DirecTV makes moves to drop TiVo

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DirecTV makes moves to drop TiVo

Crap! This is the worst PVR-related news I've heard in a while. When News Corp gained ownership of DirecTV, many speculated (myself included) that Rupert Murdoch's other satellite company (with a DVR), NDS, might be used instead of the combination DirecTiVo boxes DirecTV customers now have.

Well, the sad truth is that indeed NDS boxes will be released early next year, alongside DirecTiVo boxes. The Tivo-DirecTV relationship ends in 2007, so hopefully they'll continue to support TiVo boxes after the NDS rollout next year. TiVo's stock to a hit today, since I think almost half of TiVo's million users are DirecTV customers running the combo TiVo unit.

This probably explains why all the Series 2 DirecTiVo boxes still don't have the Home Media Option or the USB ports turned on -- I'm guessing DirecTV would rather not raise customer satisfaction on a box they'd rather rid themselves of for a cheaper inferior NDS unit.

When people new to TiVo ask me what system they should buy, I always strongly encourage them to get a new DirecTiVo and DirecTV subscription over a standalone TiVo with cable, since it offers two tuners and great digital quality. With this latest news, I'm going to reconsider that advice and personally start looking elsewhere for the ultimate PVR solution, as it is clear now the future is murky for DirecTV and TiVo and my own beloved combo box.

by Matt Haughey August 2, 2004 in News

Comments

Hi Matt,

While your advice may change (as well as your planned next system), moves like these always tend to help the consumer, I believe, by encouraging the company on top (TiVo, in this case) not to become entrenched and sluggish to change and cutting edge innovation (e.g., Microsoft).

I love TiVo as much as the next TiVotee (maybe even moreso -- I've dreamed about mine), but DVR as a technology is sure to be enhanced by this move, if not in the same way, or with the same company, like we'd all expected.

[Thanks for a great weblog.]

Posted by: Derek at Aug 2, 2004 4:37:09 PM

But Derek, TiVo is moving forward, with features like the Home Media option that lets you stream music and photos from your PCs, schedule recordings remotely, and their upcoming features like TiVo ToGo, which will let you copy shows to your laptop for remote viewing.

The problem here is that ever since DirecTV took control of the TiVo combo units and business, they have dragged their feet in the sand. The TiVo 4.0 operating system has been out for more than a year on standalone TiVo devices, and it has been confirmed to work on newer DirecTiVo boxes, but DirecTV refuses to release the code to subscribers.

The NDS unit is a bundled DVR, and DVRs that come from cable and satellite companies are almost entirely unreliable and unfriendly to use. Since the parent company is in the communication business, they're not all that great at writing software. TiVo is a pure software and hardware company, and their product shows it. I've tried out all the other systems and I always come back to TiVo, due to the ease of use and nearly bulletproof reliability.

It sounds like DirecTV is working on a new NDS unit for next spring, but every company-provided DVR up until now has been flakey, prone to crashes, and difficult to use, so I'm not expecting them to produce something better than what they already have the capability of offering, but don't: a fully utilized Series 2 DirecTiVo combo box.

Posted by: Matt Haughey at Aug 2, 2004 5:01:02 PM

Of course DirecTV would move to an NDS solution; NDS is a subsidiary of News Corporation and they're keeping it in the family. Odd that this isn't mentioned in these stories.

Posted by: iggy at Aug 2, 2004 11:04:10 PM

Seen this coming for a long time. Tivo is a commodity product. Really, it's just a feature of a set-top box or TV - not a stand-alone product. I still own a Tivo, but don't use it anymore - the cable company provides a box that is, while not as good as the Tivo, a good enough box that can record two programs at once. And it costs me much less than Tivo.

Posted by: Damian at Aug 3, 2004 8:08:54 AM

Add me to the list of people watching this situation cautiously. I became a DirecTV subscriber BECAUSE OF the TiVo combo box. If they abandon my TiVos, I'll probably dump DirecTV. What this really does is put new pressure on the TiVo hacker community to make sure that our DirecTivo boxes can continue to run virtually forever. The only part that is really subject to "wear" is the hard drive, and we already know how to replace those. So it's just a matter of making sure that replacement hard drives stay compatible with whatever software DirecTV shoves down our throats.

Posted by: AJRitz at Aug 3, 2004 8:09:49 AM

i like my replayTV.

Posted by: anon at Aug 3, 2004 8:51:01 AM

damn! i've been on the fence about replacing my ages old 3000 series replaytv box for a while, but was really thinking about getting the directivo solution since I already have directv. now I feel like I need to go back into hibernation to see how this all shakes out. damn you murdoch!!

Posted by: jeremy at Aug 3, 2004 9:48:52 AM

I refrain from judgement on this until I see DirecTV's HD plans. By many accounts, the HR10-250 hasn't been a smash success. It works, but isn't without its troubles with build quality and missing features.

If NDS/DirecTV view this as an opportunity to start from the ground up, this could be great. A new architecture that takes the best knowledge/feebdack from TiVo, Ultimate, Replay and other services could be awesome. They also should architect their solution from the ground up with HDTV in mind.

I'm a TiVo fanboy, I'm not afraid to admit it. I love it because my wife and parents have been able to use it out-of-the-box. That being said, if someone produces a multi-tuner PVR built from the ground up with HDTV in mind, I'd be a happy camper. TiVo is a great interface, but, as Replay and UltimateTV people can attest, it isn't the only one with fans. I agree that Motorola and SA would be well served to stay out of the software game, but I haven't seen anything to indicate NDS can't learn from those who have been down this road before them.

If they're listening for recommended features:
- Multiple tuners with a quick-switching interface
- Native mode to pass HDTV (480i, 720p, 1080i) signals to whatever scaling engine is appropriate
- MPEG4 compression for future bandwidth
- FAST channel guides that allow you to watch the current station in a window while navigating menus/guides
- Folders of shows with episodes shown as sub-documents
- 30 second skip ahead button

For my $0.02, they can drop the thumbs up/thumbs down features. To me, those are major computing overhead with very little consumer value. I know what I want to watch, TiVo doesn't really help me find new things so much as it ensures I get to watch what I want. I'm sure removing a lot of the rating info from the databases on the TiVo could significantly speed up the interface.

Posted by: Joe at Aug 3, 2004 12:27:03 PM

I'm not sure that I would count TiVo out just yet. I think that this will ultimately help TiVo to produce a better product.

Posted by: Alex Raiano at Aug 5, 2004 9:44:12 AM

"But Derek, TiVo is moving forward, with features like the Home Media option that lets you stream music and photos from your PCs, schedule recordings remotely, and their upcoming features like TiVo ToGo, which will let you copy shows to your laptop for remote viewing...."

Get a Replay its already there!

Posted by: replay at Aug 9, 2004 11:53:05 AM

I just began my DirecTV subscription a few months ago just so that I could get a TIVO with 2 tuners and a sharp digital picture, not because I thought that DirecTV is so superior to my old cable service. After hearing this news, I can only hope that TIVO will sign with another satellite service like the Dish so that I can dump DirecTV.

Posted by: jeff at Aug 9, 2004 2:19:34 PM

At the risk of asking something obvious--
what's wrong with the NDS solution? Seriously? 160GB standard, 2 tuners, same built in EPG... extremely well received in england (Sky+). HDTV, home networking, and other of the advanced features are in development now...

Posted by: Mike at Aug 11, 2004 7:06:10 AM

ok, the 3000 series replaytv box just died, so I need to upgrade. can anyone tell me if the directivo box is able to use the usb networking component yet, either officially or through a third party solution? I want to use the online scheduling option, as I have become extremely addicted to it on my replaytv.

Posted by: jeremy at Aug 24, 2004 11:02:20 AM

TIVO's problem without partnering with a sat provider is that they cannot enable 2 tuners or record in a true pure digital format. Directv tivo's pull the digital data right of the sat and write it to disk. This is what allows them to be the only ones to record audio in 5.1 Digital format. Tivo may advance it's options and networking, but unless they partner with a digital provider or digital tv is avail through the internet means, they are isolated. Did you hear how tivo is potentially partnering with netflix so you can download your movies from netflix and store them on tivo?

