In praise of D*

[wilbur_the_goose]

I just got home from Thanksgiving. My dad has Time/Warner cable with a Scientific Atlanta converter box - apparently their best model.

The picture was horrible, the cable box was horrible, the available channels were horrible.

Boy - sometimes you need to see how the other half lives to make you realize just how good we have it.

Thanks, DirecTV!

[richiephx]

It would be much better if they lowered their prices.

[Sixto]

Same here.

Played with a Cablevision Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR at a relatives home.

Felt like I was back in the 80's/90's.

No exaggeration ... it's amazing that people pay money to use it.

[davring]

If some of the people here who seem to constantly complain about equipment and how well it does or doesn't work, should be sentenced to a week with some of the competitions receivers/DVR's:)

Thank's D*.

[spartanstew]

FANBOY!!!!!!

[davring]

FANBOY!!!!!!

Not me:)

Just a reasonably content customer.

[wilbur_the_goose]

Fanboy? Not me. I have a litany of things I'd like them to improve.

But to me, D* is the BMW of TV providers right now. And that's pretty darn good.

Time Warner is the used Ford Pinto of TV providers :)

[ncxcstud]

My in-laws hate their TWC service, but aren't going to change to DirecTV until their new house is built. Hopefully, by then D* will have local channels in HD in our area....

[JDubbs413]

I switched to DirecTV from Time Warner September of 2007 and have never looked back. My friend still has Time Warner and when they finally did a guide interface update to all the DVRs....it ruined the box. They couldn't repair it and had to send her a new one.

[sadoun]

It is sad people still use cable. :nono2:

Next time we exhibit at a trade show, I am going to show two TVs side by side. One with a cable box, and the other with a satellite. Let people see the difference.

[mobandit]

I was watching a college football game the other day at a friend's house. I asked him who he got his TV signal from. He said it was TWC. I actually thought the picture looked awesome, easily as good as my signal from DirecTV.

I think the reality is that if you're happy with the service you get, then great for you.

I like the DirecTV service. Some of their "upgrades" have been annoying, as the software changes have caused issues with some of my receivers, but all in all, I'm sticking with D* for the foreseeable future.

[GerryG35]

I had Comcast cable for as long as I can remember and finally switched to D* in late September '08. There's just no comparison. While I understand from the posts here and my own mildly rocky start - that D* has a few issues to iron out - Comcast is in the dark ages technologically and the customer services is - well - non-existent.

Comcast CSRs are uniformly rude and clueless. My DTV signal has gone out a few times (mostly weather related) and each time lasted at most a few minutes. I can't remember a Comcast outage that lasted less than several hours - and calling Comcast was a waste of time unless you wanted to be told that a) yes, service is out in your area and b) no, they don't know how long it will take to repair - and you could hear the indifference in their voice. Each time I have called DTV service they were attentive and actually convinced me that a) they were sorry I had a problem and b) they were eager to fix it as fast as possible.

And here's the best part. I subscribed to all Comcast channels including all of the premium channels but no HD, no DVR, and no sports. Now I have all DTV channels (Premier) plus HD and DVR, protection package, ST and SF - and my monthly bill is less. (Comcast actually charged me $10.75 to drop my service!)

Better picture, superior equipment, timely attentive service, and lower cost/month - Directv rocks for me.

[firefighter4evr]

I had Comcast cable for as long as I can remember and finally switched to D* in late September '08. There's just no comparison. While I understand from the posts here and my own mildly rocky start - that D* has a few issues to iron out - Comcast is in the dark ages technologically and the customer services is - well - non-existent.

Comcast CSRs are uniformly rude and clueless. My DTV signal has gone out a few times (mostly weather related) and each time lasted at most a few minutes. I can't remember a Comcast outage that lasted less than several hours - and calling Comcast was a waste of time unless you wanted to be told that a) yes, service is out in your area and b) no, they don't know how long it will take to repair - and you could hear the indifference in their voice. Each time I have called DTV service they were attentive and actually convinced me that a) they were sorry I had a problem and b) they were eager to fix it as fast as possible.

