We can't blame DirecTV subscribers for getting a little antsy over the company's
HD DVR that has yet to materialize -- after all, it was originally scheduled to drop early this year -- so the fact that this highly-anticipated product has once again been delayed until the fall will probably cause some very understandable frustration. The satellite TV provider recently sent wait-listed customers a letter explaining that the box is undergoing additional testing to ensure smooth operation (yeah, we've heard that line before), and that it's now set to ship in "the September/October time frame." One skeptical analyst over at Sanford C. Bernstein, however, feels that the delay is actually due to inventory shortages, and that DirecTV is only putting off the inevitable cost it will incur from a new product deployment. Bernstein's Craig Moffett went on to speculate that the company's procrastination may actually cause some subscribers to flee to (
future partner?) Dish or cable, but his analysis doesn't seem to take into account the somewhat-crippled and limited HD TiVo already available to DirecTV's customers. Still, these habitual delays are certainly doing nothing to bring new subscribers into the fold, so we humbly suggest that DirecTV give their testers a few cases of Red Bull and some serious overtime to get this thing out the door as quickly as possible.
[Via
HDBeat]
posted Jul 25th 2006 11:50AM
This is why companies eventually fail. Sooner or later, customers will pick up and move their business over to companies that are better at reading and responding to changing consumer wants and needs.
The market wants more HD. If DirecTV can't provide it, someone else will.
More cowbell, anyone?
I dumped DirecTV a few months ago because I was tired of waiting for HD locals in my area AND the HD DVR.
I've been a patient and loyal D*TV subscriber for over six years. HD locals are finally available in my area, but I haven't made the switch because I NEED to have an HD-DVR to record with. I get fliers from Comcast at least twice a week....I don't think I can be patient any longer.
Comcast has had local HD and recording capability for over a year in my area. It's sad.
I dumped DirecTV as well this year. After they jacked everyone with the NFL Sunday Ticket "SuperFan" charge to get NFL games in HD, then came out with that abortion or a solution for HD Locals, I went to TWCable.
I was able to rent a POS HD DVR from them without having to buy and I get my HD locals and local HD RSN's..the only thing missing is espn2 HD.
Of course, remember that HD viewers still make up an incredibly miniscule segment of the market. They are the tech leaders, but lack of an HD DVR (an even smaller segment) is not going to significantly impact them.
I just switched TO DirecTV as my cable provider (Comcast) compresses their channels to the point of looking like smeary blocky crap.
DirecTV HD Tivo is excellent. Crippled how? It works great. I got mine upgraded to 500 Gigs and I love it. And honestly TWCable -- the only thing they're good at is crap boxes that fail within a month and screwing you with internet downtime and further screwing you with crappy upload speeds. Never will I sign up with cable again.
"Somewhat crippled and limited"? It's no more crippled or limited than the non-HD DirecTivo. The only real difference is that the non-HD boxes are running a better software revision (6.3?) that gives folder sorting for recorded shows and faster menus. The HDtivo is still running on older software, but for what it needs to do, it serves me very well. If anything, I'm a little scared of the new HD DVR, considering what I've heard from people who own the new non-Tivo Directv DVRs.
The Forbes article is not based on any "recent" announcements. It is reactionary to stuff that has been known for months amongst the "forums".
There have been no new announcements of delays of the HR20, and it is still expected in Q3 2006
Delays from announced time frames back at CES (which had it coming by the end of Q2), yes... but about 3 months ago, information started to come out that it was going to be late Q2/Q3
All indications are that HR20 will be introduced in August 2006
I dumped DirecTV due to their HD-lite High Def broadcasts, not nearly as clear as my new Comcast HD. My Comcast DVR on the other hand, a Motorola 3412, sucks rocks. Total POS. I am waiting impatiently for the Series 3 Tivo, and/or the new hybrid Comcast/Tivo unit. Please bring on either or both immediately.
SO frustrating.... The "crippled" Tivo reference, I think, is in regard to the inability to do online recording scheduling and such, as with a regukar TIVO (could be wrong).
Slightly Dumb Questions: How can you get your drive upgraded? Or did Yaks just mean he changed models?
And: "Wait-listed" customers? When could we even pre-order? I'm so sick of them! (These delays + their crappy quality...I swear I've never seen so much signal compression!)
I just went with DTV HD. I went round and round with them about their HD shortcomings and after a few phone calls culminating in a cancellation call, they promised to send me the new box free. Now I must stay on top of things so I can decide if I actually want the darn thing. Best part of the switch is the Tivo DVR service. Worst is crappy conversion of SD signals, imagewise. Hue, saturation and detail are worse than OTA. Ya choose where your pain comes from, I guess.
DirecTV is stupid for trying to make their own DVRs and drop Tivo. I'll keep my DirecTivo's and switch to Fios TV as soon as they get the rumored Fios TV Tivos and get a TV franchise in my town.
Suki,
I use DISH and yes the HD quality from Sat is every bit as good as cable. Would I prefer cable? Yes but only because of the way that DISH behaves and not because of the actual quality of the picture and sound.
reason for delay? DISEMBODIED GHOSTLY HAND.
i think i'm going to switch back to cable. Why? becuase satellite signal gets knockout when there is a storm. This is something that landline like cable is almost immune to. When this Verizon FiOS gonna be available in NYC???? I want Voip/TV/Broadband all in one package for a good price!