Posted by: Jason at Sep 27, 2004 1:39:48 PM

As I've already told DirectTV: If they end support for DirectTV, I'm gone as a subscriber. They're no longer cheaper in my area -- they were for years. Given the weather in New England, they're no more reliable than the cable company, which until recently has been been guaranteed to fail at least once a week. Since Comcast has -finally- upgraded the cable system in my community, reports are that it's much much better. And I'd much rather have the home media option available and not feel like I'm 6 months behind the curve because DirecTV doesn't feel like keeping their systems up to speed. Not to mention, customer service at DirectTV just don't get it. Half the people staffing the customer support numbers don't even know they -have- Tivo as a product.

Arghh... if it were not for the dual tuner feature and the direct-to-disk way they handle the stream from the satellite, I'd be gone already. And now with the Phillips DVD option, I'm thinking I'll jump in less than a year anyway...

Posted by: Rich at Sep 27, 2004 3:49:10 PM

Jason:

From what I hear, Tivo will still be available as the "additional cost" PVR and the NDS will be the basic record your shows PVR.

As for Comcast... check into how many channels are actually digital. I had their Digital cable up until a few months ago, and I had 70+ Analog channels and only 4-5 Digital channels which was the showtime package.

Posted by: Matt at Oct 7, 2004 6:33:29 AM

My first PVR was the Microsoft UltimateTV for directv and second id the Tivo form directv. Of course the best operating system is the MS system but the bad thing is they stopped making the units three years ago. Much faster guide, you can watch two channels at once (PIP). I wish they would bring back the UltimateTV!

But mine is still working today after three years.

Tivo sucks!

Posted by: jim at Nov 19, 2004 6:24:51 PM

I have had my Direct TV Tivo for 2 years and It's been the best thing ever, until today (loud fan noise). One of the reasons I went to Direct TV was the dual tuner feature, 5.1 Sound, and the best image quality. If they end support for DirectTV Tivo, they will loose me as a subcriber. I had Comcast for years and the companys service was unmeasurable, channel selection was the worst (small bandwidth) superslow menu system and the image quality not worth talking about. As Jason stated the only Digital channels are the premium channels. And they only have stereo for sound. As for the Standard Tivo it's not worth it 12.99, for lower Image quality and only one feed (TiVo drop the price). I guess the only thing left will be Dish, they have a better channel selection and a built in PVR. One final note you don't have to sign up for a year with Dish and they supply the unit.

Posted by: Wayne Taylor at Dec 13, 2004 2:18:29 AM

I had a Dish rep tell me that for 39.99 id get there dvr in 2 rooms and 2 other rooms of standard service and that the dvr can record 2 channels at one time. well they were part right. I can record 2 channels at one time as long as someone else didnt want to watch tv in the other room that also has the dvr function. It is also a pain to have to go to the other room to record something and it doesnt have the season pas like my directv tivo has. Oh and my bill was $10 more than directv after you pay the mirroring fees they say they dont have and dvr sevice with the rental fee for they free equipment.

Posted by: rod stewart at Dec 15, 2004 7:59:59 PM

I actually just signed up for DirecTV/TiVo because of a promotion for the $50 TiVo. This sort of sucks...well, my unit will still be functioning fine I'm sure, but the main reason why I chose DirecTV over Dish Network was because of TiVo. Doesn't the company realize this?!

Posted by: Jamie at Dec 16, 2004 11:14:30 AM

"Did you hear how tivo is potentially partnering with netflix so you can download your movies from netflix and store them on tivo?"

Bad move. Very bad. Because what's not being said is that it will accompany a fixed amount of viewing time before it becomes unviewable. (A day or two) If anyone really believes this technology will be restricted to payforviews like Netflix is bound to be, then I've got a bridge for sale in New York. Very Cheap. Really. No really.

Posted by: digitalones at Dec 19, 2004 5:38:01 PM

"Get a Replay its already there!"

Exactly. Not only can it already transfer movies from the machine but it can also leave hem on the replay unit and play them from the unit on our laptop or desktop with wireless or wired solutions, using DVArchive and Videolan. Both freeware software solutions. Nothing like watching your favorite series like Enterprise while your sunbathing on the patio with no wires encumbering you.

ReplayTV does not have a dual record and watch simulaenously function, but it's coming. In the meantime the networking functions can't be beat.

Posted by: digitalones at Dec 19, 2004 5:41:37 PM

Having neither Tivo or Relpay TV, I am at a loss why I need these services? Can't I just buy a DVD-HD and record the shows I want? Why should I pay a monthly fee when I can reord for free?

Posted by: Edward at Dec 29, 2004 10:55:50 AM

Well my friend was a beta tester for TivoToGo and liked it. He got me real hyped for its release this month. Then I find out that it will not be released for DirecTV Tivos, which sucks. And from reading your article I now know why. Its DirecTV's fault.

Posted by: Ron at Jan 4, 2005 4:30:36 PM

I'm new to this site and would like to know if anyone has had any experience with Comcast's HD DVR. My main concern at this point is how much can be saved (30 hours on HD doesn't seem like much) and whether there is a hack to creat a 30-second jump so I can avoid commercial hell. I love my DirecTV HD TiVo even though it broke the bank, but I hate Rupert Murdoch and am tired of DirecTV's declining customer service. Any help would be appreciated.

Posted by: Carol at Jan 22, 2005 3:13:23 PM

I have an hr10-250. If you dont know what this is, its turely an amazing hunk of hardware. 4 total tuners, all hd, and all 5.1 capable.

When DiretTV starts Mpeg4, I would think that we should still be able to get our "local" channles via OTA. We may loose our ability to tivo the Sat HD stuff tho.

As of right now, this is the ONLY TIVO that can do HD. Sadly, it dose require you to have a the very least basic service, plus tivo service. This brings my bill to almost $50.00 per month, with out the premo packages, and even WITHOUT the HD pacakge (hd net, espn hd....)

I paid $1200 for my unit. I have put a 2nd drive in it, and hacked it for caller id and stuff. I will cry if it becomes useless.

Posted by: flagmaster at Apr 27, 2005 7:55:53 PM

Once again the consumer takes a royal and majestic screwing because some suit on the 90th floor makes a decision that affects some 600,000 people, and the bottom line is more important than the customer. If Directv dumps TiVO, then I dump Directv. The problem is that we have no off the air reception no matter what kind of antenna we stick up (North Carolina mountains) and we are so far in the boonies cable companies aren't interested in us. So where do we go from here? Any suggestions from you techno types?

Thanks

Posted by: Mike Hayes at Aug 11, 2005 9:21:20 AM

Hey Rupert - no Tivo, no direct tv subscription at either of my homes. You lose my subscription and everyone else's I can convince. Your DVR sucks. I would rather turn my big satellite dish back on.

Posted by: Tivo Lover at Aug 11, 2005 10:23:55 PM

Come on DTV give the users what they want and stop tring to save a buck! They DTVraised the subscription price anyways. TIVO has ALL the "advanced" features everyone is talking about which could be available NOW if Directv would jsut allow users to run current TIVO firmware! USB, networking, Caller ID and so much more is already possible on TIVO, Directtv jsut wants TIVO to suck so they are tring to make TIVO look bad despite what the customers want!

Posted by: TVwatcher at Oct 11, 2005 1:35:25 PM

http://www.jellybean.com

Posted by: Jelly Bean at Nov 3, 2005 7:45:33 AM

Perhaps this has already been posted -- if so, forgive me. But I've talked with a few insiders at DirecTV about their switch to new boxes, away from TiVo. These guys aren't Rupert Murdoch hacks -- they're legit AV guys who care about quality tech stuff. Anyway, from what they tell me, the new DirecTV DVR box will be incredible. It'll do everything that TiVo (series II) does and then some. You'll still have dual tuner capability, and also the new ability to share content between boxes in your home, send content to a laptop, play music and show pictures, schedule from the 'net, etc. etc. AND, you'll now be able to remotely watch recorded program on any broadband internet connection. There's a new product called Slingo that'll let you do this -- well, DirecTV's box will do it too -- all in one. So while I was first disappointed to read of DirecTV's ending support for TiVo, I'm *very* interested to see what they have in store -- sounds good from what I've heard.

