# What I'd like to see in 2013 from D*



## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

1. Fix the damned Channels I Get!

2. Make the external HD an add-on instead of replacing the internal HD.

3. AND make it tied to the account and not to the receiver. The usefulness of the external HD is dramatically reduced when you know that if the receiver craps out, you lose all the recordings.

4. And while we're at it, make it work with USB. No real reason not to, and it was reported in a few forums that it did work at least for awhile.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

Backing up series links to a USB key would be a good use for that, especially if the external hard drive is an extension, and the series links are still internal.


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

Backing up the series link to a USB stick would be very nice. I know that I have 40+ of them on the 2 HR24s I have in my main viewing area and don't look forward to recreating them on a new box should one be needed.

Frankly because I can't do that now is one of the reasons I haven't switched to an HR34.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

Make a Recently Deleted folder for the Playlist. Hold recordings in there for 24 hours after they are deleted.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

lparsons21 said:


> Backing up the series link to a USB stick would be very nice. I know that I have 40+ of them on the 2 HR24s I have in my main viewing area and don't look forward to recreating them on a new box should one be needed.
> 
> Frankly because I can't do that now is one of the reasons I haven't switched to an HR34.


If your HR craps out, your series links remain on the HDD. If you're using an external or have replaced your internal drive, putting the same HDD on another HR still leaves you with your SLs. Still would be nice to be able to use any HR to view content on any HDD within an account. But, we've been asking for that for years and nobody at D* seems to care.

Rich


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## kevinwmsn (Aug 19, 2006)

Backing up a custom favorites list would be nice too.
I would like to see them finish CIG. The 600s, 700s needs to be fixed. I thought most of 200-400 and the 500s were pretty close.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Same thing as 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006....

Archiving of recorded content.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

- Either get MediaShare working and get rid of the beta label or dump it.
- Roll out the TVApps replacement. DIRECTV got rid of the web site and developers have stopped writing for it.
- Allow for multiple HR34's on an account
- Make TV Everywhere really everywhere, not only when you're on your home network
- Make remote scheduling two way/interactive so you can see if a recording will really happen and not just hope it does


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## jdspencer (Nov 8, 2003)

lparsons21 said:


> 1. Fix the damned Channels I Get!
> 
> 2. Make the external HD an add-on instead of replacing the internal HD.
> 
> ...





dpeters11 said:


> Backing up series links to a USB key would be a good use for that, especially if the external hard drive is an extension, and the series links are still internal.


I like all of these.
And while we're at it why not backup the series links to a Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive. Of course, you'd have to have your DVR networked.


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## TheRatPatrol (Oct 1, 2003)

I agree with everything said so far, but also add:

A one button PIP on/off toggle for the HR34. The current implementation is way too many button presses.

Bring back the color buttons.

An 8 tuner HMC.


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## Diana C (Mar 30, 2007)

An option for cloud storage could solve a lot of the issues mentioned above. If you could upload selected recordings to a DirecTV server, and then restore them to any DVR on your account that would satisfy a good portion of the external hard drive requests. Cloud storage for the Nomad would also be cool (allowing you to reload your device when away from home).

This could even be a revenue source for DirecTV - subscribers might get, say, 300 GB for free, with additional storage available for purchase/rental.


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

The biggest problem with cloud storage is the time it would take to upload to the cloud. 300Gb of uploads would take an enormous amount of time for most of us I suspect.


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## dconfer (Nov 18, 2005)

How about getting the apps out for andriod so we can use our Nomads.


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## mrdobolina (Aug 28, 2006)

Diana C said:


> An option for cloud storage could solve a lot of the issues mentioned above. If you could upload selected recordings to a DirecTV server, and then restore them to any DVR on your account that would satisfy a good portion of the external hard drive requests. Cloud storage for the Nomad would also be cool (allowing you to reload your device when away from home).
> 
> This could even be a revenue source for DirecTV - subscribers might get, say, 300 GB for free, with additional storage available for purchase/rental.


I thought of a different implementation of this idea: Say for "On Demand" movies they have options to "rent" for $4.99 or to "Buy" for $19.99 (or whatever price makes sense). If you buy it, it's stored on your local hard drive for play whenever you want, but if said receiver goes bad it doesn't matter: DirecTV knows you bought it and you can re-download it to your new receiver. This way, DTV only has to keep 1 "copy" on their servers instead of allocating GBs for each person that wants to store their movie library via their cloud. Couple this with the ability to port external hard drives between receivers within an account, and you have a good way for customers to both archive their shows AND build a digital movie library. Side effect for DirecTV is an additional revenue stream and a decrease in churn (Because once you leave DTV, your movie & archive access dies).


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## gcd0865 (Jul 23, 2008)

(1) Some way, any way, to manually add OTA stations (including subchannels) into the AM21's saved channel listing as you rotate your outside antenna among multiple directions.
(2) Some way, any way, for the on-screen guide to display programming data for manually-added OTA stations.
(3) Add satellite delivery of "significantly viewed" adjacent market stations that match local cable company offerings.


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## 242424 (Mar 22, 2012)

A way to go back, download and lock in a stable software so it's never changed again......


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

lparsons21 said:


> The biggest problem with cloud storage is the time it would take to upload to the cloud. 300Gb of uploads would take an enormous amount of time for most of us I suspect.


