Can you give me a demo?

[swinslow]

I live in San Ramon, CA. Is there anyone that has DirecTivo and would be willing to let me come by their home/office for a demo? I still have not found a dealer with an actual live picture and the DirecTivio unit installed. Willing to drive from Concord to Castro Valley to Livermore, almost anywhere, just let me know!

Thanks...Steve

[navy8ball]

for safety reasons if anyone offers to help this individual please have four or five close friends standing by with shotguns. you never know who is who. please be careful.

[swinslow]

for safety reasons if anyone offers to help this individual please have four or five close friends standing by with shotguns. you never know who is who. please be careful.

Really, I am not trying to "stake out the place" or anything. But it sure is amazing how difficult it is to find a demo. Not one store in the area has live DTivo. I've even called D* and they could not suggest anywhere.

Thanks...Steve

[boba]

Directv does not provide dealers with a DEMO on TiVo they provide a loop but not a live feed. Contact TiVo they can provide a DVD of TiVo features that will give the same information as seeing a DirecTiVo.

[swinslow]

Directv does not provide dealers with a DEMO on TiVo they provide a loop but not a live feed. Contact TiVo they can provide a DVD of TiVo features that will give the same information as seeing a DirecTiVo.

I guess what I am looking for, beyond the loop playing in stores, is to get a feel for how long it takes to do things like change channels, use the guide, etc. I understand what Tivo does, but without actually using one it's hard to know how it feels. I currently have 2 Dish 508's so I know how that works. Channels change pretty fast, and the guide is good. But I have read that some people that have gotten D* and Tivo have been frustrated by the speed in which it does things. I will change to D*Tivo now that my contract is up with E* if I can just get a demo somewhere!

Hasn't anyone else who has purchased had concerns and wanted to learn more before buying, or was it always just on trust and the DVD playing in store?

Thanks...Steve

[spinnaker]

I guess what I am looking for, beyond the loop playing in stores, is to get a feel for how long it takes to do things like change channels, use the guide, etc. I understand what Tivo does, but without actually using one it's hard to know how it feels. I currently have 2 Dish 508's so I know how that works. Channels change pretty fast, and the guide is good. But I have read that some people that have gotten D* and Tivo have been frustrated by the speed in which it does things. I will change to D*Tivo now that my contract is up with E* if I can just get a demo somewhere!

Hasn't anyone else who has purchased had concerns and wanted to learn more before buying, or was it always just on trust and the DVD playing in store?

Thanks...Steve

I guess I always assumed that retailers had a live demo. I agree with with you. You should be able to go to any retailer and see a live demo.

[pez2002]

Like any old person is just gonna let you in thier house Yeah Right

your outta your mind :)

[dishrich]

Well actually, D* now offers a 30 day guarantee on their D-Tivo unit - if you do NOT like it within the first month, you can call D* & they'll take the unit back, give you $100 AND install a non-PVR receiver for FREE. Of course, if you're ONLY reason to switch is for the D-Tivo, that may be a bummer, but thought I'd throw it in for discussion.

[swinslow]

Well actually, D* now offers a 30 day guarantee on their D-Tivo unit - if you do NOT like it within the first month, you can call D* & they'll take the unit back, give you $100 AND install a non-PVR receiver for FREE. Of course, if you're ONLY reason to switch is for the D-Tivo, that may be a bummer, but thought I'd throw it in for discussion.

Well, there are some trusting people out there after all. I got an email from a reader from here and they allowed me to stop by and check out their system. The D* picture was about the same as my E* picture on my 55" Mitsu HD 16x9 set. The DirecTivo Hughes box they had was amazing compared to my Dish 508 box. But the guide was slower than the Dish guide. Not a deal breaker, but why is it so slow? We used both the Tivo style guide as well as the D* style. Is it just a slow processer in there or what? Any Tivo experts out there know? But even so, the added features of the DTivo combo make it a go for me. Thanks to **** for the demo.

Steve

[cnsf]

Why don't you post a list of issues that concern you to get more feedback, even at the detail level of changing channels and get a consensus.

I, for one, can tell you the Tivo channel changing is slower and less reactive than the Dish PVRs and the DirecTV standard receivers. The whole idea is to avoid live TV.

The guides are slower, but the Tivo Live Guide is faster than the DirecTV grid. Still much slower...why? No one has a clue......

There is no Caller ID, no "Manage Files" and no Power Off, just a standby. BUT, no rebooting needed (at least VERY rarely).....

The peanut remote feels much better in your hand than the PVR remote and has fewer buttons as I'm sure you felt. The feel of the buttons is also better (if you're looking to "feel" your way to the buttons rather than "look").

Deleting is a pain and takes at least 2 clicks (even with shortcuts - you can hit the "clear" button when in the List).

30 second skip must be enabled.

Dual-tuner is a necessity over the PVR.