Ok, I'm finally giving up on PVR function for my HTPC!!

[LandShark]

I've been using HTPC as my house's main media provider since I bought my house back in 2004 and never look back! It does what I want and works (relatively) fine.

However, Live HD TV is always the main thing that gets on my nerve every now and then. SD and OTA HD channels never have problem. It's the subscribed HD channels (from DirecTV) that only the HD-PVR is able to capture/tune. I've been using it since it's first release a couple years ago. It came from crash couple times a week to the latest crash here and there once a month or two. But I'm never happy with it (locks up, missed show due to lock up, slow channel changing, etc.). For a single guy/user, it's been fine with me. However, when I'm having a family and more user using it, it could drive you nuts every once in awhile, especially you are the only tech support in the house! And BeyondTV's withdrawal from consumer support/update is another major reason that I've been looking for alternative way to watch LiveTV! Also, since I'm a DirecTV user, cablecard's arrival doesn't really help my case much, if at all!

Now, DirecTV finally has something came out that's worth to me to retire the PVR function of my HTPCs (still keeping the HTPC for movie/download/backup shows)!
http://www.electronichouse.com/article/directv_whole_home_dvr_goes_live_nationwide/#When:21:15:39Z

It does what I want from PVR/HTPC, set up and record shows, watch it later anywhere in the house, stability, etc. as for commercial, I actually don't care much of commercial skips as I'm quite enjoy watching commercial and think most of them are quite creative and funny.

My scheduled HTPC PVR function retirement (installation of the DirecTV's whole house HD PVR service) is next tuesday! I'm really looking forward to that day that I could finally relax and enjoy w/out getting a call while I'm working or at night "Honey, it missed my show!" "Honey, it's not working!" "Honey, I think this think died!"

[Wicked Klown]

Wonder if this does something my U-Verse DVR doesn't do.

[xtkxhom3r]

thats exactly what uverse does lol... what a rip off the only bad thing about a THDVR is that you do NOT have pause and rewind capability on all stb's becuase there is only one dvr... the way the stop and rr stuff works is that everything is cached on the stb its self but since there is only one its just not possible... so you can ONLY pause and rr tv on the main dvr

just fyi....

[funzie]

Nothing that the Tivo hasn't done for years.

[ratbuddy]

as for commercial, I actually don't care much of commercial skips as I'm quite enjoy watching commercial and think most of them are quite creative and funny.

Really?? You're basically paying something like 16 minutes of your time to watch 44 minutes of actual show for hour long programs. I think it's 8 or 9 minutes of commerical per 21-22 minutes of 'show' for 30 minute programs. No thanks!

[Randyman...]

Does this mean that DirecTV and TiVo's "Reunion" is going bye-bye?

The DirecTV DVR's really aren't bad IMO. I have a HR-23. They are slow, but they allow you to stream your recorded content over the LAN and watch on any PC (probably link to other DVR's as well - it's the only one I have ATM) - you can program the DVR from anywhere online, and IIRC you can even watch DirecTV online if you log into your DirecTV account! Not too shabby, but the fact that you can't archive the clips to DVD or copy them to your PC is a major bummer (this is mainly due to the RIAA and others trying to protect their digital media streams from piracy - DirecTV MUST comply or risk loosing those content providers). TiVo in itself has no direct affiliation with any content providers, and has a lot more freedom in that regard...

I miss my old SD DirecTV Series-2 TiVo - and I'd LOVE to get back to the TiVo boxes on DirecTV HD. If only archiving the clips was easy on DirecTV :(

:cool:

[LandShark]

Nothing that the Tivo hasn't done for years.
I thought TiVo can't record and let you watch it on another TV other than the one it's connected?

Really?? You're basically paying something like 16 minutes of your time to watch 44 minutes of actual show for hour long programs. I think it's 8 or 9 minutes of commerical per 21-22 minutes of 'show' for 30 minute programs. No thanks!
well, if I don't like the commercial on the recorded shows, there's still that ffd skip button to jump for 30s/1m. :cool:

Don't get me wrong, I still love HTPC in every way! And still can't live w/out it!! Just the whole HD TV part gets me tired when you have the rest of the family using it too! Reliability is the #1 concern!! If/when someone comes out with a good reliable subscription HD channels multi-tuner along with a good reliable software, I'm sure I'll take a good look to move back too!

Plus this thing, according to DirecTV, it can record 2 shows at the same time while still watching another 2 shows. In order to do that using HD PVR, I'll need to get 4(!) of them!! That's $516 even when/if it's on sales for $129 (once in awhile)!

And they are giving me 2 of that HD PVR box for free!! (any box could record the show and any other STB could access it w/in one united UI, so I don't have to remember which box recorded what!), and all these only costing me $3/mo!! Plus I don't burn the shows to DVD anyway.

And I won't get yell at anymore!! To me, that's a no brainer!!

[Wicked Klown]

So it kinda sounds like it was a good idea for me not to get the HD-PVR.

[funzie]

Tivo lets you transfer recording between network connected boxes or PC. For example I have my PC running pyTivo, which in essense is a server, from there I can share all my movies and music with my two Tivo boxes, as well as retrieve movies from the boxes. The same goes with the Tivos, I can send or receive movies/music from the boxes to the PC. The only thing it can't do is on the Tivo using a cable card, the cable card puts a lock on some programs like premium movies which doesn't allow transfer to anywhere. But that is a lock placed by the card not the Tivo so it is not removable. To get around this you can record the program using a cable box instead of a cable card. Which I do with my series 2.