Is Direct TV's DVR tht much different from Dish's?

[david13579]

I am a Dish customer but I fear I may have to switch. The thing is that I love Dish's DVR system and I have heard that Direct TV a very different.

Does it have a skip back and skip forward buttons?
Can I add a few minutes ( 3,4, 5 etc) at the end of a program to record anything that goes over?
Can I set timers manually?
Does it have a button to automatically search for the title that you are watching?
Can I rewind a program and start recording as far as the rewind takes me?

 

[dishrich]

Yes to all - but frankly, if you have HD service, you might want to worry more about how much HD is missing from D*'s lineup!
Such DISH (& other providers) HD staples as HLN, TruTV, TCM. Style, G4, AMC, BBCA, ID, Hist Int, DIY & Cooking, amongst others, are NOT in HD on D*! (yet anyway)

 

[jwolf]

I just made the switch from dish to directv after 13 years. I was worried about the same things that you mentioned, fear not! IMHO, directv's DVR is much nicer than the one from dish. There is a bit of a learning curve, but after a day or so I was using the DVR just like I was with dish. The smart search feature of the HR24 is so much better than dish, if you are watching a channel and watch something you DVR'd, you can go back to the channel you were watching and rewind to see what you missed, very cool. There is a ton of VOD which is organized much better.

There are a few less HD channels, but I'm sure they are on the way. I swore I would never leave dish, but I'm glad I did. The MRV is very cool and the picture quality is better with directv.

 

[cparker]

a few less HD channels and a few more for some. I switched from Dish to Direct and now I get to watch MSG in HD. Even when Dish HAD MSG it wasn't in HD.

And since when are these staples?
"HD staples as HLN, TruTV, TCM. Style, G4, AMC, BBCA, ID, Hist Int, DIY & Cooking"

I guess staples for some and just unwatched fluff for others. I *would* like DIY in HD, but the others are a non-issue for me. I know other people really might like them though.

 

[nuttz565]

Ya the only HD channel I miss that I dont get from *D is DIY.

 

[cband]

I will miss TCMHD but that's it for the HD as far as I can think of. I lost EPIX but I gained Smithsonian! I'm already missing the music channels on Dish, but it's all a learning curve and will get used to it eventually (I listen to New Age, Smooth Jazz and Classical for the most part). The other learning curve is the channel lineup, I had most of the channels memorized that I watch with Dish. At least Dish had most if not all HD in one section. Again maybe it's just in Ds setup but I have only had D for 5 days now. I have noticed that FOX News HD is brighter and has more depth to it, more HD like than Dishs.

Jeff

 

[Mr Tony]

TruTV,

thats the only one I would like. But I guess getting MLB Net and my RSN in 24/7 HD will have to make up for it

 

[Mr Tony]

Does it have a skip back and skip forward buttons?

yes

Can I add a few minutes ( 3,4, 5 etc) at the end of a program to record anything that goes over?

yes
1,2,5,15,30,60,90,180 are the options

Can I set timers manually?

yes but dont know why you'd do that

Does it have a button to automatically search for the title that you are watching?

yes.

Can I rewind a program and start recording as far as the rewind takes me?

no need to rewind. Press record and it already starts at the beginning of the program or where you tuned in (if the program already started). You can also add from there too

The thing I like with the HD DVR's and the R22 (standard DVR) is when you pick a live event to record it gives you a popup asking if you want to add 30 minutes to it. You can pick from there or just say no and it will record the normal timeframe. Works great when setting up sporting events.

 

[JerseyMatt]

Ya the only HD channel I miss that I dont get from *D is DIY.

..and Cooking.. But yeah those aren't exactly 'staples'. I mean all AMC is good for now is running good movies that are so heavily edited that it's a sin to watch them. G4 has been rightfully dumped completely because it was nothing but crap. 'TruTV'.. Now theres something I need, Cops reruns and that fat ugly skank on Repo in HD. Oh and lets not forget that wackjob Jesse Ventura and the tools on Rehab. This is a channel that could easily go the way of G4. Style.. Yeah.. That's the equivalent of G4 for chicks. It's mindless clucking and over the top faux 'reality' garbage and just wastes bandwidth. ID and HI occasionally catch my interest, and I would like to see them in HD, but it it is definitely not a staple or a dealbreaker. Same with BBCA.. I like Law & Order UK and Dr. Who, but nothing else there really fluffs me, so it's hardly an important channel.