Not if it were run on the iTunes Match model. There, their server checks certain data points, but doesn't actually upload your file; it already has it. So you, and thousands of other fee paying cloud storers can download that file any old time. Still, that'd mean practically that DIRECTV® archives every single show it has ever aired.... way more than the bulk of MP3 songs that Apple holds. What's a thousand Terrabytes? A sh**load of storage, but how many of those would be needed??


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## wrj (Nov 23, 2006)

Restore functionality of being able to control a recorded show in PIG while viewing the Guide. They had this feature for a short time and then dropped it.


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## JosephB (Nov 14, 2005)

At a minimum, take the cloud storage idea and apply it to settings, wish lists, series links, etc. though I agree cloud storage of recordings is not feasible (it would be very, very, very wasteful)

No reason I shouldn't be able to modify my priorities, series links, and favorite channels lists on my iPad app or on the website. Plus, if you grab all that and store it online, you could then duplicate it out to my other receivers or restore my settings automagically if I have to get a new box. Check out the way TiVo does it with their Series 4 boxes and then take it a step or two further.


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## wrj (Nov 23, 2006)

Another one, add the ability to order the WHDVR playlist by more than just date recorded and alphabetical; such as, order by which DVR recorded it and then by date or alphabet.


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## jmpfaff (Dec 13, 2004)

dpeters11 said:


> Backing up series links to a USB key would be a good use for that, especially if the external hard drive is an extension, and the series links are still internal.


I'd rather have the series links back up to DirecTV's website (e.g. cloud). Frankly, have the whole receiver profile up there (favorite list, config, etc), and when you swap out a receiver, you just pick one of your profiles to download onto that receiver.

I'd also like to see better use of the internet data path -- as an example, when a receiver is rebooted that has internet connectivity, download the guide via internet and get a picture on screen faster. Could do same for software updates.

Eventually, when you get to all receivers having internet connectivity (5 years down the road?), you could pull all that load off of the satellites.

Update: Whoops, just saw JosephB's post, not sure how I missed it on my first read through. Anyway, seconding what he said.


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## KyL416 (Nov 11, 2005)

jmpfaff said:


> I'd also like to see better use of the internet data path -- as an example, when a receiver is rebooted that has internet connectivity, download the guide via internet and get a picture on screen faster.


The HR's already store the EPG and keep it intact during a reboot, it's when you reboot it twice within 30 minutes that you flush the EPG.


> Could do same for software updates.


They already said that's not going to happen, it leaves open too many security holes as packet sniffing and rerouting can lead to easy hacks on the firmware.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Cloud-based backup of preferences. That's my big one.


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## lokar (Oct 8, 2006)

There are a lot of good ideas here so I will just suggest a very small one that should be easy for D* to implement. Getting to my Future Recordings list in one button press of the remote. Currently it takes 6 which is absolutely ridiculous!


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## mreposter (Jul 29, 2006)

Hey, Daddy, *I* want an Oompa Loompa! I want you to get me an Oompa Loompa right away! I want an Oompa Loompa now!


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

My wish-list:
Multiple HMCs officially supported.
Ability to lock a series link to a specific time slot (for sports/news shows that repeat)
Ability to display an individual DVR playlist from any MRV client, thus the ability to sit in any room and view just "my" individual playlist as if I was sitting at "my" DVR.
From the iOS mobile app or the DirecTV web-site ... the ability to manage recordings from an individual DVR, along with the ability to display DVR space utilization and manage/backup individual DVR settings, the todo list, and series links.
Native optimized nomad client for the iPad, along with the ability for a high-speed DVR-to-nomad data transfer, rather then the current MRV transcode approach.
Ability to copy/move a recording from one DVR to another DVR, for backup and/or DVR upgrade purposes, within the same DECA network on the same account.
Indication of the restart/up-time for any receiver, to aid with problem diagnostics, along with the ability to remotely schedule a receiver to restart and check for newer firmware.
>16 tuner SWiM without DECA cloud segmentation.
Caller-ID to any/all receivers on the home network, when only one DirecTV receiver has a phone line attached. Communication thru the same mechanism used for MRV.


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## millercentral (Oct 25, 2007)

Many of my wished have been mentioned already:


Improved iPad companion app functionality: series/todo management, direct record scheduling (vs remote scheduling approach via directv.com), genie remote viewing on ipad of recorded list items
Windows 8 RT companion app with feature parity/support parity of the ipad version
Whole-House Scheduling: Option to have a common/global series/recording schedule that distributes the recordings around available tuners in the house. Recorded shows lists have worked this way for a while, it is time to get recording todos managed this way too.
3PP API for companion app DVR management/access (ie, share all the currently proprietary interfaces)


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## maartena (Nov 1, 2010)

The ability to archive recordings. I have no problem with this being a system where you need an active DirecTV account to access the recordings, with an encryption key that is tied to the account. But i would love to be able to take recordings on the road with me and watch them on a laptop or other mobile device without geographical restrictions and/or requirement of internet connection. Basically, a piece of software that allows you to "check out" content from a network connected DVR while in the house, and take it on the road with you. Additionally, I would like this software to have the ability to manage your DVR, e.g. delete recorded programs etc from a computer.

 A "English International" package that features mostly news and some other stations from around the globe - I am thinking CNN International, CBC News, BBC World News, Australia's ABC, Russia Today, EuroNews, Al-Jazeera English, Sky News, etc, etc. The American "news" channels are way too political, and often don't report news for more than 5 minutes, followed by a bunch of talking heads that fight about it for 25 minutes. We need some REAL news on television.

