DIRECTV Questions

[Jeff Lebowski]

I have had DTV for several years now. I love the iPhone app for DVR scheduling. Picture quality OK, but not great. One thing I can't stand is the crappy equipment I have. Takes forever to bring up the menus and browse. Just a basic search (for what football games are currently on for example) takes so long (up to a minute) it is hardly worth the effort. Rebooting the machine takes 15 minutes.

I am thinking of either switching to DISH or upgrading my equipment (more likely). I am sure the new equipment is better. Can anyone confirm that for me? Right now I have three receivers: HD DVR, HD DVR, SD DVR. I am looking to replace with HD DVR, HD Receiver, SD Receiver and use the one HD DVR as a central DVR for the entire house via the "Whole Home" thing (or whatever it is called). Also looking forward to using the new iPad app for viewing content off the DVR from anywhere in the house.

Anyone have a set up like this? Would this work? Is the new equipment reasonably responsive?

[Shaka]

I have fairly new equipment. There is a bit of a lag but not what you're describing. I've messed with my brother's Dish setup and feel that the lag is similar. I like my DTV DVRs quite a bit more.

[Clark Addison]

I have two DVRs, both old. One of them has fairly major problems like you describe (ironically, it is the slightly newer one). I don't usually watch this one, so I haven't done anything about it. The other one has some issues, but is usually not too bad.

I have heard that DTV is rolling out a fairly major software update to their DVRs that will fix many of these issues. Anyone heard about this or have it installed already?

[Coach McGuirk]

One of the major reasons I have been thinking of going to cable. trying to search the channel menu can take a long time, if it is lagging. Or I hate when I am entering a channel like ESPN,

I press 2 - 0 - 6 the receiver will read 2 and then nothing, thinking I didn't hit it right, I will then hit 0 and 6 again. By now the channel has changed to 2 and once there I go ahead and enter 2 - 0 - 6 again, but now it is reading the 0 and 6 and I end up on 6 or 606. Then I chuck the remote into the wall and go do something more productive.

[falafel]

I wasn't aware of the iPad app until just now. That's very nice.

However, it requires your receiver to be connected to the internet. When DTV came to hook up our system, I had my wife decline the offer to set up the internet part b/c it was an extra $25 service charge, and I figured I could just plug an ethernet cable into the back of my receiver for free. But, as it turns out, that is not all you have to do, and it involves some other part that is not easily purchased or installed.

Anyone ever done this by themselves? If I call DTV now, they will charge me for a service call, PLUS the cost to connect the receivers to the internet. I think it will be $125 or something like that.

[Jeff Lebowski]

One of the major reasons I have been thinking of going to cable. trying to search the channel menu can take a long time, if it is lagging. Or I hate when I am entering a channel like ESPN,

I press 2 - 0 - 6 the receiver will read 2 and then nothing, thinking I didn't hit it right, I will then hit 0 and 6 again. By now the channel has changed to 2 and once there I go ahead and enter 2 - 0 - 6 again, but now it is reading the 0 and 6 and I end up on 6 or 606. Then I chuck the remote into the wall and go do something more productive.

Unless things have really changed, Comcast has the worst equipment of all.

[Coach McGuirk]

Unless things have really changed, Comcast has the worst equipment of all.

Well, I will never in my life go back to dish, so I may be SOL.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I wasn't aware of the iPad app until just now. That's very nice.

However, it requires your receiver to be connected to the internet. When DTV came to hook up our system, I had my wife decline the offer to set up the internet part b/c it was an extra $25 service charge, and I figured I could just plug an ethernet cable into the back of my receiver for free. But, as it turns out, that is not all you have to do, and it involves some other part that is not easily purchased or installed.

Anyone ever done this by themselves? If I call DTV now, they will charge me for a service call, PLUS the cost to connect the receivers to the internet. I think it will be $125 or something like that.

That's odd. It should simply require connecting that cable. That is what I did with all three of my receivers and it works fine. And I have old equipment.

[Coach McGuirk]

That's odd. It should simply require connecting that cable. That is what I did with all three of my receivers and it works fine. And I have old equipment.

same, I did have to go in and manually enter my IP but that was that, cat in the hat.

[Clark Addison]

I wasn't aware of the iPad app until just now. That's very nice.

However, it requires your receiver to be connected to the internet. When DTV came to hook up our system, I had my wife decline the offer to set up the internet part b/c it was an extra $25 service charge, and I figured I could just plug an ethernet cable into the back of my receiver for free. But, as it turns out, that is not all you have to do, and it involves some other part that is not easily purchased or installed.

