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Philips DSR6000R DIRECTV Receiver with TiVo Service

Philips DSR6000R DIRECTV Receiver with TiVo Service

List Price: $299.99
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Easily the coolest gadget I've bought this year
Review: Integrating the DirecTV and TiVo units provides extra power and functionality. It's a match made in heaven. The digital signal is spooled directly from the satellite dish to the TiVo hard disk for recordings that are always as good as a live broadcast, and no worries about quality settings either. Both DirecTV-style and TiVo-style program listings are available, and TiVo's Record button works on either type to set up recordings for the future (as do the Thumbs Up and Down buttons). That said, there are a few missing features even with the powerful TiVo 2.0 software. For example, the Season Pass function still records repeats of shows that are aired multiple times a day (e.g., a Season Pass to "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" will get you three copies a day of the same episode) - even when you tell it just to record first runs. This is especially annoying on cable stations that tend to repeat the same program several times in a day or week. (The workaround is the same as for TiVo 1.x: manually make a repeating schedule by time/channel. Blargh.) There's still no way to set default options for recording programs; I'd like to have it always pad the start and end times by a minute, for instance, without having to specify that for every program I record. As another reviewer has pointed out, the second tuner in the box is basically good for nothing at this point, although when it's enabled it should allow you to record two programs at once, or watch one channel while recording another. And, inexplicably, the only way to turn the unit "off" (it's never really turned off, it will record programs for you in what it calls "standby" mode - turning it off just tells the receiver you're not there anymore, so it should feel free to switch the tuner to whatever channel is necessary to make recordings without warning you first) involves EIGHT button presses! That's just dumb. There are other oddities too, such as separate mailboxes for messages from DirecTV and TiVo services. No reason an integrated unit shouldn't have have all the messages in one place. Even with these foibles, though, this device is a miracle and will change how you watch television. Especially if you live in an area where DirecTV carries your local channels. Best of all, the issues I've noted are all software and can be addressed by updates, which are downloaded automatically.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Another Chapter In The Tivolution!
Review: For the record, let me just say that I have had a Tivo recorder since it was first made available to the public (mailorder only --- about a year and a half ago). This is a great machine and the software and services keep getting better and better!Now I have purchased the new DSR6000. From the other reviews you know about many of the great features and cool things you can do with Tivo.Now for a few things you may not know or should at least be aware of:1) This is not a Tivo Box. It is a DirecTV satellite receiver with Tivo. If you need cable or antenna inputs --- you can only view these sources --- NOT RECORD.2) With this unit you cannot set the recording quality ( the editorial above is in error ). The unit automatically varies the compression rate according to the type of material you are watching --- action movies require more space than a talk show. The picture quality is very good and it seems to be able to record more than my old tivo with a set compression rate.3) Guided setup is a breeze since all program guide information is downloaded from the satellite. Only the Network Showcases and Tivolution Magazine is retrieved via the phone line.4)WARNING: If you receive your local channels through DirecTV be aware that guide information of CBS and ABC are not being downloaded to the guide at this time. All you will see is "To Be Announced". DirecTV is aware of the problem (so they tell me) and are working to resolve it ASAP.5) There is "audio popping" that occurs at random. It usually seems to happen when moving from one menu screen to another.6) There are great new features such as Wishlists that let you find and autorecord programs based on keywords, directors, and actors.Also, the Season Pass just became alot smarter. Now you can tell it whether you want repeats or just first run and the maximum number of episodes you want to record in a week. There are many other additions/improvements -- to numeous to mention.IN CLOSING --- I just want to say this IS the next chapter in the Tivo revolution/evolution. This is a great machine with alot of new features. Remember this is new software for Tivo and there are still a few refinements that need to be made. If you can look beyond a few bugs (that will be corrected soon) --- come join the TIVOlution revolution!Thanks, I hope this helps.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best TV Accessory Ever!!
Review: I will make this short & sweet...this thing is amazing! It has truly changed our TV watching for the better.

Thank you, TiVo!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing! 225 channels and Tivo is as good as it gets.
Review: I was very excited to pick up this DIRECTV and TiVo combo box. I've had DIRECTV for about a year now and with hundreds of channels, there is plenty of good stuff for TiVo to record. My favorite part about this box is that it records 35 hours at full broadcast quality, as opposed to the reduced "VHS quality" that the other boxes have. Set up is pretty easy, since the satellite receiver and the hard drive are all in the same unit.

