# Dod - Not Worth It!



## SteelersFan (Nov 5, 2006)

Okay, I've come to the conclusion that DOD, even in the Beta stages, is just not worth it. In fact, the newly purchased wireless adapter to network the HR20 was going back to the store if I didn't like the networking function in general. My main gripes with DOD, in its current state are as follows:

1. The interface is poor. Even though the offerings can be filtered, the categories contain so many shows it's a task to sort through it. Date of release would be a nice addition or some other sortable options. 

2. The good movies, even those that have been on subscriber channels before (e.g., HBO, showtime), cost money to watch. I can understand that I would have to pay to rent certain movies from say, Blockbuster. But these movies have all been on the pay channels for some time now (some of the movies are 20 years old I think). I shouldn't have to spend $2.99 to watch Forest Gump or Steamboat Willy.

3. The pay-per-view channels cost the original fee with a downgrade in quality. It makes no sense to pay for the pay-per-view channels with DOD if they are available on the 100's. The quality just isn't comparable. In fact, the quality of most of the shows on DOD are a grade less than SD. The technology here actually took a step back to my TRS-80 days.

4. It's easily forgetable. Here's how the process will work. You'll go through the regular Guide and look for something to watch. Chances are you'll find something out of the 10000 shows in the regular guide to watch. If you don't, however, and you decide to go to DOD, chances are you won't find something there either. And if you do, are you really go to pay to watch it if it's a movie. Probably not. And by the time you're done sorting through the DOD guide, a program that you did want to watch will be on the regular guide. 

5. It's SLLLLOOOOWWWW. I have a high speed connection of about 2.5 down. It still takes a long time to d/l a movie. I could drive to the local Blockbuster, rent the movie, watch it, drive back, pick up my dry cleaning and get back home in time to just see the amount downloaded change to 61%. Sure I can start watching it right away, but if it's in HD, forget it. I guess this is a function of utilizing the ethernet instead of the satellite itself (if this is even a possibility).

6. It's buggy. Sure Beta is beta. But I can't seem to watch other recorded shows while d/l a show from DOD. Just won't let me. I get a black screen. Go figure. 

7. The sound sucks. Picture an 8-track player along side your HR20 playing a show from DOD. The 8-track wins by a mile. I can impersonate the actors from the movie and sound better than the DOD movie itself.

Well there's my gripes. I realize that DOD is a work in process and any technology as far as the HR20 is concerned is worthwhile. This particular item thought needs a lot of work. But the price is right I guess.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

I tried it for a while, I can't disagree with most of the points made. It will have its niche market for those who want a missed or specific event. I can't really comment on its current state because I haven't attempted to use it since a couple weeks after its release.


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## davring (Jan 13, 2007)

It is Beta and has improved over the past weeks. You stated it is not worth it, last I knew it was free.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

I think the OP was referring to the time investment as opposed to the monetary.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

armophob said:


> I think the OP was referring to the time investment as opposed to the monetary.


"The good movies, even those that have been on subscriber channels before (e.g., HBO, showtime), cost money to watch. "
Sort of suggests monetary, doesn't it?
A 2.5 Mb/s connection [at full speed/time] would download almost real time for SD, so unless the rental store is next door, VOD would be faster.
As for content, Network TV, premium movie channels, you name it, all have little "new".
This isn't a defense of VOD, but more just a comment.


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## BobCA (Sep 3, 2002)

veryoldschool said:


> A 2.5 Mb/s connection [at full speed/time] would download almost real time for SD, so unless the rental store is next door, VOD would be faster. .


I have only had DoD for three days and have 3 Mb/s DSL (which in reality runs at 2.6 Mb/s). It took 1 hour and 20 minutes to download a 1 hour SD program.