Anyone ever done this by themselves? If I call DTV now, they will charge me for a service call, PLUS the cost to connect the receivers to the internet. I think it will be $125 or something like that.

My receivers are not connected to the internet, and I schedule them with the iPhone app.

[TripletDaddy]

I have had DTV for several years now. I love the iPhone app for DVR scheduling. Picture quality OK, but not great. One thing I can't stand is the crappy equipment I have. Takes forever to bring up the menus and browse. Just a basic search (for what football games are currently on for example) takes so long (up to a minute) it is hardly worth the effort. Rebooting the machine takes 15 minutes.

I am thinking of either switching to DISH or upgrading my equipment (more likely). I am sure the new equipment is better. Can anyone confirm that for me? Right now I have three receivers: HD DVR, HD DVR, SD DVR. I am looking to replace with HD DVR, HD Receiver, SD Receiver and use the one HD DVR as a central DVR for the entire house via the "Whole Home" thing (or whatever it is called). Also looking forward to using the new iPad app for viewing content off the DVR from anywhere in the house.

Anyone have a set up like this? Would this work? Is the new equipment reasonably responsive?

We set up our directv this summer. All new equipment. 3 HD DVRs. One is a receiver/tuner in master bedroom. The other two are just networked DVRs upstairs and downstairs. You record everything on the main receiver but can watch it anywhere in the house. It works flawlessly for us. No noticeable lag time.

The app rocks. Not only can you control the recording remotely, but as of a few weeks ago, you can now watch live TV on your iPad. Works for a bunch of channels.

I have had to reboot the DVR here and there, not much. Takes a few minutes total, nothing major.

The only bummer is that unless you have a receiver/tuner, you cannot pause or rewind LIVE tv. Recorded shows, no problem, but live TV you can't. This means that if I'm watching a live game downstairs, I can't pause it. If I record it and watch it with a 20 minute lag, I can pause it or rewind.

I think the reason I didn't do receivers throughout was a cost issue.

[falafel]

That's odd. It should simply require connecting that cable. That is what I did with all three of my receivers and it works fine. And I have old equipment.

I've read about the issue in other places online. The issue is that I need a certain piece of equipment (DECA something or other) to maintain the whole house DVR feature. So I could connect receivers to the internet if I wanted, but it would disrupt the whole house DVR feature. Apparently.

same, I did have to go in and manually enter my IP but that was that, cat in the hat.

Do you have the newer receivers?

My receivers are not connected to the internet, and I schedule them with the iPhone app.

I can schedule with the android app. Its the stream DVR and live tv to my iPad that I can't do without connecting my receivers to the internet.

[Coach McGuirk]

I've read about the issue in other places online. The issue is that I need a certain piece of equipment (DECA something or other) to maintain the whole house DVR feature. So I could connect receivers to the internet if I wanted, but it would disrupt the whole house DVR feature. Apparently.



Do you have the newer receivers?



I can schedule with the android app. Its the stream DVR and live tv to my iPad that I can't do without connecting my receivers to the internet.

I have DVRs for each room, no networked dealio. The receivers themselves are 2 or so years old.

[Jeff Lebowski]

We set up our directv this summer. All new equipment. 3 HD DVRs. One is a receiver/tuner in master bedroom. The other two are just networked DVRs upstairs and downstairs. You record everything on the main receiver but can watch it anywhere in the house. It works flawlessly for us. No noticeable lag time.

Great.

But isn't your terminology backwards? Don't you mean one HD DVR in the master bedroom and two other networked receiver/tuners?

The app rocks. Not only can you control the recording remotely, but as of a few weeks ago, you can now watch live TV on your iPad. Works for a bunch of channels.

And you can access the DVR, right?

The only bummer is that unless you have a receiver/tuner, you cannot pause or rewind LIVE tv. Recorded shows, no problem, but live TV you can't. This means that if I'm watching a live game downstairs, I can't pause it. If I record it and watch it with a 20 minute lag, I can pause it or rewind.

I think the reason I didn't do receivers throughout was a cost issue.

Again, I am confused. Don't you mean that you can't pause unless you have a DVR?

This would be an issue for us. Pausing live TV is important.

[falafel]

Hey! Another awesome benefit of having your receivers connected to your home network is the ability to stream photos and videos from your PC to your TV. The details are a little sketchy, but I've been hoping for something like this for a long time. Now I can hopefully I can move my PS3 back downstairs.

http://support.directv.com/app/answe...ptRnJLaw%3D%3D