Given the delay in a DirecTV solution, I'm planning to pull MCE and replace it with a Dish Network or DirecTV HDDVR.  I've just come to the point that I no longer want to wait an undisclosed amount of time to get HD, PPV, no more IR dongle problems, etc...  I'm also no longer under obligation to DirecTV, so I figure whoever has the better DVR/HD offerings will get my business.

That being said, has anyone switched to a DVR recently?  Any insight into Dish or DirecTV DVRs or HD offerings?  Is it unbearable compared to the MCE interface?

If you want to stick with your PC, SageTV is where it's at these days. Lots of us are ready to jump ship from MCE.

Actually I think I'm going to give up on the HTPC.  Even with Sage you're still forced to user IR dongles.  It just isn't truly integrated.

It sounds like DirecTV is working on Multi Room Viewing and Dish already has a DVR that support 1 HD and 1 SD TV.  I think both have the ability to share photos and music?  I really only use MCE for TV, so I'm not sure there is a compelling reason to stick with it.

Most of DirecTV's HD DVR's support music and photos shared over UPNP over your LAN.

If you are moving to DirecTV from VMC or Sage, be prepared to have the interface for it remind you of your Atari 2600 days.

None of the satellite or cable companies will provide a DVR with the full range of functionality available with an HTPC.  With a PC, not only can you watch live & recorded programming, but you can also watch DVDs, BDs and downloaded videos - not to mention the fact that you can run a web browser and also get access to new web programs (like Sanctuary, Dr. Horrible or Gemini Division).

And with the PC, you have multiple choices for the DVR application.

If Fiji had delivered on the earlier promise of supporting new devices such as the HDPC-20 or HD-PVR, or if VMC had supported CableCard tuners as upgrades to existing systems - the situation today would be much different.

Based on Microsoft's track record of device support for VMC and Fiji, this might be a risky assumption - but let's assume that Microsoft does (finally) deliver the broad device in Windows 7 that will be required in order to keep VMC as a viable product.

By the time Windows 7 ships - it's likely that most VMC users will be restricted to only local broadcast digital channels - since the cable companies are moving to encrypt or SDV everything else.  That wouldn't be a very compelling product!

Either Microsoft or some creative vendor (like Silicondust and the HDHR) should be seeing this opportunity - and provide a solution that addresses this large and growing potential HTPC market.

So if Windows 7 does provide broad device support users will need to get anything but local broadcast channels - then our issue today is more about an interim solution until Windows 7 has a clean solution.  Should we jump VMC for TiVoHD?  SageTV?  BeyondTV? Cable/satellite DVR?

Or will someone come up with a creative solution to bridge VMC users over until Windows 7 comes out?

Is Hauppauge going to come up with a solution for supporting their HD-PVR on Vista?  Without VMC support, they've lost a large part of their potential market - so they have some financial incentive for coming up with a solution.

Could someone come up with a FireSTB-like solution for working within the VMC framework, and automatically converting the HD-PVR's H.264 to DVR-MS (or WTV)?

Or perhaps someone could come up with an HDHR-like solution with a BDA driver that fronts the HD-PVR and does the H.264 to DVR-MS conversion in real-time...

Or maybe there's another vendor out there with a solution they haven't yet brought to the market - and this is a huge potential market!

On the other hand, if the creative users are jumping ship for SageTV - then the likelihood of seeing any innovative solutions to bridge the gap to Windows 7 is getting slimmer and slimmer.

Too bad that the vendors aren't willing to make any commitments of how they are going to solve these problems - and when...

morphy:

If you are moving to DirecTV from VMC or Sage, be prepared to have the interface for it remind you of your Atari 2600 days.

That's what I'm afraid of.  So what exactly is the problem with it?  Slow, un-responsive, can't display as much data or is it just bad fonts and blocky graphics?

To be honest, the only two things I'm concerned with loosing are pushing TV onto my Zune and the live buffer sharing.  So the question is if SciFi HD, etc... is worth loosing these 2 features?  Dish Network has an attractive officer for HD only service, but it lacks Comedy Central and the Daily Show is a must.

Platup:

morphy:

If you are moving to DirecTV from VMC or Sage, be prepared to have the interface for it remind you of your Atari 2600 days.

That's what I'm afraid of.  So what exactly is the problem with it?  Slow, un-responsive, can't display as much data or is it just bad fonts and blocky graphics?

Yes. :)  Well, on the HR20/21 its getting a little bit better on their advertising features such as DirecTV On Demand and their "active" channels. To be honest, its like an advanced cable STB.  The recording and playback capabilities, although entirely proprietary and closed, are exceptional in quality. That said, the GUI is plain blue with white text. It doesn't feel "solid", and even tends to flicker at times. The more complicated the menu you are in, the more sluggish it gets. Not just in displaying the menu, but also in moving and selecting the yellow highlight.

I'm tentatively planning to go SageTV + Hauppauge HD-PVR + DirecTV HD receiver in order to get the best that I can of each facet.  If Microsoft announces even a tentative timeline for DirecTV/H.264 support before I purchase the first component for it, then I may stick with VMC, depending on what they have to say.

This just in, DirecTV plans to release a new HD DirecTivo sometime in 2009:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/03/hell-freezes-over-new-directv-hd-tivo-on-the-way/

Let the speculation begin as to what this means to directv htpc situation. I would bet its going to be out long before the hdpc20 comes out and is supported by a microsoft OS.

AT&T U-Verse has a similar setup to the media center.  You can record 4 shows at once.  Has interactive tv like Dish and DirecTV.  Supposedly should have a better picture because it goes through fiber optics although I have not noticed anything.  Check it out.

Had DirecTV for 3 years.  I liked it but boxes needed to be replaced and I had to pay for the shipping.  Got rid of them.

Had DishNetwork.  Record 2 shows at once.  Easy to use DVR.

epzelli:

AT&T U-Verse has a similar setup to the media center.

That's because Microsoft makes the software for it. 

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Chris Lanier
The Green Button Forum Moderator

I just ordered Dish Network with the 722 DVR. It does work with multiroom tv's. One HD tv and one SD tv.

I too was a Media Center user for 5 years with analog cable. But with digital cable and HD, Media Center is not worth the hassle with IR doggles and shoddy reliability. And even with cable card, there's no incentive to use Media Center since I can't even copy a show to watch it at someone elses house. Oh well.

epzelli:

AT&T U-Verse has a similar setup to the media center.  You can record 4 shows at once.  Has interactive tv like Dish and DirecTV.  Supposedly should have a better picture because it goes through fiber optics although I have not noticed anything.  Check it out.

Had DirecTV for 3 years.  I liked it but boxes needed to be replaced and I had to pay for the shipping.  Got rid of them.

Had DishNetwork.  Record 2 shows at once.  Easy to use DVR.

The problem is, U-Verse TV looks like trash. if you enjoy watching the most pixilated HD you have ever seen, you might like it. on top of that, the menu's, while very nice looking, are very slow, and the set top boxes lock up. This might all depend on the area you live in, but my experience has not been good. pictures are available using an online service, so that is not very user friendly either. By the time windows 7 ships, you will see a tivo, or even cable stb's or sat. stbs that do most of what VMC does. I don't have much faith im M$ given the TV pack OEM only decision, and the problems related to tv pack. The user input they are recieving is from what.... the 2% of people that buy OEM PC's for media center?? Switch to sage, get what you want now, and ensure a future for HTPC for years to come.

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Doug Vanden Berg www.vandenbergstereo.com