Do you have to upgrade?

[Alvarez]

I keep hearing reports of the H20 sucking and the new HR20 possibly having same problems... I love my HD Tivo's and know to get MPEG4 you must upgrade but noone knows when it will be mandatory... Plus there is talk about if they trade your box out you now won't own the box. Plus the possibility they may try to charge for it.

Can they FORCE you to upgrade? Plus do they even know when everything will go MPEG4? I believe right now its just the local HD thats on MPEG4 right? No nationals and prolly no nationals until everyone is on it right?

 

[Jimbo]

I keep hearing reports of the H20 sucking and the new HR20 possibly having same problems... I love my HD Tivo's and know to get MPEG4 you must upgrade but noone knows when it will be mandatory... Plus there is talk about if they trade your box out you now won't own the box. Plus the possibility they may try to charge for it.

Can they FORCE you to upgrade? Plus do they even know when everything will go MPEG4? I believe right now its just the local HD thats on MPEG4 right? No nationals and prolly no nationals until everyone is on it right?

You've heard the HR20-700 sucks and has the same trouble the H-20 's have ?
I find that interesting, seeing they have been out for about a week now, unless your a tester.
Please elaborate on the troubles that the HR20-700 share with the H-10.

To answer your questions,
You can continue to use your HR-10-250 (Tivo) until the time D* turns off the MPEG2 signal, I would guess, maybe 4-5 yrs from now, that doesn't mean that a lot of channels won't be MPEG 4 till then, I think they will migrate slowly, and show on both formats for a while.
If you currently own your box, you will continue to own it. You do not have to turn it in.

Can they force you to upgrade ? NO
However eventually the channels will no longer be on the MPEG2 format and it will be useless to not change over.

Do they know when the change to MPEG4 will happen ?
Maybe, probably, but they have no need to tell us , just to give us more to complain about.

Currently in MPEG4 are Locals and RSN's.
Nationals to come later, once the rest of the sats are up and operating. Two more to go.

No they will not wait till everyone is changed over to add channels on the MPEG 4side, that way it give people incentive to change.

Jimbo

 

[Mtnmike]

Alvarez

The most extensive review to date of the HR-20 can be found at:

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=61862

It certainly does not support your inference that the HR20 has the problems some have experienced with the H-20. So where are you getting your info?? By the way my H-20 has never had any problem. Not all H-20 owners have experienced some of the problems you may have seen posted in various forums.

 

[Digital Dude]

H20-100's have a good track record. H20-600's have all kinds of issues.

 

[hancox]

You can continue to use your HR-10-250 (Tivo) until the time D* turns off the MPEG2 signal, I would guess, maybe 4-5 yrs from now

erm, I don't know where you would get that number from. I don't think it will be nearly that long.

 

[bonscott87]

erm, I don't know where you would get that number from. I don't think it will be nearly that long.

Yea, it'll be the end of 2007 for their goal I'm sure. Might not be until mid-2008 but they will shut off MPEG2 HD as quickly as possible.

 

[Jimbo]

erm, I don't know where you would get that number from. I don't think it will be nearly that long.

NOTE the Guess part of my quote, I was guessing it may be 4-5 years, never had a definate date as they would not tell anyone until it's about to happen.

My point was to the OP that he could continue to use his HR 10 if he chose too.

Jimbo

 

[Alvarez]

Sorry been away over the holiday... I had heard some at avsforum saying that the D* dvrs would have the same probs as the D* mpeg4 receivers... prolly hogwash.

I am all for switching over to the new DVR's provided they don't charge me to do so... I am not crazy about turning in my current tivos as I might use them for their OTA ability. I am also not crazy about the lease program but if I don't have to pay then no complaints they can have it back if I bail.

I am in Indiana and have still heard nothing about the upgrades... The last D tech I talked with said they were supposed to be upgrading people to the new dishes soon... But he also said that he had never done in install of an OTA antenna and couldn't believe people still used them. I think he was just complaining about having to do it, but he also said noone is using them anymore they are just using the locals D* provides...

 

[Jimbo]

The last D tech I talked with said they were supposed to be upgrading people to the new dishes soon... But he also said that he had never done in install of an OTA antenna and couldn't believe people still used them. I think he was just complaining about having to do it, but he also said noone is using them anymore they are just using the locals D* provides...

Ya he would tell you that everyone gets them from the dish, D* makes more money that way.
You should have told him, you'd be glad to use thier locals if HE would send you a check for $ 60 every year., and they gave you the rest of your locals.

I use to pay less than that for OTHER cities, such as the Denver 5 back in the day, it was nice to be able to time shift.

Jimbo

 

[upnorth]

H20-100's have a good track record. H20-600's have all kinds of issues.

I have had a H20-600 since March with no issues.

 

[Madtown HD Junkie]

Sorry been away over the holiday... I had heard some at avsforum saying that the D* dvrs would have the same probs as the D* mpeg4 receivers... prolly hogwash.

I am all for switching over to the new DVR's provided they don't charge me to do so... I am not crazy about turning in my current tivos as I might use them for their OTA ability. I am also not crazy about the lease program but if I don't have to pay then no complaints they can have it back if I bail.

I am in Indiana and have still heard nothing about the upgrades... The last D tech I talked with said they were supposed to be upgrading people to the new dishes soon... But he also said that he had never done in install of an OTA antenna and couldn't believe people still used them. I think he was just complaining about having to do it, but he also said noone is using them anymore they are just using the locals D* provides...

If you bought the hr10 you should not have to turn it in. I still have mine and will be keeping it.

 

[cspiteri]

When you upgrade??

When you upgrade an "owned" receiver (HR10-250) will it be replaced with a "leased" receiver or will it remain "owned???