recent addition of a Ceton InfiniTV cablecard tuner, I barely use my Tivo anymore. Last night I was recording five shows simultaneously while watching the New England/Jets game I had recorded on Sunday.

Tonight I've got seven shows scheduled for the same time slot and I'll be able to record all of them with one tuner to spare (four digital cable and four ATSC). Actually there are six shows starting at 10PM and one at 9PM, but I schedule a 10-minute overlap between time slots to prevent losing any of the recording. The result is that there will be a 20-minute window when seven shows will be recording at once. The best part is that I'm only paying for a single cablecard and no monthly fees. I'd like to see someone pull that off with a Tivo.


----------



## randyf (Mar 15, 2000)

ZeoTiVo said:


> is there an option to not see all the recordings?
> 
> I have TiVo DVrs with 1TB drives and the number of shows in a single display would be mostly noise - especially wading through all the kids shows that are on the DVR in the bonus room. For some people that feature is like PIP - nice to have at times but ultimately would want it off 80% of the time


Sure, you can turn off the sharing of playlists..



DAN203 said:


> Do they actually offer a way to transfer videos from the DVR to your PC? If so what format are the recordings in? Do they use any sort of DRM?


I don't know if you can TRANSFER recordings to a pc. you can stream them to a pc though.. Still learning all the toys!


mask2343 said:


> Believe me, in 6 months when the DirecTV box starts to slow down (1 second per scroll command!) you'll be wanting to go a different route. 3 levels of menus just to get to your season pass manager!
> 
> The internet options are terrible too. Worthless Apps and the linking to the PC never worked for me. The iphone app for DirecTV remote scheduling is great though.


Well, I /HOPE/ you're wrong about the slowdown... I've some friends that have had the current setup for a while and it still seems to work great, so maybe that issue has been addressed in the current hardware ?

How many "levels" do you have to go to get to TiVo's season pass manager  is it really that big of deal ? In 11 yrs of TiVo ownership, I can't say that quick access to SP mgr was a big feature for me !

The app, yah, I agree they are pretty lame.. They remind me of the lame apps on the TiVo that take 10 minutes to load ! The one cool TiVo feature was the Netflix but even it was crippled compared to the Netflix interface on my Wii... On the TiVo you can't even search for movies ! you have to have a PC handy ! ! !


----------



## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

randyf said:


> I don't know if you can TRANSFER recordings to a pc. you can stream them to a pc though.. Still learning all the toys!


Absolutely you can transfer recordings to your PC. You can do it via the Tivo Desktop software or by using kttmg. If your Tivo has been hacked with a PROM mod then you have several more options available to you.


----------



## mask2343 (Jan 6, 2003)

randyf said:


> How many "levels" do you have to go to get to TiVo's season pass manager  is it really that big of deal ? In 11 yrs of TiVo ownership, I can't say that quick access to SP mgr was a big feature for me !


Yeah, I really meant "To Do List" which is on the same level as the Season pass manager. My father-in-law has the new DirecTV hardware and I must admit it is much faster and tempting, but I'm going the cheaper route with OTA and trying it out with a Tivo Premiere.

The other reason I went the other way was to get Netflix and Amazon on the same box (Tivo Premiere). That way I can supplement the OTA with some cable shows. As for search on Netflix, I plan to use my iphone to add stuff to the queue. Can't wait till I save enough to get an iPad and get the Tivo app!


----------



## mohanman (Dec 18, 2007)

Directv sucks! I just got it a month ago and I wish I had went with comcast and my tivo boxes. I made a huge mistake! No local HD channels, no G4, and the picture quality doesn't match cable tv by far! 

I'm ditching directv in one year.. just to get the cancellation fee down more.

Mo


----------



## randyf (Mar 15, 2000)

mr.unnatural said:


> Absolutely you can transfer recordings to your PC. You can do it via the Tivo Desktop software or by using kttmg. If your Tivo has been hacked with a PROM mod then you have several more options available to you.


Actually, you don't even need TiVo Desktop... you can BROWSE directly to the TiVo box with your PC..

BUT ... I was talking about the DTV, not the TiVo..


----------



## alm (Nov 12, 2010)

Directv has a free pc app that you can install on your computer to view recordings saved on the DVR(s). You need network access between the DVR's and your PC for it to work. Currently there is no option to transfer and store a recording on the PC.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

randyf said:


> I don't know if you can TRANSFER recordings to a pc. you can stream them to a pc though.. Still learning all the toys!


If that is an option I'd like to hear more about it as we like to stay on top of these things for VideoReDo.

Dan


----------



## xultar (Jun 15, 2005)

Dan203 said:


> If that is an option I'd like to hear more about it as we like to stay on top of these things for VideoReDo.
> 
> Dan


Can't you do that with TiVo to go?


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Yes. VideoReDo already supports the .tivo file format transferred by TiVoToGo. I was wondering if this other DirecTV DVR had a similar feature, and if it did what file format it used.