Brian Pope... the wait list...
There is no "purchase" wait list... They are not taking pre-orders... nor is their a wait list for the HR10-250.
The only thing we "think" they are refering to is DirecTV does have a email list you can be added to (if you call), so that you are updated when more information is available about the HR20
As for why not going to cable... At least here in Chicago, it would cost me at least an extra $50 or so a month to get the same package (After you add in all the rental fees for their equipment)
As for "upgrading your drive" at least in the HR10-250,it is not very different then upgrading any other TiVo powered unit.
See www.tivocommunity.com for details on how to do it.
hmm... I switched from TimeWarnerCable with an (SA) HD-DVR to a DirecTV-TiVo (HR10-250)... and I'm as happy as can be.
TimeWarner's HD and SD signal always looks pixelated and grainy... the box would also take FOREVER to load and sync the picture to the sound. Since i've switched to DirecTV, not only am I saving close to $50/mo... but the picture looks GREAT on EVERY channel (HD and non-HD). Changing channels is a snap and I don't have to wait to load each channel. Plus I really like the Tivo option... i couldn't get that on timewarner-HDcable... i had to use their crappy ass DVR.
My only gripe about DirecTV is no OnDemand and the guide... the guide SUCKS SOOOO BAD. It is extremely slow, and it covers the whole screen. Like what if I'm watching something but I just want to see what's coming up... instead of doing a Picture in picture or shrinking the video... nah the direcTV guide just covers the whole screen!
I'm hoping to open up my directv tivo soon and upgrade the HD and *cough*mod*cough* try out Tivo2Go. Anyone got any advice?
I've been anxiously waiting for this darn thing forever.
Between these delays, the reports that the UI sucks, the better HD picture quality with cable, and the forthcoming TiVo software for Comcast boxes... I'm really, really, really close to switching to Comcast.
Biggest POS I've had in a while is the DirecTV made DVR. It's completely unfriendly to the user. Do you know how you find a show to tape? Click on the channel and forward to the right day. Takes about five minutes per new show to tape. I'm not a newbie to DVR's either and the TIVO is no saint either but it's much better. BTW, the best I've had is the old Microsoft UltimateTV. It was the bomb.
DirecTV officially announced that the HR10-250 is getting updated to software revision 6.3, giving faster menus and folders. This makes the HD TiVo the best HD DVR on the market. I've upgraded mine with 2 500GB drives so it can handle somewhere around 150 hours of HD content. With all of the third-party applications available to those that hack their TiVo, the really isn't much that it can't do.
So, I'm very happy with DirecTV right now (since the TiVo software update) and couldn't care less about their new HR20 being delayed - I don't want one anyway.
This press release/commentary gripe article is probably because Phillip Swann has stock in Echstar. lol
http://www.tvpredictions.com/directvhddvr072506.htm
so does anyone know if there are any plans whatsoever for an MPEG-4 enabled TiVo box for Directv?
This article says just the opposite. Not holding my breath, but according to this, expect the roll-out to begin mid-august...
http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=202
Well I have several SD Dtv Tivo's and have been extremely pleased with them since the first DSR6000 I got when they first came out. The dtv Tivo's are really top of the line compared to most I have seen and used. I was ready to cancle after being a subscriber of dtv since '94 due to fact they were dropping Tivo (which is still going to happen in just a few years). But happily they extended there agreement a few more years. I kinda think they were concerned about being sued by tivo like E* was.
I recently tried to get a dtv hdtivo as I am slowly moving toward hd but the price is just too high, especially knowing that there going to be worthless in about a year or so and/or as soon as dtv can get there piece of crap limping along enough to shove it down there customers throats!
I even reluctantly accepted one of there new sd dvr's to try, that lasted about 2 days before the piece of crap come close to find it a home in the yard! All because they claimed they had No more oif the tivos and the tivo was an "inferior unit" compared to there new dvr. What a piece of garbage and a line of crap! Its all geared to get you to buy buy buy more from them and no longer will YOU control the way you watch tv, dtv will eventually control you. As in what you can save, how long you can save it, the quality and such.
I have shows that are over 4 years old on one of my dtivo's, i'm pretty sure there new dvr wouldn't allow that to happen as your limited as to how long you can save a show, especially ppv's. And as DRM (digital rights managment) gets more and more into the consumers homes, the more limitations will increase and everything you HAD will be locked down or severly limited.
Just Google TIVO + DRM, its already started :( When you have near dvd quality via the stream then that tends to really freak out the movie companies and such about someone making a copy to save or give to granny. TiVoToGo is almost gone, now the dvr manufacturers must now bow to everyone and ignore what there CUSTOMERS want. Its a shame the dtv has not allowed many of the tivo upgrade features to be active on there dtivo dvr's. I guess thats how they can play the "inferior dvr" word game with there customers by cripple what it can do.
VooM had it going on with REAL multiroom viewing and show transfering before its demise. I think you can still view the video on satelliteguys web site about the multiiroom features, it was quite impressive. the companies that produced the hardware have since been gobbled up now. I would love to see it released as open source, that would be a fun project!
I WILL be cancling dtv after 11+ years when dtv ceases the support of the Tivo's and there customers are FORCED to junk there Tivo's for the new dvr.
I hope some of this info helps someone.