[mythtv-users] OT Superbowl and Direct TV, 2 separate items.

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"MacNean Tyrrell" <dardack at gmail.com> wrote:

> Second, i keep seeing really good prices for DirectTV.  Like $20 less than
> TWC for same content i get with TWC.  However, am I correct in assuming i
> would need a box for each input on my MythTV box if I wanted to use all 4
> recording spots I have?

You know, of course, that you won't be able to record HD off of DirecTV, right?  But I'd like to take this opportunity to rant against DirecTV and to warn anyone considering getting service from them.  They are -very- shady in the way they handle pricing for HD channels.  Up until December they charged $10/month for all the HD channels you were entitled to (i.e., HD versions of all the basic channels, plus HD versions of premium channels if you were subscribing to premium channels, and HD versions of your local stations if you were subscribing to your local stations).  In December they decided that five of the basic channels were "special" and they would no longer be included for $10/month -- you had to pay an extra $5/month if you wanted those.  The DirecTV representative claimed the "specialness" was that there were no SD equivalents of these HD channels but that was a lie because there are many examples of HD channels that don't have SD equivalents (e.g. Discovery HD Theatre and
 HDNet).  It would have been easier to accept if they had made a modest increase in their prices if they needed to, rather than taking away channels I was getting before and charging the same amount.