When will we lose the current DirecTV signal?

[archaic0]

Is there a hard date on when we will lose the current signal and our old receivers will stop working?

I am looking forward to upgrading to HD and a getting a new HD receiver. I'm not a typical user I guess though, because I've not gone HD thus far because I'm not dis-satistifed with the current SD video I get via DirecTV and my SD TiVo DVR.

What I'm afraid of is after reading for a while on this forum and others is that the changes I'd have to endure from a software standpoint could be very annoying going from a TiVo DVR to a DirecTV branded one.

My thought was to maybe keep my SD TiVo in the bedroom and use the new DVR in the front room. That way if/when the new DVR drops the ball on a recording I'd have my faithful and never failing TiVo as a backup. From what I understand, this would require me to have the old dish and LNB as well as the new stuff at the same time and that's not a problem. However, at some point their shutting off the old feed, right?

At what point will I lose the ability to have my current SD TiVo recording from DirecTV?

[996911]

Good thread! I am thinking of adding an old Directv Tivo I have to my system and would be curious how long I can use it. Having the ability to record 2 more shows on top of the current 2 I can record (HD DVR) would be so worth the extra $4.99 for another box. Hopefully, there is some definitely (loosely) dates available to use as a reference.

[Michael D'Angelo]

Is there a hard date on when we will lose the current signal and our old receivers will stop working?

I am looking forward to upgrading to HD and a getting a new HD receiver. I'm not a typical user I guess though, because I've not gone HD thus far because I'm not dis-satistifed with the current SD video I get via DirecTV and my SD TiVo DVR.

What I'm afraid of is after reading for a while on this forum and others is that the changes I'd have to endure from a software standpoint could be very annoying going from a TiVo DVR to a DirecTV branded one.

My thought was to maybe keep my SD TiVo in the bedroom and use the new DVR in the front room. That way if/when the new DVR drops the ball on a recording I'd have my faithful and never failing TiVo as a backup. From what I understand, this would require me to have the old dish and LNB as well as the new stuff at the same time and that's not a problem. However, at some point their shutting off the old feed, right?

At what point will I lose the ability to have my current SD TiVo recording from DirecTV?

:welcome_s to DBSTalk

No receiver will stop working. The only thing that will stop working is the MPEG2 HD receiver's will lose the HD channels they have now at some point. We are guessing within a year of the new MPEG4 HD channels starting the MPEG2 HD channels will be moved over to MPEG4. The only thing that I am not sure about is what is going to happen when the TiVo contract runs out.

[996911]

So would that mean the SD Tivo boxes will not only continue to get the full array of SD channels but as well still record them since them have the old Directv Tivo interface?

[archaic0]

OH, that would be GREAT!. Even after the transition when I'm finally at home with the new box it would be great to have a DVR in the bedroom as well for certain shows that are really just space fillers for the time before I fall asleep. And not having to buy yet another box would be good.

As much as I'm attached to my TiVo and the software that seems to be bulletproof, I'm really liking the new features on the DTV DVRs like external hard drive upgrades and the conflict resolution options.

The ONE thing that always bothered me with my TiVo is when I request a 3rd program to record not having the ability to choose which of the two previous programs to skip.

On the same note though, I'm not liking the things I'm reading about the new DVRs being inconsistant with recording first run shows. Although with VOD and shows available on the network website it's not THAT big of a deal I guess. It'll just be sad though if what I end up getting is very often a disapointment as opposed to the never-missed-a-show TiVo I've been using for 4 years.

[veryoldschool]

You can run everything off you new dish. Older units will work fine.
As far as Tivo, many keep their's as a back up.
I believe D* & TiVo have an agreement for some time, so you should be good.
HD may move since the older customer can change to the new MPEG-4, but to my knowledge, SD users get to stay with SD for some time still [years?].

[CCarncross]

The date that all SD MPEG2 feeds go away is several years out, if not longer. The general consensus is that all HD will be moved to MPEG4, requiring new dish and receivers, in the near future.

[loudo]

What I'm afraid of is after reading for a while on this forum and others is that the changes I'd have to endure from a software standpoint could be very annoying going from a TiVo DVR to a DirecTV branded one.

It is a painless switch over. The main complaint is the duel buffer issue, but other than that my HR20 has worked as good as my TIVO HR10-250. Many of the die hard TIVO users don't like the different looks of the menus, and some of the functions do operate differently than the HR10-250.

When the unit first came out, just like any other new software driven electronic device, it had a few bugs. But in the time the unit has been on the market, they have improved it quite a bit.

[bobnielsen]

My biggest complaint about the Tivo units was the GUI, including having the picture unwatchable in the background, while the Directv units have a small picture in the corner. I kept my HDVR2 activated fafter upgrading to my HR20 and found after a few days that it was a pain to watch, so I deactivated it. Even SD looks better on the HD DVR.

[Steve Mehs]

Don’t worry about it, your DirecTiVos will continue to work. Ultimate TV is still being used by subscribers and that was discontinued in 2002.