Posted by: Marc at Nov 10, 2005 1:42:49 PM

You know, you folks should really check out the Dish Network 942 if you're interested in an HD DVR. Sure, it's not Tivo's software, but pretty darn close (no season pass but i hear an option like that is coming in a software release). I have one of the non-HD dual tuner DVRs from Dish and i have a season pass clone so i'm sure it'll make it to the HD box. Of course, MPEG4 is coming down the line for Dish as well as DirecTV. Let's just hope these boxes are software upgradable, but i'm sure it's not. So here's a second hope that they offer one heck of a discount or upgrade package for those of us with the units now.

Posted by: Matt at Nov 15, 2005 5:41:48 PM

http://www.silvercreekjack.com

Posted by: SilverCreek at Dec 2, 2005 5:19:02 PM

I bought a Sony/DirecTV Receiver w/TiVo several years ago. Here it was, the best home electronics manufaturer, the best SAT provider, and the best DVR software and firmware all in one package. Partnering is clearly the way to go. All this monopolization is NOT GOOD for the consumer because the electronics DO NOT fit together. First DirecTV changed the programming for the worse at the same time raising prices, then they drop TiVo after capitalizing on the name and technology to "stay in the market". Now they screw their partners and their customers. I hope they understand that no one will ever want to work with them again and when TiVo is gone, likely so am I...for good. Oh, and no more recommendations (that would be about 50 or so customers, I think).

All good things...I'm throwing my hat in with TiVo on this battle...good opportunity for digital cable companies, that's for sure.

Posted by: Steve at Dec 6, 2005 2:34:52 PM

BAD MOVE inDIRECtTV, just had the new r15 model installed. Despite what DirecTv says this is not TIVO. When I called they said it has "Tivo Like features". They should get there heads examined!
Nothing beats a TIVO system and they should have stuck with it. Judging by the high number of complaints I am sure DirectTv is feeling the heat.

Sincerely
Another lost customer

Posted by: Brian at Dec 24, 2005 7:48:48 AM

Anyword on win these new DVRs will be out? I just bought the newest DirecTV HD dual tuner DVR only to find out that they are getting replaced.

Thanks!

Bob

"Perhaps this has already been posted -- if so, forgive me. But I've talked with a few insiders at DirecTV about their switch to new boxes, away from TiVo. These guys aren't Rupert Murdoch hacks -- they're legit AV guys who care about quality tech stuff. Anyway, from what they tell me, the new DirecTV DVR box will be incredible. It'll do everything that TiVo (series II) does and then some. You'll still have dual tuner capability, and also the new ability to share content between boxes in your home, send content to a laptop, play music and show pictures, schedule from the 'net, etc. etc. AND, you'll now be able to remotely watch recorded program on any broadband internet connection. There's a new product called Slingo that'll let you do this -- well, DirecTV's box will do it too -- all in one. So while I was first disappointed to read of DirecTV's ending support for TiVo, I'm *very* interested to see what they have in store -- sounds good from what I've heard."

Posted by: Bob at Dec 28, 2005 3:50:27 PM

I couldn't agree more. I have been a DirecTV sub for seven years, but I didn't really start to USE my DirecTV subscription until I got my first DirecTivo four years ago. In fact, I even bought one of the rare "lifetime subscriptions" for the DirecTivo from the Tivo Corp, when they were still being offered.

I had a chance to try out the new NDS box (R15) at a friend's house recently. He is one of about 15 people who currently are DirecTV subs and have DirecTivos on my recommendation. We both concurred that, next to the DirecTivo, this box SUCKS BIG TIME. It just isn't Tivo. It has some positive attributes -- faster menus and such. But my friend found the menus to be unintuitive, and the season passes to be unreliable and idiosynchratic.

The many people who have bought DirecTivos on my recommendation are, in most cases, non-technical types who just want the technology in their lives to work and to be easy to use. The DirecTivo fit the bill exactly in that regard -- it is easy to use, and it just *works.* For me, I am attracted to the rock-solid reliability, as well as the ability to record in perfect quality with two tuners, and to record and play back in Dolby 5.1. I now have an HR10-250, and I LOVE that unit as well -- same solid Tivo interface.

I have spoken to many of my DirecTivo referrals since it became clear that DirecTV is no longer doing Tivo. Many of them would drop DirecTV in a heartbeat if their DirecTivos went away, or if their units broke, and they were unable to replace them with the same kind of unit. I worry about what will become of my so-called "Lifetime" subscription -- will it be considered to apply only to the NDS units in the future? Who knows?

What I do know is this. Tivo is more important to me than DirecTV at this point, and DirecTV will lose me if I lose my Tivo.

Posted by: Steve at Jan 3, 2006 9:03:48 AM

In case this blog is still active... I did buy the new DirecTV DVR last week (Jan 2006). I bought it to replace my Sony SAT-T60 satellite receiver/Tivo combo. Well, I am extremely disappointed and so is my wife who is/will be the primary user of the DVR functions. This box is very hard to use, the menus suck, and the menus in general are just much, much harder to navigate around. It is so bad that I am seriously considering going back to my original Sony and just upgrading the hard disk. Yes, bells and whistles are good, and I'm a tech nerd like like many of you, but when the main functions of the box that you bought it for don't work right, then none of the additions are worth anything.

And to make it worst, I can't buy the DirecTV HD DVR either since I KNOW I will need to replace it in the next few months when the new MPEG-4/H.264 versions are out!

Posted by: Ron at Jan 3, 2006 6:10:16 PM

I purchased two DirecTV DVR R15s in December and I love them. Sure there are some things I don't like about it, but in my opinion, it is just as good as, if not better than the two DirecTiVos I'm still using. I would like to see the USB ports activated and the option of connecting to a broadband Internet connection instead of phone line, along with some other features that TiVo has or will have. I understand it is not EXACTLY like TiVo, but if it was EXACTLY like Tivo, that would be an infringement on copyright and patents owned by TiVo. DTV had to make some changes to their software and user interface to cover themselves. Give DTV some time; maybe if enough people buy the new R15, they'll come out with a software upgrade to improve the DVR. Meanwhile, I'm loving the new DVR.

Posted by: Nick K. at Jan 15, 2006 7:18:34 PM

Will a TIVO IMAGE run on the R15?

Where can I buy a DirecTIVO? It seems nobody has them anymore.

Posted by: dac at Jan 16, 2006 7:30:30 PM

I own the first series DirecTivo and I love it, especially after installing a larger hard drive. If DirecTV drops support, whatever they come up with better be really good. If not for the Tivo I would have unloaded DirecTV a long time ago.

Just of the heck of it I bought a new HDTV OTA tuner even though I have just a standard TV. The picture quality is great, some of the stations that have really weak analog signals come in clear on the digital channels. Best of all it's free OTA! No monthly bill, so DirecTV better be careful.

Posted by: MikeM at Jan 17, 2006 10:15:36 PM

I recently purchased the new R-15 model Directv DVR and absolutely hate it. I also own a Directv Tivo model. The R-15's menus are hard to use, the pause, rewind, play feature is slow to respond, its version of Season Pass does not work much of the time, and neither does the caller id feature. If you had never owned a Tivo version you may love the R-15 but when you know how good it can be with a tivo, you merely get frustrated. I will be relegating the r-15 I am stuck with to my second not used often tv, and putting back my Tivo Directv receiver to my main tv.

Posted by: Shannon at Jan 23, 2006 12:09:50 PM

DTVs R15 DVR is junk in my opinion. The menus are difficult to use as are many other features on the unit. It would appear that DirectTV has never heard of the saying; If it's not broke (Tivo) then don't fix it!

Posted by: John at Jan 29, 2006 9:57:40 AM

Have none of you tried Dish Networks PVR? It's easy,no thumbs up/down, you don't need a phone line(other than for pay per view)which can be an issue if there isn't a local dial up number-can you say long distance toll call, the remote is very intuitive, there is no set up and downloading as with tivo. Dumping Tivo is long over due.
Dennis

Posted by: Dennis Canfield at Jan 30, 2006 6:39:22 AM

I just wanted to ask those of you out there touting Dish network if you know it's owned and operated by DirecTV? I too was a huge fan of the Ultimate TV service but my receiver finally died a couple of months ago. I did a lot of research on the new issues and found that the reason you can't find the DirecTV/Tivo boxes is that they are no longer being produced. DirecTV has, "enough remaining in inventory to supply there needs," for warranties and such but is/will not distributing them any more. The Tivo service will continue to be offered to those existing customers but will offer no new subscriptions (unless you get a box). I personally have been considering going HD but really am waiting on that as everything is in a transitional state. The new 5 LNB KA/KU (dubbed AT9) dishes, H20 MPEG4 receivers and such. Currently they don't really acknowledge the new AT9s, they're still sending out the triple LNB dishes, so once they make the transition everyone is going to have to re-cable and everything because you have to use compression fittings, solid copper core cable, etc. because they are susceptible to off air signal because of the 50-2500MHZ frequency usage. Granted that if they ever fully utilize this system it will be totally awesome with a capacity of over 1600 signals (channels), but we'll see.

