# Just got my R15. Shoot me now...



## don.allen (Mar 12, 2007)

I've only had my R15 a little over 3 days and I'm already disgusted with it's buggy software and abysmal interface. It's truly a piece of junk (DirecTV's forum wouldn't allow use of the horrid "J" word, how funny is that?) and I haven't even has all the issues everyone is discussing in this forum.

Does anyone else get that Mac vs PC vibe comparing the R10 and the R15? You know...the sleek feel of the R10's remote in your hands versus the boxy, clunky R15's. Anyways...

I feel like DirecTV released this machine prematurely and without proper testing or attention to detail. I had the R10 for two years so I speak with the experience of having used a wonderfully functioning and essentially flawless device under my belt.

After reading through these and other online forums I've developed a pet theory regarding the R15. I believe DirecTV pushed the R15 out the door before it was ready due to pressure from the cable industry and their increasing ability to offer customers DVR service as well as lower prices. DirecTV was afraid to lose customers, so what better way to trap us than by offering a cool new DVR..oh and a 2 year service commitment. Well, we got a piece of junk, and they got us.


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

While I do not dispute the R15 has some specific problems, I will take exception to your general comparison between the R10 and the R15. I've got one of each and much prefer the user interface, remote, menu structre, and guide on the R15 over the R10. That much is a matter of personal preference and does not make either machine "better" or "worse" than the other, only different.

Carl


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

don.allen said:


> After reading through these and other online forums I've developed a pet theory regarding the R15. I believe DirecTV pushed the R15 out the door before it was ready due to pressure from the cable industry and their increasing ability to offer customers DVR service as well as lower prices. DirecTV was afraid to lose customers, so what better way to trap us than by offering a cool new DVR..oh and a 2 year service commitment. Well, we got a piece of junk, and they got us.


I guess they should have tested YOUR R15 more fully. My three must have passed QC just fine. Good luck with yours.


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## wbmccarty (Apr 28, 2006)

don.allen said:


> Just got my R15. Shoot me now....


Manual intervention is not required. The necessary feature will be added in a new release, soon to be available. 

Cheers,

P.S.

Release RC-1 was held up because it shot the developer in the foot. Release RC-2 will address that targeting issue.

Cheers,


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## Clemsole (Sep 8, 2005)

You can always cancel your service and go elseware. You have, I think, 30 day's.


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## naijai (Aug 19, 2006)

Clemsole said:


> You can always cancel your service and go elseware. You have, I think, 3 day's.


edited


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## IndyColts (Nov 28, 2006)

don.allen said:


> Just got my R15. Shoot me now...


No need for any of us to, you'll want to pull the trigger yourself if you haven't already, lol. The R15 is a hunk of junk and anyone who says otherwise are the exception to the rule and were lucky enough to get a reliable system.


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## jal (Mar 3, 2005)

I had an R15 and an R10. I couldn't stand the R15. Buggy software, lockups, etc. I'm much happier now that I replaced in with another R10. You can still find them around new at some Walmarts. Also, Circuit City has on their Website for existing customers the Hughes Tivo DVR80, although none of the stores in my area have it.


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## wbmccarty (Apr 28, 2006)

IndyColts said:


> The R15 is a hunk of junk and anyone who says otherwise are the exception to the rule and were lucky enough to get a reliable system.


As near as I can tell, the majority of folks here are now fairly well satisfied with their R-15. At least, I interpreted the latest poll that away. I'm not among them, so please don't draw a hasty conclusion concerning my bias. I do question whether satisfaction on this board is representative of R-15 users generally. My best information is that folks here are quite a bit happier than average. But, the quality of my data is not high. So, it's hard to make that case convincingly.

Cheers,


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## Larry Daughtrey (Feb 14, 2006)

I have said it in the past and will say it again. I believe the majority of the users with R15 problems (and they are many) are tired of their problems being belittled and therefore don't post anymore..