 

[dfergie]

One thing if you do not get the HR24's the GUI is slower with the other dvr's than the dish dvr's... (I have a dish 622 & HR20 -700 & use dish more (locals)) but right now watching my "Grandfathered Distants" football from the HR20...

 

[dfergie]

They both have plus & minus features... Apples & Oranges...

 

[Liquidforce88]

How can anyone call Top Gear, the most watched progam on the planet, a fluff program?

 

[dishrich]

now I get to watch MSG in HD. Even when Dish HAD MSG it wasn't in HD.

And since when are these staples?
"HD staples as HLN, TruTV, TCM. Style, G4, AMC, BBCA, ID, Hist Int, DIY & Cooking"

They ARE staples, when ALL the providers in many, if not most areas, ARE carrying them - EXCEPT for the supposed HD leader D* - I'll break it down for my area:

- DISH, all of them
- U-verse, all of them except AMC & BBCA
- Comcast, can't answer that yet, but we WILL be finding out way before the end of this year, as our WOM analog cutoff is this Tuesday (I'll make a safe bet that MOST of them will be up in HD & we already have AMC)

OK, so maybe BBCA might NOT be a staple, but IMO the rest sure are - WAY before MSG HD will EVER be in our area.

Oh yea, I was just out in Kansas City, MO & the Topeka, KS area for the holidays. BOTH TW in KC & Cox in the Topeka area TOTALLY blew away D*'s HD lineup - at least as far as basic, national channels. (premiums they were kind of lacking in - but at least they DID have more than one for each channel) In a very small town around Topeka no less!

I guess staples for some and just unwatched fluff for others.

Well at least they are a staple, in the sense that ANYONE can get them in ANY market.
Your MSG RSN(s) HD's are of only real value to subs in YOUR limited RSN area, or for folks with certain season ticket pkgs, to allow them to get those said games out of that same limited region in HD.
Otherwise, the majority of subs could care even less about them - maybe that's why E* doesn't seem too worried about NOT having them to begin with...

But I guess getting MLB Net and my RSN in 24/7 HD will have to make up for it

Now THAT'S a good point, as obviously E* can't provide ANY RSN's in HD full time, so they are having to have ALL RSN's "share the non-HD" pain. But this should be of NO surprise, as E* has never been the best at dealing with the RSN's.
Yea, if your RSN's in HD 24/7 are a must, then D* IS the way to go.
As I've said in other posts, you almost have to have 2 providers to get everything you want in HD...

The MRV is very cool

But if the fricken HD prog one really wants is NOT even offered TO MRV, who gives a damn?

and the picture quality is better with directv.

And you actually did a side-by-side & came to this conclusion, or did you have to use a signal tester to find this out?
Point is - again, if the channels one wants are ONLY in SD, who cares if the rest of the crap D* now has up has a "touch" better picture quality?

 

[dishrich]

And before anyone asks me "why don't you switch" - that's EXACTLY what I'm checking out.
Frankly, E*'s track record of loosing channels is actually worse than D*'s is, so it's not really my first alternative.
As I said, I'm going to see what CC ends up putting up & go from there.
Maybe I might just suspend D* for awhile, until maybe they pull their head of out there a$$ &/or replace whoever the yutz is that is making their prog decisions now.

 

[lern4483]

I am a Dish customer but I fear I may have to switch. The thing is that I love Dish's DVR system and I have heard that Direct TV a very different.

Does it have a skip back and skip forward buttons?
Can I add a few minutes ( 3,4, 5 etc) at the end of a program to record anything that goes over?
Can I set timers manually?
Does it have a button to automatically search for the title that you are watching?
Can I rewind a program and start recording as far as the rewind takes me?

Allot of folks who have one service over another tout the service they have.

I have both. Both have their strengths and weakness.