Posted by: Clay Walker at Feb 1, 2006 11:02:11 AM

I got an R15 yesterday - called Direct TV today, and they are bringing my TIVO back tomorrow. The R15 is a huge piece of crap. Software has some major bugs, and the user interface is the worst I have ever seen. Not sure what they are thinking. They should have stuck with Tivo.

Posted by: Rich at Feb 1, 2006 8:04:43 PM

The R15 is evil. I bought one to replace my old 35 hour Hughes reciever. Wasn't thrilled with it when I got it home but, thought I could learn to live with it. Small sacrifice for more space, and heck... it was free with the great mail in rebate offer. Then I went on vacation for 2 weeks. When I got home, 80% of my recorded programming would not play back correctly, if at all. What I could play was skipping and pixelated. Not something you want to come home to after spending 2 weeks with the in-laws. Talk about the straw that broke the camels back! I'm returning the R15 tomorrow and DTV is going to get an earful when I call to re-activate my old Hughes w/TiVo.

Posted by: RJC at Feb 4, 2006 2:25:09 AM

My wife and I "upgraded" about five weeks ago to the R15 for greater hardrive space. We were so naive! The R15s are junk. DTV must have a real storm on its hands. You call customer service and for the first 10 minutes they try to tell you it's all in your head, the R15s are great! When we first went to Tivo a few years ago, DTV said one of the best features is that you could watch two channels at once, with each going into 30 minutes of memory. You don't miss something until it's gone. Now you call customer service and they act like you never could watch two tuners at once. They deny that the capability even existed! We're trying to get them to send us some R10s. We have our fingers crossed, we cannot go on with these R15s, they have made our TV lives miserable! Here's a short list of problems, menus, fast forward and rewind stop when they want to and the audio takes another 2 seconds to kick in, season pass records if it's up to it, your recorded shows are often pixilated, terrible, terrible, terrible, I feel let down by DTV and I have been a loyal customer for 6 plus years.

Posted by: Ray at Feb 24, 2006 5:52:56 PM

I agree with alot of the posts in this forum. The only reason that I have DirecTV is because of TIVO. I have tried the cable DVR's and seen the Dish Network DVR's and they are both awful. TIVO is the original Macintosh and the rest of these are Windows 3.1 as far as I am concerned. The main things I care about are the easy to use interface (even my parents can use a TIVO and they could never program a VCR) and great functionality of the TIVO. Nothing else that I have seen even comes close. If DirecTV gets rid of TIVO they will definitely lose me and the rest of my family as subscribers. I am just hopeful that someone, cable, satellite or other will pick up the TIVO box rights so this marvel of technology continues forward. I am hearing that TIVO might start giving away the boxes so who knows. Only time will tell.

Posted by: Thanos at Feb 28, 2006 12:35:08 PM

I also wanted to upgrade to to the R15 for the greater recording capacity and the intrigue of perhaps more features. What I got was a poor attempt to replace the services of tivo and a confusing interface. From what I understand Direct tv was tired of paying money to Tivo and wanted to keep the Tivo fees for it-self. I was so disgusted with things like skipping and pixilated playback,the fast forward doesn't allow for reaction time, the 2 second I must wait for sound and the season pass manager is a far cry from its former self.
I tried for 3 weeks to get an R10 sent to my home and all I got was more R15's. In the end I reactivated my R05 and wanted my contracted to have the two year commitment removed as I was going to return the R15. I was told that that was not going to happen and I was stuck with the P.O.S. R15.

Posted by: Randy Martin at Mar 3, 2006 4:01:35 PM

I too was lured into getting a bigger disk and more rewind space with the R15. Three weeks into it, and I miss my TiVo. DTV said my TiVo had problems, and offered a replacement. What they shipped me, and charged me shipping, is a P.O.S. The interface is useless, doesn't record what it says it will, gets reruns as first runs, can't watch two channels, changes channels 10 minutes before recording time... If I can't get TiVo back, my dish is history! Cable in my area has caught up with the dish...

Posted by: bruce at Mar 7, 2006 8:08:46 PM

We love our Hughes TiVo (even though it's the old 35-hour model) and will drop DirecTv if they stop supporting it.

Is there any way to make the TiVo unit compatible with cable?

Posted by: krl at Mar 8, 2006 10:13:42 AM

I can't say I'm crazy about the new R15 I have. I don't like the menus and I find the old Tivo box much more user friendly. And...don't even get me started on the remote (which seems to take two button pushes to accomplish everything--for example, you have to hit play 2x to play).

Todd Lokken

Posted by: Todd Lokken at Mar 16, 2006 8:55:11 AM

I have been a TIVO lifer. When Directv was slow on the HD thing I switched to Cablevision and used their HDDVR. It was at best adequate. Nothing like TIVO. When Directv upgraded their HD offerings I purchased a Hughes HDDVR with TIVO and was happy to be back, even paying more money. If this Tivo deal dies in 2007 I and my huge extended family who I convinced to use Directv tivo will ALL be going back to Optimum TV and use their horrble box until TIVO comes out with a HDDVR for cable, so much for being a prefered customer!!!!

Posted by: mash at Mar 16, 2006 1:38:55 PM

I agree with most of the comments here. Just a little insight into what else is happening. With the new move by Directv to take ownership of all hardware via their "leasing" program,(every receiver you activate now becomes their property on activation even though you are paying the full purchase price), they will be able to force people off the existing Directivo units added after March 1, 2006 and bill you the "activation fee" which is the purchase cost. For existing customers who still own their systems, they will add "other equipment" fees to force you to switch to the new units and allow them to take control of your hardware because when you switch you have to "activate" the new system and they own it at that point. Also, any new activation requires a 2 year contract for service. I sent them an email about the new "leasing" program and told them I was dumping them because of it and the 2 year contract, they were panicing trying to get in touch with me to explain how it was to my benefit. My recommendation is to flood them with emails of service termination and see what happens. Also, as for those advanced features in the new unit. I had an indepth conversation with one of their support supervisors about networking capabilities and she stated there was no plans to provide any network functionality in their DVRs because of potential content copywrite issues. Also, don't plan on a commercial skip feature, as there has been proposed legislation to make it illegal to allow the removal or even skipping of commercials. It is being grouped into the heading of "content modification" which is one of the reasons you can't legally copy DVD's.

Posted by: Jeff at Apr 13, 2006 5:50:16 AM

hey does anyone know which vendors are making these R15 boxes? I think Philips and RCA (Thomson) are making it, but I'm not sure who is the third vendor. Does anyone know if the HR20 has been released yet , and if so, who are the vendors for that? Thanks!

Posted by: Mike at Apr 28, 2006 3:27:48 PM

The r-15 is a nightmare. AVOID AT ALL COST!!!I have had problem after problem including locking up, series pass sucks and does not work half the time, settings are difficult if not impossible, now I can't even record ppv movies(some phone line error) After HOURS on the phone with tech support who seem to know nothing (none of the people I've spoken with even have the product themselves - wonder why) They read from a stupid troubleshooting guide and then pass me on to another "tier" of support or tell me I need to wait for a software fix that is supposedly in the works(same excuse for months now). I finally got fed up on my last hour long attempt with their clueless tech travesty. He told me they would replace it with a new one. What good will this do?? NO! Then I was transferred to a "specialist" whose job is obviously to attempt to pacify irate customers and try to keep their biz. He tried to deny any problems and act surprised - he denied any software fix at all. Right. I insisted that they come pickup this junk and cancel my service. He then started offering things like discounts on service, ECT. I told him I wasn't interested in a replacement of the same crap model as it would just suck also. He then directed me to Ebay and offered a 100 dollar credit toward another model if I buy it there. I've had it with DTV. They have driven me back to cable. How awful is that - the lesser of two evils. My Ultimate TV box rocked. This thing BLOWS. After years with DTV I'm out. Bottom line STAY AWAY FROM THIS PIECE OF SHIT R15!!!

