I was just hooked up today for HD with the HR21. I have read the manual but have not found anything about switching from one tuner to the other while maintaining information in the buffers. My old R10 (which I still have) has the ability (via the "Info" button) of checking to see what channel the other turner is on and going to that channel. In this situation, I can rewind from the other tuner. Does the HR21 have this ability?
HR21 Dual Tuner Buffer
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Nope, the HR20/21 doesn't have dual live buffers. A work around is to record the programs then you can switch back and forth.
The DirecTV DVRs do not have dual live buffers. There is all kinds of discussion on the subject in this forum. You shouldn't have to look far if you're interested in reading.
A lot of people hate the omission, while others couldn't care less. Most just learn to live with it considering the new receiver allows access to the new channels, and does offer other great new features. I desperately miss it myself - although we still have an HD-Tivo on our primary viewing TV. There are some "work-around" so to speak, although I haven't gotten familiar with them myself yet. I'm going to call in about upgrading on the 10th, and assuming we do make the switch, will finally have to learn more about the working of the new receivers.
A lot of people hate the omission, while others couldn't care less. Most just learn to live with it considering the new receiver allows access to the new channels, and does offer other great new features. I desperately miss it myself - although we still have an HD-Tivo on our primary viewing TV. There are some "work-around" so to speak, although I haven't gotten familiar with them myself yet. I'm going to call in about upgrading on the 10th, and assuming we do make the switch, will finally have to learn more about the working of the new receivers.
Scott,
Basically, you just record both programs and then you can switch back and forth.
Jimbo
Which button to switch back and forth? Will the programs stay paused?
This was a great feature on my tivo.
I just got the 21-700 installed and love the programing, but hate the controls on the remote and despise not being able to switch beteen receivers. I have tried to record then pause each program then using the prev button to return. Each time it starts at the beginning of the show. I will end up keeping this only because of the programming in HD. Directv is really screwing up with these receivers. TIVO has it down, the remote was well laid out and simple to use. Why does D* think they can do it better?
They are tired of paying TIVO for the privledge (some people think) of using their software.
Remember, when you go out to do something like this on your own, you cannot use a lot of ideas the previous one used due to patents, much of the TIVO technology is unable to be used by anyone else, therefore you try to improvise and do what you can.
As for the remote, I thought that too when I first got mine, but after getting use to it, I like it pretty well.
IF you are a previous TIVO user, it will take some time to get use to, but there are things this does that the TIVO would never been able to do.
Jimbo
I am going to disagree with Jimbo, the TIVO wasn't broken, Directv thought they could do it better, they couldn't. And I don't see how it could have been cheaper, with all the software and hardware changes that has been done over the past year and a half.
Recording two programs and then trying to switch between is a poor way to try to emulate a feature. Omitting DLB was a HUGE mistake. I don't think the hardware is capable of it. Just my opinion.
One thing I DO agree with Jimbo on. It certainly has lots of features. 90 percent of which you will NEVER use.
While I had mine ( its gone now, thank God) it was a totally underwhelming experience next to my HD TIVO. I cannot think of a circumstance that I'd have a HR20/HR-21 back in my house. They even aksed me what it would take to keep me. Easy, an TIVO that would work with the new HD. I told them if they ever swallow their pride and accomplish what should have been done in the first place, I'd be willing to give them my money again.
All that said, if you want D* HD, and you want to DVR it, get used to the idea of the HR20/21.
Recording two programs and then trying to switch between is a poor way to try to emulate a feature. Omitting DLB was a HUGE mistake. I don't think the hardware is capable of it. Just my opinion.
One thing I DO agree with Jimbo on. It certainly has lots of features. 90 percent of which you will NEVER use.
While I had mine ( its gone now, thank God) it was a totally underwhelming experience next to my HD TIVO. I cannot think of a circumstance that I'd have a HR20/HR-21 back in my house. They even aksed me what it would take to keep me. Easy, an TIVO that would work with the new HD. I told them if they ever swallow their pride and accomplish what should have been done in the first place, I'd be willing to give them my money again.
All that said, if you want D* HD, and you want to DVR it, get used to the idea of the HR20/21.
I am going to disagree with Jimbo, the TIVO wasn't broken, Directv thought they could do it better, they couldn't. And I don't see how it could have been cheaper, with all the software and hardware changes that has been done over the past year and a half.
Recording two programs and then trying to switch between is a poor way to try to emulate a feature. Omitting DLB was a HUGE mistake. I don't think the hardware is capable of it. Just my opinion.
One thing I DO agree with Jimbo on. It certainly has lots of features. 90 percent of which you will NEVER use.
While I had mine ( its gone now, thank God) it was a totally underwhelming experience next to my HD TIVO. I cannot think of a circumstance that I'd have a HR20/HR-21 back in my house. They even aksed me what it would take to keep me. Easy, an TIVO that would work with the new HD. I told them if they ever swallow their pride and accomplish what should have been done in the first place, I'd be willing to give them my money again.
All that said, if you want D* HD, and you want to DVR it, get used to the idea of the HR20/21.
Did you leave DirecTv ? Which provider did you go to ?
I stopped paying altogether for TV until they get their act together.
I currently use OTA and FTA for all my needs. Save a chunk of change every month to use for other things.