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Larry Daughtrey said:


> I have said it in the past and will say it again. I believe the majority of the users with R15 problems (and they are many) are tired of their problems being belittled and therefore don't post anymore..


Why are they belittled? Seriously... I keep seeing that posted.

In all honesty... If you don't report the issues... how are "we" the community, DirecTV, anyone... to understand the magnitude of any remaining issues?

On the flip side, I am tired of hearing... "Just because there are no posts, doesn't mean there are not any problems". I flat out ASK for posts on the issues.

If you were treating an "issue" would you stop calling your doctor with updates? Why is this any different?... If you are still experiencing problems... damm well post them... seriously...

How is the next guy that is new to this forum, going to get a good understanding. of what level the issues may be at.

You know... and what if... just what if... the problems are not as wide spread... and "YOU" (speaking of those with the issues), are the anomoly now. What if the unit has gotten to the point that those issues are not as prodominate any more...

I mean... how are we judging the progress of the HR20... based on the type/frequency of the posts... If we use that same criteria here for the R15... what are you to deduce from it?

If you guys don't want to post your issues... or your findings, experience..
We might as well just shut down the R15 forum...


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

don.allen said:


> I've only had my R15 a little over 3 days and I'm already disgusted with it's buggy software and abysmal interface. It's truly a piece of junk (DirecTV's forum wouldn't allow use of the horrid "J" word, how funny is that?) and I haven't even has all the issues everyone is discussing in this forum.


How about you explain to us some of the issue you are having...
Instead of just saying "ISSUES"... how about detailing them... so we can try to help you.


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## IndyColts (Nov 28, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> How about you explain to us some of the issue you are having...
> Instead of just saying "ISSUES"... how about detailing them... so we can try to help you.


I can understand a new users perspective. None of us should have any issues to explain, especially in regards to a brand new box! The problem is that there are so many "issues" that it's almost ridiculous to have to list them all individually.

You name it, a buggy interface, freezing menus, programs not recording, season passes just randomly deleted, random reboots, the list goes on and on. This forum has almost just become a place to vent for people with R15's more so than a helpful resource. Do any DirecTV people actually take the time to look at this forum and see how many people are ticked over this piece of crap they released??? Some of these problems are so ridiculous to read that I feel like laughing sometimes.

I am millimeters close to switching to cable. They don't have these types of problems with their Tivo units. Sure there are problems with everything, but not overall stability issues like we have. If it wasn't for NFL Sunday Ticket, I'd be gone in a flash. :nono2:


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

IndyColts said:


> I can understand a new users perspective. None of us should have any issues to explain, especially in regards to a brand new box! The problem is that there are so many "issues" that it's almost ridiculous to have to list them all individually.
> 
> You name it, a buggy interface, freezing menus, programs not recording, season passes just randomly deleted, random reboots, the list goes on and on. This forum has almost just become a place to vent for people with R15's more so than a helpful resource. Do any DirecTV people actually take the time to look at this forum and see how many people are ticked over this piece of crap they released??? Some of these problems are so ridiculous to read that I feel like laughing sometimes.
> 
> I am millimeters close to switching to cable. They don't have these types of problems with their Tivo units. Sure there are problems with everything, but not overall stability issues like we have. If it wasn't for NFL Sunday Ticket, I'd be gone in a flash. :nono2:


You are right... you shouldn't... but that doesn't change the reality of the situation.

So while you may have the issue... do you automatically assume everyone else does? I have an R15... I have one of the oldest activated ones... and for nearly a year now... I have had only one issue with the box... the exact same number of issues I have had with one of my SD-Tivos in the same time frame.

Now... am I alone?

And yes.. DirecTV does in fact read this forum, the HR20, and the others.. 
Really? How many people are ticked? how many are posting problems here?

As compared to the population of R15's out there... 
So yes... they do look at them... and they do account for the trends, and add them to the results from the call centers.

As for the TiVo product... Seriously? have you looked at the TiVo based forums? They are not perfect... there are people that have issues.

And frankly compared to the post volume here... and the one there... you would think the TiVo powered product was having more issues as of late.


