TiVo fans rejoice: HD, MPEG-4 TiVo returning to DirecTV

[puckhead]

Have you tried pushing the down arrow on the remote? It doesn't work as seemless as Tivo used to but you can pause the show you are watching, push the down arrow twice and then pick another show to watch. Toggling between the shows is done with the down arrow as well, but the show will start playing as soon as you switch.

Sorry for stating something you may already have known but from your comment, it sounded as if you weren't aware DirecTV's dvr did this.

Dual live buffers have been available since September of last year. Azmike describes it well.

 

[DeAnna]

Which down arrow? the one that changes the channels only does that. The one at the bottom of the yellow "select" button doesn't do anything either.

 

[puckhead]

Which down arrow? the one that changes the channels only does that. The one at the bottom of the yellow "select" button doesn't do anything either.

Yes, it is the one underneath the yellow select button. Can you confirm you have one of the HR-2x series HDDVR's? I don't believe the standard def boxes have this ability.

Edit-from DBSTalk FAQ

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Double Play
[FONT=DINMittelschrift,DINMittelschrift][FONT=DINMittelschrift,DINMittelschrift]Q. Can I switch back and forth between two shows without missing any content?
A. Yes, by using the new feature called "Double Play." To activate it, press the down arrow twice. After it is activated, you can switch between your shows at any time by pressing the down arrow again.
Q. Does Double Play let me pause one show and switch to another?
A. Yes, when it is activated, Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind, and Previous Channel functions work independently for whichever channel is currently being viewed.
Q. If I activate Double Play, does it stay active forever?
A. No, it will become inactive if not used for two hours or if a recording is scheduled to start, either by timer or manually.
Q. If I pause a show and use Double Play to view another channel, how long will it stay paused?
A. The maximum length of time for the inactive channel is 90 minutes.
Q. I f a show is paused and I return to viewing it using Double Play, does it stay paused?
A. No, the show will begin playing at the pause point when you switch back to viewing it.
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[FONT=DINMittelschrift,DINMittelschrift][FONT=DINMittelschrift,DINMittelschrift]
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[Dr. Jones]

Doubleplay is nice, but still not the same as DLB's. Multi-Room Viewing is awesome.

I miss the Tivo peanut remote and the better OS design.

But honestly, in the two years I have had my HR-21's.... I have started missing the Tivo's less and less.

Unless the reviews are poor though, I will probably switch back to tivo models when I can get them cheap.

It has to be eSata capable though. I will not have anything less than a Terabyte hard drive an longer!

 

[DeAnna]

Yes, it is the one underneath the yellow select button. Can you confirm you have one of the HR-2x series HDDVR's? I don't believe the standard def boxes have this ability.

Nope, I have standard def.

 

[puckhead]

Nope, I have standard def.

 

[DeAnna]

So, is it available if you call DTV and ask for it? Anyone know how much it costs?

Argh ... our TV went kaput this week so have to shop for a new one now, but don't know if new TiVo will be in our budget since we also should also get a new A/V receiver.

 

[puckhead]

So, is it available if you call DTV and ask for it? Anyone know how much it costs?

Argh ... our TV went kaput this week so have to shop for a new one now, but don't know if new TiVo will be in our budget since we also should also get a new A/V receiver.

DirecTivo is not available and no time has been announced.

Depending on how long you've been with DirecTV, you may be able to upgrade your box to the HR-2x series for anywhere from free to $199 would be my guess. It would be a substantial improvement from an SD box like the R-15 if that's what you currently have.

 

[puckhead]

I should also mention that any sort of "upgrade" you make with DirecTV will more than likely trigger a new 2 year commitment so make sure you aren't on the fence about changing anytime soon. They should make that clear during any transaction, but I just wanted you to have all the facts.

 

[Covert Rain]

Doubleplay is nice, but still not the same as DLB's. Multi-Room Viewing is awesome.

I miss the Tivo peanut remote and the better OS design.

But honestly, in the two years I have had my HR-21's.... I have started missing the Tivo's less and less.

Unless the reviews are poor though, I will probably switch back to tivo models when I can get them cheap.

It has to be eSata capable though. I will not have anything less than a Terabyte hard drive an longer!

My sentiments exactly. At first when DTV dropped TIVO I really hated the DTV DVR's. However, I really don't miss my old TIVO's at all now. It has improved that much.

I will have to find the review I just read. It stated that TIVO new DVR was a disappointment. Really didn't improve much from the previous models and was disappointing from the perspective that it didn't really offer anything new. The way I took the review was that all the competitors have caught up to TIVO in the technology arena and TIVO is not really doing anything to distinguish itself from competing DVR's. I will try and find the link. Since the DTV version of this DVR will be the same....I am not all that excited about it.

DirecTivo is not available and no time has been announced.

Either way, I could care less now which HD DVR I have as long as I find it easy to use and has the feature I care about. DTV TIVO has been announced for Spring of 2010.

 

[puckhead]

Either way, I could care less now which HD DVR I have as long as I find it easy to use and has the feature I care about.

DTV TIVO has been announced for Spring of 2010.

Well, it was expected in late '09. Then definitely at CES2010, oops. I've seen mid 2010, late 2010, and even possibly early 2011. I am not holding my breath. For me it's probably a case of not knowing what I'm missing, but I'm loving what I have right now with my HR20-100.

 

[Sandan]

The old Tivo was way better than my Hr-21, when you talk about the features it doesn'rt sound like much but then that was the intent in making the HR-21.

Just good enough to make it sound as good a Tivo, ... it isn't. If nothing else its limited in it use of tuners. When you read through the specs it sounds like it has the features as was planned.

• Recording two shows while watching a third
• The series manager is not as good.
• Tivo had the ability to define a search pattern and record shows that satisfied it [real handy for NFL]
• The show suggestion was occasionally very useful

Its it enough to switch back particularly if Tivo hasn't really moved on, probably not. If it was available and I was buying new the only real requirement would be a HD Tivo.