Uisce's Configuration (was: AV Forums)

just posting what i saw in the store today    (and be sure to check your PM's)

yup, thats why you hang onto the receipt and search online for price match options until that 30/60 day window is over!

I've had DIRECTV HD w/HR-20-700 HD DVR for 3 weeks, here are my impressions thus far:

PLUS
More decent quality HD than any other provider including the whole Discovery line-up, and a few additional channels not available in SD.
NFL Season pass in HD
MLB season pass.
Local Utard stations in HD (though Fox 13 is horrible for some reason)
Single Wire Multiswitching will be available soon, this will be awesome once released.
If DIRECTV incorporates the changes in the most recent "cutting edge" software version, (http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=118) it will be a great improvement.
Video on Demand coming soon.  (Limited availability in the recent CE downloads.)
HD content does look pretty damn good to me.

Delta
No TIVO...DIRECTV's DVR sucks compared to TIVO
No 3rd party HD unit support (older MPEG 2 units will soon cease to work)
Clunky software and poor guides/options in the DIRECTV units.
No TIVO

Since I am in the sticks, and cannot receive OTA signals, nor do I have much in the way of non satellite feeds to choose from, I'm unable to comment on the other options available to you. 

So off I go to drop $4k and there's not a HL-T5687S to be had anywhere in the entire state.  Looking at a 10 day max special order.  Not too bad I suppose but I was totally geared to spending this weekend putting it all together.   

Damn.   



Got the Vizio for the bedroom though plus DirecTV is scheduled for a week from Wednesday.  They're wide open so if the Samsumg comes in I'll bump it up.  In the meantime, I'll be watching SD on a 720p display.  Should make the HD all that much better when I finally get it. 

Left the AV receiver at the store so as to maximize price match window.  I'll pick it up with the display.

It's not been my night really.  Sound the bell, let the drinking begin. 

gratz Uisce. And thanks for this thread. Very informative.

A bit more info. 

There's a deal at Circuit City where if you buy a HDTV over $1000 you get $300 back at checkout if you add a DirectTV install.  It's $400 if you buy a Samsung.  You also get $100 off a DirecTV receiver which works out to be free on a HD receiver or $200 v. $300 for a HD-DVR receiver.  Also, you get one year's worth of HD programming for free ($120).  Works out to be roughly $500 discount on a Samsung if you're switching to DirectTV anyway.

None of that DirectTV stuff comes into play on the price match.  I paid $2185 for the display and that's what I'm looking to beat between now and Black Friday.  Assuming the price goes below that (a golden assumption I think) I'll be getting money back down the road. 

Now is so the time if you're in the market.

Depending on if you have a commitment it's still workable.  A nod's as good as a wink if you want to start over in your wife's name.  You wouldn't want to do that if you have a bunch of months left on a commitment but if you're clear or only have a few months left it's worth it.  The CC guys don't give a flip.  It's all sixes to them.