# R-15 Status - Anyone Know?



## sjniedz (Feb 11, 2006)

Has anyone heard if we should be expecting updates to the R-15 anytime soon? I was hoping they would have fixed the series link issue by now.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Define "anytime soon"... 

There is an update being worked on... but I don't have any type of time frame for it yet.


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## sjniedz (Feb 11, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Define "anytime soon"...
> 
> There is an update being worked on... but I don't have any type of time frame for it yet.


"Soon" = next four weeks?


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## morgantown (Nov 16, 2005)

Update in four weeks -- "probably (just a wild guess)" Fixing the SLs -- probably not (an educated guess).

I still expect, or hope for, incremental improvements. Highly doubt four weeks will "fix" things...but I'd be happy as the rest if it did.

But, what does Earl think on your question...


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Honestly, I don't have a definitive date... but I should have more information "SOON" 


.


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## sjniedz (Feb 11, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Honestly, I don't have a definitive date... but I should have more information "SOON"
> 
> .


And may I ask what your definition of "SOON" is?


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## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

So far we're looking for the definition of "anytime soon" and "SOON". :lol:


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## sjniedz (Feb 11, 2006)

Wolffpack said:


> So far we're looking for the definition of "anytime soon" and "SOON". :lol:


How refreshing would it be if someone just came out and said "next Tuesday at 3:00 am"? _(And be right of course)_:lol:


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## Clint Lamor (Nov 15, 2005)

Wolffpack said:


> So far we're looking for the definition of "anytime soon" and "SOON". :lol:


At least this is Duke Nukem Forever. If it was we would just get W.I.D. (When It's Done) and many of us know how long thats been. :lol:


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

I should have a better idea in the next two weeks.

Right after the holiday.


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## cabanaboy1977 (Nov 16, 2005)

Earl, any hints on if it's just another stablitiy release or if there are new/improved features? 
FYI. I'm not asking what the new features might be, if any, just wondering what maybe to expect for the upcoming update.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

I have some items, but I am not allowed to say yet.

Lets say it is going to be a "blend" of the two


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## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

You tweeky little devil you!


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## cabanaboy1977 (Nov 16, 2005)

Earl Bonovich said:


> I have some items, but I am not allowed to say yet.
> 
> Lets say it is going to be a "blend" of the two


That's good enough for me. Thanks


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## sjniedz (Feb 11, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> I have some items, but I am not allowed to say yet.
> 
> Lets say it is going to be a "blend" of the two


Anything substantial or is it fluff?


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

sjniedz said:


> Anything substantial or is it fluff?


It's all in the details and the interpretation...

I hate being this vague, but until I get the Okay... I can't really go into more depth.


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## sjniedz (Feb 11, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> It's all in the details and the interpretation...
> 
> I hate being this vague, but until I get the Okay... I can't really go into more depth.


I just love fluffer-nutters! :lol:


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## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

sjniedz said:


> I just love fluffer-nutters! :lol:


No way man.....:barf:


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## jonaswan2 (Oct 29, 2005)

Wolffpack said:


> No way man.....:barf:


I have never seen a smiley like that in my life. I LOVE IT!

Wow! We get off-topic quite quickly on this forum.

On-topic

Thank you for the empty info Earl.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

jonaswan2 said:


> Thank you for the empty info Earl.


You are welcome...


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## TheTooleMan (Apr 9, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:



> It's all in the details and the interpretation...
> 
> I hate being this vague, but until I get the Okay... I can't really go into more depth.


When might we expect this update which may or may not make or R15's better or worse to live with?

(And where did that BARF smiley come from? It's great!)


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## sjniedz (Feb 11, 2006)

Wolffpack said:


> No way man.....:barf:


Okay, that is pretty darn funny.


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

TheTooleMan said:


> When might we expect this update which may or may not make or R15's better or worse to live with?
> 
> (And where did that BARF smiley come from? It's great!)


Refer to posts number 6 and 8 above in this thread. As good a non-answer as anyone is able to provide at this point in time.:sure:

Carl


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## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

TheTooleMan said:


> (And where did that BARF smiley come from? It's great!)


click *more* under the normal ones you see in the reply screen.


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## smileyslo (Jun 25, 2006)

sjniedz said:


> Has anyone heard if we should be expecting updates to the R-15 anytime soon? I was hoping they would have fixed the series link issue by now.


