Went from E* to D* - Initial Review

[JonCr]

I was a long time E* customer (15 years), but switched a few days ago due to the Fox debacle and curiosity to see if the grass was greener on other side of the fence. I got two HR24's and two H24's and the MRV setup. So far, I like it a lot and have been happy with the switch. A few observations:

- I got an email saying I wouldn't get locals in HD (I've seen a recent post on that). I called D* and they said the email was wrong and I would get locals in HD. They were right.

- The HD pq is noticeably better than E*. This was a pleasant surprise.

- The SD pq may be a little worse than E*, but is passable.

- Though different, I think the HR24 DVR is just as good as the 622 I had (I'm no connoisseur). It seems just as fast. Though the GUI is different, it is fine to me. One thing I like is that the remote performance from another room with the E* dual receivers was terrible. Having a receiver in the same room is nice and increases the speed in that room.

- I don't like that I can't connect ethernet to it without disabling DECA MRV. I guess my installer wasn't knowledgeable on this and didn't install the necessary extra DECA. After figuring out why my MRV wouldn't work, I had to disconnect the ethernet cable.

- The automated method the receiver uses to program the remote to the TV was slick - a lot nicer than the multiple steps required with E* receivers.

Overall, it has been a good experience and I'm having fun learning a new system.

 

[cparker]

fact is it doesn't NEED the ethernet connected to it when you have DECA. The DECA module connects your network to the coax so the HR24 (and H24) are doing network over coax. They're on your network. Think of it this way as well.... as long as your receivers are essentially all talking to each other over teh coax, they aren't affected too much by other network traffic. Makes watching a show on receiver #1 that was recorded on DVR #2 that much smoother. Also means it's not adversely affected (as far as I can tell) by 2 people playing online video games on their computer. And because they are on the network.... it makes direcTV2pc work great! My son watches stuff off the DVR from his computer in his room (connected to a 32" samsung LCD) and it looks fine.

Oh.... and I booted to windows7 and ran media player and the HR24 picked it up so I could listen to music, put photos in a slide show, play videos, etc from that Windows computer on the HR24. I'll find a use for that at some point.

 

[ts7]

I made the switch last week and had D* installed on Friday - pretty much identical config to the OP. After all the horror stories I had heard about installers showing up with wrong gear, setting things up incorrectly, etc. I was a little concerned. As it turns out, the installer showed up EARLY, with all the correct equipment. He did everything just as I asked (and probably a thing or two he wasn't supposed to do) and left everything neat and clean - very personable and professional. However, for some reason he thought the only reason the system needed an Internet connection was for the on demand stuff and he wasn't going to put it in when I told him I really didn't care about the on demand stuff at this time. When I explained there were other things the connection to my home network was used for, he went ahead and installed it.

I, too, noticed a much better PQ in HD, but the SD leaves a bit to be desired (fortunately I don't watch much SD). The HR24 receivers come with the RF remotes which was nice so the receivers can be hidden out of the way. The UI is a bit different than I was used to on the 722, but I don't think it is any worse. My only real complaint is with the guide - even when viewing "Only channels I get", it doesn't filter out the "pay" channels. I know that I can create a custom guide, but that is a real pain - especially having to do it for each TV - and there are only two custom guides available.

The MRV is great, but I'm still struggling with programming and getting things distributed among the two DVRs so there are not conflicts - this should be something that could be improved upon in a future software release. I really like they way they do the networking. I am a little disappointed with the mobile phone apps in that communication is 1-way and not guaranteed. DirecTV2pc won't work on my 2.5 year old laptop and apparently doesn't really like wireless networks either - I have not tried it on my wife or kids laptops yet, but it will be a really good feature.

It took me nearly 3 years debating on switching from C* to E*, but once I did my only regret was not doing it sooner. I have been debating switching from E* to D* for about a year now - once again, I am wondering why I didn't do it sooner!

One more thing... to E*'s credit, the cancellation process was smooth (so far). I was able to cancel via a chat session and didn't have to call in. I have a transcript of the entire dialog. There was no cancellation fee, other than $15/receiver for return shipping *IF* I use the enclosed call tag, but I can ship them back using whatever method I choose, though I am still responsible for shipping and insurance.

 

[Coug]

I switched about 10 days ago. One HR24, one H24, and a SD. Have whole-home DVR.

Negative

The install. He just plugged in the ethernet cable to the HR24 and said give the system 24h to download updates and the whole-home system should work.

DVR. Still getting used to how D* handles this. My 722 seemed more intuitive, but I am also learning a new system.

Positive

Picture quality. Much better on D*

Customer service. Called about the install problem and they had two vans in front of my house within a few days and solved the problem.

HD Channels. I left because we lost NG and were about to lose Fox. Wife is a big nature fan, and I like football, so that was a no brainer. Turns out we now get our local PBS channels in HD, plus some others that we just didn't watch on E* because they were not in HD.

Misc. I like the little extras with D*, like the gadgets with the right arrow and quick channels with the up arrow.

We like D* much more and would have been willing to pay a little extra to get the features and channels we like, but we also got the discounts so are paying $40 less a month for the next year, and we got the $180 Costco gift card.