And here's the best part. I subscribed to all Comcast channels including all of the premium channels but no HD, no DVR, and no sports. Now I have all DTV channels (Premier) plus HD and DVR, protection package, ST and SF - and my monthly bill is less. (Comcast actually charged me $10.75 to drop my service!)

Better picture, superior equipment, timely attentive service, and lower cost/month - Directv rocks for me.



I called comcast the other day to ask about getting there internet and phone combo package that they where offering for like $50 a month.. the CSR made a statement that there internet service was kinda slow and that i would be better off staying with VERIZON!!!!:nono2: :lol: :nono2: :lol:

I sure hope his calls are not recorded for trainning purposes........

[BenJF3]

I feel I should chime in here as I'm currently with TWC, but am looking at (probably will) make the switch back to satellite. Backstory: Before I moved I was a Dish sub and generally happy with them other than rain outages which seemed frequent. My initial reason for switching was the horrible Adelphia cable in that market. When I moved to another area served by Time Warner, I contacted them because I needed High Speed Internet (had Verizon DSL, not available to where I moved). So I got to asking and looking into other packages. They offered me a Triple Play for $99 (Phone, Internet, Cable) and I figured I'd try it. The Phone and the Roadrunner internet are outstanding, but as you can see by my signature, the cable has been lacking. Now, my market has more HD than most other cable markets and was adding them at a fever pace but have since died off a little. My main gripes are with the channel guide - HORRIBLE! The layout, the way they have the channels mapped (none of the HD lines up with the SD), and the lack of HD channels I want. So I started looking into D*, they offer HD locals here, but I'd use OTA anyhow for subs and my actual home market. I'm in a DMA that legally lets me get locals, but they are from 40-50 miles away. The locals that actually cover us are within 20, but not carried via satellite.) Now, I have many outlets in a large home, so cable saves money there as it's going to cost another $20 a month for D* in those rooms. The cable DVR is so feature lacking it's pathetic and I've asked numerous times when we are supposed to get the "upgrade" other markets are getting. I was told Q1 of this past year. They give no updates or information about channel additions or launches. I'll be scrolling through the guide and notice two or three new HD channels.

Reasons, I want to jump are starting to outweigh any reasons to stay. As stated, my main concern is weather outages. Features D* lacks that I'd like to see are PIP (can't understand why they don't have it, when every other provider does), DLB, and 2+1 tuner recording with OTA being the third. Things that also make me want to switch are multiroom and PlayOn software so I can use Netflix and other streaming services. I think right now I'm just waiting for the HR23's to filter down. My other concern was install. I really prefer to do all my own work, but would have a tech at least mount the dish and peak it. Since my home is pre-wired with RG6 at a central distribution, an install should be a breeze. I'd almost prefer to do most of the other work. I assume I'd get a SWMLine Dish so all I'd need is the drop to my distribution block which handles up to 2200Mhz.

[Groundhog45]

"Friends don't let friends watch cable." I have, however, seen some pretty good images on a friends Samsung LCD with a Time Warner HD PVR. Just not for me. I'm very satisfied with DirecTV. :D

[mpaquette]

When I moved 2 years ago, I suffered through 6 months of TWC. The picture quality was fine, but that Scientific Atlanta DVR was garbage, lousy interface, lockups, etc.

[wilbur_the_goose]

Oh yeah, my in-laws have Cablevision in NJ, and they too have that crappy Scientific Atlanta box. Reminds me of an Atari 2600.

[xIsamuTM]

I miss the wood finishing old game systems.

[whitepelican]

It is sad people still use cable. :nono2:

Next time we exhibit at a trade show, I am going to show two TVs side by side. One with a cable box, and the other with a satellite. Let people see the difference.

