Considering Change From The Other Guys

[az99]

I left D** several years ago because of constant price increases and having to call and beg for discounts to keep my bill at a sane level to watch mostly commercials. Now after 2 years with D*** it is the same deal. However they seem to have several features D** does not have like 16 tuners, Primetime, and easy commercial skip. We rarely watch sports and don't subscribe to HBO etc.
What do you D** guys do about the shortage of tuners and timer disputes with having to always schedule network shows to run long ?
I don't want to switch and have the same deal again and lose usability.

Thanx for your opinions.

 

[Aridon]

I'll probably leave for an IP provider with a DVR function. Vue as an example.

 

[Jimbo]

I left D** several years ago because of constant price increases and having to call and beg for discounts to keep my bill at a sane level to watch mostly commercials. Now after 2 years with D*** it is the same deal. However they seem to have several features D** does not have like 16 tuners, Primetime, and easy commercial skip. We rarely watch sports and don't subscribe to HBO etc.
What do you D** guys do about the shortage of tuners and timer disputes with having to always schedule network shows to run long ?
I don't want to switch and have the same deal again and lose usability.

Thanx for your opinions.

You left who for who ?

Do you need 16 tuners, or even have that many in your system, if not, it's overkill.

D* (Directv) only raises prices once a year, in what is usually now March. Thats it.

 

[ejb1980]

I left D** several years ago because of constant price increases and having to call and beg for discounts to keep my bill at a sane level to watch mostly commercials. Now after 2 years with D*** it is the same deal. However they seem to have several features D** does not have like 16 tuners, Primetime, and easy commercial skip. We rarely watch sports and don't subscribe to HBO etc.
What do you D** guys do about the shortage of tuners and timer disputes with having to always schedule network shows to run long ?
I don't want to switch and have the same deal again and lose usability.

Thanx for your opinions.

I have never had too few tuners and never had to schedule a show to run long, other than a live event, that is what I do about it.

 

[Spike]

I too had concerns about the number of tuners, or the lack of, that Directv offers compared to Dish Network's Hopper. Still I went ahead and subscribed to Directv after giving it a great deal of thought and research, as to how Directv makes recording and viewing shows happen. Once I learned that we wouldn't have to miss recording any show that we wanted to see, because 72 Hour rewind and On Demand had our basis covered, should we miss a show, I chose Directv without reservation. I went and got the Genie and a second HD DVR (The HR 24). We also have two wireless Mini's, so all in all we have 4 viewing locations and a total of 7 tuners, as compared to the Hoppers 16. I use the 5 tuner Genie in the Main Viewing area and the HR 24 in the secondary area, where there is slightly less activity involving it. We used to record impulsively, when we had more tuners. Now we record on a priority basis. And when we record, we rely on 2nd showings of tv shows and movies. Often times a show that may be in conflict with something of a higher priority will also come on an hour or two later on the same channel. What we have found is that we haven't missed a single show that we've wanted to see. The other thing we do is communicate to make sure that the person watching tv from the HR 24 never misses out on a recording. If they need us to record a show on the Genie for a night, we will gladly make that happen. Yet, as strange as this may sound, we've never even had to record a show for a single viewing yet. I've only had Directv for a couple of weeks, but, I must say, everyone is extremely happy with the number of tuners that we have. We don't miss the 16 tuners like we thought that we would. I'd like to add one last thought too. Directv does things in a different way than Dish Network does. They provide a feature that they call 72 hour rewind. We use this a whole lot. For example, one of the shows that we watch every week is Mr. Robot on the USA Network. We know that it comes on Wed. night. If it is missed, we simply and easily just use the 72 hour rewind feature, and are watching that show without any sweat. To sum up, when I made the decision to go with Directv, I had my concerns about not having the Hopper 3's features. Now, to be very honest, I could not care less about the Hopper. Yes, I think it is the best HD DVR out there, but, I also have found that I don't need it even half as much as I thought I did. I'm so glad that I made the choice of going with Directv. Now, that I'm used to the Genie, I realize that just because it is different doesn't make it lack quality. It does what it does very very well and meets our needs exceptionally well! I wish you well as you make your choice.

 

[Spike]

... Oh, and Directv has the same feature that Dish Network does, where you can have the HD DVR start to record minutes early (or longer) and end minutes later (or longer). When I record football for example, I always have the DVR extend the recording by a whole lot more than the schedule on the guide reads. I think the HD DVR's will record up to 3 hours beyond the guide's scheduled time. So adding length to the recording either before or after what the guide reads is easy to take care of with either the Genie or the HR 24. I hope that helps. Hey, who knows, maybe making the switch over to Directv isn't for you. Again, I wish you the best.

 

[Spike]

Oh, and just one more thing. I encourage you to go to the Directv website and watch all of their videos on the Genie, the Genie Mini, On Demand, and Whole Home viewing. That way, you will know exactly what Directv does to provide you with the content that you seek.

 

[az99]

Spike- Thank You very much for the very in depth explanation. A couple quick questions.
1. Does that 72 hr. rewind include all the network shows like ABC,CBS,NBC?
2. Does the HR-24 become part of the whole home so it and the Genie's recordings can be viewed from any location?
3. How much did they charge you for the HR-24?

