# R15-100 Model Owners



## dsstalkcom (Oct 14, 2006)

ok, please share the good, the bad, the ugly of this new R15-100 model. just got 2 R15-100 for 2 days so far.

good:
nice front panel color lights
faster menus
faster reboot and acquiring signal

bad:
no season pass
search feature is terrible compare to before
menus are more difficult and less intuitive
remote buttons are smaller

other comments:
how come none of the DVRs has component. only have S-Video?
first time i plug these in, it only detected 1 tuner and failed on the other. CSR could not help and didnt know the problem. took awhile, but i hit the red reset button and it picked up both tuners ok. what the hell!!! who QAed this stuff before it got released!


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## BattleScott (Aug 29, 2006)

Since you referenced the 'Season Pass', you must have been using TiVo prior to getting the R15.

1) The 'Season Pass' is now called a 'Series Link'. You can set one by simply perssing the record button twice on the program in the Guide, or through the menus if you want to specify additonal commands like recording extra time.

2) Not a big user of the search, so i won't comment on that.

3) I thought the same thing about the menus after the switch. But after a few weeks of use, I came to prefer the R15s user interface to TiVos. (Many others posted the same here as well)

4) Remote (RC23) buttons seem similar to the TiVo peanut. 

As for the 2nd tuner issue, intitially only the first tuner is enabled for install until they activate the unit. Then the second tuner is activated. 
All, I can say is 'get used to doing the 'Red Button Reset'.


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## d0ug (Mar 22, 2006)

Can anyone post pics of the 100? I have yet to see one.


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## BattleScott (Aug 29, 2006)

d0ug said:


> Can anyone post pics of the 100? I have yet to see one.


Front and back image here on page 2 by DishNet520: Looks the same as the 500.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=65490


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## dsstalkcom (Oct 14, 2006)

BattleScott said:


> Since you referenced the 'Season Pass', you must have been using TiVo prior to getting the R15.
> 
> 1) The 'Season Pass' is now called a 'Series Link'. You can set one by simply perssing the record button twice on the program in the Guide, or through the menus if you want to specify additonal commands like recording extra time.
> 
> ...


oh thanks for the series link shortcut. so pressing the record button twice. my dad will have to learn this. he was used to the old setup.

after 4 days of playing with it, i am getting used to it. the search by Title is similar to the older units. so ok there.

the text of the menu overall looks kind of small compare to the Tivos. my 4 yr old was used to playing her kids show from the old menu. i guess i have to slowly teach her on this new menu.

i dont have a problem learning the new menus. i just thought it is not as intuitive for people who are not tech savy, such as my dad and wife. i think my 4 yr old will probably learn faster.


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## whynot83706 (Jul 27, 2006)

BattleScott said:


> Front and back image here on page 2 by DishNet520: Looks the same as the 500.
> 
> http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=65490


So new R15-100 is bigger than R15-300......how they compare to R15-500?


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## BattleScott (Aug 29, 2006)

whynot83706 said:


> So new R15-100 is bigger than R15-300......how they compare to R15-500?


The 500 is identical to the 100. Physically anyways...


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## dsstalkcom (Oct 14, 2006)

yesterday, my R15 just went blank while trying to play a show that was currently being record..

i could not play any other channels or anything on the list after that. all is blank. strange.

so i hit the magic button by the card. and all came back to normal.

technically this is the 2nd time i had to hit that red button. the first time was to activate the unit with DTV CSR. :lol:


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## walters (Nov 18, 2005)

Yep, they violated a cardinal rule of good user interface design: they hid the most common feature behind a door.


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## dsstalkcom (Oct 14, 2006)

i hope this is not like Micrsoft Windows 95 or 98, where we constantly hit the "Ctrl + Alt + Del"

why did DTV move away from the Tivo stuff? i think we all agree that Tivo stuff is more reliable and stable.


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## cabanaboy1977 (Nov 16, 2005)

walters said:


> Yep, they violated a cardinal rule of good user interface design: they hid the most common feature behind a door.


For me that's a good thing. The little one is always pushing buttons, I'd hate for her to be hitting the reset button all the time. I already have an issue with one of my PC's that she is always turning of. It turns off as soon as you hit the power button (it doesn't have the hold in protection, but I'm sure she'd hold it in and turn it off too)


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## Clint Lamor (Nov 15, 2005)

dsstalkcom said:


> i hope this is not like Micrsoft Windows 95 or 98, where we constantly hit the "Ctrl + Alt + Del"
> 
> why did DTV move away from the Tivo stuff? i think we all agree that Tivo stuff is more reliable and stable.


