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SA TiVo Series 2 and DirecTv Unit - which is the best?
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Posted by: CTLesq

Hi:

After doing due dilligence in this forum and reading the FAQs I would like to pose the following question:

I have a SA TiVo Series 2. I would like to switch to DirecTv. Its my understanding that this is very simply done. I would like to ask the members of this community if they can recommend the best DirecTv unit/model/brand, et al. available.

Assuming all DirecTv units are equal I am interested in a DirecTv unit that changes channels as quickly as possible.

I understand it takes a second or two to change channels using DirecTv to begin with, but like many TiVo users I have to use the IR blasters and don't care for the wait involved.

Any help that anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.

CTL

Posted by: paulfife

quote:
Originally posted by CTLesq
Hi:

After doing due dilligence in this forum and reading the FAQs I would like to pose the following question:

I have a SA TiVo Series 2. I would like to switch to DirecTv. Its my understanding that this is very simply done. I would like to ask the members of this community if they can recommend the best DirecTv unit/model/brand, et al. available.

Assuming all DirecTv units are equal I am interested in a DirecTv unit that changes channels as quickly as possible.

I understand it takes a second or two to change channels using DirecTv to begin with, but like many TiVo users I have to use the IR blasters and don't care for the wait involved.

Any help that anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.

CTL

Well if you aren't interested in HMO the DirectTivo units are the best way to go. Recorded quality is the same as live, two tuners, one less box, $5 a month vs. $12.95 for the TiVo service.

If you have never been a DirecTV customer before they will also practically give you one. I got a two room system (with 1 TiVo receiver) for $100 and got the $40 Total Choice with Locals channel free for two months. Since that package was what I was getting anyway I figure I only paid $20 to get the TiVo.

If you want to stick with your stand alone, my Hughes Director Pack I have in the bedroom seems pretty quick at changing channels (especially compared to my father in law's 4 year old RCA). I don't have any experience with any of the other current receivers though.

Posted by: CTLesq

Thanks for the response.

For clarification, I bought the lifetime membership for my SA and do have HMO as well. So for the time being I intend on keepting my SA and adding DirecTv.

I am interested in a two room DirecTv setup as well, but I don't plan on addint TiVo to the other room any time soon - certainly not in the next year or two.

CTL

Posted by: Want1394

If you are serious about going to DirecTV, you are much better off both function-wise and economically to sell your lifetime SA TiVo and get one or even 2 DirecTiVo's. Much more capability, storage capacity, and lower cost.

Posted by: PrimeRisk

I love my DTiVo Phillips DSR-7000s. They are Series 2 receivers and they've been great to me. I don't think you'd see much difference between the Hughes HDVR2 and the Phillips DSR-7ks. I think the wise money is to go with a S2 model at this time. I occasionally see some deals on the Sony SAT-T60s, but they are S1s and the future of upgrades is limited. If you'd like to know who I bought my two-room system from, PM me. I don't want to start a holy war on advocating one provider over another, but the supplier I used has been very good to my whole family.

Posted by: srs5694

Note that an investment in lifetime service on an SA TiVo need not be lost if you switch to a DirecTiVo. You can check selling prices on eBay for various TiVos, and if you do, you'll see that those with lifetime service go for substantially more than those without. In other words, you'll recoup most or all (or maybe more, depending on when you bought it) of your investment in lifetime service if you sell your SA TiVo. In fact, chances are you'll get enough from doing so that you'll pay for a new DirecTiVo and installation, and perhaps quite a few months of TiVo service for it, too.

