redrum

i have the regular total choice plan. wondering how much more a month is it to get hd channels and how much for the receiver.

Teremei

you could simply call, but I'll help ya. I think it's $10 we pay for the 9 or so channels. HDnet, HDnet movies, TNT, and Discovery HD being the best of the bunch.

Now in sep. they are supposedly doing to have a 100 more but I think it will be more like a few dozen HD channels added. Likely channels like CNN HD, National Geographic, Scifi HD, ect. . There will probably be choices like $10 for 10 channels, $25 for all, ect. .

redrum

ya for some reason since i'm not the person on the billing statement they can't answer my questions....how much did you have to pay for the reciever?

Just Lurking

When I upgraded from Sony HD200 to the HD TiVo , thet gave me four months free.

My monthly charge is $10.99.

Bcolon

I recently upgraded to an H20 and an HR20 DVR and they gave me both for free after some haggleing. I have been a customer for 4 years and subscribe to Sunday Ticket and the MLB package in addition to Total Choice. You have to call retention to get the good deals.

Teremei

Well when we added HD we had been a customer for a year or so. And we simply just got a new set top box that recieved HD channels and I really don't think we paid anything. They just locked us in for about a year which was acceptable. It's already been a year since we did it.

Maxflier

Scifi in HD would be awesome!

Jray

I thought the new HD satellites were going to be launched in the first quarter...? That's what they've been advertising too, I believe.

I certainly hope I don't have to pay any more than what I'm already paying for the current HD lineup to get the new channels. In 2 years everything should be HD anyway... why rake people over the coals now? (ok, that might be a dumb question)

namja

Typically, the new receiver is $99. And the standard deal is that you get 4 months of free programming (after that, it's $10.99/mth as someone posted above). If you've been with them a long time, then you may get a deal on the receiver. The HD DVR receiver is $299.

redrum

ouch. guess i won't be gettin the dvr one.

namja

On the HD DVR (Directv HR20-700), not only does it cost a bunch, it also has issues.

(1) Depends on your location, there may be a long wait to get one. Maybe a month?
(2) It has many, MANY software issues. So many that there is this unofficial Catalog of HR20 Bugs. I've experienced almost all of those bugs. BTW, that's a really helpful forum for satellite TVs.

You might be able to score the Tivo version, but it only supports MPEG-2. Directv is gradually converting all HD broadcasts to MPEG-4, so you will need to "upgrade" to the HR20-700 (with MPEG-4 support) eventually. I loved the Tivo and was a little sad when I had to "upgrade" to the HR20-700. The thing I miss the most about the Tivo: dual buffers.

fernsita

yea, 10 for the channels for regular HD, but if you want an HD DVR they charge $300 for the set up. UGH.

shumway

When they launch the HD satellites, are their compression problems supposed to be resolved? The real thing that has been holding me back is that everyone says that, for the most part, the DirecTV HD looks like crap compared to other HD sources. I've also looked at the comparable lineup on Dish and thought about it, even though I'm a DirecTV customer already for 2 years.

lewisb73

I am getting 2 of the HD DVRs they are giving me the first one free, the second I pay for, plus I will be getting enough in discounted programming over a half year to bring the average cost per receiver to about 80 bucks

Pointyskull

Guess I'll resurrect this thread and see what the latest is.

I have DirecTV and intend on getting HD w/ and HD-DVR.
Have their been any significant improvements in their HD-DVR (I read a lot of complaints, just in this thread)?

TimT

Man, I don't know what others are complaining about issue wise. I may be the unusual case, but we've been amazed at the picture quality improvement and now that they have more of a selection, it's a justifiable $10 per month extra. I have had no trouble with issues related to it live. I will say that I think I lose something on the audio of the DVR programs on playback of recorded shows. Strangely, not on paused things, just on recorded shows played back later.

rdclark

That's weird. A digital PVR records the transmitted bitstream without processing it. Your box should decode a recorded bitstream and a realtime bitstream identically. If there's a difference, it has to be in a setting somewhere. It's not like an analog PVR that compresses the incoming signal on the fly.

TimT

I thought settings might help and have tried, but so far to no avail. I may try again. My audio install guy (I called him after installation to discuss) thought maybe the DVR box is defective.

MEJHarrison

I updated to HD and their new HD DVR (HR20-700) just a few weeks before they started adding all the new HD channels. At that time I was able to get a new DVR for free ($20 for shipping) and they gave me $10 off my bill for 6 months. Plus I dropped HBO at the same time. So at this time, I'm actually paying less than I was.

I'm not sure if there still giving out great deals now that they've upgraded their HD service, but it doesn't hurt to try. It only took me 2 calls to get that deal.

Nefarious

The software on the DVRs has improved by leaps and bounds this year. The only complaint I would have is that it won't allow me to pause something I'm recording and then flip to another channel using the other tuner. I like to do this while watching sports. I'll record the basketball game I'm watching live and when it would hit a commercial I would pause it and flip to another channel. I'd watch whatever was on that channel (a football game or whatever) until it hit a commercial and pause it and flip back. I'd then fast forward through the buffer of commercials and watch the content. Back and forth never having to watch the commercials but watching it in close to real time.

I could do this on the Tivo units but not on the DT units. Hopefully they add that ability.

The quality of the HD has been great. I'm very pleased with what I have.

shelland

That is my major complaint as well - the lack of 'dual live buffers'. There is all kinds of talk about this at the satellite forums like SatelliteGuys and DBSTalk. I still have HD-Tivo in our living room, which is our primary viewing location - so for the time being I can still use this feature (although we can't watch any of the new channels on that TV).

There are some discussion on those forums about 'work-arounds' for the lack of DLB. There is a quick way to switch back and forth if you tape them - I haven't read those threads in great detail, because I don't do a lot of 'buffer switching' on the TV that has the new receiver.

I personally sent an email to DirecTV asking them to consider adding this feature - I'd recommend anyone that misses the feature do the same. If they hear enough about it, they just may listen!

I've started calling to upgrade my HD-Tivo to the new receiver as well. I only called once so far, and got an offer of $199. I'm not sure I'll be able to get much cheaper now that demand is up after all the new channels. I got a free one back in August to upgrade and H10 HD (non-DVR) receiver. It took me 3 calls to get the free offer (which included the dish upgrade). I may try again this morning, and at least ask if I can get any credits to offset the cost.

namja

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/20...age-of-master/

I love DirecTV. Easily the best choice for HD. Watching the Daytona last weekend was awesome with NASCAR HOT PASS (free preview), and I can't wait to watch the Masters this year.

whomod

Same here. We OWNED 2 DirecTV receivers with TIVO that mysteriously started simultaneously shutting themselves off and restarting periodically. So we called to complain and they were eager to have us replace them with their own HD DVR's (LEASED) on account of them no longer being affiliated with TIVO.

After a while of the crazy self-restarting recievers, we called DirecTV back and haggled a deal for a year of free HD programming + their incredibly substandard DVR.

I still can't understand how not just one receiver could malfunction like that but both could suffer the same defect at exactly the same time. To both me and my wife, it seemed too coincidental.

So while I'm happy with the free HD, their DVR is no TIVO.

I'm hoping HD programming will soon become standard anyways eliminating the need for the extra fee for HD.