Tutor
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4 Messages
No dates on program guide
This may not be the right place to ask this; If so I apologise.
I've had directv for some years. One of the boxes (had 2) went bad. I called and they offered free 'upgrade' and I got dvr for one of the rooms. I don't know the models for the regular receiver or the dvr and I'm not sure where to find that information.
What I need to know is: There are no dates, other than the year, on anything in the on-screen program guide. It doesn't tell me if it's a new show or a rerun...just the year. Is this the way it is supposed to be? We got the 'upgrade' almost 48 hours ago. We had a brief power outage (the whole house) about 24 hours ago. I called Directv yesterday. I'm not entirely sure they understood what my problem was, but they said it might take 48 hours for all the info to be on the program guide. Because of the power outage, I guess I have to wait another day to be sure, but the guide looks complete.
If this is the case, I don't understand why they call it an upgrade. It seems like a downgrade to me. The 'new' sytem is harder to operate than the old one and is less functional. You have to go through so many steps to do anything. It's more complicated and it does less. You can't adjust the display, as you could on the old system. The dvr is a nightmare...I won't get into that.
It seems to me that listing the date of the show is basic. Why would they not provide that information? When I look at a show like, "Regis & Kelly" or "Jay Leno", just listing the year "2011" tells me nothing. They probably have over 200 new shows a year, but the rest of the time it's a re-run. Am I supposed to remember whether I've seen the show or not by the description? I don't have that kind of memory. My mother (she has the dvr) watches a lot more tv than me, and she looks at the date of the program to figure out whether she seen it or not. This is a big problem for her. If this is the way it's going to be from now on, and if I had known that, I would have dropped Directv altogether. It's been a long time since I had it, but I know dish listed the dates (at least it did) and there are cable options too. However now, I'm stuck with it for the next 2 years. 😞
I'm sorry I've blathered on so much, but this 'upgrade' has us frustrated at my house. I really just need to know:
Is the date of a (regular series) program , or any indication of whether a show is new or not, supposed to be listed on the on-screen program guide?
Thank you anyone for any help.
litzdog911
ACE - Sage
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46.4K Messages
14 years ago
What model Receiver do you have? Look for the label on the rear panel or behind the front panel access card door.
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dcd
Expert
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20.7K Messages
14 years ago
Any time you switch user interfaces it can be confusing. I must tell you though that millions of folks have made the change and we see posts such as yours from time to time, but almost always from someone who just changed. Give it a chance, once you learn the system you may well like it.
If you select almost any series type program (House, Weeds, The Wire) from the guide and look at the info page, it will state the exact date it first aired. Movies only have the year because they are not first run or rerun in the TV sense of the word.
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geraldf
Tutor
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4 Messages
14 years ago
Thanks for your repsonses:
Inside the front panel of the reciever it says: MDL D11 (also a receiver id with a string of numbers).
Inside the front panel of the DVR: Model: R15-300
If the guide shows the date that series programs first aired, that will be good enough, but at this point it doesn't show anything but the year for any program.
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dcd
Expert
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20.7K Messages
14 years ago
The info I provided is true of HD receivers but I don't have a SD box to confirm that the info is the same. The D11 is a SD receiver as you're aware.
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litzdog911
ACE - Sage
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46.4K Messages
14 years ago
I think that only the HD Receivers/DVRs provide the additional Guide Data that geraldf is hoping to see. What model was your previous SD DVR? An R22 perhaps? That's actually an HD DVR with the HD features disabled, so it would have had the additional Guide Data you remember seeing.
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geraldf
Tutor
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4 Messages
14 years ago
I didn't have a dvr. I had 2 RCA (I think) receivers that we got in 2004 when we signed up with Directv. I don't know what model they were, because the installer took them with him. The program guide displayed the date on every regular series show (most of the time). The appearance of the guide could be adjusted. The remote was easier to operate. It was easier to access information and it was easier to tune to channels.
I just don't understand why they wouldn't offer the date of programs as a basic service. We've gotten that information for the last 7 years and as far as I can recall, I got that information previously from Dish and every cable provider I ever had. I would never have signed up for this downgradeif I had known we were going to get less than what we got before.
Again, thanks for replying, but this is discouraging information.
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litzdog911
ACE - Sage
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46.4K Messages
14 years ago
Perhaps you had the old Tivo DVRs? At any rate, the HD DVRs will provide what you're looking for.
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geraldf
Tutor
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4 Messages
14 years ago
No, I didn't have any dvr. I had the basic receivers that Directv had at the time. They had no recording capabilities. Having the date of the program listed on the on-screen guide was not reserved just for people with more expensive systems, and it shouldn't be now.
Anyway, I'll call them tomorrow and find out if I can cancel Directv without incurring the cancellation fee, because we are completely unhappy with the new system. I'm not hopeful.
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litzdog911
ACE - Sage
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46.4K Messages
14 years ago
Keep us posted.
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