OT: Direct TV / DVR / DVD/ Home Theater Thread

[greggsand]

I'm currently a long time DTV subscriber, and I'm think about upgrading to the "whole home" service/setup. Anyone done/doing this? What did it cost?

[dbdynsty25]

But inferior PQ, if reports are true.

With Verizon FiOS was available here rather than UVerse.

I simply cannot STAND FIOS TV...the interface is horrendous, slow and pretty much requires and external hard drive because it can barely record anything before you fill your drive up. I've got internet (25 and 25 ftw) and phone through em, so it's not like I'm anti-fiber (yes, I'm regular). I could save a fortune switching to their tv too...it's just too bad it's terrible.

[Brando70]

Yep, DTV is the best option for sure. Best channel lineup, best interface, and I have also had good experiences with their customer service over the years. I thought about switching to AT&T U-Verse for bundling reasons before I found out more about their HD limitations and that they do idiotic things like put their HD channels separate from the SD versions (whereas DTV just swaps in the HD version where it normally appears in the guide).

With any large company your mileage may vary, and some folks will certainly have bad experiences with them. I've been a DTV subscriber since 2005 and have been very happy. I can probably count on one hand the number of weather outages I'll experience in any given year, and those are usually just 10-20 minutes if there happens to be a particularly heavy thunderstorm over the house. When I lived in the Upper Peninsula, I had very few outages despite living in an area that gets 150 inches of snow per year.

[JackB1]

does your wireless have a password? did you try "admin" or "password"?

yes - that's whats causing the issue. I know the password, but I don't know where it gets entered into the TV setup.

my wife just told me it is under Settings ------> Setup -----------> Network

I wish it were that simple squidy

unfortunately, there is nothing under those settings where it prompts you to enter a password.

[skinsfan]

Does your receiver recognize your network at all when you select "connect now"?
If it does,you get the prompt to enter your password.

[JackB1]

Does your receiver recognize your network at all when you select "connect now"?
If it does, you get the prompt to enter your password.

Yes...it passes all the steps except the last one, which I think says "internet".

[JackB1]

Does your receiver recognize your network at all when you select "connect now"?
If it does, you get the prompt to enter your password.

Yes...it passes all the steps except the last one, which I think says "internet".

Maybe I should remove my wireless network's password and try to connect again? If that works,
then I know the setup is fine except for the password problem, right?

[skinsfan]

Does your receiver recognize your network at all when you select "connect now"?
If it does, you get the prompt to enter your password.

Yes...it passes all the steps except the last one, which I think says "internet".

Maybe I should remove my wireless network's password and try to connect again? If that works,
then I know the setup is fine except for the password problem, right?

Try that,you should get the "Congratulations" screen.

Are you sure you have the correct gear for internet connection to your receivers?
The newer model receivers have built-in DECAs,the older do not.
With the newer models, the wireless cinema kit is needed.

[matthewk]

I'm looking to (finally) get a home theater system to go with our 46" Samsung and PS3. Not looking to spend a ton of money, so I've focused on the All-in-one packages.

I noticed that a lot of them include what looks like a Blu-Ray player. Do these also function as the receiver? I'm used to seeing a big, bulky receiver, not a slim DVD-looking thing. Should I avoid these, or do they do a fair job as a receiver. I only have the HD box and a PS3 to connect (and maybe an iPod). I would like decent options when it comes to adjusting the sound.

The room is already wired for speakers, so wireless speakers are not a must-have. I would think that wired would be better anyways, but I haven't really paid attention to these things recently. Maybe wireless sound quality is on par with the "old fashioned way".

Any suggestions on a system for around $400-$500?

[Brando70]

I'm looking to (finally) get a home theater system to go with our 46" Samsung and PS3. Not looking to spend a ton of money, so I've focused on the All-in-one packages.

