# DirectTV Tivo vs. Dish Network DVR



## jdag (Mar 14, 2006)

My contract with DirecTV is about up. I LOVE the TiVo service (have both HR10-250 High Def and SD units). However, the lack of HD programming is forcing me to consider Dish Network and local cable.

Cable is attractive (easy setup, no dish/OTA on the roof, discount on cable Internet service). But the DVR is horrible in my opinion. The new TiVo series 3 at $800 is just too expensive for me at this time.

So I looked at the Dish Network site and found that their HD programming seems to be very expansive. But does anyone have experience with the Dish Network DVR unit? How would you compare it to D* TiVo?


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## BillsIn05 (Aug 14, 2006)

From what Ive heard its like cables DVR and SUCKS! The 250 is the best one out there hands down. Direct TV will be getting more HD this year just be patient


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## jdag (Mar 14, 2006)

BillsIn05 said:


> From what Ive heard its like cables DVR and SUCKS! The 250 is the best one out there hands down. Direct TV will be getting more HD this year just be patient


I was trying to be kind. The cable DVR (at least my local cable company's) is unusable. It is not an option in my mind.


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## bidger (Mar 30, 2001)

BillsIn05 said:


> From what Ive heard its like cables DVR and SUCKS! The 250 is the best one out there hands down. Direct TV will be getting more HD this year just be patient


The only problem with that statement is that when D* does add HD channels, you won't be able to get them with the HR10-250.


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

If I were to rate them on a scale of 1-10, 1 being unusable and 10 being a dream DVR, I would have to place the DTV DVR (HR20) at a 2, the HR10 at a 9 (with 6.3a, an 8 with 3.1), the SA 8300 at a 4 and the DISH VIP 622 at a 5. That makes the DISH DVR 2nd best. A distant 2nd, but above everything else.


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## nabuch (Aug 25, 2000)

I don't know where you get your info, but I did switch to DISH, and the VIP622 is at least an 8 with the HDTIVO, at best, a 2.
Since switching to DISH, I have been nothing but totally satisfied, and wish I had not wasted thirteen years with D.


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## jimborst (Aug 30, 2001)

Once again let me say that this board is very slanted for TiVo and DirectTV so remember that while reading replies. 

I have had DishNetwork for many years (when there was only one satellite) I bought a standalone TiVo back when Kmart started selling them, a couple months ago I bought a 622 and couldn't be happier. There are some things not as good (Wishlists don't work as easy) but some things better (speed of the menus, picture quality). I have been very happy with the 622, it has worked flawlessly since getting it.


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## Sir_winealot (Nov 18, 2000)

nabuch said:


> I don't know where you get your info, but I did switch to DISH, and the VIP622 is at least an 8 with the HDTIVO, at best, a 2.


I don't think it was a matter of where he 'got his info,' but rather that of _subjectivity._

Still...I don't know where _you _ got _your_ info, but the HD TiVo is at least an 8. 



> Once again let me say that this board is very slanted for TiVo and DirectTV so remember that while reading replies.


I'm gonna go out on a limb here but, might it have something to do with the fact that this is the _TiVo Community Forum?_


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## fjwagner (Jan 22, 2006)

I guess I have different tastes than those leaving D* for Dish as it certainly does not seem to be for the equipment. They may have more HD channels, but I see most of the additional channels as fluff. Others dont. This is why capitalism is so great! Fred


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## Monty_Ward (Jan 8, 2003)

Having just switched to Dish and the VIP622 I can say that I like it better than the HR10-250. Content aside (which is much better or dish) the VIP can do everything the Tivo can do. It may be a little difficult at first, while you're learning the buttons and menu options, but after that, its really easy. Tivo was an 8 out of 10, VIP is 9 out of 10.

I'm sure I'll be called biased and a shill, but having had Tivos since 2001 I can honestly say I'm not missing it. I convinced so many people to get Tivos over the years because at the time their technology was superior and that Dish DVRs were unreliable. I have not had a single missed show in the two months I've had the VIP.

I still have my HR10-250 and two HDVR2s if somebody is interested in buying them. PM me and we'll talk.


