Can someone help me decipher this DirecTV deal?

I ran across this on DirecTV.com:

The link is
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/NewHar...P_CODE=unknown
if it works for anyone but me... (or http://tinyurl.com/npno)
--------------------------------
3-Room DIRECTV® System with DIRECTV® DVR

Includes one mini-dish, one DIRECTV(R) DVR, two standard receivers and
three universal remote controls delivered by your installer. Standard
professional installation is also included. Requires a 1-year commitment
to any TOTAL CHOICE(R) package (starting at $33.99/month). DIRECTV(R) DVR
with TiVo(R) service is $4.99 per month or FREE if you subscribe to TOTAL
CHOICE(R) Premier programming. Add $4.99/mo. programming fee for second
and each additional receiver.

Unit Price Quantity
3-Room DIRECTV® System with DIRECTV® DVR $199.00 1
Handling and Delivery Fee $14.95 1
Installation Included $0.00 1

With an option for an Additional DirecTV Receiver @ $49.00 ea.
----------------------------------

Now, can anyone break that down into English for me? I see that I'm paying
$215 up front, and that this includes 1 DVR receiver and 2 standard
receivers. I also see that I would be paying at least $38.98/mo (the
cheapest monthly package + $4.99/mo for the DVR service). What I'm not
clear on is the "Add $4.99/mo. programming fee for second and each
additional receiver." Does this include the 2 extra receivers that come as
part of the deal? In other words, would I need to pay $48.96/mo just to
get the "3 room" deal they are talking about? Or does the $4.99/mo fee
refer to the ability to tune in a different channel simultaneously in
different rooms? If this is the case, what's the point of having the
DirecTV receiver in the other 2 rooms, as couldn't I just split the output
from the DVR receiver and send it to my other TVs myself?

I'm very confused...

Anyway, I have Cable right now, and I pay $37.95/mo for that (I'm guessing
that the channels I get are roughly comparable to the channels I would get
on the $38.98/mo deal from DirecTV, without getting into specifics). So,
at $38.98/mo, this seems like quite a deal. Unfortunately, I also have to
consider that subscribing to cable TV is saving me $10/mo on my high speed
Internet bill, so I'm essentially only paying $27.95/mo for cable (for the
sake of comparing the price of a replacement service).

So, $10/mo extra to get about the same channels sounds great considering I
would be adding TiVo for only $200 in equipment costs. But another twist
is local channels, which are $5/mo extra.

So, $15/mo extra to get DirecTV with TiVo, plus $200 up front... This is
seeming like A Good Thing (tm) to me... If only I knew what it meant that
I had to pay $4.99/mo for each additional receiver...

Now, if I only had a view of the Southern Sky...........



Oh, as a side note, does anyone know how much capacity these DirecTV DVRs
have?

--
Lenroc

In article il.com,
Lenroc wrote:

I ran across this on DirecTV.com:

The link is
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/NewHar...OHO_ATTR_SERVI
CE_ZIP_CODE=unknown
if it works for anyone but me... (or http://tinyurl.com/npno)
--------------------------------
3-Room DIRECTV® System with DIRECTV® DVR

Includes one mini-dish, one DIRECTV(R) DVR, two standard receivers and
three universal remote controls delivered by your installer. Standard
professional installation is also included. Requires a 1-year commitment
to any TOTAL CHOICE(R) package (starting at $33.99/month). DIRECTV(R) DVR
with TiVo(R) service is $4.99 per month or FREE if you subscribe to TOTAL
CHOICE(R) Premier programming. Add $4.99/mo. programming fee for second
and each additional receiver.

Unit Price Quantity
3-Room DIRECTV® System with DIRECTV® DVR $199.00 1
Handling and Delivery Fee $14.95 1
Installation Included $0.00 1

With an option for an Additional DirecTV Receiver @ $49.00 ea.
----------------------------------

Now, can anyone break that down into English for me? I see that I'm paying
$215 up front, and that this includes 1 DVR receiver and 2 standard
receivers. I also see that I would be paying at least $38.98/mo (the
cheapest monthly package + $4.99/mo for the DVR service). What I'm not
clear on is the "Add $4.99/mo. programming fee for second and each
additional receiver." Does this include the 2 extra receivers that come as
part of the deal? In other words, would I need to pay $48.96/mo just to
get the "3 room" deal they are talking about?

