# New to Direct TV, need some help choosing a DVR



## trener1 (Nov 3, 2004)

I have had a Tivo with Cable TV for many years, and was eying upgrading to the Premiere because I wanted all of the streaming features etc.. 
I just switched to Direct TV from cable, so unfortunately the Premiere is off the table. now I am having hard time choosing between the Tivo and the Direct TV HD DVR, of course I know and love all of the Tivo features. 
But it seems like many of the new features are crippled on the Tivo.
No Streaming. No whole home, no on demand channels.
So am I missing something? it seems like going with the Tivo is actually going backwards.
I can't seem to find much info out there that addresses these issues, so any insight would be appreciated.


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## Adam1115 (Dec 15, 2003)

The TiVo will work like your old TiVo from back in the day. It won't have any of the HD interface, MRV, TiVo2Go, etc.

The DirecTV DVR will not have the TiVo interface. You will adjust and will actually probably like it. The interface is good, MRV is AWESOME.

But some things might irritate you. There's a limit of 50 series links (think series pass) which includes keyword recording (think wishlists), there's no suggestions, it shows live tv in the corner when you're looking at the guide, etc.

We're long time TiVo fans but the directv dvr is really good...


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## kaszeta (Jun 11, 2004)

Adam1115 said:


> We're long time TiVo fans but the directv dvr is really good...


This. The directv DVR has a few issues, but it's actually a really good DVR, and the feature set for it is much better than the DirecTV with Tivo units.


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## allan (Oct 14, 2002)

How is it on reliability? I remember hearing about problems, but that was years ago.


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## Adam1115 (Dec 15, 2003)

I think it's more reliable than the TiVo to be honest. They used to be slow, but the HR24 is VERY fast, faster than the TiVo.

I've NEVER had it miss a recording or anything like that...


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## Trebor1 (Apr 29, 2004)

I am a longterm D*TiVo fan/ user. I still have 3 SD D*TiVo receivers along with my new HD D*TIVo.
Things I like about the new TiVo that the old one didnt do;
Its HD(even though I have yet to buy a HD display)
I can pull up the guide while watching a program from the now playing list.
I can setup a recording while watching a program from the Now playing list.
Having the RF remote...priceless!
It seems much faster when navigating.
Being able to setup a season pass from a program in the now playing list.
Prompt to pad a live recording


I'm still playing with it but I am pretty happy with my choice. I already have my own whole home veiwing setup which got even easier with the additionl RF remotes I have added.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

trener1 said:


> I am having hard time choosing between the Tivo and the Direct TV HD DVR...I can't seem to find much info out there that addresses these issues, so any insight would be appreciated.


*The dtv hr24 hd dvr will stream youtube and pandora, but the experience is not great, and works mostly with sd videos (hd depends on your home network)...don't let that be a deciding factor

*the dtv hr24 hd dvr is much slower to navigate than tivo, but it can take fewer steps than tivo, so it's a draw

*the dtv guide shows 1 1/2 hours, tivo shows 2, but tivo shows more channels at once, which i prefer (more rows and more columns)

they both have similar features and options, so it's up to you, whether or not you want to learn a new gui.


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## DocNo (Oct 10, 2001)

Adam1115 said:


> We're long time TiVo fans but the directv dvr is really good...


Unless you wan't it to record shows reliably. My parents complain at least twice a month that it screws up some way or another - guide data, stupid conflict resolution - you name it. As much as Tivo has ticked me off for not really changing much in the last 10 years, the core functionality is still the best of any of the alternatives.

Frankly that's more a damning indictment of the rest of the industry than kudos for Tivo at this point


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## Adam1115 (Dec 15, 2003)

DocNo said:


> Unless you wan't it to record shows reliably. My parents complain at least twice a month that it screws up some way or another - guide data, stupid conflict resolution - you name it. As much as Tivo has ticked me off for not really changing much in the last 10 years, the core functionality is still the best of any of the alternatives.
> 
> Frankly that's more a damning indictment of the rest of the industry than kudos for Tivo at this point


You seem to have missed my next post.



Adam1115 said:


> I think it's more reliable than the TiVo to be honest. They used to be slow, but the HR24 is VERY fast, faster than the TiVo.
> 
> *I've NEVER had it miss a recording or anything like that...*


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

FWIW: My HR24s have missed an occasional recording, but no more or less than any Dish or Tivo DVR I had in the past. TimeWarner Navigator is another matter entirely. The HR vs. THR debate is entirely down to preference at this point. If you prefer the Tivo experience, go with the THR. If you don't care, save your money and get the HR. I for one, prefer Tivo and plan to make my way back as soon as I can.

