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DirecTV's own HD DVR rollout to start in early 2006

DirecTV users with combo TiVo units (in either standard def or high def) have been kind of hung out to dry for the past year or so. There haven't been any major software features added to the standard def units and the HD units only get a handful of channels (see DirecTV's HD Problem for more).

A reader recently wrote in with this story about attempting to get local current HD programming from DirecTV on his HD TiVo:

...statement(s) showing the LA/NYC HD network feeds from Direct TV are outdated (3 years old). According to Direct TV, they dropped that programming option in December of 2004. Getting network programming in HD requires waivers from the networks and according to Direct TV's HD technical support group, only 20% of waivers for HD network programming are approved [...] you may expect a 30-45 day wait to find out that only 20% of us will ever get approved!

Ever since DirecTV made it known their next DVR would be from their own subsidiary NDS instead of TiVo, everyone's been wondering when the new units would see the light of day. DirecTV sent up a few new satellites for their expanded MPEG-4 HD lineup (they say they will support 100s of channels of HD content by 2007), but current HD and SD DirecTiVo owners would have to wait for new hardware to take advantage of the new channels.

Over on the TiVo Community, it looks like official word from DirecTV is that early 2006 we should start seeing HD DVRs from DirecTV, with coverage in 12 major cities. It also sounds like there will be some sort of trade-in program for HD DirecTiVo units. As always, I'm curious what the user experience will be like compared to the TiVo devices. I've heard good and bad things about the NDS units over in the UK.

by Matt Haughey September 13, 2005 in DirecTV

Comments

All I can say is let's get going! Todd Lokken.

Posted by: Todd Lokken at Sep 24, 2005 7:56:34 PM

I've been a DirectTV customer since 1994. Anybody remember USSB? The last couple of years has been frustrating. Customer service is awful.
I recently received a "Gold Card" stating that my "loyality was being rewarded with special handling when I called in."
Well, it's BS. There's no diffence, it's still awful and takes forever. The polite young lady on thephone could not answer my questions about upcoming changes, asked if she could put me on hold for 3-5 minutes while she checked. I asked to be called back with the information, that has never happened.
No one in business today seems to really respect their customers. Their attitude is childish and does not deserve the business they get.
The changes, I hear from outside sources, will involve new equipment the customers will have to buy, both dish ( new 5 LNB models ) as well as the above mentioned new receivers. Thers no telling what the monthly charges will go to.
Folks, they've gotten too big for their britches, IMO, and no longer are a quality service.

Posted by: Doug Dahlgren at Dec 5, 2005 8:09:10 AM

Interesting comments on the gold card. I just got one too, but I haven't had to call customer service much. I can tell you the growing pains are to be expected; Directv is huge now, and the customer service levels naturally drop as the costs of hiring staff increases. Therefore, companies usually higher the cheapest staff possible and accept the sometimes "lack" of service.

Posted by: Todd Lokken at Dec 20, 2005 7:30:35 AM

I just spoke to DirecTv to ask about purchasing a new Hughes HR10-250 HDTV DVR w/Tivo. I was told that after paying $349.00 for the box I MUST sign on for 2 more years of service. AND, if I don't sign on for 2 more years they won't activate my new box. AND, if I do sign on for the 2 years but end my service early they will charge me a penalty!! I switched to DirecTv from Comcast because Comcast had the same antagonistic business practices that DirecTv is now apparently emulating. This is BAD BUSINESS!!! I probably would have stayed with DirecTv for longer than the 2 years but this kind of BS is changing my opinion of the company. Sheesh!!

Posted by: Don Kaufmann at Dec 21, 2005 7:14:23 PM

you are paying $349.00 for a hi def dvr and signing a 2 year contract because you are receiving a break in the $700 price tag. If you want a hi def dvr for that price.. without signing a contract; leave it to ebay. Also, you guys with the gold card: if you didn't know this already, D* is too big of a company to own all of the call centers and take care of all their technicians "in-house." Therefore, no one really works for directv that you would ever see or talk to. The technicians are contracted. The call centers are contracted and everything is owned and operated by outside companies. That's how big corporations work. A shining example of american monopolies.

Posted by: Ironwood Tech at Dec 21, 2005 8:16:19 PM

DirecTV has always been very slow to meet consumer demands with respect to HDTV. The movers and shakers in this industry expect to be handsomely rewarded for broadcast signals they distribute. They're keenly aware of what makes money and what doesn't. They won't budge an inch if cash, and lots of it, is not in the equation. Such consumer concerns as functionality, picture quality, standardization and maintaining competative technology are secondary concerns to maximizing profits. They're not going to do anything unless it translates into huge profits. Making people pay $1000/year for 500 mediocre standard definition channels has delivered a lot of revenue to companies like DirecTV, Dish & Cable. Consumers are corralled into the ridiculously bloated packages they offer, but invariably end up watching no more than 8 or so different channels.

After going through 10 STB including a lot of technical aggravation with both DirecTV and Cable, I finally decided to drop pay TV because I do not see it as having value for the amount of money they want to charge. I will do the same with broadband the moment the opportunity arises. I recently purchased a 5k 60" Sony SXRD RPTV that receives a stunning picture from OTA network broadcasts. I receive CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, and Fox with a simple pair of rabbit ears. I have an LG LST-3410A HD Tuner which I use to record my favorite shows so that I can watch them in the few hours I have time to. I have the best picture possible with the best uncompressed signal possible and it's free.

Posted by: MarkinEugene at Jan 1, 2006 8:18:32 PM

I have just received a free upgrade from Directv with the new H20 receiver and 5 LNB dish. The HD channels look great and the non hd channels are much cleaner then on my old HD receiver. I had to be a current HD customer and be in a market that offers HD locals to get the upgrade and, stay with Directv for another 2 years, sounds fair to me since there is no one out there that comes close to all that you get for the money. I have been with Directv 11 years now and have always been happy with there service.

Posted by: HDMan at Jan 19, 2006 9:34:58 AM

Follow up time !

I dropped Direct TV in December. It only took four phone calls, combined on line time of about two hours, over three weeks to get this done.
Then, I received a final bill (two of them actually) with due dates of 1/26/06 and 1/27/06 respectively. Paid them off on 1/12/06, got a "late due" notice on 1/20/06. Another 40 minutes on the phone with two different people and I think I am finally through with them. We'll see next billing cycle.
As for Comcast cable and their HD service. It is OK.
I like the DVR. Small hard drive but how long do you want to keep stuff anyway. No up front investment and if it fails, they replace it. Had two Phillips Tivo units go out in first three years with Direct TV. Gets expensive.
Have invested in new Panasonic DVD recorder and it works well with the comcast DVR for long term storage.
NOTE : I don't know why, but retail outlets around here, ( Best Buy, Brandmart)will tell you that you can NOT transfer recording from comcast DVR to DVD recorder. Not so. It works very well.
Anyway, I'm no Comcast fan, their service is as described by others here, but so far so good with the HD service.
I'll keep my 'over the air' receiver as backup.

Posted by: Doug Dahlgren at Jan 26, 2006 6:01:46 AM

DirecTV's new Plus DVRs suck!

I bought one for my father-in-law for Christmas. Upon installing it, it was so confusing and lacked so much of what TIVO had, it acts even worse than a cable company DVR. I finally gave him my TIVO unit. I am trying to sell the Plus DVR to anyone interested.

What a mistake it was for DirecTV to drop TIVO. It made their product really stand out not it's poor at best.

Posted by: MZ at Jan 29, 2006 10:58:55 AM

Any hope for higher capacity HD DVR's for 2006 (more than 100 hours)? Is ReplayTV gone? Does anyone know?

Howard

Posted by: Howard at Jan 29, 2006 6:22:08 PM

I get my new HD direct TV reciever in the morning. I deciced to keep my SD Tivo unit and move it into the bed room on the 36 inch sony wega. Not goin to do HD DVR at the moment. I get 14 OTA HD channels! Guess there is an advantage living in the country between 4 major cities.

The old ant 40 feet in the air with the power rotor finally became useful again( I did add A power amp to the feed and hooked the other output to my Onkyo reciever and I get radio stations out of NEW York and Canada at night!!

The ota football games look breathtaking on the mits 65 inch crt projo! I have HDMI so I will order and use that interconnect for d* as soon as I see that it looks as good as ota hdtv.

I hope from what I have read tonight that I will be getting the H20 with the 5 LNB dish. Either way I pay for the warrenty so i can always "break it" and make them replace it with a H20 if I get stuck with an H10. The warrenty is AWSOME, if the picture gets iffy I just make a call and the tech climbs the mast in the snow storm to ajust it, while I stay inside warm and toasty!