Thanx Again

 

[Jimbo]

Spike- Thank You very much for the very in depth explanation. A couple quick questions.
1. Does that 72 hr. rewind include all the network shows like ABC,CBS,NBC?
2. Does the HR-24 become part of the whole home so it and the Genie's recordings can be viewed from any location?
3. How much did they charge you for the HR-24?

Thanx Again

2. Yes it does.
3. Typically $199.
However you can always call and see if they can do better.

 

[mdram]

too few tuners?
6 months ago it was 5 vs 3
if you had enough then, you will have enough if you switch

 

[az99]

I had 2 HR-24's with DTV = 4 Not enough
I had 2-Hopper with Dish = 6 Barely enough Hopper 3 with 16 is way more than enough
DTV Genie at only 5 is definitely not enough but adding an HR-24 would probably work at 7 total

 

[inazsully]

Has anybody heard anything regarding "D"s plans for the next upgrade for the Genie? I've watched "D" and "E" upstage each other since the days of Echo Star. I'm sure "D" has something up it's sleeve to go head to head with the Hopper 3. With the future of 4K looming and somewhat present now, I'm sure that feature will play a big part.

 

[mdram]

they are not saying anything.
I know am waiting. and wont upgrade until i hear whats to come

 

[az99]

I had hoped that they were feeling the pressure and asked about getting 2 Genies. They still say only 1 per customer.

 

[Spike]

Spike- Thank You very much for the very in depth explanation. A couple quick questions.
1. Does that 72 hr. rewind include all the network shows like ABC,CBS,NBC?
2. Does the HR-24 become part of the whole home so it and the Genie's recordings can be viewed from any location?
3. How much did they charge you for the HR-24?

Thanx Again

Yes, the HR 24 is a part of the Whole Home set up, and you can access any recording from any set up location in the house, no matter where it was recorded from. When I was contemplating whether I would be going with Directv, I asked how long of a trial period I had, just in case I found out after the install that I really needed more tuners. I have a neurological brain disease, so I can't remember what they told me. I think that they said I had two weeks to check it out. Anyway, it was good to know that, and it is obvious that I stayed with Directv after the install. I am satisfied with what I have.

 

[Spike]

Has anybody heard anything regarding "D"s plans for the next upgrade for the Genie? I've watched "D" and "E" upstage each other since the days of Echo Star. I'm sure "D" has something up it's sleeve to go head to head with the Hopper 3. With the future of 4K looming and somewhat present now, I'm sure that feature will play a big part.

If you hunt around here on Satellite Guys a little bit, I know that there has been some discussion about this, which, as I remember (with My Neuro disease using the word remember is dangerous LOL) the increase in future tuners would involve Directv's Current Genie technology. But, as I have stated, I do have a brain disease, so please look for that information here on Sat. Guys, and DO NOT take my word for it.

 

[anex80]

I switched from Dish to DTV earlier this year and haven't had any tuner conflicts. DTV is more accurate with its timing so I've found that I don't need to extend recordings or start early. This helps with the #of tuners needed as it cuts out overlaps.

I did opt for a HR 24 to complement the Genie but don't need it. We have all of our "important" stuff set to record on the Genie and use the HR 24 for stuff that doesn't really matter if it records or not.

One downside I've found with this setup is that you can only stream 1 recording at a time from the HR 24 at another location so keep that in mind.

Concerning the Hopper3, I've found the only feature I really miss is the Sports Bar mode. I would love to be able to put 4 NFL games on the screen at once but that would be having your cake and eating too.

 

[Troch77]

I switched from Dish to DTV earlier this year and haven't had any tuner conflicts. DTV is more accurate with its timing so I've found that I don't need to extend recordings or start early. This helps with the #of tuners needed as it cuts out overlaps.

I did opt for a HR 24 to complement the Genie but don't need it. We have all of our "important" stuff set to record on the Genie and use the HR 24 for stuff that doesn't really matter if it records or not.

One downside I've found with this setup is that you can only stream 1 recording at a time from the HR 24 at another location so keep that in mind.

Concerning the Hopper3, I've found the only feature I really miss is the Sports Bar mode. I would love to be able to put 4 NFL games on the screen at once but that would be having your cake and eating too.

How does dish even provide 4 NFL games at once?
Im sure they can't since locally there is at most only 2 Live games at once.
You would need Sunday Ticket to View more than 2 games at 1 time.
So IMO you aren't missing anything.

 

[Jimbo]

I had 2 HR-24's with DTV = 4 Not enough
I had 2-Hopper with Dish = 6 Barely enough Hopper 3 with 16 is way more than enough
DTV Genie at only 5 is definitely not enough but adding an HR-24 would probably work at 7 total

That's what most have done I would think ... I know I did.
Genie and add HR24s as needed. But I did that years ago.

 

[Jimbo]

I switched from Dish to DTV earlier this year and haven't had any tuner conflicts. DTV is more accurate with its timing so I've found that I don't need to extend recordings or start early. This helps with the #of tuners needed as it cuts out overlaps.

I did opt for a HR 24 to complement the Genie but don't need it. We have all of our "important" stuff set to record on the Genie and use the HR 24 for stuff that doesn't really matter if it records or not.

One downside I've found with this setup is that you can only stream 1 recording at a time from the HR 24 at another location so keep that in mind.

Concerning the Hopper3, I've found the only feature I really miss is the Sports Bar mode. I would love to be able to put 4 NFL games on the screen at once but that would be having your cake and eating too.

You can do that with the ST !