# Should I assume that there will be no more updates for DirecTiVo DVRs?



## Leila (Apr 28, 2006)

Should I assume that there will be no more updates for DirecTiVo DVRs?
(other than the current 6.2)

Thanks!


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## Redux (Oct 19, 2004)

Leila said:


> Should I assume that there will be no more updates for DirecTiVo DVRs?


I think the ball is clearly in Tivo's court.

If they would respectfully request a meeting with DirecTV (D*TV), at D*TV's convenience, to present them with an upgrade eliminating all the old features offensive to D*TV, and with new features totally consistent with D*TV's clearly defined future game plan, and offered this upgrade free to D*TV along with subsidizing any customer service costs that D*TV might incur in implementing the upgrade, I think it's possible, at least faintly possible, that D*TV might consider it. Or at least consider considering it.


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## Leila (Apr 28, 2006)

Redux said:


> I think the ball is clearly in Tivo's court.
> 
> If they would respectfully request a meeting with DirecTV (D*TV), at D*TV's convenience, to present them with an upgrade eliminating all the old features offensive to D*TV, and with new features totally consistent with D*TV's clearly defined future game plan, and offered this upgrade free to D*TV along with subsidizing any customer service costs that D*TV might incur in implementing the upgrade, I think it's possible, at least faintly possible, that D*TV might consider it. Or at least consider considering it.


I think I have a better chance of seeing Bill and Hillary having a romantic
picnic in Central Park....


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## rminsk (Jun 4, 2002)

Redux said:


> I think the ball is clearly in Tivo's court.
> 
> If they would respectfully request a meeting with DirecTV (D*TV), at D*TV's convenience, to present them with an upgrade eliminating all the old features offensive to D*TV, and with new features totally consistent with D*TV's clearly defined future game plan, and offered this upgrade free to D*TV along with subsidizing any customer service costs that D*TV might incur in implementing the upgrade, I think it's possible, at least faintly possible, that D*TV might consider it. Or at least consider considering it.


I would say the ball is in DirecTVs court. They contract with TiVo for the hardware/software and know what features the newer TiVo software has. They also know the problems current customers may be having with the 6.2 software. DirecTV is no longer promoting the TiVo and instead trying to push the R15 DVR and not telling people it is not a TiVo. What would TiVo gain by offering the software for free to DirecTV? Since DirecTV is no longer selling the DirecTiVo to new customers TiVo will not gain any new subscribers.


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## TechnoRedneck (Sep 25, 2003)

Well, TIVO has never looked at DirevTV TIVO users as TIVO customers, just look at their website, we, STEP-CHILDREN, have to go to DirecTV for all issues, we don't have TIVO accounts, we don't have TIVO features, but we sure do have a TIVO logo on our boxes and remotes. But both companies just want our money and neither wants to provide any more service than they absolutely HAVE to provide. It is ridiculous that the HMO feature has never been enabled on the DirecTV boxes, it is a huge black mark against both companies and if either one actually cared half as much about customer service as they pay lip service to it, it would have been enabled long ago. It just shows how small the customer is to these giants!


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## Dkerr24 (Oct 29, 2004)

Of course you can always run the zipper script and enjoy all those features now. I have multi-room viewing, can play MP3's and JPG's from my PC on my Tivo. The ability to move a program from Tivo to PC doesn't interest me, as a Slingbox would seem to be a more viable option.


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

TechnoRedneck said:


> Well, TIVO has never looked at DirevTV TIVO users as TIVO customers, just look at their website, we, STEP-CHILDREN, have to go to DirecTV for all issues, we don't have TIVO accounts, we don't have TIVO features, but we sure do have a TIVO logo on our boxes and remotes. But both companies just want our money and neither wants to provide any more service than they absolutely HAVE to provide. It is ridiculous that the HMO feature has never been enabled on the DirecTV boxes, it is a huge black mark against both companies and if either one actually cared half as much about customer service as they pay lip service to it, it would have been enabled long ago. It just shows how small the customer is to these giants!


