[matto]

There is no validation of the users... so there is no way to tell if ANYONE has or doesn't have an HR20... There could be people fuelling the fire who have never actually used an HR20... there could also be people trying to put it out that don't have them either...

are you seriously suggesting people have nothing better to do than post false reports about a random DVR which they don't own!?

that's some deep denial.

the only people who would take the time to register and post comments and ratings are people who have been affected strongly by the product- either positively or negatively.

the "outside agitator" theory really is absurd.

 

[matto]

Not absurd at all. Not necessarily posting false reports, but there are those who enjoy "fueling" the fire.

Donnie, I'm not sure I get what you mean.

If I registered and posted a comment about my (negative) experiences with the HR20, and gave it a low rating, would that be "fueling the fire"?

How about if I registered and posted a comment about positive experiences, and gave it a high rating?

I don't get how commenting on a product review or rating it is "fueling the fire".

 

[matto]

Ron: Thank you for spending 2000 words basically blaming any bad review on "fanatic Tivo users".

 

[matto]

And, those who have "crossed", will soon speak. :lol:

But the mods apparently can troll as much as they like.

 

[matto]

no more absurd than 99.9% of your posts on this forum.

Gosh "Alvin", I've never seen you post anything but a troll, or an assertion that your perfect HR20 (handed to you by god himself) has never given you a single problem.

Thanks for the morning dose of irony.

 

[matto]

move my account if you feel I have crossed the line. I am pretty sure that I am not the only person who feels this way and in time you can weed out the people who are critical of the way that dbstalk and D* handled the issue leaving only the people who give glowing accounts of how nice their units and experience have been.

hai for president!!!

 

[matto]

If this was the case, then the same would go for almost ever consumer device I know of. Does Canon have an official software reporting mechanism and Beta programs for their cameras? Sony? I am not aware of one.

Are you insane? Are you seriously suggesting that since you've never personally participated in a beta for these companies, that they do no testing? By your same logic, I can assert that the world is flat- I have never personally seen the planet from space, so it must not be round!

Even if you have not personally participated in any user acceptance, usability, functional or other testing from any large technology company, I can assure you- they all consider it a required step in the introduction of a new product.

I know Dish does not and I am not aware of any of these type of mechanism from the cable side of the fence. Dish does have a Beta program but it is closed and from my understanding people that participate in it are under NDA.

Wait, so, uhh, DO they have a beta program, or do they NOT? You have gone both ways in the span of TWO SENTENCES! Am I misunderstanding you?

From my experience, this type of situation is not uncommon for companies where software is a necessary evil (company perspective) to sell hardware or services. Software companies get it, but most hardware and service oriented companies don't. In this case, DirecTV is a content company and not even a hardware company so they are even further from a software company as I see it.

Agreed with you there. They have avoided doing an apropriate amount of pre-release testing, and are now paying the price. If they had done diligent testing before the release, there would be no need for a beta-test type backchannel from the "testers" (actually customers in this situation) to the testing and engineering staff.

Unfortunately, because of the position DirecTV has put itself, their customers, and DBSTalk in, we're forced to improvise and work with a makeshift backchannel- and the frustration of not knowing whether they even care or are paying attention (see their latest press release) is really taking a negative toll on the community.

 

[matto]

As you stated no matter how good a product is there will be bad reviews of it, there will also be good reviews. It's the nature of personal opinion. Yes this product has issues but not all issues cause problems for everyone, which in the computer field is a very common thing.

But what will the preponderance of reviews be like? Are you denying that for a good product, the preponderance of reviews will be good, and vice versa?

I'm not sure where you are going with the paranoia angle, I am not paranoid at all. I know some people have issues, I hope they will be fixed for all. Reality just tells me there will never be no problems for everyone. Heck I have a friend who his house was hit by lightning and his PC died. He blamed the PC manufacturer and now talks bad about them. Not sure how is was their fault and by the way I have seen him write bad reviews on placs like BB or CC websites because he doesn't like the company any longer.

Did your friend honestly fault the company for the lightning strike, or was he angry at how they treated him as he tried to get his computer repaired or replaced? They are two very different situations. I don't think you're giving us the full story here, since it conveniently supports your central thesis.

 

[matto]

If you are going to call us troll's you should at least refer to whom your talking about.

Clint, I quoted Donnie's troll. I don't know how much clearer I could get there.

 

[matto]

As for motherboards, I guess I consider them a specialty computer product, not a general consumer product. At least not one purchased directly. Call me uninformed.

I agree. Motherboards are not a closed system like a DVR. A DVR is a system where all components software and hardware are a known and controlled quantity.

 

[matto]

Sort of like the PC that you buy from Dell? Which many people have problems with? Much like a normal PC these DVR's are PC's and have issues just like them. Yes I do agree some of these issues should not have escaped initial testing. In the end as long as they get fixed that what matters.

Clint, the important distinction here is that the user is free to install software and configure the Dell however they want. It is a general purpose computer, not a consumer electronic appliance. This isn't an issue of splitting hairs, it is comparing apples to oranges.

For what its worth, I did take your comparisons to the 622 to heart, and I truly do hope that a year from now, we can look back on this debacle with relief, as the 622 users seem to be able to.