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Message |
Toni
Guest
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 Posted:
Wed Nov 10, 2004 4:02 am Post subject:
Switching from cable to DirectTV with Tivo HMO |
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What issues might I face if I decide to switch from the evil Comcast to
Direct TV?
My picture quality on the lower end (local network )channels has degraded so
badly that I don't even enjoy watching them- ghosts, snow, and horizontal
lines are too distracting. "Cable Guy" is coming tomorrow to give it a shot-
if it doesn't look like it will be improving I am considering switching.
Cable is now running me $118 a month- for this I see snow?
I have two SA S2 Tivos with Home Media Option to enjoy multi room viewing. I
really prefer not to give this up.
Can I switch to Direct TV and keep my Tivo setup as it is?
Any other issues I need to consider?
Thanks-
--
Toni
http://www.irish-wolfhounds.com
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Dave Platt
Guest
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| Posted:
Wed Nov 10, 2004 4:02 am Post subject:
Re: Switching from cable to DirectTV with Tivo HMO |
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In article <8fekd.944$IQ.841@bignews6.bellsouth.net>,
Toni <Toni@nada.noway> wrote:
| Quote: | My picture quality on the lower end (local network )channels has degraded so
badly that I don't even enjoy watching them- ghosts, snow, and horizontal
lines are too distracting. "Cable Guy" is coming tomorrow to give it a shot-
if it doesn't look like it will be improving I am considering switching.
Cable is now running me $118 a month- for this I see snow?
I have two SA S2 Tivos with Home Media Option to enjoy multi room viewing. I
really prefer not to give this up.
Can I switch to Direct TV and keep my Tivo setup as it is?
|
Yes.
What you'd want to do, to accomplish this, is to purchase a "new
subscriber, two-room" setup from DirecTV or one of their resellers.
You'd want a package which includes a multisatellite dish, a pair of
standard DirecTV receivers, and installation by a DirecTV or dealer
contractor. You can get basic models of receivers, but make *sure*
they have the serial ports which allow for serial tuning rather than
IR blasting - it's faster and more reliable. As a new subscriber to
DirecTV you can probably get this sort of package for a very low price
(or even for free) if you sign up for a one-year service contract.
You'd have the dish installed, coaxes run to your TiVo locations, and
the receivers installed and configured.
You would then simply disconnect the Comcast cable from each TiVo,
connect the DirecTV receiver outputs (S-Video and audio/video) and
serial control cable to the TiVos, and "Repeat Guided Setup". You'd
select satellite mode (or "satellite plus antenna" if you want to get
your local channels from a roof antenna), select your lineup, select
the channels that you receive, and download a new gulp of program
guide data.
You would not lose your existing recordings, and most of your Season
Passes and scheduled individual recordings would be translated over to
the new channel numbers. [There are some exceptions, in cases where
the DirecTV version of a channel is a bit different than the Comcast
version... e.g. Spike TV and a few others.]
You'd keep your Home Media Option capability. If your TiVo systems
have lifetime subscriptions, this won't affect them; if they're on a
monthly subscription, you'll continue to pay the same amount.
The alternative is to purchase one or two "DirecTiVo" systems, and go
fully "native" on DirecTV. Benefits are lower cost per month for the
PVR service, dual-tuner-on-each-box capability (requires two coax
cables per box from the dish or from a multiswitch - negotiate this
with the installer), and full DirecTV image quality (no additional
degradation). Downsides are that Home Media Option is not supported,
TiVo Central Online is not supported, and lifetime service
subscriptions are not available.
--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads! |
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Joe Smith
Guest
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| Posted:
Wed Nov 10, 2004 12:04 pm Post subject:
Re: Switching from cable to DirectTV with Tivo HMO |
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Dave Platt wrote:
| Quote: | In article <8fekd.944$IQ.841@bignews6.bellsouth.net>,
Toni <Toni@nada.noway> wrote:
I have two SA S2 Tivos with Home Media Option to enjoy multi room viewing. I
really prefer not to give this up.
Can I switch to Direct TV and keep my Tivo setup as it is?
You'd want a package which includes a multisatellite dish, a pair of
standard DirecTV receivers, and installation by a DirecTV or dealer
contractor. You can get basic models of receivers, but make *sure*
they have the serial ports which allow for serial tuning rather than
IR blasting - it's faster and more reliable.
...
The alternative is to purchase one or two "DirecTiVo" systems,
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Toni, I've got a set-up very much like what Dave is talking about.
Two regular DirecTV receivers each controled by SA TiVos, and one
DirecTiVo (HDTV recorder) all connected to a multisatellite dish.
http://www.inwap.com/tivo/SmithTV2004.gif
In the SF Bay Area, Comcast give cable-modem users a $13.00/month discount
if they also subscribe to cable TV. The very bare-bones basic cable
(which they don't advertize anymore) is $12.95/month, so I kept it.
It gives me the option of recording the west coast feed of the Discovery
Channel if there is a conflict with the east coast feed via DirecTV.
-Joe |
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Toni
Guest
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| Posted:
Wed Nov 10, 2004 5:56 pm Post subject:
Re: Switching from cable to DirectTV with Tivo HMO |
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"Dave Platt" <dplatt@radagast.org> wrote in message
news:10p2tum65b6bd86@corp.supernews.com...
| Quote: | I have two SA S2 Tivos with Home Media Option to enjoy multi room
viewing. I
really prefer not to give this up.
Can I switch to Direct TV and keep my Tivo setup as it is?
Yes.
What you'd want to do, to accomplish this, is to purchase a "new
subscriber, two-room" setup from DirecTV or one of their resellers.
You'd want a package which includes a multisatellite dish, a pair of
standard DirecTV receivers, and installation by a DirecTV or dealer
contractor.
|
<snip concise and wonderfully detailed reply>
Thank you very much Dave- that is just the information I wanted.
--
Toni
http://www.irish-wolfhounds.com |
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