I read a few days ago that AT&T (SBC) is increasing the rates on its DSL PRO service by $5.00 (to $30.00) in most of it's service areas next month. However, it's Elite DSL service (6 Mb/s) will remain $34.99. So, the difference between 3Mb/s and 6 Mb/s is just 5 bucks. I ordered the upgrade this morning. Needless to say, I am hoping this will double my download speed for DoD.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

veryoldschool said:


> "The good movies, even those that have been on subscriber channels before (e.g., HBO, showtime), cost money to watch. "
> Sort of suggests monetary, doesn't it?
> A 2.5 Mb/s connection [at full speed/time] would download almost real time for SD, so unless the rental store is next door, VOD would be faster.
> As for content, Network TV, premium movie channels, you name it, all have little "new".
> This isn't a defense of VOD, but more just a comment.


True, I was just commenting on his last line _"This particular item thought needs a lot of work. But the price is right I guess."_


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## HfreaknD (Jan 13, 2008)

Can anyone explain why the programs you d/l on DoD are only good for a certain time? Why would D* care how long you keep the show. There is no time limit on non-DOD stuff.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

BobCA said:


> I have only had DoD for three days and have 3 Mb/s DSL (which in reality runs at 2.6 Mb/s). It took 1 hour and 20 minutes to download a 1 hour SD program.
> 
> I read a few days ago that AT&T (SBC) is increasing the rates on its DSL PRO service by $5.00 (to $30.00) in most of it's service areas next month. However, it's Elite DSL service (6 Mb/s) will remain $34.99. So, the difference between 3Mb/s and 6 Mb/s is just 5 bucks. I ordered the upgrade this morning. Needless to say, I am hoping this will double my download speed for DoD.


I had a 3 Mb/s cable service, but on a "bad day" [weekend] would only give it to me 10% of the time.
Changed to AT&T DSL 6 Mb/s [which is $5/month cheaper] and it tests out @ 5 Mb/s. While this still is a bit slow for HD, it's faster than 1:1 for SD and is consistent.


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## armophob (Nov 13, 2006)

BobCA said:


> I read a few days ago that AT&T (SBC) is increasing the rates on its DSL


Ever heard the theory that stores slowly raise prices to make savings look better? From the inside I can tell you AT&T is about to mass dump Uverse bundling onto the market and offer dsl with tv at a bundled rate.


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## bwaldron (Oct 24, 2005)

HfreaknD said:


> Can anyone explain why the programs you d/l on DoD are only good for a certain time? Why would D* care how long you keep the show. There is no time limit on non-DOD stuff.


DirecTV doesn't care, most likely. But the content providers do.


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## harleylay1 (Nov 22, 2006)

Dod sucks you got to be a subscriber to channels just to get decent movies.


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## McCoyRJ (May 21, 2007)

I agree with everything the OP says.


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## mikbro (Nov 9, 2007)

Having just got DoD enabled, I have to say I am pleasantly surprised...

After a lot of the bashing I have seen here and my experience with Comcast DoD (and briefly with Dish OnDemand) here are my $.02...



SteelersFan said:


> Okay, I've come to the conclusion that DOD, even in the Beta stages, is just not worth it. In fact, the newly purchased wireless adapter to network the HR20 was going back to the store if I didn't like the networking function in general. My main gripes with DOD, in its current state are as follows:
> 
> 1. The interface is poor. Even though the offerings can be filtered, the categories contain so many shows it's a task to sort through it. Date of release would be a nice addition or some other sortable options.
> .


Interface seemed pretty logical to me, but then I am looking pretty much by channel. Still worlds better than Comcast and DishOnDemand.



SteelersFan said:


> 2. The good movies, even those that have been on subscriber channels before (e.g., HBO, showtime), cost money to watch. I can understand that I would have to pay to rent certain movies from say, Blockbuster. But these movies have all been on the pay channels for some time now (some of the movies are 20 years old I think). I shouldn't have to spend $2.99 to watch Forest Gump or Steamboat Willy.


I saw quite a few movies, but I won't bother w/movies as I don't watch any movie unless it is in HD or at least a DVD for PQ reasons.



SteelersFan said:


> 3. The pay-per-view channels cost the original fee with a downgrade in quality. It makes no sense to pay for the pay-per-view channels with DOD if they are available on the 100's. The quality just isn't comparable. In fact, the quality of most of the shows on DOD are a grade less than SD. The technology here actually took a step back to my TRS-80 days.


