[mvaneps]

I haven't been around this forum for a while but for some reason I decided to stop in tonight. It seems like just over a year now since I first searched Google for R-15 reviews and found Earls daily chronicling of the unreleased R15. I had UltimateTv for years and they were just starting to break down too much. I read Earl's reviews everyday and decided to be one of the first to order 2 brand new R15's when they were only available through the internet. They came in the mail and I disconnected my UTV. I plugged in the shiny new, sleek R15's with the fancy blue lights in the front. Transferred my list of favorite shows over to record. The only thing was that the R15 didn't seem to record all of my shows. It would just decide not to record them for whatever reason. I would get home excited about catching Survivor and it wouldn't be there. There were other problems too but I really can't seem to remember them right now. The main thing was that it just didn't record the shows I told it too. I came on the T*vo community website and whined. It seemed like lots of other people did the same thing. A few people didn't seem to have the problems and several more seemed to hold out hope that DTV was going to put out the update that would cure all the problems. I really couldn't take it. It pissed me off to no end when I came home to find my shows not recorded. So after I complained far too much I sent them back for 2 R10's. I really thought that Earl was crazy for his eternal optimism. After looking at this message board tonight I feel like I probably did the right thing. So if you have read this far you are probably wondering what the point is to my post? Am I here to start complaining again? Nope, I got my solution and I am happy. I really just want to know, has Directv fixed the R15 yet?

 

[walters]

No, not really.

 

[profbobo]

Although I don’t have R15s anymore, I stop by every now and then.

I suppose my story is similar. My two 35 hour DirecTV TiVo receivers were running out of space with all the things that get recorded. They worked great though. Never really had to monitor or baby-sit them. I read Earl’s review, understood that DirecTV was no longer working with TiVo, heard that the R15 was the future, bla, bla, bla. So I picked up two R15s at Best Buy before the lease program went into effect.

Sold my TiVos on eBay. Mistake!!! Anyway, my wife and I used the R15s for 2 months (Feb-Apr 06) before we gave up. I’d come home from work and she would be cursing the blasted thing. I’d try to use it and curse as well. It wouldn’t auto record NHL Center Ice games from the correct channels. The trick play controls were unusable at any speed above two. We’d pretty much FF to the end of a show before the Play button would respond. Then RW back to the beginning of the show. It seemed impossible to stop and play where we wanted. There were other bugs. I missed dual buffers more than I thought I would. The buffer would clear if I watched a recorded show. The recordings would start late or end early. Couldn’t record the same show title from two different channels. And there were more annoyances and bugs. A lot of those are still talked about today. More than 6 months after I gave up.

So I called DirecTV. The CSR understood. I ended up talking to retention and they made it right. So give kudos to them. We picked up two R10s off eBay and sold the R15s. Our TV viewing experience has been great since then.

Like you, why do I write and still visit this board? I guess I want DirecTV to realize they aren’t programmers (or better yet, they aren’t good at managing DVR projects) and they should abandon this R15 disaster. I hope that they’ll call TiVo on the phone, apologize, and start making new DirecTV TiVo receivers.

I know it’s a fool’s hope.

 

[Earl Bonovich]

If things keep going as planned.

This discussion may take a very different path... very very soon.

 

[sheridan1952]

If things keep going as planned.

This discussion may take a very different path... very very soon.

In the TV world, that would be called a "teaser"..

 

[Sharkie_Fan]

In the TV world, that would be called a "teaser"..

In my world, we call that just plain rude... throwing out a cliffhanger like that and leaving us be...

It's like a season finale that ends "to be continued", and you have to wait until the next season's premiere to find out what happened to the hero...

I don't even have an R15.. just browsing through posts... and now Earl you've given me ONE MORE forum to keep an eye on for breaking news.

 

[cbeckner80]

If things keep going as planned.

This discussion may take a very different path... very very soon.

Ah, the eternal optimist. If only we had not heard that before.

 

[mikewolf13]

If things keep going as planned.

This discussion may take a very different path... very very soon.

You mean they are discontinuing the R15?

 

[Earl Bonovich]

Ah, the eternal optimist. If only we had not heard that before.

Yah... I know..
But the story has changed after each release... at least it is a different chapter each time.