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## TigersFanJJ (Feb 17, 2006)

Since the OP seemed to just offer his personal taste between the R10 and R15, I figured I'd offer mine. Basically the same as I have posted before. Even though I recently had to reformat the drive on my R15, it still hasn't changed my mind on the subject.

My R15 with its "buggy software and abysmal interface" has been much more reliable than my R10 with its buggy hardware. I've had the R15 for well over a year now and have had to reformat it once. I've had the R10 only one month longer. In that time I've had to replace the hard drive and power supply in the R10.

From my problems and what I have read, I could draw the conclusion that I should keep an extra hard drive laying around for when (not if) the one in my R10 goes bad again. Is that a fair thing to say? Of course not, even though I have seen that posted on more than one occasion. 

I just find it odd that some things like this tend to be acceptable on a Dtivo, but at the same time, it is the end of the world if you have to do a RBR on the R15.

As for the interface, I prefer the interface on the R15 over the Dtivo interface.

As for the remote, yes the tivo remote has a sleek feel. But I can find the buttons on the RC32 remote much easier in the dark than I can on the tivo remote.

Once again, this is my personal preference between the two. YMMV.


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## wbmccarty (Apr 28, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Why are they belittled? Seriously... I keep seeing that posted.


One problem that I see regularly is that posters make claims of the sort "The R-15 is..." or "The R-15 is not...." when what's really meant is "My experience with the R-15 is/is not ...." As a result, posters tend to contradict one another, increasing the emotional quotient of the discussion. I don't mean to claim that I live above that standard. I've sometimes made such over-generalizations, for which I apologize.

I personally think we could accomplish more if we'd recognize that our individual experiences vary not only at the subjective level but, often, at the objective level. That is, one of the characteristics of the R-15 seems to be that its performance and reliability differ significantly from user to user, in a way that does not apparently related to personal tastes, patterns of use, or other identifiable factors. As a result of this characteristic, I think that we could have a lot of fun by surreptitiously swapping posters' R-15 units. As soon as someone figures a way to offer advance indemnity of criminal and civil liability, I hope to initiate a midnight switchout project. So, I urge those of us who over-generalize to watch what you say. You may soon find it necessary to eat your words. 

Cheers,


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## army1 (Mar 22, 2006)

jal said:


> I had an R15 and an R10. I couldn't stand the R15. Buggy software, lockups, etc. I'm much happier now that I replaced in with another R10. You can still find them around new at some Walmarts. Also, Circuit City has on their Website for existing customers the Hughes Tivo DVR80, although none of the stores in my area have it.


will they let you swap them out ? i have a new one only used about 2 weeks.


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

TigersFanJJ said:


> My R15 with its "buggy software and abysmal interface" has been much more reliable than my R10 with its buggy hardware. I've had the R15 for well over a year now and have had to reformat it once. I've had the R10 only one month longer. In that time I've had to replace the hard drive and power supply in the R10.
> 
> From my problems and what I have read, I could draw the conclusion that I should keep an extra hard drive laying around for when (not if) the one in my R10 goes bad again. Is that a fair thing to say? Of course not, even though I have seen that posted on more than one occasion.


I have to agree with all of this. While I loved my old Tivo it had its issues, both in terms of s/w and hardware. The latter seems to be the major one for most people (at least that's my perception). There are two co-workers who got their DirecTivos around the same time I did - guess what? All three of us upgraded to the R15 at about the same time too. Know why? That's right - hardware issues for all of them. For me I believe it was a shot hard-drive (a common problem I'm told), as it was, I understand, for one of my co-workers. The other co-worker had one of his tuners go on him. My Tivo box was only 2 1/2 years old at the time. It was one of the shortest-lived pieces of hardware that I owned.

Again, not trying to slam the box - I really loved it, and it made the DVR an indispensible piece of equipment in my house.

