Still contemplating DirecTV...

[Tiger62]

Just some general questions about on-screen guide "Favorites"...

I'm pretty much a channel-surfer, most of the time, rather than planning a viewing of a particular show at a particular time. Maybe I'll get into the "Tivo" mode of just recording a lot of shows to watch later, but right now I'm a "surfer", so the following questions are important to me.

1. After creating a "favorites" list of channels, if I use the CH Up, CH Down buttons on remote, will it step through ONLY my favorites?

2. Will the guide show time-slot listings for ONLY my favorites?

3. If I select "Channels-I-Get", can I step through those the same way?

4. How easy is it to select channels to be added to Favorites? Can they be added from "Channels-I-Get" or only from "All-Channels"?

5. How many "Favorites" lists are allowed and can you name them?

TIA.

[CCarncross]

1. Yes, make your favorites your default guide, and it works exactly that way.
2. Yes
3. Yes, it steps through whatever guide you have selected as default.
4. YOu can start with all channels or channels I get and add/delete channels by just selecting or deselecting them from the list.
5. I believe the current limit is 2 favorites, plus all or channels I get, and the favorites do have custom name capabilities.

FYI, if you have never had sat tv b4, you will notice that channel surfing in general is much slower due to the technology, If I feel like browsing channels to find something interesting to watch, I use what I call guide surfing, where I find what I want to watch in the guide and tune to it then. Hopefully you are single, or usually watch alone as channel surfing is absolutely the most irritating action you can perform if you're not the one with the remote in your hand.

[inkahauts]

One line guide is great to for channel surfers. You can be watcing a station and use just a one line guide at the bottom of the screen to surf for other things at the same time if you like.

Oh, and if you've never had a dvr... I'd say that there is a 90% chance that once you figure it out, you will never watch tv the same way again. Other than sports, and I record most of those as well... I haven't watched live tv in years....

[spartanstew]

I should also mention that the "Channels I Get" feature is still being worked on and as such, it's not 100% accurate.

[ThomasM]

Here's one you'll like.

You can bring up the program guide. In the upper right hand corner is a "PIG" (picture in guide) which is a small "picture in picture" of what you were watching.

BUT if you like surfing, move the highlight to the LEFT side of the guide so the channel name/number is highlighted and press SELECT. The PIG image and audio change to that channel! If you step up or down leaving the highlight on the left side of the guide, you can not only see the show name in the guide, you can actually get get to see it and hear it by pressing SELECT. When you find one you like, just press EXIT. The guide disappears and the show appears full-screen.

You can also press INFO while highlighting the channel name/number and a list of upcoming shows on that channel appear.

The only thing you won't like about DirecTV over cable or OTA TV is if you like surfing by pressing up/down and sampling channels. This takes a while due to the receiver having to retune and refill it's buffer. Digital cable boxes I've seen are MUCH slower than DirecTV, but analog channels sent "in the clear" on cable change almost instantaneously just like changing channels on over the air analog TV.