I am currious how the D* reciever will work with my OTA ant as I move it south-east to get stations from Pittsburg, north-west to get stations from Cleveland and south-west to get Stubenville and Wheeling. I get Youngstown, Akron and Canton with out making any ajustments.

Posted by: Eric at Jan 29, 2006 9:15:40 PM

Well I got my H10 reciever with 3 LNB- the d20 with 5 LNB will not be avalible until the end of march here. I do get a free upgrade to the 5 LNB h20 when they roll it out here! Plus since no one broadcasts fox in either SD or HDTV in my "local market" I got the east coast feeds for all HD networks!!!! I am very happy! Hooking up my Media Center PC to the hd box so i can record 120 hrs of HD programing (I have 4 300 GB hard drives on the computer for less than the cost of the hd tivo plus after rebates and free install direct tv is paying me 20 bucks to get the hd box and giving me 6 mounths free programing!! WOO HOO!

Posted by: Eric at Jan 30, 2006 10:23:42 AM

Yep. I remember USSB and DIRECTV ... and the two separate bills. Purchased a system for $799 when they first came out. Purchased a DirecTV TIVO for $240 (have three) when they first came out (remember the old 14 hour TIVOs which controlled the RCA DirecTV receivers via a serial connection?) Purchased a $1000 HD TIVO Receiver when it came out. When DirecTV changes to MPEG4 here in the LA area, I'll either let them upgrade with 2 years' extension, or buy (or lease now) now equipment. I, for one, am willing to pay for the quality of HD broadcasts, which at my location are simply superb!

Posted by: John at Feb 8, 2006 4:04:50 PM

I'm looking into the 5 LNB dish, but am concerned about whether or not it's safe on my roof based on the new size (and practically 2 foot arm). Can anyone share their experiences/pictures of how it looks?

Thanks for any info.

Posted by: Frank at Feb 12, 2006 8:01:46 AM

I purchased a 5 LNB dish and it is not much bigger- but it is a lot better. HD makes it all worth it! I got the 5 LNB dish and a free HD receiver (all with instant rebate) from American Satellite and it was installed for free (and they did a great job). I am glad I waited for such a deal. Don't do the mail in rebates- they make you jump through hoops for your money back. Check out www.AmericanSatellite.com for the best deal- they guarantee to match any price!

Posted by: Scott at Feb 17, 2006 2:08:19 PM

Got the 5 LNB dish installed today and 2 H20's for $110 (no contract). Haggled with them a bit. The dish is heavy, 60lbs or so. They install it on a pole with one brace, I asked the tech to install a 2nd brace and he did. It's like a tripod mount now. I hope it stays there!

Posted by: Larry at Mar 9, 2006 5:27:47 PM

I wanted to get local channels in HD and found out they are now available in San Francisco area - I called DirecTV and they said I could get the new 5 LNB dish for $99 (plus $15 shipping). I tried to negotiate, but they wouldn't budge. The installer came out last Saturday and didn't have everything needed so is coming back next Tuesday. What I found out is that they are including the H20 in that price (I would then have 3 receivers - I currently have 1 regular TIVO receiver and 1 HR10-250 receiver. The installer is also going to make 2 more runs into my house for a total of 4 and will be providing an 4 x 8 multiswitch to support the 4 drops with 2 cables each. The installer couldn't believe I was getting the dish and receiver for the $99 so I called DirecTV. They said that I did get it as part of the deal AND (this is hard to believe) if I activate it by the end of March (additional cost of $5 per month for the 3rd receiver), I will get a $200 rebate on the order. I will believe it when I actually get a check, but that is what they said.

Posted by: Gary at Mar 10, 2006 1:17:53 PM

this is to larry. u have to have a ka/Ku 6x8 multiswitch not a 4x8 that u stated they were bringing u for the new 5 lnb dish.

Posted by: George at Mar 12, 2006 3:52:46 PM

how many total feeds are coming of the new 5 lnb dish? the 4x8 pvm55x8 perfect vision multiswitch claims to work with HD...
"Perfect Vision Multi-switch designed to connect 5 inputs to 8 independent outputs. Allows reception of satellites from two or three satellites using multiple LNBs in a residential application. Enables the reception of DIRECTV DIRECTV PARA TODOS™ Channels™ and HDTV feeds.."

Posted by: dertbt at Mar 19, 2006 12:38:10 PM

I have a question:

When I "buy" a new HD DirecTV receiver, say from Best Buy for $99.99, to upgrade my current DirecTV service, I realize I'm getting a break on the MSRP so that DTV can lock me into a new 2-year plan and pay more for the HD capability.

But what I want to know is, do I actually "own" my new receiver - or am I just leasing it?

What prompted my query is the folling language on Best Buy's website after I went to the DirecTV products page for exisitng customers:

"Prices shown are 'lease upgrade fees.' Additional $4.99/mo. lease fee applies for each DIRECTV Receiver you add. Programming commitment required. See terms."

And then when I click on "See terms" for more info, I see this:

"FAILURE TO ACTIVATE DIRECTV SYSTEM WITHIN 30 DAYS OF RECEIPT MAY RESULT IN CHARGE OF $150 PER DIRECTV RECEIVER NOT ACTIVATED. IF YOU FAIL TO MAINTAIN YOUR PROGRAMMING COMMITMENT, DIRECTV MAY CHARGE PRORATED FEE OF UP TO $150 FOR STANDARD RECEIVERS (UP TO $300 FOR ADVANCED RECEIVERS). RECEIVERS ARE AT ALL TIMES PROPERTY OF DIRECTV AND MUST BE RETURNED UPON CANCELLATION OF SERVICE, OR ADDITIONAL FEES APPLY. VISIT DIRECTV.COM OR CALL 1-800-DIRECTV FOR DETAILS."

Huh? Does that mean that:

(1) If I break my 2 year agreement, then I have to give it back or pay extra to keep it (on top of the potential $300 for not keeping my committment)?

OR

(2) If I EVER cancel my subscription, then I have to give back the receiver or pay more to keep it?

The way it's written, especially the part that says "RECEIVERS ARE AT ALL TIMES PROPERTY OF DIRECTV," makes it seems like number two (2) is the case, which is appropriate because that's a bunch of crap.

If you're not required to renew your contract after the intitial 2 years is up (i.e. pay month to month and cancel whenever you want), then essentially this language in the lease terms means that you will eventually have to pay more for your receiver, if and when you choose to leave DTV. In the least, it means that you're not allowed to sell it to anyone else because you DON'T OWN it, but instead only "leasing" it.

So does this mean that all of those people selling their used receivers on eBay, will eventually get a charge on their bill for the cost of re-buying a receiver they thought they already owned?

Or will someone who "buys" a new HD or DVR receiver off an eBay seller or other prior purchaser be subject to a $150 charge for not activating service within 30 days after the original purchaser "bought" it? Even worse, can DTV reclaim the receiver because the first guy never had the right to sell it? Or can DTV charge that second "buyer," too?

Sorry this is so long. I've been considering upgrading myself, and I guess I'm just thinking out loud. But maybe people should consider all of the possible implications of letting DTV get its coporate, money-grubbing hooks into them.

Posted by: Leon at Mar 30, 2006 12:48:45 PM

I have a very complicated question and also had a problem with directv.first i wanted to get hd programming so i needed a 3 or 5 lnb dish and 1 hd h20 receiver to replace one of my standard receivers.i did not want to lease the h20 or get into anther 2 yr contract.I decide to go to best buy and buy the 3 lnb for $59.99 and the H20 for $99.99.now i have it all hooked up.yeasterday i called directv and asked them if my h20 was leased or owned.they told me leased.i argued with them and told them i went to bestbuy and payed $99 for it and i do own it.they said they would put it in the system as owned now.today i called again and asked the same question.directv told me it was leased.i said "so you lied yesterday when i was told it was switched to owned.so by the time i hung up the phone the h20 rec was indeed owned not leased.i checked it out at my online account.i wonder how they could think they leased me something that they had nothing to do with.today i read at best buy.com the receivers are upgrades to be leased and they are property of bb.also the receivers must be activated within 30 days.first off if i went out right now and purchased 20 hd h20 receivers directv would never know so how would they know if i was activating them within 30 days.also the receipt from bb was a sale receipt not a lease agreement.is everyone crazy except for me.this has got to be the most retarted system i ever tried to comprehend.directv emailed me and told me that i am in anther 2 yr contract because i payed $99 for the h20.they said i could get out of the contract if i payed $349 for it , they said just call and tell us you payed $349.so i will just call tomarrow and tell them i payed $349 to best buy so i can get out of the 2yr contract.can anyone explain this to me.

