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September 24, 2007
Time Warner Cable LA is Still Pandering the Worst HD-DVR Ever Made
Ok maybe it's not the worst DVR ever made Oh yes it's the worst. And it's not just me, customers hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it. I'm writing this post to let Time Warner LA know that this cannot stand for long before customers such as myself switch back to satellite providers. I'm talking very soon, like as soon as I can get a day off from work to have an installer come by my house.
What sets this HD-DVR piece of garbage apart from the competition is...if you tell it to record a series it will record every friggin instant of the show, even if you tell it only to record one copy of each new episode. I end up with 10 recordings of the Daily Show every day.
But worst of all it crashes whenever it feels like it.
And it's not the individual machine. I've been through 3 of them. 2 at my previous apartment. Oh, and I love it when the machine lags, than jumps 5 minutes all of a sudden...hit jump forward more than once and you're asking for it. I've spoiled the ending of Top Chef twice this way.
Not cool.
Time Warner Cable LA County has totally phased out all other HD-DVR models, but rumor has it that they are bringing back the new MOXI at no extra charge if you call and badger them for it. You can check it out here. Good luck getting one from them.
It seems however that nothing short of a miracle will shake the monstrous business deal that Time Warner Cable/Comcast made with Motorola to put a DCT Shit-Commander DVR in every home in LA County. It is for this reason I encourage all readers to seek alternatives aggressively.
One alternative is to buy your own TiVo HD, which now only costs $300 (down from $800). Monthly charges start at a hefty $17/month however most TiVo users swear it is worth it.
Another alternative is to try AT&T's new U-Verse cable and high speed internet package. This is a good switch if you're only sticking with Time Warner because they are discounting your internet and television together. I'm paying $85 a month plus tax for 200 channels + HD programming + High Speed Internet. U-Verse comes in at the same price basically at $84 (including HD package). By switching to AT&T you can tell TWC to take their cable and internet and shove BOTH up their ass. Unfortunately you'll be signing with AT&T, which may/may not be a poorer decision. No New AT&T, we have not forgotten the horrible demon that was the Old AT&T.
Dish Network is currently offering free setup. One HD-DVR receiver with 200 channels (including local) will come out to $55/month. This does not include internet of course.
The last major option is go with DirecTV, which currently offers their HD-DVR package (195 channels) for $65/month (steeper than the others), PLUS you have to buy the box yourself for $300 (before $100 rebate). It's $70/month after 4 months. What a burn.
Perhaps our readers can weigh in with their own experiences and advice.
[Sept 26, 2007] Correction: Time Warner is still offering the old MOXI boxes in select areas of LA County (ie Sherman Oaks and Malibu). The new MOXI box that is pictured will be a retail version, and will work with Time Warner Cable via a CableCARD. It will be available hopefully before Christmas this year.
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That Daily Show thing happens with Tivo too. It's just the way they list the show. Still sucks though.
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I have the same exact problems with that POS DVR! I had TWC out multiple times because of issues with my cable and the DVR. I used to have MOXI when Adelphia was my provider and loved that one compared to the Motorola unit.
I thought that Adelphia was bad until I was switched to Comcast. I thought that Comcast was bad until I was switched to Time Warner. It keeps getting worse.
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I had the Motorola box for a whopping 8 hours before I called TW back and asked them to deliver me Cable Cards for my new HD TiVo (which I had yet to buy). It took 2 techs and a good 4 hours of on-site time to get them to work, but I'm never going back. The HD TiVo is the way to go, 100%, no question.
About the only thing you can't do with the TiVo that you can with their DVR is OnDemand and PPV.
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That daily show thing is a user error. If you'll set the preferences to only record new episodes,a nd to keep at most 1, that won't happen. (It will continue to re-record the same episode, but will always only maintain a single copy.) Of course, then, you can't store up a few days' worth, but you couldn't under the other system, either. (You'd end up with five from one day instead of five different episodes.)
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With my Tivo, I only have trouble with the Daily Show thing on Mondays and when they're on vacation. You could just set up a manual recording from 11-11:30 (or whenever you prefer) on Monday through Thursday.
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I have Dish Network and I love the DVR they offer. It's only $5 extra a month and it works for 2 tvs. I don't have the issue with the daily show because I can tell it to only record daily Mon-Fri.
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Wow... I have been complaining about the exact details in this post for the last year (that is, since TWC replaced Comcast).
I have also had 3 of those Motorola boxes. The first was replaced when I complained about the box recording a ridiculous number of episodes of Daily Show, Colbert Report, and Keith Olbermann. It soon became clear that TWC does not properly list first run episodes, so that problem wasn't solved by replacing the box. The next two were replaced because they froze randomly and failed to record any programs. Each time, we lost all of the programs we had recorded over months of time. We did, however, convince them to refund three months of our service for the inconvenience.
Anyway, the problem doesn't lie entirely with the box itself. My parents have the same DVR box with their Comcast service in Seattle and it has vastly better features: it can distinguish first runs from repeats, it has a great fast-forward system (it jumps back a few seconds after you terminate FF, so you don't miss the first few precious seconds of Jon Stewart), and it doesn't fucking freeze. Frankly, I blame the programming and general incompetence over at TWC.
Alas, I am stuck with their service, as the cost of basic cable is included in my rent.
