[skylonder]

I've been hanging on to my beloved old Tivo SD-DVR40 for longer than I should because I love the way it shuttles and its responsiveness. I've seen other DVR's, such as from Scientific Atlanta on Time-Warner, that I don't think I could live with. But now the poor quality that some networks are using to broadcast NFL games at SD makes me feel I have no choice but to make the move to HD.

I was waiting for the Directv Tivo to come along but I see that it is not all that it should be. So now I must decide which way to go. I know there have been other threads on this forum for this question. But I would like to get some more specific answers and more general opinions.

Ideally I could go somewhere and see both units in action. Try them out and see how they roll. You wouldn't think that would be so difficult but apparently it is. However, I was able to play around a little with an HR-24 at Best Buy.

With my SD tivo, I can watch a program at 1 X FF with subtitles and it plays smoothly. It's watchable that way. With the HR-24, it can play SD at 1 X FF smoothly but HD is jerky.

So my first question is, can the THR-22 play HD smoothly at 1 X FF and display subtitles? Or is it that every dvr will skip frames when shuttling HD?

Does the HR-34 shuttle better (more smoothly) than the HR-24?

I wasn't able to turn on closed-captioning on the HR-24 at Best Buy and they didn't have the real remote. I haven't even seen a picture of the real remote control. Tivo has done a great job with the layout of the peanut controller and other manufacturers have done a terrible job.

Did Directv get it right with the design of their remote control? Or at least not objectionable? It could make the difference for me.

Thanks in advance to all who respond.

 

[carl6]

I do not have a THR22 so am no able to provide any comments there.

The one item I can comment on is that the HR34 is essentially the same as the HR24 with regard to how trick play works. I would not consider it to be better/smoother.

 

[BAHitman]

Does the HR-34 shuttle better (more smoothly) than the HR-24?.

They are about the same in regards to FF1 and "jerkiness"

I wasn't able to turn on closed-captioning on the HR-24 at Best Buy and they didn't have the real remote. I haven't even seen a picture of the real remote control. Tivo has done a great job with the layout of the peanut controller and other manufacturers have done a terrible job.

The DirecTV remote has not changed in years with respect to layout. they are the same, and as this is a subjective question... My opinion is that I like the layout of the remote and have no trouble using it. YMMV.

 

[skylonder]

The DirecTV remote has not changed in years with respect to layout. they are the same, and as this is a subjective question... My opinion is that I like the layout of the remote and have no trouble using it. YMMV.

I'm a little confused about the remote layout. Directv is the same as Tivo, or the same as they have always been? But I don't know how they have always been. Wish I could see one and try one.

One of the things I do all the time with my SD Tivo is watch two programs at the same time without recording either one. I use the always-on 30-minute buffering, put one channel in pause and switch to the other channel. Then put that channel in pause and switch back to the first channel which is still paused where I left it. With all the commercials and timeouts, I can watch two football games, for instance, without missing any action.

I would be very unhappy to not have that ability in an HD DVR. Do the two models differ in that respect?

Another function I use all the time on the remote is the button that puts you back about 4 seconds. I would really miss not having that.

 

[veryoldschool]

One of the things I do all the time with my SD Tivo is watch two programs at the same time without recording either one. I use the always-on 30-minute buffering, put one channel in pause and switch to the other channel. Then put that channel in pause and switch back to the first channel which is still paused where I left it. With all the commercials and timeouts, I can watch two football games, for instance, without missing any action.

I would be very unhappy to not have that ability in an HD DVR. Do the two models differ in that respect?

DirecTV calls that double play, and you have 90 mins in both buffers. It times out when not in use, so you need to set it up each time you want to use it.

Another function I use all the time on the remote is the button that puts you back about 4 seconds. I would really miss not having that.

4-6 secs is there too.

 

[skylonder]

DirecTV calls that double play, and you have 90 mins in both buffers. It times out when not in use, so you need to set it up each time you want to use it.
4-6 secs is there too.

Does "double play" time out when you leave the dvr powered on? I saw a discussion about that already where someone advised to just never power off the unit. And does it otherwise work the same, maintaining the pause, etc? Often I will set up a tuner well in advance of a show and then join it late so I can skip commercials.

Do all the directv models have 90 minute buffers?

 

[skylonder]

The one item I can comment on is that the HR34 is essentially the same as the HR24 with regard to how trick play works. I would not consider it to be better/smoother.

Can you view closed captions and watch an HD show reasonably well on the HR24/34 at 1 X FF?

 

[veryoldschool]

Does "double play" time out when you leave the dvr powered on?

Do all the directv models have 90 minute buffers?

All DVRs have the 90 mins & the time out is after 2 hours of not using it.