Again - see Comcast OnDemand and DishOndemand and my quote above (I won't be watching any non HD PPV, ondemand or otherwise).



SteelersFan said:


> 4. It's easily forgetable. Here's how the process will work. You'll go through the regular Guide and look for something to watch. Chances are you'll find something out of the 10000 shows in the regular guide to watch. If you don't, however, and you decide to go to DOD, chances are you won't find something there either. And if you do, are you really go to pay to watch it if it's a movie. Probably not. And by the time you're done sorting through the DOD guide, a program that you did want to watch will be on the regular guide.


I found a bunch of stuff the first day I looked... some good stuff on HGTV, back episodes of Dexter (that were much better PQ than I expected based on the comments on this forum).



SteelersFan said:


> 5. It's SLLLLOOOOWWWW. I have a high speed connection of about 2.5 down. It still takes a long time to d/l a movie. I could drive to the local Blockbuster, rent the movie, watch it, drive back, pick up my dry cleaning and get back home in time to just see the amount downloaded change to 61%. Sure I can start watching it right away, but if it's in HD, forget it. I guess this is a function of utilizing the ethernet instead of the satellite itself (if this is even a possibility).


DoD definitely won't be for everyone because of this... I think DirecTV has gotten themselves in a bit of a pickle customer support wise because they have no control over the internet connection quality or home networking setup.

Keep in mind - once the bugs are worked out you should be able to start watching a show within a few minutes of it starting to download, instantly if you have a good enough connection (+3mb).



SteelersFan said:


> 6. It's buggy. Sure Beta is beta. But I can't seem to watch other recorded shows while d/l a show from DOD. Just won't let me. I get a black screen. Go figure.


This is a bug, at least in the latest CE for my reciever... it shouldn't work this way obviously and it will get fixed.



SteelersFan said:


> 7. The sound sucks. Picture an 8-track player along side your HR20 playing a show from DOD. The 8-track wins by a mile. I can impersonate the actors from the movie and sound better than the DOD movie itself.


I must be lucky, because all that I have watched looked and sounded as good as the SD channels and in the case of Dexter on SHO, much better than SD (not as good as HD though of course).


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## timmmaaayyy2003 (Jan 27, 2008)

HfreaknD said:


> Can anyone explain why the programs you d/l on DoD are only good for a certain time? Why would D* care how long you keep the show. There is no time limit on non-DOD stuff.


One word: Licensing


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## Mykroft (Aug 27, 2007)

SteelersFan said:


> 5. It's SLLLLOOOOWWWW. I have a high speed connection of about 2.5 down. It still takes a long time to d/l a movie. I could drive to the local Blockbuster, rent the movie, watch it, drive back, pick up my dry cleaning and get back home in time to just see the amount downloaded change to 61%. Sure I can start watching it right away, but if it's in HD, forget it. I guess this is a function of utilizing the ethernet instead of the satellite itself (if this is even a possibility).


I pretty much agree with everything you pointed out here. However, it's still in a testing phase. I think once they really gear it up, the content will be much better.

And as far as your connection, you've only got a 2.5 Mbit downstream connection, that's fast, but alot of cable subscribers, like myself, have 15 Mbit downstream. Movies I download on DoD complete alot quicker and is not as annoying. So, obviously, your results will vary widely based on your connection, which DirecTV has no control over.


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## Splendor (Apr 17, 2007)

So far, I've seen about 2 things worth watching on DoD...it's pretty worthless at this point.


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## doctahg (Nov 22, 2007)

Time limit on Downloads...
There's no time limit if you record in the 100's, but a movie from DOD has a 24hr window? Strange...


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## sunking (Feb 17, 2004)

davring said:


> It is Beta and has improved over the past weeks. You stated it is not worth it, last I knew it was free.


