The Deed is Done. Bye bye, TWC!

[Cheesehead Dave]

How are the DTV installers?  Are they more competent than most of the idiots at TWC?  What about DTV CSR reps?

Jack

Sigh.

On the plus side, the install actually worked, and the installer put the dish where I wanted (even though he had to go up on the roof) and actually understood when I asked him to install an extra cable to the HR21 (so that when the AM21 comes out, there'll already be a cable there for me to plug an antenna into), so I can't complain about that.

So, I went out to clear the driveway this morning. I live on a cul-de-sac, so when they plow the snow, because the street is so wide, we all end up with a five foot high pile at the end of the driveway. Because of the recent rain, it was a five foot pile of heavy slush. Imagine my surprise when I come across some cardboard. Turns out the installer left the box that the dish came in sitting at the end of the driveway, which then got buried in the slush, so I got to spend an extra half hour clearing everything out by hand, while trying to extract the box without completely shredding it. Besides the box, I also found all the extra cabling and mounting bolts that he didn't use. It's a good thing I didn't hit those with the snowblower.

Needless to say, I'll be writing a snail mail letter to DTV today.

But... It all works great. I watched the Purdue game on BTNHD, played around with the settings, found that remote scheduling to the HR21 had been activated, and successfully managed to reprogram my Harmony remote. Now I just have to re-learn the numbers of all the channels I usually watch.

[Stanley Kritzik]

The newer HR21 boxes don't have an input for an OTA antenna. Supposedly later this year, there will be some sort of USB add-on to allow this and integrate the OTA channels into the channel guide. Not sure if you'd get DVR functionality with that, however.

Except for 58-HD, it's really a non-issure for me, except that I'd like to be able to pull in the Chicago stations as well, as that's one thing I'll be losing without cable.

There's an OTA box coming -- see //www.dbstalk.com for details.  I believe it will fully integrate with the HR21; it's an AD14.  The menus will tie in, and OTA programs will be recordable.  

Even more important, is the SWM8 box, which allows all the D* channels and OTA channels to coexist on ONE coax line.  The line can run through splitters, and the little BBC boxes are no longer needed.  A diplexer at the receiver end splits off the OTA channels.  I have an SWM8 -- not yet installed (snow issues), but those using it all rave about it.  And, "8" means eight tuners maximum, with an HR 21 having two tuners.  Also, supposedly, D* will be integrating the SWM technology into their next generation dishes, so only one RG6 line will be run in from the dish to the house.

Again, //www.dbstalk.com has tons of information on the subject.  My take on it all is that it will greatly simplify dish installation for homes having any number of receivers, and will help make DirecTV an even more formidable conpetitor for the HD market.  SWM technology will be a "must" for multiple dwelling unit locations, too (apartments, condos, and hotels).

Stan