For some people, cable is still the best option. Where my brother and my parents live, they can't get locals on DirecTV. Not just HD locals, but any SD locals at all. And they can't get more than one or two stations using an OTA antenna. With cable, they get the locals from neighboring areas including 2 ABC stations, 2 FOX stations and one each of NBC, CBS, PBS. They also get most of those stations in HD. Neither my brother or my parents have a DVR, so I couldn't speak for the cable company's DVR service. But cable does indeed have some advantages, especially in a rural area where satellite can't really compete on the locals.

[Steve Mehs]

Let's see, my Scientific Atlanta HD DVRs, have never missed a recording in 2+ years, have never have any HDMI issues, have never froze up, and every 8300HD and 8300HDC in the country have never crashed simultaneously. The user interface may not be the prettiest thing around, and it may not be as well polished as DirecTVs, but who really cares? It's a DVR it's job is to record not look pretty, and both of my boxes have been rock solid since day 1. The various issues posted here about Dish and DirecTV DVRs, have never happened with my Time Warner boxes. I wouldn't give them up for anything. And what's nice is when the Cisco 8500HDC series HD DVRs come out, I can just take my current terminal to the office and exchange it. Don't have to wait for an installer, don't have to mail anything in and doesn't cost me a dime, other than a 20 minute ride. My only real complaint is I wish the EPG would fill a 16:9 display. I don't want nor need the thing to be a whole house media server is either. It's a DVR, it's job is to record TV shows, not be networked to a computer to stream MP3s.

If this is the Ford Pinto of TV providers, then give me a Pinto. I had DirecTV for 2 years, it wasn't bad, better then Dish, but nothing great, nothing special, it's a TV provider. Doing an A/B comparison SD picture quality on Time Warner wins hands down. DirecTV was a pixilated mess. Never had the opportunity to compare HD head on, but looking at other peoples TV with DirecTV they look just as good as when I get on cable.

[xIsamuTM]

Eh, TV is TV. I watch more of through my computer than anything else, and .avi's never have signal issues (bad encoders, but that's why I don't DL things done by a4e anymore)

[thestaton]

I just got home from Thanksgiving. My dad has Time/Warner cable with a Scientific Atlanta converter box - apparently their best model.

The picture was horrible, the cable box was horrible, the available channels were horrible.

Boy - sometimes you need to see how the other half lives to make you realize just how good we have it.

Thanks, DirecTV!

AMEN! I just left TWC 4 months ago, and it did feel like the stone ages.

[rahlquist]

I came from Rancho Cordova California in 2003. We had Comcast there and had for years it ROCKED there, stable few outages, and fair pricing, for what we wanted. We moved to Union City Georgia and it was like we moved to another planet, daily outages from 10 am to 4 pm leaving my wife defenseless and alone to entertain our 1 year old! After 4 months of nearly daily outages and issues DirecTV came in and saved us and we have been loyal and happy customers ever since.

[Coumyl]

I have a friend with T.W.C. with a HD dvr and I must say its horrible. I have been with Directv since 1998 and have never left for another cable system. I have a lot friends and family around the country and their cable systems are just as bad. They seem so outdated with their equipment and lack of HD channels.
The nerve of T.W.C. & COMCAST trying to say their better. As a real sports fan no way would I choose their cable systems. Or HD channels (not Progaming)
I'm just happy that I have Directv. Its not perfect, but its way better than cable.

[wilbur_the_goose]

Here's their brilliant GUI. Note the 1987-era graphics!

http://www.cox.com/takecharge/includes/images/parents/SA-Image01.jpg

[xIsamuTM]

o/" It was acceptable in the 80's o/"

[Sixto]

Here's their brilliant GUI. Note the 1987-era graphics!

http://www.cox.com/takecharge/includes/images/parents/SA-Image01.jpgyep, that's the exact GUI was referring to in post#3. :)

[sdicomp]

yep, that's the exact GUI was referring to in post#3. :)

And some folks fuss about the HR2X's!!!

