But I hate to say this, it will run rings around the DishPlayer / 501. 2 Friends of mine, STAUNCH E* supporters, have switched to DirecTV and the DirecTiVo. A third is waiting until his 1-year is up. I refer to him as a "convict" doing his time for taking a hit of E*. The 3 of them gave me a whole lot of hell for going with DirecTV 3 1/2 years ago.
The TiVo is only as good as the Guide Data that feeds it. Yes, It would have automatically recorded the super size Fear Factor, unless a higher priority Season Pass was slated for the last 30 minutes. But, with the dual tuners, conflicts are few and far between.
Except for a rash of infant mortality failures, the DirecTiVo has been solid. I cannot imagine going back to watching TV the old way.
And, as an indication of the appeal of the thing, my wife, who rolled her eyes when I bought it, will not give it up. She swears by the thing, and demo's the thing to all of her friends. Now if only the supply would catch up with the demand.
And, to those who rail against the PVR fee, compare what you have, with what the TiVo offers. Is it not worth $.34 / day? Looking at how E* has implemented 2 PVR's to date, can you blame the TiVo crowd for not supporting the merger?
Charlie can have my DirecTiVo when he can pry it from my cold, dead, hands. If my TiVo is not in his plans, then I am not part of his subscriber base, IF the merger gets approved.