matt770 Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 This service has had more problems than I could list here, and today will be our 4th service appointment. They refuse to let me out of this deal and give me a second HD DVR for our new TV which is what I originally wanted anyway. Their phone support people are crap. Anyone sign up for this? It's pretty new. Obviously my advice would be to stay the eff away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTed46 Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 This service has had more problems than I could list here, and today will be our 4th service appointment. They refuse to let me out of this deal and give me a second HD DVR for our new TV which is what I originally wanted anyway. Their phone support people are crap. Anyone sign up for this? It's pretty new. Obviously my advice would be to stay the eff away. I have the Verizon version of it. It seems to work ok, but its not as clear or fast as seperate DVRs. What issues are you having? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 I have the Verizon version of it. It seems to work ok, but its not as clear or fast as seperate DVRs. What issues are you having? I've got AT&T U-Verse. Their system has worked fine for me. Had one hardware malfunction where the primary box which houses the hard drive crashed, but they were out and replaced it the very next day. Overall been very pleased with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 I have the Verizon version of it. It seems to work ok, but its not as clear or fast as seperate DVRs. What issues are you having? A box they connected to my router causes wireless to go down. I have to constantly reset the router. They replaced the box, same issue. This tells me either both boxes are defective or the service is not compatible with my router. The whole-house feature works without this box connected, but I lose the on-demand feature, the key selling point that made me sign up in the first place. The HD receiver in our bedroom that is supposed to access the DVR in the basement sporadically misses some shows that were recorded downstairs. The two receivers stop seeing each other at all, so I have no DVR connectivity upstairs at all. This has happened 3 times now. When watching a recorded program upstairs, FF/RWD functions are slow and jerky and the screen freezes at random times. I keep losing picture on a third set, with a message telling me to insert the access card. I remove and reinsert the card and the problem remains. I spoke to the tech directly yesterday and he promised to bring me a new DVR for the basement today to see if that solves it. I only agreed because the new DVR has more storage space; I doubt it is going to fix the above issues. After a few more service calls and my complaints to their upper management and BBB, I'm hoping they finally give in and install a second DVR upstairs and remove all this crap equipment that obviously will never work. And of course, I just called to see what time the tech is coming and they have no record of any visit today, and I asked to speak to a supervisor, waited on hold forever, then got disconnected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmarc117 Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 never knew they had this. if it works, it sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 I wanted to get it, but I have the old silver HD box in the MB and I don't think it's compatible with that. Our HD-DVR is in the living room and it would be nice to watch shows in the bedroom. I guess I'll wait until the bugs are sorted out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 I wanted to get it, but I have the old silver HD box in the MB and I don't think it's compatible with that. Our HD-DVR is in the living room and it would be nice to watch shows in the bedroom. I guess I'll wait until the bugs are sorted out. They replace all of your old boxes with new compatible ones as part of the upgrade. We paid $209 for this fiasco. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 They replace all of your old boxes with new compatible ones as part of the upgrade. We paid $209 for this fiasco. Believe me...I understand that with DirecTV, which is why I don't want to be the guinea pig on these things. Did they re-up you for another 2 years too? I've got an old-school DVD-recorder hooked up to a plain ole non-HD DVR upstairs that I use to record to DVD stuff I may wanna keep for awhile. I'll stick with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 Believe me...I understand that with DirecTV, which is why I don't want to be the guinea pig on these things. Did they re-up you for another 2 years too? Oh of course, not that I would give up Sunday Ticket. And I'm sure they know that too, rotten bastards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlanta Cracker Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 They had a beta for this earlier this year and I used it then and loved it. I have 2 HD DVR boxes both plugged in directly to my home network and it worked great as I could watch what was recorded on either box on the other TV in the house. Now, a couple of months ago the beta ends and it's no longer working. I look into it a little and see they are charging $3/month for the service that's free on ATT, etc. so I just didn't pursue it for a while. The other day when I was calling about Sunday ticket I decided to get it turned back on. The rep kept telling me they had to come install all this crap and sign me up for another 