I am going to disagree with Jimbo, the TIVO wasn't broken, Directv thought they could do it better, they couldn't. And I don't see how it could have been cheaper, with all the software and hardware changes that has been done over the past year and a half.
Recording two programs and then trying to switch between is a poor way to try to emulate a feature. Omitting DLB was a HUGE mistake. I don't think the hardware is capable of it. Just my opinion.
One thing I DO agree with Jimbo on. It certainly has lots of features. 90 percent of which you will NEVER use.
While I had mine ( its gone now, thank God) it was a totally underwhelming experience next to my HD TIVO. I cannot think of a circumstance that I'd have a HR20/HR-21 back in my house. They even aksed me what it would take to keep me. Easy, an TIVO that would work with the new HD. I told them if they ever swallow their pride and accomplish what should have been done in the first place, I'd be willing to give them my money again.
All that said, if you want D* HD, and you want to DVR it, get used to the idea of the HR20/21.
I said the TIVO was Broken ???
Jimbo
I kind of meant the whole TIVO/D* relationship and neither party's willingness to make it work, not you in name, Jimbo. Although D* has the scratch to make it work, they didn't, they kept that money in their pocket. Good on them, but I am not riding that train, it isn't better, it won't be better until it can function as a basic dual tuner DVR. From what I read lately it STILL has issues just being a DVR.
IMO a LOT of folks are overlooking the equipment because they have a lot of channels, but I am just the opposite. With the equipment they have I would have already put a bullet in it if it kept having the same problems over and over. And instead of FIXING it, D* keeps adding more and more and more feature-wise, making it no better, just more of what already works just intermittently, at best.
Nothing terribly important, just a stable, relaible DVR that always has correct listings, never misses a recording, has a GUI that doesn't look like a 3 year-old drew it with crayons and constrction paper, allows me to scan for my OTA channels that D* doesn't see fit to provide...
The HR 20 is NONE of the things that TIVO did well. The HR20 has a lot of features that TIVO could only dream of for sure, but as a basic, relaible DVR? It failed the smell test in this household. I knew it was curtains here when my WIFE of all people, who doesn't know a HDMI cable from a coax cable ,said she didn't like it as much as our old TIVO. Actually her exact words were what is up with this POS...and why am I paying for it when it is in this shape? Why couldn't they just give us another TIVO like we had? Uh Oh. If she isn't happy, nobody is happy. I never liked it to begin with, but I kept it to myself, and I was convinced that D* was interested in making it the best it could be, after agreeing to the CE testing program. After 9 months of CE's, I decided they were never gonna get it done. And from what I have read lately, they still haven't.
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Thought I would jump in here and let the OP know that he/she might want to join the CE program:
DirecTV Cutting Edge (CE) Discussion Forum - SatelliteGuys.US
The HR20 was recently give the ability to have the pause point "stick" when jumping between the live buffer and a recording. In this way, you would need to set the DVR to record on one tuner and allow the other one to buffer live and switch between the two. HR21 just got a CE this past Monday, and I think this capability was included.
DirecTV Cutting Edge (CE) Discussion Forum - SatelliteGuys.US
The HR20 was recently give the ability to have the pause point "stick" when jumping between the live buffer and a recording. In this way, you would need to set the DVR to record on one tuner and allow the other one to buffer live and switch between the two. HR21 just got a CE this past Monday, and I think this capability was included.
So, did you go back to Cable where you can use an even more infuriour dvr ?
Personally, I have not had ANY trouble with my HR 20-700, It has ALWAYS recorded and has never missed a beat, been very reliable, maybe you should have them try a different one, looks like you got a bad one ....
Works as a good reliable 2 tuner HD DVR, just as it should :up
At least MINE does.
Jimbo
I am GLAD y'all are happy with it! I really am! I wasn't. It didn't do things better than what I had, my expectations were higher than what I had, that's what D* told me to expect when I asked. And I believe that anyone used to TIVO NEEDS to know that the HR20 is NOT a TIVO in any matter,shape, or form. I got used to TIVO, and that's what I expected. I expected the same or better guide data, I expected to be able to scan for OTA, I expected to have DLB, with maybe an upgrade to PIP that D*'s competitors have had for years now. I had none of those, and D* is STILL struggling to make ONE tuner hold a pause point, it STILL won't scan for OTA, the guide data is less detailed than what I can find in a newpaper! And I paid a PREMIUM to use the dang thing every month!
I see that D* is still "polishing the UI" in this last CE. Holy crud. All those things that it still won't do and D* is polishing the UI?
And yes, I know my local cable company has Moxi boxes for DVR's, and I know they are crud too. Cable is a non-starter, as you already know.
We are (were in my case) paying premium prices, we danged well better have premium equipment.
I use OTA and will soon have a DVR that costs me nothing per month (TR50) for that, I use FTA for everything else , have much better PQ than D* has, and don't pay a dime per month. For DVR for FTA, I use TSreader and VLC and can do things that an HR20 can only DREAM of. Yes, I don't have quite the one stop shopping channel-wise with FTA, but I never have a problem finding something to watch. And sometimes in eye-popping 1920X1080i 35mbit HD, not watered down 1440X1080i 11mbit soft HD.
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