[Ira Lacher]

Bottom line: If you live in an area served by one of the larger cable systems that are experiencing tough competition, you will probably get service that corresponds favorably to satellite: programming choice, good PQ, DVR, fair pricing, etc. If you live in a community such as Des Moines, which has never been within the sphere of the larger, more reliable cable operators (Des Moines has Mediacom :nono: :nono2: :p , which is not spending a penny to compete with satellite) and never will be, satellite becomes a more attractive option.

[Steve Mehs]

Here's their brilliant GUI. Note the 1987-era graphics!

http://www.cox.com/takecharge/includes/images/parents/SA-Image01.jpg

Like I said above, what difference does the UI make, as long as the box works. I would never go back to a DirecTV DVR, unless it's a TiVo, which my SA boxes have just as reliable as, which is what counts. The new Navigator software Time Warner is deploying has a more cutesy interface. http://www.timewarnercable.com/nebraska/products/cable/mdn/mdn_dvr.html

[joe diamond]

Caught CableVision in Long Island, NY this week. It was not a pretty sight.
Local friends selected OTA feed over that system and were considering cutting trees to get DTV.

Joe

[Ken S]

Here's their brilliant GUI. Note the 1987-era graphics!

http://www.cox.com/takecharge/includes/images/parents/SA-Image01.jpg

Who cares about how an interface looks...does it work? Is it intuitive? That's what is important.

[RobertE]

Like I said above, what difference does the UI make, as long as the box works. I would never go back to a DirecTV DVR, unless it's a TiVo, which my SA boxes have just as reliable as, which is what counts. The new Navigator software Time Warner is deploying has a more cutesy interface. http://www.timewarnercable.com/nebraska/products/cable/mdn/mdn_dvr.html

What difference does the UI make? :rolleyes:

Just ask the "TVA*"


*TVA - a new three letter acronym - Tivo Huggers of America

[wilbur_the_goose]

Steve & Ken,
The GUI is absolutely putrid. The guide is extremely slow, doesn't provide any good info, and is just plain horrible.

It doesn't even display the time of day so you can't tell how much of a show is left.

Trust me, the D* GUI is GOLD compared to this relic from the Wayback Machine.

My dad has a TiVo, and it operates so badly with that cable box. NOT TiVo's fault - it's just that the cable box is so bad and slow.

Lastly, my brother went back to analog cable because of the box. He couldn't stand it. His twin brother dropped Time-Warner (Rochester NY) altogether and uses only over-the-air now.

[Steve Mehs]

I've been using that user interface for 2 1/2 years and I have absolutely no problem with it, as it's irrelevant. The UI has no bearing on performance and reliability which I'm more than satisfied with and is what counts. I have no problem with the speed of my EPG. Why would I need the EPG to display the current time when it's right on the front of the box? The new D* boxes that I've used at other peoples houses and at Best Buy and such, I really don't think much of them. They're digital set top boxes, they're nothing to write home about.

[cweave02]

It is sad people still use cable. :nono2:

Next time we exhibit at a trade show, I am going to show two TVs side by side. One with a cable box, and the other with a satellite. Let people see the difference.

Great idea! Friends don't let friends watch cable!

[Sixto]

Who cares about how an interface looks...does it work? Is it intuitive? That's what is important.It's very painful. Very.

[Sixto]

I've been using that user interface for 2 1/2 years and I have absolutely no problem with it, as it's irrelevant. The UI has no bearing on performance and reliability which I'm more than satisfied with and is what counts. I have no problem with the speed of my EPG. Why would I need the EPG to display the current time when it's right on the front of the box? The new D* boxes that I've used at other peoples houses and at Best Buy and such, I really don't think much of them. They're digital set top boxes, they're nothing to write home about.We can't be talking about the same box. The UI on the Cablevision SA 8300HD looks identical to that previous post and it's horrid. All due respect but I can't imagine that anyone could defend it. And the Program Guide is comical. Literally feels like a flashback 10+ years at least.

[newsposter]

It is sad people still use cable. :nono2:

.

it's sad people dont realize much of cable comes from satellite so when they diss satellite they are dissing themselves :)

I pass by my local 'farm' all the time and there are no less than 12 huge dishes in back of the cableco.