Posted by: Jon at Jun 8, 2006 8:31:01 PM

Ditto Jon

I called DirecTV and asked for an additional TiVo unit. They said "Sure" and send me 2 R-15's for the price of one.

They have them back and I have my old TiVo turned back on again.

I am still trying to figure out how to purchase another TiVo unit that will work with my DirecTV and if I need to cancel my NFL Sunday subscription in order to pay for it.

Posted by: Bruce at Jul 24, 2006 6:34:59 AM

Hey all -- I'm a DirecTivo user for two+ years but really fed up with bad signals from DirecTV (one of their idiots replaced the oval dish with a round one... resulting in choppy signals).

I've a DVR80 with dual tuner from RCA that also has a "cable" in on the back. Is there a way I could coax this box into taking signal from cable and recording it? The cable provider wouldn't know. My DirecTV sub expires shortly so I'll disconnect phone line and satellite signal to stop the box from disabling itself.

Any ideas? Thanks!!

PS. i've read the guides to upgrade disks etc. so seem doable. but couldn't find anything that would change the image to a standalone type that presumably enables cable input.

Posted by: Jay at Aug 25, 2006 1:20:56 AM

Is the R15 the same unit as the HD20-250? I see on one big box web site they are selling the HD20-250 for the same price as the HD10-250. I currently have an HD10 and love it. One thing I noticed, the HD20 only has 1 OTA tuner for a total of 3, where the HD10 has a total of 4 tuners, (2 sat and 2 OTA). While I know to well that I can still only record off 2 tuners at one time, most of my HDTV viewing and recording is off the OTA tuners. Let’s face it; the big networks have most the HDTV programming. Even more new HD shows with the start of this new season.

Those of you who have never experienced TIVO and the season ticket, take my word, anything else sucks. The TIVO interface is very reliable, the TIVO database is as up to the minute as anyone could hope for, keeping track of so many networks, just amazing. I have close to 60 shows in my season pass, and TIVO manages them incredibly well. I have no desire to go back to the old style of programming I had to do on my VCR. Yikes.

TIVO is not DVR. TIVO is a service, the best service, period. I just saw on the TIVO sight their pending HDTV tuner with a cable card in the back.

So long as my HD10 keeps working, I am a DirecTV customer. The scary thing is, DirecTV can send a signal to any of our boxes rendering them unusable, and any time, and any place. SCARY!!!

Posted by: marsinoregon at Aug 31, 2006 5:46:57 PM

My Hughes DirecTV/Tivo unit died recently & this was my first time noticing the new system. It sucks. After the first day I was ready to switch back. I hate the viewing of one channel a time w/o taping the other. I hate the large & many buttons of the remote control. I hate the new system. I hate the 2 year contract I didn't know they tried to lock me into.

I'm trying to switch it out for a TIVO unit, but word is that the current TIVO is not as capable with the old DirecTV reciever. What's the word?

Posted by: kb at Sep 27, 2006 9:54:55 PM

Unfortunately, my husband and I just purchased the r15 last weekend because our wonderful tivo model didn't seem to have enough space:( This thing is the WORST thing I have ever purchased and I feel cheated! I am praying circuit city will take it back tomorrow. I would rather have 35 hours of space than this crap!

The question I have is: can we somehow change our glorious tivo box to have more hours? I could care less about extra features, to be honest. It's just a space issue.

Another question: can anyone please tell me if this r15 thing is supposed to have a 'bar' that moves as you fast forward a program, or is it supposed to stay stationary at some odd, seemingly random time (say at 10 minutes)?

Posted by: Dawn at Sep 30, 2006 5:24:39 PM

Of course you can upgrade your DirecTivo box with a larger hard drive (HD). It requires enough technical knowledge to crack open your Tivo box and replace the hard drive with a new larger one.

While you can buy a new blank hard drive and format it yourself using the format tools easily found on the web, I suggest paying a little extra and buying a new HD for your DirecTivo box from PVT Upgrade. http://www.ptvupgrade.com/networking/PTVnet.html These drives come ready to go, so all you have to do is swap HD's in your box. Of course it will be like setting up your Tivo from scratch, but it is worth it for the extra space and being able to keep Tivo instead of using the DirecTV's own piece of @#$%.

Posted by: Ty at Oct 3, 2006 11:42:54 AM

I have also had the R15 taken out and my old faithful replaced! That thing is a piece of crap. What I want to know is why I cannot run the whole thing on my wireless network in my house. In 2006 do we really have to plug into a phoneline to get software upgrades? Perhaps Directv should drag themselves into the 21st century and also think about their customer support. There are 12 pages here and 90% of the comments are negative to Directv. Come on people. Think about the poor consumer.

Posted by: Sophie at Oct 11, 2006 8:29:13 PM

As a Audio Video installer, I am very disappointed in the change. My clients loved the TiVo interface, and the HR10-250 integrated really well with home theaters. THe DirectV DVR interface doesn't compare, and although i'm sure i'll get used to it, it's still a big pain!

Posted by: Jeff at Oct 19, 2006 3:36:16 PM

We still have our original DirecTiVo unit on the first floor but, when we asked for a second for the bedroom, we were given the truly awful R15 instead. Not only is the user interface horrible (it makes me appreciate even more how brilliant TiVo is) but it just plain doesn't work right. It requires constant reboots, crashes when I dare push the pause button, and is completely useless. Shame on DirecTV for forcing this junk on us.

Posted by: Mark at Nov 18, 2006 7:47:01 AM

Well, DirecTV hasn't changed. I just finished writing to the Office of the President (address obtained from DirecTV support line). I hadn't read the comments posted here before I started researching to see what I can do to replace my R15 which seems to have ALL the problems posted. It appears there is STILL no way to get back to the original Hughes 35 unit. DirecTV informs me after changing to my new R15 access card that it is IMPOSSIBLE to go back to the old access card. So they are getting even more sophisticated at causing us reasons to be upset with them. I am extremely disappointed since I am stuck with a unit I hate and I had been a loyal and happy customer for 6 years.

Posted by: Dale Vickroy at Nov 18, 2006 5:13:55 PM

My Wal-Mart has had 3 R10 units sitting collecting dust along side the new R15 "junk" units. I've got the Hughes 35 Tivo unit and it's changed my TV life over the past 2 or so years I've had it. I've kept my eyes on the R10 and last week I bought one after all the negative R15 comments. I was afraid they'd disappear. I've got 4 TV's and two Hughes 35 units and now two R10's. I hope they never fail as we love the TIVO interface in our house. The Wal-Mart (New Britain, Connecticut) still has at least two R10's just sitting there.

Posted by: Paul at Nov 26, 2006 5:40:37 PM

My TiVo died from hard drive failure. I called Directv and specifically asked if my replacement DVR would be a TiVo. I was told it would be. The gentleman from Fed Ex arrived two days later with the DTV R15. I've heard about not killing messengers so the Fed Ex driver left unscathed. I immedately called DTV ... the person I spoke with said that I did receive a TiVo. I explained that it was not a TiVo and then had to explain to her that TiVo is a brand of DVRs. She told me that it was essentially a TiVo ... they licensed the technology into their own box. Uh, sure. I was told that there was absolutely no way I would be able to obtain a replacement TiVo.

I tried to keep an open mind so I went down the path of trying to activate my new receiver. They didn't ship a new access card with the unit so the technician sent me back to the old TiVo (not yet honored with a proper burial) for its access card. After half a day on the phone with DTV, they told me the new DVR had a defective card reader and they would have to send a replacement for my replacement for my dead TiVo. Okay, got that today and it shipped with a new access card. I tried it in the first replacement receiver they had sent me and it worked. So it wasn't the card reader, it was an incompatible card and Directv technical staff that doesn't know how to support these new fangled DVR "tee vow" type things.

So, now I have programming on my new Directv DVR. I hate it. I hate it. My wife hates it. I think our television hates it as well. The remote is horrible. It's white to easily pick up and show off any dirt you might bring in on your hands. The buttons are conveniently placed where you don't want them. The menu strucutre is horrible. With my TiVo, when I pressed the guide button, I got a guide. With this POC, I get a filter screen before the guide. Can't search for a show and get a season pass, oh, uh, make that Series Link ... have to do that through the guide. Can't go from tuner to tuner as you could with TiVo. No compensation when fast forwarding. Instructions are wrong in certain places in the manual. I could go on. Thank you so much, Directv, for downgrading my television experience.

