R15 Versus TiVo! Must read for anyone interested in an R15

[stellar832000]

I have had a DTivo for two years, and recently got an R15....

Here is what I have gathered so far in terms of a comparison

I wanted the R15 because it was pleasing to the eye and I missed features like the Picture-in-Guide and Mini-guide (DTiVo does not have these), I had read many reviews basically telling anyone not to get it because it was not as "good" as a DTivo but I never really understood what everyone meant (not that, it would have stopped me, I was bent on getting one)

I have now had my R15 for about two weeks, the look is totally different from a dtivo. The dtivo has more of a techy feel while the R15 has a more basic, well...satellite receiver feel.

One of the biggest problems I have with the R15 is the response time, its not like using a D10 or D11 (both the R15 and D10 / D11 use a nearly identical interface), when you push a button (any button) on the R15 it takes a while you for to see any response from the receiver (sometimes it can take a few seconds) this is not good because then navigating menus there is such a lag time that a person can become frustrated and just quit.

One good thing is the Picture in guide, no matter where you go in the system you can continue watching TV, you even retain the ability to pause, rewind and fast forward. On a dtivo this is not possible if you did anything like view the guide or go to the List you were taken away from the picture and could not continue watching.

Another bad thing is that if you leave the "live programing" to view a recorded program you will loose the live buffer you will not have anything saved and it will be like you just turned the DVR on, this is not a problem on the DTivo and in fact the dtivo has two live buffers rather than one.

Another good thing is the mini guide, you have the ability to view a small semi-transparent one line guide on the bottom of the screen, this is useful if you do not want to channel surf or bring up the big guide. Yes you can schedule recordings and view info from the mini guide, but viewing info will zoom out and bring up the full info screen, of course dtivo does not have this feature

On the Bad side the R15 has serious recording issues (whats a DVR all about after all) it neglects to record random shows from the series link, and if the DVR is off and you do not press select on the "change the channel" to record message then the show will not be recorded. On a DTivo it changes the channel automatically, on an R15 it need your input which means you will miss alot of recordings...hey now that i think about it that must be why it is not recording some shows from the Series Link (the series link is the equivalent to DTivos season pass, basically they record every episode of a show). My R15 is in the main room with 15 series link's perhaps the R15 cannot handle all that is set to record

I like the fact that on the R15 you have the ability to record the music channels, yes you CAN record the XM music channels on the new R15, on a dtivo this is not the case, you are given a message that says the service is not available

For people moving up from a DTivo, it will take some getting used to and most of us will probably go back to our DTivo's until these issues are resolved, however new users will have nothing to compare it to and most likely will not find much fault in the new R15.

Basically it feels like we are all beta testers, unfortunately this is the finished product, I'm sure Directv will come out with an update to the Firmware (I just wonder how long it will take)

I did not list everything because that would take to long but if you have any questions at all feel free to ask and I would be happy to answer

 

[shaun-ohio]

yes i like the r15 as well this is what i have been waiting for to get rid of cable dvr, mine has been flawless with no problems yet, yes i like the ability to be able to record the xm music channels, and the caller id is awesome too and the mini pic and guide as well and the ability to schedule programming while watching a recorded program is neat also, the tivo lacks alot of these features, i still have my directv r10 as well i will wait for directv to come out with a hd dvr like the r15 is that would be awesome i just got mine sunday from best buy

 

[mphare]

On the Bad side the R15 has serious recording issues (whats a DVR all about after all) it neglects to record random shows from the series link, and if the DVR is off and you do not press select on the "change the channel" to record message then the show will not be recorded. On a Tivo it changes the channel automatically, on an R15 it need your input which means you will miss alot of recordings..

I don't seem to have this problem. My R15 is in another room and is off most of the time. It has been recording all my series links on various channels without a problem.

One of the biggest problems I have with the R15 is the response time, its not like using a D10 or D11, when you push a button (any button) on the R15 it takes a while you for to see any response from the receiver (sometimes it can take a few seconds)

The response time on the R15 is no worse than it is on my DSR-704s. Comparing it to a receiver (D10 or D11) is really not a valid test.

Another bad thing is that if you leave the "live programing" to view a recorded program you will loose the live buffer you will not have anything saved and it will be like you just turned the DVR on, this is not a problem on the Tivo and in fact the tivo has two live buffers rather than one.

I agree with this one. However, my understanding is the dual-live buffer thing is already in the works for a near future upgrade.

I don't have any problems with my R15. In some ways I like it better than my DTiVos. It reminds me of my old UltimateTV which was the best DVR I've ever used. If we could just get Bulk Delete and Series Links for programs at a specific Time of Day, I'd be all set..

Oh, FF compensation and a 30 sec skip would be nice, but that's no deal breaker for me.

 

[stellar832000]

Perhaps some problems are exclusive to only some units, about the comparison to a D10 the systems use the same interface (with a few exceptions) and I see no reason why the R15 (a more advanced receiver) should be slower than a D10 (standard receiver), o and about the 30 second skip...I'm praying for an easter egg

 

[mphare]

No doubt, this is a first release product.. it shows.. There are problems, but I believe they will be addressed.

As far as the D10, I don't have one. I have an old Hughes receiver and it was fast. Much faster than either the R15 or the DTiVos. In fact, before the last service upgrade the DTiVos were VERY slow.

I don't notice a difference between the R15 and the DTiVos when it comes to the speed of the UI. They are both slower than a simple receiver.

 

[Katrinasucks]

A single buffer that gets dumped if you watch a recored show? No thanks, I'll keep my Tivo.

I didn't get DirecTV to read the (mini) guide... I got it to watch television.

