2. This is totally incorrect. DirecTV and TiVo extended their relationship out into 2010 and just announced plans to distribute a software update to DirecTiVos in early 2008, giving them some of the features currently on the standalone boxes such as online scheduling, Recently Deleted, and Overlap Protection.

3. This is also totally incorrect. There are no ongoing efforts to merge DirecTV and Dish Network. Also, Rupert Murdoch/News Corp is selling their interest in DirecTV to Liberty Media, with the deal scheduled to close later this year. Rupert/News Corp will be completely out of DirecTV. Additionally, Liberty Media is a major corporate investor in TiVo and there have already been comments about a possible reconciliation under their control.

1) TiVo will soon be defunct because of the onslaught of HD (all of which will be MPEG 4 by the end of 2009 for all
cable and satellite carriers)
2) Directv and TiVo have split ways and no longer do business together. No Directv unit ill ever be manufactured
with the TiVo operating systme/interface/hardware again . Directv and TiVo did not split amicably. This is public
knowledge. Look it up.
3) Rupert Murdoch, major shareholder for Directv has announced that he is still in negotiations to merge Directv
and Dish Network (Also public record).

Since TiVo will not be able to support HD local channels, unless they spend some seious money to upgrade all their
systems, you might as well get used to the fact that Directv will corner the market on HD programming and DVR
services.

There are also those who live in areas where digital cable is not available, or sometimes any cable at all, so satellite is their only option for many channels – which means DirecTV or Dish Network. Each offering has their own pluses and minuses. Some people have had bad experiences with cable, so they choose satellite instead.

Personally I think satellite is less and less of a good deal as time goes on. Most people want broadband Internet access, and cable bundles tend to offer a better value. My cable service has been extremely reliable for as long as I can recall, my power goes out far more than my cable – I don’t think I’ve had a cable outage in years. So arguments about better service just don’t hold water for me. (I’m sure some people have terrible cable service.) With HD, satellite tends to compress more than cable due to transponder restrictions.

Are the benefits of DirecTV somehow more important than the message you send to their business that treating customers this way is ok?

It’s one thing if it took work to make the features available and they didn’t have the budget or something…but they’re actually spending money to cripple the box? When I find out something like that is going on, I get angry and withhold my business. Anyone out there in LJ land care to give me some insight as to why people would be willing participants in such an abuse of the business-customer relationship?

The only box that is integrated, HD, and handle HPEG4 is the HR20 – but that’s not TiVo-based.

You can’t get it all in one box.

For standard definition the R10 is the last TiVo-based box, it is being replaced by the R15 which is NOT TiVo-based.

I need to buy a Tivo for my motorhome. I love TIVO and don’t even have one yet. I’m changing my front TV out for a HiDef unit, and am very confused by the latest TIVO models — it looks like a lot of them won’t even handle DirecTV. Here’s what I need:
1. I’d like to have the DirecTV receiver built in to the TIVO unit to save space.
2. High Definition TIVO for sure.
3. I don’t want it to be obsolete in a year or two, what with all the rumors about some units being obsolete (cf. MPEG4) when there’s supposedly this big conversion on DirecTV that Tivo won’t handle.
4. Obviously, in the motorhome it won’t be contiually hooked up to a land line, except when it’s first hooked up.
5. I just need a model number recommendation from one of you knowledgable folks. I don’t even care if it’s a year old unit that I’ll have to buy on Ebay.
You assitance and advice will be much appreciated.

OBTW, while you’re at it, TIVO my boy Saturday night. The Shins will be on Saturday Night Live. Huge for a band from small town Albuquerque!

Thanks for any help you can give.

Jim Mercer