DCT-6412 first impressions

I’ve spent a short while playing with the DCT-6412 since I got it. Here are a few random observations; I can’t really say this is a review, because it isn’t (and isn’t meant to be) comprehensive.

• It does what it claims: provide DVR/PVR functionality for HDTV cable signals. On that grounds alone, I’m happy to pay the extra $5/month (which means that, after 200 months, I’d come out ahead buying an HDTiVo).
• The iGuide interface is reasonably functional for watching live TV. It’s much faster, and better-looking, than the interface on the older DCT-6100 series boxes. As a bonus, you can choose a color scheme from a list of eight or so predefined sets.
• In general, the TiVo interface makes it much easier to perform common tasks with fewer button presses.
• There’s a popup “quick menu” that lets you quickly select from the most common functions; this appears as a thin strip at the bottom of the display superimposed over whatever you’re watching. Combine this with the “favorite channel” list and you have an easy way to jump between HDTV programs.
• The program status bar (or what Moto calls the flip bar; it shows recording status, time remaining, whether the program is paused, etc) is remarkably ugly.
• You can toggle the front-panel display between a channel display and a clock. This is a great feature, since the clock is bright and easy to read. However, when the unit is recording, or when you pause live or recorded TV, the display changes to “rEC” or “PAU” respectively.
• Speaking of pause: if you pause a program, the 6412 will happily sit there paused forever. It still seems to record OK while paused, but it doesn’t jump back to live TV after a preset interval like the TiVo does.
• The interface for choosing programs to record is fairly terrible. It’s easy to record a show you’re watching (just press the remote Record button) or one you see in the guide (press Select when it’s highlighted, then Select twice more to schedule and confirm the recording). However, the “search by name” function is buried, and it has a bizarre multiple-choice selection metaphor that I’ve had trouble getting used to.
• There doesn’t seem to be an easy way to schedule a recording for a particular time and channel (e.g. Sunday, 8-9pm, channel 650). This is such an obvious feature that I just must not have found it yet.
• No Season Pass feature, nor anything like unto it. However, there is a nice listing of HDTV programs.
• The 6412 has a 14-day guide, but at least in some cases it’s missing programs. Example: yesterday (10 November) I wanted to record a program that airs on 22 November. It wasn’t in the guide yet. I haven’t reproduced this so I don’t know what’s causing it yet.

I’ll post more details and impressions once I’ve had a chance to use the unit more. So far, I haven’t spent a lot of time watching recorded programs because of Halo 2 work.