Direc( in my opinnion) has the better picture.
Better sports packages,,MSGHD My favorite..Deal breaker
Dvrs better than past units. Still not better than dish dvrs.
However, the direc units do have cool features. Quick tune..
and others.
MRV.Whole home service. Able to watch any program on any
tv with a current Direc HD reciever. Best new feature to hit either sat service
I have this and its outstanding!

Dish
Hands down best HD dvr. While the new HR24(direc new HD dvrs) are excellent
they still fall short of the Dish vip series units. If your use to the speed of Dish dvrs
you will be dissapointed by the direc units.
Direc units can be made to have a skip like dish units(a simple code added by user enables feature)
Also better movie packages. Extra HD movie channels not on direc.

Again, look at lineup of both services. If your a sports nut, its a no brainer. Direc is your system.
If you love movie channels and the best HD dvr then go with Dish..

Both are excellent services..

 

[dfergie]

lern makes good points, I do not have the HR24 series, but Directv does have the better PQ & will output in native resolution,
Dish has better archiving, you can selectively archive to a EHDD, with Directv it is either the EHDD or internal,
Sports Directv hands down,
Premiums Dish hands down...
have both going right now, Dish on my NBC local in the livingroom,
Directv from my Distant in the HT room...
(Computer in livingroom )
btw, my dish local is about 2 seconds ahead of the NBC NY...

 

[Bob Nielsen]

How can anyone call Top Gear, the most watched progam on the planet, a fluff program?

While BBCA is not yet available in HD, Top Gear is available in HD on History Channel.

 

[JerseyMatt]

Different Top Gear... Kind of like The Office..

 

[JerseyMatt]

They ARE staples, when ALL the providers in many, if not most areas, ARE carrying them - EXCEPT for the supposed HD leader D* - I'll break it down for my area:

- DISH, all of them
- U-verse, all of them except AMC & BBCA
- Comcast, can't answer that yet, but we WILL be finding out way before the end of this year, as our WOM analog cutoff is this Tuesday (I'll make a safe bet that MOST of them will be up in HD & we already have AMC)

First of all, Comcast SUCKS. No matter where you are, they suck. In Springfield, they offer a whopping 51 (that's FIFTY ONE) HD channels, including exactly ONE of your so-called 'staple' channels: AMC. Not as SINGLE other one that you are whining about. (So what was that about a 'safe bet'?)

Second, Cox has the second best cable HD lineup right behind Cablevision NJ . The reason you were able to get it in that 'small town near Topeka' is because that is Cox's territory. They serve pretty much all of the incorporated towns in Kansas and even some rural areas (technically part of a town but outside city limits) with their Fiber to the Pole service. There's a few exceptions because Eagle Communications has a lock on about 5 counties (including mine). Their lineup is similar to Comcast's which sucks (again, roughly 50 HD channels). If I'd had Cox, it would've been a much tougher choice to switch to DirecTV, because I came from Cablevision, which has THE best cable HD lineup and the best internet available anywhere, and a switch to Cox would have been pretty much unnoticeable.

And just because every carrier has an SD version of a channel doesn't make it a staple. Just like MSG HD 'only appeals to sports fans', Style HD only appeals to female brainless faux reality show fans and TruTV only appeals to male brainless faux reality show fans. So what's your point?

The 'Staples' are the locals, and channels like USA, TNT, TBS, Discovery, TLC, History, etc. You know, the ones people actually watch.

 

[jwolf]

And you actually did a side-by-side & came to this conclusion, or did you have to use a signal tester to find this out?
Point is - again, if the channels one wants are ONLY in SD, who cares if the rest of the crap D* now has up has a "touch" better picture quality?

Well, if you read my post, I stated that the directv picture looked better IMHO, which you left out of your quote of what I actually posted. IMHO means In My Humble Opinion.

Did I use a signal tester or a side-by-side comparison? I did not, I actually used my eyes. I thought that the picture, once again, in MY opinion, looked better than the picture from dish. I also didn't use the word 'touch' better, nor did I try to quantify how much better it looked.

Please don't put words in my mouth. I can do that for myself.