Posted by: anthony egnatuk at Apr 7, 2006 8:34:13 PM

Okay, look. As an Employee of DIRECTV, I can try to explain the deal. We now lease the receiver unless you pay the $349 directly to D* Best Buy's literature and advertizing clearly state it is a lease. BestBuy isn't authorized to sell them anymore. That may sound like a rip-off, but if a leased unit breaks, we replace it free, with or without the service agreement. The service agreement still covers the cost of service calls, and replacing the dish, cable, access card, and remote. You can buy it for around the same price we pay the manufacturers for it, and when it breaks, you buy its replacement. Chose the lease and commitment(we make an investment in your house and equipment in exchange), or buy it at actual value and go it alone. Around 10% of the service calls our techs go out on are detirmined to be related to the tv, vcr, etc, or just a customer who can't figure out the remote or wiring(that was wired right when the tech left, but they had to play with it).
If Ipick up your call, you will be talking to a csr who is paid by DIRECTV, has a DIRECTV employee number, and gets paid better after 4 years on the phone than I did after 22 years as a skilled precision machinist. Yes, 9 of the 12 call centers are contracted, but we have 3 of our own, and opening a 4th this summer. We're negotiating a 5th, and dedicated to having as many company-paid people on the phones as possible. We have a greater stake in the success and survival of the company than a contracted call-center employee. We value you as customers, because you are what make our paychecks clear the bank. We work with you when you call. We invest in you.
We're doing everything we can to keep the cost of your service and equipment as low as we can, and you guys sit here scheming up ideas to get over on us. Thanks.

Posted by: Bobinboise at Apr 8, 2006 7:42:27 PM

When are they going to get smaller dishes for the 5 lnb system? The tech came out to install my system the other day, and he basically told me he can't put up the new dish. And even if he could, says he, there is enough wind in my area (Delaware is pretty windy) that it would probably move all over the place anyway. He told me that the best mount for it was a metal pole in the ground, and then told me he couldn't do it because 1) the ground was too hard and rocky to get it in, and 2) I needed written authorization from my Homeowner's Association (huh!?!?!). Anyway, I want a smaller dish that I can attach to my roof where my current dish is, or else I will have to suffer through on OTA antenna.

Posted by: matt at Apr 11, 2006 12:27:38 PM

HD DVR???? Beginning of 2006???? Mid 2006 is looking more accurate... any new news on release????

Posted by: ErnRenner at Apr 11, 2006 8:47:37 PM

I'm debating making the plunge to DTV, but I have a few caveats. I'm willing to commit to a 2-year deal (somewhat reluctantly), but I want to be able to use two DTV receivers I recently bought used but in mint condition. One is a high-end Samsung HD unit, and the other a Tivo but not HD. I'd like to have a total of four boxes in the house, and that probably means I have to "lease" (?) the two (extra) boxes. So how does that work? Do I get hit with a monthly $4.99 fee per "leased" box or would they force me to lease the boxes I already own. Do I go to Best Buy and purchase the two additional boxes and get a rebate or do I deal with DTV?

Before I make a commitment to DTV (or Dish or Comcast) I want to know what to do and what to expect. I've heard they have some flexibility with regard to packages, and I can believe it... years ago I was a DTV customer and after I canceled (it became too addictive and expensive NFL, NBA, MLB, PPV, etc.) they called me for years offering me a free platinum package for 6 months, free MLB, but I resisted. Now I need another jolt!

What should I do?

Posted by: Doc at Apr 12, 2006 6:27:54 PM

Hi,
I'm a Direct Tech. The new 5 LNB dish will mount just fine on your roof. It is a larger dish with a larger mast, but uses two arms that extend out to be bolted by lag bolts to your house truss as well as the mast. Also in June of '06 they are going to release a new 5 LNB KA/KU dish that is much lighter than the ones out now and I believe is plastic like the old Prime Star dish. The LNB will also then be one piece instead of two as it is now. As far as customer support, what place can you call and get a human voice and someone who knows what they are talking about right off the bat.Direct has 2.5 million customers now so a little wait time is to be expected. I've had Charter(Cable company) and Dish(never could get thru to a human on their number). In my honest opinion Direct has the best customer support. If you call in with a problem we are usually rolling on it the next day(granted its not the weekend). Direct has a ton of new features coming out with the new D10 & D11 ETC. as long as you have a phone line you can take advantage of them. VOD is one where you can actually have a video conversation with someone thru Direct, also they are adding gameing, and a few more things. If you do get Direct Please consider getting the Protection Plan. People it really is worth the extra $5.99 a month. Electonics is Electronics is Electronics. Just like your Stereo,TV,VCR,ETC. They are not built to last forever and like anything electronic are bound to fail at some point. I had a few customers swapping from dish because they blew thru 4 IRDs within 4 months. The protection plan will cover anything that happens to your system. Also,the point brought up about the new DVR PLUS from direct,,These are some awesome units. They have every feature the Tivos had and then some. The DVR has caller ID for one, I dont remember Tivo having it. The DVR is easier to set up, the software in the new DVR is the same as the D11. So you get to use the Active button to check your local weather, mix channels, ETC. Tivo didnt have that Plus and the main reason Direct parted ways with Tivo is Tivo needed a phone line to work properly(Record shows). You can use all the DVR functions without the phone line on a new DVR Plus. I take pride in my job and stand behind Directv & their services. anyone tired of reading yet? LOL.

Posted by: Tech2804 at Apr 12, 2006 9:58:41 PM

Tech2804,
I would agree with your assesment of DTV customer service 12 months ago. NOT SO TODAY!
As far as "someone who knows what they are talking about right off the bat" where are you calling? This has not been my experience with the many calls I have made in the last 6 months! They may know what they are talking about but it is NOT freely shared with the customer. I have been given at least 5 different stories. It changes weekly. I am always left with the impression that most of the details I am looking for have been intentionally held back. For example, I ordered and paid for a 5LNB Dish and HD DVR to be installed last October. I was told by the CSR that the HD-DVR technology was NOT going to change although I was warned that it was. The CSR insisted I was wrong. The Tech arrived and installed the HD-DVR. He then proceeded to tell me that the receiver would not be compatible with the new 5 LNB Dish. Secondly no one had any idea when the new one would be ready. December, maybe January, no later than the end of first quarter.
Well, still no hardware!
To further make my point, I finally got tired of spotty local channels in HD from Rooftop antenna and asked for the 5LNB dish to be installed without DVR. That is scheduled for tomorrow. AT NO TIME was I told that the dish is being redesigned and replaced by June! I was also assured that the new HD-DVR will be installed sometime early June. I am at the point where I find it hard to believe anything that I am told. With that feeling it is pretty hard to agree to long term subscriptions!

Posted by: Mike Hubbard at Apr 14, 2006 7:40:16 AM

Hey,
2804 again. Direct TV does not have a HD DVR of thier own yet. They are still useing the old Tivo brand. The Tivo Brand HD DVR IS NOT compatable with the new 5LNB dish. Direct is still using the old Triple Dish for those. The Triple will deliver the high def channels that are being broadcast now, but the new 5 LNB dish will be needed for the new birds they got in orbit now when they start broadcasting. The 5 LNB dish along with the new HD IRDs will also allow you to view your HDlocals thru direct without the need for an off air antenna. as far as dish changing. they all work alike. direct is only chaneing them because they wanted a dish that was more streamlined in the first place not how they look now. the 5 lnb they have now are a pain to line up with the sats. the new one is supposed to help out with that. your dish you are having installed will not be changed again. it will work from here on out. they just changed future dishes.(looks not technology)sorry youve had such a bad time. as far as the new HDDVR i have not heard when it would be ready either, but check back here ill ask my tech manager if he has heard anything. i wasnt trying to get into an arguement with your just trying to help.

Posted by: Tech2804 at Apr 14, 2006 4:31:55 PM

First, if you have a DTV Tech like 2804 posting here and answering questions, don't get all over him because he doesn't make company policy nor does he train the CSRs.

With regard to the 5 LNB dish rollout, are we saying that some aspects of compatibility between current set top boxes and TIVOs will make those "older" (or even current) Tivo boxes obsolete?

When I heard DTV was sending up more satellites and adding a 5-LNB dish, I figured that they were going to provide alternate aiming locations for HD and regular DTV signals. That would be far more important than getting locals and having to install a larger dish that maybe isn't compatible with my current HD and/or Tivo equipment.

I have Comcast cable with the digital package now, and in addition to the HD locals (CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, and PBS) I also have TNT HD, DSC HD, Universal HD, INHD1, INHD2, and HBO HD, and ESPN HD... that only costs me $14 (?) above my basic cable price. And the beauty of cable is that I can cancel and add channels on a monthly basis. That being said, You obvioulsly get more channels with DTV than you do with Comcast.

