HDDirecTivo Now or Wait?

[Beeek]

I am currently a long time D* sub w/ a DirecTivo, abs. love it. I also have Cablevision for my HD content w/ their DVR (it's ok/not too bad at all). I am in the Philly market, so I should be able to get the D* NY HD feeds b/c they are all (4) O&O.

My D* bill is a tad under $100 a month, my cablevision bill is a tad under $100 month (including cable modem). So if I dumped the TV content from Cablevision I could save about $50 a month. I thought maybe that would pay for a directTivo HD box in a little over a year. This would also simplify viewing, plus I like the Tivo interface MUCH more than the Cablevision DVR.

However people are saying I would be stupid to make this move right before the Mpeg4 revolution due. DirecTv is going to take away the tivo, and whatever the replacement (whenever it shows up) will be not too nice.

Example post is on tivocommunity post #235999.

What would you do in my shoes....and why?

1.) Get the tivo now and pay an unkown amount to switch to a mpeg4 DVR this year?
2.) Wait on the Mpeg4 DVR offering?
3.) Stick w/ two providers?

Input is very very welcome...

THANKS in advance,
Beeek

 

[slacker9876]

While I'll concede there is nothing better than a TiVo today, this will not be the case in the future. Both the DirecTV NDS box and the proposed Echostar units look impressive. Whole house solutions from a single unit, this is how it should be.

I own an HD TiVo and I love it. I purchased it from VE and I know that when D* makes the MPEG4 change, I'll get a new unit for free. You would too ... you can check with Robert at VE.

The HD content on D* currently leaves much to be desired, it is not worth 10.99/mo if you ask me. Most of my HD Viewing is OTA. I TiVo all Law&Order, 24, Numbers and some others. I am only keeping the D* HD offering as long as I keep getting it for free. This will change (I hope) with DirecTV-8 but it is a ways off. In Philly, you would likely get all the OTA stations ... if you are metro. No need for watered down O&O stations via satellite.

If I were in your shoes ... I would wait. There will be a lot of changes to your market by July and you may get it all (HD, MPEG-4, etc) for a 1-year commit. It's not like you're goign to miss the Super Bowl or Stanley Cup finals (Go Flyers!) if you wait. In my opinion sports are the leading draw/use of High Def.

Isn't "cablevision" illegal in Philly since this is the home market for comcast? Just Kidding!

 

[vurbano]

I own an HD TiVo and I love it. I purchased it from VE and I know that when D* makes the MPEG4 change, I'll get a new unit for free. You would too ... you can check with Robert at VE.

IF D* or Robert puts that in writing "FREE" (no games, no pay for it and then give me program credits if I sign a contract) and signs it then I will buy one. Until I see that well,

 

[silversurfer]

Beek, welcome to SatelliteGuys...as you can already see this topic has strong opinions either way. I think this is a choice you have to make and then be willing to live with the consequences.

 

[slacker9876]

Here you go Vurbano it is written. D* announced this in conjunction with the announcement of MPEG4 / SpaceWAY / DirecTV 8. I cannot remember where (and I am not looking) but they have some many, many millions in reserve for Q1 '06 to subsidize the MPEG4 for the customers.

Either way ... why spend $600 (after VE & D* discounts) on this unit when D* just announced a lease program to be rolled out? That was my point.

 

[Beeek]

In Philly, you would likely get all the OTA stations ... if you are metro. No need for watered down O&O stations via satellite.
.....
It's not like you're goign to miss the Super Bowl or Stanley Cup finals (Go Flyers!) if you wait
.....
Isn't "cablevision" illegal in Philly since this is the home market for comcast? Just Kidding!

I am in Central NJ about 40 miles from the philly towers and have had issues before at these distances in the NYC market. OTA is not a slam dunk according to the antenna website. One station would be "large directional w/ amplifier".

Missing the flyers, but not b/c of TV companies (well not directly). And I am in that central / south jersey market which cablevision stops at, my more nothern cable company I moved from was Comcast, but they couldn't cary the Comcast Sports Net, b/c we were Devils/Nets property. Now I live in "Comcast Country" and don't get Comcast and thus, no CSN HD.

Ok, thanks for your "wait" vote.

 

[Sean Mota]

Beeek,

I just recently installed D* with their HD DirecTivo. I dropped Cablevision bill and lowered my DishNetwork to only HD Pack with 1 receiver. I am using 7 receivers with D*. It all depends on what your options are. I never ordered the one from Cablevision but had an SD DVR from E* (which I sold). Why am I saying this? I had the experience with E* SD DVR. I was without it for for almost two years until now. I have very little time to watch LIVE TV until fall of 2005. So I needed an HD Tivo if I still wanted to watch the programs and follow some of the series that I watch. The HDTivo has been very good so far and it works as advertised. The interface is a little different but once you get the hang of it, you will like it. I was assured by Robert as well (from VE) that D* will replace the HDTivo without cost, so I decided to invest the money on it. Am I counting only this? No. If it does happen, I'll welcome that. If it does not well, I lost some money but at the same time, I could have not done it any other way. Good luck with your decision. Ultimately, you are who needs to make the decision.

 

[Beeek]

Beek, welcome to SatelliteGuys...as you can already see this topic has strong opinions either way. I think this is a choice you have to make and then be willing to live with the consequences.

Thanks surfer for the welcome, I found the forum from a Google search, and enjoy the depth of discussions.

I read last night till late, and looks like I just scratched the surface, b/c at lunch today I started seeing the heated debates (looked for O&O discussions last night), so I apologize for the can of worms rehashed. It's just my situation was a little different with Cablevision in the picture.