-Ted


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## Adam1115 (Dec 15, 2003)

Completely agree, Ted.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

ncted said:


> The HR vs. THR debate is entirely down to preference at this point. If you prefer the Tivo experience, go with the THR. If you don't care, save your money and get the HR


Well, I couldn't agree less. After a week of comcast with TiVo vs dtv hddvr, I'm convinced that dtv has fully accomplished what I thought was not even imaginable only a week ago...dtv succeeded in happily chasing me back to comcast...

Now that my reboot issues have been resolved, I couldn't be more pleased with TiVo. The three deciding factors for me are the processor speed, wish list, and the built in "clip" feature for overlapping shows.

These three things alone have made my tv world quite a bit better...if dtv ever had a chance of my business any time again in the near future, they shouldn't have let me get my hands on a premiere xl...


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## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

The THR22 has all of those features. I have both kinds of DirecTV DVR and agree that it is a matter of preference.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

stevel said:


> I...agree that it is a matter of preference.


If speed and performance is preference, then yes, it's a matter of preference...


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

NorthAlabama said:


> If speed and performance is preference, then yes, it's a matter of preference...


So, why didn't you just get the THR22? It is reportedly faster than the HR24 from DirecTV?


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

ncted said:


> So, why didn't you just get the THR22?


i had been a dtv customer for over 5 years (auto billing, never a late payment), and own 2 dtv hd-dvrs that i paid dearly for, and were running just fine before the new hd software update. i called in 6 weeks after the major update, and again in 2 weeks after the minor update, to express my concerns:

* greatly decreased performance, unbearably slow due to the new software
* removal of key features (dvr and channel controls no longer operational while browsing list and guide)​
dtv offered to "guarantee" upgraded leased models to replace my owned hd-dvrs, as long as i accepted a *new 2 year contract with an early cancellation fee*. did the phone rep know that dtv policy clearly states dtv never guarantees new models when replacing ANY equipment? if so, the rep had just lied to me over the phone to keep my business by locking me into a new 2 year contract. and, if dtv decided not to live up to what the rep had promised, i would already be locked in for 2 years. what a sweet deal for dtv, not so much for me.

the only other option was to buy new, owned equipment, but please don't ask how much that is going to cost (dtv knows i don't want to pay for their software upgrade).

that seemed like a scam to me...dtv automatically "upgrades" your existing equipment that's running just fine, and when that "upgrade" slows your service down to a crawl, dtv wants to "upgrade" you again, by locking you into a new 2 year contract with a $500 early cancellation penalty. and, if you don't like that option, please pay dtv another $700 - $1000 for new owned equipment, since that is the only way dtv will guarantee the replacements will be the best and fastest to work with the new software.

_*their software update is going to cost me over $700 - $1000? i don't think so!*_

this was the last straw. by simply being a good paying customer, they had ruined my hd-dvrs, and they wanted a small fortune from me to fix what they just did. are you kidding me?

and, by the way, when the storms get really bad and tornados wipe out communities 5 miles up the road, i'll never know to get to safety, because dtv service goes out during storms (the worse the storm, the longer the outage, and just when you need tv the most).

why would i believe a word they said or want to keep doing business with them? *dtv might decide next year to stop doing business with tivo*, and i'd have no defense if i pay now and then they decide to change something again later on (plus the contract includes forced arbitration). sure, i'll have to pay for tivo too, but the tivo agreement is shorter, the owned hd-dvr is less expensive, and there's no contract with comcast when using tivo with a cable card. did i mention comcast has more base hd channels?

so, i made the decision to invest in tivo. i still own my equipment, and comcast still gave me the new customer offer. sweet deal for me, bad for dtv, but it's their own fault. i would have to think long and hard before ever trusting dtv enough to ever do business with them again. this was a complete fiasco, and all i did was pay my bill on time, watched them update their software, and then was forced to deal with the all of the negative aftermath. what a way NOT to treat your customers, dtv.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

NorthAlabama said:


> i had been a dtv customer for over 5 years (auto billing, never a late payment), and own 2 dtv hd-dvrs that i paid dearly for, and were running just fine before the new hd software update. i called in 6 weeks after the major update, and again in 2 weeks after the minor update, to express my concerns:...