Posted by: Doc at Apr 14, 2006 6:46:10 PM

Thanks!
I got a little gungho my first post to.I know people are going to have strong opinions towards Directv if its good or bad. My experiance has been a very good one(compared to our local cable or dishnet). Anyways I talked to my Tech manager about the HDDVR(NONTivo) Direct still has not told us anything about when to expect them. I work for the 6th largest Directv installation company in the US. We get tech updates and vids anytime Direct puts them out. The 5LNB dish is not compatible with the Tivo at all. We still use the 3 LNB for now If we do a HDDVR however a Directv HD IRD is and we use the 5LNB. Direct is going towards only useing their own Direct equipment, no Tivo,Hughes,Sony, Phillips,ETC. They figure it will be easier for techs to install them if all software on every Directv IRD is the same I like to help anytime I can. Just ask. Later!

Posted by: Tech2804 at Apr 14, 2006 9:05:47 PM

Does anyone have any word concerning the scheduled rollout of the next 24 cities to receive locals in HD; what cities will be first, etc.?

Posted by: Sandman at Apr 15, 2006 5:50:43 PM

I was dissapointed to order my new 5 LNB satellite upgrade only to learn that here in Chicago I do not get WGN (local) in HD and there is no DVR receiver that is compatible. So, for now, I'm not sure what I really accomplished. However, I will say that I did getmy rebate check in a timely fashion. Directv did tell me that when a Directv HD DVR receiver does come in, they will try and help me out. What do you all think?

Dave in Chicago

Posted by: David at Apr 16, 2006 7:20:33 PM

Sorry Tech2804, but the DirecTV Tivo do work with the new 5LNB satellites. I I have both and they work great. When my local channels go Hi Def (Hopefully soon?) they will not work on it but everything else works great. Has anybody hear a date on when the channels will go live? I only heard April.

Posted by: Chris at Apr 17, 2006 2:54:59 PM

Your Directtv tivo yes. HD DVR Tivo brand(NO)well let me say it will maybe with sat 101,119,110, not the new birds they have in orbit. sorry

Posted by: Tech2804 at Apr 17, 2006 8:37:50 PM

i have a directv hd h20 box and a samsung hpr-4252 and there is an hdmi compatibility issue. i have switched out the box twice and the tv 4 times. and it still won't work. but it works with a panasonic plasma just not my samsung i love the samsung and don't want to change it. please help.

Posted by: Kris at Apr 19, 2006 8:28:12 PM

Hi, I currently have a 3-LNB satellite with 2 coax run into the house for 2 SD DTV receivers. I want to upgrade to HDTV with DVR. I also want to have my local HD channels through DTV, not OTA. My questions:

1) Do I need to go to a 5-LNB dish?

2) How many coaxes into the house from the satellite? Still one per receiver, or more? (I will be finishing my garage soon and would like to bury the coax in the wall where it goes out to the satellite. I need to know what I will be needing someday.)

3) How long will it be before my area (central Iowa) gets local HD channels from DTV? Are we talking months, or years?

4) Also, which receiver should I go with? Is there something new coming that I should wait for?

Thank you for any guidance you can give me.!

Posted by: Andy at Apr 20, 2006 10:00:36 AM

I'm an A/V contractor with a fair number of clients using Directv HD tivos. Most of these people have 10+ recievers in the house,and will want to get in on the new HD DVRs with local HD programming.

If the only current multiswitch is 8 output, are we going to have to put up multiple dishes/downleads/multiswitches to get 16, 24, and 32 outputs?

Any techs or others that know of another solution?

Posted by: Dylan at Apr 20, 2006 6:04:36 PM

Be careful as the new 5LNB is huge compared to the existing Triple Sat, it is not easy to install, heavy, and Most Home Owners Assoc will not allow it. RECOMMENDATION: Keep your existing dish, a smaller 5LNB is on the way. There is no immediate benefit to rushing to the 5LNB, the sats are not even fully operational yet. Stay with TIVO, full HD line-up is still a year away.

Posted by: Satoo at Apr 28, 2006 9:08:46 AM

As a customer service rep for DTV, though honestly one that works for a contracted company, I feel like I should answer a few questions that have been posed.

First. About leasing. If you pay $49 for standard receivers, they are leased. You can pay $149 to own it. If you pay $99 for hd or dvr, they are leased, though you can pay $349 to own them. If you pay $499 for an hd dvr (usually you can get a $100 rebate on top of this) it will be leased, but you can own it for $749. If you buy these receivers at the owned price, you won't get the added commitment, if you are an existing customer. If you are a new customer, you have either a one year for standard receivers commitment, or a two year commitment for dvr, hd, or hd-dvr programming. You won't get out of that. But this works out best for existing customers. Because what they won't tell you unless you ask is that if you already own receivers on your account, upgrade to say, and hd dvr, and then a year later want to cancel, you can send back your receiver and you'll no longer have that last year of your equipment agreement. This is only for customers that have mixed (some owned, some leased) accounts. But if you are a new customer, it's just a standard programming commitment, either one year or two years, and you have to deal with it. It's only fair, considering you can get up to four rooms with free equipment, a dish and wiring installed, and have the option to get a free dvr or hd, or $100 off an hd dvr. And besides, with a directv contract, every month you are with the contract, $12.50 is subtracted from the cancellation fee (ie, a 2 year, $300 commitment is only $50 dollars if you have been with them for 20 months and cancel.) Directv is not like cell phone companies, that will charge you the full fee even if only one day is left on your contract.

And no matter what. Every receiver after your first is $4.99 a month. Whether they call it a "lease fee" or an "additional receiver programming fee" it's on there. And no matter how much you argue, there is no way that fee is going to be taken off. Sad, but true. Even employees, that get free service, have to pay the $4.99 additional receiver fee.

And I'm sorry Tech2804, but directv has a LOT more than 2.5 million customers. Try 15.1 million as of December 2005. And growing.

And yes, you might get a wait time when you call in. That sucks. We hate when it happens too. It means we're taking calls one after another after another with only two ten minute breaks and maybe a lunch if we work at least 8 1/2 hours in a shift. I, for instance, work 10 hours 45 minutes and get two ten minute breaks and one 45 minute unpaid lunch. You think we like spending that much time busy? We try to get your issues resolved faster. Getting your problem solved and getting you off the phone is the number one priority. But you know when it's not busy? During the workday. On saturday during the days. All of sunday except during NFL Sunday ticket. In the mornings. Because EVERYONE calls in between 5 PM eastern time and 11 PM eastern time.

Now about the launching of new local channels, which you WILL need to have a 5 LNB dish and an MPEG-4 compatible receiver (at this point only the h20 works, but there will be in the summer or early fall the hd dvr that will be compatible, made by LG) to watch them.

This is the current schedule of HD Locals

Atlanta Nov 22, 2005
Milwaukee May 2006
Baltimore June 2006
Minneapolis Apr 19, 2006
Birmingham Apr 19, 2006
Nashville Apr 19, 2006
Boston Dec 8, 2005
New York since 2003
Charlotte June 2006
Orlando June 2006
Chicago Nov 22, 2005
Philadelphia Nov 22, 2005
Cleveland June 2006
Phoenix May 2006
Columbus - not CBS Apr 19, 2006
Pittsburgh Apr 19, 2006
Dallas - not ABC Dec 8, 2005
Raleigh June 2006
Denver June 2006
Sacramento - not FOX Apr 19, 2006
Detroit Oct 20, 2005
St. Louis May 2006
Fresno May 2006
Salt Lake City May 2006
Hartford June 2006
San Antonio June 2006
Houston - not CBS Dec 8, 2005
San Diego - not CBS, FOX Apr 19, 2006
Indianapolis June 2006
San Francisco Nov 22, 2005
Kansas City Apr 19, 2006
Seattle June 2006
Los Angeles since 2003
Tampa. Dec 8, 2005
Miami June 2006
Washington, D.C. Dec 8, 2005
W. Palm Beach June 2006

and new for the fall
Austin Fall 2006
Madison Fall 2006
Cincinnati Fall 2006
Memphis Fall 2006
Grand Rapids Fall 2006
Portland, Maine Fall 2006
Green Bay Fall 2006
Portland, Oregon Fall 2006
Greensboro Fall 2006
Providence Fall 2006
Las Vegas Fall 2006
Reno Fall 2006

And one last thing, if you don't live in one of those cities and an installer tells you the 5 lnb dish will get you local channels, he's full of SH*T. And if he guarantees that you'll get ABC, NBC, CBS or FOX from NY or LA, he's also lying or completely misinformed. But that also doesn't mean you won't get either the NY or the LA feed of those four networks. BUT YOU HAVE TO REQUEST THEM!!!! Ask to submit waivers to get DNS (Distant Network Services) Unless you live in one of those markets, you can submit them. If the rep you talk to says you can't get DNS services, he's also full of SH*T, which is very possible. Ask to speak to a supervisor. Request the waivers. Yes, it can, by law, take up to 45 days to get a response back. But the longest I've ever seen a waiver take to get back is a month. And usually they get back to us in a week or less. And that "1 out of 5 people who submit the waivers get turned down" that we're required to say, is also bull. That's measuring all the waivers we've submitted since back in the day when customers didn't have local channels and had to request standard definition channels from new york and LA. I'd say, from personal experience, your chances are more like 3 in 5. Check www.antennaweb.org to see how far you are from digital broadcast towers if you want to know how strong the OTA signal is where you are. YES! You may have to get an antenna. But if you buy it with your DirecTV receiver ordering from us, they'll install a rooftop antenna for an additional $50! But if you don't request it when you make your order, you'll have to go out and buy it and also install it yourself. And once again, if an installer come out to your house and tells you you don't need an off air antenna, that the 5 lnb dish will take care of your needs,and yet you don't live in one of those above mentioned markets, HE IS LYING, or probably, just stupid. Make him install the off air antenna.