Also, it seems to me that the OP has the same issue that many do when they move from Tivo to the R15 - the interface is very different. Yeah, it's got its cons (when compared to the Tivo - e.g. no DLB), but it also has its pros (e.g. PIG, integration between the DVR and live tv functionality). Is it a clunkier interface that the Tivo? Without a doubt. And it's inconsistent as well (e.g. why I can do a double dash on MyPlaylist to get rid of an item but not on my todo list is beyond me), whereas the Tivo is consistent as anything.

My only reco to the OP - if you have real issues, report them. If it's just a matter of "it's not Tivo", I hear you - I went through that too. Some never get past that - but I did. After about a day or two I started seeing some of the advantages of the R15 over the Tivo. After about a week I started to really like the R15's interface. And after about 2 weeks I started to actually prefer the R15 over the Tivo (warts and all).


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## White_Horse (Jun 26, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Why are they belittled? Seriously... I keep seeing that posted.
> 
> In all honesty... If you don't report the issues... how are "we" the community, DirecTV, anyone... to understand the magnitude of any remaining issues?
> 
> ...


It seems a good handful of us posted our problems after the last update....but it's been months since an update. Do you really expect us to keep coming back week after week posting "screen saver is still broken" "trick play is doing/not doing this or that.." when no software updates are going out that could possibly fix these problems? A lot of these problems don't magically fix themselves or disappear without a software update. Yes some can be fixed with a reset or a reformat, but not all of them. Comparing to keeping your doctor updated on an issue isn't really a fair comparison to posting here with R15 issues. Your body is a living breathing thing that has the ability to heal itself. It has the ability to fix issues without outside help. A broken bone will heal whether it receives attention from a doctor or not. (It will just heal better with the doctor's help.)The R15 is a piece of computer equipment. Software and hardware don't heal themselves without outside intervention. For a lot of these problems, that intervention has to come in the form of a software update from DTV. A better comparison would have been to your car mechanic. Do you keep telling your car mechanic that your brakes are squeaking week after week but don't bring the car in for them to look at? I know I don't. Now if I tell my mechanic that the brakes squeak and they try to fix it and the next week they still squeak, well then I'll go back and report that they squeak still.

I know you say they are working on an update, but it gets tiresome to keep hearing that and seeing nothing while watching the HR20 get update after update after update.

-Kristen


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

White_Horse said:


> It seems a good handful of us posted our problems after the last update....but it's been months since an update. Do you really expect us to keep coming back week after week posting "screen saver is still broken" "trick play is doing/not doing this or that.." when no software updates are going out that could possibly fix these problems? A lot of these problems don't magically fix themselves or disappear without a software update. Yes some can be fixed with a reset or a reformat, but not all of them. Comparing to keeping your doctor updated on an issue isn't really a fair comparison to posting here with R15 issues. Your body is a living breathing thing that has the ability to heal itself. It has the ability to fix issues without outside help. A broken bone will heal whether it receives attention from a doctor or not. (It will just heal better with the doctor's help.)The R15 is a piece of computer equipment. Software and hardware don't heal themselves without outside intervention. For a lot of these problems, that intervention has to come in the form of a software update from DTV. A better comparison would have been to your car mechanic. Do you keep telling your car mechanic that your brakes are squeaking week after week but don't bring the car in for them to look at? I know I don't. Now if I tell my mechanic that the brakes squeak and they try to fix it and the next week they still squeak, well then I'll go back and report that they squeak still.
> 
> I know you say they are working on an update, but it gets tiresome to keep hearing that and seeing nothing while watching the HR20 get update after update after update.
> 
> -Kristen


You're right, my doctor example wasn't a good analogy.

But... what I would hope that if OTHERS are having the same issues... that they do post them. No, I don't expect you to re-post that you are still having the same problem you already posted.

And yes... there is an update comming.
But like I said in other posts... the HR20 and the R15 are two very different systems... done by 100% different teams... and actually different companies (DirecTV for the HR20 and NDS for the R15)


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## Sneezy (Dec 18, 2006)

don.allen said:


> I've only had my R15 a little over 3 days and I'm already disgusted with it's buggy software and abysmal interface. It's truly a piece of junk (DirecTV's forum wouldn't allow use of the horrid "J" word, how funny is that?) and I haven't even has all the issues everyone is discussing in this forum.


