# New R15 in the box.....should I install it?



## JoeFixes (Aug 14, 2007)

Hello,

Let me first say I am a TIVO fan, but have been a DIRECTV customer first. I have a TIVO HDVR2 and also an R10. My HDVR2 is still working fine but I am having trouble with my R10, so i called DTV and they have sent me an R15. 

Its still sitting in the box on the floor, because I had a bad experience with an R15 in October 2006. My question is this: 

Should I rush to remove my not-working-perfectly-R10 and substitute it with the R-15? Is it possible I will be happier with the new R-15. It was a horrible device when I used it a year ago. Has it improved greatly over the past year? I would love to get some input before I make the switch.

Thank you

JoeFixes


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## wbmccarty (Apr 28, 2006)

I missed four episodes of 24 last season. 'Nuff said, I think.

From the comments here, one would think the R-15 has improved. But, I think that this forum exhibits sample bias. 

Personally, I see improvements to the UI and performance. But, I can't say that I've seen real improvements in reliability. And, plenty of glitches have yet to be addressed. 

My own analysis is that the R-15 cannot be trusted to perform reliably under load. Your mileage may vary.

Cheers,


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## senorgregster (Apr 29, 2006)

yes it was a piece of junk back then. I'd say we have all been beta testers for a year or so.

I think ***MOST*** people have seen huge improvements since last year.

just my 2c



JoeFixes said:


> Hello,
> 
> Let me first say I am a TIVO fan, but have been a DIRECTV customer first. I have a TIVO HDVR2 and also an R10. My HDVR2 is still working fine but I am having trouble with my R10, so i called DTV and they have sent me an R15.
> 
> ...


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## MLBurks (Dec 16, 2005)

wbmccarty said:


> I missed four episodes of 24 last season. 'Nuff said, I think.
> 
> From the comments here, one would think the R-15 has improved. But, I think that this forum exhibits sample bias.


Wow, that's a strong statement. I have two R15's and I could not be happier with them. I have NOT missed a recording EVER on either one since I first got them in January. It records every show or movie that I ever ask it to without a problem. I would NOT trade the R15 in for a TIVO at all! There was a time that I would have when I tried D* a couple of years ago. But the R15 today is a completely different R15 one than several months ago. And I am not biased in any way.


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## wbmccarty (Apr 28, 2006)

Sorry, I don't mean that the members here evaluate the R-15 unreasonably. That's not the meaning of the term "sample bias." Instead, I mean that the population of this forum tends to be more positive toward the R-15 than is the R-15 user base at large. I base my observation largely on informal surveys of my adult undergraduate students and on on-line reviews of the R-15. Apparently, folks who continue to have R-15 problems and annoyances are underrepresented here. 

Make better sense?

Cheers,


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## Supramom2000 (Jun 21, 2007)

The only recording problems I ever have are with Series Links to shows that are on daily, such as those on Disney and Sprout. My opinion is that it has something to do with a series being weekly (usually) and Wiggles and Wonder Pets, etc are daily. Also, guide information is bad on these as well as shows on USA like 4400, Psych and Deadzone. I get every one of these shows even though I have it set to "first run only". 

Anyway. the new CE's have made life very good in my opinion for the R-15.


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## shelby1214 (Feb 6, 2007)

For my experience the CE's have done nothing to help my situation. The SL's still don't record when I check for upcoming episodes it still says there are none when in fact there are. I still have to manually record everything once a week by using the recently searched function. Since I started babysitting and recording everything myself, I have had no missed recordings but what is the point of having a DVR with the SL function if it doesn't work. The SL function is the reason that I have this DVR in the first place. I guess I was spoiled with the Season Pass on my TIVO's which never missed a single recording in 4+ years.


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## dodge boy (Mar 31, 2006)

wbmccarty said:


> I missed four episodes of 24 last season. 'Nuff said, I think.


Well then don't watch that stupid show.....
Mine never missed an episode of Rescue Me


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

shelby1214 said:


> For my experience the CE's have done nothing to help my situation. The SL's still don't record when I check for upcoming episodes it still says there are none when in fact there are. I still have to manually record everything once a week by using the recently searched function. Since I started babysitting and recording everything myself, I have had no missed recordings but what is the point of having a DVR with the SL function if it doesn't work. The SL function is the reason that I have this DVR in the first place. I guess I was spoiled with the Season Pass on my TIVO's which never missed a single recording in 4+ years.


Details please....

What shows.... What channels
What times are failing...

Ect...


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## boba (May 23, 2003)

The R15 works well for it's design. It is not a TiVo and as such is different, just different. I have TiVo, R15 and DISH 625 DVR they are all different and TiVo is the easiest and best. But I wouldn't say either the R15 or 625 is bad just different. I don't like "searching" on the 625, I don't like "SLIPPING" on the R15 and I don't like cancelling programming on either but I still use both and find they do their jobs.


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## wbmccarty (Apr 28, 2006)

dodge boy said:


> Well then don't watch that stupid show.....


