Directv HD Tivo... Wise decision at this point???? (1 Viewer)

[jeff lam]

I've been wanting one of these since they first got released but couldnt afford it at $1000. I finally saved up the money to buy one and with the price drop, it seemed like a good deal. However now I'm hearing with the mpeg4 birds they just sent up these boxes will be worthless in a year. Whats the scoop on this?

 

[Charlie Campisi]

You can get these for less than $200 now. See the coupon/bargain forum or tivocommunity.com for info. Hard to argue with it at that price if you get even a year out of it.

They will not be able to decode mpeg4. They use OTA tuners for local HD and they will always be able to record HD from those local stations. D* will also be broadcasting the mpeg2 streams for awhile as they phase in the new mpeg4 channels. Initially, the mpeg4 channels are only going to be local HD broadcasts. It is expected to take some time before significant HD content will ONLY be avail in mpeg4. Lastly, D* has always been good to their customers about swapping out old or non-functioning equipment. Offending the customers that are the most high tech and have the budget and desire to buy the most expensive and techy equipment would be bad for business.

I am all over this deal. And it's not just me. I ordered mine 2 weeks ago when the price crashed and got it for about $170 including programming credits and rebates. Not to mention I'll sell my non-dvr box for maybe $125 on ebay. It's a no brainer. The problem is my installation has been cancelled twice because they keep running out of stock. It is now rescheduled for Saturday, just in time for football season.

 

[jeff lam]

Seems like a deal. Where did you buy from?

 

[Charlie Campisi]

directv. you have to call customer retention, not the 1-800-directv number. look in the coupon and bargain forum for the info. more detailed info is on www.tivocommunity.com in the hd forum. the thread is call "major price drop today."