I feel your pain, I hate my R15 with a passion and then some. I never used Tivo but did have a Dish DVR & a Replay Tv that were near flawless. My sister however could not get a decent replay TV to save her life and they actually stopped helping her out. I gave her my old one and it's perfect. The interface on both unit's was top notch and simple to use.

I left Dish because they can't give me the distant locals anymore. Cable sucks in my area so i have no choice to stay with D. I had it out with a Mgr the other night and got nowhere. They won't give me a replacement unit because all of my issues are all software related. They won't offer me anything to stay either....

I do however as other have suggested, post up the problems so people can help you out or at the least so that D will read about them.


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## hambonewd (Feb 7, 2007)

the r15-100 that i have experience with is really awful. does one version of the r15 generally seem to be more reliable than the others?


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## kocuba (Dec 29, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> And yes... there is an update comming.
> But like I said in other posts... the HR20 and the R15 are two very different systems... done by 100% different teams... and actually different companies (DirecTV for the HR20 and NDS for the R15)


Any idea HOW soon on that update? From a card carrying member of the HR20 CE club(And loving it), I'm relly interested in the latest release as this box is the one the wife uses and she is getting fed up with Black Screen recordings andthe 30 sec slip loop. Since right now the big thing it is happening on is Idol, it don't bother me. :lol:


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

kocuba said:


> Any idea HOW soon on that update? From a card carrying member of the HR20 CE club(And loving it), I'm relly interested in the latest release as this box is the one the wife uses and she is getting fed up with Black Screen recordings andthe 30 sec slip loop. Since right now the big thing it is happening on is Idol, it don't bother me. :lol:


I wish I had more of a definitive answer to that... but I don't.
Other then it is planned, and will occur. I just don't have a narrowed down time frame yet.


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## ozonedan (Dec 27, 2005)

Earl Bonovich said:


> You're right, my doctor example wasn't a good analogy.
> 
> But... what I would hope that if OTHERS are having the same issues... that they do post them. No, I don't expect you to re-post that you are still having the same problem you already posted.
> 
> ...


I have had pretty good luck with my two R-15's (300 and 500). I do have a couple of questions:

1. Is there only one vendor making the HR-20? If yes, then that may also contribute to the faster s/w updates.

2. I can understand there being three (at last count), vendors making the R-15. But why the necessity for three different s/w versions with every update? I really think this is part of the problem.

I don't remember there being more than one s/w version update with the Dtivo and there was more than one vendor making them.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

For:

#1 - Right now, there is only one manufacturer for the HR20... there are three for the R15

#2 - It has to do with multi-layered architecture of these boxes... The three different manufacturer's hardware is not 100% identical... thus, the need for three different software versions. And yes... that does add to the delay in getting new versions out.


You had at least 5 different software versions, based on the Series: Series 1, Series 2 (NON-RID), Series 2a (RID), Series 2.5, and HR10-250
And inside of those... their where some graphic file differences at least... I don't think there where any hardware specific differences... (except in the Series 1's as the Sony model was definently different then the others)


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## satsol67 (Mar 9, 2007)

Sneezy said:


> I feel your pain, I hate my R15 with a passion and then some. I never used Tivo but did have a Dish DVR & a Replay Tv that were near flawless. My sister however could not get a decent replay TV to save her life and they actually stopped helping her out. I gave her my old one and it's perfect. The interface on both unit's was top notch and simple to use.
> 
> I left Dish because they can't give me the distant locals anymore. Cable sucks in my area so i have no choice to stay with D. I had it out with a Mgr the other night and got nowhere. They won't give me a replacement unit because all of my issues are all software related. They won't offer me anything to stay either....
> 
> I do however as other have suggested, post up the problems so people can help you out or at the least so that D will read about them.


