DirecTV: Which receiver? (web site and customer service USELESS)
 

Thinking of ordering DirecTV service soon. Would like to know
specifications of receivers BEFORE I order, though. If they aren't
significantly better than Dish, will go with Dish Network instead.

DirecTV's web site has no information at all on receivers (no model numbers,
even). They have links to information about various receivers, but that
doesn't help if you don't know what receiver you have (or will get).

DirecTV's customer service couldn't tell me anything more than if I do order
DirecTV service for two rooms, I will get 2 receivers. (like, duh)

Oh, and I can buy them at CC or Best Buy or whatever, but I will need
professional installation anyway, so I might as well take whatever free
receivers they offer.

But that leads me back to the question of . . . how do I find out what
receiver I am likely to get? Would like to know, as at least one of them
will need to integrate easily with a Onkyo A/V receiver (digital audio, if
possible) and a DVD recorder (NOT Tivo, not subscription based, digital
audio helpful here, also).

So basically, if someone has had DirecTV installed recently (upstate New
York), what receivers did the installer bring with them? -Dave

On Mon, 1 Nov 2004 17:08:37 -0500, "Dave C." wrote:

Thinking of ordering DirecTV service soon. Would like to know
specifications of receivers BEFORE I order, though. If they aren't
significantly better than Dish, will go with Dish Network instead.

Circuit boards are circuit boards.....I found the programming packages
from Dish was more desirable for our family. There were certain
channels that were available without having to buy the Starz network
as with Direct.

"Ida Slapter" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 1 Nov 2004 17:08:37 -0500, "Dave C." wrote:

Thinking of ordering DirecTV service soon. Would like to know
specifications of receivers BEFORE I order, though. If they aren't
significantly better than Dish, will go with Dish Network instead.

Circuit boards are circuit boards.....I found the programming packages
from Dish was more desirable for our family. There were certain
channels that were available without having to buy the Starz network
as with Direct.


Interesting. I'll have to look at the programming choices carefully. -Dave

Dave C. wrote:
But that leads me back to the question of . . . how do I find out what
receiver I am likely to get? Would like to know, as at least one of them
will need to integrate easily with a Onkyo A/V receiver (digital audio, if
possible)

The DirecTivo has optical Dolby 5.1 Digital Audio out.
The "free" units generally don't, so that's an add-on cost that exceeds the
price of the DTivo.

and a DVD recorder (NOT Tivo, not subscription based, digital
audio helpful here, also).

No help on DVD recording with stock boxes, except that they all have one
S-Video out. Some have more than one composite out (DTivo does), and the
optical audio.

DTivo is $5 per month.

--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5

Ida Slapter writes:

On Mon, 1 Nov 2004 17:08:37 -0500, "Dave C." wrote:

Thinking of ordering DirecTV service soon. Would like to know
specifications of receivers BEFORE I order, though. If they aren't
significantly better than Dish, will go with Dish Network instead.

Circuit boards are circuit boards.....I found the programming packages
from Dish was more desirable for our family. There were certain
channels that were available without having to buy the Starz network
as with Direct.

Actually, there is some difference between recievers, since (before I
got the DirecTivo units, which *are* basically identical except for
the case) I had an installer that gave me a Philips and and a Sony
reciever for an initial two-room install. The former was slow junk,
while the later worked fine.

--
Richard W Kaszeta

http://www.kaszeta.org/rich

The installer will bring what he has in stock at the time. Basically
DirecTV is going to their own branded receivers, you may still find a few of
the older Philips, RCA or Samsung receivers in the pipeline, but the DirecTV
base receiver is now the D10. I was browsing BestBuy and Circuit City and
the D10 is the only non Tivo, non HD receiver that either store now carries.
As far as the DirecTivo receiver, they are all built in the same factory by
the same installers and are for all intents and purposes the same unit sold
under different nameplates.


"Dave C." wrote in message
...
Thinking of ordering DirecTV service soon. Would like to know
specifications of receivers BEFORE I order, though. If they aren't
significantly better than Dish, will go with Dish Network instead.