When we first started with DirecTivos... we most certainly WHERE TiVo customers...
In fact we had to pay them the monthly $12 (or lifetime) per box... in addition to our DirecTV subscription.

About a year after introduction, DirecTV took over the "ownership" of the customer base.

From that point on, the units where DirecTV with TiVo, instead of TiVo with integrated DirecTV.

And if it wasn't for the DirecTV "TiVo" subscriber base, TiVo the company probably would not be where it is today.


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## untouchable (Apr 13, 2005)

ebonovic said:


> When we first started with DirecTivos... we most certainly WHERE TiVo customers...
> In fact we had to pay them the monthly $12 (or lifetime) per box... in addition to our DirecTV subscription.
> 
> About a year after introduction, DirecTV took over the "ownership" of the customer base.
> ...


Very true...at last count, 65% of all TIVO subscribers were DirecTV customers...


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

ebonovic said:


> When we first started with DirecTivos... we most certainly WHERE TiVo customers...
> In fact we had to pay them the monthly $12 (or lifetime) per box... in addition to our DirecTV subscription.


Pretty sure that's not the case. I got one of the first Series 1 DirecTivo's (Sony), and I don't recall paying $12/month/Tivo. I think from the start, it was a $5 fee per Tivo. They did have the Annual and Lifetime options, but I don't think it was $12/month.

Of course I could have totally blocked that out of my memory.


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

I thought that series 1 DirecTV TiVos would never get an update, yet a couple of months ago they sent down version 3.5 for the series 1s. So I would never assume that DirecTV TiVos/DVRs would never get another update. There are rumors that the HR10-250 may be next in line for an update.


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## shadowplay (Mar 12, 2003)

ebonovic said:


> And if it wasn't for the DirecTV "TiVo" subscriber base, TiVo the company probably would not be where it is today.


So are you saying without DirecTV they wouldn't be a struggling company that many people think won't be around in 3 years (at least in it's current form)?


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## rminsk (Jun 4, 2002)

AbMagFab said:


> Pretty sure that's not the case. I got one of the first Series 1 DirecTivo's (Sony), and I don't recall paying $12/month/Tivo. I think from the start, it was a $5 fee per Tivo. They did have the Annual and Lifetime options, but I don't think it was $12/month.
> 
> Of course I could have totally blocked that out of my memory.


When the DirecTiVo first came out it was from TiVo and it was $11.95/month. It was lowered to $5/month when DirecTV took over the accounts.


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## Mark W (Dec 6, 2001)

rminsk said:


> When the DirecTiVo first came out it was from TiVo and it was $11.95/month. It was lowered to $5/month when DirecTV took over the accounts.


Well, that 11.95 might have been before me, I think I came in in 2001, and then it was $10 per month for the Tivo fee, then lowered to $5.


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## phox_mulder (Feb 23, 2006)

Mark W said:


> Well, that 11.95 might have been before me, I think I came in in 2001, and then it was $10 per month for the Tivo fee, then lowered to $5.


Then raised to $6 for April, 2006.

phox


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

Redux said:


> I think the ball is clearly in Tivo's court.


Not since DirecTV took over responsibility for those subscribers.

DirecTV has had updates for the SD and HD DirecTivos for quite some time and just sat on them.


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## bengalfreak (Oct 20, 2002)

AbMagFab said:


> Pretty sure that's not the case. I got one of the first Series 1 DirecTivo's (Sony), and I don't recall paying $12/month/Tivo. I think from the start, it was a $5 fee per Tivo. They did have the Annual and Lifetime options, but I don't think it was $12/month.
> 
> Of course I could have totally blocked that out of my memory.


Well, your pretty sure is partially wrong. When I had my series ones it was $9.95/mo. And it was included on your DirecTV bill as a Tivo fee (we haven't paid Tivo directly since I've been doing this). When DirecTV took over, the fee was lowered to $5.00 and the charge was changed to DVR fee on the bill.


