Is DirecTivo worth leaving DISH? (1 Viewer)

[Steve Elias]

I would like to add a PVR to the system, and the majority of my research suggests that DirecTivo is the best PVR for most people thanks to fewer bugs/problems, an intuitive interface and, perhaps, a superior feature or two.

If I stay with DISH I can lease a 510 now, or a 522 in February(?), whereas I can buy a DirecTivo for $49 after rebate.

DirecTV - own a superior PVR (lose the Sirius music channels)
DISH - lease an inferior PVR (keep the SIRIUS music channels)

For those in the know, did/do you find the DirecTiVo advantage over DISH PVR's significant enough to make switching worthwhile? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

-Steve

 

[Robert_J]

I left Dish for DirecTV and the DirecTivo. It was the best TV watching change I have ever made. I now find it difficult to watch TV without Tivo. The convenience factor becomes normal. I don't worry about working late, Tivo is recording all of my favorite shows. I don't worry about networks changing their schedule, Tivo handles that for me. I don't miss part of a show because I'm interrupted by a phone call, I just hit the Pause button.

It has just been announced that the 522 will get name based recording like the Tivo. Based on Dish's track record with major software changes, it will work correctly sometime next year. Also, this past summer, name based recording was announced for all Dish PVR's. They have since backed off of that statement and will only upgrade the 522 and newer models. People who spent $500 on a 721 or $1,000 on a 921 with the promise of upgrades are left out in the cold. I see a lot of people making the switch.

-Robert

 

[Elinor]

Both DirectTV and Dish have announced they are converting to MPEG4 encoding. This is going to likely (eventually) obsolete all existing receivers.

I wound't sink too much $$ into either company's receivers, DVR, or especially a HD-DVR, until the rollout/upgrade plan is clarified.

 

[Steve Elias]

Thank you both for the useful info.

Does educated speculation suggest anything about a time frame for the MPEG4 conversion? If it might be in the next few months I'll definitely wait. If it's more likely to be a two years off proposition I'll go ahead and get the a PVR/Tivo. I assume no one really knows, but even a best guess will help me with my decision making process. Thanks again.

-Steve

 

[MikeSh]

Steve, I made the switch almost 2 years ago and I haven't looked back once since.

A suggestion, buy the 40 hour recorder and then upgrade it yourself or buy a larger HDD already formatted for use. You can get a replacement 120GB HDD for about 140USD that is plug and play. Put the original disk aside if you have problems later.

MikeS.

 

[Elinor]

Steve, I think a few minutes searching on Satelliteguys.us or dbstalk web sites can produce actual dates for the MPEG4 rollouts. I think DirectTv has less bandwidth trouble than Dish right now, so I would expect them to do it more gradually. I think Dish is looking at starting late this year ...

 

[Robert_J]

Years. It takes a tremendous amount of time to switch out 12 million receivers. Most people don't have a clue how these things work anyway and a technician will have to come to their house and make the switch. HD programming will be first and rumors/speculation have that being at least 18 months away.

-Robert