I talked to a 2nd tier tech 06/24 and he said they finally fixed all the software problems. D* has sent me 3 bad refur units ( I sent them back they also charged me for unit they received back) this has been going on for 2 months now each time I talk to a tech they say it will take 7 days to correct the problem. Last week they said it will be corrected in 24 to 48 hours (it didn't happen) finally on 06/24 I was able to talk to someone that was able to correct the billing problem ( I almost switched over to dish). Oh the 4th unit D* sent me was a tivo. Now D* for all the trouble I've had they want to send me a new not a refur R15 that has all the bugs worked out. What do you think should I try again?


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## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

smileyslo said:


> ...they want to send me a new not a refur R15 that has all the bugs worked out.


!rolling


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## pentium101 (Nov 19, 2005)

smileyslo said:


> I talked to a 2nd tier tech 06/24 and he said they finally fixed all the software problems. D* has sent me 3 bad refur units ( I sent them back they also charged me for unit they received back) this has been going on for 2 months now each time I talk to a tech they say it will take 7 days to correct the problem. Last week they said it will be corrected in 24 to 48 hours (it didn't happen) finally on 06/24 I was able to talk to someone that was able to correct the billing problem ( I almost switched over to dish). Oh the 4th unit D* sent me was a tivo. Now D* for all the trouble I've had they want to send me a new not a refur R15 that has all the bugs worked out. What do you think should I try again?


I certainly wouldn't want to be in your situation. All I can say is that you definitely have more patience than I would.

Have you thought about going out to Circuit City or some other local store and trying to buy a new one instead? I would have told D* after the second non-working refurb where they can stick it. :box:


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

smileyslo said:


> I talked to a 2nd tier tech 06/24 and he said they finally fixed all the software problems.


Interesting. Did he give any clue as to when they might actually release this software? At the moment, the software currently running on everyone's R15 has been out for a couple of months, and most certainly does not have all the problems corrected.

Carl


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## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

carl6 said:


> Interesting. Did he give any clue as to when they might actually release this software? At the moment, the software currently running on everyone's R15 has been out for a couple of months, and most certainly does not have all the problems corrected.
> 
> Carl


At the risk of throwing this thread off topic, can anyone list the actual bugs that have been fixed in the software updates released since the R15 was released? All I can come up with is this generic "fixed general stability of the unit" claims. But has any one bug been fixed?


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## ISWIZ (Nov 18, 2005)

Oh, let's see, 30 second "slip". I love that so many found having this was sooo important. Yes I love it but like a new puppy. I want him house trained before I worry about him doing tricks.
Just do basic DVR functions without fail, lockup, reset. THEN learn to do tricks. 

Only one the R15 knows by heart is Play Dead!


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## cabanaboy1977 (Nov 16, 2005)

Wolffpack said:


> At the risk of throwing this thread off topic, can anyone list the actual bugs that have been fixed in the software updates released since the R15 was released? All I can come up with is this generic "fixed general stability of the unit" claims. But has any one bug been fixed?


The 5 min bug is somewhat fixed, it somewhat mostly changes the channel with out user input. I think they have mostly somewhat fixed things. They somewhat patched the todo list to make it not forget things. They somewhat fixed the callerid (I don't use it but I think it sometimes locks up on some people). They somewhat fixed the 1st run/repeats. They somewhat fixed the lockups.


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## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

cabanaboy1977 said:


> The 5 min bug is somewhat fixed, it somewhat mostly changes the channel with out user input.


Not on my box. I got it on Saturday, and intentionally took no action to see what happened. It failed to record the show I had scheduled.


cabanaboy1977 said:


> They somewhat fixed the callerid (I don't use it but I think it sometimes locks up on some people).


How is that a fix?


cabanaboy1977 said:


> They somewhat fixed the lockups.


What did they do to fix the lock-ups? Mine still locks up frequently if I do anything with the Prioritizer.


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## mikewolf13 (Jan 31, 2006)

cabanaboy1977 said:


> The 5 min bug is somewhat fixed, it somewhat mostly changes the channel with out user input.


Can we get a definition of "somewhat mostly fixed"?

Is that like "almost always never"

or "90% of the time it usually works"

Yes, It mostly always sometimes usually works with occasional sporadic disruptions or partial reliability....:eek2:

So the quest is on: one item that didn't work that is now fixed! Not a little better, not kinda improved, but one FIXED bug?

There has to be one!


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## TheTooleMan (Apr 9, 2006)

smileyslo said:


> Oh the 4th unit D* sent me was a tivo. Now D* for all the trouble I've had they want to send me a new not a refur R15 that has all the bugs worked out. What do you think should I try again?