Goodbye DTV. I shall welcome back (make that allow back) the cable company. I think that DTV customers need to petition DTV to restore their TiVo offerings. Or how about this ... TiVo should offer discounts on their standalone boxes to anyone who can prove they were a DTV customer with TiVo.

One last point. I was a Dish subscriber prior to DTV and had thier PVR. I can rate them as follows: TiVo is number one, Dish PVR was number two and DTV is last.

Posted by: Roger at Nov 28, 2006 9:57:31 PM

Well, my parents just got the new R15 to replace their Tivo and they can't stand it. They are having all the same problems as everyone else on this forum. My mom will just have to watch live TV because the remote is so hard to use. I pray that my 3 Tivo units don't go out because I have seen these other types of services and have never seen one that I like as well as Tivo. I think Direct TV will be losing lots of customers if they continue to make stupid marketing decisions.

Posted by: Michael at Jan 2, 2007 7:03:50 PM

I have two of the Directv Tivo units. The original one was replaced by a 140 hour unit I purchased through Weaknees. The original Hughes unit went to the bedroom and I recently upgraded the harddrive in that and it's good for 215 hours It was purchased from Weaknees as well. I am making a present of a refurbished R10 Directv unit (Tivo) to my son since they have Directv. The R15 seems out of the question based on everything I hear and have read. Weaknees keeps Directv in business with me.

Posted by: Robert at Jan 15, 2007 9:16:48 AM

Why does the Apple iPod rule the roost when it comes to digital music players? Simple ... elegant interface.

That is what my DirecTV Tivo units had. I just had to upgrade myself and I am hating it.

What DirecTV does not understand is that WOMEN like the Tivo interface. And most WOMEN have much to do with allowing the purchase of these units.

My wife LOVED tivo but absolutely HATES the new unit.

And when momma aint happy ... no amount of football or action movies can replace what isn't happening in the bedroom.

Goodbye DirecTV. Sex sells...

Posted by: Mark M at Jan 16, 2007 10:33:13 AM

Tivo sucks, the new DirecTV HR-20 HD DVR sucks. So what can you do? 2 things, one, buy a used RCA or Sony Ultimate DirecTV box and if its broke take it to the geek squad and pay DirecTV $20 for a new access card and you have wonderful dual tuner DVR with all the easy features it has.
2nd thing you can do, hook up your Windows Media Center Computer to your TV and have free 2 tuner DVR with $0 monthly service charge.

Posted by: curtisfiles at Jan 30, 2007 6:29:51 AM

If I hook up my Windows Media Center Computer to my TV how will that provide 2 tuner DVR and how about HD.

Posted by: Dathan Hughes at Feb 14, 2007 7:32:55 AM

I've been an avid standalone Tivo and Directv-Tivo user for years. I never liked Directv's receiver interfaces -- who can after experiencing Tivo's interface? Their R-15 DVR has the same awful interface. As other posters have mentioned, forget about my over-60 parents figuring out how to use the R-15. It's not fun to use. Overall, a frustrating experience. I'll give up Directv before I give up my Tivo. I always said to anyone who would listen what a great product Tivo is and recommended Directv-Tivo many times over -- I won't be offering any more recommendations about Directv. What a bonehead marketing move. Also, Directv installed their DRV even though a Tivo was requested -- they did a bait and switch!! Directv has become dishonest and heavy-handed with their 2-year subscription commitment for leased equipment for which you pay as much as you did for the equipment you bought several years ago. I have been their customer for 11 years, but their strong-arm tactics combined with dropping Tivo have left a bad taste in my mouth. I dropped cable entirely a year ago -- it's time to reconsider. I'm sure I'll enjoy using my standalone Tivo with my cable service (which is cheaper than Directv anyway)much more than today's Directv.

Posted by: Anna at Feb 24, 2007 9:18:00 PM

All very good posts. I'm in the same position as everyone else. I currenty have 2 Tivos and wanted to upgrade another. Went to a major retailer and brought it home, hooked it up and - Wha?? no TIVO?? I tried to use it for three months and went out of my mind. My major complaint, aside from a stupid guide, is when you fast forward and then press play, it plays from that spot. Tivo will skip back about 10 seconds. That is by far the biggest difference to me. How frustrating is it to have to skip back manually after you passed the start of the show? That was the deal breaker. I got a used Hughes from a friend of mine who said it was bad. It was and I replaced the hard drive. Well worth the money. Directv, you can take your R15 and shove it.

Posted by: Ryan at Mar 19, 2007 10:56:43 AM

EMAIL CONVERSATIONS WITH SENIOR VP OF CUSTOMER SERVICE AT DIRECT TV
THE FOLLOWING IS COPIES OF EMAILS I HAD WITH TWO TOP EXECS AT DIRECT TV TODAY. YOU GOTTA READ IT TO BELIEVE IT.
This is how Direct TV deals with major internal problems? Tell the customer, that despite Direct TV not providing the service they promised, that I am going to be expected to pay for cancelling the contract? Great customer relations and I am guessing that this decision will be regretted in the very near future.

I have found no less than ten websites dedicated specifically to customer disatisfaction with Direct TV. Despite Ms. Bitew\'s contention that the horrible treatment that I received yesterday was unique, there appears to be hundreds, if not thousands, of people who might disagree with her statement. According to many of those bloggers-they seem to contend that my treatment
is the norm, not the exception.

So I will post the communication that I have had with your organization online so that consumers can see firsthand how the top management of Direct TV perceives their responsibility to honor their contractual obligations. I will also be contacting as many consumer protection agencies and legal authorities that I can find to also send copies of these communications. I find it very interesting that despite not one, not two, or even three major errors and hours of wasted time-that Direct TV\'s expectation is that I be held to a contract that Direct TV did not honor. I am supposed to incur costs related to hiring someone to remove a dish that was applied to my roof by Direct TV and I am to spend more time boxing up their receiver and making more phone calls to a shipper to make arrangements for it\'s shipment.

Yes, I can see that Direct TV really valued me as a customer and that they would love to see me subscribe to their services again. Not only was their customer service incompetent and rude and my time wasted- it is I, not Direct TV, than will be literally and figuratively paying the penalty for their incompetence. This response was not expected and I can honestly say that I am stunned. I have never seen or heard of a major company repond in such a manner. Every company that I have contacted with problems in the past has responded by taking responsibility for their staff and will generally work with the consumer to \"right the wrong\". This really has me shaking my head in disbelief.

The mystery of how bad yesterday\'s service was has come full circle. Having now directly communicated with Direct TV\'s Business Operation Analyst, who began our conversation by telling me \"what they couldn\'t do for me\" and how I would be penalized for my early cancellation. Excuse me? Your business treats me like crap and then I am chastised because I will not remain a
customer? Business loyalty is earned based on performance, not an expection or right on your part because you have a contract. Our contract clearly conveys an expectation that Direct TV will provide a basic, minimum level of service to remedy problems that occur as a result of Direct TV\'s errors. You clearly did not provide that level yesterday. Did I make an good faith effort tocorrect the problem? Yes, I believe I did in my repeated phone calls but there is a level of ongoing screw ups and outright incompetence that would lead the average person to end the attempts and disengage themselves from that business. Which I did. Now Ms. Bitew has the unmitigated gall to attempt to penalize me for that?

The Business Operation Analyst at Direct TV apparently does not have the authority to remove charges associated with ending a contract despite clear evidence, which she acknowledges, that personnel in her company made numerous mistakes and in the process, treated a customer very unprofessionally. And apparently this same Business Operation Analyst at Direct TV lacks the authority to phone one of their installers and ask them to swing by my home at their convenience to pick up a receiver and remove a dish. All she apparently has been given the authority to say to me was \"We don\'t do that\".

She was correct in her summation that \"you do not do that\".

You do not honor your contractual obligations-but you expect me to honor mine, you do not adequately train your staff, you do not have supervisors that are able or willing to take phone calls, you do not have a customer service department that can provide even the most minimal level of service to their customers, and apparently you do not have anyone at the top of your management team that has even the faintest idea of how to treat consumers ore resolve customer complaints.