 

[kevinturcotte]

The THR22 works pretty much the same as the SD DirecTivos. If you're used to that interface and like it, you'll like the THR22. The HR34 uses the same interface as the HR24. It's a little slower, but not much. The only difference is, it has 5 tuners, so it can record 5 different channels at once. However, it also REQUIRES SWM (Either the LNB or the switch/module). If you're upgrading on your own and don't already have SWM, this is something to consider. If you're upgrading through Directv, they will provide the SWM as part of the installation.
I've attached a pic of the Directv Remote that comes with the HR34. You can also get one that's backlit. And I know Tivo has their Bluetooth remote with the slider keyboard-not sure if that would work with the THR22 or not.

 

[inkahauts]

Does "double play" time out when you leave the dvr powered on? I saw a discussion about that already where someone advised to just never power off the unit. And does it otherwise work the same, maintaining the pause, etc? Often I will set up a tuner well in advance of a show and then join it late so I can skip commercials.

Do all the directv models have 90 minute buffers?

You can always record both shows and then flip back and forth between the two with the prev button, or with the hr34...

I do not relying on any kind of DLB for something I actually care about, to easy to hit the wrong button and change a channel and lose a buffer.

 

[Stuart Sweet]

The THR22 works pretty much the same as the SD DirecTivos. If you're used to that interface and like it, you'll like the THR22. The HR34 uses the same interface as the HR24. It's a little slower, but not much. The only difference is, it has 5 tuners, so it can record 5 different channels at once. However, it also REQUIRES SWM (Either the LNB or the switch/module). If you're upgrading on your own and don't already have SWM, this is something to consider. If you're upgrading through Directv, they will provide the SWM as part of the installation.
I've attached a pic of the Directv Remote that comes with the HR34. You can also get one that's backlit. And I know Tivo has their Bluetooth remote with the slider keyboard-not sure if that would work with the THR22 or not.

The TiVo slider remote does not work with the THR22.

 

[carl6]

Can you view closed captions and watch an HD show reasonably well on the HR24/34 at 1 X FF?

I do not normally use captioning. I just tried it on my HR34. You have a choice of closed captioning or of DirecTV subtitles. Neither one worked for me (at all) at FF. At normal play, the both worked fine. As soon as I pressed FF, they went away.

This was while playing back a previously recorded show from a local station.

 

[Mike Bertelson]

I do not normally use captioning. I just tried it on my HR34. You have a choice of closed captioning or of DirecTV subtitles. Neither one worked for me (at all) at FF. At normal play, the both worked fine. As soon as I pressed FF, they went away.

This was while playing back a previously recorded show from a local station.

IIRC, neither CC or Subtitles work in trick play on any of the DVRs...well I don't know about the THR-22 but I suspect it's the same way.

Mike

 

[skylonder]

IIRC, neither CC or Subtitles work in trick play on any of the DVRs...well I don't know about the THR-22 but I suspect it's the same way.

Mike

CC works with my SD TiVo at 1 X FF but it makes sense that it would not work when frames are being skipped and it seems that all HD players skip frames in "trick play", even at 1 X FF.

I have a few new questions. First, my TiVo gives me a choice of styles for the guide. I can have "grid view" or "list view". I much prefer list view, but I am told that Directv DVRs do not give me that option. Correct?

Second, I am told by Directv that I also need to purchase the "Cinema Connection Kit" for $99. I didn't see that on the Directv web site and it's not clear to me what I get with that kit. Some say things like Netflix and others say no Netflix.

Finally, I understand that I can register my DVR with Directv as "owned". What is the advantage or disadvantage of doing that?

Thanks very much to all who have been so helpful answering my questions.

 

[kevinturcotte]

CC works with my SD TiVo at 1 X FF but it makes sense that it would not work when frames are being skipped and it seems that all HD players skip frames in "trick play", even at 1 X FF.

I have a few new questions. First, my TiVo gives me a choice of styles for the guide. I can have "grid view" or "list view". I much prefer list view, but I am told that Directv DVRs do not give me that option. Correct?

Second, I am told by Directv that I also need to purchase the "Cinema Connection Kit" for $99. I didn't see that on the Directv web site and it's not clear to me what I get with that kit. Some say things like Netflix and others say no Netflix.

Finally, I understand that I can register my DVR with Directv as "owned". What is the advantage or disadvantage of doing that?

Thanks very much to all who have been so helpful answering my questions.