I noticed that a lot of them include what looks like a Blu-Ray player. Do these also function as the receiver? I'm used to seeing a big, bulky receiver, not a slim DVD-looking thing. Should I avoid these, or do they do a fair job as a receiver. I only have the HD box and a PS3 to connect (and maybe an iPod). I would like decent options when it comes to adjusting the sound.

The room is already wired for speakers, so wireless speakers are not a must-have. I would think that wired would be better anyways, but I haven't really paid attention to these things recently. Maybe wireless sound quality is on par with the "old fashioned way".

Any suggestions on a system for around $400-$500?

My first suggestion would be to wait until you could double your budget, because you'll have a lot more options and see a pretty big jump in quality.

If that's not an option, if you're happy using the PS3 as your BluRay player, don't waste money getting a system with a BR player included. I see two worthwhile options:

1) Get a cheap system from a good audio company. Onkyo makes some 5.1 and 7.1 systems that include the speakers and receiver for around your price range. I've seen some affordable Yamaha systems as well. What I would avoid are systems from primarily video companies like Panasonic and Samsung -- not that they are necessarily bad, but audio is not their strength.

2) Buy a separate speaker system and an affordable receiver. Polk, Energy, and Klipsch 5.1 speaker systems coupled with an Onkyo, Yamaha, Harmon Karndon, or Denon receiver should get the job done. You may need to bump up to $600 for this scenario but the extra money is worth it.

My biggest piece of advice is to make sure the center speaker handles dialog well. A lot of people focus on the bass of the subwoofer, and that is important. But if you're using this mostly for home theater, you want to make sure you can hear the lines in quiet scenes without having to turn up the volume, only to get blasted during a loud scene. The Moria sequence in Fellowship of the Ring is a good test for this.

[sportdan30]

Upgrade to the MRV program with Directv and it rocks! Got two new receivers and they are whisper quiet. Additionally, there was an update that includes youtube videos, so my son is in heaven. He's watching old shows by using simply the Smart Search. Couldn't be happier with is upgrade.

[GameSeven]

Upgrade to the MRV program with Directv and it rocks! Got two new receivers and they are whisper quiet. Additionally, there was an update that includes youtube videos, so my son is in heaven. He's watching old shows by using simply the Smart Search. Couldn't be happier with is upgrade.

I'm probably going to switch over to Directv shortly and am wondering about the MRV and video on demand.

First, I understand VOD comes across your broadband connection. Two questions regarding this, if you or anyone can help it'd be appreciated...

1. Does each box that is to receive VOD require a separate hardwired ethernet drop or can they share bandwidth over the coax network? (SWM I think it's called?)

2. I've heard there is some delay (considerable?) in starting a VOD program due to the need to buffer a certain amount, unlike Netflix/Hulu who start nearly immediately. Do you have any experience with that?

Thanks, and glad to hear many are happy with the service.

[RobVarak]

Upgrade to the MRV program with Directv and it rocks! Got two new receivers and they are whisper quiet. Additionally, there was an update that includes youtube videos, so my son is in heaven. He's watching old shows by using simply the Smart Search. Couldn't be happier with is upgrade.

I'm probably going to switch over to Directv shortly and am wondering about the MRV and video on demand.

First, I understand VOD comes across your broadband connection. Two questions regarding this, if you or anyone can help it'd be appreciated...

1. Does each box that is to receive VOD require a separate hardwired ethernet drop or can they share bandwidth over the coax network? (SWM I think it's called?)

2. I've heard there is some delay (considerable?) in starting a VOD program due to the need to buffer a certain amount, unlike Netflix/Hulu who start nearly immediately. Do you have any experience with that?

Thanks, and glad to hear many are happy with the service.

I think each box needs its own broadband connection, but I'm not 100% sure.

That is correct. It's definitely slower than Netflix. The DTV VOD is more of a download than streaming. The VOD content appears on your DVR like recorded content.

Personally, I seldom use VOD. The selection isn't great and the process is balky IMO. I tend to use Netflix 10x more frequently. The one thing that Comcast (my previous provider) did much, much better than DTV was VOD. Selection and ease of use were both far better.