If the TiVo works and you're happy with it, I'd keep it.



pentium101 said:


> Have you thought about going out to Circuit City or some other local store and trying to buy a new one instead? I would have told D* after the second non-working refurb where they can stick it.


If you buy a TiVo at Circuit City, that's what is called a "stand-alone TiVo" which must be connected to a D* receiver, have its own TiVo subscription ($12.95/month) for scheduling, and will re-compress the video it records from the D* receiver, resulting in crappy-looking recordings. So don't do that!

But you can still switch to Dish and tell D* where to stick it! :goodjob:


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## TheTooleMan (Apr 9, 2006)

Wolffpack said:


> At the risk of throwing this thread off topic, can anyone list the actual bugs that have been fixed in the software updates released since the R15 was released? All I can come up with is this generic "fixed general stability of the unit" claims. But has any one bug been fixed?


It's not nice to throw the thread off-topic!


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## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

TheTooleMan said:


> It's not nice to throw the thread off-topic!


Yea, but then again I looked back at the thread title "R-15 Status - Anyone Know?" to that's pretty vague to begin with.


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## cabanaboy1977 (Nov 16, 2005)

qwerty said:


> Not on my box. I got it on Saturday, and intentionally took no action to see what happened. It failed to record the show I had scheduled.
> 
> How is that a fix?
> 
> What did they do to fix the lock-ups? Mine still locks up frequently if I do anything with the Prioritizer.


I was mostly being sarcastic. I was just saying that they have made the box do those things a little less. They haven't been fixed but they now somewhat work, sometime. Still isn't a fix.


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## sjniedz (Feb 11, 2006)

Wolffpack said:


> Yea, but then again I looked back at the thread title "R-15 Status - Anyone Know?" to that's pretty vague to begin with.


Well, since I started this thread I will state for the record this is well on topic.

I agree that I can not come up with any solid fixes. To say something is "somewhat fixed" is like saying you are a little bit pregnant. It is either fixed or it isn't.

I am still perplexed on why I have had this stupid unit for six months now and it still can not tell the difference between a first run and repeat. I just LOVE having The Sopranos record 4 times a week. I was going to get the HD version this fall, but I strongly doubt it now. DISH may be getting a call.:bang


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## Bobman (Jan 3, 2006)

I think DirecTV is shooting themselves in the foot by waiting so long before this next update. No matter how their internal Beta testers test the R-15, I would bet that none have 50 SL's, none are used 4-5-6 hours a day, none are abused and worked like we all do here.

The bugs need to be fixed, the SL's working perfectly and the limits raised before anything new is added if you ask me.


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## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

Bobman said:


> I think DirecTV is shooting themselves in the foot by waiting so long before this next update.


I think it depends. If at least some of the more serious bugs are fixed it'll be worth the wait. If we get another "general stability improved", and no one can see a difference, people are going to be royally pissed!


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## Clint Lamor (Nov 15, 2005)

Bobman said:


> I think DirecTV is shooting themselves in the foot by waiting so long before this next update. No matter how their internal Beta testers test the R-15, I would bet that none have 50 SL's, none are used 4-5-6 hours a day, none are abused and worked like we all do here.
> 
> The bugs need to be fixed, the SL's working perfectly and the limits raised before anything new is added if you ask me.


You honestly think they should release something that may have MORE bugs so that MORE people can come here and make nasty remarks about how unstable this or that is? NO THANK YOU.

I would much rather them wait an extra 2-3-4 for code that helps not hinders. Then again thats just my opinion.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Just from my own personal experience with software.

Thursday: Made a tiny fix to a program, which was only effecting a few of our stores... in a very specific combination... but it was a quick fix.

Pushed the updated version out to everyone (220 or so systems)
Found out about 30 minutes later... that the fix I made, exposed and broke a VITAL piece to the application, and in such a way the users where not getting error messages.

I ended up being at work till about 10pm Thursday, and very early friday trying to correct the damage.

Now... multiple that by how R15's are out there....

They are not going to push code out, until they are very confident that it at a minimum will not brake anything else... (also why they do the "roll" in the rollout)


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## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

Clint Lamor said:


> You honestly think they should release something that may have MORE bugs so that MORE people can come here and make nasty remarks about how unstable this or that is? NO THANK YOU.
> 
> I would much rather them wait an extra 2-3-4 for code that helps not hinders. Then again thats just my opinion.


Following a proper software development process (such as ISO/IEC 12207) problems such as you mention can be reduced if not completely eliminated. Maybe DTV has taken this approach now.


