i currently have DirecTV with HD locals coming over the antenna and the HD tier channels over the dish (discoveryHD, HDnet....).

I know Directv claims to be launching a bunch of new HD channels this in september but i will have to get all new equipment (and probably a new 2 year commitment) to get the new channels.

Problem with getting new equipment is that i currently have their HD Tivo unit which i love but their new HD DVR is not longer tivo - its their own DVR. i have not hear much good about this new unit. does anybody have one that can comment on how reliable and easy to use it is compared to the Tivo Units?

i think if i want to record the new HD channels my only option is their DVR since the standalone HD Tivo and my vista Media Center PC don't seem to be capable of taking the HD signal from DirecTV.

but with all that said, i definitely want to get the new HD content but i am nto a fan of locking into another 2 year contract i am wondering if dish or time warner cable will be making any similar channel additions in the next several months. or even Fios for that matter (hopefully it will be available in my area in the next year or so).

i just don't want to lock in again with direcTV and then end up regretting it.

You may want to wait and see. Dish offers good deals to new customers, but I'm sure D* will also have HD deals when they launch their new HD channels.

Not sure what TWC has to offer, but I'm sure it won't compare to full HD lineups of the DBS services.

I have the HR20 (D* HD DVR). It has come a long way and is now a very good DVR. Personally, I think only a real stand alone Tivo is anywhere close to as good.

It has two drawbacks. First, it only allows 50 series links (season passes). This includes the "auto-search" recordings. 2nd is that you have to manually start recording a channel if you want to recreate the "dual buffers" feature of a TIVO. Meaning, it will only buffer the channel you are currently tuned to.

The rest of the features and functions are great and it is now stable. It also has external eSata enabled. I'm running a 750gb drive. This by itself is a great feature.

Finally, you will end up with a 2 year commitment. That isn't a problem for me. I've had D* for 10+ years. With all the HD coming out, I don't see a reason why I would want to ditch them in the next 2.

If it were me, I would wait until late November to see how things stand before committing to two years of any service.

A number of cable companies will add just as many new channels as DirecTV, potentially with superior quality. FiOS, for example, is likely to carry just about every new channel added by DirecTV. The same will probably be true of Comcast and Time Warner in a number of markets. With cable providers, you have the option of using the TivoHD.

If it were me, I would wait until late November to see how things stand before committing to two years of any service.

A number of cable companies will add just as many new channels as DirecTV, potentially with superior quality. FiOS, for example, is likely to carry just about every new channel added by DirecTV. The same will probably be true of Comcast and Time Warner in a number of markets. With cable providers, you have the option of using the TivoHD.
I'm not a techy when it comes to this stuff, but I think the concern Tivo users have is that the cable providers are going to go to something like "switched video", or something like that. This would make the TIVO unusable.

There are tons of issues to bat back and forth between the various providers. For example, my neighbor has Comcast. What little HD they get is expensive and not very HD. Plus the DVR is pathetic. But, I have read from other Comcast users that they get excellent HD and that the service in their area is good and they LOVE VOD. So, these things are not universal. Although, I've never heard anything good about their DVRs.

I have also read both good and bad things about FIOS depending on what kind of configuration you want. I also hear bad things about their DVR. So, all in all the wait and see approach may be the best. Things are in flux right now.

I agree with JMCecil that the new D* HR20 is a good HD DVR. I had a chance to use one for several days while I was visiting my son last month and was impressed. Nevertheless, I agree with bfdtv that you would probably be well advised to wait a few months and see how your cable company's HD offerings at that time compare to D*’s and Dish’s.

Cable has several advantages over the Satellite providers, here are a few of them:

1. You can rent an HD DVR for a modest monthly charge, rather than having to buy one, as is required by D* and Dish.
2. You are always on a month-to-month no contract plan with cable so you can switch to satellite at any time, but satellite providers make you sign a contract for a term-of-years, which contains punitive early termination provisions.
3. If you can get high speed Internet and telephone service from your cable company, you qualify for a nice discount off of your monthly bill if you have cable, too. Also, you get a single bill for all three services, which is convenient.

D*’s big advantage over both Dish and cable is its exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket package. That’s why my son, the sports nut, got D*. The downside, though, is that the PQ of D*’s HD offerings is, more often than not, inferior to those of a cable provider.

I should add that the new TiVo HD should be tempting to cable customers in that one can be bought for $299 or less, about the same price as the HR20 for D* subscribers, but does not include the cost of a TiVo subscription. That’s more than the 10 bucks a month or so a rental box can be had for but the TiVo software is matchless, which makes the cost of a subscription well worth the price.. TiVo will change the way you watch TV, trust me on this. I have owned TiVos since 2000 and paid through the nose for the first TiVo HD box, the Series3 but have never regretted buying it.

Despite my fondness for my S3, I would be the first to confess that one of them doesn’t really make economic sense when compared to a $10 a month rental box. But the much cheaper THD does make sense and should be factored into any buying decision.

Keep in mind that with the new HD Tivo and cable service, you 'll be using a CableCard (most likely) instead of a cable box.

You'll get all the programming, but OnDemand is gone. Have to use the Comcast box for that-and some other-features.

If you look at this thread today, you'll see that E* just went live with a new batch of HD channels (mainly the Discovery package with TLC, ANIMAL PLANET, etc). And they did so with little to no fanfare (unlike D*, who's be trumpeting it from the mountaintops). So, these new channels, plus the VOOM programming, makes E* the temporary leader in HD. Plus, E* currently gives out their HDDVR for "free" to new customers (no $200 lease fee like D*, but you do need to sign up for 2 yrs).

Personally, I'm with Comcast. In my area, HD AND SD PQ smokes both satcos. Yeah, the Moto DVRs aren't great, but they are functional. Comcast is also releaseing newer Moto HDDVRs to some markets now (DCH models) that apparently are even less buggy-possibly not buggy--than the DCT predecessors.

And OnDemand has become a near necessity with the wife/kids.

1. You can rent an HD DVR for a modest monthly charge, rather than having to buy one, as is required by D* and Dish.


Dish does not require purchase of its HD DVR. I currently lease one now.

Where are you located, Bdee? The offerings from Verizon (and eventually ATT) are looking impressive.