[mreposter]

it's sad people dont realize much of cable comes from satellite so when they diss satellite they are dissing themselves :)

I pass by my local 'farm' all the time and there are no less than 12 huge dishes in back of the cableco.

Yes, but then it goes through the cable company's spaghetti infrastructure to get to your house. In many areas it's this old, cobbled together cable plant that destroys picture quality and leads to lousy reliability.

[Steve Mehs]

We can't be talking about the same box. The UI on the Cablevision SA 8300HD looks identical to that previous post and it's horrid. All due respect but I can't imagine that anyone could defend it. And the Program Guide is comical. Literally feels like a flashback 10+ years at least.

Am I defending it, no not really. I'm not particularly fond of the SARA UI, I don't hate it either, I just don't care, the box works, that's all I care about, it does what it's supposed to do. User interface is irrelevant, as long as the box records what I want it to, I'm happy. I don't care for DirecTVs UI either from what I've used of it.

it's sad people dont realize much of cable comes from satellite so when they diss satellite they are dissing themselves

I've never found that a valid comparison. Cable headends are just like satellite uplink facilities, huge C-band dishes are used to receive signals for the originating source and pass it to customers. Whether talking DirecTV or Time Warner both are middlemen in the process. Most people who diss satellite are going after mini dish solutions (ie Dish and DirecTV) which is a totally different ball game then c band. You're talking apples v oranges. I bring this up all the time, for someone who disses cable, it's sad people don't realize satellite signals from your LNB travel through a coax CABLE to your satellite IRD. Does that sound asinine? Well it may but if you're going compare tx/rx equipment used by cable, then you might as well present the other half.

And digital cable, as with satellite, it's digital you either have it or you don't. Picture quality is no worse living 60 miles away from the cable head end, then it would be if I lived next door. There is no destruction of PQ due to the infrastructure or distance. Analog cable there is, but not with digital. Miles of cable do not introduce digital artifacts, compression at the headend does.

[joe diamond]

Am I defending it, no not really. I'm not particularly fond of the SARA UI, I don't hate it either, I just don't care, the box works, that's all I care about, it does what it's supposed to do. User interface is irrelevant, as long as the box records what I want it to, I'm happy. I don't care for DirecTVs UI either from what I've used of it.



I've never found that a valid comparison. Cable headends are just like satellite uplink facilities, huge C-band dishes are used to receive signals for the originating source and pass it to customers. Whether talking DirecTV or Time Warner both are middlemen in the process. Most people who diss satellite are going after mini dish solutions (ie Dish and DirecTV) which is a totally different ball game then c band. You're talking apples v oranges. I bring this up all the time, for someone who disses cable, it's sad people don't realize satellite signals from your LNB travel through a coax CABLE to your satellite IRD. Does that sound asinine? Well it may but if you're going compare tx/rx equipment used by cable, then you might as well present the other half.

And digital cable, as with satellite, it's digital you either have it or you don't. Picture quality is no worse living 60 miles away from the cable head end, then it would be if I lived next door. There is no destruction of PQ due to the infrastructure or distance. Analog cable there is, but not with digital. Miles of cable do not introduce digital artifacts, compression at the headend does.

Steve,

You presented your view clearly. However, customers do not care how the audio and video arrives. How much? Can I see the Western Channel?
Tonight?

Everything else is noise to customers.

Joe

[QuickDrop]

Let's see, my Scientific Atlanta HD DVRs, have never missed a recording in 2+ years, have never have any HDMI issues, have never froze up, and every 8300HD and 8300HDC in the country have never crashed simultaneously. The user interface may not be the prettiest thing around, and it may not be as well polished as DirecTVs, but who really cares? It's a DVR it's job is to record not look pretty, and both of my boxes have been rock solid since day 1. The various issues posted here about Dish and DirecTV DVRs, have never happened with my Time Warner boxes.

Well, to be fair, these are forums dedicated to D* and E* subscribers, so you would expect a higher percentage of complaints about their DVRs than Time Warner's. Go to a forum dedicated purely to cable subscribers and you would probably get a lot of complaints about their DVRs too.