 A true Media Player addition to the software. DLNA works, but is very limited... no fast-forwarding or rewinding, and it relies on transcoding software present on a computer. I have a lot of DVD's I digitized (ripped) and placed on my central "server" (a desktop with a buckload of harddrives) and I can watch them from any network connected device in the house. For the livingroom I have a laptop with XBMC loaded to access the files. This works fairly well, but I have to change the input on my TV, the input on my audio receiver, and use another remote (USB connected infrared device) to control it. It would be so much easier if the DirecTV software could become a true mediacenter.

 User-controlled apps. I would like to see a system where TV Apps are replaced by apps that can be created, maintained, and published by the community - using some form of programming standard. Have a university TV station that only broadcasts over the internet or a local antenna and you want to add it to your big screen? Build an app for that. Have a foreign TV station that offers a free stream online and you want to see it on your TV? Build an app for that. Want to see the world time for a number of selectable cities or countries on your screen? Build an app for that. Etc, etc.


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## BAHitman (Oct 24, 2007)

I would just be happy if they could make it where if 4 of us all record the same show, it only shows up once in the list, then on the play screen you can play locally or from dvr 1, 2, 3, etc...

ooh, and for them to finally define "soon" as in Nomad for Android coming "soon".... beginning to think soon is 2 years or something...


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## KyL416 (Nov 11, 2005)

maartena said:


> [*] A "English International" package that features mostly news and some other stations from around the globe - I am thinking CNN International, CBC News, BBC World News, Australia's ABC, Russia Today, EuroNews, Al-Jazeera English, Sky News, etc, etc. The American "news" channels are way too political, and often don't report news for more than 5 minutes, followed by a bunch of talking heads that fight about it for 25 minutes. We need some REAL news on television.


Australia's ABC News 24 cannot be offered outside of Australia due to the rights of many of the programs and international news segments they air.

The same goes for CBC News Network, they only have the Canadian rights to the documentaries they air in the evenings and overnight. Which is why Newsworld International left most of those shows out in favor of NHK and DW, replaced BBC World News with an ITN Newscast, and aired lots of produced for the US content instead of CBC Newsworld's rolling news coverage.


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

My wish list:
1. CSN-Philadelphia
2. Have the ability to add significantly viewed neighboring DMAs (in my case, it's < 10 miles away). I'd even pay for it.
3. Have a way to view/update all your WWDVR "to do lists" and season passes from a computer or tablet.
4. I'll second maartena's news wish.
5. Have a really good weather radar app. The one on the "Active" channel is horrible.

Otherwise, I'm really happy with the service.


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## smitbret (Mar 27, 2011)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> My wish list:
> 1. CSN-Philadelphia
> 2. Have the ability to add significantly viewed neighboring DMAs (in my case, it's < 10 miles away). I'd even pay for it.
> 3. Have a way to view/update all your WWDVR "to do lists" and season passes from a computer or tablet.
> ...


#2 is not anything that DirecTV can control. You'd have to petition the FCC to get that taken care of.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

smitbret said:


> #2 is not anything that DirecTV can control. You'd have to petition the FCC to get that taken care of.





wilbur_the_goose said:


> 2. Have the ability to add significantly viewed neighboring DMAs (in my case, it's < 10 miles away). I'd even pay for it.


With spotbeam configurations even with the FCC saying OK that's something that probably would be hard to implement.


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## smitbret (Mar 27, 2011)

Diana C said:



> An option for cloud storage could solve a lot of the issues mentioned above. If you could upload selected recordings to a DirecTV server, and then restore them to any DVR on your account that would satisfy a good portion of the external hard drive requests. Cloud storage for the Nomad would also be cool (allowing you to reload your device when away from home).
> 
> This could even be a revenue source for DirecTV - subscribers might get, say, 300 GB for free, with additional storage available for purchase/rental.


How hard would it be to put a storage chip in the SWM switch or LNB that stored information like series management, custom settings and favorites lists for each location on the account? It wouldn't take much since it wouldn't be necessary to store any kind of guide data. Since a network is already created by the SWM setup, the ability to transfer data is already there. You wouldn't be able to do it with SD IRDs, but that's kind of what progress is all about.


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## augisdad (Sep 29, 2011)

1) Easier access to Closed Captioning
2) Easier access to To-Do List
3) Bring back Trick play in PIG


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## Barry in Conyers (Jan 14, 2008)

Firmware "upgrades" that actually correct existing problems and don't introduce new problems.


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## augisdad (Sep 29, 2011)

Barry in Conyers said:


> Firmware "upgrades" that actually correct existing problems and don't introduce new problems.


+1 - What a concept!


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

Barry in Conyers said:


> Firmware "upgrades" that actually correct existing problems and don't introduce new problems.





augisdad said:


> +1 - What a concept!


That would be nice is other companies like Apple, Microsoft, IBM, HP etc could also do that


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## Barry in Conyers (Jan 14, 2008)

RAD said:


> That would be nice is other companies like Apple, Microsoft, IBM, HP etc could also do that


Granted that it is not saying much, but they do it a hell of a lot better than DirecTV!

I could also mention proper pre-release testing and release management, but that is probably completely out of the question.


