This is the part that really ticks me off. It's a relatively significant increase on the heels of another with no added benefits to the consumer. I truly wish I had not just started another 2-year contract w/my new HD-DVR.

Question on this part, though:
So, if I have "Choice" @ $49.99 I also have to pay $10.99 for HD + $5.99 for DVR for $67/mo.? Or I can pay $69.99 for all that & the extra 45 channels or so--right?

This really does get wearisome, DTV...

I dropped DirecTV several months ago and sold my HD DirecTiVo, which completely paid for a Series 3 TiVo. OTA HD only, no DirecTV bill*.


*I transfered Lifetime service to the new S3 box.

I'm with you. I would have dropped D*TV by now, but my wife would kill me if she lost her TiVo box. I used to love D*TV over Comcast because they had TiVo, better quality and lower prices. They've now lost the edge in all three categories.

i just want to get a clarification of things. right now i have total choice + HD + dvr which currently is 60.97. so am i right in thinking that according to this

my bill will go up almost 10 bucks a month?!? if that's the case, i might be closer to dish than they think, especially when i am on my 3rd dvr in 14 months because thier equipment sucks.

I just priced the Dish Silver package, (which has the VOOM HD channels) and DVR and it'll be $71 bucks a month. Not a lot cheaper, but still alittle cheaper.

I've got Comcast cable right now, but can't stand it. The PQ of the channels is terrible, I have a few channels that are so dark I can't make out what is goin' on. Switch to another channel and they are pale..List goes on and on. Gonna switch to Dish next month, I guess.

so if i were an existing customer and activated a new hd box, would i have to pay the $10.99 fee?

As an NFL fan who must have his Vikings games I have no choice. But with that said I have been *very* happy with DTV vs Cable.

I'm also a DTV Sunday Ticket subscriber, and I'm addicted to the service. If Sunday Ticket is ever available from an alternate source I might consider switching service, but until that time DTV has me by the short hairs.

We're also addicted to TiVo, and have DirecTiVo units on both of our sets. We can't get OTA HD down here in Bloomington, and don't want to go cable (no Sunday Ticket), so our only viable HD option right now is DTV. The HD-DVRs they're pushing aren't as reliable or feature full as the current SD DirecTiVo units we have, so that's a downgrade. Plus, the local Indy CBS affiliate (WISH-TV) doesn't have their HD signal up on DTV yet, so even if we made the jump we'd likely miss out on two of the more important local AFC teams to our household - the Colts and Bengals - every week.

If DirecTV gets their buggy HD-DVRs fixed, we'll jump, cause all of the HD CBS games broadcast on SundayTicket that AREN'T on the local CBS affiliate's channel will available. If WISH-TV gets their HD deal worked out with DirecTV, all the better. But if Sunday Ticket ever becomes available through a different medium that has a true TIVO HD DVR available, we're likely to dump DirecTV and move there.

Until then, I'll just keep paying DirecTV.

I'm okay with this. I get Setanta for soccer on Directv, there are other ways, but no other cable/sat carrier has setanta.
I do wish the HD DVR was better though.

Can you explain how this works? Is it HD capable?

Series 3 Tivo is HD yes.
http://www.tivo.com/2.0.boxdetails.asp?box=series3HDDVR

Setanta is going to push me to switch from Dish to DirecTV, I think. Well, so will Dish's progressively crappy service, but I'm just saying. I'll miss La Liga on WorldSportHD, but... meh.

Out of curiosity, is DirecTV's HD-DVR dual tuner? More specifically, can I watch one program in HD while recording another also in HD?

I switched from DirecTV to Dish Network in December and couldn't be happier.

If you are concerned about the prices and don't care so much about sports packages, look at Dish Network.

Same here. Last January I extended my contract with them to get a free "directivo." The website with the offer even said "tivo." What I got was their new crap dvr that forgets to record about 10-25% of the shows I want.

I read the small print--I can get out of my contract if I return the equipment. That means I can get out this June since it will be a year since they moved me. I only got Directv because it was way cheaper than cable and stand alone Tivo--stupid, stupid move they made by letting that contract go.

I just got an email about the changes. Info about the prices here: http://directv.com/images/pdf/black.pdf

If you are an existing customer who has one of the packages that is going away, your package price is going up $3 going up unless you have Platinum, which goes up $4, or Total Choice with HBO goes up $4. The packages will be available as long as your account is in good standing.

Even better, you can record two programs in HD while watching a previously recorded third.