And if it matters to anyone, the coolest (fastest and best menu systems) receivers I've ever used are from Hughes.

I will agree with you on this, however, in the world of DirecTiVo it doesn't matter. The hardware used in the Sony, Hughes, and Philips models are identical. I described the slight differences in this thread.

Unfortunately, DirecTiVo units are probably the slowest current receivers at changing channels. For what it's worth, the now defunct UltimateTV is even slower. This is one of the major things I would love to see changed on the DirecTiVos.