2 years, etc and I kept telling her that it was working in the beta, I have my own network, I don't need their carp. Took her going back to 2 different managers and me being adamant before she finally said "we figured out how to add the service for you since you were part of the beta." I call BS but anyway they added it back and it's working again. So, the moral of the story is attach your boxes to your own network yourself and don't let them charge you for equipment you don't need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satelliteoflovegm Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 A box they connected to my router causes wireless to go down. I have to constantly reset the router. They replaced the box, same issue. This tells me either both boxes are defective or the service is not compatible with my router. The whole-house feature works without this box connected, but I lose the on-demand feature, the key selling point that made me sign up in the first place. The HD receiver in our bedroom that is supposed to access the DVR in the basement sporadically misses some shows that were recorded downstairs. The two receivers stop seeing each other at all, so I have no DVR connectivity upstairs at all. This has happened 3 times now. When watching a recorded program upstairs, FF/RWD functions are slow and jerky and the screen freezes at random times. I keep losing picture on a third set, with a message telling me to insert the access card. I remove and reinsert the card and the problem remains. I spoke to the tech directly yesterday and he promised to bring me a new DVR for the basement today to see if that solves it. I only agreed because the new DVR has more storage space; I doubt it is going to fix the above issues. After a few more service calls and my complaints to their upper management and BBB, I'm hoping they finally give in and install a second DVR upstairs and remove all this crap equipment that obviously will never work. And of course, I just called to see what time the tech is coming and they have no record of any visit today, and I asked to speak to a supervisor, waited on hold forever, then got disconnected. You called the BBB when they are at least trying to fix the issue? What are we talking, a couple days so far? Seems to weaken the whole BBB standard or process in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zooty Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 Try resetting the box That works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted June 26, 2010 Author Share Posted June 26, 2010 You called the BBB when they are at least trying to fix the issue? What are we talking, a couple days so far? Seems to weaken the whole BBB standard or process in my opinion. No, the plan is to go a few more service calls and complain to management while documenting the multiple failures, then send certified letters to corporate, the BBB, maybe some local consumer reporters, and see if I can get my bank to charge back the $209 I paid. I'm hoping it doesn't go that far but I will take it as far as I can if they don't make it right. Missed service call today, BTW. Supposed to arrive at 3:30, no van, no call. Fckers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennykravitz2004 Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 They had a beta for this earlier this year and I used it then and loved it. I have 2 HD DVR boxes both plugged in directly to my home network and it worked great as I could watch what was recorded on either box on the other TV in the house. Now, a couple of months ago the beta ends and it's no longer working. I look into it a little and see they are charging $3/month for the service that's free on ATT, etc. so I just didn't pursue it for a while. The other day when I was calling about Sunday ticket I decided to get it turned back on. The rep kept telling me they had to come install all this crap and sign me up for another 2 years, etc and I kept telling her that it was working in the beta, I have my own network, I don't need their carp. Took her going back to 2 different managers and me being adamant before she finally said "we figured out how to add the service for you since you were part of the beta." I call BS but anyway they added it back and it's working again. So, the moral of the story is attach your boxes to your own network yourself and don't let them charge you for equipment you don't need. +1 I ran into the same issue. I finally asked the lady on the phone "how many of your other customers have their own hardwired gigabit/Cat6 network in their home? with a patch panel. and two gigabit switches. and a wireless gigabit router." After the long awkward silence from her end, I heard "well, sir, my manager just informed me that we can..." Yeah - that's what I thought. Like I'd let your tool come into MY home and wreck my network. Directv can be such a wonderful company, but at times, I want to (insert bad thoughts) them. Might be a pain, but for me, if I think I might want to watch something in multiple rooms, I just use my smartphone to program on all three receivers. Not worth them nickel and dime-ing me nor a real big inconvenience. The beta testing worked well when i had it turned on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted June 28, 2010 Author Share Posted June 28, 2010 The tech came yesterday and installed a new DVR in the basement. Last night my wife was watching a show upstairs and it stopped in the middle, giving her an error message. I called and spoke to a manager last night, tried