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When we got our HD TV TimeWarner said they were out of the newer HD boxes and offered me an older adelphia box. I hate it for many reasons. My friends in Studio City have a different box with a much more user friendly interface that I suspect is equally bad. Even when I used Tivo (before I went HD) I didn't have a season pass set for the Daily Show because it would pick up repeats and I would manually set it for every showing. This happens because of the way the show is labeled and it is not a hardware issue (You'd think the cable company would have the ability to make sure this info is always correct...). I'm thinking about going back to TiVo now that their 2 tuner HD box is in the affordable range. Someone mentioned they have it in an earlier comment... is it a true 2 tuner or can you not record 2 pay channels at once (aka can I record HBO and Showtime at the same time or can I only record one pay channel and one basic channel)?
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My parents have TW in the Palm Springs area and their whole interface is different (much better, faster, more responsive). Don't know if the box is different. As far as DVR options - if you are computer geeky, you can make your own. Haven't done it myself, but there is an article on Lifehacker:
TiVo is pretty good at what TiVo does, but imagine a world where you can also tweak your TiVo to do anything you can do with any other computer. With all the potential controversy and uncertainty surrounding TiVo firmware upgrades, the time to build your own DVR has never been better. With your own DVR, you can get all the benefits of a TiVo and more without the recurring cost for subscription. This week, I'm going to show you how simple it is to turn your computer into a DVR. After that, I'll show you a few ways that I use my DVR to take it beyond TiVo.
http://lifehacker.com/software/dvr/hack-attack-build-your-own-dvr-165963.php
http://lifehacker.com/software/top/add-a-web-interface-to-your-homemade-dvr-297300.php
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What about those banner ads that you have to highlight to get to the next four rows of channels on the program guide? I never had that with my Moxi-Adelphia combo but with TW/Motorola I do. Plus the interface looks like a 4-bit shit sandwich and the annoying remote is non-designed to stick completely opposite buttons next to each other.
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Dude, listen to the guest above. Set it to record only one, and just new episodes.
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I cant stand the moxi's. I love box I have now.
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Hey! I would love to go back to Time Warner. DirecTV is a crap shoot, having to buy your own equipment then signing a service agreement with them for two years. At least with TWC you dont have to buy equipment that may be obsolete in the upcoming years. And it is the way the episodes are listed. The episodes used to be listed new and repeat, now they dont do that as often, hence multiples. And to pour more salt on the wounds for DirecTV, you have to get a new line put in the rooms for a DVR. It is just not worth it, unless you live in an area that does not get cable service.
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If you think you'll get relief by signing up for ATT U-verse, forget it. I'd also put their DVR in the worst ever category. The interface is supplied by Microsoft, so user freindly is an afterthought.
And the kicker....
Only 1 (ONE) HD stream! That's right, you can either record or watch 1 HD show at a time! So, if you have more than one HD TV in the house, one of those users is out of luck. (And ATT has already postponed the upgrade to 2 HD streams 6 months, Q2 2008)
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You can also try Verizon FIOS if it's available in your area. It uses a different model of Motorola HD-DVR, but the software on it allows me to record a series (including the daily show) and only record new episodes. And it doesn't record every time it's on (e.g. it only records the daily show at 11 PM.)
I've had my share of problems with Verizon phone service in the past, but so far this new system has been great.
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I hate my DVR!
I have the same issues as you guys. I have also found that if it turns itself on to record a previously set program, the DVR has the "mute" on -- not the TV's mute, but the audio on the DVR is muted! There is a word "mute" on the screen, but it is positioned so high on the screen it's (almost) impossible to see.
Of course, the crappy remote TWC supplies is NOT the Motorola one that would normally come with the DVR (my theory is they don't want us to use all the DVR features like Jump Ahead or whatever it's called, to skip the ads.) This means the Mute button on the remote does NOT unmute the DVR, only the TV. And of course, there's no button on the DVR's fascia labeled "Mute".
After much Googling (I _love_ Google!), I found the programming code and how to set an unused button on the aforementioned crappy remote to mute/unmute the DVR audio. The other workaround is to leave it on all the time, but I don't like doing that because it'll trash the MTBF
Sorry folks, I didn't bookmark the info. Google the remote's make/model & the DVR's make/model and you should find it.
It's odd, because Motorola makes truly excellent communication devices like walki-talkies etc. Maybe they re-brand or something.
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The DVR issues go beyond the crap set top. There is also the fact that I can't get channels 2 - 13 without tiling (pixaliation) and sound drop. You CAN watch SOME but not ALL channels on the HD versions (not very intuitive) but what the hell am I paying for?
Try calling customer service... "umm, we'll need to you to reboot." Doesn't do anything. "We'll, we will send someone out to replace the box." This is box #3. Same problems. "We are happy to have served you today. Is there anything else we can do for you?" You haven't fixed the problem. "Sir... you just said you didn't want a technician to come out. That's the best I can do."
Yes, I love it when my problem is MY problem. It's not that you tech is shit. It's not like I'm giving you money to provide a substandard service.
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I'm actually surprisingly satisfied with my Motorola DVR. Other than the occasional 10 second freeze it works way faster than the MOXI and the guide is way more intuitive. I'm only dissapointed with the relatively small hard drive..would be nice to be able to upgrade to a 500gb or more for the HD shows.