Nothing from D* is free, unless you never get a bill. The money and time spent working on DoD could have been spent giving us other 'free' stuff that someone else might prefer. Not picking sides, just saying is all...


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## sunking (Feb 17, 2004)

timmmaaayyy2003 said:


> One word: Licensing


I think that D* simply doesn't want to be flooded by everyone under the sun downloading crap just because they can and may or may not eventually watch.


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## on7green (Oct 29, 2007)

I pretty much limit DoD downloads to Turner Classic Movies 1256. Can make for a nice collection of older movies.


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## steevew6 (Sep 21, 2007)

on7green said:


> I pretty much limit DoD downloads to Turner Classic Movies 1256. Can make for a nice collection of older movies.


TCM 1256 is my fave so far......looking forward to seeing PBS and their awesome library !!


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## rkreitl (Aug 24, 2007)

I agree with most all points the OP has made.

All HD programming has $ by it as do many movies that have been/are being aired on the premium channels (which I already receive). If a movie is on HBO right now (but not airing) and I already pay for HBO, why do I have to pay to get it through DOD?

I know this is in Beta, but hasn't it been in Beta for months now?

I guess other than the fact that you have to pay for 1/3 of the movies, my biggest gripe is the lack of organization of the "list". You go to look for a movie, or a TV Series and you always have to start at the top and page through 100s of choices. I haven't tried it for about a month but was sick yesterday so I thought I'd try it again. What a complete waste of time. It was easier for me to use the guide to record shows coming up throughout the day than it was to navigate through a such a huge list.


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## gteach26 (May 15, 2007)

I LOVE Directv.. but I've gotta agree 100% with the the OP. This Beta plan needs to become a much better Alpha before I start using it regularly -- I'm trying to like VOD but it just doesn't fit in well with me yet.

Example, my daughter wants to watch Grease.. I do a search and it's on later this month on a regular pay channel.. but. kids being kids, she wants to watch it now.. "PLLLLEEEEAAAASSSSEEE daddy...." My search results tell me the movie is available on VOD!! GREAT!!!! 

Not.

This 30 YEAR OLD MOVIE movie costs $2.99 AND there's no "on demand" about it -- by the time the thing downloads to watchable status the "Grease mood" has long-gone (this on a 3.0 mbps dsl internet conenction)... AND they give me a 24 hour watching time limit to boot??? You mean once I hit "play" I can only watch the thing for 24 hours before it disappears? Heck I have Gladiator PERMENANTLY recorded on my DVR from MaxHD so that I can see the amazing gladiator battles in glorious HD whenever I feel like it. Guess I can't do the "grease lightning thing" whenever I want to with VOD, huh? Why can't I keep it on my HR20's hard drive until I feel like deleting it? 

Nope, VOD is not for me yet. 

IMO VOD needs LOTS of work to become alpha. If they can ever make this a true on demand service via satellite then this would SIZZLE!!! I can imagine one day sitting infront of the TV and wanting to watch the Gilligan's island episode where "ghosts" invade the island, or I'm in the mood to see the original season finale of Survivor season one, or the "Who shot JR" episdoe of Dallas, whatever -- I click on VOD, find that episode and VOILA!!! THAT would be VOD I can cheer for.

It seems like that is years away -- if it'll ever be possible.

For now I'll stick to my HD channels and watch what's available there... 

"Hey daughter, instead of Grease, how about Pirates of the Carribean on Starz HD????" "No Daddy, the octopus man is scary and ugly!!!"

Oh well.....


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## ub1934 (Dec 30, 2005)

DOD way to slow & i am running @ apx. 7.4 down with Earthlink high speed cable. It took over one hour to DL a 1:34 movie & this was hard wired right to the modem.


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

ub1934 said:


> DOD way to slow & i am running @ apx. 7.4 down with Earthlink high speed cable. It took over one hour to DL a 1:34 movie & this was hard wired right to the modem.


I'm not sure why you would consider that slow. An hour to download a 1:34 movie means you can watch it in real time and basically simulate cable VOD.


