Tivo vs. free DVR

[wipeout]

Will manufacturers such as Panasonic, Sony, etc. be releasing DVR's that will record HD? If so, Why would I buy D*Tivo and pay them a $5 fee every month if someone puts out a HD recorder that needs no monthly fee? Perhaps I am lost on this?

[Curtis0620]

2-tuners!

[wipeout]

But if I have an HD D* receiver already and I get one of those DVR's I'm referring to, isn't that the same?

[Curtis0620]

No, you still only have 1 satellite tuner (the HD receiver).

[EricG]

Let's see. $5.00 a monthe for a TiVo which can be had for less than $100 or no fee for a machine that will cost upwards of $600.

Pay now or Pay later.

[Karl Foster]

If you plan on having multiple PVR's, then Directv is definitely the way to go. While E* has a free DVR with a monthly fee, it is per RECEIVER, while Directv's fee is per ACCOUNT. So, while I pay $10 per month for three PVR's, I'd be paying $15 per month on E* for three single-tuner PVR's at the same level of service I currently have. If I was at the AT50 level, that fee would be a whopping $30 per month just to use the PVR's.

[spinnaker]

No, you still only have 1 satellite tuner (the HD receiver).

Agreed, I don't like the extra $5 a month but it's worth it to me to get the 2 tuners. In fact I canceled my DishNetwork order when I learned of the 2 tuners. I would be paying it anyway if I opted for a second reciever (to record while watching) so I might as well just have one unit.

[Mark Holtz]

The reason why I switched from Dish to DirecTV was the fee. And, for less than the price of a new 510, I got a new DirecTivo Series 2+2 HBH-SAs+triple LNB Dish.

And for the price of a new 510, I will have a mounting bracket plus two 160GB hard drives for around 240 hours of recording time.

Yeah, the price dropped after I got the system. I'm still getting all of the premium movie channels for the same price as the AT150+Locals (albiet a promotion price). That's plenty of time to add a ton of Tivo "Suggestions".