DirectTV DVR service question

dragon1952

Anyone with DirectTV out there? The DirectTV DVR package mentions a 'DVR service' which costs an extra $5.99 per month. I guess I don't quite understand. I thought all I needed was a DVR and I could record any channel I wanted, just like a VCR. Is there actually a 'service' that they have to activate to allow you to record? That doesn't make sense.

polkatese

yep. One charge per phone number per month, regardless of how many DVR you own or installed.

billbillw

Think of it kinda like Tivo service. It allows you to set up series recording, search through listings, prioritize recordings, automatically adjusts recordings if the time changes, etc.
Its a small price to pay for DVR functionality.
In addition, if you get the new HR20, you can network the DVR and get 'On Demand' type service through the internet.

dragon1952

Ah...OK. So I can still record a show without the service, I just don't get the on-screen functionality? That would make more sense.

shawn474

No, you must subscribe to the service to have the recording capabilities.

dragon1952

OK...I guess I don't understand then. What difference is there in recording to a DVR and a VCR? You press 'record' and it records. How do they know what recording device you have?

Polk addict

I know that a DVR is used in a camera, and a VCR is yeah, you know...

Serendipity

Well, my uncle has DirecTV - You can use your own DVR (he has a Panasonic DMR-E95HS, same as what I use) and record DirecTV channels. There is no special "service" to subscribe to to be able to use a DVR to record DirecTV.

That being said, if you want to pay for their "DVR service," basically they will give you a DVR box for $5.99 a month.

My suggestion - use your own DVR unless you want to rent their DVR box.

PhantomOG

Its called "nickel and dime"

dragon1952

Yeah....unbelievable. $5.99 to rent the dvr and $5.99 for the service.
OK..thanks appadv...that's exactly how I thought it 'should' work.

Serendipity

dragon1952 wrote: »

Yeah....unbelievable. $5.99 to rent the dvr and $5.99 for the service.
OK..thanks appadv...that's exactly how I thought it 'should' work.

No problem, just get a good HDD DVR or HTPC, or even a good DVD Recorder/HDD combo will do just fine!

billbillw

dragon1952 wrote: »

Yeah....unbelievable. $5.99 to rent the dvr and $5.99 for the service.
OK..thanks appadv...that's exactly how I thought it 'should' work.

No, no, no. There is not a separate rental fee.

If you have only a single TV, and that TV has a DVR, there is no rental/lease fee. You would only be charged the DVR fee. If you have two TVs, the 2nd TV is charged a $4.99 lease fee to "mirror" programing. This is much the same as Cable, or any of the other satellite providers. The DVR service fee is separate and applies to any and all DVRs in the house.

I do not recommend doing what appadv said, especially if you are considering HD service. A 3rd party DVR won't be able to record in HD from the satellite feed.

Even if you aren't considering HD, the hassle of having a separate DVR are not worth the savings if you ask me.

The ability to pause live TV, buffer 90 minutes of live TV, record 2 shows, (or a show that you are not watching), or watch an old recording while recording two shows. You can't do all that with a plain Directv box and a 3rd party DVR (or HTPC). Its worth 20 cents per day, isn't it?

Serendipity

billbillw wrote: »

I do not recommend doing what appadv said, especially if you are considering HD service. A 3rd party DVR won't be able to record in HD from the satellite feed.

Even if you aren't considering HD, the hassle of having a separate DVR are not worth the savings if you ask me.

The ability to pause live TV, buffer 90 minutes of live TV, record 2 shows, (or a show that you are not watching), or watch an old recording while recording two shows. You can't do any of that with a plain Directv box and a 3rd party DVR. Its worth 20 cents per day, isn't it?

What? I can definitely pause live TV with my DVR, or watch a recording on the hard drive while recording another.

Time slip feature is pretty cool:)

bruss

The VOD is awesome.. I have yet to see any HD VOD though.. Some shows looks good(dexter) some shows look like complete crap(apocolypto) on VOD.

billbillw wrote: »

Think of it kinda like Tivo service. It allows you to set up series recording, search through listings, prioritize recordings, automatically adjusts recordings if the time changes, etc.
Its a small price to pay for DVR functionality.
In addition, if you get the new HR20, you can network the DVR and get 'On Demand' type service through the internet.

billbillw

appadv wrote: »

What? I can definitely pause live TV with my DVR, or watch a recording on the hard drive while recording another.

Time slip feature is pretty cool:)

You cannot watch a live show and record another though or record two shows at the same time. Also, unless I'm misinformed, the program guide is not compatible with satellite service, so you cannot setup any kind of series recording and you have to manually tune and record everything.

With our busy lives, the convenience of a full fledged two tuner DVR with support from your provider is hard to beat. Set up a recording for a series and forget about it.

bobman1235

appadv wrote: »

What? I can definitely pause live TV with my DVR, or watch a recording on the hard drive while recording another.

Time slip feature is pretty cool:)

I think he was referring to dual tuners - watching one live channel while recording another, or recording two channels.

I'd almost always rent a DVR, just for the ease of it, and the free upgradability. If you spend 400 bucks on a DVR, it would take you five and a half years to recoup that at 6 bucks a month. By then it would have broken, which would be a free replacement on a rental. Plus, in five years, the technology will be better. Again, free upgrade with rental.

I hate giving more money to satellite or cable companies but it's definitely worth it.

reeltrouble1

hmmm..........let me check my last bill...........

nope, you have to pay 4.99 for the receiver and 5.99 for the DVR service,,,,,,waaaaaaaaaa or argggggggggggg.

RT1

Serendipity

billbillw wrote: »

You cannot watch a live show and record another though or record two shows at the same time. Also, unless I'm misinformed, the program guide is not compatible with satellite service, so you cannot setup any kind of series recording and you have to manually tune and record everything.

