Bigger blunder by DirecTV: No SWM still or No OTA "solution" on HR-21

[PennHORN]

I switched from Comcast back in October. I am happy with the programming and my HR20-700s. I had the horrific SA8300 with Sara software and never had a Tivo before so to me the HR20 is a significant improvement. Never knew about DLB but after hearing about it, it would be a great addition to have.

I switched because of the frustration of waiting for Comcrap to add more HD channels and by their increase in cost. I have a 3 HD-DVR plus 1 HD receiver set up have the Premier package. If I stayed with Comcast, it would have cost me $40a month with no increase in services for their top of the line package.

I love Sunday Ticket and the new HD channels are very enticing to those suffering through cable. HOWEVER, I think DirecTV has blown a lot of their momentum and opportunity to snare a lot more converts with their bungling of both delayed SWM rollout and the HR21 OTA fiasco.

For my money, the failure to have general availability of SWM by the end of the year as promised is the bigger failure. When I show people my setup, they are genuinely interested in exploring switching to DirecTV. When I tell them some of the drawbacks such as that I had to pay a significant amount of money to drop extra lines for dual tuner DVR functionality, they no longer are interested. Regular people don't understand why 1 coax outlet can provide dual tuner functionality for a cable DVR but not for DirecTV and do not care to spend money like I have. How many potential customers have DirecTV squandered in adding? If I ran the company I would be pissed in not maximizing revenue from the launch of D10

[say-what]

I don't consider either a blunder.

The SWM took time to develop and is being introduced into the field now and should become widely available early 2008.

The HR20 is still supported and the -100 is still being manufactured. There is an external, dual tuner, OTA solution being developed for early next year also.

Based on DirecTV's last quarterly results, I don't think they're hurting for subscribers.

[tonyd79]

The only blunder at this point is that the distribution of the HR20/HR21 does not assure those that need OTA get OTA and that those who don't want it don't get it.

But what I am more interested in is why it cost the OP so much to get two lines run. Dual lines in a standard install cost no more.

[Smuuth]

I know of two families who only had one cable run to the location they selected for their new HR20. In both cases, they had another cable run by the installer at no cost. One of them did tip the installer because the additional cable run involved him going into the attic and he did it without complaint.

Granted, these may have been cases of exceptional installer personnel, but I think it may be more common that people do not need the SWM in most cases.

In my own case, I already had 4 cables from the dish to the multiswitch, and dual or triple cable runs to each receiver location I wanted, but I did some research in advance and knew what was required. I had not even heard of an SWM before I started posting and reading in the CE forums here. My installer was very pleased with what I had preaccomplished, but told me that he often ran additional cables for DVR installs as part of his job.

[Grydlok]

The only blunder at this point is that the distribution of the HR20/HR21 does not assure those that need OTA get OTA and that those who don't want it don't get it.

But what I am more interested in is why it cost the OP so much to get two lines run. Dual lines in a standard install cost no more.

He must have paid for wallfishing.

[tonyd79]

Again, standard installs include dual lines. The only cost is for extraordinary installations and that would cost if it were single or dual lines.

I will await PennHORN explaining what cost him so much. I have had many friends get HR20s or older Tivos installed needing dual lines and they did not pay extra.

[Teronzhul]

The real blunder is the delay in getting Local market HD channels up. This is the only thing they have continually failed to deliver on their promised timeframe. The SWM has never had a promised release date, but LIL channels have completely missed scheduled times given by official press releases.

[lflorack]

I'd hesitate to call either a 'blunder' but IMHO the larger impact to more people is the lack of an OTA solution for those that need it. I can understand how DirecTV got to where it is with the OTA situation, but I cannot understand how anyone can think that until the OTA solution from DirecTV materializes, this isn't a huge negative for those that need it. The reason you get a DVR is so you can record. Most people record a lot of programming aired on their local stations. If your brand new DVR can't record a large chunk of what you want to watch, that IS an issue.

As for SWM, it'd be a nice to have for some and in some cases necessary, but for most people, it's not a show stopper. I also don't understand why the OP had to pay so much (if any) more for two runs per DVR than a single run. My cable runs -- like many others -- were all free.

[simonkodousek]

Would an installer typically run another coax line through a drywalled ceiling, and down a wall to get to the HD-DVR? :confused:

[Elephanthead]

Are HR20s still available? I might buy some extra ones at Costco, they are not being discontinued are they? No OTA is a huge minus, especially since DTV thinks that I want to spend 20K on a home theater to watch mpeg4 sources.

[Elephanthead]

Would an installer typically run another coax line through a drywalled ceiling, and down a wall to get to the HD-DVR? :confused:

I think the typical one would be glad to staple the wire to your ceiling and staple it to the wall for you no problem.

[peters4n6]

The reason you get a DVR is so you can record. Most people record a lot of programming aired on their local stations. If your brand new DVR can't record a large chunck of what you want to watch, that IS an issue.


Exactly.

[Sirshagg]

The only blunder at this point is that the distribution of the HR20/HR21 does not assure those that need OTA get OTA and that those who don't want it don't get it.

But what I am more interested in is why it cost the OP so much to get two lines run. Dual lines in a standard install cost no more.
+1

[1948GG]

For my money, the failure to have general availability of SWM by the end of the year as promised is the bigger failure.

At the DirecTV MDU conference over a year ago, executives 'promised' that the SWM boxes would be available "way before the activation of DirecTV10"; when I questioned that rather profusely, especially since they did not hire an engineering company to 'fast-track' it's development, I was shouted down by the traveling chorus of suite types (non-engineers).

The independent installer/MDU companies I do consulting with are loosing at least $1M a month due to the lack of this device. I could figure in all the installs that haven't happend, both MDU and single-family homes, but it would beggar the mind.

And this is in a small state, in a small section of the U.S. If I living in, say, L.A., I'm sure I'd be physically stopping the owners of several companies from driving to DirecTV HQ and standing on someones desk demanding an explanation.

The additional HD channels beyond the 'big four', are slowly being added to some markets; at last count there were around 11 or so that had the CW or other 'independent' channels added. As current locals are transitioned from the Spaceways to the spot-beams of DirecTV10, It appears that mor HD locals will be added. But exactly how fast (at least before the launch of DirecTV11) is a very good question.

Since there is no 'plug and play' kit for adding OTA to wiring systems, beyond that of pulling more cable (impossible to very expensive in many situations, despite what folks here seem to think), or by using several techniques (but still no solution for the dual-tuner DVR owner), that even when the site is well within the grade-A contour of the broadcast signal, it's a no-deal situation.

As others have stated, I guess that they (DirecTV and their stockholders) figures they're making more than enough money as it stands. Right.

[PennHORN]

I live in a newly constructed 3 story townhome. Each floor has a unique floor plan so fishing cable (I am not willing to have exposed cable ANYWHERE) was a bear of a challenge. I had several guys come out to give estimates and most would not even touch it. I found a relatively expensive wiring expert and he did a great job, but he spent a ton of time on it and had to open several holes in the wall. I paid him by the hour and when you factor patching drywall and repainting those spots, the costs added up.

Since I was doing so much work, I ran cat5e cable to hook up my HR20s to my router. The running of network cable did not add really anything to the cost but getting the lines from my WB68 in the attic to runs on all three floors was costly.