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Tivo versus DirecTV HDDVR, Part 1

by Marc Zeedar macopinion@designwrite.com

Comparing similar-but-different technology is always interesting. Different companies have different philosophies and goals and how those influence the decisions they make is fascinating. Compare Zune to iPod or Windows to Mac and you can see what I'm talking about it.

Of course legacy has its issues as well: the technology that comes first establishes the standard, but is it really the best or just the most familiar? Likewise, is the later tech just being different for difference's sake or is there a genuine advantage to the secondary approach?

While that first standard has an edge in the marketplace, that lead can eventually be a drawback as it can inhibit future development due to the need to be backward compatible. In the case of Tivo, its interface has remained remarkably unchanged over the years. Other than some additional menu choices and some menu reorganizations, the basic interface is the same it has been since I started using it nearly a decade ago. Is that because Tivo is perfect or because the company is afraid of change?

Then we have to look at personal bias: I have plenty, being a long-time Tivo user, so I tend to be more comfortable with Tivo's approach while someone who has never used Tivo wouldn't notice anything wrong with the DirecTV DVR method. I'll try to be objective in my perspective, but it's impossible to do that perfectly, so keep that in mind when reading my comments.

I'll begin with the high points of the differences between the systems:

1. The DirecTV DVR not bad at all and is actually pretty good
2. Tivo's Guide is vastly superior
3. The DirecTV DVR has several unique features that are excellent
4. The DirecTV DVR's controls (fast forward, rewind, slow motion, step-advance, etc.) are definitely inferior to Tivo, but not unusable (they are better than Front Row/AppleTV)
5. Show scheduling is made easier with the DirecTV DVR's dual-tuners, but is not as refined as Tivo
6. Tivo's show information is distinctly better, with extended lists of actors, writers, directors, star rating, and more available.

But mostly I find that Tivo and DirecTV simply make different choices. Not worse, just different. For instance, both remote controls have dual control pads. One pad has "Play" in the center, surrounded by Reverse, Fast Forward, Pause, etc. It's your typical VCR-type control for playback of video. The other keypad has "Select" in the center and is surrounded by arrow keys which control on-screen selection of choices. While Tivo and DirecTV take different approaches to these controls, they are similar. What's odd, though, is the positioning.

Tivo's video controls are in the middle of the remote while the navigation controls are at the top. DirecTV reverses these. Since I'm used to Tivo, I find myself constantly pressing navigation arrows when I'm trying to pause or fast forward.

But is one approach better than another? Not at all -- it's six of one half a dozen of another. It's no different from the fact that numbers on a phone go down while numbers on a calculator go up. It's just a different perspective. Both approaches work just fine. I only notice it because I'm more accustomed to one.

This kind of "opposite way" approach happens in several places and it's fascinating. If you're used to one approach, the other seems bizarre -- yet really it's not that different and most of the time there isn't an advantage of one way over the other.

Over the next few columns I will examine various aspects of these dueling DVRs to see how they compare.

Next Time: On Screen Graphics

macopinion@designwrite.com