[GameSeven]

I think each box needs its own broadband connection, but I'm not 100% sure.

That is correct. It's definitely slower than Netflix. The DTV VOD is more of a download than streaming. The VOD content appears on your DVR like recorded content.

Personally, I seldom use VOD. The selection isn't great and the process is balky IMO. I tend to use Netflix 10x more frequently. The one thing that Comcast (my previous provider) did much, much better than DTV was VOD. Selection and ease of use were both far better.

Rob, thanks for the feedback. We don't use VOD a ton either, but the kids will go through phases where they want to watch some of the content on DIS or Cartoon Network over and over... I *have* heard that once a program has been D/L'd it persists on the box so if there are, say, half-dozen episodes available for one of their shows, they'd only need to D/L each one once in order to watch it for repeated viewings. So that should help a bit...

[dbdynsty25]

Each need their own connection, like Rob said.

SWM is just a single wire multiswitch. It's a device that goes in your attic that allows your receiver to have two inputs (two shows at once) running over one single coax line. That was a "new" thing a couple years ago...which helped because you didn't have to run a second line from your dish to your receiver to record two shows at once. Probably the greatest DTV invention yet.

[GameSeven]

Each need their own connection, like Rob said.

SWM is just a single wire multiswitch. It's a device that goes in your attic that allows your receiver to have two inputs (two shows at once) running over one single coax line. That was a "new" thing a couple years ago...which helped because you didn't have to run a second line from your dish to your receiver to record two shows at once. Probably the greatest DTV invention yet.

Cool. Thanks for the clarification. It had been my hope that the coax network could somehow "share" the ethernet drop similar to the way it facilitates MRV where second and third boxes can view recorded programs from the primary DVR. I suppose, since VOD is D/L'd as its own recorded program, that secondary boxes could technically view VOD indirectly, where the primary DVR saves a program for viewing on the other boxes. Kind of a hassle though, I suppose.

I presume I could always use an WiFi bridge, as running a a hard wire to my second DVR would be a PITA at the moment.

Edit: Hmmm... Now I see D* offers a wireless adapter as part of its self-install for Directv Cinema. I wonder if the standard installation offered to new subs would include this hardware.

[HipE]

I just had the whole home DVR service installed in my house today, and you can in fact share your internet connection between all the receivers in your home through the coax cables. For the newest model HD-DVR, the HR24, all of this is done internally in the receiver, you just connect one coax cable into the box and it carries signal for both tuners and internet. For my older model HR22s, here is how each receiver is hooked up. The coax cable from the wall outlet connects to a splitter. One of the lines from the splitter goes directly to one of the tuners on the back of the HD-DVR. The other line goes into an adapter called a "DECA" module, which stands for "Directv Ethernet Coaxial Adapter". It is a small rectangular box, and it has an ethernet cable output and a coaxial cable output. You just run the coax cable to the other tuner on the DVR, and the ethernet cable to the ethernet input on the DVR. So in the end, from the one output on the wall, you end up with two coax cables and one ethernet cable running into the back of the DVR.

[Sport73]

So what should I expect DTV to charge me to upgrade my 2 HR20's to new HR24's for multi-room? If they try to get me to pay up-front for leased receivers I will finally cancel and go to cable. How bad is the ass-reaming for those that did the upgrade?

[HipE]

So what should I expect DTV to charge me to upgrade my 2 HR20's to new HR24's for multi-room? If they try to get me to pay up-front for leased receivers I will finally cancel and go to cable. How bad is the ass-reaming for those that did the upgrade?

It is free to get your HR20's replaced with something new. Since the HR20's are not 3D capable, you just need to call them and tell them that you want new receivers that are 3D ready, and they will swap them free of charge. They just mail you new ones and you do the swap yourself. You then place your HR20s in the boxes the new ones came in, then put a prepaid return shipping label on the boxes and drop them off at the post office. This does not extend your contract either, and it only took two days for my new receivers to come.