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## sdk009 (Jan 19, 2007)

I'd like to see my HR record the last two channels simultaneously without having to activate the Double Play (like Tivo has always done)


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

"sdk009" said:


> I'd like to see my HR record the last two channels simultaneously without having to activate the Double Play (like Tivo has always done)


You're referring to DLB (Dual Live Buffers), right? TIVO's version of that will not be on the DirecTV receivers. The closest we will get is Double Play, which, by the way, buffers for 90 minutes and not 30 minutes like TIVO.

- Merg


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## 242424 (Mar 22, 2012)

Barry in Conyers said:


> Firmware "upgrades" that actually correct existing problems and don't introduce new problems.


Bingo! that's where I was headed with my "want"


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

You can't even get that on a server that costs $12k. I just applied an update that fixed an issue caused by the previous one...


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

sdk009 said:


> I'd like to see my HR record the last two channels simultaneously without having to activate the Double Play (like Tivo has always done)


Record them? TiVo has never done that and that would be terrible.


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## JosephB (Nov 14, 2005)

maartena said:


> A "English International" package that features mostly news and some other stations from around the globe - I am thinking CNN International, CBC News, BBC World News, Australia's ABC, Russia Today, EuroNews, Al-Jazeera English, Sky News, etc, etc. The American "news" channels are way too political, and often don't report news for more than 5 minutes, followed by a bunch of talking heads that fight about it for 25 minutes. We need some REAL news on television.


This, a thousand times this. I'd even pay international package pricing and setup an international dish.



KyL416 said:


> Australia's ABC News 24 cannot be offered outside of Australia due to the rights of many of the programs and international news segments they air.
> 
> The same goes for CBC News Network, they only have the Canadian rights to the documentaries they air in the evenings and overnight. Which is why Newsworld International left most of those shows out in favor of NHK and DW, replaced BBC World News with an ITN Newscast, and aired lots of produced for the US content instead of CBC Newsworld's rolling news coverage.


BBC World News is distributed in the US (Time Warner just added it nationwide in HD). There are hurtles, but I think they could make it work. Especially if it's 24 hour news networks, but I'd like to see entertainment programming as well. BBC America is just another American cable channel with maybe 5 hours of original British programming a week. It doesn't count. Maybe they have to slice and dice a bunch of channels together to eliminate stuff they don't have rights to, but do it, and don't fill it up with American TV shows. Or, charge me extra. I'll pay to overcome the rights issues.


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## KyL416 (Nov 11, 2005)

JosephB said:


> BBC World News is distributed in the US (Time Warner just added it nationwide in HD). There are hurtles, but I think they could make it work. Especially if it's 24 hour news networks, but I'd like to see entertainment programming as well. BBC America is just another American cable channel with maybe 5 hours of original British programming a week. It doesn't count. Maybe they have to slice and dice a bunch of channels together to eliminate stuff they don't have rights to, but do it, and don't fill it up with American TV shows. Or, charge me extra. I'll pay to overcome the rights issues.


I was referring to the Newsworld International era, at the time only PBS affiliates and Discovery via BBC America had the rights to the 6pm BBC World broadcast that CBC Newsworld aired in Canada so Newsworld International replaced them with ITN News. CBC Newsworld has since rebranded to CBC News Network and eliminated the BBC broadcasts, but they also added multiple documentaries during the evening that they only have the Canadian rights to. It's not a matter of charging extra, if someone else has the rights to something they can't show it in the US no matter what the cost. CBC recently went through a bunch of budget cuts resulting in multiple shows being cancelled on their News Network, they have no plans in the budget for a new US feed.


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## alnielsen (Dec 31, 2006)

Allow portability of the external e-sata hard drive between Directv DVR's.


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## Vinny (Sep 2, 2006)

jmpfaff said:


> I'd rather have the series links back up to DirecTV's website (e.g. cloud). Frankly, have the whole receiver profile up there (favorite list, config, etc), and when you swap out a receiver, you just pick one of your profiles to download onto that receiver.


In addition to the above...I would like to see:

The iPhone/Android app include:

An indication on the guide that a program is scheduled to be recorded.
A button to show upcoming DVR recordings.
General Items

HD versions of all major network programming (CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox)
A way to start a program over if you happen to tune in when the program is in progress. I know we can do this if we happen to want to watch whats in the buffer...I'm talking about on any channel that we tune to. Time Warner allows this on certain channels...however you lose trickplay when starting over.


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## JDB30 (Sep 6, 2007)

Remote access via DirecTV Everywhere of the recorded programs on my DVR (e.g. "built-in Slingbox").


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## gcd0865 (Jul 23, 2008)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> My wish list:
> 1. CSN-Philadelphia
> 2. Have the ability to add significantly viewed neighboring DMAs (in my case, it's < 10 miles away). I'd even pay for it.
> 3. Have a way to view/update all your WWDVR "to do lists" and season passes from a computer or tablet.
> ...





smitbret said:


> #2 is not anything that DirecTV can control. You'd have to petition the FCC to get that taken care of.


Actually, the "significantly viewed" law has been in place for some time, for both cable and satellite. Cable companies follow it regularly by including significantly-viewed adjacent-market stations in their channel lineups, while satellite companies mostly ignore it, keeping strictly to single-DMA channel lineups, putting them at a competitive disadvantage in many areas.

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-24A1.pdf (see pages 6-13)
http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/significantviewedstations010213.pdf

In the second document, if you check out the listings in the following counties, you'll see examples of cable-provided station offerings from adjacent markets, all in highly-populated areas located between/around large cities:

Anne Arundel, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Frederick, Howard, Kent, Talbot, Wicomico and other counties in Maryland;
Barnstable, Bristol, Franklin and other counties in Massachusetts;
Hunterdon, Mercer and Warren counties in New Jersey.

