HD Upgrade--Is Slimline 3 without SWM Ok?

[BAF]

I have been a DirecTv user for 12 years and am finally upgrading to HD. After a myriad of phone calls to DirecTv, I am scheduled in January (my choice) to have an installation. I will get an HDR of some sort free along with the new dish. It has been hard to get any details, but it appears that the dish will be a Slimline 3 possibly going to a multiswitch. "SWM is not available in your area" (South Pasadena, CA).

I will keep my legacy DirecTv Sony recorder. Because I want to pull wires in walls, I plan to bring the cables myself (apparently 2 from each receiver needed) to a central location in the basement with the assumption that the installer will bring the 4 cables from the dish to a multiswitch there. I cannot get the contact information regarding the installer. Does this seem like a reasonable scenario?

In reading the (incredibly informative) posts on this site, there is such a tremendous amount of conversation about SWM that I am almost embarassed that I will not be getting a SWM installation. Is what I am being offered OK, or should I either press DirecTv for something else, or purchase something else for either the installer to use, or add myself later.

Many Thanks in advance for whatever insights you may have.

--BAF

 

[Bob Nielsen]

Other than needing only one cable for both tuners on a DVR, there is little benefit to the SWM LNB (they never supply a standalone SWM). The SWM is limited to 8 tuners total. Your legacy receiver won't work with that anyway. You may want to consider adding an AM21 tuner for OTA, unless they give you a HR20 DVR (which would be a refurbished unit).

 

[BAF]

Thanks

Thankyou for your prompt response. Happy Holidays.