If you're satisfied with a DVR that determines what programs you view, I'm not surprised that you're pleased with the R-15. I want a DVR that reliably records the programs _I_ choose. I believe that's a very reasonable expectation. I deem any DVR that fails that criterion to be wholly unsuited to my purposes, no matter what the name brand or the color of the GUI.

Cheers,


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## MLBurks (Dec 16, 2005)

wbmccarty said:


> If you're satisfied with a DVR that determines what programs you view, I'm not surprised that you're pleased with the R-15. I want a DVR that reliably records the programs _I_ choose. I believe that's a very reasonable expectation. I deem any DVR that fails that criterion to be wholly unsuited to my purposes, no matter what the name brand or the color of the GUI.
> 
> Cheers,


I'm not sure what you are talking about. My R15 records what _I_ want it to and does not record anything that I don't want.


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## shelby1214 (Feb 6, 2007)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Details please....
> 
> What shows.... What channels
> What times are failing...
> ...


Hard knocks HBO
Rock of Love VH1
America's Got Talent NBC
Don't Forget the Lyrics 
Big Brother CBS
Intervention A&E
Judge Judy ABC
Dateline NBC
World Poker Tour Trav
Cops FOX
Top Chef BRVO
Ice Road Truckers Discovery
All times of the day. These shows are on throughout the day every day of the week. These are just the most recent ones. I have been having this problem since Jan. or possibly before. I was hoping that the updates would help but that is not the case. It doesn't matter what channel it is, none of them work. In fact, even with my manual recordings I still have to check my to do list for the ones on CBS because they sometimes don't show up there even after I set it to record. To correct this I have to cancel the record and set it to record again which it will then put it in my to do list.


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## wbmccarty (Apr 28, 2006)

MLBurks said:


> I'm not sure what you are talking about.


Please read the clipped quote. Context is everything.



MLBurks said:


> My R15 records what I want it to and does not record anything that I don't want.


Let's not quarrel. I accept your statement at face value and I'm delighted that you're satisfied with your R-15 experience. But, I can't imagine that you, or anyone else, would be satisfied with my R-15 experience.

The whole truth about the R-15 must encompass _both_ our experiences. Those who dismiss, without grounds, the experiences of others as invalid--I'm not implying you're one of them, but such folks do seem fairly common here and come from _both_ sides of the aisle--personify the term _narrow minded_.

The bottom line is that R-15 user satisfaction is distributed bi-modally. Those who understand data analysis avoiding superimposing a uni-modal model on a bi-modal population.

Cheers,


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

wbmccarty said:


> Please read the clipped quote. Context is everything.
> 
> Let's not quarrel. I accept your statement at face value and I'm delighted that you're satisfied with your R-15 experience. But, I can't imagine that you, or anyone else, would be satisfied with my R-15 experience.
> 
> ...


I totally agree not to quarrel and I can understand your side of it for there are R15's that fail.May I suggest that you contact DirecTV and get them to replace your R15?.I know if mine was messing up that's what I would do and I would keep exchanging R15s until I got one I liked.Good Luck!.


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## MLBurks (Dec 16, 2005)

wbmccarty said:


> Please read the clipped quote. Context is everything.
> 
> Let's not quarrel. I accept your statement at face value and I'm delighted that you're satisfied with your R-15 experience. But, I can't imagine that you, or anyone else, would be satisfied with my R-15 experience.
> 
> ...


I accept that (and I wasn't trying to quarrel ) but since I started participating in the CE's, my R15 keeps getting better and better. It's not perfect (will sometimes lock up, 50 SL limit) but it sure is MUCH better than it was just a few weeks ago (especially since January when I signed up with D*). And since I have two R15's, they were both crap when I first got them, but they both have greatly improved on the same level with CE participation. I'm sure if I didn't participate with the CE and stayed with national releases only, I would still be frustrated. Or maybe I 'm just one of the lucky ones:grin: .


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## jwd45244 (Aug 18, 2006)

The OP wanted to know if he should install it. My question is why not? If you don't like you still have your Tivo. YMMV


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## dodge boy (Mar 31, 2006)

wbmccarty said:


> If you're satisfied with a DVR that determines what programs you view, I'm not surprised that you're pleased with the R-15. I want a DVR that reliably records the programs _I_ choose. I believe that's a very reasonable expectation. I deem any DVR that fails that criterion to be wholly unsuited to my purposes, no matter what the name brand or the color of the GUI.
> 
> Cheers,


I was only kidding..... being sarcastic. Missing something you deliberately choose is as bad as recording something the box might think I like. (see disabling suggestions).


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

JoeFixes said:


> Should I rush to remove my not-working-perfectly-R10 and substitute it with the R-15? Is it possible I will be happier with the new R-15. It was a horrible device when I used it a year ago. Has it improved greatly over the past year? I would love to get some input before I make the switch.
> 
> Thank you
> 
> JoeFixes


Having never owned/used a TIVO, but having a new R15 installed about a month ago, I would say you should give the R15 another try. I was skeptical about taking DirecTV up on their offer of a free DVR upgrade after reading all the horror stories in various forums about all the nasty things it does/did. However, I have grown to LOVE the thing and find it has fewer bugs than many other DirecTV standard receivers I have owned through the years.

