Dishnetwork and Tivo (1 Viewer)

[Omard.]

Is it true that a standalone Tivo will not work with Dishnetwork?

 

[Robert_J]

Not true.

 

[Stephen Tu]

Not true, but one should also consider the alternatives of either:
- switch to DirecTV, get DirecTivo
or
- get Dish Network's PVR, which has less sophisticated software but is cheaper & will get better AV quality than a standalone Tivo hooked up to a standard Dish receiver.

 

[Omard.]

Directv is to expensive. I'm getting a FREE HD receiver from dish. If I want there PVR I would have to pay 350.00, and that is just not worth it to me since there PVR is not as good as a TIVO.

What should I ask before I switch to Dish? What type of Dish receiver do I need to get?

 

[Robert_J]

If I want there PVR I would have to pay 350.00, and that is just not worth it to me since there PVR is not as good as a TIVO.

Whose PVR is $350? Dish has their entry models which are much cheaper but only have single tuners. The dual tuner 721 is around $500. To add a stand alone Tivo will cost you $199 plus $300 for a lifetime subscription. Free HD receiver + $500 PVR = $500. DirecTivo deal for new customers $40. After install get the HD upgrade $399. Total cost $440 and you have a dual tuner PVR.

From what I've read over at AVS, Dish is out of the free 811 HD reveivers.

-Robert

 

[Omard.]

I called them yesterday and they had some. I already have a TIVO that is why I don't want there PVR. I want to use my TIVO with DISH. Directv will cost me way to much. I would have to spend $40 for the TIVO and $399 For the HD. I paid $265 for an 80hr TIVO and it will be free for the hd tuner. $265 seems better to me than $440. Is there a problem with DISH that I should be aware of?

 

[Robert_J]

Is there a problem with DISH that I should be aware of?

No really. I actually switched from DirecTV to Dish for about 18 months. I used the model 6000 HD receiver. It was your basic receiver. I bought it because Dish advertised it was OpenTV ready and they would send the upgraded software soon. Delay after delay and then they announce that the 6000 does not have the memory for the OpenTV upgrade. I also had one of their early PVRs. It never had a stable operating system. When it did decide to record (it missed a lot of recordings), you had to watch it quickly because it would randomly erase the contents of the hard drive.

These problems and reading about others on the net gave me a bad outlook on Dish. I sold everything at a loss and picked up a DirecTivo and later a HD receiver. If you decide to go with Dish, I hope everything works for you.

-Robert

 

[Stephen Tu]

Selling the Tivo should be considered; integrated PVRs give much better AV quality. Factor in lifetime service Tivo costs if you keep it (or sell it, as you can recover most of the fee on resale), vs. the monthly charges on sat. (If you are paying monthly on the standalone Tivo service, you are making a financial mistake).

Looks like Dish is cheaper in that they give free HD & ask $300 (not $350 I think), while DirecTV would want $99 for the DirecTivo and another $399 for high-def receiver. Essentially an extra $200 (plus some shipping charges I think) for dual-recording capability & the superior Tivo software.

Are you sure you will be satisfied with live-only HD? HD PVRs are coming out any month now. Personally I would not want to waste my new subscription subsidy on a non-PVR HD receiver from either DirecTV or Dish. I would wait until the HD DirecTivo and Dish 921 come out & look to see if they offer any deals on those instead. I am renting an HD box from my cable company in the interim, and will compare box capabilities, programming & pricing for all 3 options (all with HD PVR capability) in ~March/April before committing myself long term. Why get stuck with an expensive HD receiver? They will lose a lot of value IMO because people will be wanting the PVR models.

 

[Omard.]

I'm in a bit of a wifely bind here. I purchased a SA TIVO on November 25th for $265.00 after rebates and what not. Then I was under the impression that my cable (Comcast) would continue to be at a low monthly cost, but it ended up going up alot about $60.00 a month. My wife does not share my love for HT as I do. Was very upset about this price increase and told to take care of it. So I started to look at our options I want a Tivo and I want HD and can not spend any more money. Dish seems like the best solution and from what I hear there pvr sucks. What am I to do?

 

[Stephen Tu]

Hmm, since you bought the Tivo so recently you may also have the option of just returning it, for max flexibility. I hope you didn't cut up the box and send in for the rebates before being absolutely sure you were keeping it, else you will lose some on resale. You didn't buy lifetime service yet? That $300 (or way more, in the long run, going monthly) can go a long way in reducing the real total price over time of the other options. You shouldn't ignore it in your cost calculations as you seem to be doing above.

I wouldn't say Dish DVR "sucks". It's "inferior", but if you are sold on Dish network the improved video/sound would be enough to outweigh the software disadvantage for some people. It's also cheaper than standalone Tivo after you factor in service fees. You shouldn't be thinking "$265 for the 80 hr Tivo"; you should be thinking "$565 + $0 month" vs. "free + $5/month" for Dish or "$99 + $5/month" for DirecTV. Then HD costs an additional $300 for Dish (since they give you either free HD or free PVR, not both), an additional $400 for DirecTV.

Dish would probably be cheapest if you need immediate HD gratification & can live with non-PVR HD. My feeling is that you will not, in the long run; once you get used to PVR viewing, non-PVR viewing just sucks. You will be itching to upgrade.

If you just return everything and just stand pat, do you think you can coax another $200 out of your wife in 3-5 months? HD Tivo is expected to cost about $800, maybe it can go down to $600 in a new sub deal. You'd have full capabilities if you can hold off till then. Instead of paying $565 for your Tivo now, and being stuck with non-PVR HD & non-integrated SD viewing, for just a bit more you get dual recording, HD/SD, full quality, Tivo software. That's definitely the route I'd take.

Does Comcast offer HD in your area? I'm paying $50/ month for extended basic + HD box rental. Maybe there are some rarely watched channels you can cut to get your bill down. Plus, in some areas next month Comcast is supposed to start renting out their HD DVR; if it's released in your location for $10/month you can tide yourself over until the HD Tivo comes out.

Sometimes it is better to wait a few months and get what you really want, then get something right away & being stuck with inferior equipment. Things will be much clearer in March/April. Only people for whom money is a non-issue can get away with getting things as soon as they want them.

 

[Omard.]

That sounds like a good idea any offical word on the release dates of these hd pvrs? I will have to think these things over.

 

[Stephen Tu]

March/April for HD DirecTivo. This month/next month for Dish 921, supposedly. (I prefer HD DirecTivo, 2 OTA + 2 sat tuners, vs. Dish's 1 OTA + 2 sat tuners. Can't record two OTA shows on at the same time with the latter.)

For Comcast, go to www.comcast.com, "what's in my area". It will tell you whether HDTV is available at your address, and if you go to the ordering page there is a signup form to get email when their DVR is available. As soon as next month in selected areas.

 

[STLMIKE]

Any idea on how much the new Dish Network HD PVR will cost? I'm about to jump on this with their 510 PVR. I hadn't planned on getting an HD PVR, as I thought they weren't going to be out for a while, but a month or 2 is appealing.

When they come out w/something new like this, do they usually discount it? Also, will they charge more per month for the HD?

My RPTV is HD-Ready, will I need anything else besides the HD PVR to view channels in HD? Is the HD signal carried to the TV over coax or component video?

Thanks, Mike

 

[Robert_J]

Also, will they charge more per month for the HD?

I'm pretty sure there is a charge for the HD programming package just like DirecTV does.

-Robert