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## sbourgeo (Nov 10, 2000)

bengalfreak said:


> Well, your pretty sure is partially wrong. When I had my series ones it was $9.95/mo. And it was included on your DirecTV bill as a Tivo fee (we haven't paid Tivo directly since I've been doing this). When DirecTV took over, the fee was lowered to $5.00 and the charge was changed to DVR fee on the bill.


I've had a DTiVo since 2001 and that's how I remember it happening too. Heck, even the current $6 DVR fee is a bargain compared to the original monthly fee.


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## Jonathan_S (Oct 23, 2001)

AbMagFab said:


> Pretty sure that's not the case. I got one of the first Series 1 DirecTivo's (Sony), and I don't recall paying $12/month/Tivo. I think from the start, it was a $5 fee per Tivo. They did have the Annual and Lifetime options, but I don't think it was $12/month.
> 
> Of course I could have totally blocked that out of my memory.


As others have said. The DirecTiVos never went to the $12/month fee.
They started out at $10/month, just like their contemporary SA TiVos. The SA TiVos went to $12/mon while the DTiVos stayed at $10/mon. Then the DTiVos dropped to $5/mon, and later went to $6/mon.

And to the best of my recollection the fee was always part of the DirecTV bill, even though they were basically collecting on behalf of TiVo.


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

It was so long ago that I paid TiVo directly for the service....
Thanks for the $2 correction (from my previous $12 statement)

At the "very start", it was two seperate bills... 
You actually had to call both companies to active the service.
(aka you called TiVo to start the TiVo service... hence why I still to this day get the TiVo "Spotlight" emails, and DirecTV to start your DirecTV service)

I don't think it lasted very long, until they did do the combined bill on the DirecTV bill.


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## Redux (Oct 19, 2004)

Jonathan_S said:


> to the best of my recollection the fee was always part of the DirecTV bill, even though they were basically collecting on behalf of TiVo.


DirecTV was just collecting the money and passing it on to Tivo?

That is fascinating information. So you're saying at some point, unlike the current situation where DirecTV keeps virtually all the money (passing on about a dollar a month to Tivo), there was a time when Tivo actually got substantial money for the Tivo subscriptions?


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

Now that I'm almost 100% certain of - it was never a separate bill for DirecTivo's. In fact, that was one of my issues - I wanted an account with Tivo.


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## ping (Oct 3, 2005)

I also don't remember ever calling TiVo in December, 2000 to setup my DSR6000. I'm 99% sure my $199 lifetime was on my DirecTV bill (haven't paid anything more for DVR service, despite two more boxes, ever since ).


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## rock_doctor (Oct 22, 2000)

ping said:


> I also don't remember ever calling TiVo in December, 2000 to setup my DSR6000. I'm 99% sure my $199 lifetime was on my DirecTV bill (haven't paid anything more for DVR service, despite two more boxes, ever since ).


I do... I remember having to call TiVo and them telling me they could not activate the account until DTV notified them I was a customer and to call back. After that they had my service and dtv maintained the content. About a year later they moved all the TiVo accounts over to DTV. I bet if you could find an archive of this forum you will find hundreds of threads trying to interpret the legal-ease DTV sent out talking about the transfer of the accounts. I will say that I did pay my $199 to DTV. The funny thing, I had a hard time deciding if it was worth it figuring I would have to be with DTV for 2.5 years to get my money back. Seven years later and 4 dvr's I guess I did... 

mark


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## ping (Oct 3, 2005)

rock_doctor said:


> I bet if you could find an archive of this forum you will find hundreds of threads trying to interpret the legal-ease DTV sent out talking about the transfer of the accounts.


You are absolutely right. This forum itself has an archive, and I found a thread I posted in () right around the middle of December 2000. I described everything being handled by DirecTV while others said they were transferred to TiVo (and in some cases transferred back to DirecTV, since that was incorrect procedure at the time).

So change that 99% above to 100%, but my experience wasn't universal.


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

It is scary to think that the first DTivo was introduced over 6 years ago...


Time flys


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## untouchable (Apr 13, 2005)

no joke...I think one of my friends paid like $400 for his first one..


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

I remember selling my two GXCEBOTS for $250 and $275 
Since at the time Series 2s were not hackable.


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