What seems to be the biggest deterrent to the R15 is folks trying to compare it with a TIVO. It isn't a TIVO! It performs the same function (records TV) but that seems to be about where the similarities end. If you were disappointed with the R15 a year ago BECAUSE IT DIDN'T DO ALL THE THINGS A TIVO DOES, you probably still will be. If you were disappointed because the R15 you had an earlier experience with was full of bugs and goofed up your recordings, I'd say open that box and give the new unit a try! Many forum posts about the R15 have changed from endless grumbling to sheepishly admitting that they actually like the thing now that many of the bugs have been fixed in NUMEROUS firmware updates.

One thing I would do since your R15 is "reconditioned" (I.E. we plugged it in and it seemed to work so we put it on the "to be shipped out" pile). Before you begin your evaluation, reformat the HDD and then reset everything. Instructions on how to do this can be found elsewhere in the R15 forums.

Good luck and remember-keep repeating to yourself "It ISN'T a TIVO"!!


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## Gbojhi (Feb 9, 2007)

I just had to have mine replace the csr did not mention they where going to charge me $19.99 S&H. I would not have paid the money to get this piece of junk back. My first r15 I had to reboot all the time after telling Directv this cannot be normal they sent a replacement. The replacement will not listen to the remote. You can press channel up and nothing happens, press it another 4 time or so and all of the sudden it will change 4 channels ahead. It does not record what I tell it to. This is the worst piece of tv equipment I have ever used. Dtv needs to fix it or get rid of it. I would go else where but the HR20 is nicely put together and I have 16 more months before I can move on easily.


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## wbmccarty (Apr 28, 2006)

Jhon69 said:


> May I suggest that you contact DirecTV and get them to replace your R15?.I know if mine was messing up that's what I would do and I would keep exchanging R15s until I got one I liked.Good Luck!.


That is a good suggestion, but I've done it 2-3 times (I've lost count) without stepping up in reliability. My best guess is that some of the problems I encounter arise from using a single-tuner configuration. By no means do I intend, in offering that hypothesis, to exonerate DTV. Mine is a supported configuration and should work.

Some have also suggested site-dependent issues. But, my power is clean and my ventilation is good. Moreover, I have no other problems in a house full of microprocessors.

My usage patterns may be another factor affecting reliability. I run about 23 SLs. However, again, such a configuration is fully supported.

Cheers,


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

wbmccarty said:


> That is a good suggestion, but I've done it 2-3 times (I've lost count) without stepping up in reliability. My best guess is that some of the problems I encounter arise from using a single-tuner configuration. By no means do I intend, in offering that hypothesis, to exonerate DTV. Mine is a supported configuration and should work.
> 
> Some have also suggested site-dependent issues. But, my power is clean and my ventilation is good. Moreover, I have no other problems in a house full of microprocessors.
> 
> ...


You would think that DirecTV would have come out and put in that second tuner line.I do believe your guess is a good one and yes I do agree that it should work
with just a single tuner,but being new who knows?.I really can't see using a dual tuner DVR with just one line,but hey if that's all you want then it should work right.
Hopefully with all these CEs coming out they will hit on the right combination to make your single tuner R15 work right.


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## wbmccarty (Apr 28, 2006)

jwd45244 said:


> The OP wanted to know if he should install it. My question is why not?


A: Because you may miss important programs that another DVR would not miss. The downside of the R-15 is negative, not zero.

Cheers,


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## rksmith (Aug 19, 2007)

My take on all this is: *No leave it in the box and return it*. I have had a R15 100 for a year now. Everytime I talk to D, they have me reset it. My problems are skip recording shows, locks on replay, caller id never works, stops playing like at the end of the recording, etc.

Most of your responds have been to call D and have them replace the box. They will replace mines, if I pay $75 service call fee first. I have 2 R10'S (TIVO) and never had any problems. I have been a customer of D since 1995 and want to cancel my service. And yes I am a TIVO user but I don't expect the R15 to function like TIVO, *I JUST WANT IT TO WORK!*


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## wbmccarty (Apr 28, 2006)

rksmith said:


> My take on all this is: Everytime I talk to D, they have me reset it.


I hear you loud and clear. It's as though the customer service process reboots every time you call. So, you get the same, stale advice each time. Been there, done that, and eventually gave up.

I can't help but observe that the R-15 and the customer support process _both _have this odd tendency to reboot. One has to wonder what's with that....



rksmith said:


> And yes I am a TIVO user but I don't expect the R15 to function like TIVO, *I JUST WANT IT TO WORK!*


I concur. Don't let comparisons of Tivo and R-15 features obscure the fact that many of us find the reliability of our R-15 unit entirely unsatisfactory.

Some users are lucky. Some are not. Luck shouldn't be a factor--it's the job of the design and implementation teams to render luck unnecessary.

Cheers,


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