Yesterday now makes perfect sense to me. This is a clear case of management styles tricking down. You directed the Business Operation Analyst at Direct TV \"to resolve these issues today\". Apparently this is the resolution that she feels is in the best interests of her company, the customer be damned. Never mind that her actions add insult upon injury. I understand you were
recently appointed Senior VP of Customer Service. It appears to me that you have your work cut out for you. Good luck...you\'re going to need it.

----- Original Message -----
From: \"Bitew, Heywot\"
To: \"OR\"
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 2:53 PM
Subject: RE: DIRECTV Service

I\'m sorry you did not take me up on my offer to keep you as a customer. I have applied two credits of $9.99 on your account for the two months of HD service charge.

When your account was disconnected we sent out a recovery kit to your address. This is a prepaid package for you to return your receiver. You will need to call FedEx and they will pick up the package from your home. If the receiver is not returned to DIRECTV within 7 days of getting the recovery kit the account will be charged an equipment non return fee.
The dish is part of the install and is affixed to your home. DIRECTV does not un install equipment. We will not be removing the dish or metal brackets from your property.

Please be advised that you were in a contractual agreement with DIRECTV to keep services active for two years. The commitment was covered during the sale of your equipment and activation of services. The order confirmation you received in the mail after you placed the order for services also reminds you of your two year programming commitment. Although we regret the inconvenience of your recent customer service experience the commitment on your account still applies. The early termination charge is $287 and will be prorated for the days you had
service.

Sincerely
Heywood Bitew

-----Original Message-----
From: OR
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 11:20 AM
To: Bitew, Heywot
Cc: Filipiak, Ellen A
Subject: Re: DIRECTV Service

Thank you for your Email. I am sorry that my home phone messaging system was full and that I missed your calls.
Unfortunately, I am unable to accept your offer of returning to Direct TV. I have already entered into a contractual relationship with Dish Network.

Once again, I would appreciate it if you would have someone from your installation service contact me as to when they will be able to pick up the receiver and remove the dish from my roof. It is still raining a lot here on the coast here in Oregon and I would prefer not to leave the receiver outside if it can be avoided.

I would also like your assurances that I am not going to have any charges added to my billing beyond the month and a half that I have already had service, which I am more than willing to pay for. I am also hoping that the final bill has been corrected and pro-rated for this month and I can take care of that as soon as possible.

I appreciate your attention to this matter and I am glad that you are going to review some of the problems that I experienced. It was certainly never my intent to end your service when I made my first call yesterday. I am hopeful that the information that I provided to you from my experience can be used to benefit your company in a positive way.

----- Original Message -----
From: \"Bitew, Heywot\"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 10:12 AM
Subject: DIRECTV Service

Thank you for taking the time to detail your unfortunate customer service experience with DIRECTV. Ms. Fillipak has asked me to personally address your issue. I have tried to call the number you listed with your email but was unable to leave a message as your voice mail box seems to be full at the moment.( My direct number is 310-964-6508.)

I have gone over your email and the details on your account activity on the day you called 4/10/2007. Please accept my sincere apologies for the numerous transfers, two disconnected calls documented) and your inability to get your issue resolved by the supervisors.

Looking at your account billing statement I was able to determine the following. The representative you spoke to on the day of install 2/24/2007 did indeed add four months of free HD service on your account. What she did not do was comment the account that this was offered and added and most importantly she did not disconnect the chargeable HD access also on your account. A careful look at your billing statement would have shown that there were two line items for HD service. One was at a zero charge and the second was chargeable at $9.99. It pains me to
say that the first representative you spoke to when you called yesterday should have been able to recognize this error and merely disconnected the chargeable HD service.
What was more surprising is that all the other representatives including the supervisor did not take the time to look carefully at the account. Rest assured that everyone you spoke to including the first representative who offered you the discount will be personally spoken to. In addition we are looking into why there were so many transfers and disconnects during your customer service contacts.

Please believe me when I say that your situation is not the norm, DIRECTV does not want to loose you as a customer. I am asking you to give DIRECTV another chance. We will reinstate your
services and I would be happy to give you a month of free services for your inconvenience. Please send me an email or call me with your decision.

Sincerely
Heywot Bitew
Business Operation Analyst

I am very sorry for the problems you have had with DirecTV. I will have someone contact you today to resolve the issues.

Best regards,

Ellen Filipiak

SVP Customer Care

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: OR
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 1:51 AM
To: Filipiak, Ellen A
eafilipiak@directv.com
Subject: Fw: worst service have ever had

Ellen Filipiak,

----- Original Message -----

From: OR
To: investorrelations@directv.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 10:41 PM
Subject: worst service have ever had

I have just spent the last hour trying to get a simple billing error corrected and I give up. I have cancelled your service. In my 50 years, your company takes the first prize with regard to incompetence, and that says a lot as I have seen quite a few mis-managed companies.

I originally ordered the Family monthly plan and HD access in March 2007. When the serviceman came out to install-the HD access was not showing up as part of the install. So both the installer and I had to spend time with phone calls back and forth to your installation dept. It was finally cleared up and the person I was speaking to on the phone offered me four months of HD access free for the \"hassle\".

But when the bill came-the HD access was being billed to my account. So I made the huge error of attempting to call your customer service to have this simple mistake corrected.

An extensive amount of time is initially wasted going through numerous voice prompts before finally reaching customer service. I am finally transferred to a man who had a very poor command of the English language. Apparently he was located in India. He had trouble understanding my basic and simple explanations but when he finally was able to get what I was telling him-he proceeded to tell me that he was going to transfer me to the \"installation department\". Once more I am back in the system listening to canned music, on hold and being transferred to another person.

A woman comes on the line and I explained the situation all over again. She put me on hold several times and then came back telling me that she saw the error in my billing and then she proceeded to \"try and correct the bill\". She requests that I \"give her a moment to correct it\" several times. In the meantime we had a pleasant conversation about the billing process and she tells me that the $100 rebate paperwork I mailed in has not been processed yet but that I could also file for the rebate online. This was the $10 off each month for 10 months, a promotion for new customers. After being asked by her several more times to \"hold on, that she almost had the account corrected\" she dropped my call.

I waited 10 minutes for her to call back-which she did not. But while I was waiting for her to call back-I went online and tried to file for the $100 rebate online. I entered my customer service number and was told:

\"You have already received an instant rebate or a special discounted offer for this receiver during this promotion\".

I have never received another instant rebate-I am a brand new customer. The only rebate I received was the four months for Direct Access as a concession for the installation screw up.

When the woman in installation did not call back, I was forced to once call back in and start all over....through the various phone prompts...being transferred to India..transferred once again to the installations department and once again explaining myself to another woman. She told me that her name was Holly and that she was located in Idaho.

I was more than a little frustrated at this point. So I told Holly the entire story all over again and I also told her that I was unable to file for the $100 rebate online. She told me \"we\'re not offering the four months free anymore\". I told her that the four months of free HD access was due to a concession because of an installation screw up-not a promotion offer. She looked at my account and proceeded to tell me that the prior person \"did not fix the HD Access errors in billing\". I asked if she could transfer me back to the person that I was originally dealing with in the installation department but was told \"that it was impossible\" and that I had to explain myself all over again with her. More wasted time.

At that point I asked to speak with her supervisor, as the time I had spent on the phone to Direct TV was nearing a half hour and I felt like I was spinning in circles. Holly put me on hold, came back after a couple minutes and told me that she was transferring me to her supervisor. But she proceeded to transfer me, without my knowledge, to an entirely different department in another state and NOT her supervisor.

After 5-10 minutes on being on hold again, \"Tina\" came on the line and told me that her division was in Georgia. She asked me why I was calling Direct TV and wanted me to once again explain the entire issue from the start.

I asked her if she was a supervisor. She told me that \"no, she was a resolution specialist\" . I proceeded to tell her that at this point I wanted to speak with a supervisor. She proceeded to argue with me telling me that \"she had the same training as a supervisor\". I told her that her level of training was not the issue-I had asked to speak with a supervisor and was told I was being switched to a supervisor and that I wanted to speak with supervisor and only a supervisor at that point.

I was placed back on hold again for several minutes. Tina finally came back on the line and told me that her supervisor \"Jason\", who is supposedly the head of the Resolution Department in Georgia, was refusing to speak with me and that he would call me back in \"24 to 48 hours\". I offered to hold and was told that he was not going to take my call regardless of how long I waited.