YES

Or does the $4.99/mo fee
refer to the ability to tune in a different channel simultaneously in
different rooms? If this is the case, what's the point of having the
DirecTV receiver in the other 2 rooms, as couldn't I just split the output
from the DVR receiver and send it to my other TVs myself?

Yes, but then you'd have same program in all 3 rooms.


I'm very confused...

Anyway, I have Cable right now, and I pay $37.95/mo for that (I'm guessing
that the channels I get are roughly comparable to the channels I would get

You should carefully compare. Often folks find that one service or the
other offers a few channels the other doesn't
and that makes a big difference.


on the $38.98/mo deal from DirecTV, without getting into specifics). So,
at $38.98/mo, this seems like quite a deal. Unfortunately, I also have to
consider that subscribing to cable TV is saving me $10/mo on my high speed
Internet bill, so I'm essentially only paying $27.95/mo for cable (for the
sake of comparing the price of a replacement service).

So, $10/mo extra to get about the same channels sounds great considering I
would be adding TiVo for only $200 in equipment costs. But another twist
is local channels, which are $5/mo extra.

So, $15/mo extra to get DirecTV with TiVo, plus $200 up front... This is
seeming like A Good Thing (tm) to me... If only I knew what it meant that
I had to pay $4.99/mo for each additional receiver...

If you have 3 receivers you can watch 3 different programs, and pay
$9.98/month for that priveledge. Most Cable Companies charge $6/month
or more for a 2nd and subsequent digital tuner.

Now, if I only had a view of the Southern Sky...........



Oh, as a side note, does anyone know how much capacity these DirecTV DVRs
have?

Lenroc ) wrote in alt.video.ptv.tivo:
Anyway, I have Cable right now, and I pay $37.95/mo for that (I'm guessing
that the channels I get are roughly comparable to the channels I would get
on the $38.98/mo deal from DirecTV, without getting into specifics).

One of the hardest things to factor in is the ability to record two shows
at once that the DirecTiVo gives you. What that is worth to you is...well,
up to you.

Oh, as a side note, does anyone know how much capacity these DirecTV DVRs
have?

About 30 hours for the unit they will ship you, but if you have ever installed
hardware into your PC, you should be able to do an upgrade for the price of
the larger hard drive. 120GB is the effective maximum drive size that TiVo
can handle, and replacing the 40GB drive that comes with the unit will give
you about 90 hours of recording time.

--
Jeff Rife |
301-916-8131 | http://www.nabs.net/Cartoons/CloseTo...ePollution.gif

In article il.com,
Lenroc wrote:

Anyway, I have Cable right now, and I pay $37.95/mo for that (I'm guessing
that the channels I get are roughly comparable to the channels I would get
on the $38.98/mo deal from DirecTV, without getting into specifics). So,
at $38.98/mo, this seems like quite a deal.

Don't assume anything. When I started this process in 1999, I
downloaded the channel lineups from my local cable company and from
DirecTV, and then I put each lineup into an Excel column and sorted
them alphabetically. I know this sounds almost too easy, but it gave
me a fast and good comparison between the two. (My results: I lost a
few inconsequential channels, but I gained Turner Classic Movies, the
Cartoon Network, Court TV and the Food Channel, among many others. I
also gained the east-west broadcast network feeds, because I live in
the boondocks. I also got many more movie channels for the same money.
That made the switch a no-brainer.) If your locals are on the
satellite, the switch may be a no-brainer for you, too.

I did see that you get a $10/mo discount on your hi-speed Internet
bill. You have to decide whether the $10 is worth all the extra stuff
you'll get from DirecTV. (I don't think a $10 discount is much of a
deal, myself, and it shouldn't stop you from switching.)

On Mon, 29 Sep 2003 15:09:45 -0400, Dr. Personality wrote:

Don't assume anything. When I started this process in 1999, I downloaded
the channel lineups from my local cable company and from DirecTV, and then
I put each lineup into an Excel column and sorted them alphabetically. I
know this sounds almost too easy, but it gave me a fast and good
comparison between the two.