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## kbohip (Dec 30, 2003)

As someone who's had Dish Network before I'll chime in. I had a Dish 522 DVR which was to this day the single worst piece of electronics I've ever owned. It would need almost constant reboots if you wanted it to record anything at all. It was so bad that even though I was a happy enough Dish customer for over 5 years, it made me hate Dish enough to drop them and go to Directv, if only because I knew they used the Tivo interface.

The 622? I've never used so I can't tell you how reliable it is. What I mean by that is if it records everything you want it to like it should, not just some of the things some of the time like my 522. The other thing that would stop me from ever going Dish and getting a 622 is the fact that it only has one OTA HD tuner. I watch all of my HD OTA so this is a deal killer for me. The Mickey Mouse interface doesn't help at all either.

I would say to you this, read all you can about the 622 in forums and see what kind of problems people are having with it. If the good outweighs the bad to you, go for it. The 622 came out long after I ditched Dish so I don't know enough about it or the interface to give you a good opinion.


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## jimborst (Aug 30, 2001)

Sir_whinealot said:


> I'm gonna go out on a limb here but, might it have something to do with the fact that this is the _TiVo Community Forum?_


I understand that, I just wanted the OP to get that. Try DBS talk for info on both providers. I came here when I initially got my TiVo and have been very happy with the TiVo but when I finally went with HD, I needed a way to record HD content. Since I was with Dish, the 622 was the way I went and as I said, so far works great.


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## Sir_winealot (Nov 18, 2000)

jimborst said:


> I understand that, I just wanted the OP to get that. Try DBS talk for info on both providers. I came here when I initially got my TiVo and have been very happy with the TiVo but when I finally went with HD, I needed a way to record HD content. Since I was with Dish, the 622 was the way I went and as I said, so far works great.


Hey, that's great ...I'm happy you're happy w/it.

To me (once I sold my TiVo stock a looong time ago  ) I'm happy w/wahtever is the most reliable and easiest to use/user friendly. For _now_, it's the HR10.

PLUS, add in the WAF (wife acceptance factor). If it doesn't pass the WAF, it doesn't get installed.


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## Monty_Ward (Jan 8, 2003)

Sir_whinealot said:


> PLUS, add in the WAF (wife acceptance factor). If it doesn't pass the WAF, it doesn't get installed.


The VIP has passed the WAF with me. She was setting up timers (season passes) and Dish Passes (wishlists) without a problem within a week or so. As I said, its very reliable. All I remember hearing was how unreliable DISH PVRs were. THey may have been, but not this one.


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## rickaren (Oct 30, 2002)

jdag said:


> My contract with DirecTV is about up. I LOVE the TiVo service (have both HR10-250 High Def and SD units). However, the lack of HD programming is forcing me to consider Dish Network and local cable.
> 
> Cable is attractive (easy setup, no dish/OTA on the roof, discount on cable Internet service). But the DVR is horrible in my opinion. The new TiVo series 3 at $800 is just too expensive for me at this time.
> 
> So I looked at the Dish Network site and found that their HD programming seems to be very expansive. But does anyone have experience with the Dish Network DVR unit? How would you compare it to D* TiVo?


*Well JDAG:

Since I have both services and both HD DVRs you will be very surprised with the VIP 622 DVR & Dish HD programing. Sorry everyone I have learned to like the VIP 622 DVR better than both Directv Tivo DVRs I have in service. (one SD and HR10-250)

The only issue I have is that I need the expanded storage promised and that it will only record one OTA channel (however it will record three channels at one time). I use the HR10-250 for over flow OTA HD recording and the SD 243 hour Tivo when something is not shown in HD.

Much happier with DISH than Directv (30 HD programing & PQ are great) and it looks that will remain my opinion for some time to come. If you have invested in HD, enjoy today and your investment today and switch/add DISH HD and their VIP 622 DVR.

Hard to believe but having both services and 3 DVRs I have seven turners in Home Theater Room and can record 5 HD programs plus 2 SD at the same time. (3 OTA) Also with the use of a Home Distribution system everything except the HR-10 can be viewed and controlled on three other LCD sets and this computer!

Best of both worlds? Yes, but DISH still wins when it comes to recording HD and programing. I have a large investment in Directv Tivo DVRs so I am staying around, but if I had to pick just one, DISH wins as of today.

Make the move, you will be glad you did and start enjoying HD now not a year from now as promised by D**


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## BigTuna (Dec 9, 2003)

Did Dish pick up the NFL package?