Satellite companies could easily include these significantly-viewed stations by zip code, but they choose to not do it.


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## DBSNewbie (Nov 3, 2007)

As many others have mentioned, the ability to transfer recordings from one DVR to another (within same account). That's #1 on my wish list.

2nd item on my wish list (I don't think I've see this request from anyone else):

An upgrade to the software that will allow more than 10 DVRs to be networked together and "see" each other. Currently, a Unified Playlist (from a client or server) can only show recordings from only up to 10 servers at a time.


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## ndfan1993 (Jan 9, 2013)

Online DVR management.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

The ability to stream HBO GO off my Roku 2HD. Come on DirecTV, you're about the only service provider not in agreement with Roku.


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## WestDC (Feb 9, 2008)

I would like to pay only for the channels I watch / record


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## jtbell (Nov 24, 2008)

Mentioned by Sixto earlier
Ability to lock a series link to a specific time slot --- especially for HBO shows that run 90 times per week. Let me pick when I want to record it.

And a big dream: I would happily pay for the option to get the direct feed of the networks, so I can record my favorite shows and not have to look at the idiotic weather graphics that my local weathermen put on a week after the fact.


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

HBO Go on the Roku
Epix option
WNEP2 HD local
CSN Philly agreement


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

MysteryMan said:


> The ability to stream HBO GO off my Roku 2HD. Come on DirecTV, you're about the only service provider not in agreement with Roku.


Agree, I have 2 of them, but my friend lets me use his Dishnetwork account so i can use my 2 Roku's.

Would be alot better if Directv would just allow it.


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## KyL416 (Nov 11, 2005)

damondlt said:


> WNEP2 HD local


WNEP2 isn't available in HD, and hopefully it never will be. WPVI looks horrible anytime live sports are on with Live Well HD on 6.2.

What I rather see is them finally update their ATSC listings so we can get MeTV on 38.2 with the AM21 instead of flipping back to the TV just for one channel. Better yet, bring the scan to the Hx2x's since our market is also served by a lot of translators. (Except for WBRE and WYOU because management can't grasp the concept of terrain blocking reception of their main signal even after the digital transition, despite the protests of their long time engineer who has since retired)


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## coolman302003 (Jun 2, 2008)

For DIRECTV to partner up with Tribune Media Services and launch a real-time based Guide Data system for internet connected HD/DVRs, that would update start/end times automatically for events running past there allotted time, and receive programming updates instantly through the internet connection. 

They would have to get the major sports channels on board as well as the Big 4 networks and have a way to get the exact info on when events end, but I think it could be done with the internet.

For example: you have a College Football game set to record, its scheduled to air on ESPN2 but the previous game is still airing so as ESPN does often they would put the beginning on ESPNews, a update could be pushed instantly telling the receiver to also begin recording ESPNews for say 15 mins then still be recording ESPN2. This would be all automatic will no customer interaction. Also when the game is finished, an instant update could be pushed to the box to tell it to stop the recording automatically.


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## 242424 (Mar 22, 2012)

WestDC said:


> I would like to pay only for the channels I watch / record


Amen


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## acostapimps (Nov 6, 2011)

EHD transfer flexibility per account, not married to the same DVR.


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## longrider (Apr 21, 2007)

acostapimps said:


> EHD transfer flexibility per account, not married to the same DVR.


+1000000 It can't be a legal issue as Dish already does it. My guess, and this is just a guess, is that the authorization stream doesn't tell a receiver what account it is on, just what it is allowed to receive. This would be a major hurdle, I can think of a couple ways to do it but they would not be easy


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## vthokies1996 (Oct 7, 2008)

I'd like the ability to manage all of my favorites lists and Season Passes from one place. I don't like having to go update every receiver whenever I want to change my favorite channel list. 

I'd also like it if a channel is upgraded to HD, the HD version of the channel automatically replaces the SD version on my favorites list.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

longrider said:


> +1000000 It can't be a legal issue as Dish already does it. My guess, and this is just a guess, is that the authorization stream doesn't tell a receiver what account it is on, just what it is allowed to receive. This would be a major hurdle, I can think of a couple ways to do it but they would not be easy


Directv has an Authentication Server that has along with your Account # all of your DVRs/Receivers with their RID #s and your Billing Account Information, etc. so it should be Very Very Easy for them to do if they decided to do it.

It just isn't High on their Priority List of things to do. It is probably a Nice To Do Thing rather than something that has to be done.


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## litex2x (Sep 8, 2012)

More HD channels! 

Also it would be nice if we could stream dvr recordings to more devices without nomad and watch live tv on PCs.


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## DrummerBoy523 (Jan 9, 2007)

allow me to sort my list however I want and display the results in a new TAB on the LIST screen.

For example - I would like to see every DVR in my Whole House configuration on a separate tab. I would also like to see all movies on a separate tab.


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## kbxm (Mar 15, 2007)

1. Stop treating us long-timers like we don't exist. Give us the new subscriber deals or at least give us the opportunity to get them without having to go through retention (lifetime HD anyone?)

2. <smacking dead horse> Firmware fixes should be regression tested so they don't break other stuff!