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## ub1934 (Dec 30, 2005)

raott said:


> I'm not sure why you would consider that slow. An hour to download a 1:34 movie means you can watch it in real time and basically simulate cable VOD.


It also was a PIA to reset my computer after it would not log on to my home IP , had to disconnect my HR 20-700 and put my home IP address back in .
Should i have changed the IP address on the HR 20 to the same as mine or do i just go with what they list on the HR 20 ?


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## BubblePuppy (Nov 3, 2006)

If my memory serves me correctly all of Comcast's VOD whether it was free movies,free network shows or PPV had a 24 hour time limit.
A lot of D*'s VOD have a whole month or more before the download expires except for the PPV VOD. I have movies that I have downloaded from some of the premium channels ( free and not from any PPV) that I have downloaded 3 to 5 days ago that are still there. I downloaded several shows from Animal Planet, Food Channel etc, and had several weeks before those shows would expire. Further more I'm not sure those type of shows actually expire or that the dates shown are the availability expiration dates. 

I actually like it...it's a nice alternative when there isn't anything on the regular offerings that I am interested in. Download times seem to be about 1-3 percent per minute but some have downloaded as fast as 3-4 percent per minute.


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## bowels (Mar 1, 2008)

I mostly agree with the OP and with the comments added throughout the thread.

Here is what should be changed to give the service value:

1. An effort should be made to not offer programming on DOD that is concurrently (the same day, week, or month) available elsewhere on DirecTV. If people see the same old crap on DOD that is elsewhere in the guide, they will be turned off right away and might not ever look at DOD again.

2. DOD should offer niche programming not available elsewhere. For example, TV series not available on DVD or in syndication. Or, other programming exclusives. DOD should not be marketed as a DVD rental replacement service, since PPV and Premium channels already do this with much better quality and terms. DOD is not 'instant-enough' to warrant a premium charge for the 'on-demand' aspect of the service.

3. The 24 hour window has to go. If it stays, the service will never take off. Ideally, there should be no window, but the shortest the window should be is 30 days. The 24 hour window is a bonus on PPV channels, because the content can be saved to the DVR. It is a negative with DOD because it is nothing but an exceedingly short expiration date.


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## munangst (Sep 1, 2006)

The fundamental issue with DOD comes down to content: having interesting content there and being able to find it. Obviously D* is probably limited in the content they can offer to what the various channels and networks provide. However, the user interface has a way to go before it's usable.

One example is the lack of nested menus. When you go into a category, there is no additional grouping for multiple episodes of the same show. Why should I have to scroll past 5 or 10 episodes of a particular program? The list should just have one line for each series, and on selecting it, you should get a menu of episodes that are available. (This is how Comcast's interface works, and it makes much more sense than putting them all together in the top-level list of programs.)

Another example is the fact that the UI doesn't provide any way to hide programs that are on a premium channel you don't subscribe to. I don't care how many movies are on TMC On Demand, I'm not going to add it to my package, so don't force me to scroll through pages and pages of movies that are only available to TMC subscribers. Either don't show them at all, or at least show them in a different color (the way the guide now shows channels you don't receive) so I can tell which movies I can actually watch.

Regarding the bandwidth issue, there is no reason why SD shows (and even HD content) shouldn't be downloadable in realtime by most customers with normal speed DSL or cable. SD resolution content encoded with the DivX/XviD codec (which is MPEG-4 ASP) is about 1.2 Mbps. Full 720p content encoded with the H.264 codec (MPEG-4 AVC, the same codec used by D* for their MPEG-4 HD channels) is about 3.6 Mbps when you download it from Bittorrent, and about 1.5 Mbps when you download it from the iTunes music store. I'd expect that anyone with 1.5 Mbps DSL or faster should be able to download SD content in realtime (and HD if they compress it pretty tightly), and anyone with 4-5 Mbps DSL/cable or faster should be able to download HD content in realtime. This assumes, of course, that D* has enough bandwidth at their end. I wouldn't be surprised if they are throttling downloads to realtime, or only a little faster, so they can serve more simultaneous download streams.


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