I had it out with a Mgr the other night and got nowhere. They won't give me a replacement unit because all of my issues are all software related. They won't offer me anything to stay either....

If you didnt talk to the people in the retention department then I would give them a call.
I spoke with April last Sunday and she was very helpful to me, I talked to her for 1:59 minutes picking her brain. I have 4 boxes for 20 or so months. 2 D11-100's 1 R15-500 and 1 R10-100 Tivo Series2 . Before the call was over I ended up with a FREE HR20 w/ Dish & 4X8, A new RC32RF Kit, I could of switched out my D11 or a D12 but I didnt really see the point. She also gave me Free Starz and Showtime for 3 months without the worry if I didnt call in time they would just be added to my bill. Like I said if you havent gave them a call I would before you give up.


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## satsol67 (Mar 9, 2007)

Well being we seem to be saying what we think about the 2 units. Here is what I have experienced.

For the most part they have worked fine. The tivo was really slow until the other day when I made it take an update. I haven't had a phone line plugged into it for over a year. I don’t have a line in my bedroom so I don’t leave it plugged in. Most of the problems that I have had with the Tivo have been fixed with a reset. The tivo has out lasted my first R15. My first one the hd died but being that I do sales and installs it was fairly easy to get it replaced for free. 

I wish the R15 had the jump back that the tivo does. I'm not sure how long it is, what I'm talking about is when your FF'ing it to get past commercials how it will jump back once play is selected. ( I hope I am being clear) As goes with reverse. I also don’t like how recorded shows aren’t in any kind of group. The R15 does. I find the R15 remote is much easier to find the buttons. (My RC32RF came today and if I can get the RF to work for my R15 I will be very happy.) When I try to go into messages with tivo it will lock up every time without fail. I know for a fact that on two different occasions tivo missed a recording and the R15 didn’t. I have the same two shows on season pass for both, which I am glad I did. 

What upsets me the most about the both of them is no network connectivity. I want to be able to tie into my network at the house. From what I understand this can be done with the HR20 to a point. Why have the USB port if we can’t use it?? I keep hearing it will be enabled in the future, from what I have seen its not going to be in the R15’s future. Maybe in R16 or what ever the next model number is going to be. It would also be nice to have all 3 to be able to see each other or just the R15 and the HR20 for that matter.

Well that’s it for now, I hope my post made some since.


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

satsol67 said:


> I wish the R15 had the jump back that the tivo does. I'm not sure how long it is, what I'm talking about is when your FF'ing it to get past commercials how it will jump back once play is selected


There is a work-around for this with the R15. To come out of ffwd, instead of hitting play, hit the jump-back button. I actually found that to be more responsive than the jump-back-by-hitting-play on my old Tivo. And since the last s/w update it works pretty consistently - it used to "degrade" over long playbacks, now it doesn't do that anymore. The ONLY time I appear to have an issue with it now is under a very specific condition. When I play back a show that is actively being recorded the jump-back button will cease to jump back once the show is done airing. I've used the example of Jeopardy, which airs at 7:00 around here. Say I start watching it at 7:20 - I play back from my play list. Everything will be fine until 7:30 hits - that's when the show is no longer airing. At that point the jump-back will stop working on that playback.

But even that work-around has a work-around. When that happens, I just exit out of the show's playback, and start up again. It picks up where it left off, and the jump-back works fine again.


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## jal (Mar 3, 2005)

army1 said:


> will they let you swap them out ? i have a new one only used about 2 weeks.


Yes, but you may have to ask more than 1 CSR.


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## jal (Mar 3, 2005)

Earl Bonovich said:


> As for the TiVo product... Seriously? have you looked at the TiVo based forums? They are not perfect... there are people that have issues.
> 
> And frankly compared to the post volume here... and the one there... you would think the TiVo powered product was having more issues as of late.