I like the fact that TiVo records live TV. Since I also get the NFL Sunday football package, I can pause, rewind, slow motion the live television while I'm watching the game. Also good for catching lines that you missed during movies, or to see a funny scene from a movie again and again.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Tivo but not quite Tivo
Review: I've had the DSR-6000 for a couple of weeks now, and I love it. As long as you think of it as not a Tivo, and more like the ultimate DirectTV receiver, you will be happy. It does everthing a standalone Tivo does, EXCEPT, you cannot record anything but DirectTV. No cable, no antenna, just the satellite. If you CAN get your local channels from DirectTV, you are set, run, don't walk, to get this receiver! If you get your locals from cable or an antenna, you are out of luck, you will still need a regular VCR to record ABC, NBC, FOX, WB, and CBS network programming. That said, your Tivo will work awesome on the hundreds of DirectTV channels. You can pause live TV, set it to record episodes of you favorite shows, movies with you favorite actors, movies with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, etc. It holds up to 35 hours of shows you have told it to record in perfect digital quality, PLUS shows it thinks you might like based on the type of shows you have told it to record, or by giving it Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down on shows in the channel guide. So that is your choice, awesome convenience with the DirectTV channels, but no local channel recording. For me, I think it is worth it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Largely impressive
Review: I bought this unit because of constant problems with a Sony DirecTV receiver that could not reliably record programs (the Sony units use an "IR blaster", a plastic wand that emulates a remote control, turning on the VCR when it's time to tape a show). I figured that if nothing else, the integrated TiVo would be able to fix that problem.

Obviously, it does, but there's much more. The ability to pause live TV doesn't sound like much until you actually do it. In fact, it's worth joining sports events 15 minutes late so you can blast through the commercials and gradually catch up with real-time.

This particular unit contains two satellite ports, and if properly connected can record two satellite programs at once (almost like having two DirecTV receivers). In fact, the unit can even replay one program from disk while recording two others from the satellite. The hitch is the "properly connected" caveat -- the lines in must either be the two lines from you dish (assuming a one-arm, dual LNB dish), or they must both come from a multi-switch. Depending on your home's wiring and the location of the receiver, dish, and multiswitch, this may not be possible. But if it is, you have a powerful TV organizing device.

While the DirecTV / TiVo integration is generally good, there are some maddening disconnects. When TiVo sees a program it thinks you'd like on a channel you don't get, it attempts to record it anyways. Also, navigation by "favorites" is not nearly as easy with this box as with some other DirecTV units (instead of having a "favorites" button on the remote that takes you to a list of your favorite channels and what's on them, you have to go to the master guide and change its display from "all channels" or "channels you get" to "favorites", and then undo this change when you next want to surf). Also, the unit is very slow to respond to the remote... I've seen channel changes take almost five seconds.

Still, the integration of the DirecTV and TiVo functionality is surely better than if you had separate boxes. If TiVo intrigues you and you have or are getting DirecTV, this is a pretty good way to go.

(four month update: since writing that review, this DirecTiVo has become an indispensible part of our household entertainment. But I am concerned about the unit's quality. In four months, we've had three serious errors. For a day, both receivers were unable to receive programming on even-numbered transponders, wiping out about half our channels (including all local channels). It mysteriously got better. A month ago, receiver 2 cut out entirely... but was revived with a restart of the unit. Last week, while watching a recorded program, the unit abruptly restarted itself and popped up the screen "A SEVERE ERROR HAS OCCURRED", telling us not to touch the unit for 24 hours while it tried to repair itself; the next morning it was fine. So while none of these errors has been sufficiently catasrophic to warrant a return to the factory [heck, they probably wouldn't take it without an obvious defect], I am reducing my original score from 4 to 3 stars because unlike computers, consumer electronics are expected to be rock-solid stable and crash-proof, and this device simply isn't.)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best thing to happen to my TV since DirecTV!
Review: I originally bought an RCA Ultimate TV unit because I had heard good things about it. I have since returned it and purchased the Philips DSR6000...

I am incredibly pleased with the TiVo service as it offers many more features than Ultimate TV and makes watching television so much more fun. The remote is very easy to learn and the new software upgrade which I received on the first day allows RECORDING OF TWO PROGRAMS AT ONCE with a dual LNB dish! You can also watch one program while another records. Everything gets activated with one short call to DirecTV!

Season Passes, Suggestions, and Showcases are all great features. If you carefully compare TiVo and Ultimate TV you will see that TiVo definitely comes out on top, especially if you are like me and don't need or want the painfully slow Microsoft WebTV. Don't make the same mistake I did.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best TV Accessory Ever!!
Review: I will make this short & sweet...this thing is amazing! It has truly changed our TV watching for the better.

Thank you, TiVo!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I own 4- They are great!
Review: I don't generally write reviews, but after seeing some of the complaints you have posted, I decided to set things straight. I have owned 4 of these units for over 1 year and the only problems we ever had were caused by incompetent installers. When there is a problem, either your sales person or later, DirectV will replace the unit as long as you purchase a service plan. They all work beautifully, and they have completely spoiled my family. My teenage sons said, " Mom this is the best thing you ever bought". If you are not afraid to read directions, you will easily be able to run the software. No modems ever gave me trouble, nothing ran hot, everything is just as specified.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: When they work, they're great!
Review: Like many of the other reviewers, I love the Tivo DVR's, the functionality is fantastic.
However, I have owned two DSR6000R machines for about 18 months and have had reliability problems with both. One has just failed, it resets itself every 10 minutes or so. The second one has never worked satisfactorily and been replaced under warranty by Philips with a refurbished machine which loops endlessly through the power up cycle.
When they work they are really great, but I really question the reliability of these Philips machines based on my experience and suggest you look at other models. Hope you have better luck than I have had.


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