As for the OP, some of these comparisons can be rather selective. I can imagine people who are lucky enough to live in an area with a good Fios or cable system visiting a D* subscriber's home and wondering what makes them the leader in HD.

[wilbur_the_goose]

QuickDrop - I was just expressing my opinion that D* has what I consider a polished product compared to what I saw at my dad's house. And that sometimes I forget how good D* is.

Are there areas to improve? Absolutely! But, to me, it's SO much better than the cable system I saw up in Rochester NY.

[paulman182]

It is hard for people who are held captive by small town cable systems to believe that cable can be good. And I've seen people pay so much money for so little that I may never get over my dislike of cable, no matter how good some of the systems are.

My wife's cousin hoped that by adding digital to her cable service she would be rid of the snow that plagued her picture. She is rid of the snowy picture--now she has no picture at all for a few hours each week.

[braven]

Well, to be fair, these are forums dedicated to D* and E* subscribers, so you would expect a higher percentage of complaints about their DVRs than Time Warner's. Go to a forum dedicated purely to cable subscribers and you would probably get a lot of complaints about their DVRs too.



Wow, that just makes too much sense.

[Steve Mehs]

Are there areas to improve? Absolutely! But, to me, it's SO much better than the cable system I saw up in Rochester NY.

That's where I'm at. TW of Rochester. I'm not sure how there can be any complaints. 55 HD channels (including ESPN U HD and Travel Channel HD), with more to come, more movie channels then DirecTV, all movie channels in Dolby 5.1 when applicable, excellent picture quality on SD thanks to digital simulcast, reliable, solid as a rock, service and customer service. IMO, DirecTV offers nothing that I can't get from TW, that I'd want. When TW pulled the LIN stations for a month, I almost started to look back into DirecTV as CBS is huge for me, but since I could get Rochester's CBS HD via QAM I could still see the Bills on Sunday, and I watched most of my CBS shows either online of from QAM as well.

Time Warner must be doing something right in the Rochester area, they completely own the broadband market, Frontier can't compete with Time Warner's 15Mb speeds, they're bleeding POTS customers to them as well, and in an article read online from the D&C, TW holds 72% of the TV market.

[braven]

Time Warner offers nothing that I can't get from DirecTV, that I'd want. :rolleyes:

[Steve Mehs]

Good for you.

[mhayes70]

My opinion is that almost every cable PQ is horrible and there DVR's stink. My grandma is so feed up with them she is switching to satellite. She likes the PQ and more channel choices.

[Ken S]

My opinion is that almost every cable PQ is horrible and there DVR's stink. My grandma is so feed up with them she is switching to satellite. She likes the PQ and more channel choices.

How many of "every" cable systems have you seen?

[mhayes70]

How many of "every" cable systems have you seen?

Does it really matter how many I have seen? I have not seen alot. But, "every" cable system I have seen in my area or when I have traveled stunk. But, I have not seen "every" cable system in the US, have you?

[Upstream]

I'm sure Ken hasn't seen every, or even a lot of cable systems. But he didn't make the claim that "every cable PQ is horrible".

I just switched from DirecTV to Comcast. Comcast's PQ on their worst stations is just as good as DirecTV, and on some channels it is far better than DirecTV's. Last year, I compared DirecTV to TWC at my brother-in-law's house (he has both during football season). On the channels I compared, TWC had much better PQ than DirecTV.

So that's two cable systems that have better PQ than DirecTV.

[Dolly]

I thought this thread was "In praise of D*". I think the thread is now off topic :D

[bidger]

I'm happy with DIRECTV. I wasn't happy with Time-Warner, hence the reason I'm with DIRECTV.

[skylox]

I had 3 seperate cable providers.