Earl, that just isn't my personal experience. With my TIVO units, I am very pleased. Sure, the interface is older and they don't run as fast, but they do operate as intended, almost problem free. In fact, my two R10s have been completely problem free. That being said, as I've suggested before, Directv should continue with TIVO. Let folks chose between brands, just like before. If someone wants an R15, let them have it. If someone wants an R10, let them have it. For the $1 Directv saves in TIVO royalties, its hardly worth the bad feelings some have with respect to Directv's R15.


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## Clint Lamor (Nov 15, 2005)

jal said:


> Earl, that just isn't my personal experience. With my TIVO units, I am very pleased. Sure, the interface is older and they don't run as fast, but they do operate as intended, almost problem free. In fact, my two R10s have been completely problem free. That being said, as I've suggested before, Directv should continue with TIVO. Let folks chose between brands, just like before. If someone wants an R15, let them have it. If someone wants an R10, let them have it. For the $1 Directv saves in TIVO royalties, its hardly worth the bad feelings some have with respect to Directv's R15.


So many people seem to think it's over $1 a unit. Anyone care to offer up some proof to this or why the relationship ended? I seriously doubt it was simply over the royalty fees.


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## jpl (Jul 9, 2006)

Clint Lamor said:


> So many people seem to think it's over $1 a unit. Anyone care to offer up some proof to this or why the relationship ended? I seriously doubt it was simply over the royalty fees.


I agree with you. Partly because, if Tivo does have that kind of loyalty, and especially given the fact that DirecTV has the lowest DVR fees around, they could have made up that $1 fee much more easily than changing over the DVR. They could have just raised the fee by $1/month, and still be much less expensive than everyone else out there.

I've stated before that I think DirecTV is shooting to have a consistent architecture. Tivo didn't fit into those plans - it doesn't provide all the capabilities that DirecTV was looking for in their architecture. I've also heard some folks say "well, they should have pushed back on Tivo and Tivo would have made those changes..." To which I would have to reply "they probably did, and got nowhere." So I think DirecTV had a decision to make - either stick with Tivo as the preferred platform, and scrap the idea of a consistent architecture with all the bells and whistles that they want, or put together their own DVR that falls in line with that architecture. I think they chose the latter (although why you would make that choice and have 4 different DVRs - 3 R15s, and the HR20 - is beyond me).

And I think it makes sense. A consistent architecture means that rolling out changes are much less expensive, and available to everyone. I'll give an example. DirecTV is launching 2 new satellites to carry all that HD, and they'll be broadcast in mpeg4. How many HD receivers are there out there that will be useless in picking up those channels because it can't decode mpeg4?

I've also said that I don't think that DirecTV's goal with either the R15 or HR20 was to make the best DVR on the market. I think their goal was to make a good DVR that fits their architecture.


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## bearymore (Sep 1, 2006)

Larry Daughtrey said:


> I have said it in the past and will say it again. I believe the majority of the users with R15 problems (and they are many) are tired of their problems being belittled and therefore don't post anymore..


I don't know if it is being belittled, it is salience. After a while, posting seems either pointless or irrelevant. In my case, it is irrelevance. I got an R-15 when my Series 1 Directivo failed after several years of use. The R-15 turned out to be buggy, particularly trick play, and had limitations the Tivo didn't. I was motivated to get it to work, so I found this forum and posted a number of times. I saw others were having similar issues, and didn't see any fixes coming. Finally, I got so frustrated with the trick play issues, I bought a Directivo from PTVupgrade. Since then, I only cruise the forum intermittently to see if the problems have been fixed yet (they haven't). So, I rarely read the forum, and even more rarely post. It would just seem like pointlessly beating a dead horse.

Personally, I think the most satisfied people on the forum are those whose R-15 is their first DVR. Even a buggy DVR is tons better than none at all.


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## BigPotty (Dec 26, 2006)

Definitely! The R15 still works at least on a basic level (pause, etc) and mine does most functions pretty well. One thing that some people may not realize is that others visit this forum WHEN they are having a problem with their DVR. I found the forum when I realized that mine was missing recordings.

How many people have never found this forum or even looked because they are relatively happy with their R15's?

