Phillip Swan of TVPredictions.com obtained a copy of the manual for the forthcoming R15 DirecTV Plus Digital Video Recorder. The DirecTV Plus DVR is going to be marketed instead of the DirecTV DVR with TiVo that's currently being marketed by DirecTV. The sales and marketing switch-over is expected to take place in October.

Swann went through the DirecTV Plus DVR manual and identified the unique features of this unit. They include:

• 90-minute program buffer,
• frame-by-frame program replay,
• program bookmarks, and
• caller ID display for incoming phone calls on a connected phone line.

A few of the things that Swann referred to as new features in the DirecTV Plus DVR don't seem like new features to me. One example is the enhancements to the on-screen programming guide. Swann said:

The programming grids include a symbol for when a show is broadcast in the widescreen format or if you have set it to record.

My DirecTiVo has those feature.

The decision by DirecTV to switch DVR platforms is significant to them and to their former partner, TiVo. I'll try to keep an eye on it and report on new developments.