to be really patient and polite and went through all of the issues we've had with the service and she refunded the $209. But she talked me into letting the tech come back and try to fix it one more time. If it still doesn't work I'll just get a DVR for the bedroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimm74 Posted December 24, 2010 Share Posted December 24, 2010 I just upgraded and I love it! I researched it a bit and when I called in the order I told them not to do it unless they give me the HR-24 receivers. They are pretty fast and hold 500G. Since this box only requires one cable I was able to upgrade 4 rooms. One of the receivers I do not have a TV connected to it. I just use it for recording and watching on the other 3 TVs. So with 4 DVRs I can technically record 8 programs at the same time while watching something I recorded. Watching shows on other TVs receivers has been flawless so far. You know when you are about to watch one on another receiver b/c it thinks for about 10 seconds. All recorded programs appear on one master list so I never know what receiver it is. I have not had any issues with video on demand either. There are a ton of VOD channels. 4 new receivers, a new dish and switch cost me $200. I would highly recommend it to anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Posted December 24, 2010 Share Posted December 24, 2010 I've had it for about 5 months now and I do enjoy the whole home dvr service. I have two DVRs and one of them I put an external HD case with a 1TB drive in it so I have plenty of memory. Sometimes I will have playback issues where I get a "failed to send packets" error but it doesn't happen often enough to really make me mad. So far I love having the expanded DVR service. So much better than my local cable's small DVR boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted December 24, 2010 Share Posted December 24, 2010 I've had it for about 5 months now and I do enjoy the whole home dvr service. I have two DVRs and one of them I put an external HD case with a 1TB drive in it so I have plenty of memory. Sometimes I will have playback issues where I get a "failed to send packets" error but it doesn't happen often enough to really make me mad. So far I love having the expanded DVR service. So much better than my local cable's small DVR boxes. Scooby and I are having similar problem, one of our receivers won't play from the DVR (we have whole home and the recording DVR and another receiver play from the DVR). Have been too lazy to jack with it, since it just so happens to be the room where we watch recordings the least. Any help is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby's Hubby Posted December 24, 2010 Share Posted December 24, 2010 The tech came yesterday and installed a new DVR in the basement. Last night my wife was watching a show upstairs and it stopped in the middle, giving her an error message. I called and spoke to a manager last night, tried to be really patient and polite and went through all of the issues we've had with the service and she refunded the $209. But she talked me into letting the tech come back and try to fix it one more time. If it still doesn't work I'll just get a DVR for the bedroom. you have a slight horror story on your hands, I feel for ya. Thing with Direct TV is that they must realize that local cable companies have the edge on service with more trucks/workers on the ready. Direct must compensate for that by waiving the costs of their eff-ups, for starters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Like Soup Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 We signed up for this service back in September. We got our three bedroom receivers upgraded to the HD receivers and got the Whole Home DVR service for a grand total of $75. We haven't had any problems and are quite happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 Comcast had this years ago. Pretty sure they have scrapped it now. The idea was that you could record on one DVR and watch a program on another TV via a "network" box, up to three total. Problem was that the cost per network box was the same as for a DVR, so I replaced the boxes with DVRs. Three times as much recording space, and no hassles with the thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted December 27, 2010 Author Share Posted December 27, 2010 We haven't had issues with the network for several months. Kind of odd but I'm not complaining, it mysteriously fixed itself. Bought a new TV for the spare bedroom and added another HD DVR in there, doubling our DVR capacity. Both DVRs are now available on all 3 sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimm74 Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 We haven't had issues with the network for several months. Kind of odd but I'm not complaining, it mysteriously fixed itself. Bought a new TV for the spare bedroom and added another HD DVR in there, doubling our DVR capacity. Both DVRs are now available on all 3 sets. maybe a regular online software update fixed it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 Yeah, well I had to change the aluminum foil on the rabbit ears yesterday and now I get all THREE network channels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 Yeah, well I had to change the aluminum foil on the rabbit ears yesterday and now I get all THREE network channels. Even with the HD signals that you needed a new antenna for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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