Oh...........that's why I have DirecTV.


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## bidger (Mar 30, 2001)

Man, you would think they did judging by those stupid Tiki Barber commercials.


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## kbohip (Dec 30, 2003)

I'm glad to hear the good things about the 622. I'm REALLY glad to hear they're reliable! Now if Dish would just drop their stupid $5 fee for EVERY DVR in the house and the other $5 fee for not having the thing plugged into a phone line I'd be even more happy. Options are always good to have and who knows where Directv is going to be in a year when it comes to HD.


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## rmassey (Sep 5, 2002)

> Hard to believe but having both services and 3 DVRs I have seven turners in Home Theater Room and can record 5 HD programs plus 2 SD at the same time. Hard to believe but having both services and 3 DVRs I have seven turners in Home Theater Room and can record 5 HD programs plus 2 SD at the same time.


What's your monthly bill for both services?

Pro/cons to me :

Dish 622 - only one OTA HD tuner (deal breaker)
Dish makes you sub to locals ($5) to get OTA guide data
Don't like all the other nickel/dime dish fees - dvr, ???
Do like the choice to pay $50 more and avoid a contract.
more HD content (value is dabateable) - 2x cost of D*

HR10 - Dual OTA HD tuners - a must have
HR10- no growth options to go to Mpg4
Tivo sw is my preference
HDlite sux
D* focuses on sports (boring), E* focuses on more Nat HD.
Sick of sports taking priority over all other HD programming
no new Nat HD until end of 2007

I stick with D* for the Tivo sw and the fact that it's cheaper if Mostly want HD locals (which I do)


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## randym431 (Dec 21, 2001)

Glad this question was brought up.
I have been with D* since 1998. And then I went with voom for the HD and LOVED it. Voom install was free and they put in a huge HD ota antenna for my locals free. Something any a/v store would have charged $300 just for the hd antenna install alone.
When voom died, voom only wanted the receiver back, not the antenna. So I really lucked out there and still use the hd antenna for my pc HD tuner card.

Then... dish got most the voom hd channels. So lately I have been entranced with the idea of getting those voom channels back. And the dish 622 just dropped to $199 up front fee. The bad is the 622 only supplies hd-out to "one" hdtv. If you have two hdtv's, like me, then you're stuck with sdtv out to the second. And sharing two tuners after using dual tuners to each tv is a worry. But I understand you can use the HDMI from the 622 as well as the RGB, so you could supply two hdtv's....???

A good thing about the 622 is it records ota hd, so really you have 3 tuners.

ANyway, last week I got a chance to see the 622 live. My niece just got one so I got to play with it a bit. 
First thing I loved right away is the interface, to me, much nicer than the tivo or dtivo. A lot faster, slicker and just more user friendly. I liked it right away. And the remote has skip keys, like 30 sec. I know dtivo does too but the 622 has more user options in skipping around. 
And you can record both hd ota and satellite hd. 

On the bad side, dish will give you only one 622 dvr. If you have two hdtv's, you are stuck with one hd dvr and maybe a second non-dvr hd receiver for the second hdtv. Some say you can buy a second 622 from a third party but I have not been able to confirm dish will let you activate a second 622. I ask a dish rep and she simply said NO.

So my decision is... can I live with a limited 622 hd dvr with two hdtv's?
Can I maybe figure out a tweak using the HDMI off the 622?
Do I really watch the second hdtv enough to be so picky?
Will D* really add more HD in the near future. I have been reading posts for the last few years massive D* hd is just around the corner. They said it for 2003 when voom came along. They said it for 2004. They once said D* would get all vooms hd programming when voom died, and D* did not. They said to wait for 2004, 2005, 2006 and now 2007???? Hummmmmm A hard decision.


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## kbohip (Dec 30, 2003)

rmassey said:


> What's your monthly bill for both services?
> 
> Pro/cons to me :
> 
> ...


Ok, did you just read my mind and post what you saw?


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## kbohip (Dec 30, 2003)

randym431 said:


> On the bad side, dish will give you only one 622 dvr. If you have two hdtv's, you are stuck with one hd dvr and maybe a second non-dvr hd receiver for the second hdtv. Some say you can buy a second 622 from a third party but I have not been able to confirm dish will let you activate a second 622. I ask a dish rep and she simply said NO.


