I've got to agree with techSponge, the DirecTV MRV stuff has been pretty great so far. Being able to watch 1/2 a show in the living room and then move to the bedroom and pick up mid-stream is fantastic. It's also a blessing when my son climbs into bed with us (when he's sick or something) and we can stream his kid shows from the living room DVR). Aside from the box being a bit slow, I think the DirecTV DVR is pretty great and lightyears ahead of what I had with Brighthouse (in Orlando). I've tried MediaCenter with a CableCard when it first came out (real early adopter) but it was always flaky and the would need constant rebooting. Brighthouse would then add new HD channels but not support them on CableCard (still charging $6 per card).. making it increasingly useless. MediaCenter is great, but Cablecards and the cable companies support for them is utter crap and therefore makes it unfeasible for most people who want premium content. Not to mention, going back to the Brighthouse DVR would feel like going back to a VCR (no folders, no 30 second skip, no MRV, etc)
Ben, I used to think BlockBuster was for old people too, but I've come around to realize that for me it's the better solution. I recently did a 4 week trial of BlockBuster's online service and came away impressed. I strictly rent BluRays and specifically new releases. Netflix never has the movies I want in stock and I'm usually waiting and now a number of the movies have a 30 day window. I currently have both Netflix and BlockBuster and while BlockBuster takes an extra day in the mail, they are shipping new releases faster and I can in store exchange them for another new release. They don't charge me the extra $3/month for Blurays and the store almost always has movies in stock that I've been waiting for weeks to get from Netflix. I have a BlockBuster across from my office so it's nothing to stop by. Sure, no streaminig... but like you I can't stand streaming quality or lack of surround sound. For me, I think it's the better solution. I've gotten 9 new release movies already this 1 month trial and I still have 12 days left. It seems odd defending BlockBuster after hating them so long, but if you want new release Blurays on the cheap, they seem like the way to go (for now). Try the free trial, you might change your mind too.
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I've got to agree with techSponge, the DirecTV MRV stuff has been pretty great so far. Being able to watch 1/2 a show in the living room and then move to the bedroom and pick up mid-stream is fantastic. It's also a blessing when my son climbs into bed with us (when he's sick or something) and we can stream his kid shows from the living room DVR). Aside from the box being a bit slow, I think the DirecTV DVR is pretty great and lightyears ahead of what I had with Brighthouse (in Orlando). I've tried MediaCenter with a CableCard when it first came out (real early adopter) but it was always flaky and the would need constant rebooting. Brighthouse would then add new HD channels but not support them on CableCard (still charging $6 per card).. making it increasingly useless. MediaCenter is great, but Cablecards and the cable companies support for them is utter crap and therefore makes it unfeasible for most people who want premium content. Not to mention, going back to the Brighthouse DVR would feel like going back to a VCR (no folders, no 30 second skip, no MRV, etc)
Ben,
I used to think BlockBuster was for old people too, but I've come around to realize that for me it's the better solution. I recently did a 4 week trial of BlockBuster's online service and came away impressed. I strictly rent BluRays and specifically new releases. Netflix never has the movies I want in stock and I'm usually waiting and now a number of the movies have a 30 day window. I currently have both Netflix and BlockBuster and while BlockBuster takes an extra day in the mail, they are shipping new releases faster and I can in store exchange them for another new release. They don't charge me the extra $3/month for Blurays and the store almost always has movies in stock that I've been waiting for weeks to get from Netflix. I have a BlockBuster across from my office so it's nothing to stop by. Sure, no streaminig... but like you I can't stand streaming quality or lack of surround sound. For me, I think it's the better solution. I've gotten 9 new release movies already this 1 month trial and I still have 12 days left. It seems odd defending BlockBuster after hating them so long, but if you want new release Blurays on the cheap, they seem like the way to go (for now). Try the free trial, you might change your mind too.