It all depends on how many things you record. as stated above the 211/211k only have one satellite tuner so you can't record one thing while watching another. You also may wnat to wait until they have all the kinks worked out of the system. If you search for problems with the 211/211k and the external hard drive capability. Many people are currently having software problems with this right now, so if you decide to go for it, it may behoove you to wait for a little while longer.