Okay. That's my 2 cents, maybe more like 57 cents, but if you have any more questions, we're here to help in the HD Eligibility Group at Directv.

Posted by: DTV Wage Slave at Apr 30, 2006 3:59:58 PM

After trying this direct DVR, I can say I do miss the Tivo box. It seems like they took everything that was great with the Tivo box and dummied it down. And, don't even get me started on the remote.

Todd Lokken

Posted by: Todd Lokken at Apr 30, 2006 5:01:26 PM

Just wanted some clarification. The new HR20 and service does not need to have a phone line?
Also this is going to sounds stupid, but if i upgrade to a new H20 or HR20 receiver and new sat dish, do I need to also subscribe to the HD Programming, or can I keep my current regular subscription with the new units?

thanks!

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Posted by: micheal at May 12, 2006 3:35:00 PM

I am transferring back to DTV this weekend from Dish Network and will receive local channels in HD through the H20 receiver.

As the HR20 DVR is not available yet, does anyone have any idea if i could record the HD programs to anything else from the H20 receiver?

Thanks

Posted by: Cliff at May 17, 2006 4:35:09 PM

micheal,
Why are you switching from Dish Network to DTV? I was getting ready to switch from DTV to Dish Network. I have been told one lie after another by DTV since October 2005. I was told the HD-DVR Mpeg4 would be in my house no later that June 1st.(The 4th date) Now they have moved it back until at least September. I have been without a DVR since Tivo would not work with HD-Locals. I was wondering if anyone has any feedback on Dish Networks new Mpeg4 HD-DVR?

Posted by: Mike Hubbard at May 18, 2006 9:35:52 AM

Sorry, my question was to Cliff not micheal!

Posted by: Mike Hubbard at May 18, 2006 10:53:35 AM

I havw a 5 LNB dish--and I am moving soon. Does anyone know when the 5 LNB compatible DVR receiver will be shipped? I'm using cable for DVR purposes until this thing comes in.

Posted by: David in Chicago at May 29, 2006 4:03:28 PM

I got DTV only because of the NFL-T. so I can see the greebay games. I live in CA I'm not happy with the Co. The guy how came out to wire up the tv's ask my wife if he can have some gas money but after he told her it will cost 200 dollers to go under the home wich is part of the standerd install. In the end of a long two weeks with a uper manager. I got him fired. All the guys how come over to wire the TV's are all washed up workers that can not get work with out DTV But the good news is that Brett Favre is back GO PACKERS. PS do not hold your breth for the new HDDVR and the loc's.

Posted by: john at May 29, 2006 4:57:21 PM

When will New Orleans have local HD? Also when will they add more hd channels and what will they be? The last is TNT

Posted by: Kevin at May 29, 2006 9:52:56 PM

i just switched from dish network hd to directv hd and the guy that came out to install was suppost to show up from 8am-12am and he showed up at 8pm so we called directv they sent us a new person the next day a free hd dvr, free hd service for 3 months plus hbo for $3 per month, and on jun 17th they are sending us a new hd dvr that hasn't been released yet, plus a standard def dvr and an extra hd reciever for when we get another hd tv

Posted by: christopher Pradzinski at May 31, 2006 6:00:17 PM

Question, please. We live just south of the PA border in MD and currently only get DC Locals thru DirecTV (would love to have Baltimroe instead but that's another story). About a year and a half to two years ago we went to an HD Setup, with an HDDVR purchased for about 1K. Now they offer HD Local channels, but to get them we are told we have to change receivers to an MPG 4 (?) Receiver. I've seen on many newsgroups and postings that there's to be a no-cost swap for a new receiver. Do the esteemed readers on this board have any info on this? I'm not really conversant RE: dish technology, but we have a big oval dish (we also have DirecWay) and an additional small dish they installed when we went HD -- I know we have at least two channels available at once (record one, watch one)if that matters.

I've called/emailed support and have not been able to get any answers other than "We're excited to be about to offer HD local channels in your area" and "we'll let you know". There must be a plan and timeline somewhere...anybody know what it is?

Sorry for asking a oouple questions at once but I'd really like some answers and so far I've not been able to get any.

Thanks!

Posted by: missalf at Jun 3, 2006 6:21:01 AM

I've got a quesiton regarding these ViiV machines out there. What is DirecTV doing in this regard? Are they going to come out with a HD box (non PVR) that has more than one tuner in it? I don't want to have 2 HD boxes on top of my computer running Window Media Center, just to get the same functionality of my current 2 tuner PVR. I would like one box with multiple (2 or more) inputs that has multiple (2 or more) outputs. Or better yet.. how about a PCI card that replaces the whole box all together. A single PCI card with 2 or 3 HD tuners on it. When is that coming out??

Posted by: Steve - Oregon at Jun 5, 2006 12:10:26 PM

Christopher,
I think you have been sold the D* line. If you believe the June 17th date I have a bridge for sale!

Posted by: Mike Hubbard at Jun 14, 2006 6:01:42 AM

I currently have a direcway dish with triple lnb for tv plus transmit and receive for internet. Can the new 5 lnb be fitted with the (now hughesnet)connections? Will I have 7 coax cables running to the dish? I now have 5.

Posted by: Tim at Jun 16, 2006 6:45:45 PM

Correction to above post:
I currently have 6 coax cables to the dish. Will this go to 8?

Posted by: Tim at Jun 16, 2006 7:31:16 PM

I just had a rather scary experience talking to a Direct TV rep. I had recently placed an order for the Total Choice Plus, and a couple days later decided I wanted to change the order to add the HD services, to include the most current HD-DVR.

First, the rep did not inform me of the $100 rebate I had seen online - I had to mention it, making the cost $299 with a 2-year contract. Next, the rep did not volunteer any information concerning the HD service. Even worse, the rep did not know whether the HD-DVR had the MPEG-4 capability (thanks to all for pointing this out), and did not know anyone I could call to find this out. After pressing her on the issue, she checked with someone else and informed me that the HD-DVR did not include that capability yet. She did not know when it would.

I immediately cancelled my order. I see no point in purchasing this equipment only to have a major technology change in the near future. Perhaps its best to wait until they get their act together.

Posted by: Max at Jun 18, 2006 1:39:34 PM

Ok. I am a DirecTV technician so let's get some facts strait here since there is alot of rumors and misinformation out there.

1. It is NOT up to DirecTV if you get east or west coast affiliates. We would give everyone HD locals if we could. It's up to the networks who gets what, NOT DirecTV.

2. DirecTV is not going to crap all over their customers who just paid $300 to $1000 dollars for an HD Tivo that will be obsolete in a few months. DirecTV will be replacing the HR10-250 at no cost to the customer. At most there may be a $15 to $30 dollar handling fee for delivery and setup. Thats it.

3. The new HD DVR will likely to be released at the end of summer. DirecTV is adding some new features which is taking longer than expected to work out the bugs. It will still be a dual tuner DVR but will require only one sat line to operate instead of two. And they are also working on a wireless capability for it so that only one receiver in the home need s to be connected to a phone line and the remaining receivers will be wirelessly connected to the main receiver.

So, now that has been said I don't know why everyonw is complaining. WE still offer more HD Channels at a better price than any other service provider in the nation. Yes you do have to pay for the HD DVR. But, that makes it yours. Comcast equipment is lease only and prone to many many problems as well as being technologicaly inferior to any satellite product. If you can afford and HD TV than you can afford to pay a few extra bucks for the receiver.

