[Trojan_Horse]

I'm sick of waiting for a new DirecTiVo from Sony, so I'm considering getting their UltimateTV box instead. I'm a former Dishplayer owner,so the fact that the interface is basically the same is kind of appealing.


However, as anyone who has owned a Dishplayer can tell you, they start out great, and over time they start sucking more and more, until they get to the point that you have to reboot them multiple times per day. They start deleting recordings for no reason, recording for 1 minute and then stopping, rebooting at random, erasing your scheduled recordings, and so on.


I'm concerned that since they use what appears to be a common code base, that these problems will eventually pop up on the UltimateTV box instead.


Anyone have any comments on the long-term viability of this product?

 

[utvlvr]

I bought my first UTV in May of 2001, and I have no complaints whatsoever. I lost recordings once when I got upgraded last August. They credited me with three months of free service, and that is the only problem I have had. $30 of free service took the sting out of it. I bought my second UTV in February, and have had no problems with it at all.

 

[KeithS]

I bought my UTV in May last year. Other than the Spot Beam problem back in January (everyony had it) my UTV has worked flawlessly. I'm one of the early adopters that paid a premium price and at this point I got to say that UTV was worth every penny.


Keith

 

[Kevin L]

I changed from the DP to UTV in January. I have four UTVs running since then and haven't had a hiccup from any of them. Make the move, you won't regret it. And the nice thing about going from DP to UTV (other than the stability and dual tuners) is there's no learning curve. It pretty much operates the same as the UTV, other than the stupid "My" that Microsoft puts in all there OSs now (My Shows).

 

[wrb]

I went from Direct Tivo to UTV when digital audio wouldn't work with my Yamaha A/V receiver. I wouldn't then or now own a Direct Tivo but since things have changed with MS backing out of UTV I must add that I am waiting to see how successful TiVO is with their new Series II Directv... It should be considerably better but as to date I haven't had any hardware problems with either of my UTV's, one a year old the other 3 months..

 

[Trojan_Horse]

So with MS no longer backing the UTV development, who's making sure that stuff stays up to date, who's fixing bugs, etc.?

 

[foghorn]

I think MS still has some of the core people involved in UTV somewhere in their walls. Exactly how much resources its getting these days is hard to say but at least its not dead. The product is still very viable and I recommend it to all potential new adopters. At the current price (including rebates) the item is essentially a steal. How much would you pay for a 40GB hard drive alone?


As for what happened with your DP, I can only assume it was MS up to their old dirty tricks again. They like to eat up other companies or their ideas and then "make" them their own. I think they may have built in some "features" since they went in a different direction than E*. They're still in court with E* regarding how much actually belongs to each company of the DP system.


That said, my UTV is fantastic. I'm enjoying my TV so much more and I have more control over my world. Kids want to play video games? No problem. Wife needs something recorded at the same time as the game is on? Sure, OK. So much more flexibility over a VCR it isn't funny.


It could stay as is for some time and I would be just fine. If they do add features? Icing.


foghorn

 

[CSR]

UTV kicks butt. While I never had a Tivo, friends have been singing the blues for one reason or another. I seriously do not know how I lived without the functionality. The convenience of setting up recordings, pausing live television, rewinding, 30 sec skips,... it is all wonderful. I cringe when I visit my parents and have to live without time-shifting. Plus being able to schedule all of my kids favorite shows no matter when they are on... I have four of them 2 RCA & 2 Sony and love 'em. If we never get any updates other than bug fixes, I'll be happy. Taking the plunge on my first unit for $288 was hard to justify, but I've never looked back. Plus my wife thought it was a great idea to get another one when the price after rebate was $129. Through in 2 $29 Sonys and I'm out of televisions. Sorry for the rambling, but I'd say go for it.


Sean

 

[glenw]

As a former Dishplayer owner, I completely understand being hesitant about jumping over to a similar machine. However, I haven't had to reboot my 2 UTVs one single time. I bought my first one in October, 2001, and my second one in December. Both have performed flawlessly. Not a single problem. I abandoned the Dishplayer because of all the problems. You won't regret purchasing a UTV.