[Guest]

I don't think many people who are happy with their 501's are going to be willing to pay the $10... I know I won't.

 

[Guest]

It works for you, and I have no problem with that.

Have you even given the TiVo service a try? It saves me a lot of time managing my "gadget", since I do not need to set many manual selections. Add in the wishlists and the Season Passes, and it makes my TV viewing more enjoyable. I know that only first run episodes of Enterprise are picked up by my TiVo, waiting for me when I want to watch it. Plus, skipping 15 - 20 minutes of commercials an hour is also very nice.

And who knows, if TiVo is the selected PVR maker post merge, you may not need to pay a fee. It could be hidden in the next price increase everyone pays...

 

[Guest]

Honestly, I haven't tried tivo, but I have seen it. For now, all I need is a glorified vcr, which is the niche that the 501 fills. The only feature I don't have is the ability to archive the hdd of the 501 with DD intact to some sort of media.... I'd love to see firewire for this.

 

[Guest]

Originally posted by Win Joy:
Have you even given the TiVo service a try?

Yes, I used to have a 30 hr. SA TiVo with lifetime service which I eventually traded away. I am very familiar with its capabilities. I found I did not use it to watch timeshifted TV but only watched programs on it which I had missed. That was a waste of it's capabilities.

I find the 501 to be almost exactly what I want in a DVR.

For me the core reason to have a DVR is the ability to instantly record and revue an ongoing program. Besides the 501 I have a Dishplayer and a 20 hr. unsubbed SA TiVo. I also have an OTA tuner with the Starsight EPG.

I mostly use the 501 to record program conflicts when they occur.

I use the Dishplayer the same as the 501.

All the programming sources (two satellite and several OTA) are accessible on 3 TV sets in the house. The sources can be controlled remotely.

I doubt they'll be problems for either Echostar or DirecTV equipment owners if the merger gets approved. I expect DVR products to remain available from their current manufacturers for a postmerger DirecTV.

I'm not strongly pro or anti DBS merger--but we don't have much say about it! I certainly wouldn't be happy with major programming price increases.

I'd be strongly opposed to getting a free replacement DVR which required an additional service fee to record. If they're going to give away replacement DirecTV DVR's with service included (highly unlikely, IMHO) I'd choose UTV which has almost the same EPG as the Dishplayer which has my favorite EPG display.

 

[Guest]

"I'd be strongly opposed to getting a free replacement DVR which required an additional service fee to record. If they're going to give away replacement DirecTV DVR's with service included (highly unlikely, IMHO) I'd choose UTV which has almost the same EPG as the Dishplayer which has my favorite EPG display."

I'm strongly opposed to giving up my UTV that runs perfectly for $10 per month for a Dish unit that is free but doesn't work. You get what you pay for.

 

[Guest]

Originally posted by Karl F:
I'm strongly opposed to giving up my UTV that runs perfectly for $10 per month for a Dish unit that is free but doesn't work.

I disagree totally with you that the 501 "doesn't work". The 501 is a basic DVR. I find it an exciting concept because it does precisely what I want in DVR without doing all the extra things which other manufacturers add for extra cost.

That being said, I'm in total agreement with you that neither of us would be satisfied with each other's choice.

I also have a Dishplayer besides the 501. Until the "PTV service" for the Dishplayer was included at no charge I didn't subscribe to it. I like the style of the DP and enjoy using it either as a receiver or DVR.

Dishplayer was the original design for what evolved into UTV. Dishplayer has design flaws which cause glitches. For me its glitches are consistant and easy to remedy when they occur. I like DP and the EPG which it largely shares with UTV.

There are a lot of uncertainies regarding the outcome if the DBS merger get approved. I'm of the belief that most things would work out pretty well. But there's no guarrantee.

I don't feel strongly pro or con regarding the merger. My biggest concern is that programming costs will rise to just below cable prices. The one thing I can say with certainty is that we here at internet forums won't have much say about it.

 

[Guest]

IMO....The 501 takes a beating when it isn't really that bad.