As an example, searching eBay for completed Philips TiVos auctions (just to narrow the scope a bit), the first page reveals non-lifetime units going for $96-$260 (the higher prices are for units with bigger disks; the $260 unit is advertised as being 140 hours), whereas units with lifetime service are going for $390-$445 (up to 109 hours; oddly, the $445 unit was advertised as having just 45 hours). That's about a $200-$300 price difference, which suggests lifetime subscriptions are selling back at something very close to their original purchase prices. Anyhow, Value Electronics (no association; I just picked them because a friend bought from them recently, so their name came to mind) is selling DirecTiVo systems with installation for $150. Assuming you get $400 on eBay for your current system and don't want more DirecTV receivers or the like, that means you'll make $250 on the swap. At $5/month for TiVo service, that makes for a 50-month (~4-year) break-even period (more, really, since you'll get the benefit of interest on the money).

Of course, this is all moot if you think you might switch back to cable, if you can't get locals via DirecTV, if you desperately want HMO, or if you've got some other compelling reason to keep an SA TiVo. I mention this just to point out that the economic investment in lifetime service needn't be much of an issue by itself.

Posted by: Cruzan

Can I sell one of these suckers for significantly more on ebay?

(For you youngin's, when I bought my Tivo a long long time ago I was assured repeatedly (and wrongly) by a customer service rep that my lifetime subscription referred to my life, not that of the box. Tivo will partially honor this promise.)

I'm sitting on a goldmine, just waiting for a box worthy of my subscription.

Posted by: jsmeeker

quote:
Originally posted by CTLesq
Thanks for the response.

For clarification, I bought the lifetime membership for my SA and do have HMO as well. So for the time being I intend on keepting my SA and adding DirecTv.

I am interested in a two room DirecTv setup as well, but I don't plan on addint TiVo to the other room any time soon - certainly not in the next year or two.

CTL

Keep the SA box and hook it to a standard DirecTV receiver. Then, get a DirecTiVo. You'll have your two room setup and a second TiVo right away. No need to wait.

Posted by: mjh

quote:
Originally posted by Cruzan
Can I sell one of these suckers for significantly more on ebay?

I don't know about significantly more. But I sold my SA TiVo for more than I paid for it. Mostly it was due to lucky timing. I bought my SA in early December and got the lifetime subscription right away. I paid:

$250 for the 40 hour unit
$250 for the lifetime sub
-$50 rebate
-----------
$450 Total

When I sold my TiVo in March to upgrade to a DirecTiVo the same setup was selling (brand new) for:

$300 for the 40 hour unit
$300 for the lifetime sub
-$50 rebate
------------
$550 Total

So when I sold my TiVo on ebay for $475, I got a good deal, and the purchaser got a great deal. I put the total price for a new unit right on the page and had a "buy it now" up there for my price, and I got it. Very quickly. Now, of course ebay cut into the price a little bit with their fees and so did paypal. But all things considered, I was very pleased with it.

Posted by: CTLesq

quote:
Originally posted by jsmeeker
Keep the SA box and hook it to a standard DirecTV receiver. Then, get a DirecTiVo. You'll have your two room setup and a second TiVo right away. No need to wait.

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far.

Assuming for a moment that I am not is a position, for whatever reason, to get a DireTiVo - is there any benefit with connecting a SA to any regular DirecTv receiver?

Thanks

CTL

Posted by: kramerboy

quote:
Originally posted by CTLesq
Thanks to everyone who has responded so far.

Assuming for a moment that I am not is a position, for whatever reason, to get a DireTiVo - is there any benefit with connecting a SA to any regular DirecTv receiver?

Thanks

CTL

Sure! You'll most likely get a better quality recording with the DirecTV receiver instead of cable. Because of this improved picture quality, I was able to use the "Save Disk Space" option once I got DirecTV. The poor quality of my cable signal really made this feature unusable. It did increase the amount of recordings I was able to save on the TiVo.

In addition, with the "home control cable" and a compatible receiver with a low data speed port (I use the RCA RG430), you'll get flawless channel changes. With other receivers, you may have to use the IR Blasters. Some people use them without problem, others get really mad when the don't work up the their expectations.

I've got an HDVR2 and and SA TiVo, both have their advantages and disadvantages. YMMV......