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## Clint Lamor (Nov 15, 2005)

Wolffpack said:


> Following a proper software development process (such as ISO/IEC 12207) problems such as you mention can be reduced if not completely eliminated. Maybe DTV has taken this approach now.


I truely hope they make the product better. I would rather wait a little longer and have things fixed then have an update every 3-4 weeks.


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## walters (Nov 18, 2005)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Just from my own personal experience with software.
> 
> Thursday: Made a tiny fix to a program, which was only effecting a few of our stores... in a very specific combination... but it was a quick fix.
> 
> ...


Stories like this make no sense to me. Does nobody else use formal processes? Regression test? Code review? No way could I ever ship a fix I made "on Thursday".


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## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

walters said:


> Stories like this make no sense to me. Does nobody else use formal processes? Regression test? Code review? No way could I ever ship a fix I made "on Thursday".


Real coders "test in production". :lol: Unfortunately they also tend to create more problems than they solve.

Sadly, I am all to familiar with the process Earl describes. It results from understaffed and underfunded IT departments. CEOs that demand something be fixed by EOD. Many times that doesn't lend itself to quality testing, but you need to do what you need to do.

Given that, when your roll out only effects a couple of hundred users in your company, that's one thing. When your roll out effects hundreds of thousands of retail customers of the self proclaimed HD Leader, that's completely different and you had better be following some established development and testing processes.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

walters said:


> Stories like this make no sense to me. Does nobody else use formal processes? Regression test? Code review? No way could I ever ship a fix I made "on Thursday".


Not really defending myself here... as it is a mistake that I don't normally make... But in my company (the new one I joined about 3 months ago)..

I am it.... I am the sole developer/prorammer for the company.
I wrote the piece of software from scratch... 
The bug was a so small, (I didn't re-initilize a connection from the new source).

Fixed THREE characters in the code.. 
Tested it, but did't go through the entire 22 hour test plan that we had for the product....

It happens... And I have been doing this from 10+ years and know better.
But when you have 75+ things on your plate, and you see this only takes 15 minutes to get off the plate........

Ultimately.. yep, it is my fault, and hense why I (no one else) had to forgo my evening, and my morning the next day..

"Formal" testing is really a myth in the enviornments I have worked in.
Even at my previous job, there was no budget or time allocated for true formallized methodical testing... The client wanted it now... we even got to the point we wrote it into the SOWs exactly what would be tested, and how long it will take... and they specificaly state.... No, cut that in half (or quarter)

It isn't an excuse for DirecTV and absolutley has no relation to them at all.... I know for a FACT they do do a lot more testing then any one here wants to believe.... you would be amazed at what they catch before the software is pushed out to us.

With the R15 you are looking at 10's if not 100's of thousands of customers.... 
You release something that brakes the vast majority of them......... not good.

I don't mind that they are taking longer, especiall with some of the details I know that I can't share yet.
When the next release comes out, there will be a short but good list of visible changes... but good amount is under the GUI stuff, directly related to the feedback and comments from this forum.


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## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

I do understand Earl and have been in your shoes as I mentioned above. I think, as I stated, some of us have been there but there's no way DTV should be working under this type of process on the R15.

As far as the timeframe to the next release. Here's my take. I don't mind it's taking longer. I do hope that translates to measurable bugs being fixed and better testing procedures. However, on the other hand, more and more time between updates could also indicate resources are being pulled from one project and assigned to another. This could be due to many reasons. Could be since Chase stated the R15 was debugged, there's a limited amount of funding available to fixes to the R15. Could be many other reasons.

Bottom line, I'm waiting for the next release and see what the real situation is. If there are bugs fixed, like the SL first run problem I saw in 10C0, then all will be happy in the world. If it's another release that "fixes general stability of the unit" or generates other problems, I doubt the R15 users here will be very happy. Time will tell in this matter. Although, if the next update isn't out by the end of July (remember this forum first reported 10B8 being released 04/11/06) I will be very concerned about ever receiving a future R15 update. We have to keep in mind that these updates are not to add functionality, they are to repair deficiencies in the original product that was released to the customer.


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## stuart628 (Jul 8, 2004)

well guys I am getting two r 15's on friday I am coming over from dishnetwork, and after reading this thread, am I going to like these machines, I am nervous they will have bugs like dish network recievers, I thought for the most part Directv had pretty solid recievers.


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## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

stuart628 said:


> well guys I am getting two r 15's on friday I am coming over from dishnetwork, and after reading this thread, am I going to like these machines, I am nervous they will have bugs like dish network recievers, I thought for the most part Directv had pretty solid recievers.


