Status Quo for DirecTV & TiVo

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While relations between DirecTV and TiVo have thawed (extended pact, do-not-sue agreement, software update), there doesn’t appear to be much momentum based on comments made during DirecTV’s earnings call:

I think we continue to see a few things — I think we have a constructive relationship. We are not doing a lot in all honesty but I think we have an honest dialog that I think is sincere about seeing if there are things that make sense for us. I mean, at our core, the heart of our business is going to continue to get driven by set-top box technologies we’ve developed that are at the core of the — as we launch VOD and whole home solutions and broadband connectivity and all these things, they are all tied into set-top box software that is deployed and operated by us. That doesn’t mean there aren’t things we can do with TiVo and if we can find a way to crack it, I think we’ve always been open to an intelligent relationship if there was one.

No mention of DTV’s ReplayTV IP play…

17 thoughts on “Status Quo for DirecTV & TiVo”

  1. Note to self: Figure out, or ask all the ZNF readers, what’s a good slang term for every single media company on earth all wanting their own dedicated set top box in my living room.

    STB-aholic? Yet Another Set Top Box – YASTB? Or maybe something simple like “C4C” ( Contempt for the Consumer )

  2. Good grief…the only thing I can discern from those comments is that the speaker is inarticulate and/or does not want to saying anything of substance.

  3. Seriously they need to come out with a new box. A tech is coming out to my house tomorrow to look at my week-old HR-21 HD DVR. Coming from a Series 2, this box is crap and on top of that it’s $200 to LEASE. There are forums full of people with freezing, crashing, directv boxes but also perfectly happy directivo users who would have to have their boxes pried from their cold, dead fingers. The difference is night and day.

    What good is more HD channels than any other provider if your receiver freezes and takes 30 minutes to reboot?

  5. No sellout for me. This DirecTivo is all I need even if I have to go OTA only from here on. Never shown hunger for anything crammed down my throat.

    Keywords: Arrogant greedy shortsighted wrongheaded imperceptive wrong

  7. Unfortunately the comments are short-sighted and those actions retard the growth of their increasing customer base by at least one.

  8. I’m so frustrated with them.

    I’ve had DirecTV since 1997, and a HD DirecTivo for a couple of years. Every day (it seems), DirecTV adds another HD channel I want … in mpeg4, which means I can’t get it on my Tivo.

    I really don’t want the DirecTV DVR; I love my Tivo.

    I know there’s the possible solution of getting the new Tivos and switching to FIOS, using cable cards, but I kind of like what I have (and hate hate hate Verizon, almost as much as Comcast.)

    I keep hoping they kiss, make up, and release a new DirecTivo with mpeg4 in it, but it’s getting really frustrating.

  10. As a DirecTivo convert about 3 months ago I can tell you that I’m pretty happy. Do I miss my tivo? Yes, but not as much as I thought I would. I have had the receiver freeze once on me. But it’s a new technology. Can I say that the tivo never froze? Of course I can’t. Sure with the most recent software releases it’s been uber stable, but it’s also been out there for 10 years. You also have to keep in mind that what you’re seeing online is the worst of the worst.

    One feature I do miss is DLB (Dual live buffers). But I would expect it to be added very soon.

    I can’t makeup anyoneÂ’s mind, all I can say is that I was in your shoes. I LOVED LOVED LOVED my tivo. but now that I’ve moved on I really don’t miss it.

    As a side note I also read the issues folks have had with getting cable cards installed with HD Tivos … and with the inability to get channels on certain systems (sure tivo is working on it) but the solution over there doesn’t look like much fun. At least DTV is playing nice with Tivo.

  11. It’s good to see that I’m not alone. I was hoping that Tivo could somehow force DirecTv’s hand and make them release a mpeg4 compatible box, which would take me about a millisecond to buy. Instead, I’m forced to stick with my HR10-250 and a second piece of crap high def directv DVR. I have them both connected to my preamp and switch between them, but just use the directv dvr for recording and do the lion’s share my surfing and viewing on my Tivo. There is *real* money to be made by releasing a new one- hopefully a chunk of concrete will hit them in the head and eventually they’ll realize this.

  12. I just wrote this to DirecTV……basicly an impending cancelation notice, I have been a platinum pack subscriber since 2001.

    When I originally signed on with DirecTV, it was due to the direct digital recording your tivo units offered over the stand-alone units. Additionally I did not miss the cable box needed to record premium channels.

    Now with the full test-drive of your HD DVR I can say it is junk compared to the TiVo in all aspects. I notice it glitches and requires a power-cycle to recover, it’s user interface is clunky and non intuitive and the remote control is anything but user-friendly.

    Since you dumped tivo, Comcast has went fully digital and TiVo made a cablecard compatible device.

    So it looks as if the only way I can use a TiVo and not have two boxes on the tv set is to go back to Comcast.

    I’m not switching right now, but if the two TiVos in use die, and there is no option to replace them with TiVo’s that will be the end of me and DirecTV

    Will you give me a new Mpeg4 Capable TiVo, before these TiVos break, I like the DirecTV channel selection, but I like my TiVo more

    This was typed in thier crappy web form on their site. I fully intend to revise this letter and send it to DirecTV investor relations. If you want an Mpeg4 capable TiVo tell them DirecTV is unimportant and how you watch your TV is important to YOU.

  13. I, too, LOVE LOVE LOVE my TiVo. It was freezing up on me when storms rolled through so I decided to go with a DirecTv DVR… this thing was JUNK. I returned it within 2 weeks and they sent me a “new” one… SAME JUNK. Can’t switch between tuners and watch 2 channels like you can with TiVo. Clunky and not user friendly remotes and menus. I returned the “new” DVR to DirecTv and got out my old TiVo again. I can deal with frozen screens during a storm… to have all the other stuff I want. HATE the DirecTv DVR’s. Can’t say enough about how bad they are. They froze constantly. Had to be reset every time and that took FOREVER.

    If DirecTv doesn’t bring back the TiVo option, when my TiVo dies… I’ll be gone. I love my TiVo more than I love my DirecTv!!

  14. Ken, I am in the exact same position as you. I have the old HD DirecTivo I have been waiting and hoping for a new mpeg4 Tivo/Directv box. This news just might make me start looking elsewhere.

  15. I have never seen the Tivo interface, but I take it on faith that it’s better than most (all?) the DVR interfaces out there because that’s what everyone says. (That and the DVI interfaces that I have seen aren’t very good.)

    What I don’t understand is why the other DVR interfaces aren’t slowly closing the gap. That’s what usually happens (right?) and Tivo’s interface has been described as stagnant.

  16. See links below for why DirecTv needs to at least partner with TiVo. Their DVR software (HR20 – HR21) is a nightmare. Audio sync issues, frequent lockups and worse BLANK RECORDINGS! The one thing a DVR should do well! Don’t take my work for it just google it. Some people will defend them, I think mainly because DTV has made them feel like “part of the process” with their “Cutting Edge” testing program. The problem is that the “process” to get basic functions to work shouldn’t take two years.
    Reference:Here http://dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=133180
    Here:http://blogs.zdnet.com/perlow/?p=9171
    And here: http://dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=133006

  17. “Tivo’s interface has been described as stagnant.” Why change what works so well, I do not need a new interface every year I need one that works, Thank you Tivo and if it ever dies I will move on to some one else who has tivo. As for freeze in a storm…the sme thing hppens for all the recivers if the dish is blocked no signal, don’t be stupid and think before you post.

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