3. Speaking of #two, when I set up a search to record a sports events from my local team, can you actually get the channel correct? I get FSN. Not Altitude, FSDetroit, FSTampa (yes I'm making these up) or other regions sports channels. Worked years ago and was broken by a firmware upgrade.

4. Grandfathered permanently means permanently.

5. Fix the website. It sucks. Can't find any useful information on it at all and constantly having to dodge the ads is really annoying.

6. The ability to turn off the Weather Channel apps would be nice. They never work anyway and although there are ways to work around them we shouldn't have to.

7. Ala-carte programming so we can cut the cost down without losing value. In other words, we can get XYZ channel without the rest of the alphabet soup that we're never going to watch in the package.

8. No more two-year commitments for changing small things.

9. Whole-house on my own network without additional cabling or an additional fee. Don't have to support it, but don't charge me for it either.

10. no more restriction on keys for DIRECTV2PC. I used my two keys up YEARS ago when it first came out and wasn't working for me. But new house, new PC, fast fiber in the house, it might be useful if I could actually install it.

Could go on, but I've got to go spray PAM my dish before the ice storm coats it to heavily...


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## Ed Campbell (Feb 17, 2006)

KyL416;3158687 said:


> Australia's ABC News 24 cannot be offered outside of Australia due to the rights of many of the programs and international news segments they air.
> 
> The same goes for CBC News Network, they only have the Canadian rights to the documentaries they air in the evenings and overnight. Which is why Newsworld International left most of those shows out in favor of NHK and DW, replaced BBC World News with an ITN Newscast, and aired lots of produced for the US content instead of CBC Newsworld's rolling news coverage.


Boy do I miss NWI...


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## tool_army (Sep 4, 2011)

lokar said:


> There are a lot of good ideas here so I will just suggest a very small one that should be easy for D* to implement. Getting to my Future Recordings list in one button press of the remote. Currently it takes 6 which is absolutely ridiculous!


THIS. Why there's not a "link" or button press that allows you to flip back and forth between the list and to-do list is mindboggling to me. I've had numerous different TV providers over the years, most of which were in the DVR era. Directv is the ONLY one I've had where those two screens have no connection with one another.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

coolman302003 said:


> They would have to get the major sports channels on board as well as the Big 4 networks and have a way to get the exact info on when events end, but I think it could be done with the internet.


And what of those that don't have always-on broadband service?

I can't imagine trying to figure out what each Big Four affiliate is going to do after the indeterminate end of an event. Will they join a program in progress or will they run a carefully timed PSA or infomercial? Will they shift the whole schedule until the news? Does each affiliate have a definitive and invariate plan?

I submit that it is unreasonable to collect and disseminate this information until too late to be of use (especially if you're someone who uses bracketing on your start and end times).


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## Tubaman-Z (Jul 31, 2007)

1. Fast (1 or 2 button) access to To-do list
2. Restore closed-captioning to a toggle choice (not "Off, D* On, Std CC On", but rather "D* On/Off, Std CC On/Off"


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## shmengie (Apr 12, 2007)

Gosh, mine seems trite compared to some of these.

I think it'd be neat if I could save snippets of anything I wanted into a "My Clips" folder. Like, say I'm watching a live car chase, and it ends with a spectacular crash. I could rewind a bit, mark starting point "A," play it through the crash, mark ending point "B." I'm prompted to name the clip and hit save.

There you go: Party mix of nip slips, explosions and cute animal tricks!


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

What, and put Youtube out of business?  Great idea, but I think it'd be a warm day in Heaven before that will happen.


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## CallMeCoach (Jan 29, 2013)

I don't know how much they control this, but I'd love to see HBO's prices dip. There are a lot of shows on HBO that I like but can't see paying the price.


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## ndfan1993 (Jan 9, 2013)

tool_army said:


> THIS. Why there's not a "link" or button press that allows you to flip back and forth between the list and to-do list is mindboggling to me. I've had numerous different TV providers over the years, most of which were in the DVR era. Directv is the ONLY one I've had where those two screens have no connection with one another.


You would think this wouldn't be too hard to tie into the "List" button on the remote, just add a tab to it to allow to see Recording Info - Two button pushes are all that is needed. Not sure why they are behind on this.

What are the odds that we see any of this?


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## markrogo (Sep 18, 2007)

WestDC said:


> I would like to pay only for the channels I watch / record


That's all you pay for now. (I realize you meant something else, but since you and I don't watch the same channels, we're each only paying for the channels we do watch.

You should read this: http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox...g_a_la_carte_is_not_the_miracle_it_seems.html

--------------

Now, back to fantasizing:

Build me a cloud DVR. I don't need all this equipment in my house, a little Roku/AppleTV-type box will do fine, thanks.

Then you can back up my record links, my recordings, etc. You can even store one copy of "The Walking Dead" for all 2 million of us that record it (or whatever amount of de-duplication the copyright holders let you get away).

You can switch to H.265 someday with a new $59 Roku-sized box instead of having to replace many-hundred-dollar DVRs.

Yes, not all your customers will want this like I do. Fine, keep giving them regular old DVRs. I'm in on the cloud thing, though. I'll sign up first.

You'll save millions (billions?) in the long run. Less hardware, fewer service calls (many many fewer).

Oh, and yeah, some trickplay might not be perfectly smooth, but that's OK -- it never has been under MRV either.

I mean, since we're fantasizing....