Directv DVRs do NOT have the list grid like Tivo does.
You don't NEED to purchase the CCK (Cinema Connection Kit). What receivers and how many are you planning on having? If it's going to be just the 1, then you can connect it to your network via an ethernet cable. You CAN do it that way with multiple receivers, but it's not officially supported. Also, I don't believe MRV works with the Tivo DVRs (Somebody know for sure?) if that's a concern.
Basically the CCK connects all of your receivers to the internet at one central point, instead of having to run ethernet cables to all your receivers.
To register your receiver as owned, you have to actually buy it, and pay the "Buy price" which is MUCH more expensive than the regular price. Expect to pay probably $500-$600 for the receiver. You will NOT get rid of the lease fee (If you have multiple receivers), it will just become a mirroring fee for the same amount. Technically, you can open it up and do what you want with it (Larger hard drive), and you can sell it when you're finished with it.

 

[veryoldschool]

I don't believe MRV works with the Tivo DVRs (Somebody know for sure?) if that's a concern.

Yes and nope

 

[RAD]

Directv DVRs do NOT have the list grid like Tivo does.

You can get 'close' to the same though by going to the guide, highlite the channel number and then press info. You then get a list of the upcoming programs for just that channel.

 

[inkahauts]

CC works with my SD TiVo at 1 X FF but it makes sense that it would not work when frames are being skipped and it seems that all HD players skip frames in "trick play", even at 1 X FF.

I have a few new questions. First, my TiVo gives me a choice of styles for the guide. I can have "grid view" or "list view". I much prefer list view, but I am told that Directv DVRs do not give me that option. Correct?

Second, I am told by Directv that I also need to purchase the "Cinema Connection Kit" for $99. I didn't see that on the Directv web site and it's not clear to me what I get with that kit. Some say things like Netflix and others say no Netflix.

Finally, I understand that I can register my DVR with Directv as "owned". What is the advantage or disadvantage of doing that?

Thanks very much to all who have been so helpful answering my questions.

There will be a few differences no matter what.

The key is what is most important feature, because after a month, you will forget the differences. To me the simple key is five tuners over two. You don't realize how nice it is till you have it, then it's just like your first dvr, you will never go back. Debate over. After that, you just need to figure out how to adapt to what you can do, and move on.

A good example is the list guide. Many say DirecTV doesn't have this, but to me they do, and I like theirs better. I always hated the list guide from TiVo. But I like how DirecTV does it, although to me the best solution is one somewhere between the two that doesn't exist. Frankly, if you have an iPad, that's better to surf for channels than any on screen guide from any of the DVRs.

Don't bother with owned. I don't think they will let you with an HR34 anyway. There really is no point unless you turn a certain location on and off a lot, and you are not going to do that with a main unit.

 

[skylonder]

There will be a few differences no matter what.

The key is what is most important feature, because after a month, you will forget the differences. To me the simple key is five tuners over two. You don't realize how nice it is till you have it, then it's just like your first dvr, you will never go back. Debate over. After that, you just need to figure out how to adapt to what you can do, and move on.

Thanks for all the great advice from all who have responded. I did not expect to get so many replies so fast. This is a great forum.

Yes, I don't want to beat this thing to death. But I do want to understand the whole networking thing. I have only one tv and one receiver but I would get the HR34 because I am more interested in having the best than the cheapest.

I understand that I can wire into the HR34 from my router. Do I then get the same services as I would get if I had a CCK? Will my iPad work with the receiver since my iPad is wifi? And what exactly are the network services? I understand that on-demand is one of them. What about Netflix? Are the services the same regardless of which receiver I get?

 

[carl6]

You can run an ethernet cable from your router to the HR34 with no other equipment involved for full network/internet access. You do not need the CCK or WCCK.

As to the Tivo or HR question in general, it has been well beaten to death many times over in these forums. A very generalize statement is, people like what they are used to and tend not to like having to learn something new or different. But once you are past that learning curve, you will be fine with the other product/format (going either direction from/to Tivo). Certainly there are those who will never have anything but Tivo, as well as those who will never have Tivo.

To me, the biggest differences are:
1. Tivo always has two 30 minute live buffers, and you get better control of the tuners.
2. The HR series offers whole-home / MRV - the ability to view recordings from one DVR on another DVR or receiver. DirecTV's implementation of Tivo does not.
3. The HR2x series gives you one 90 minute buffer with the ability to activate a second 90 minute buffer when desired.
4. The HR34 is a little different (less capable) with regard to buffers, and if that is a huge priority to you, deserves some research before making a choice. This is because the HR34 uses it's tuners in a different way associated with RVU clients and other features.
5. DirecTV has it's own remote, and it isn't the peanut. That all by itself is a deal maker/breaker for some people.

You certainly appear to be doing good due diligence in trying to make your choice. I suspect that whatever you choose, you'll be happy with two, or three, or six months down the road. If you switch from Tivo to HR, you might not be happy for the first 2 or 3 weeks as you suffer through learning all the differences.

Me personally, I much prefer the HR to the Tivo (and have used both). But there are certainly strengths and weaknesses to both.