Fair enough.


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## Adam1115 (Dec 15, 2003)

NorthAlabama said:


> by locking you into a new 2 year contract with a $500 early cancellation penalty.


...just a minor point. DirecTV's ETF is $480, but they prorate it. It would only be $480 if you cancelled it the same month you got the upgrade.

Otherwise it goes down $20/mo every month you are into your contract. Cancel after 1 years? It's $240. Cancel after 18 months? It's $120.

Pretty reasonable, considering you get some pretty big discounts when you switch to another provider that offsets the fee.

I'm not sure what their upgrade really broke, I have an HR23 and and HR24, both work fine. Yes, there are minor software changes that are annoying (the SD-TV output comes to mind with their HD-GUI). Both of my DVRs are FASTER with the HD menu upgrade...

I've had horrible experiences with ANY provider's DVR. The HR10 TiVo had some HUGE problems when 6.2 came out, and TiVo has introduced LOTS of bugs. Dish Network has had a ton of nightmare software upgrades. And don't even get me started on cable DVRs... It's kind of the nature of the beast. Overall, DirecTV DVRs are pretty solid. You can read horror stories about any DVR on the internet....

I bet you retention would replace your system for free if you called and complained, but yea, they'll want you to agree to the 2 year 'contract'.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

Adam1115 said:


> ETF is $480, but they prorate it. It would only be $480 if you cancelled it the same month you got the upgrade


that's exactly what i would have faced if the replacement equipment hadn't been HR24's or later and I'd been entered into a new agreement...$480. I rounded up the last $20, making it $500.



Adam1115 said:


> I'm not sure what their upgrade really broke, I have an HR23 and and HR24, both work fine...Both of my DVRs are FASTER with the HD menu upgrade


i own an HR23-700 (Pace), and an HR20-100 (Thompson). The manufacturers of your models wasn't posted, but here are the issues i've experienced:

* after pressing the list button on the remote, it's a good 15-20 seconds or longer before my list appears, what seems like an eternity

* after accessing the list, if a show is recording, sometimes it's a good 15-20 seconds or longer wait between each remote button push, which IS an eternity

* the scrolling while in list or guide had been improved considerably with the update, but still was nowhere close to tivo speeds when paging or advancing through the list and guide

* the dvr and channel change functionality was removed while in list or guide. before the update, if you were in list or guide viewing a live program or recording in the window, you could pause, resume, ffwd, rwd, or change the channel, without exiting the list or guide. the removal of this functionality only became a big deal when it was combined with the slowness of the list​


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

FWIW: One of my HR24s is much slower after the HDGUI update, similar to what NorthAlabama describes. The other one is about the same as before the update.


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## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

I read over at dbstalk that a recent update has helped the HDGUI speed a lot. I have not confirmed this yet on my own box.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

stevel said:


> I read over at dbstalk that a recent update has helped the HDGUI speed a lot


it helped 2 features (such as paging through the program guide and recording list), but is crippled others at the same time.

with dtv's lackluster history in correcting software issues (some issues over 2 years old still not addressed, others never corrected before equipment eol), combined with dtv's unwillingness to accept any responsibility for creating these problems (they never like to admit ANY liability), it was time for me to make a change...

dbs talk has a lot of great info, but it is a pro-dbs site, and tends to offer a shaded perspective on many subjects. kind of like asking the girl scouts how good their cookies are...


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

NorthAlabama said:


> it helped 2 features (such as paging through the program guide and recording list), but is crippled others at the same time.
> 
> with dtv's lackluster history in correcting software issues (some issues over 2 years old still not addressed, others never corrected before equipment eol), combined with dtv's unwillingness to accept any responsibility for creating these problems (they never like to admit ANY liability), it was time for me to make a change...
> 
> dbs talk has a lot of great info, but it is a pro-dbs site, and tends to offer a shaded perspective on many subjects. kind of like asking the girl scouts how good their cookies are...


Dude! Did you just hate on GIRL SCOUTS?


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

ncted said:


> Dude! Did you just hate on GIRL SCOUTS?


no, i just suggested they might not have an unbiased opinion about how good their cookies are. i buy them every year, and then give them away...


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## Adam1115 (Dec 15, 2003)

Thanks for letting us know, I've been on the edge of my seat for 5 months wondering about your opinion on their cookies.


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