8300 questions

[GadgetRick]

I'm actually considering switching to Cablevision here in the NJ area. I know they have the 8300 available but I really don't know much about it. One thing i've heard, however, is it does NOT have any type of season pass functionality other than, like on a vcr, you select the time/date of what you want to record. My problem is, the stuff I tend to watch gets switched (day/time) frequently enough for me to want a season pass feature.

Anyway, is it true there is no season pass feature with their 8300? Also, how does it compare to a Tivo (had one since the first one)? I know the UI won't be quite as clean but, as long as the UI is useable and there's a season pass feature I may be tempted....

Thanks.

The Rickster

 

[eugenek]

I have been using the 8300HD DVR for the past 2 months and I can tell you that the interface does not come CLOSE to Tivo (at least based on my experiences with 1st gen. DTivo that I used to have). The only functionality that is remotely similar to Tivo's Season Pass is an ability to select "One episode" or "All episodes" when creating a recording. There is NO search by name, you can only record shows that are currently in the guide. If the show you want to record is 5 days ahead, you will have to scroll the guide 5 days, click on the show and only then you can have it recorded. The interface is poorly designed and not intuitive at all. Program guide sucks as well (you have to press TWO buttons to display the guide). To sum it all up, the best way to compare the Tivo interface to 8300HD interface is to compare Windows XP interface to Windows 3.1 interface.

Having said that, there are a few positive things that I can say about the box:

1. Having some DVR is better than having no DVR at all
2. There is ZERO start-up cost (only a $7.99 monthly fee as opposed to $900 that you have to pay with DirecTV)
3. The box boots up in approx 1 minute and program guide download is much faster than with DirecTV.
4. The performance and response time of the interface is MUCH better than the Tivo (based on a 1st gen Dtivo that I used).

Eugene

 

[Ilya]

When you select a show for recording it asks you if you want to record one episode or all episodes. If you select "ALL" it then offers you two options: "All episodes on this channel in this time slot" or "All episodes on this channel at any time". Not sure if this the same as Season Pass, but I think it does what you are looking for. The UI is rather primitive, but does the job, IMO. My advice to you is give it a try! With cable you usually don't have any commitments and the upfront costs are small. You can always cancel if you don't like it.

 

[hbk409]

2. There is ZERO start-up cost (only a $7.99 monthly fee as opposed to $900 that you have to pay with DirecTV)

Eugene

its $9.95 a month

 

[rang1995]

comes a better one ,you can upgrade also

 

[GadgetRick]

Hmm...

Thanks for the info. That's exactly what I'm after. I don't really use Tivo's find function and I rarely let my Tivo record themes for me as I've found it always grabs stuff I don't want no matter how much I go through with the thumb up/thumb down buttons.

I have always found their guide to be horrible (at best). I've seen the guide at my family's house and I'm totally confused by it. This coming from someone who has been into home theater and connected many home theaters over the last 12 years.

I may have to give it a shot. My only complaint about my local CV is no DiscoveryHD but I guess you all have the same complaint. Other than that, they've got a fairly robust HD lineup (compared to DTV that is...).

Thanks.

The Rickster

 

[GadgetRick]

Well...

I called CV and am signing up to give it a shot. I'm getting their Gold Package (with iO), which is supposed to be the equivalent of what I've got with DTV (i.e. everything). They're giving me a free box but I'm paying (obviously) for the dvr. Total will be $76.64 per month and they're giving me a discount on my Optonline account so I'm saving a little more. My DTV bill is something like $105 a month so it'll save me some money.

Luckily, I'm beyond my 2 year sub with DTV so I can cancel. They're coming on Friday to install my cable. I'll keep DTV for a month and compare. We'll see.

I've just gotten fed up with DTV. I had switched to Voom and we all know what happened there. The only reason I've kept DTV so long is for NFL Sunday Ticket but they're now charing a 45% premium for that in HD (i.e. $99), which I find insulting. So I'm going to finally, "rip it off like a bandaid," and not have access to Sunday Ticket. I think I'll survive.

CV has a surprisingly robust HD lineup in my area. I'm going to miss Discovery HD but I've got to believe they'll get that at some point...right? They also offer more movie channels than DTV. We'll see what the pq is, however. I'm also not thrilled about their guide and the dvr but, right now, I'm working with an SD dvr on my tv in the dining room so I can't sit in my home theater and watch what I want to watch. My son likes it though since I have Sesame Street Tivoed for him. I may go with an additional dvr for up there if I like the service.

I'll keep ya posted. Thanks for the info on the 8300.

The Rickster

 

[hbk409]

I called CV and am signing up to give it a shot. I'm getting their Gold Package (with iO), which is supposed to be the equivalent of what I've got with DTV (i.e. everything). They're giving me a free box but I'm paying (obviously) for the dvr. Total will be $76.64 per month and they're giving me a discount on my Optonline account so I'm saving a little more. My DTV bill is something like $105 a month so it'll save me some money.

The Rickster

rick how many boxes did you get? they have a promotion on now its called the dbs double play with the gold package and ool for 89.90 then you would just have to pay the 9.95 for dvr.

the 76.64 doesnt sound right for whatever reason

 

[rang1995]

Rick: I have both DTV(basicly for nfl sunday ticket,regular not HD) as well as IO(after VOOM fell) i will say this The non HD premiums,which there are more on IO are better quality than DTV.seems to have more bandwith.The HD is asw good as DTV or Dish,yes it needs Discovery HD bad!

 

[rang1995]

Oh and i am also in NJ the cresskill system

 

[GadgetRick]

Hmm...

I saw the double play on their website but it seemed like the price they quote online isn't including the gold package, rather, just the, "basic," iO package. I will check on that though. Thanks for the headsup.