My PVR-510 was rock solid. Which ones did you have?


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## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

stuart628 said:


> well guys I am getting two r 15's on friday I am coming over from dishnetwork, and after reading this thread, am I going to like these machines, I am nervous they will have bugs like dish network recievers, I thought for the most part Directv had pretty solid recievers.


Welcome Stuart!!! :welcome_s

Will you be happy? Probably. The R15 does have it's problems, but it does have potential. Others may correct me, but I'd say I'm one of the hardest on the R15 and the fact DTV released it as an upgrade to the DTivo units. But I'm using my R15 in my office every day. For the shows I don't want to miss I leave those recordings to my DTivo units. You don't want to see a Wolff when he missed something like 24. Not pretty.

Keep your SLs to a minimum (less than 10 per machine), make any SL changes just before going to bed as the unit may hang and require a reset and at least once a week, when you're going to bed and nothing is scheduled to record that night, reset the unit. That should help keep you happy.

When you find something strange, come on back and ask.


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## BigApe (May 12, 2006)

Wolffpack said:


> just before going to bed as the unit may hang and require a reset and at least once a week, when you're going to bed and nothing is scheduled to record that night, reset the unit.


How long does the reset take? In otherwords, from button press to ready to watch/record?

Joe


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## jonaswan2 (Oct 29, 2005)

BigApe said:


> How long does the reset take? In otherwords, from button press to ready to watch/record?
> 
> Joe


5 min. tops, but it will take a day or two for the guide data to conpletely fill up.


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## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

If you reset when going to bed and place it in stand by at night, you've got quite a bit of the guide by the morning. I just reset tonight about 3 hours ago, my R15 has been in standby since then and my TODO list is populated out to 07/08/06 right now. That's not too bad.


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## Clint Lamor (Nov 15, 2005)

Wolffpack said:


> (remember this forum first reported 10B8 being released 04/11/06)


Also remember that those who got the release that early where also just very lucky much like yourself and the version you got that was being tested.


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## pentium101 (Nov 19, 2005)

TheTooleMan said:


> If you buy a TiVo at Circuit City, that's what is called a "stand-alone TiVo" which must be connected to a D* receiver, have its own TiVo subscription ($12.95/month) for scheduling, and will re-compress the video it records from the D* receiver, resulting in crappy-looking recordings. So don't do that!


Sorry If I wasn't clear, but I was referring to him going out and buying a new R15 instead of dealing with getting all of the refurbs.

As for the Tivo, he either could look for a R10 somewhere or try his luck on getting a good deal on Ebay.


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## stuart628 (Jul 8, 2004)

qwerty said:


> My PVR-510 was rock solid. Which ones did you have?


I had the 625, and 811 (then upgraded to the 411) thanks for the info wolf! I will see what I get from directv I ordered a r15 from valueelectronics, but its no promise what I get from directv themselves, alot of people have been getting R10's so we will see!


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## Bobman (Jan 3, 2006)

Part of my point was DirecTV got us used to getting "approx." monthly updates and enhancements. Sure they didnt fix a lot of things but it was something to look forward to and "hope" this release fixed one of your problems. Yeah we all complained when our problem wasnt fixed but it gave you something to look for and fool with for the next few weeks until the next update was released.

I am one of the biggest R-15 supporters around, next to Earl  of course, but its going on 7 months and its still crippled with the limits they never advertised, promised features (VOD, showcases, anything using the extra 60 gigs, etc...) are still not working and even the basics of a DVR are not reliable.

Who would have still bought the R-15 in the first place 7 months ago if they said there was a 50 SL limit (I had 110+ on my DirecTiVo), it would be 7+ months before the extra 60 gigs that some of us were all excited about would be made actives, no showcases (I used them every weekend on my DirecTiVo), etc...... I dont think I would have.


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## Wolffpack (Jul 29, 2003)

Clint Lamor said:


> Also remember that those who got the release that early where also just very lucky much like yourself and the version you got that was being tested.


Not quite. According to Earl's post (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=56291) 04/11/06 is when 10B8 started rolling out. I received 10B8 on 04/12/06. Sure it started in the West (which is where I live) and rolls out to the East. Just because it may take weeks for everyone to get an update doesn't mean 10B8 was released to only a lucky few.


