TiVo vs DVR

[HotHolly]

So, my Direct TV reciever died recently. I went out and bought another one. DTV isnt with TiVo any more so we have a DVR. I was wondering if ours was just old or if the features with TiVo are different than DVRs. Im noticing a lot of little things...no big. They are set up differently. But the big thing is the DVR will make a pay per view movie expire within 72 hours, where TiVo would let me keep it forever. I didnt really want to keep it forever, but I got used to recording movies when I remembered and then watching the movie on the weekend or when we got around to it. Isnt that what TiVo's all about? Deleting the movie within 72 hours isnt very TiVo-ish. Somebody tell me that my DVR is broken!

[Thorpeland]

Unfortunately, yours isn't broken. I had the same thing happen. Im with DTV and had a Tivo. Loved it. Then it died and I got the piece of crap DTV passes off as a DVR. If someone had never used a Tivo first, and got the DTV DVR they would think all is just fine. But DTV is all smiles as they can now get all customers over to its super restrictive new system. Not only does it have less features and is less intuitive to use, but its buggy and borderline unstable. Not to mention we've had 1 die already and the one DTV sent us had a nice "refurbished" sticker on the bottom. Surprisingly, this one crashes and has to be rebooted every couple weeks. Welcome to proprietary hell.

[brad]

DTV just started that 72 hour expiration thing... this is why I have Netflix. LOL

I just use DTV for regular cable and local channels... Netflix for movies. Much happier.

[deep_creek]

we have not turned the tv on in over two years(as in tv stations/cable/sat/etc...), but enjoy the occasional movie via netflix. As Thorpe mentioned, welcome to proprietary hell. It is only going to ge worse as folks continue to spend money on it. Personally, I'd rather spend my money elsewhere.

I get the news and an occasional Family Guy episode, etc... off the net. Reality shows, auto-erase DVRs, etc... and they wonder why their viewership shrinks every quarter.

[d2creative]

Tivo has the best software, period.
Then Dish.
Then Cumcast.
Then AT&T UVerse.

I have AT&T Uverse. lol!
But they have the best channels/deal/service/internet so I deals with it.

BTW, Tivo/dvr is the best invention since TV itself!

[Sonny]

Well, someone is one their TV high horse.

My wife has "her" Tivo in our bedroom and "I" have a Comcast DVR in our living room. Tivo is pretty pimp! One thing I HATE about the DVR...it doesn't record a show if that show runs over into the next hour/half hour. I can go into the recording schedule at set the time to recorder 10, 15, 30 minutes longer. But it only does it for the next show and immediately returns back to the TV guide time slot.

Hopefully some day I can afford the HD Tivo version and dump the Comcast DVR.

[dbphotos]

TIVO is by far the best design and does what it is designed to do far better than any of the proprietary units. In addition to much more intuitive recording, it allows you to record podcasts, vidcasts, pull family video from the internet and share your recorded programs on your laptop or other computers. I have DTV HD DVR in the family room and TIVO everywhere else and will be switching to Verizon FIOS TV so I can use a TIVO HD in the family room. You just have to get 2 cable cards from your cable provider to use TIVO on digital systems.