We have DirecTV with the DVR they provide. It's called the R15 and apparently was designed by demons from Hell who delight in seeing mortal humans go slowly insane as they cope with the R15's numerous shortcomings and DirecTV's horrendous customer service. If you're considering a new system, run from the R15 like it's a starving pit bull and you're wearing a steak suit with a bacon hat. Not that I'm bitter.

Anyway, we're ready to send our DVR back to DirecTV with explicit instructions on what they can do with it, but...it appears you can't use a TiVo with a satellite system and keep the option of watching one program while recording another or recording two shows at once. They have a dual-tuner model but TiVo's site specifically says their dual-tuner DVR won't do double duty with satellite systems. I assume it's because a standard satellite system only provides 1 input; ours has 2 because the POS R15 is a dual-input DVR but presumably if we return it they'll kill the second input...or can they, without coming out and physically removing it?

Any insights or suggestions would be appreciated.

I have DirecTV. I bought a TiVo before, and hooked it up to the DirecTV box. It worked, but the issue was, it was agonizingly slow just to change channels. I mean, I'd push a button to change, and it would literally be 5 or 6 seconds before anything would happen. Every stinking time. It lasted about an hour, and then I repacked the whole thing and took it back. I then called DirecTV and got one of their DVR (actually made by TiVo) and honestly, I've never had a single issue. There was a tiny difference in channel-changing speed, but nothing worth getting upset over. When they were installing it, they asked if I wanted them to install a second coaxial line from my box so I could watch one and tape another or vice versa. I said yes, so he did it. Now the only problem is, if I'm recording two things at once, I have to watch one of them. Or I can go upstairs and watch anything I want on my bedroom tv and not affect the DVR downstairs.

How long ago did you get your service? I ask because the R15 is not made by TiVo and that fact appears to be why the R15 aren't worth a damn.

We're coming up on 3 years now. I don't know how things have changed, but the couple of times the thing freaked out on me, all I had to do was unplug it and wait a few minutes, then re-plug it.

I think DirecTV and TiVo ended their relationship after that. I think DirecTV's new DVR supplier must be Big Lots or something. They really, really suck.

Have you checked out the DirectTV forum at www.SatelliteGuys.US ?
If you don't get the info you're looking for here - might be worth a peak.

Not sure about the DirectTV forum, but on their DishNetwork forum there have been quite a few threads about the best ways to get TIVO to work with Dish. I assume the same thing is commonly discussed on their DirectTV forums.

Also, check out www.tivocommunity.com. I still have a pre-R15 DirecTV Tivo box myself but someone there might be able to answer.

Even though DirecTV hasn't offered them in a while, some vendors like weaknees.com have standard definition dual-tuner directTivo's. I hooked my parents up with one last year - dual tuner goodness with native digital signal.

Unfortunately for HD, you are kind of stuck. While there was at one time an HD DirecTivo (and you can still find them for sale) it only understands MPEG2. The new HD satellite that DirecTV launched speaks MPEG4 - so the old HD DirecTivo can't get any of the new HD channels

The HD DVR that DirecTV is supposed to be nice compared to the R15 (not that it would be difficult). My parents want HD but they want to stick with DirecTV, so I will probably find out just how it well it does or doesn't work this Christmas when I'm visiting them.

I picked up a Series 3, and once I got past the pain of getting both cable cards activated with Comcast, I really like it. DirecTV's loss - I would be with them right now if they had a Tivo solution - Comcast is good enough...