1: Cablevision - Always cuts out, pq on HD channels was not very good, very pixelated for HD - SD pq was horrible. Looked like I was watching shows from the 80's, and horrible STB's, had the 8300 hd drv boxes and they would always freeze on me and the reboot process takes twice as long as the D* boxes. Always had issues with recordings as well. GUI is terrrible looking

2: Adelphia - Decent pq, never cut out but had the same boxes as Cablevision which also froze all the time. GUI is horroble also.

3: Time Warner - Best of all 3, has the best hd lineup and pq, still the same STB's but at least the pq was nice. Boxes would freeze when going through the channel guide.

Now I'm with Directv and couldnt be happier. The boxes never freeze, and by far the best pq in HD or SD.

[TheRatPatrol]

That's where I'm at. TW of Rochester. I'm not sure how there can be any complaints. 55 HD channels (including ESPN U HD and Travel Channel HD), with more to come, more movie channels then DirecTV, all movie channels in Dolby 5.1 when applicable, excellent picture quality on SD thanks to digital simulcast, reliable, solid as a rock, service and customer service. IMO, DirecTV offers nothing that I can't get from TW, that I'd want. When TW pulled the LIN stations for a month, I almost started to look back into DirecTV as CBS is huge for me, but since I could get Rochester's CBS HD via QAM I could still see the Bills on Sunday, and I watched most of my CBS shows either online of from QAM as well.

Time Warner must be doing something right in the Rochester area, they completely own the broadband market, Frontier can't compete with Time Warner's 15Mb speeds, they're bleeding POTS customers to them as well, and in an article read online from the D&C, TW holds 72% of the TV market.
But Steve........if I didn't have D* I couldn't watch the Sabres here in HD. ;) :)

[Matt9876]

Just want to thank DirecTv for SWM LNBs,this changes everything about installing a new system over an existing cable splitter system. just amazing !!:)

[Steve Mehs]

But Steve........if I didn't have D* I couldn't watch the Sabres here in HD. ;) :)

With the way they've been playing (or not playing) lately, I'm not so sure that would be a bad thing :(

[newsposter]

Just want to thank DirecTv for SWM LNBs,this changes everything about installing a new system over an existing cable splitter system. just amazing !!:)

any chance of getting one free to resolve the 771 issue?

[mreposter]

I'll add another feature in praise of D* - the way they logically group channels. It's not perfect, but they've done a very good job of keeping similar services together. For instance, most of the news channels are in the 355-360 range, except for CNN which has been at 202 forever and probably paid them to get the better position way back when.

When I compare D*'s channel listings to Time Warner (my local provider and the one that serves my parent's in NC) it's a bloody mess. They can't even manage to put things like History and History International next to each other!

In the last several months they've done some tweaking to move things around and improve the grouping. So here's to D* - thanks for keeping things logical!

[firefighter4evr]

I'll add to the praise of D* also.. They are the only provider that the wife can't find anything to bitch about! and we all know.... "If she isn't happy, you isn't happy":joy:

In fact it was her idea to upgrade to the premier package:eek2: :icon_band

[inkahauts]

I love Directv because if I had Fios or any other cable system in my area, I'd be like a friend of mine, who is FORCED to record all her programing in SD or not watch all her favorite shows because the most any of the DVRS will record is 20 hours of HD... And don't get me started on the UI and the way they organize their channels in the guides...

[wilbur_the_goose]

Other D* goodies that I really like:
* - RF remote control
* - Multi- output - HDMI and Component and Composite
* - Speedy Guide (HR20) compared to cable I've seen
* - HD Sports packages like NHLCI and MLBEI
* - They REALLY do listen to customers - look at the VAST improvement in the HR2x DVRs, all done thru software updates
* - The ability to attach a 1Tb eSATA hard drive to a DVR
* - Improved programming on channel 101

[JLucPicard]

If we're giving thumbs up to DirecTV for good things that have evolved, I HAVE to include the EXTREMELY easy turning on and off of closed captioning!

I utilize CC fairly often, and it's one of the things I don't like about my HR10-250 - too much navigating to turn it on and off.

DirecTV gets HUGE kudos from me for that one! :biggthump :biggthump :biggthump