If you'll trade 2 buffers (that work!) for a mini guide, just go all the way... Throw out the DVR and just read TV Guide.

 

[stellar832000]

The mini-guide involves watching tv (it tells you whats on)...sorry I guess you didn't know that, I do agree though its not reason enough to switch from a tivo (I only wish I knew about the buffers ahead of time) oh well there are enough good things on the R15 to make me keep it

 

[Rhinoman]

Good thread.
I have had a Directv DVR w/Tivo for about 18 months and I love it. Yes, I have to admit I was considering upgrading to the new dvr but I think I will hold off since the new one is reportedly slower.
Sometimes I get a little pixilation(sp?) on my current unit when I go back to watch things on the recorded list, so I do have some concerns about upcoming hardware failure but I'll keep it till it blows! (I'd love to get the HD DVR w/tivo before they run out but I hate the idea of a 2 year commitment!)

 

[Katrinasucks]

>The mini-guide involves watching tv (it tells you whats on)...sorry I guess you didn't know that,

I think you misunderstood me. The FUNCTION lost watching TV is just not worth it to pick up the mini guild. Let's review.... The screen is still behind the guide and if I miss something I hit the jump back button. -- Cuz ~you know~ the buffer stays there.

If whoever designed this thing thought they were producing a product to replace a DirecTivo, they need to go back to design school.

 

[f-reality]

I don't think it's really fair to give the R15 slack, because of what should be fixed in future firmware updates. That may or may not come to be, and often updates make things worse than they were to begin with (anyone who has had Dish Network is nodding their heads in agreement right now).

Now, compare the R15 to the DirecTiVo when it first came out. If you go all the way back to the Series1, then you can debate how the DTiVo only had one tuner, that's about it (yes the Series1 units have two tuners, but the first software version only had one enabled). TiVo doesn't do things half-assed, whatever it's supposed to do it does it right. There weren't that many people who were complaining about missing shows or other bugs, because it was stable right out of the box.

BTW, if you're the hacking type, the DTiVo is in fact able to record the music-only channels. It's a software-limitation, not a hardware one.

 

[kbohip]

Buggy DVR's are the big reason I left Dish Notwork in the first place. If the R15 is still buggy when Directv comes out with the R20, I'm going to be pissed. I really hope they fix these reliability issues. There's nothing more annoying to me than a DVR that misses shows and crashes.

 

[hhh222]

Yeah...If TIVO would upgrade our HR10-250's to MPRG-4 that would be ideal. Buggy HD DVR led me away from Dish Notwork also. Had Tivo for cable for years so when D* went with TIVO HD DVR's that made up my mind to switch. Looks like cable will end up with the only TIVO HD DVR's so I may have to eventually go back to Comcast...don't really want to give them my money but I'll do anything for TIVO.

 

[CPanther95]

Nice summary stellar.

It's all a matter of personal taste, but it looks like the negatives far outweigh the positives. Can you talk about the lack of 30 second skip & the FF not "going back" a bit when you hit the play button. Have you gotten used to skipping commercials? How much back & forth do you have, or do you have to watch more of a commercial than you did with the Tivo?

 

[xtremetoyz]

I just received a Tivo box to replace my R15 but I'm extermely used to the function of the R15 thus far. Before I go ahead and swap them I wanna ask one thing. Does the Tivo box have the 30 second skip? I reas the instructions when i got it (first thing I looked for actually), but could not find a thing. Ill miss my video while in the guide, but the 30 second skip would sell me on keeping the tivo.

Thank you,
Shawn

 

[dcwebman]

I have used 2 cable DVR's (no Tivo's) with the best being the last, a Motorola, and the R15 is the first satellite DVR I have had. It has most of the functionality of the Motorola except a couple things bug me. The Replay button only skips back 6 seconds whereas the Motorola was (I think) 20 seconds. I got good at fast forwarding through commercials at the highest speed and hitting the Replay button twice to get right at the start of the show starting again. With the R15, I can't do it at the fastest speed otherwise I'm hitting the Replay button like 15 times! It would be nice to be able to set the Replay button time. And for those that don't like the Play button going back a bit, I swear I saw it do that for me, but I use the Replay button anyway.

The other thing would be if the Advance button, the one on the opposite side of the Replay button, would do the 30 second skip. Right now if you're watching a recording and accidentally hit that button, you skip right to the end of the recording! I haven't found a way to go back easily where I was so it's rewinding until I notice the scene. Now if hitting the button would put a bookmark and then fast forward to the end, then we're okay.

Jeff

 

[raymo721]

Shawn, to get 30 second skip on your tivo, watch a recorded show, on your remote, press Select-Play-Select-3-0-Select. You'll hear 3 dings and its set. Pwr loss will require reprograming, but there is a way around that but can't remember where I saw it on this forum. I'll look. Have fun.---Ray

 

[Roger]

I think the damn delay with the R-15 is casued by the stupid remote. You have to aim these damn things pretty good which sucks.

I like the R-15 and cable didn't have a 30 second skip either so no big deal. If you want the R-15 to back up a little hit the back arrow key instead of play and presto!

 

[superyurik]

I think the damn delay with the R-15 is casued by the stupid remote. You have to aim these damn things pretty good which sucks.

I like the R-15 and cable didn't have a 30 second skip either so no big deal. If you want the R-15 to back up a little hit the back arrow key instead of play and presto!

No it's not the remote...The delay in the response fixes right away after reboot

 

[Roger]

My knee always seems to get in the way while reclining. I guess that was what my problem was.

 

[vurbano]

Im not sure why anyone would cut D* any slack on making improvements to the R15. They never fixed the slow response of the HR10-250 as well as its turtle paced PG and that was their most advanced piece of equipment.