Posted by: Jon at Jun 23, 2006 5:14:25 PM

Jon,
When you say you are a DirecTV technician do you mean you are employed by DirecTV or a subcontractor like MasTec?
I have a note from DirecTV that the HR20 WILL NOT be shipped to customers that have purchased HD-DVR units without an upgrade charge when it is released! This was their intention when Mpeg4 technology first was released but have since changed their position.
All receivers since March 1, 2006 are leases not purchases.
If you are saying that the HR20 units will be installed for regular customers before September 22nd( the offical last day of summer)I contend you are again wrong.
I was told by engineering in Denver yesterday that September is VERY optimistic. The units are still in BETA testing. Employees will be lucky to have them by that date.
When you make comments like this
"WE still offer more HD Channels at a better price than any other service provider in the nation."
you loose credibility quick. Check Dish Networks' HD channel listing.I believe I count twice as many channels as DirecTV.
The complaining is warranted. DirecTV has been telling customers that the HR20 was going to be out since January 2006.

Posted by: Mike at Jun 24, 2006 6:52:58 PM

A Home owners association cannot tell you, you can't have the 5 LNB dish. it is less than 1 meter in diameter and is covered under otard meaning it can be installed where you want.

Posted by: Matt at Jun 28, 2006 4:44:56 PM

I switched to DTV the day they became a company. I'd had enough of dealing with Comcast Cable. Today, and more than 10 years with DTV, I have to say DTV is the worst company I've ever dealt with....making Comcast look good, which I thought was impossible. NONE of their reps know anything..Period, end of story. Some are nice but know nothing; some are idiots that will tell you anything but in the end are always wrong. I could go on and on but at this point, who cares. The ONLY reason I stay with them is for the NFL Sunday Ticket, which I believe they have a monopoly on. All I want is a clear answer on when the MPEG 4 HDDVR will be available, and why should I buy/lease the out of date HR20 now. I've been told, "next month" for more than a year now. I've got a 7-month old kick-butt 50" HD Plasma hanging on the wall in my living room with no HD DVR. I have a DVR in my bedroom, non HD and a DVR in my office, non HD, so now when I want to catch-up on my TIVO recordings, I have to watch them on TVs other than the 50" HD plasma hanging in my living room.

DTV, is it too much to ask for you to be honest with me and the 1000s of others who subscribe to your services?

If I quit typing now and phoned your customer service telephone line 5 times in the next 2 hours, I guarantee you I'd get 5 different answers to the exact same question.

Don't worry, I won't phone but it would be great to have the TRUE story on whey you will finally get your act together.

marc
clarkston, MI

Posted by: marc at Jul 2, 2006 6:08:02 PM

Well I'm in a but of a pickle now.

My HD20 is on the blink...it resets on it's own and then once I see "Acquiring Sattelite signal" it get to between 2% and 4% and then resets again.

I had a tech come out, say they fixed it...picture was back on...now 3 days later it's resetting itself. Missed all day of World Cup for example.

Now, my options from DirecTV are:

1. Pay $19.95 and I get a new HD20 and I must sign a 2-year commit

2. Pay $349.95 and no commit and they sent a new HD20

Point is, if in Sept the new HD DVRs come out, Best Buy, Circuit City, etc., will be the way to go, as I see they show a 1 year warranty (thru DirecTV it's 90 days).

But moreover I definitely want the new HD DVR when it's out...and I'm on 3 LNB's now so I'll need 5 when small-5 is out.

I guess I'm trapped into the $19.95 2-year commit since paying $349 is ridiculous now if in say 3 months I pay another full $399 or more for the new HD HVR.

Oh, and my 1 year commit turned into 2 years....I have faxed in my paperwork and they keep insisting I signed a 2 year.

Notice on the new website you don't see your committment anymore!

Posted by: Marc at Jul 3, 2006 12:45:33 PM

Hi I live in the mass area and have the 5 lnb dish with the hd20 box all my local channels 4,5,25,7 black out pixcil they just dont work does anyone else have this problem.

Posted by: Bob at Jul 3, 2006 3:38:51 PM

I live just outside of boston and have had no problems with the local broadcasts on either the sat or ant inputs. I do have the older HD box and 3 LNB oval dish, however. The signals are coming off the same satellites though, so there shouldn't really be a problem.

Channel 95 does flicker here and there though, and no dish re-pointing has really helped. It's the channel that picks up various HD sports programming that DirecTV should be carrying anyways on dedicated channels.

DirecTV offered to upgrade me for free in April to the new 5 LNB dish and new HD receiver for FREE! because my receiver seems to have audio/video mismatch problems.

Does anyone else have audio lag issues on HD broadcasts, where the audio either lags or is in front of the video broadcast? It gets kind of hard to watch for sitcoms, but isn't that big on an issue with sports.

Anyways, I'm glad I didn't take the offer for the new dish. It's been 3 months now, and that new dish and receiver apparently isn't even picking up 1 new channel!!!!

I guess patience is a virtue, I'm still waiting....

Posted by: Chris at Jul 6, 2006 9:36:42 AM

To Chris,
You do not have local chanels in HD on you 3LNB Dish or Receiver. You may have national locals (Newtork chanels up in the 80-90 chanel range) that have had the bandwidth dedicated to them for now. You will not have the problem we are experiencing until you upgrade to the 5LNB Dish and H20 Receiver.
To Jon(The DirecTV technician)
I guess you have no point to argue with my response to your last fantasy post. (Or are you just waiting to respond in the normal D* response time. June 23rd to July 7th, 14 days?)

Posted by: Mike at Jul 7, 2006 5:56:28 AM

I thought I would share my recent experience with DTV. I have been waiting for what seems like forever for them to support locals in HD for me (Denver area). They just turned it on in June, but of course I don't have a new box to decode the MPEG4 signal. We can't get OTA HD here either (long running legal battle on putting up the towers), so after reading many of the posts on this forum to learn that the new HD DVR was delayed again, I lost it. I called DTV and asked if I was under a commitment. They said no, and of course asked why I wanted to know. I explained my frustration and that I was going to start checking Comcast and Dish. They transferred me over to someone else, who listened to my story and started making offers.

The first offer was for a $250 rebate on the DVR when it becomes available. I said that sounds great, but I'm still stuck for 3 months or more without HD locals. So then they upped it to a free HD receiver (the new one) including the 5 LNB dish and installation for $19.95, plus a $200 rebate toward the new HD DVR. Overall I've been pretty happy with DTV for the past 8 years I've had them, so I took the deal. The only downside is that it put me under a new 2 year commitment, but I'm cool with that as I really didn't want to go through the hassle of switching and such anyway.

So if you're in a similar situation as it sounds like many of you are, hopefully this story will give you some ideas on how to leverage yourself into a better situation.

Posted by: Scott at Jul 9, 2006 3:17:08 PM

Ok folks,

Here is my question to anyone that may have an anwser.

I live outside the PHX area. Just about a month ago i was notified that local HD channels are offered and DTV would be coming out no charge and upgrading my H10 software along with a new dish. Up until now I have been plugging in an off air antenna in the back of the H10 to recieve local HD channels.

Today, A contracted DTV installer arrives with a huge 60 lb spaceship and tells me that he is ready to install it. Now, first off, this looks like a satelite from back in the 80's. Its huge, 65lbs and it even needs supports to hold it up. I discussed with my wife and actually changed our minds to have it put on. I did though have the installer upgrade my H10 to the H20. My question is with not getting the new 5 LMB dish, what am I missing? Are there channels that I would be able to get with the new 5 LMB that i cannot recieve with out it? If someone can clarify what infact the 5 LMB dish offers at THIS time would be great and if anyone can offer any suggestions to good off air HD antennas. Thanks!

Posted by: Mike at Jul 9, 2006 5:56:13 PM

DirecTV has not officially released any dates for the the HD DVR. There has only been speculation on the release by videophiles. Like any new technology there are bugs to work out and release dates are rarely ever concrete. When I said the end of summer I meant late august, semptember, maybe october. I'm not going to fuss about the exact date ofthe end of summer. And to you Mike. Yes, I work for MasTec. We are a contractor not a subcontractor. Sub contractors are the guys in pickup trucks who work for Billy Bob Satellite and so on. DTV does not have any in house techs. We are all contractors. However I am as close to in house as it gets. The only way you would know I work for MasTec is by looking at my paystubb. Everything in the office is DTV logo's. And yes the equipment is leased. But only for the first two years. After that the equipment is yours. Which is only the case if DTV gives you the equipment for free. If you pay for your equipment it is yours. Not on lease. It makes no financial sense to give away 100's of dollars of equipment for free without asking a minimum obligation of some kind.

