Dish or Direct (DVR and other issues) **Merged Thread** (1 Viewer)

[Glenn_N]

My knowledge of the Tivo system is limited to the owners manual as I have pulled it out of the box, but do not have it hooked up yet. When I bought the system the Direct TV was not working therefore I did not get to see it actually working. From the owners manual I have picked out a couple of differences compared to my Replay (Showstopper 2000).

The Tivo unit will only allow you to pause a show for 30 minutes or rewind a program 30 minutes. With my Replay you can rewind it back to when you originally turned to the channel regardless of time, and you can pause it for as long of time as you have left on the Hard Drive.

The Tivo recommends shows based on what you record. Not sure if this is a pro or con.

The Tivo only has 35 hours of recording time. My current Replay has 40 hours which is not enough. I was hoping to get at least 100 hours. I did see where digitalrecorder.tv sells self install larger hard drives to increase the recording space for about $200. Has anyone tried those? Advice?

Can't pause, record, or rewind listening music channels on the Tivo. No problem on the Replay system.

Enough complaining. I have pulled a couple of advantages over the Replay unit. I like the fact that you can create a wishlist to record a specific show or movie if it ever comes on.

Does anyone know if you record a program broadcast in Dolby will the Tivo/Direct Unit record it that way and play it back in Dolby?
Glenn

 

[Stephen Tu]

Does anyone know if you record a program broadcast in Dolby will the Tivo/Direct Unit record it that way and play it back in Dolby?

Yes, Dolby Digital recording/playback is a big advantage of the combo sat/PVR model, along with the video quality and dual tuners.

 

[Glenn_N]

The Tivo can also save the live buffer part of the current show to disk along with the rest of the show if you hit record; can Replay do this?

You are correct, Replay does not allow you to jump back in a show and start recording. I wish it did.

Is there anyone who has purchased the larger hard drives to replace or upgrade the amount of storage space on a Tivo or Replay unit? I see for about $200 I can upgrade the Direct/Tivo unit to 120 MB or roughly 100 hours of recording time. The website (mentioned earlier) states the kit is do it yourself. I know it voids the warranty, but the site says they will give you a warranty from their store if you upgrade.

Thanks for all of your input.
Glenn

 

[Robert_J]

I see for about $200 I can upgrade the Direct/Tivo unit to 120 MB or roughly 100 hours of recording time.

The older "Series 1" DirecTivos also have a drive bracket for a second hard drive. Drop in two 120GB drives and you will get around 200 hours of recording time. The newer HDVR2 (Series 2) does not have a bracket for a second drive. Weaknees sells dual drive brackets though.

If you want to upgrade for cheap, you can use the Hinsdale instructions and downloads to do your own upgrade.

-Robert

 

[Eric Mitchell]

Hi,
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who posted about the HDVR2 and their experiences with DirecTiVo. I lurked the boards for information and am thoroughly convinced of what I must do. I am anxiously waiting for 5pm to roll around to jump head first into such bliss. Thanks!

 

[James L White]

I think it depends if HDTV or having the NFL is more important, I have DTV and love it I'd never got back to cable

 

[Chris Gerhard]

I have a Panasonic Showstopper PV-HS2000 for local OTA and use the DirecTV DVR Powered by TiVo for DirecTV. I like both PVRs but prefer the TiVo by quite a margin. The longer buffer with the Showstopper is not of much benefit to me since you can't just hit record and record a portion of it, you would have to watch it right then to use it. With TiVo, just hit record and it will record the live buffer which is generally up to about 40 minutes, a little better than the 30 advertised. I have only observed and barely used the Dish Network PVRs but my opinion based on what I have seen and read is that ReplayTV is better than the Dish Network PVRs at least as far as PVR functionality. For use with Dish Network I would choose either a PVR508 or PVR721 since the better picture quality and Dolby Digital audio more than make up for the limited PVR functionality. The HDVR2 is a very stable and sophisticated PVR, the best PVR I have seen so far.

Chris

 

[Dan Hitchman]

TIVO and ReplayTV collect data on your viewing habits. This is a known fact. It is also known that the Feds have been trying to get this information put into a database, but without it being anonymous collecting. So far the courts have stopped this wholesale intrusion on your privacy, but for how much longer?

At least so far supposedly DISH's PVRs do not do this and do not charge a subscription fee.

If you need HD PVR technology, DISH looks like it's the answer for the moment.

DISH also will have much more space for HD once their satellite launches. They're publicly stating that they want to be the HDTV leader with at least 50 new HD channels at some point.

Meanwhile, Right-Wing leaning News Corp is greasing the political wheels in Congress to buy DirecTV (in an unprecedented move the Feds are going to allow a friendly Republican controlled trade subcommittee to decide the merger rather than the bipartisan FTC; this same committee disallowed DISH from buying DirecTV, but is handing DirecTV to Murdoch without a fight... wow what a shocker!). We all know how much News Corp likes HDTV.

Dan

 

[MikeMcNertney]

I'm surprised nobody commented on this. This ability (the "Season Pass" TiVo calls it) is probably my favorite feature of TiVo. I'm pretty sure I would not buy a PVR without it now. It is just incredibly convenient, and you don't have to worry about your favorite show changing times.

 

[RAF]

Mike,

Yes, the Season Pass feature of TIVO is a great feature. Since I am a DISH subscriber (and therefore tied into their PVRs) I have a question. What happens if you request, say, "Seinfeld?" Can you limit your request to a single channel or does the Season Pass record every occurrence of the show (like on TBS, local channel, etc. etc.) Or can you specify the parameters?

Dish has, when I've inquired, suggested that a later version of the software for their PVRs will add this feature since it is tied into the programming guide. I don't know if this is just talk or a realistic expectation. That said, more important to me is when a program runs over the scheduled time due to an extra-long sporting event, a breaking news story, or something else not reflected in the programming guide. As far as I know, you must anticipate this if it occurs on a regular basis (like CBS on Sunday nights with Football in the afternoon) by programming extra time in at the end of each desired program. I hope that someday the programming guide will be more interactive in that regard. Then everybody will be happy.

But I do agree. If you follow American Idol or Survivor, or other programs that seem to change their schedule and length of program on almost a weekly basis - SEASON PASS is a very, very nice thing.

 

[Christopher~O]

Go with a DirecTiVo. It costs a bit more more for the monthly service, but the TiVo's functionality is light years ahead of the Dish 501:

-TiVo has 2 tuners to record 2 programs
-Tivo has amazing search features
-TiVo records programs it thinks you might like based on your viewing habits
-SEASON's PASS!
-TiVo is easy to crack open and increase recording time (I've got 2 120GB drives with 225+ hours of time - that's a lot of Simpsons/Family Guy/Futurama!
-TiVo has a much sexier interface

That's just a few of the obvious things that come to mind. The 501 is basicly a glorified VCR that lets you pause/rew live TV. Yes I have both so I think this is an objective opinion! My 501 is subscribed to Bell and is only used to record CFL games (GO BLUE BOMBERS!)