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

CallMeCoach said:


> I don't know how much they control this, but I'd love to see HBO's prices dip. There are a lot of shows on HBO that I like but can't see paying the price.


Then you don't like them quite enough! 
This also is what we'd like to see from DIRECTV, not HBO.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

When I am Managing and Performing Maintenance on my Playlists I would like the position to stay in the same place after I Delete a Recording or Folder.

If there is an Older Recording left in that Folder it takes me down to where those other Recordings are with that same date so it is constantly Resorting based on date.

I then have to get out of the Playlist and then get back in the Playlist if I am up top which is a PITA.


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## patmurphey (Dec 21, 2006)

markrogo said:


> ...Build me a cloud DVR. I don't need all this equipment in my house, a little Roku/AppleTV-type box will do fine, thanks.
> 
> Then you can back up my record links, my recordings, etc. You can even store one copy of "The Walking Dead" for all 2 million of us that record it (or whatever amount of de-duplication the copyright holders let you get away)...


How does it make sense to change from one broadcast to 2 million distributed recordings, stored and played locally, to one stored copy and 2 million downloads hogging a colossal amount of bandwidth?


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## markrogo (Sep 18, 2007)

patmurphey said:


> How does it make sense to change from one broadcast to 2 million distributed recordings, stored and played locally, to one stored copy and 2 million downloads hogging a colossal amount of bandwidth?


Bandwidth is more or less free. And I did some crude math suggesting that based on my current viewing and my understanding of DirecTV's bitrates, I'd be capable of keeping my existing Comcast internet without any risk of overages (and Comcast is in the process of actually raising caps on most plans anyway).

And surely you understand that those DVRs in your house are costing you money, right? They are hundreds of dollars worth of equipment -- that you pay for -- whether DirecTv gives you them "free" or not.

If any of those boxes fail, everything on them is gone.


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## patmurphey (Dec 21, 2006)

markrogo said:


> Bandwidth is more or less free...


Why are many ISPs limiting bandwidth use without paying extra?


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## boukengreen (Sep 22, 2009)

patmurphey said:


> Why are many ISPs limiting bandwidth use without paying extra?


or charge so much to come up a driveway when they have service on the road you live on?


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

patmurphey said:


> Why are many ISPs limiting bandwidth use without paying extra?





boukengreen said:


> or charge so much to come up a driveway when they have service on the road you live on?


Because they can.


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## cypherx (Aug 27, 2010)

Wishlist:
-Cloud based backup/restore of settings (Favorites, prefs, series links, etc..)

-More than 50 series link limit.

-Hardware accelerated, triple buffered graphics. UI elements could crossfade on/off screen (Guide/Menu). Caller ID notifications / Delete / Don't Delete question could slide in briskly from the lower right and then slide off smoothly when dismissed. Top banner could slide down when invoked and slide up/off screen when dismissed. Think of the UI polish you take for granted in iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows Vista/7/8, Apple Mac OS, etc... Look at Xfinity X1 DVR to prove its possible. Also Passport Echo on Cisco set tops have nice fades and quick animations that make the system feel real responsive. Check out Android's Project Butter for some technical insight on triple buffering and how it could be done.

-Shortcut to manage recordings. LIST+LIST maybe could take you to the screen where you can view todo or change series link ordering.

-Ability to REMOTELY manage to do list and series link. Also view how much space is free on a DVR from other rooms on MRV, iPad or iPhone. Also do it from web.

-Actual remote control function to iPhone so I don't have to use 3rd party apps (DTV iRemote, WaltzRemote).

-Updated HD version of TV Apps (See Xfinity X1's really cool high res sports app for an idea). When invoking them they should slide on or off screen. None of the Windows 3.1 era "appear and disappear"

-Replacement for DIRECTV2PC. Updated UI similar to iPad. View DVR recordings on PC as well as the guide and same live streaming / on demand content that you can get on network from the iPad.

-True TV Everywhere. Live streaming should be allowed even when away from home.

-Customize-able mini-guide. I would adjust mine to show 3 channels at once instead of 1 (blue button).

-When a channel is updated to HD and you have hide SD duplicates turned on, it should automatically replace the SD version in any favorites list. People are bookmarking the content, so if IFC is in "Favs" list... IFCHD should of automatically taken it's place when it went HD this past week.

-If the above is not possible, then the banners saying "So and so is now in HD!" should be visible so people KNOW to update their favorites list. Currently the banner only shows if the HD version IS in favorites... moot point - I know, I had to manually add it!

-Faster browsing on demand screens. Sometimes it takes awhile to find stuff in on demand because the delay loading the lists of content. Cache it maybe?

-Ability to harness the power of MRV to view the on demand screens from other rooms (H24/H25 boxes for example). If a non DVR is authorized for MRV, it should be able to utilize the DVR on network to pull in channels 1000-1999 so other rooms can select and play on demand content.

-Harness MRV to announce caller ID messages to all receivers if only one has a phone line. Also possibly announce it to iPhone or DIRECTV2PC replacement app when you are on your home network.

-External hard drive ADD to DVR storage pool. Not replace it. Allow USB 2.0 interface in addition to eSATA. Pair it to the ACCOUNT not the Receiver.

-Keep the HD coming!

Nice interface example. XFINITY X1:
http://xfinity.comcast.net/x1/


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## JoeTheDragon (Jul 21, 2008)

What about some multi room updates like being able to record to a different drv from the one you are at. Like you have a choice when at a NON Drv box.