The 5 LNB dish currently is what you get your local HD channels on. It will also be part of the future expansion of 100's more HD channels in the coming years. Yes, it is large and cumbersome and a real pain, but its picking up 5 satellites. That's no easy task. They are currently working on smaller versions of the dish.

Mike, if you have such an issue with DTV than call Comcast or Time Warner. I'm sure they would love to take some of your money and give some analog channels

Posted by: Jon at Jul 16, 2006 12:32:29 AM

Jon,
I called Dish Network who can provide everything I need. For some reason you continue not to recognize that they exist.
My comments were not at all down grading to sub contractors as you did. My point was that you have no inside information as a DirecTV employee.
I have worked with folks from MasTec that are great but know no more than the customers about up and coming product.
I assume your comments about the lease hardware is your way of agreeing that you were wrong and I was right.
The fact that D* has been doing a tap dance since last year frustrated me to the point I was able to find out that Dish Network is far superior in every aspect. If you don't believe it is a tap dance just look at the title of this thread. DirecTV's own HD DVR rollout to start in early 2006
Begun in September of 2005

Posted by: Mike at Jul 19, 2006 1:30:30 PM

Okay...sorting through all this, I have a few quick questions..thanks in advance:

a) I see a disclaimer from DTV re: local HD channels, and I'll be damned if I can find out if I can actually GET them...meaning, the local stations broadcast HD, and the disclaimer SEEMS to say if you live in certain areas where local HD is available, you might not be elgible for local HD...is there a way to check this without calling and going on hold for 30 minutes?

b) I have a 2-channel DVR, really like the flexibility of that...ANY news on a 2 channel HD DVR for DTV

c) Last, I love my 30 sec commercial skip function, I have seen books and such talking about hack codes to enable 1 button commercial skip, is this a possibility on the DTV DVR? If so, do you get those annoying little ads while you skip ahead?

Thanks,

R

Posted by: Randy at Jul 19, 2006 1:38:40 PM

I called Directv today. Told them I want to upgrade to HD, and want to know what the deal is. The young woman told me its 9.99 which includes everything. I asked if this includes DVR she said yes. I then asked and it gets local channels again she says yes. I then state locals are mpeg4 and their HD DVR is Mpeg2. She places me on hold for literally 52 mins, and then hangs up on me. Great service.

Posted by: Bill Piper at Jul 28, 2006 11:17:33 AM

DirecTV came to replace 2 HD receivers with the new MPG4 models. Everything worked fine. However, the tech replaced my old Terk 8x multiplexer with a new Zinwell 6x8 multiplexer. Now my off-air antenna no longer works for any of my other receivers. Is there a fix for this? Are there newer diplexers that will work with the new Ka/Ku multiplexers? Please help!

Posted by: Qwerty at Jul 31, 2006 3:07:13 PM

I just had the new 5lnb Dish installed in the SF Bay Area. its no bigger than the old dish and light. I have an HR10-250 and low and behold it still works just fine. But true, no local channels in HD. I'll be getting an OTA antenna. But i also have Comcast since we have two homes on the property. So i can add Comcast boxes and pick up all my locals in HD that way, but that's not free like pulling off the antenna. I just hope somehow Directv and Tivo can work something out so there will be a Tivo that will work with the 5lnb Directv dish and pull down the locals in high def so they can be recorded. Face it, Tivo is the best DVR format available.

Posted by: DTVHammer at Aug 10, 2006 10:31:59 PM

I tried to order the HR10-250 yesterday from DTV but the rep told me that they won't just ship me the set top box. She said that I would have to make an appointment with an installer or I could go to Circuit City and buy it. I started to do more research and now I'm having second thoughts. I just bought a new SXRD TV and wanted to have everything setup for football season. Now I'm starting to think that maybe I should wait for the new DTV HD DVR. I currently have an HD box and a Tivo box hooked up but I wanted to upgrade so I can record the football games in HD. I would appreciate any assistance with the following questions.

1) Should I just get the HR10-250 now or wait for the new release?
2) If I do get the HR10-250 should I just buy it from Circuit City and hook it up? Or should I have an installer come out and Upgrade my 3 LNB to 5 LNB?
3) Should I bother with the OTA antenna?

Thanks for any help. Btw, I live in CT.

Posted by: Doug at Aug 12, 2006 1:12:16 PM

This may not impact DirectTV, but maybe it will. If the new box was not going to use TIVO, they may re-examine that decision. Not sure what this means for the new box in the long term but I'd be interested in hearing the feedback from this group. I had been waiting for the new box but I guess I will give up and just get the current one after reading the info below:

Judge orders DISH DVRs shut down

By ELLEN SHENG
Dow Jones Newswires
Posted August 18 2006, 10:30 AM EDT

NEW YORK -- A U.S. District Judge Thursday ordered EchoStar Communications Corp., parent of the DISH satellite TV service, to stop selling and turn off about 4 million of its digital video recorders within 30 days. The judge also ordered EchoStar to pay $89.6 million in damages.

The decision comes after a federal jury in April determined that EchoStar willfully infringed on TiVo Inc.'s ``time-warp'' patent, which applies to the way a DVR simultaneously records one program while playing back another.

EchoStar, the country's second-largest satellite TV provider with about 12.5 million subscribers, said it will go to a higher court, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, to block the injunction while it appeals the decision. The Englewood, Colo., company also said it is working on modifications to its new DVRs so that they won't infringe on TiVo's patent.

TiVo, the Alviso, Calif., company that is credited with introducing DVR technology, said it is ``pleased'' with the decision. ``This decision recognizes that our intellectual property is valuable and will ensure that moving forward EchoStar will be unable to use our patented technology without our authorization,'' the company said in a prepared statement.

Because EchoStar's infringement of TiVo's patent was seen as ``willful,'' the judge could have tripled the amount of damages, but chose not to. TiVo is pondering whether or not to appeal that part of the decision, Elliot Sloane, a TiVo spokesman said

Posted by: ER at Aug 18, 2006 1:07:31 PM

This only tells me why the MPEG-4 DVR is taking so long to come out for Dish Network. I looked at a post by "Max" on Jun 18 and he stated there were several reasons why they have held off on their release. My local contractor tells me about the same thing as Max. Because this decision was based on an infringement by EchoStar and not DirecTV it validates what I have been told about gaming and other features that are to be offered on the new MPEG-4 DVRs. From what I gather TiVo and DirecTV are still together in their HD-DVR partnership. I've been told by their reps that the MPEG-4 DVR will be out real soon. They have also assured me this will take place in the next 4 to 6 weeks. I've been a loyal DTV customer for nearly 10 years and the only time I was angered by them was when they cut my signal to the Distant Locals back in the late 1990s. But even then it wasn't anything they did to cause it. (Talk to your congressman) Right now I use my HD tuner on my computer to record any show via the HD20 receiver with better results than the HD TiVo. DirecTV is good to me and if I call I have a rep on the phone in less than 15 seconds after I request one. You can have Dish Network and as for the cable company, I fired them in 1992 and I haven't found it necessary to have them in my house since.

Posted by: Edgar at Aug 21, 2006 10:18:34 AM

Has the new DirecTV HD-DVR been released? I saw that Best Buy is offering the HR20-250. I saw where DirecTV is offering the HD DVR upgrade (for existing residential customers) for $299.00 (minus $100 instant online rebate). Before I order this, I just want to make sure that this is what we've all been waiting for.

Posted by: GW at Sep 2, 2006 2:18:37 PM

I have a question... My Dvr box just died.. Can I still buy a box made by say.. Sony, LG ect.? I heard that directv now puts out the only boxes that I can use...

Posted by: Mark at Sep 2, 2006 2:57:05 PM

Does anyone know when the HD local channels are going to start broadcasting in Portland, OR? I know they say Fall 2006 - just curious. Also, is it possible to get ABC,CBS HD channels from other locations if you can't receive OA channels do to geography?

Thanks for the help

Posted by: George at Sep 8, 2006 11:11:03 AM

I've been battleing-w-DTV for months. I have a bad nultiswitch that is built in to the 3 LMB dish (4 ports/connection so I assume it has a built in multiswitch. It all worked fine in March 06 but I have an HD receiver-w-no signal and a dvr that works fine and that is it. I've spoken till I'm blue in the face and the techs they send out are clueless at best. Is there a direct number to a head honcho at the POS company?

Posted by: Howard at Sep 20, 2006 6:15:47 PM

I have had nothing but good times with Directv. I called them on Tuesday to inquire about the new HD DVR Plus and after speaking to a very nice gentlemen I am receiving the the HD DVR Plus free of charge which will be installed tomorrow. Two months ago they installed the 5LNB dish for free so everything would be ready for the new HD DVR when it became available. Also, I do not believe I have ever waited more than 2-3 minutes to get someone on the phone when I called with an issue. I also believe that everytime I call, I am so nice to them that I do not believe they can turn me down when I ask them for something.