I am "fishing" for an update on the update today... about the update rolling out and updating the units.... and possible updating people's impression of the R15.

 

[mikhu]

C'mon Earl, tell us. Who shot J.R.?

Stop teasing us!!!

 

[profbobo]

Yah... I know..
But the story has changed after each release... at least it is a different chapter each time.

I am "fishing" for an update on the update today... about the update rolling out and updating the units.... and possible updating people's impression of the R15.

Oh Crap.

I thought you were replying to my post about DirecTV and TiVo with you're "thread taking a different turn" comment. However, you were talking about the original post and the R15 getting fixed.

O well, what you've just witnessed is a perfect example of fool's hope.

 

[carl6]

But the story has changed after each release... at least it is a different chapter each time.

That's the scary part. I really want the R15 to become a mature and reliable product. Overall I like it. I've got two, and don't want to replace them with anything different.

But, each software release does seem to bring it's own unique, and variable (not the same for each user) set of problems with it. I know they have taken a lot of time on the upcoming release, and they have done more testing on it than probably all of the previous releases combined (which is a good thing).

Keeping my fingers crossed (but not yet willing to hold my breath)...

Carl

 

[cbeckner80]

Yah... I know..
But the story has changed after each release... at least it is a different chapter each time.

I am "fishing" for an update on the update today... about the update rolling out and updating the units.... and possible updating people's impression of the R15.

Thanks. I do appreciate the information you give us, BUT, I too have now become VERY frustrated with the R15 after 4 months of no significant problems, I am now experiencing lost episodes, black screen and lock ups. Bad time of year for that with all the new episodes. Plus the WAF is kicking in.:nono:

 

[tstarn]

Never indulged in an R15, as I was scared off by DTV's entry into the DVR world (and Tivo's solid track record in our house). Glad I stocked up on R10s when I did.

History seems to be repeating itself over in HR20land. I can see it all now, a year from now...the latest surefire fix coming down from the sats to fix the HR20.

 

[Earl Bonovich]

...the latest surefire fix coming down from the sats to fix the HR20.

I don't think I (or even DirecTV) has ever classified any of the updates for the HR20 as "surefire" fix

 

[mikewolf13]

Yah... I know..
But the story has changed after each release... at least it is a different chapter each time.

Of course, they always think they know how to fix it, so you are told big improvements are coming.

Then the fix fails and we start over again.

In a month we might have identical...

"it will be fixed soon with the next update" posts..only difference 2007 v. 2006

 

[Earl Bonovich]

Thanks. I do appreciate the information you give us, BUT, I too have now become VERY frustrated with the R15 after 4 months of no significant problems, I am now experiencing lost episodes, black screen and lock ups. Bad time of year for that with all the new episodes. Plus the WAF is kicking in.:nono:

I can understand and respect that....

Things have definently take much longer then they should have on the R15 side of things.

I guess the only thing I can ask... is to hang on just a bit more, to see how this next update performs for you.... If it doesn't cut it for you... then you will have all the info... as I doubt another update for the R15 will be seen in 2006

 

[Earl Bonovich]

Of course, they always think they know how to fix it, so you are told big improvements are coming.

Then the fix fails and we start over again.

In a month we might have identical...

"it will be fixed soon with the next update" posts..only difference 2007 v. 2006

I hope that is not the case with this release.
I do hope that after this release, we can get back to things like... what features would we like to see added... and can look at issues as possible being issues with an individual box, and not the series as a whole.

 

[cabanaboy1977]

I hope that is not the case with this release.
I do hope that after this release, we can get back to things like... what features would we like to see added... and can look at issues as possible being issues with an individual box, and not the series as a whole.

That would be nice

 

[mikewolf13]

I hope that is not the case with this release.
I do hope that after this release, we can get back to things like... what features would we like to see added... and can look at issues as possible being issues with an individual box, and not the series as a whole.-Today

We are not at this point yet... but... at what point do we go from... it's a software bug... to, hmm something must be wrong with "your" system. -7/24/06

I agree. I hope it works. and I hope its soon.

I just see no reason for optimism on this subject...sure the word "surefire" may never have been used, but it has frequently been implied that next fix will be major or significant or that that R15 is "about to turn a corner".

i think we have turned 4 corners and are going in the same direction