Shared Series Mangers

a R icon for show rerecording on a different drv in the guide.

maybe smart push drv to non double up shows when you have more then one box.

Being able to use the a local drv HD for a buffer in MRV to get rid of the control lag.

For one thing better LOT8's / weather apps. At times you can lock up the box with weather alerts. Maybe some thing for HD DVR boxes.

But even a multi city Weatherscan Sd like the one on dish (limited areas) is better.


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## TXD16 (Oct 30, 2008)

1. All channels in HD (regardless of whether or not they are available in the same ).

2. Unified scheduling and single-button To-Do list.

3. C'mon, let's fix the current and mostly long-time broken stuff (there's still so much of it).

Oh, and an automatic delete filter for anything related to Piers Morgan would be great!


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Here's my KISS Suggestion - - double the limit size of the Series Manager.


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## ken100 (Feb 2, 2013)

Make it so I don't have to hit reset every few weeks. And stop charging for HD channels for everyone regardless of package they have.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Register recordings to an account instead of the DVR.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Drucifer said:


> Register recordings to an account instead of the DVR.


+1. Ditto. Bring It On Directv, you can do it!!!


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

Here's one that wont cost DirecTV any money.

Break down *Manage Recordings* into its seven parts on the Recordings icon screen.

All they have to do is make six icons.


ToDo List
Series Manager
Queue
History
Purchase
Manual Record
Record Defaults (Can use the existing Manage Recordings icon)


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## TheRatPatrol (Oct 1, 2003)

Drucifer said:


> Here's one that wont cost DirecTV any money.
> 
> Break down *Manage Recordings* into its seven parts on the Recordings icon screen.
> 
> ...


+1.

Or make LIST>LIST a shortcut to the Manage Recordings screen.


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

Drucifer said:


> Here's one that wont cost DirecTV any money.
> 
> Break down *Manage Recordings* into its seven parts on the Recordings icon screen.
> 
> ...


That would be nice, but it would still cost DirecTV time and money for the programmers to make the changes.

I still don't understand why some people insist on messing around in the To Do List so much though. Once I have my recordings set up, and my Series Prioritizer set up I pretty much never go into the To Do List. Abou tthe only time I do is when my hard drive starts getting full I go into it to see what is set to record over the next few days so I know if I need to make sure to watch or delete some recordings to make space. For example right now my wife's DVR only has about 5% free space. I checked the To Do List last night to see how many recordings she has scheduled over the next few days. She had about 6 hours worth so I made sure to delete a few of the 90 episodes of House Hunters we have recorded to make room because she isn't going to have much time to watch TV over the next few days, and I wanted to make sure there was room to get the recordings she really wants, instead of the House Hunters episodes we like, but don't have to see all of them (we are going to start house shopping ourselves soon and it's really neat to see what is out there, and the differences in pricing in different cities).


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## cypherx (Aug 27, 2010)

Sometimes it's as simple as "what's set to record tonight?" I don't remember, let me check.

Sometimes it's just to shuffle things around since we can only record 2 things at once. Canceling something on a cable network because it airs later, whereas something on a local network never reairs.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

cypherx said:


> Sometimes it's as simple as "what's set to record tonight?" I don't remember, let me check.
> 
> Sometimes it's just to shuffle things around since we can only record 2 things at once. Canceling something on a cable network because it airs later, whereas something on a local network never reairs.


This.

And since programs CHANGE their times regularly, it is good to check what is happening. Say on a night on a two tuner DVR, you have both tuners in use and one has to change the channel at 9pm for a program but that night, the previous program runs to 9:01 (this happens more often than you think with NBC and ABC). You lose the 9 pm program. All because you think you have all your passes right.

Or if you watch stuff on channels like Cartoon Network that always mess up the first run date. Or a network decides to burn off episodes on a night you have your tuners all in use. Or programs start their runs and you are going to miss it because everything was working fine for weeks (like when American Idol starts and knocks off 2 hours on two nights).

Or you plan on watching a sporting event and want to see what tuners are available.

Granted, with more tuners in a box (HR34), this is less likely to happen but almost everyone is still using 1 or more 2 tuner boxes.

I don't understand how anyone ever just lets their to do list work itself out. I see conflicts and problems at least a couple times each month during the busy times. You are probably missing things you have no idea you are missing or have very few shows recording.


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## ndole (Aug 26, 2009)

I would like #hashtags to actually mean something on Facebook. Oh, wait.. wrong thing :lol:


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## ndole (Aug 26, 2009)

I think it would be cool (totally just a nerd thing) to see some sort of IPTV stb from Directv that made use of their DIRECTV Everywhere offerings on a TV without needing to attach a tablet/laptop/phone to it. I think that if done well, there is a huge untapped market for discount Pay-IPTV services. Especially to locations with no line of sight to the birds. Just a thought


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## cypherx (Aug 27, 2010)

ndole;3177232 said:


> I think it would be cool (totally just a nerd thing) to see some sort of IPTV stb from Directv that made use of their DIRECTV Everywhere offerings on a TV without needing to attach a tablet/laptop/phone to it. I think that if done well, there is a huge untapped market for discount Pay-IPTV services. Especially to locations with no line of sight to the birds. Just a thought


I agree!

Also if the signal goes out, allow the DVR to tap into the same feed the iPad app can get.

Keep those iPad streaming channels coming! I notice the first round of the recent HD additions showed up today in the app.


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