Help me figure out my upgrade strategy! Thanks!

[marshdom]

Hi everyone,

I used to be an avid follower of these forums, but have been too busy with work over the past couple of years to keep up.

I am a LONG time Directv sub ... and want to make sure I have the best possible equipment and the best possible service/package (all, of course, for the best possible price - upfront and ongoing)!

Currently I have 2 HR20's (on HDTV's) and an old SD-Tivo (but will probably upgrade that TV to HD soon). I do love the Tivo interface, but am open to possibly waiting for Tivo (soon?) or staying with the HR interface. The multi-room viewing is also intriguing to me (and I have wired ethernet throughout my house - if that matters).

One issue/question that I do have ... however ... is that I'd hate to lose what I currently have recorded on my HR20's (one of them using an external hard drive). Would I be able to use at least the external hard drive with the new HR24 or HR34 (or would that be a bad idea)? Alternatively, could I just keep my HR20's as secondary boxes ... NOT connected to the dish ... and just keep watching whatever shows I have recorded on them (if this is this possible)? I've had the HR20's for what seems like forever now ... but think I'm still paying a $6 or $7/month lease fee ... so I guess that means I don't "own" them?

I don't have the highest (Premier?) package of service, but I tend to pay well over $100/month (yikes!) - especially when factoring in the MLB package each year, HD service, DVR's, HBO, etc.

Any advice, strategy, timing (wait for HR34?) would be greatly appreciated!!! I'm assuming I qualify for all sorts of hardware upgrades and/or service discounts that I haven't taken advantage of ...

Thanks in advance for any replies! (I know I could research here forever, but I feel like I'm swimming in threads with limited time. And hopefully this post & replies could be helpful to others in a similar situation.)

 

[CK SatGuy]

You shouldn't wait for the new Directivo receiver. By the time it comes out ( if it ever does comes out) it'll be too outdated. The HR34 is suppose to be really awesome. The rumor right now is that it'll come in October, but again, we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, if you want to upgrade now, the HR24s are Directv's best receivers. If you get the MRV, you'll have to get HD receivers for all TVs (regardless if they're HD or SD) With that in mind, you'll most likely have to call them and see what they'll offer you.

 

[raoul5788]

Hi everyone,

I used to be an avid follower of these forums, but have been too busy with work over the past couple of years to keep up.

I am a LONG time Directv sub ... and want to make sure I have the best possible equipment and the best possible service/package (all, of course, for the best possible price - upfront and ongoing)!

Currently I have 2 HR20's (on HDTV's) and an old SD-Tivo (but will probably upgrade that TV to HD soon). I do love the Tivo interface, but am open to possibly waiting for Tivo (soon?) or staying with the HR interface. The multi-room viewing is also intriguing to me (and I have wired ethernet throughout my house - if that matters).

One issue/question that I do have ... however ... is that I'd hate to lose what I currently have recorded on my HR20's (one of them using an external hard drive). Would I be able to use at least the external hard drive with the new HR24 or HR34 (or would that be a bad idea)? Alternatively, could I just keep my HR20's as secondary boxes ... NOT connected to the dish ... and just keep watching whatever shows I have recorded on them (if this is this possible)? I've had the HR20's for what seems like forever now ... but think I'm still paying a $6 or $7/month lease fee ... so I guess that means I don't "own" them?

I don't have the highest (Premier?) package of service, but I tend to pay well over $100/month (yikes!) - especially when factoring in the MLB package each year, HD service, DVR's, HBO, etc.

Any advice, strategy, timing (wait for HR34?) would be greatly appreciated!!! I'm assuming I qualify for all sorts of hardware upgrades and/or service discounts that I haven't taken advantage of ...

Thanks in advance for any replies! (I know I could research here forever, but I feel like I'm swimming in threads with limited time. And hopefully this post & replies could be helpful to others in a similar situation.)

to Satelliteguys!

Sorry, but the external hard drive is "married" to the dvr it's connected to, you can't just move it to another one. I know, it sucks. Plus, if you deactivate the dvr, what is on it will no longer be available. You may well qualify for a nice upgrade, but it's anyone's guess what until you call and ask. Good luck!

 

[marshdom]

Thanks for the replies ... hope you all don't mind me throwing out a few follow-up questions:

1) Will MRV work if I keep one of my HR20's (the one with the external drive attached to it) and get one or two new HR24's (i.e. - will the two different models "talk" to each other and share programming)? Will both flavors of MRV work, or just one or the other?

2) I think I've seen reference to a HR24-100 and HR24-500 ... I'm assuming the second number is the hard drive size? What's the largest model available and how many hours of HD will it record? Will a HR24-500 record roughly half as much HD as my HR20 with a 1Gig external drive, or are there differences in compression?

3) If D* gives me any new hardware (installed by them or me), is it likely I'll have to re-commit for a year or two (or might I be able to squeeze out a little something without re-committing)? (Reminder - I've had HR20's for a few years, one of them is REALLY slow, I've been a customer for 10+ years, and I've been paying $100+/month for a long time.) What are they likely to charge me for HR24's or the hardware necessary for the Deca MRV (which it sounds like is better than the ethernet option)?

 

[JAG72]

1) HR20 and HR24 are fully compatible with MRV.
2) The number at the end is the manufacture not the size hard drive.
3) Any equipment from Directv will add a 2 year commitment.