DirecTV HD Tivo Gone?, TWC??

[PWFD81]

Just go off the phone with DTV.  I was all set to order a HD Tivo today.  I asked them about the new Mpeg4 format coming out this June.  After getting to talk to many different tech people they told me DON"T buy one. THEY WILL NOT WORK with the new format they are going to be coming out with.  So the $1000 or the DTV deal of $750 will be a short lived DVR.  They told me that any receiver I have will be unable to work with the new system.  DTV told me that if any of my receiver are under contract they will upgrade them at no charge.  Problem I have is I am a DTV customer for about six years now.  No contract here.   Now this won't be a change you will have to make right away, although, new HD channels will be available with the new mpeg4.  Me like many of you are looking for as much HD content we can get.  Voom is now gone so it really doesn't leave us with much choice.  This could be tough for all of us with DirecTV.  I looked at the TWC store today at Mayfair and have read about the new 8300 HD DVR but hell, TWC cost a bunch more money than what I am paying now.  About $30 a month more for the same stuff.  Although, still 1-100 analog.  No thanks!  Even in the store on there little TV's you could see the grain of the analog.  I was also unawhere you had to pay a DVR charge for each DVR and of cousre the monthly box fees.  Right now I have a HD receiver, and 2 Tivos.  I am at $74 bucks and month.  That gives me total choice plus, HBO, HD package and CBS East and West , and Fox east.  I hope with this change on DTV it's not going to cost me a bunch in new receivers this summer.  I really don't think I could suck it up with TWC. :mad:

[gparris]

I don't see why Directv won't let you upgrade for free once the satellites are up and ready to do the MPEG4 thing.
Milwaukee LiL HD channels won't be available until 2007 as we are market 32 or 33 and the MPEG4 will be for them, initially.
As I understand everything I have read from Satellite Guys (a link found in this forum, amongst others) is that you can still get your HD Tivo and enjoy it now and later until Milwaukee gets its LiL HD channels.
All other currently-available HD channels will be MPEG-2 using what your HD Tivo can get now.
I seriously doubt that Directv would alienate its subs, especially one like you.
IF I were in your position I would get the HD Tivo, with the discount you mentioned, get the HD package and all the HD they can give you and a decent OTA antenna for HD locals and be done with it!

As far as the TWC pricing goes, what you get has been discussed before in comparison and it depends on what you subscribe to varies with the pricing, but I priced what I have vs. D* and it came out close enough, though I get more channels with TWC from HBO than Directv and get  I-Control, etc., too.  

[PWFD81]

So are you happy with the channels 1-100 on TWC?  The ones I have seen look pretty bad.  Maybe it was just a bad set up though.

[gparris]

So are you happy with the channels 1-100 on TWC?  The ones I have seen look pretty bad.  Maybe it was just a bad set up though.

If this question is directed towards me, the channels I DO watch in the 2-99 range are not any better than Directv, IMO. I watch channels WB, UPN, Sci-Fi and The Weather Channel. The last one appears almost digital and Sci-Fi Channel, pretty good lately and I watch a lot of this one.
I tweeked my set(s) until I get the picture the way I want it without compromising the HD channels, so the result is pretty watchable, really.  

[mhz40]

If this question is directed towards me, the channels I DO watch in the 2-99 range are not any better than Directv, IMO. I watch channels WB, UPN, Sci-Fi and The Weather Channel. The last one appears almost digital and Sci-Fi Channel, pretty good lately and I watch a lot of this one.
I tweeked my set(s) until I get the picture the way I want it without compromising the HD channels, so the result is pretty watchable, really.  

Sci-fi does look a little better since they moved to a new satellite transponder a few weeks ago.
You all know I work for the local TW outlet, so as always take this with a grain of salt, but I really don't see a big deal on these analog feeds.  I mean, hell... I've got a 61" DLP and have no issues viewing analog.  Would I prefer a good digital feed?  Sure, why not?  But I certainly would not trade my current 'quality' of analog signals for highly compressed digital ones!  Meanwhile analog feeds do not stop be from watching whatever channel I want.  Maybe I have a ton of noise cancelling built into my set... who knows.  My big beef is with TNT (stretch mode) & ESPN HD (side bars 95% of the time) feeds... what a waste!
Ok.. enough.  Someone here get us back on topic!

[borghe]

a couple of things about the HD Tivo

1) It will still record local OTA HD just fine. This is important because to start with the only channels going to MPEG4 will be local HD.

2) It will still record MPEG2 just fine. This is important because it will be quite sometime before DirecTV switches even many channels let alone most or all to MPEG4.

3) By DirecTV's own account (look on avs forum) they will offer two different swaps for the HD Tivo. They will offer a bare bones HD DVR for free, or you can get the multi-room HD DVR system for a lease price (presumably $8-10/month like everyone else). While neither option is a Tivo, and it is unknown if either option will record OTA, for recording DirecTV (and eventually LIL HDF from DirecTV) either setup will work perfectly.

4) Customer service reps don't always know what they are talking about. DirecTV even said that initially the 12 local markets won't be MPEG4 but will be MPEG2 until the new satellites launch later this year. So who knows.

It really depends about service. For me, DirecTV still has enough service and my Tivo is still working perfectly enough to stick with them. For you, how is D*'s service compared to TWC's? Are you OK with getting the Tivo now and trading it in for a different box later?

I will be the first to say that DirecTV is at a very awkward point right now, and that is a shame. They are going to be pretty much the first service to transition from MPEG2 to MPEG4 and thus will have to be the first service to figure out how to deal with transitioning millions of boxes of hardware (digital cable doesn't count because analog has existed the entire time).

Anyway, if you have the $1000 to spend now and you want to stick with DirecTV, understand that spending the $1000 right now will guarantee that you ALWAYS have an HD DVR, whether the Tivo or the NDS replacement. But if you have no particular attachment to DirecTV and would rather save the money then go with TWC.

For me, I'm sticking with them for now. Though I won't upgrade to the new boxes until the absolute last possible minute.