Thanks

Tony

Posted by: Tony at Sep 27, 2006 8:14:32 PM

Does anyone in the known universe know the date when DTV will activate these new cities they have been touting since last spring? I can not get a definite answer from them.

Posted by: Bill S at Oct 12, 2006 9:24:04 AM

HAD THE NEW DVR-PLUS,5 LNB DISH INSTALLED LAST WEEK. I HAVE ABOUT 25 TO 30 CH. THAT PIXELATE. SPOKE TO ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE AT D WENT THROW ALL THE TESTING NOTHING WORKED. THEY SENT OUT A TECH. HE SAID ITS A BAD RECIVER.GOT THE NEW RECIVER AND THE SAME THING IS HAPPINING. THEY ARE SENDING OUT A 2ND TECH.IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE THAT MIGHT KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING THIS.

Posted by: JERRY B. at Oct 19, 2006 10:16:42 PM

I have th e5 LNB's and I had the same prob. My 110 sat was totally non-exsitant. Had a buddy help me align the dish relative to my zip code and boom, got the high defs and no pixels.

Installers are one grade above primates so don't expect things to be done right.

Good luck.

J

Posted by: John at Oct 29, 2006 6:39:52 PM

I just received the NEW DirecTV DVR+ DVR with MPEG4 capability. I didn't have high hopes for the installer with his beat up red truck, but ... he did a terrific job. The new 5LNB dish mounting post is a different diameter than my old RCA/Directv 3LNB system, and even though it was raining out and the installation was on a slate roof (slippery), he did a field modification and adapted it all to work correctly, and the alignment was spot on.

I also got the 5x8 mux to replace the old one (which doesn't work with the new 5LNB dish), and again, it works perfectly. I have 5 receivers: the new DVR+, a Sony/Directv Tivo, two old Sony's, and my old RCA DTC00 HD receiver. They all work.

My only real criticism of the new DVR+ is that unlike Tivo, I can't switch between the two satellites while watching live TV (or at least, there are no instructions for doing so). Yeah, the Tivo graphics are snazzier, but guess what? I never look at them for long.

The picture is better than the old RCA, and now I get local channels. A benefit of the old RCA was the "who" button which let me switch among the various "favorite" channel lists with once remote click: much easier than using the Quick Menu.

I have a multi sync HD monitor (Sony G90), and use a Faroudja DVP3000 scaler to feed it. The new DVR+ does have some issues there. The old RCA used a VGA adapter to send the analog HD signal: RGBVH; the new one uses only RGB (no V or H signals), so the Faroudja HD pass through has some syncing issues. So if you have a similar set up, you'll need a HDMI -> DVI -> VGA adapter rig, or HDMI input on your monitor. I'm going with the latter using a DVI module for the G90 and the Gefen HDMI -> twin Cat5e setup to allow a long cable run.

By the way, my Gold customer status helped: I got right through when ordering, changing the installation date, etc. I am happy with Directv and have been since 1996.

Eddie O

Posted by: Eddie O at Nov 16, 2006 12:02:59 PM

Purchased DirecTV H20 DVR from Citcuit City for $299. Advertised $100 rebate. Was also told only need a 3 LNB dish.

Called DirecTV for professional install, as 5 LNB dish is required. Install free (except metal pole cost $75), 4 months free HD channels, but $100 rebate not available to existing customers.

Definitely miss Tivo guide options. Now 2 clicks to get to even a (one of two) custom guide. Used to the Tivo guide setting where you could view several hours of a single channel, up & down vs across. With the H20 guide not sure why I'd want to page forward 12 hours (green button) or back 12 hours (red button).

As other have mentioned, also getting pixels on Tampa HD local channels and at times pixels go to blue screen. Tech support said those 2 problems are due to loose cables. Checked all cables and made sure no crimps in cable. The pixel problem is intermittent and only occurs on HD local channels, so it would seem if the problem was due to loose cables, pixels would occur on all channels. Trying to watch the NASCAR race on Sunday had to switch to the regular channels... pixels were constant.

Checked signal strengths on all the satellites today;
101, 110, 119 lowest transponder was 77, but majority were 95 to 100. 110 recorded only 3 transponders all 95.
99 - recorded 6 transponders 0 to 42
103 - recorded 6 transponders 0 to 63

Not sure which satellite provides local channels.

Another problem is the volume on the remote. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. We have a Sanyo 32' flatscreen LCD. Never had trouble with volume with previous DirecTV Tivo unit remote. Maybe it all depends on tuner 1 or 2, which one cannot control.

Posted by: Frankie at Nov 20, 2006 2:23:38 PM

Ok can someone answer this if i ship my direct tv reciever to a friend in LA and he ships me one of his recievers will I get LA channels?
And will he get my New Mexico channels? I miss
LA and he misses New Mexico. Will direct tv foot print cover both? Of course both subscriptions are up to date.Maybe a direct tv employee can answer this. May not be legal but will it work?

Quest57

P.S.Lets all try it and find out for ourself

Posted by: Quest57 at Nov 24, 2006 9:23:24 PM

I had DTV DVR service and had to cancel. Now I can't watch previously recorded programs on their DVR. Does anyone have a workaround?

Posted by: MarkM at Nov 26, 2006 4:14:35 AM

I decided to switch to DirecTV when I had to move. I realize now I have made the wrong decision. The day I ordered I put myself on the waiting list for the new HD DVR. They told me it would be 1-2 weeks. Now 6 weeks later I still do not have a dvr and no idea when I will get one. All I want to do is cancel this DirecTV bullshit and get a dvr from Comcast. DirecTV tells me that I will have to pay 300$ to cancel. If DirecTV can't follow through with their end of the contract then why should I?

Posted by: Chris at Dec 18, 2006 10:41:17 PM

HI, we want to have one system that we can use in Southwest 6months and in N calif 6 months. Is Directtv that Unit??? Is it moveable????

Posted by: Floyd Beatty at Jan 21, 2007 10:59:10 AM

I know every company has it's downfalls, but we had been with DirecTv for over 7 years. We made a switch to Dishnet when we moved into a new house. W R O N G !!!! At least at DirecTv when something goes wrong they ATTEMPT to make it right. I have been on the phone with Dish for over 2 hours to have them only say SORRY about your luck.
Started out that when we signed up for new service we expected a DVR. Didn't get them. Got standard receivers. Tried to get the DVR, but they said it would be at our cost be/c it wasn't part of original order. Well, that depends on who in the chain of Dishnet associates messed up. Not my problem. I specifically went thru the "offer" I received prior to ordering. If they give away DVRs everyday, why was it such a big deal to correct the order and send me one. Long story short, I had one rep tell me there was a 30 day $ back guarantee. Well, things went continually wrong with Dish over 2-3 days and I opted to get out (TRIED to anyway) before the 30 day period. NO GO. They said that offer expired in January (service hooked up in Feb, now March). I only had ONE rep try to do anything to make my experience less frustrating. I thanked him, but said, I hated to not take him for his word, but had had so many problems I didn't know how much faith to put in to his suggestion. Asked to cancel. Said he would give me to his Super. After 5 min he was unable to connect me and sent me to Exec office. I started to explain and asked to cancel. They said, "we'll connect you with cancellation. . . " Call never went thru. After talking with 5 reps in an hour, I tried to get out, but they said no way unless I want ot pay a $240 cancel fee. Now we are stuck for 18 mos. I have been FAR more pleased with DirecTv and will JUMP back ASAP. Problem is, looks like it will be 18 mos unless I pay up to Dishnet.
I was VERY disappointed in their customer service and lack of concern for wanting to solve the problems of a new customer. It could all have been simply taken care of in the first call if they would have just sent a DVR. Instead, after 2 hours on the phone over the course of several days, I am a MIGHTY DISSATSIFIED customer and plan to let the truth be know about Dish. I see on this site and others that Dish is famous for bait and switch. Wish I would have realized before we got stuck for 18 mos.

Posted by: Jaydbay at Mar 19, 2007 10:32:38 AM

Anyone wanting to have Comcast over Directv has no TV appreciation whatsoever. I dropped Comcast for Directv and have never looked back. After Hurricane Charley in 2004 my Directv was up and running 3 days after whereas Comcast was 4-6 weeks waiting. Only BAD thing is their replcement policy!!!!!

Posted by: Dirkpt at Aug 11, 2007 9:28:40 PM

Home owner associations cannot regulate the size of your dish. FCC fought this years ago and everyone has a right to direct TV

Posted by: JD at Dec 15, 2007 12:18:25 PM

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