There are many speculated reasons for the breakup. Some think it's money, some think it's egos. Some think it's all DTVs fault.

I tend to think it's a litte of the first two I mentioned.


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## dsstalkcom (Oct 14, 2006)

questions

are there two types of updates? one is a software update and the other is a firmware update?


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## Lantian (Aug 26, 2006)

dtv didn't wanna keep paying royalties


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

dsstalkcom said:


> questions
> 
> are there two types of updates? one is a software update and the other is a firmware update?


Software = Firmware, with reference to the R15/HR20


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## Rhoq (Apr 27, 2006)

dsstalkcom said:


> yesterday, my R15 just went blank while trying to play a show that was currently being record..
> 
> i could not play any other channels or anything on the list after that. all is blank. strange.
> 
> ...


Same thing happened on my R15-500 last week. I, too, was watching a program that was currently being recorded and everything went black. Nothing in "My VOD" would play and all of the guide listings were "To Be Announced". I really didn't want to reset, so instead, I decided to try stopping the recording and everything returned to normal.


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## marybeth (Oct 17, 2006)

dsstalkcom said:


> i dont have a problem learning the new menus. i just thought it is not as intuitive for people who are not tech savy, such as my dad and wife. i think my 4 yr old will probably learn faster.


Hi All,

Newbie here and recent DTV convert. Just switched several days ago from Comcast/TWC to DTV. This is a great forum! I've been picking up a few pointers on my new DVR box R15-100 and DTV in general.

I'd have to agree so far that the interface is not as intuitive as my old Comcast service. My parents are going to be staying with me for several months and I'm a bit worried they might have a little trouble picking it up. I've been setting up the customized menu for them to try and make it easier.

One problem I am having...how do I start recorded programs from the beginning after I've already started watching them? I read on another thread to hold down the Jump Back key for three seconds, but it doesn't seem to work, any suggestions?

Thanks everybody!
MB


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## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

I think that only works with the live buffer.
Hold the slip button for a couple seconds to get close to the end, hit it again to get to the end, then start it over. A PITA, yes. I miss the "start from beginning" feature from my Dish box.


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## marybeth (Oct 17, 2006)

qwerty said:


> I think that only works with the live buffer.
> Hold the slip button for a couple seconds to get close to the end, hit it again to get to the end, then start it over. A PITA, yes. I miss the "start from beginning" feature from my Dish box.


hi qwerty,

thanks for the suggestion, i will try that.

mb


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## dsstalkcom (Oct 14, 2006)

anybody know when the next firmware update will be for the R15-100?

so far its 0x1022


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

dsstalkcom said:


> anybody know when the next firmware update will be for the R15-100?
> 
> so far its 0x1022


There is no set date yet.


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## tonyb48 (Oct 19, 2006)

I just got a new R15-100 "upgrade". 2 Problems: 1. "Season Pass" is implemented by clicking the "R" button twice on a selected series episode. This feature fails frequently. CSR's report other customers complain as well. In fact, they say they have experienced the problem themselves. Anyone know alternatives? 2. With the old box, one could program the remote to invoke a 30-second skip. Is there a similar programming sequence for the R15-100? Thanks for any help. Tony


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## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

Find an episode in the guide, hit info, select record, hit the green button to get to the SL tab.

:welcome_s


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

tonyb48 said:


> I just got a new R15-100 "upgrade". 2 Problems: 1. "Season Pass" is implemented by clicking the "R" button twice on a selected series episode. This feature fails frequently. CSR's report other customers complain as well. In fact, they say they have experienced the problem themselves. Anyone know alternatives?


If you have already set a series link, then you can't set another one for the same show. You have to delete it first. You can set an individual showing to record, and a work around would also be to set up a recurring manual recording.



tonyb48 said:


> 2. With the old box, one could program the remote to invoke a 30-second skip. Is there a similar programming sequence for the R15-100? Thanks for any help. Tony


There is a 30 second "slip" already integrated into the R15. Simply press the skip forward button (clockwise arrow to the right of the stop button). You can do multiple presses for multiple 30 second slips.

Carl


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