I was told the same thing when I wanted to "upgrade" to a dual tuner 522 DVR with Dish. After being a customer with them for over 5 years, they wouldn't let me have (ie, buy) one of their new dual tuner DVR's! They told me that they were only making them available to new subs. Like an idiot, I stayed with Dish and bought a 522 off Ebay. Anyway, I found a phone number to call at Dish from a forum and they activated the 522 for me no problem.

It really angered me that I had to go behind their backs just to get a simple SD dual tuner DVR. It's angered me enough that I'll never go back to them. Their customer service is THE worst and their policies towards current customers are horrible. Don't get me started on all of their stupid fees either. Can you tell I hate Dish?


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## rmassey (Sep 5, 2002)

kbohip said:


> Ok, did you just read my mind and post what you saw?


LOL 

As you can see I've been giving this some thought. Given my viewing habits (mostly HD locals), no interest in sports and my interest to keep my monthly bill as low as possible, I stick with D* (for now). I did a pirce comparrison and Dish wold cost me more/mo and I would have less DVRs in my house. I am just waiting this one out. My current D* contract runs thru Aug 2007 and I will re-evaluate the options again. I love these discussion as it makes me think of more pros/cons to make my decision next year.


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## HomieG (Feb 17, 2003)

jdag said:


> But the DVR is horrible in my opinion.


What make and model cable DVR?


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## MeStinkBAD (Jul 16, 2003)

TyroneShoes said:


> If I were to rate them on a scale of 1-10, 1 being unusable and 10 being a dream DVR, I would have to place the DTV DVR (HR20) at a 2, the HR10 at a 9 (with 6.3a, an 8 with 3.1), the SA 8300 at a 4 and the DISH VIP 622 at a 5. That makes the DISH DVR 2nd best. A distant 2nd, but above everything else.


Boy... your dream DVR is pretty pathetic... I mean my dream DVR would have...

Up to 4+ tuners..
PIP for every tuner...
MPEG2, MPEG4, and anolog support...
etc you get the idea

I rate the HR10 about 4 or 5. Though paired with D*'s HDTV lineup... it's much closer to 4. My HR10's HD failed about a month ago. Took me a week to notice, and I still haven't repaired it. Why? Cuz they're no HD content.

Another disappointing thing with the HR10 is though it supports 4 separate sources, you can only view two of those sources simultaneously. This is no doubt because of a software limitation. But the more tuners the better...

I'm not gonna switch to dish cuz it's just not worth it. Though I hope by the time D* adds MPEG4 support to my area they have a DVR for it. Even without a DVR I'm gonna switch.


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## ethanjacejacob (Apr 3, 2006)

I never had Dish Network, but since it has HEIDI instead of NFL SUNDAY TICKET I will bever be a Dish Network subscriber.


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## dmurphy (Jan 17, 2002)

ethanjacejacob said:


> I never had Dish Network, but since it has HEIDI instead of NFL SUNDAY TICKET I will bever be a Dish Network subscriber.


Aah, the Heidi Bowl ... one of NBC's finer moments. 

Just to jump into this discussion ....

The problem I have is that DirecTV is -by far- the most economical choice for me.

I absolutely refuse to deal with a non-DVR receiver of any variety. I'm way too spoiled by trick play, recording, and soforth, that there's no way I'll live without it.

Having said that ... that means I -own-:
1 - HR10-250 in the family room;
1 - HDVR2 in the living room;
1 - SD-DVR40 in the bedroom;
1 - GXCEBOT in my office;
1 - spare GXCEBOT;
and I lease:
1 - R15 in my wife's scrapbook room

Now, if I were to subscribe with either Dish or Cablevision, they'd charge me so much more than DirecTV for DVR service, it'd kill me. The per-box fees are ridiculous.

I love my TiVos as much as the next person (though frankly, the R15 doesn't rub me as wrong as it does others. I still prefer the TiVo, but it's certainly not as awful as it sounds from reading the boards ...), but the real reason I stick around is because of the cost.

I paid a $200 lifetime membership many moons ago, which means it costs me the same monthly for a receiver, DVR or not ...

IF Dish or Cablevision offered me the same package I have with DirecTV, with as many DVRs as I have with DirecTV, for less money than I pay DirecTV, we might have something to talk about. Till then, it's all about DTV.


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