Here's another question I was wondering what the current consensous was on. How long would Mpeg2 HDs be around for before you were "forced" to convert? I have seen Robert say he though a year or two, is that the current line of thought. B/C at my current cable rate it would only take 13 months to pay from my HDirecTivo.

And it most likely will be July-August-Sept b4 we could even think of seeing the HDVR that will do MPEG4?

Re,
Beeek

 

[vurbano]

Here you go Vurbano it is written. D* announced this in conjunction with the announcement of MPEG4 / SpaceWAY / DirecTV 8.

Im sorry but the only semi official thing has been an off the cuff statement by a D* rep in a conference call about not making it too painful for HDtivo owners to upgrade to a new HDtivo box. And now an HDtivo dealer is saying it will be "Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee". For a Grand, I need a little more than that slacker. Also, one has to understand what D* means by "free". With D* that usually means... give me 300 bucks and I will give you this if you sign a 12 month contract and I will give you 300 dollars of programming credits. That is NOT free.

 

[dogbert]

Here you go Vurbano it is written. D* announced this in conjunction with the announcement of MPEG4 / SpaceWAY / DirecTV 8. I cannot remember where (and I am not looking) but they have some many, many millions in reserve for Q1 '06 to subsidize the MPEG4 for the customers.

Either way ... why spend $600 (after VE & D* discounts) on this unit when D* just announced a lease program to be rolled out? That was my point.

No offense to you slacker, your post just happens to be on topic, but whoever actually reads the posting (8k? - I'm not searching through them for this post) from D* will find that in 2006 they will be taking a charge (accounting - against earnings) for the upgrading of equipment to MPEG-4. NOWHERE does D* publicly state that they will FULLY fund end user transitions to MPEG-4 that is just the optomistic spin some individuals would hope to be the case.

I have been with D* for 8 years, never once was anything free, they may have provided a discount (usually in the $100-$200 range with 1 year agreement) for any new services / equipment and am confident that this will be the case in the future.

A perfcet example was when I went to HD they wanted to sell me a refurbished HD box for $399 (they were $499 new at the time) and I was free to locate my own 3-lnb dish in the process. Since they didn't know the model they would be sending me (1 of 2 whatever shipped next, 1 didn't have HD & SD simultaneous output) I chose to pay retail for what I actually wanted (HTL-HD).

I hope that everyone who has HD equipment (myself included ) is taking care of during the transition (free would be great), all I'm saying is don't count your chickens...

 

[rustolemite]

Well worth the money I have enjoyed it every min. get to watch so many shows that I would not have seen otherwise .. and really enjoy being able to record my network shows in HD ... from everything I have read you will not be left high and dry when a switch comes and really haven't read where there is a definite date on that, but if your like me I have no plans on leaving D so what ever than plan is if its a 1 yr contract or whatever I will be okay with that.

rustolemite

 

[silversurfer]

Thanks surfer for the welcome, I found the forum from a Google search, and enjoy the depth of discussions.

I read last night till late, and looks like I just scratched the surface, b/c at lunch today I started seeing the heated debates (looked for O&O discussions last night), so I apologize for the can of worms rehashed. It's just my situation was a little different with Cablevision in the picture.

Here's another question I was wondering what the current consensous was on. How long would Mpeg2 HDs be around for before you were "forced" to convert? I have seen Robert say he though a year or two, is that the current line of thought. B/C at my current cable rate it would only take 13 months to pay from my HDirecTivo.

And it most likely will be July-August-Sept b4 we could even think of seeing the HDVR that will do MPEG4?

Re,
Beeek

No problems with the thread at all. I don't mind heated discussions as long as people don't start insulting each other....I have owned the HR10-250 for almost a year now and I love it. What DMA market are you in? If your not in one of the top 12 it will be a considerable amount of time before you see MPEG-4 anyway. Might be worth cutting that cord.

 

[Beeek]

What DMA market are you in?

I am in Philly (just out of the reach of NYC), so I will be one of the first 12.

 

[slacker9876]

Good points from all. I spoke with Robert at VE on the phone. I was told to expect that for a 1-year commitment, I should EXPECT to receive owned receivers that are MPEG-4 capable for a shipping charge of 14.95 ea. Not quite free, but good enough for me. I can win or lose $500 playing cards on a given night, so I look at $14.95 as about $35 short of a raise with a suited Ace-Queen. Perhaps my perspective is slanted

Beeek - Try the Zenith Silver Sensor, I got one from VE (sensing a theme here?) and was able to pull all stations from Denver, CO & Cheyenne, WY when pointing correctly. It worked best when used in conjunction with my CM-4228. It is hightly directional but highly functional. The NHL sucks ... if there is no agreement by next year I might kill myself. Like silver surfer I love my HD TiVo, but you may get better value as a hold out.

 

[Hogarth]

And it most likely will be July-August-Sept b4 we could even think of seeing the HDVR that will do MPEG4?

You won't get an announcement until CES, January 2006, and I bet you the product won't be available until at least Q2 2006.

 

[Beeek]

I wanted the Tivo interface w/ HD so badly I jumped and bought one. Got an open box unit for $704 shipped, minus the credits from calling customer retention; got it down to around $400 which is within $25 of what I paid for my Sony T-60 when it was new. As long as they keep ESPN in MPEG2 for about a year. If they pulled it in say 6 months I would be bummed. But the $50/month I am paying my cable company right now will pay for that $400 in less than 3/4 year.

Thanks to all above for the positives and negatives, I appreciate the time you took.

Re,
Beeek