Odds are you aren't going to get HR24s in the swap though. Directv can't guarantee the type of receiver you get, and most likely you will get an older model (HR21, 22 or 23) since it is a free exchange of a pretty old receiver. I got two refurb HR22s, which I like much more since they are black and don't have vents all across the top.

[HipE]

I should also add that you don't even need to upgrade your HR20s if you don't want to, they are actually capable of being used for the whole home DVR service. And don't overpay if you are having a tech come out to set the service up, it can be negotiated through retentions. I got the $99 MRV equipment fee waived, the $49 service call fee waived, and just ended up paying $99 for the additional receiver (I lucked out and got the newer HR24) that I added to my house. Also make sure they include the cinema connection kit, I believe that is what gives you the DECA adapters so that all of your receivers are capable of video on demand through coax.

[Sport73]

I signed up for the Cutting-Edge program over at DBSTalk and downloaded the latest beta for DirecTV's DVR's (HR20/22/24/25 etc) which includes the new HD UI.

And all I can say is hallelujah...Finally my DVR interface looks like something that wasn't designed in the 80's, with appropriate subtle use of color, gloss, and sharp HD text/graphics.

No stability issues to note, so I'm thrilled to be running this a little early and it may just keep with with DTV a while longer.

For those that want access to the Beta, the window is closed until the next update, but I'll post here when that time comes. Either way, all DTV owners should be excited to get this (likely in October).

[greggsand]

Each need their own connection, like Rob said.

SWM is just a single wire multiswitch. It's a device that goes in your attic that allows your receiver to have two inputs (two shows at once) running over one single coax line. That was a "new" thing a couple years ago...which helped because you didn't have to run a second line from your dish to your receiver to record two shows at once. Probably the greatest DTV invention yet.

For DTV On Demand, you only need one box connected to the Internet. I have a living room/bed room setup. My bedroom is connected to the Internet, but I can do on demand from either box. This might be something new perhaps with the HR-24s (which is my non-internet living room box). The "whole home" connection deal is pretty cool.

[dbdynsty25]

I signed up for the Cutting-Edge program over at DBSTalk and downloaded the latest beta for DirecTV's DVR's (HR20/22/24/25 etc) which includes the new HD UI.

And all I can say is hallelujah...Finally my DVR interface looks like something that wasn't designed in the 80's, with appropriate subtle use of color, gloss, and sharp HD text/graphics.

No stability issues to note, so I'm thrilled to be running this a little early and it may just keep with with DTV a while longer.

For those that want access to the Beta, the window is closed until the next update, but I'll post here when that time comes. Either way, all DTV owners should be excited to get this (likely in October).

Been reading about it...I'm stoked. As long as it's FASTER than the sh*t we've got now, I'll be happy. I still wouldn't trade their service and channel selection for anything. I could save a fortune switching to FIOS (to go with my phone and internet), but I stay because I love em so much. If their recorders end up looking better, I'll be real happy.

[GameSeven]

I signed up for the Cutting-Edge program over at DBSTalk and downloaded the latest beta for DirecTV's DVR's (HR20/22/24/25 etc) which includes the new HD UI.

And all I can say is hallelujah...Finally my DVR interface looks like something that wasn't designed in the 80's, with appropriate subtle use of color, gloss, and sharp HD text/graphics.

No stability issues to note, so I'm thrilled to be running this a little early and it may just keep with with DTV a while longer.

For those that want access to the Beta, the window is closed until the next update, but I'll post here when that time comes. Either way, all DTV owners should be excited to get this (likely in October).

Thanks for the info. Am changing over to D* this weekend after spending the last couple of years with Cablevision. Looking forward to the new UI and D* in general.

[wco81]

Probably need a new HW design before the UI is faster.

Where's the Tivo DVRs that were promised a couple of years ago?