DirecTV's web site has no information at all on receivers (no model
numbers,
even). They have links to information about various receivers, but that
doesn't help if you don't know what receiver you have (or will get).

DirecTV's customer service couldn't tell me anything more than if I do
order
DirecTV service for two rooms, I will get 2 receivers. (like, duh)

Oh, and I can buy them at CC or Best Buy or whatever, but I will need
professional installation anyway, so I might as well take whatever free
receivers they offer.

But that leads me back to the question of . . . how do I find out what
receiver I am likely to get? Would like to know, as at least one of them
will need to integrate easily with a Onkyo A/V receiver (digital audio, if
possible) and a DVD recorder (NOT Tivo, not subscription based, digital
audio helpful here, also).

So basically, if someone has had DirecTV installed recently (upstate New
York), what receivers did the installer bring with them? -Dave

"Carl Keehn" wrote in message
...
The installer will bring what he has in stock at the time. Basically
DirecTV is going to their own branded receivers, you may still find a few
of
the older Philips, RCA or Samsung receivers in the pipeline, but the
DirecTV
base receiver is now the D10. I was browsing BestBuy and Circuit City and
the D10 is the only non Tivo, non HD receiver that either store now
carries.
As far as the DirecTivo receiver, they are all built in the same factory
by
the same installers and are for all intents and purposes the same unit
sold
under different nameplates.



Great information. Thanks. -Dave

Carl Keehn wrote:
The installer will bring what he has in stock at the time. Basically
DirecTV is going to their own branded receivers, you may still find a few of
the older Philips, RCA or Samsung receivers in the pipeline, but the DirecTV
base receiver is now the D10. I was browsing BestBuy and Circuit City and
the D10 is the only non Tivo, non HD receiver that either store now carries.
As far as the DirecTivo receiver, they are all built in the same factory by
the same installers and are for all intents and purposes the same unit sold
under different nameplates.

I recently received a Phillips refurb, shipped directly from DTV.
No digital audio.

---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5

) wrote in rec.video.satellite.dbs:
I recently received a Phillips refurb, shipped directly from DTV.
No digital audio.

*Every* DirecTiVo built has an optical digital audio output. If yours
isn't working, you should complain about the broken product you received.

--
Jeff Rife | "If we give peas a chance, won't the lima
SPAM bait: | beans feel left out?"
|
| -- Pinky

I recently signed up for an additional IRD and subscription for a second
room. That was this past July. The installers installed (and I paid for),
a Philips DSX 5350 and I was not satisfied at all. Terrible alaising & poor
audio. When DirecTV offered a TIVO upgrade for $99 and an additional
discount last month, I went for it and requested a Hughes box. I was told
by the installers that they only had Philips and refurbed RCA's. I told
them to bring the Philips. Lo and behold, they showed up with a Hughes
(manufactured April 2K4; don't recall the model number), and the picture
quality and sound is immeasurably better. No alaising and if there is, it is
imperceptible to me. Much, much better pictures now. The guide is a little
slower, but there is "a lot more going on" inside this box. And the TIVO
features are amazing. Additionally it is much more "user friendly" to
operate compared to the Philips...remote control wise. Still some "mosquito
noise" and compression artifacts, but that is inherent in any large
multi-channel compression scheme.

CFreeman


wrote in message
...
Carl Keehn wrote:
The installer will bring what he has in stock at the time. Basically
DirecTV is going to their own branded receivers, you may still find a
few of
the older Philips, RCA or Samsung receivers in the pipeline, but the
DirecTV
base receiver is now the D10. I was browsing BestBuy and Circuit City
and
the D10 is the only non Tivo, non HD receiver that either store now
carries.
As far as the DirecTivo receiver, they are all built in the same factory
by
the same installers and are for all intents and purposes the same unit
sold
under different nameplates.

I recently received a Phillips refurb, shipped directly from DTV.
No digital audio.

---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5