At that point I had had it with Direct TV. I asked Tina where Direct TV\'s Corporate office was located and she told me \"that she did not know the exact address\". I then asked her for the city and state and she told me that she \"didn\'t know\". I advised her that as a result of the way I had been treated up to that point, that I was now going to cancel my account. I asked her to note in my account record that I had requested to speak with her supervisor and that he would not take the call. She agreed to make it part of my record. She told me that I was going to be transferred to the cancellation department. I was on put on hold for quite a long period of time and then the phone connection was dropped again. I had heard my phone call come into rotation more than once and was constantly being put back on hold. I think Tina was expecting me to hang up after being on hold that long.

So here I am, a third time calling back.. through the phone prompts...transfers to India....transfers back to the U.S., explaining everything over and over to each new person that I was transferred to. Now the time I have spent on the phone to Direct TV is well over 45 minutes and stretching into an hour...just to resolve a simple billing issue and I have passed frustrated and am now on to fuming.

I finally spoke with Esmer in Texas. She came on the line asking me the reason for my phone call. Needless to say, I was probably very short with Esmer, because at that point I was sick and tired of having to constantly explain the same issue over and over to different people. She had not taken the time to read my record prior to taking the call-which was a mistake on her part.

I asked her to spare me having to reiterate the story and to review the notes on my case. The over charges for the HD access were still there-no one had removed them. The last note she found on my record was a brief one by Tina that I wanted to cancel my account because of dissatisfaction and that my call was \"accidentally disconnected\". Not a word about her supervisor not taking my phone call...but she did try to cover herself for intentionally disconnecting my call and portray it as an accident. I have NO doubt, based on her attitude and how she came across throughout our conversation-that she intentionally disconnected my call.

Esmer processed the disconnect and advised me 1) that I am responsible to get the receiver back 2). that I have to get up on a ladder and take the satellite down myself, and 3) that despite all the screw ups by Direct TV-that I will be receiving a full bill (my guess is that it will probably not be a correct one).

I made it clear to her that 1) someone from Direct TV brought the receiver and satellite and BOTH items need to be picked up and removed by Direct TV. I am NOT taking either one of them anywhere. I have had a knee replacement and have NO intention of climbing 10-12 feet up a ladder to remove a satellite...nor I am paying anyone to do it. I also made it very clear that I had NO intention of paying any bills sent to me by Direct TV. That had to be the icing on the cake.

I work as a consultant out of my home and the time that I have lost today alone, is close to two and a half hours, between phone calls, researching your information on the internet (because your staff refused to tell me where the corporate office was located) and ultimately this E-Mail. Including the initial screw up during the installation-Direct TV has wasted three hours of my time. The money I have wasted dealing with your billing errors would have amounted to at least $150 in billing if I had been working.

Most businesses would be horrified if their staff had made half of the mistakes that was made today...and would have been doing everything they could to retain the customer and their reputation. I know I would.

The majority (not all) of the Direct TV staff I encountered today could have cared less about retaining me as a customer. They instead compounded the frustration I was experiencing with retaliatory actions that only made the situation much worse. For a \"trained\" resolution specialist to be so argumentative and vindictive is amazing. And for the supervisor of a resolution department to tell a customer, that is already very upset, that he will get back to me in a \"couple days\"...has to be the height of arrogance and incompetence. I am unable to find a reasonable explanation why a supervisor, who is in the business of customer service, thinks that he can treat customers with such a dismissive attitude and that his disregard for customers will be OK with his company. I can only assume that it is with the approval and acceptance of Direct TV, that his avoidance of his duties is acceptable from their management perspective. It probably speaks volumes about why many of the line staff, particularly at this office, has such a disregard for the customer-they see it first hand from those that are in training/supervision positions.

At my request, my service was immediately disconnected. I am now in the process of speaking with your main competitor to arrange service. I think that many misguided companies spend significant amounts of money on public relations and advertising in an attempt to entice new customers, only to lose them due to extremely poor customer service. This certainly was true in my case with regard to your company. I can assure you that when I made my first call to Direct TV that I was not even slightly frustrated as mistakes happen to all of us and I naively thought I would be able to get it cleared up in a few minutes. But instead I experienced billing that still has not been corrected, two dropped calls, multiple transfers, computer errors for rebates, being lied to about being transferred to a supervisor and lied to about where your company\'s corporate headquarters are located, having to re-explain why I was calling in no less than a dozen times to different people, and the notes in my case not accurately reflecting staff actions. And that was just one afternoon for a simple accounting error. The quagmire you call customer service has been so poorly designed that if the consumer isn\'t angry or frustrated at the onset-they certainly will be by the end of their call, or in my case-calls.

Staff appears to have little or no accountability and \"dropping calls\" , \"transferring the problem elsewhere\" or \"leaving a customer on hold indefinitely\" seems to be commonly used practices and there appears to be no consequences for their actions. If anything-abusing customers works for them and unless a customer takes the time to complain, which probably 95% do, their actions are completely under the radar of upper management.

One of the chief reasons I am taking my business elsewhere is my firm belief that you intentionally designed the customer service section to be a literal nightmare for the customer. In my frustration of being held hostage to the voice prompts...transfers to India and back, I happened to call the phone number that you have listed for customers that want to order service. Two voice prompts and there was a person immediately available to take my call. When I initially ordered my DIrect TV service-throughout the entire process I spoke with just one person. No multiple transfers...no being on hold for long periods of time and certainly no hang ups. You are well aware of the impact those actions would have on sales. Yet your company is willing to accept extremely low standards for customer service as you illogically think that most consumers will simply tolerate it rather than change providers.

You have made the sales division of your company consumer friendly and just as easily could streamline the customer service end to reduce the amount of times a person is transferred and hold staff more accountable for their actions. It is It is one thing to draw the customer in...you can print up flashy ads in all the major newspapers, run low start up specials...but the true measure of a company is their ability to retain the customers of which they are already serving.

I would appreciate it if you would make arrangements for your installation staff to contact me to make arrangements for them to pick up the receiver and satellite as soon as possible as I am sure the other satellite company will want to install their dish in a similar location.

Posted by: Cathy at Apr 11, 2007 6:33:19 PM

can a direct tv tivo ( the R10) be connected to regular cable ( non satellite )? When I tried to hook up the cable it kept searching for a satellite connection and would not let you change the settings to look for other connections..can anyone help me with that? one website said it can be done with a ACF cable and a BGT connector ( what are those and where do I get them and is it true??)

Posted by: liznwa at Jun 8, 2007 12:57:11 PM

I just love how the first comment said "...but DVR as a technology is sure to be enhanced by this move, if not in the same way, or with the same company, like we'd all expected." Well I have Directv's new R15 and I fell like I have a disaster. I was given it as a free upgrade because I would have less glitches. I have had instead of a glitch every few months probably several hundred in a day in terms of black flashes on my screen that during play back say searching for signal (not a cloud in the sky). Come back from a 4 day vacation to only 1 day being recorded because the card went all funky. Machine reset and a few ours later the same thing. We have had things record in weird folders and that is on top of standard complaints of the slowness. I really like that it tells you how much memory is left, but it's just not worth it. I still have my 35 hour machine just wish I could find at least an 70 hour machine from someone not trying to rob you blind.

Posted by: SD at Aug 31, 2007 5:10:57 PM

A Digital Video Recorder is now well on its way to becoming just another household appliance; just like a microwave oven, a TV set, or a PC. The best thing Tivo ever did was develop the absolute greatest User Interface for a DVR machine bar none. I've worked in the broadcasting business in a technical capacity for 30 years and used a lot of recording equipment and there is nothing close to their user interface or to the simple logic of their remote control.

The worst thing Tivo ever did was opt for their subscription service instead of just licensing their user interface to other manufacturers. I haven't heard anything good about the Verizon FIOS DVR and I know that Scientific Atlanta's box is trash.

I'm afraid it may be too late for Tivo. They may well become a "verb" but I don't think they can make it long term by selling their service as an additional $15 or $20 monthly bill in addition to what people are paying to their cable company, satellite provider, or phone company.

Posted by: John at Sep 9, 2007 8:08:41 AM

Posted by: John at Sep 9, 2007 8:10:02 AM

DirecTV makes moves to drop TiVo

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