With our busy lives, the convenience of a full fledged two tuner DVR with support from your provider is hard to beat. Set up a recording for a series and forget about it.

The "TV Guide On-Screen" guide will still load. IIRC, it basically takes the info hidden in the vertical blanking signal, and this data contains guide/time info.

Edit: yes you can also set up recording for a series, I've done it!

polkatese

bobman1235 wrote: »

I'd almost always rent a DVR, just for the ease of it, and the free upgradability. If you spend 400 bucks on a DVR, it would take you five and a half years to recoup that at 6 bucks a month. By then it would have broken, which would be a free replacement on a rental. Plus, in five years, the technology will be better. Again, free upgrade with rental.

I hate giving more money to satellite or cable companies but it's definitely worth it.

Amen to that!

Two HR10, total cost: approx. $450 - obsolete, one with a bunch of HD recording that I want to keep.

3 HR20, total cost: $0

rental it is from now on.

Serendipity

My cable company charges $10.95 a month for a DVR, so buying my own DVR was worth it in my case.

Guess it's different when it's $6 a month...

bobman1235

appadv wrote: »

My cable company charges $10.95 a month for a DVR, so buying my own DVR was worth it in my case.

Guess it's different when it's $6 a month...

How much did you pay for your DVR?

It would have to be less than two years worth of rental for it to be worth it to me, as I assume pretty much any type of electronic device like that is going to break or need upgrading within two years.

billbillw

appadv wrote: »

The "TV Guide On-Screen" guide will still load. IIRC, it basically takes the info hidden in the vertical blanking signal, and this data contains guide/time info.

Edit: yes you can also set up recording for a series, I've done it!

Doesn't work with Satellite, like I said. You have Cable. Dragon was specifically asking about Directv.

Serendipity

billbillw wrote: »

Doesn't work with Satellite, like I said. You have Cable.

My uncle has DirecTV. He also has the same DVR. See my first post.

billbillw

reeltrouble1 wrote: »

hmmm..........let me check my last bill...........

nope, you have to pay 4.99 for the receiver and 5.99 for the DVR service,,,,,,waaaaaaaaaa or argggggggggggg.

RT1

The 4.99 lease/mirror fee only applies to 2nd/3rd, etc receivers. The 1st one is free (or included in monthly service cost anyway)

Serendipity

With DirecTV, the (an external) DVR's TV Guide works this way: at night when you're sleeping, the DVR goes through every channel on the satellite feed and grabs its embedded data.

The DVR needs to have a remote controller (IR blaster) glued to the front of the DirecTV box, otherwise it will not work. Also, at night you may notice the channels magically changing on the DirecTV. This is how the DVR is able to get its guide info.

hexumjunkie

get cable direct tv and dish are garabage

bruss

Not around me.. I love my directv setup..

hexumjunkie wrote: »

get cable direct tv and dish are garabage

billbillw

hexumjunkie wrote: »

get cable direct tv and dish are garabage

At least twice as many HD channels? Superior hardware with more advance features and longer recording capability? Directv is definitely not garbage. Not to mention, in my area, its almost $30 cheaper than equivalent service from Comcast.

reeltrouble1

no bill, its not included, i called and checked because I pay both, I was very clear about what I was asking because its right on my invoce. your just wrong dude oh so wrong so wrong so wrong......waaaaaaaaaaaa if you got a better deal that is so wrong so wrong so wrong the dip dong I got said sir you pay, if you dont pay you dont play........this fee never bothered me until this thread you bastages from the hound of bastages.....but now it bothers me plenty, especially if bill is not paying, I am calling Direct to report him..........hmmmm.....maybe a ban on him..........naw.......ok bill you pay me two bucks a month or I am snitching you dude and it will be in your permanent record!!!!!!!!

RT1

billbillw

reeltrouble1 wrote: »

no bill, its not included, i called and checked because I pay both, I was very clear about what I was asking because its right on my invoce. your just wrong dude oh so wrong so wrong so wrong......waaaaaaaaaaaa if you got a better deal that is so wrong so wrong so wrong the dip dong I got said sir you pay, if you dont pay you dont play........this fee never bothered me until this thread you bastages from the hound of bastages.....but now it bothers me plenty, especially if bill is not paying, I am calling Direct to report him..........hmmmm.....maybe a ban on him..........naw.......ok bill you pay me two bucks a month or I am snitching you dude and it will be in your permanent record!!!!!!!!

RT1

Do you have more than one TV? I though so. That 4.99 is mirror/lease fee. Not charged for your primary receiver. I guarantee.

Straight from Directv's website:

"Leasing
01 Why lease the DIRECTV equipment?
As the technology in our receivers becomes more advanced, leasing allows us to continue to provide the latest equipment to you — at minimal cost. Leasing also permits affordable upgrades and free replacement receivers.

02 Is the monthly lease fee different for different equipment?
The monthly lease fee is $4.99 per receiver, though we waive this fee on your first receiver. This low monthly fee is the same for standard receivers, DVRs, HD receivers and HD DVRs."

polkatese

reeltrouble1 wrote: »

no bill, its not included, i called and checked because I pay both, I was very clear about what I was asking because its right on my invoce. your just wrong dude oh so wrong so wrong so wrong......waaaaaaaaaaaa if you got a better deal that is so wrong so wrong so wrong the dip dong I got said sir you pay, if you dont pay you dont play........this fee never bothered me until this thread you bastages from the hound of bastages.....but now it bothers me plenty, especially if bill is not paying, I am calling Direct to report him..........hmmmm.....maybe a ban on him..........naw.......ok bill you pay me two bucks a month or I am snitching you dude and it will be in your permanent record!!!!!!!!

RT1

dayum, RT1, you started early! What are you having?