Sure maybe some people just want to see what's progressing with the USB port, etc, but I bet most of us came here only after having some sort of issue that we thought was serious enough to search for a solution online.

And then there's the idea that us forum members are just overly *****y and quick to complain about any situation. Especially when it comes to a service that we are paying for and expect to be perfect in every tiny way (I include myself in this statement).

My main point is that yes, many of the posts here are going to be complaints as to the current status of the R15. And yes, the posts are sometimes vague because people get tired of repeating the same complaints over and again. And yes, we feel cheated in that the R15 isn't the most perfect piece of entertainment technology to ever be invented by our human race.

I guess I'm just happy to hear that DTV is actually still working on this piece of crap and isn't leaving all of us SDTV users out in the rain on this one (for now at least).


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## BattleScott (Aug 29, 2006)

bearymore said:


> I don't know if it is being belittled, it is salience. After a while, posting seems either pointless or irrelevant. In my case, it is irrelevance. I got an R-15 when my Series 1 Directivo failed after several years of use. The R-15 turned out to be buggy, particularly trick play, and had limitations the Tivo didn't. I was motivated to get it to work, so I found this forum and posted a number of times. I saw others were having similar issues, and didn't see any fixes coming. Finally, I got so frustrated with the trick play issues, I bought a Directivo from PTVupgrade. Since then, I only cruise the forum intermittently to see if the problems have been fixed yet (they haven't). So, I rarely read the forum, and even more rarely post. It would just seem like pointlessly beating a dead horse.
> 
> Personally, I think the most satisfied people on the forum are those whose R-15 is their first DVR. Even a buggy DVR is tons better than none at all.


Ditto, only I didn't get a replacement TiVO, just learned to live with an inferior DVR.


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## hambonewd (Feb 7, 2007)

well put potty. dont know about everyone else's but my r15 is garbage. and that is precisely the reason i found these forums. i am sure some work just fine.


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## Mark20 (Dec 25, 2006)

don.allen said:


> I've only had my R15 a little over 3 days and I'm already disgusted with it's buggy software and abysmal interface. It's truly a piece of junk (DirecTV's forum wouldn't allow use of the horrid "J" word, how funny is that?) and I haven't even has all the issues everyone is discussing in this forum.
> 
> Does anyone else get that Mac vs PC vibe comparing the R10 and the R15? You know...the sleek feel of the R10's remote in your hands versus the boxy, clunky R15's. Anyways...
> /QUOTE]
> ...


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## ApK (Mar 6, 2006)

BigPotty said:


> How many people have never found this forum or even looked because they are relatively happy with their R15's?


How many people have problems, but don't participate in Internet forums?

I'm sure someone has done a professional survey, but short of that, we don't really know. Obviously you can't trust frontline CSRs who say "Gee, you're the first one to ever report this issue."

This isn't a manufacture's tech support forum. It's not just for problems. It's a Special Interest Group.

I sought out Tivocommunity.com because I love my Tivo, I sought out acousticguitar.com because I like to play guitar, I sought out dbstalk.com because I had just gotten DTV and like to talk about it with others who have it.
I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

I'm not here only because I have problems with my R15. But I do have them nonetheless.
If some of the forums here SEEM like nothing but problem reports...maybe that should tell you something....

I'm not using my R15, I'm having no problems with my DTivo, but here I am still.


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## hambonewd (Feb 7, 2007)

this is also true


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## wbmccarty (Apr 28, 2006)

I teach university classes in IT and other subjects. Recently a student in one of my IT classes was assigned, and presented, a case, on satellite TV. At the conclusion of the presentation, I thought to balance the information equation by warning the class of my problems with the R-15. To my surprise, they were already well aware--I could fairly say loudly aware--of the problems. I can't say whether members of the class are typical of the population at large but I tend to suspect that's the case. So, my personal best guess is that members and comments here exhibit a _favorable_ bias toward the R-15 in comparison with the views of the population at large.

Cheers,


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