DVR Chatter

Will you keep the Series3 for a backup or what?  If you had known that you could watch multiple HD shows at a time with the 6416, would you have still purchased the Series3?

My wife and I discussed it and decided we are keeping the Series3.  However, I don't know if I'd have purchased it knowing what I know now.   We were quite used to having the option of recording up to 4 shows over Comcast / Basic Cable (2 6412  / 2 Series2), and this would not have been as flexible with the 6416 + Series2 (only locals + weatherscan local over the Coax).  My guess is that we'd have gone with a multiple-room DVR setup (1 up / 1 down) leasing the two multi-room DVRs from Verizon, but I don't know. 

Were it not for the rebate (and Verizon's $3 cable cards), it'd be a tougher decision.  I think it's pretty well documented around here that I had no desire for a Series3  under Comcast.

Frank, how does the performance of the 3 different guides compare (your old Comcast iGuide, Verizon, and TiVo), especially in terms of bugs and the remote DVR transport control?  I can guess that TiVo is fine, but I'm curious as to whether the Verizon s/w has managed to overcome the inherent problems with the Motorola firmware.  If it has, then there may be hope for the (eventual?) Comcast TiVo guide with Motorola.

OK - we admittedly used the TiVo more than the QIP-6416 tonight, but I did get a little chance to mess around with it.  Based on the diagnostic and set-up screens, it has the same guts and firmware as a DCT-6412.  Same inability to pass through native resolution.

This list is bound to be incomplete, and is going to get all mixed up with Hardware / Service differences.  Maybe you guys should let me know whether I should keep updating this same post with new stuff as I find it (while the post gets buried) or just add new posts.  Also, this discussion will quickly need to move to another area of the site.  I am considering a "Verizon FiOS TV" section.  Thoughts on that are welcome in the "DVR Chatter Talk" area.

Worse than Comcast DCT-6412 w/ IGuide:
*No "Swap" button that I can find out about
*Very slightly slower response to "FF" and "RW" commands in DVR
*"Little Window" with live TV / current recording is smaller than IGuide
*No HD On Demand (yet - it's coming)
*0 Free Movies On Demand (not counting the premiums you subscribe to)

Better than Comcast DCT-6412 w/ IGuide:
*Faster On Demand response (Both menus and FF/RW)
*Better PQ On Demand
*Astoundingly better PQ on National SD channels. Better than DirecTV in its heyday (before addition of locals). 
*More HD offerings
*Faster cruising through menus
*Have not had a remote command queued yet
*Faster channel changing (Comcast 6412 was not "flipping" friendly.  Verizon 6416 is very much so)
*FF "Jump Back" (I've read this - I have not experienced it)
*Time Padding on recordings:
    This takes an explanation. All recordings start a minute early and end two minutes late UNLESS you are recording back to back on both tuners (time wise, not necessarily the same channel). In that case, the software is smart enough to drop the padding in between the shows and only pad the front of the first set and then end of the last.  Less chance you'll miss the beginning/end of a show, and less chance you'll create conflicts by padding yourself.  I find this ingenious.
*Seemed to receive full guide faster when first plugged in
*Better Searching (Search by Actor and/or description)
*6-Line Guide: No Ads
*Remove Channels you do not get / want to see from guide

As far as the TiVo goes, because it passes through native resolution and because it's hooked up via HDMI (only one input on my TV), it's become our "primary" box.  I have my same gripes about the TiVo as I always have, though.

1. No functionality is available when you're watching a recording / Limited Functionality while watching Live TV.  I like the Comcast/Verizon model of letting me access guides and menus while I'm playing a recording and watching TV on a little window on the screen. (TiVo does "Guide" during Live TV, but nothing else).
2. Slow, Slow, Slow navigation.  The Series3 is better on this in MOST areas, but much worse in one very key area and that is "Search by Time/Channel."  If I go in, just use my Favorite Channels (Local HDs Only - We're talking 5 channels here), select the date and time and hit "OK" to bring up the listings, I may as well just go make a sandwich because it's going to be a while.  That is no lie. 3 minutes chugging away before I got up.  Not even "Please Wait."  Then, once I wanted to page down to see the next hour's worth, same thing.

Additionally Verizon will be rolling out a sleek new guide this summer.

Questions on anything and everything welcome.  I think my friend the DCT-6412 and I are parting ways tomorrow afternoon.  Retaining the bare minimum basic cable and Internet while we wrap up our email and make sure we didn't miss anything (mailing lists, friends, etc).

Frank wrote:

2. Slow, Slow, Slow navigation.  The Series3 is better on this in MOST areas, but much worse in one very key area and that is "Search by Time/Channel."  If I go in, just use my Favorite Channels (Local HDs Only - We're talking 5 channels here), select the date and time and hit "OK" to bring up the listings, I may as well just go make a sandwich because it's going to be a while.  That is no lie. 3 minutes chugging away before I got up.  Not even "Please Wait."  Then, once I wanted to page down to see the next hour's worth, same thing.

Very strange.  My ancient (6 years old) series 1 TiVo has no such delays.  Bringing up listings from "Search by Time/Channel" is essentially instantaneous, as is paging down to the next hour.

Did you see similar delays on your Series 2 TiVo's?  If it's just on the Series 3, it sounds like a bug, and you might try to contact TiVo about it.

Walked my 6412 into the local Comcast office and handed it back today (along with the remote I never used). Got to admit, I felt a little melancholy.  Not for the bugs and the crashes, but because without it I'd have never come in contact with any of you great folks.

The only constant is change.

Some of this should be added to the Wikibook.