DTV customer service re:r15 & HMC

[ultraflip]

:nono2:

Good morning all, newb to the fullest here. just purchased dtv. just purchased an r15... prior to having any background in regards to home media center and non-tivo units... i went out and purchased the whole 9 yards, complete service along with the dvr unit. I was rather disappointed that i was unable to connect the unit to my pc, so I e-mailed DTV:


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Original Message Follows:


DIRECTV FEEDBACK MESSAGE

Name: cris garcia
Status: Subscriber
[Account Number: cant find it right now]
Email Address:
[Topic Selected: Upgrade]
Subject: directv plus

Details: Hello,

I had purchased a directv plus unit (Model:r15) last night in hopes to have the unit connect to my home pc to allow me to burn dvds from the tv shows that i have recorded. come to find out, the usb ports have been rendered unusable. The unit has been fully activated as of 11:00 last night. I would like to know if I am able to return this unit and obtain a directv r10 dvr unit with TiVo just so I could have the home media center capability.

regards
cris


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the response

Dear Cris,

Thanks for your email about the DIRECTV DVR. The USB ports on our current DVR models are not available for networking, the TiVo Home Media Option or TiVo ToGo. Today, these features are only available on the TiVo Series 2 standalone models.

However, as you may have heard, we're preparing to launch a new advanced technology system called the DIRECTV Home Media Center. Our new Home Media Center will allow you to share, move and view content from room to room, throughout the house. It will also have DVR functionality and the capability to support both standard-and high-definition signals. We expect to have more information about this new advanced receiver soon, so please stay tuned to DIRECTV for the latest updates. The R10 receiver does not have the Home media center capability at this time. Also, all sales are final after activation and installation of the system. You can go to our web site at DIRECTV to find out more information about the home media center and our plans for its release and implementation.

Our goal is to continue to expand our programming and technology offerings, in order to bring you the best television entertainment experience available. Thanks again for writing to us!

Sincerely,
Pablo
DIRECTV Customer Service

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just thought i'd share

[dodge boy]

The R10 receiver does not have the Home media center capability at this time. Also, all sales are final after activation and installation of the system.

Curious young patawon: how can the sale of something that is leased be final? Also that does not allow you to return the said leased equipment to get out of your obligation....... MMMMM verry interesting in deed....... Oh and uh welcome to the forum, I'm kinda new here myself...... I just post lot, not that any of it is intelligent just that I talk alot...... :grin:

[Earl Bonovich]

There are a few products...

We have the DirecTV2Go service (that will be here before HMC)... don't know if/how that will work with home networking.

Then there is the Home Media Center... that is still a ways off.

[walters]

Wait, are you saying DirecTV2Go is imminent, or HMC is going to be way late? Or are you just speaking based on public knowlege?

[ultraflip]

honestly... i'm at a terrible loss when it comes to this situation now... i'm intrigued as to what the Home Media Center has in store. will this mean that i have to upgrade from my r15? what could i possibly do with this "leased" unit?

[Earl Bonovich]

Wait, are you saying DirecTV2Go is imminent, or HMC is going to be way late? Or are you just speaking based on public knowlege?

99% public knowledge.

With the annoucment of Humax and the other portable devices, and the specific touting DirecTV2Go.... It can't be that much longer till it is luanched... (that is 100% public knowledge and digging between the line)

The 1% about HMC is that it is still in development/testing... I don't know of any delays... but then again, i don't think a "date" has ever been set for HMC.

[Earl Bonovich]

ultraflip: there are no specifics about the HMC yet...
So how you will get it, what upgrades there will be, ect.... are not known yet.

In a nutshell: HMC is the traditional Server/Client model.
There will be a core (1 Server Unit (or possible 2 that talk to one another)) that do 99% of the work.

Then there will be child boxes that will get all their information and content from the server units, via some form of networking (be it RG6 or CAT5 or something else)

That is about all we know...

[walters]

"The DIRECTV Home Media Center, which will be available by the end of this year, will allow for networking throughout the house. DIRECTV customers with the Home Media Center will be able to share, move and view content from room to room."

Of course, I just surprised myself when I realized they said that (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.directv.com%2FDTVAPP%2Faboutu s%2Fheadline.jsp%3FnewsId%3D01-06-2005D&ei=iFVGRI6-NqT0aOn7pJAE&sig2=eBguPLOO7oI-T9JS3JHVuA) January of 2005. So it's already way late. Let me take another oportunity to say "!@#$ you" to DirecTV and point out that they've got probably a million or so receivers out there capable of all this if they'd let them.

[Wolffpack]

"The DIRECTV Home Media Center, which will be available by the end of this year, will allow for networking throughout the house. DIRECTV customers with the Home Media Center will be able to share, move and view content from room to room."

Of course, I just surprised myself when I realized they said that (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.directv.com%2FDTVAPP%2Faboutu s%2Fheadline.jsp%3FnewsId%3D01-06-2005D&ei=iFVGRI6-NqT0aOn7pJAE&sig2=eBguPLOO7oI-T9JS3JHVuA) January of 2005. So it's already way late. Let me take another oportunity to say "!@#$ you" to DirecTV and point out that they've got probably a million or so receivers out there capable of all this if they'd let them.
It is amazing. While existing Series 2 DTivo units can do this same thing DTV has chosen to cripple these units by turning off networking and MRV. Meanwhile they are touting HMC as new technology that will be available.....sometime.

[cabanaboy1977]

Meanwhile they are touting HMC as new technology that will be available.....sometime.

VOOM said the same thing at one of the tech shows. And then they went under? Hopefully D* will keep afloat and bring up some HMC treasure back with them when they finally get to shore.

[ultraflip]

Home Media Center will be able to share, move and view content from room to room."


so does this mean that i would finally be able to connect my pc to pull content from this... or is that just another hopeless thought for me?

[Earl Bonovich]

so does this mean that i would finally be able to connect my pc to pull content from this... or is that just another hopeless thought for me?

We don't know...

This has a higher probability with DirecTV2Go then with the HomeMediaCenter though...

[Wolffpack]

so does this mean that i would finally be able to connect my pc to pull content from this... or is that just another hopeless thought for me?
I would guess "moving content from room to room" would be the same as Tivo's MRV (Multi Room Viewing) which allows you to watch a recorded show from any Tivo on your network on any other Tivo.

I would be suprised if HMC allowed for pulling shows to a PC. Or if it does, it will involve so much security you won't be able to do anything else with the show other than view it.

[walters]

I would tend to doubt that they would allow this. They'll allow transfer to other set-top boxes and to portable video players, all of which with some sort of DRM, but I highly doubt you'll ever see it as an MPEG-2 on your PC (because they don't want to see it as an MPEG-2 on the Internet). If you want that, get a DTiVo (post Series 1 but pre R10) and learn some Linux. Or just get a standlone TiVo with supported ways of doing this.