Dan


----------



## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

Dan203 said:


> Yes. VideoReDo already supports the .tivo file format transferred by TiVoToGo. I was wondering if this other DirecTV DVR had a similar feature, and if it did what file format it used.
> 
> Dan


I found VideoRedo the perfect answer for transferring mpeg files TO my TiVo DVRs. Before I used VideoreDo some DVD rips had glitches with points where VOB files were joined together that glitched up trick play badly. Other files had sound issues.
Since VideoRedo knows exactly what TiVo uses to play a file on the TiVo - simply opening the mpeg in VideoRedo(that was told during setup that TiVo was used) and then saving it with a remux has given me perfect playback on the TiVo every time.


----------



## Andyistic (Sep 25, 2009)

mr.unnatural said:


> The S3 may be an oldie but a goodie, but it's hardly an antique.
> 
> Tonight I've got seven shows scheduled for the same time slot and I'll be able to record all of them with one tuner to spare (four digital cable and four ATSC). Actually there are six shows starting at 10PM and one at 9PM, but I schedule a 10-minute overlap between time slots to prevent losing any of the recording. The result is that there will be a 20-minute window when seven shows will be recording at once.


Now this is hard core.

I'll do four recordings at once, at most.
More than that, and I'll need therapy.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

We've got 3 HD TiVos (2-S3 and 1 Premiere) so we can potentially record 6 HD shows at once. We also have an old S2, but my wife mainly uses that for her daytime talk shows and what not, never for prime time TV shows.

Dan


----------



## Sturmie (Jun 11, 2007)

i have been a TiVO user for ~4 years with 3 units (2 x S3 and 1 x HD), but after selling our house in October (waiting to move into a new build), we've been living with my mother in-law who has DirecTV and i gotta say, i MIGHT not go back to TiVO. i will agree the TiVO interface is very nice, but the lack of MRV streaming really makes me want to dump it...i mean c'mon, ReplayTV had MRV streaming 10 years ago! also, blocking certain shows from transferring gets REALLY annoying.

does anyone know if TiVO has plans to 1) allow MRV streaming (instead of that transfer garbage) and 2) stop restricting which shows can be transferred (i know this has something to do with broadcast flags, but how does DirecTV let me stream ANY show)?

thanks for the info.

sturmie


----------



## randyf (Mar 15, 2000)

Sturmie said:


> i have been a TiVO user for ~4 years with 3 units (2 x S3 and 1 x HD), but after selling our house in October (waiting to move into a new build), we've been living with my mother in-law who has DirecTV and i gotta say, i MIGHT not go back to TiVO. i will agree the TiVO interface is very nice, but the lack of MRV streaming really makes me want to dump it...i mean c'mon, ReplayTV had MRV streaming 10 years ago! also, blocking certain shows from transferring gets REALLY annoying.
> 
> does anyone know if TiVO has plans to 1) allow MRV streaming (instead of that transfer garbage) and 2) stop restricting which shows can be transferred (i know this has something to do with broadcast flags, but how does DirecTV let me stream ANY show)?
> 
> ...


RIGHT ?

I've been patiently waiting for TiVo to "update" the technology for years!.. IMO replay was a MUCH better product in many ways. If TiVo could have bought the defunct RTV and put their interface on Replay's hardware that would have been a winner!

I'm *hoping* that the new Direct TV / TiVo is great. (if it ever comes out) but I understand that it's in beta now . ???

Then again, if it just winds up costing me another $12.00 / month just to have a prettier interface that ain't gonna happen.

For now I'm thrilled with my DTV setup... so much so I had them ship me another HD receiver ! (non DVR) .. but I can record to / from the 2 other DVR's through it !


----------



## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

HTPC with Win 7 Media Center and a media extender in every room = streaming to any TV for both live and recorded TV. SageTV also has their own extenders for streaming, even on non-Windows platforms.

Did I mention no monthly fees?


----------



## TheRatPatrol (Feb 21, 2003)

You guys know that Directv is coming out with a Tivo box again sometime this year, right? Of course they did announce that 2 years ago and here we still wait.


----------



## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

I'll believe it when I see it. Neither DirecTV or Tivo has a great track record when it comes to keeping promises about announced hardware introductions.


----------



## MitchW (Jun 5, 2002)

dlfl said:


> How do you get Internet and directTV on that one coax?
> 
> If you're talking about a satellite internet service, they are slow and expensive -- not attractive to me.


Att Uverse gets me Internet and TV on one wire plus gives me WiFi hotspots all over my house.


----------



## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

dlfl said:


> How do you get Internet and directTV on that one coax?
> ........





MitchW said:


> Att Uverse gets me Internet and TV on one wire plus gives me WiFi hotspots all over my house.


ummm... OK.  My question was how did he get *DirectTV* and Internet on one cable, and it was answered many posts ago.

But since you raise the topic, I've heard that U-Verse has generally inferior PQ compared to cable and satellite, I assume because of the limited bandwidth. Have you compared?


----------