Good point. I'll likely try that. I know off hand I would be picking up
TechTV, which is a plus (though I have seen TechTV, so I know it's not a
huge plus).

I did see that you get a $10/mo discount on your hi-speed Internet bill.
You have to decide whether the $10 is worth all the extra stuff you'll
get from DirecTV. (I don't think a $10 discount is much of a deal,
myself, and it shouldn't stop you from switching.)

Yup. Essentially, I would pay $15 more per month (neglecting tax
differences) to go with DirecTV, and I would get a Tivo box for $200 (with
the service fees being included in the $15/mo extra I'm already paying).

Not a bad deal, but it hinges on my view of the souther sky (I live in an
apartment...), and also on my reading of the advertise special.

Thanks for the response.

--
Lenroc

In article il.com,
Lenroc wrote:

Not a bad deal, but it hinges on my view of the souther sky (I live in an
apartment...), and also on my reading of the advertise special.

Lots of Apartments these days have farms of minidishes on the roof.

On Mon, 29 Sep 2003 20:23:11 +0000, Phill. wrote:

Lots of Apartments these days have farms of minidishes on the roof.

My apartment complex will not allow installation of dishes in any area
that is considered to be a "common area", including outside of my patio
"boundaries", or on the roof.

I also am prohibited from drilling into an exterior wall for any reason.

The FCC recently gave small dish users a lot of flexibility (namely by
saying that leasors cannot prohibit leasees from placing dishes in
"leased" or non-common areas), but it can still be hard to install a dish
in some cases.

Then, there's that tree outside my window...

I tried previously to have Dish Network installed, and the installer
stepped onto my patio and instantly told me it would never work. It ended
up I would have to have the dish hanging about 5' off of my patio wall to
see the satellite. Since I live on the ground floor, this would clearly
interfere with a "common area". DirecTV, I understand, has it's satellites
parked at a slightly different angle than Dish Network, which essentially
means that I would have to point the dish further to the left. I see some
people on the same side of the apartment building as me have success with
DirecTV, but I'm not sure if I would or not...

Oh well... cable works great

--
Lenroc

Aaarr, Lenroc
What ye be sayin'?

On Mon, 29 Sep 2003 20:23:11 +0000, Phill. wrote:

Lots of Apartments these days have farms of minidishes on the roof.

My apartment complex will not allow installation of dishes in any area
that is considered to be a "common area", including outside of my patio
"boundaries", or on the roof.

I also am prohibited from drilling into an exterior wall for any reason.

The FCC recently gave small dish users a lot of flexibility (namely by
saying that leasors cannot prohibit leasees from placing dishes in
"leased" or non-common areas), but it can still be hard to install a dish
in some cases.

Then, there's that tree outside my window...

I tried previously to have Dish Network installed, and the installer
stepped onto my patio and instantly told me it would never work. It ended
up I would have to have the dish hanging about 5' off of my patio wall to
see the satellite. Since I live on the ground floor, this would clearly
interfere with a "common area". DirecTV, I understand, has it's satellites
parked at a slightly different angle than Dish Network, which essentially
means that I would have to point the dish further to the left. I see some
people on the same side of the apartment building as me have success with
DirecTV, but I'm not sure if I would or not...

Oh well... cable works great

Do any of your immediate neighbors already have DirecTV? If so, you
might be able to just spring for a switch and use their dish, if
they'll let you, running some cables through an adjoining wall.

--
Ted Rathkopf

On Mon, 29 Sep 2003 20:37:15 +0000, Seises de Corazones wrote:

Do any of your immediate neighbors already have DirecTV? If so, you might
be able to just spring for a switch and use their dish, if they'll let
you, running some cables through an adjoining wall.

No, unforunately ;(

The closest one is 6 apartments (and one building) away...

--
Lenroc

In article ,
Phill. wrote:
If you have 3 receivers you can watch 3 different programs, and pay

Just to nitpick one point -- with this deal he was talking about, he could
watch/record *4* things at once -- 2 on the DirecTivo, and one each on the
regular DirecTV boxes.

Those "3 room DirecTV deal free" ads sure are widespread.. (I guess I'm
seeing them in the newspaper mostly.) This is the first time I've seen
someone mention a "3 room" deal that has a Tivo in it. (obviously
much more expensive though.)