I'm in Clifton so I'm on the Paterson system. I know I've been extremely pleased with my Optonline service. I've got Optimum Voice, which I've gone through good and bad times with. Lately it's been good but it was pretty bad for a while there.

I'm hoping the SD is at least as good as DTV. I've gotten used to that pq so I can deal with it if I have to. I'm REALLY hoping their HD is good, that's more of a concern for me. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

The Rickster

 

[martin21]

There is a crude search by title in the 8300. Hit Guide, Channel Guide and the "A" in a triangle at bottom of screen. This allows you to browse by Title, Channel or Theme. If you select Title it allows you to enter the first letter of the show you are searching for. The difficulty here is that you then have to scroll through numerous listings that all begin with the selected first letter (the word "the" is ignored).

Other significant shortcomings vs. Tivo are: inability to resume viewing where you left a program on a previous day - you have to start at the beginning and fast forward; and if you start watching a program in the process of being recorded, when the program ends, replay ends, you have to start over from the very beginning of the program again and fast forward to where you left off.
There are also annoying white shapes that appear occassionally in black backgrounds.

That said, the picture quality is great.

 

[GadgetRick]

First impressions...

Well, they came for my installation today. Here are my first impressions:

First of all, they didn't have any 8300s in stock (apparently) so I've just got a regular iO box and an HD iO box. I've got to call them on Monday to see when they expect more. So I'm still without a dvr, not a huge deal.

The guy who did the install was very nice and very professional. I was happy with him.

My first impressions of SD pq are that the pq varies greatly by channel. Some channels (like Encore WAM--watching it now) have excellent pq while others, such as AMC had HORRIBLE pq. I'm not even talking about compared to my DTV, it's just horrible. I've not had a chance to check out all channels to know which are good and which are bad. So far, the channels with really bad pq aren't channels I ever watch so I'm not overly concerned.

I briefly had a chance to check out the HD channels in my home theater. It seems as if the pq is slightly softer than DTV HD channels but, of course, there is a lot more. It's not so soft that I'll be unhappy with it knowing this is significantly cheaper than DTV. I would, however, like to see a sharper picture on the HD channels and I'll still complain to them about it.

There certainly are more movie channels than I have on DTV but I already knew that. I'd like to see more HD (don't we all want more?). Specifically, as everyone else has stated, I'd like to see Discovery HD and the Voom channels. Give me those and I'll be very happy.

I'll reserve final judgement on HD pq until I get my dvr. I'm hoping to get it soon.

It's going to take me a while to get used to this guide. I'm not terribly happy with it. I like the info I get on the program on DTV. It's not something I'll lose sleep over but it would be nice to see more info in the guide. It would also be nice if the guide came up quicker and with one push of the button. The guide on the HD iO box is sloooooooow. I'm hoping the 8300 is faster with that aspect.

Anyway, I'm going to check it out for a month and see what I think. The only thing keeping me with DTV is NFL Sunday Ticket. Since they're pulling what they're pulling on that I'm going to try and ween myself off that so I can switch from DTV. I'll keep you all posted.

The Rickster

P.S. A special thank you to hbk. Did me a solid by checking into my situation and making sure I'm getting the best possible deal. Thank you.

 

[rang1995]

Rick_ there is definitly more bandwith given to the movie channels(premiums) the the lesser ones (amc,bio,some of the alternate discoveries etc) i think DTV does the same though--did you get the winback deal(if you show a sat bill)you get IO gold +OOL+a DVR +2nd IO box all for $$109 or so

 

[rang1995]

For A Year

 

[hbk409]

P.S. A special thank you to hbk. Did me a solid by checking into my situation and making sure I'm getting the best possible deal. Thank you.

no problem rick, anytime. dont know why they didnt have the dvr, you can go to the walk in center and pick it up anytime. They will be open tomorrow.

 

[hbk409]

Rick_ there is definitly more bandwith given to the movie channels(premiums) the the lesser ones (amc,bio,some of the alternate discoveries etc) i think DTV does the same though--did you get the winback deal(if you show a sat bill)you get IO gold +OOL+a DVR +2nd IO box all for $$109 or so

he got the dbs triple gold he had telephone svc already it comes out to $136.54

 

[GadgetRick]

Ah...

I just might see about stopping in and picking one up. Thanks again.

Oh, I also figured out how to get more info from the guide. Just hit, well, the INFO button! I'd like it to just show up but, again, that's not a terribly big deal.

Oh, I've got a question. I tried playing with the On Demmand feature. It seems like it's not active on my account. I'll call them about it but I wasn't aware it had to be activated. I guess it makes sense.

Anyway, I've heard the pq on the SD On Demmand channels is pretty bad. I've not seen it myself so I can't comment on it. Anyone have any comments on that? Also, I noticed there are HD On Demmand channels. What's the pq like on those? It doesn't seem like there's a lot in HD yet.

Oh, I'm wondering if there's a little better way to search through the On Demmand movies also.

Oh, I also asked the guy who did the install about fiber in my neighborhood. He told me they'd already run it. I'm not sure about that. Anyone know for sure? It would be nice to know they've got more bandwidth available.

Thanks again.

The Rickster

 

[hbk409]

Oh, I also asked the guy who did the install about fiber in my neighborhood. He told me they'd already run it. I'm not sure about that. Anyone know for sure? It would be nice to know they've got more bandwidth available.

The Rickster

Yeah its run on the street not to the home and probably never will at least not for another 10-15yrs imho. It would take alot of subs switching over to fios for that to happen.

 

[GadgetRick]

Fiber

I kind of figured they might have it in the neighborhood but not into the home. That would be REALLY nice but I'm sure it will be extremely expensive and a painful transition. I hope they do it though. It would make a big difference.

The Rickster