To start, I'm happy with DTV, but getting there...

I've had DTV for several months now.

The first installation for a basic 3 room system. That installer (#1) gave us a ride. I already had RG59 coax running from each room out to the garage in a star formation. There they tied to a 4way balun and the antenna. Cable connecters were mostly cheap crimp on. The installer wired the dish up to these.
All three receivers worked. Until I went to dress all the cables behind the family room TV. When everything was turned back on the receiver wouldn't complete the startup. Over the next 24 hours there were problems with all three units. Replacing the cables between the wall plate and receivers was the first step. This helped and showed how important good cables are. Next I tried a simple expedient of buying 150' of the best RG6, swage on connnectors and swage tool. This was run from the family room set, thru the kitchen, down the hall, into the garage, and direct to a dish feed. BINGO. That unit worked perfectly. Clearer pictures, faster receiver startups, even changing channels was quicker. I have not finished replacing all cables yet, but that is on the LIST.

I have a SA Tivo, tried it with the sat receiver. Then unplugged it because of dueling menus, extreamly slow channel changes. The whole experience was just unsatisfactory.

After suffering from Tivo withdrawal, I took the $99 offer for a Dtivo. The chap (#2) who came to install insisted he couldn't do so unless a second cable and a phone line were installed behind the TV. He HAD to do it and couldn't do the hookup to a single coax and the phone extension run from across the room. Impass. He left taking the Dtivo with him. I went ahead and put in the second coax. I should have dropped a phone line at the same time but, I have my internet router hiding behind this tv and expected to connect the Dtivo to that.

The CS folks were helpfull about setting up another Dtivo installer (#3). This time it was someone who seemed to be more closley afilliated with DTV.I learned from #3 that the Pro installers were supposed to provide crawllspace/attic work as needed, and asking for additional money was not allowed. The first two yahoos wanted additional money. The second asked for $100 to run the second Dtivo coax and additional phone line. #3 looked over the entire system. He was disgusted with, the dish location, wire run, wall penetration, and lack of grounding. The dish is supposed to have an earth ground. He fixed the grounding, and wanted to redo the whole dish install. The additional holes in the house didn't seem worth the benifits.

The papers from the original install were on top of the TV. #3 asked for one of the copies to forward with a negitive report. Maybe some good will come of that.

My expectation that I could hookup the Dtivo to the router for daily calls was unrealistic. The USB ports on Dtivos, unlike SA2's, are not active. I didn't do my home work so I didn't know this. Had I, I would have dropped a phone jack when I put in the second cable. It's not a problem Dtivos get their downloads off the dish, otherwise the only need seems to be for, initial setup and PPV ops.

Glenn