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## TheTooleMan (Apr 9, 2006)

stuart628 said:


> well guys I am getting two r 15's on friday I am coming over from dishnetwork, and after reading this thread, am I going to like these machines, I am nervous they will have bugs like dish network recievers, I thought for the most part Directv had pretty solid recievers.


My advice: after your R15's are installed, they should download a new version of software from the satellite. When the new version is installed, do a "reset all" from the setup/info and test menu (I think that's where it is).

Background: the software update I received after using the R15 for a couple of months seemed to cause all sorts of problems. The "reset all" cured most of them. Unfortunately, it also wiped out all the contents of my 70% full hard drive. So do it first and avoid the pain.

Hope that helps!


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## mikewolf13 (Jan 31, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> They are not going to push code out, until they are very confident that it at a minimum will not brake anything else...
> 
> 
> > I am sure 9 months ago, you have also said they wouldn't push a product out that 7 months later still could not reliably perform it's basic functions.
> ...


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

You probably right...

But none the less... lessons have been learned, and hopefully those lessons are being applied.


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## Clint Lamor (Nov 15, 2005)

Wolffpack said:


> Not quite. According to Earl's post (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=56291) 04/11/06 is when 10B8 started rolling out. I received 10B8 on 04/12/06. Sure it started in the West (which is where I live) and rolls out to the East. Just because it may take weeks for everyone to get an update doesn't mean 10B8 was released to only a lucky few.


If you actually look a little further down the page he stated it was an EXTREMELY limited release and those who got it where inthe right place at the righ time.

Here is the link : http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=564020&postcount=13

Even further in on the 26th he stated it finally has started full release.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=571862&postcount=153


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## stuart628 (Jul 8, 2004)

well friday is my install date, I know for sure I will be getting one R15(from valueelectronics), when you order from directv its not promised(I have ordered one free from directv)! are they still sending out R10's? that would be fantastic, as I would put the tivo in the living room (my shows) and the R15 in the bedroom (wifes shows) that way if the R15 missed a showing no sweat! also are people able to call in if they have the protection plan through directv and request if they want a machine that has tivo if they dont like the R15?


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## PlanetBill (May 8, 2006)

stuart628 said:


> I would put the tivo in the living room (my shows) and the R15 in the bedroom (wifes shows) that way if the R15 missed a showing no sweat!


Where can I order a wife like that?


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## Mr2sday (Mar 31, 2006)

If D* didn't put out it's own DVR when it did I doubt they would have gotten a renew from Tivo. Tivo had a strangle hold on D* and I would imagine asked for a pretty penny to renew their partnership. Pending lawsuits didn't look nice either. But when D* put out it's own DVR, tivo had much less leverage and may have taken a significantly less amount of money. And if my R15 in my garage has anything to do with my H10-250 getting 6.x software, I'm all for the whole thing.

I also think that if D* knew they'd be patching the R15 up 9 months later they would have kept it in-house longer. I'm sure they don't like this almost as much as we don't.

All just speculation of course.


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## mikewolf13 (Jan 31, 2006)

Mr2sday said:


> If D* didn't put out it's own DVR when it did I doubt they would have gotten a renew from Tivo. Tivo had a strangle hold on D* and I would imagine asked for a pretty penny to renew their partnership. Pending lawsuits didn't look nice either. But when D* put out it's own DVR, tivo had much less leverage and may have taken a significantly less amount of money. And if my R15 in my garage has anything to do with my H10-250 getting 6.x software, I'm all for the whole thing.
> 
> I also think that if D* knew they'd be patching the R15 up 9 months later they would have kept it in-house longer. I'm sure they don't like this almost as much as we don't.
> 
> All just speculation of course.


The major fallacy in your theory, is that DTV needs TIvo more than TIVO needed DTV.

Tivo certainly did not have the negotiating power in this relationship. Their only leverage was the pending lawsuit and agreeing not to pursue patent infringment (except in limited circumstances).

DTV announced long ago their plan to brand their own DVR and leave TIvo out cold...not because the relationship with Tivo was so expensive ($l/month royalty), but because they would rather pocket that $1 and control all the software/hardware features....etc.

DTV crippled the functionality of the DTivos for years not the other way around. THey did so , becaue they do not want a competing product with comparable features.

The R15 is not just a negotiating tactic. It's the first step in DTV next generatinon of products.

The reason why your HD DTIVO may get 6.x is really an interesting mystery (good faith gesture?).


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## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

mikewolf13 said:


> The R15 is not just a negotiating tactic. It's the first step in DTV next generatinon of products.


I think they should have expanded the gene pool on the "next generation". Inbreeding is evident. :lol:


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