TiVo _ DirecTV vs cable

[yottadoc]

I’m sorry if I’m covering old territory but I’ve puzzled over this for so long that I need some sage advice…and so do many of my friends. When I’ve contacted DirecTV or Cox with these questions, they’ve either been vague or totally nonresponsive so I hope someone will take a minute to give me some answers.

I’ve had DirecTV for about 6-7 years. During that time I’ve purchased several Weaknees upgrade kits and DirecTV/TiVo DVRs and been very happy with them. I love TiVo and I’ve loved the ability to watch one program and record another.

I recently bought an HDTV and wanted to purchase DirecTV’s HD antenna and HD service. I also wanted to keep my TiVo service but DirecTV is apparently no longer going to support that and they require that you lease their DVR for them to do any antenna installation.

I also do not want to have to buy and install a “local antenna” in addition to DirecTV’s new HD antenna (they will give me no answer as to when their new “combo” antenna will be available in my area).

What are my options if I stay with DirecTV and what are they if I switch to Cox cable? Is there a chance that DirecTV will support TiVo in the future? Will Cox Cable support the new Weaknees Series 3 HD TiVo? And, if so, will I have to pay a separate fee for that TiVo service? Will my DirecTV TiVo plan transfer to cable? What sorts of “penalty fees” will be incurred from DirecTV? Etc., etc. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[WK-Michael]

We really don't know if DirecTV will go back to developing new TiVo hardware in the future, but we do know that they are going to support current TiVo hardware through the end of 2010. The HR10-250 (the HD TiVo for DirecTV) can tune local HD channels with an OTA antenna. Those are the highest quality HD channels available, and the non-TiVo DirecTV DVR can't tune them.

If you switch to cable, you can get the TiVo Series3 which we really think is by far the nicest TiVo DVR yet. Cox cable supports it. You will have to pay a separate fee for the TiVo service (as low as $8/month if you go for the long-term, pre-pay plan). If you quit DirecTV, there shouldn't be any penalties as long as you aren't under any contract.