Making something clear about getting HR34 or HR44

[directv newb]

Hi, I see on these boards that at times people are confused over getting the HR34 or HR44. I am NOT an expert, but I will tell you what I know. When you are a NEW customer and you place an order you are NOT guaranteed a HR44, Directv considers the HR34 and the HR44 to be the same exact units. The ONLY thing a NEW customer can do is, when the installer calls you an hour before your install ask him, "do you have an HR44 on your truck?", he will either say yes or no. If he says no, you can ask him if he can get one, or you can cancel your install if you are dead set on getting an HR44.
Now, let's say you just HAVE to have an HR44 and you get one, and 2 weeks later the hard drive fails, NO PROBLEM, Directv will send you a replacement. YOUR REPLACEMENT WILL BE WHATEVER THEY WANT TO SEND YOU, BE IT A HR34 OR HR44, NO QUESTIONS ASKED!!! You get NO SAY in the matter. SO, all of your dying for an HR44 WAS FOR NOTHING! As I said, I am NO expert, but I do know that these are facts. I HONESTLY feel the HR34 is just as awesome as the 44, I have the 34 my brother has the 44 and I see NO DIFFERENCE. We both have 5 tuners, 1TB hard drive, and mine seems to be just as fast as his. So in closing, just because you have a 44, if you need a replacement you will get what they send you.

 

[Jimbo]

Hi, I see on these boards that at times people are confused over getting the HR34 or HR44. I am NOT an expert, but I will tell you what I know. When you are a NEW customer and you place an order you are NOT guaranteed a HR44, Directv considers the HR34 and the HR44 to be the same exact units. The ONLY thing a NEW customer can do is, when the installer calls you an hour before your install ask him, "do you have an HR44 on your truck?", he will either say yes or no. If he says no, you can ask him if he can get one, or you can cancel your install if you are dead set on getting an HR44.
Now, let's say you just HAVE to have an HR44 and you get one, and 2 weeks later the hard drive fails, NO PROBLEM, Directv will send you a replacement. YOUR REPLACEMENT WILL BE WHATEVER THEY WANT TO SEND YOU, BE IT A HR34 OR HR44, NO QUESTIONS ASKED!!! You get NO SAY in the matter. SO, all of your dying for an HR44 WAS FOR NOTHING! As I said, I am NO expert, but I do know that these are facts. I HONESTLY feel the HR34 is just as awesome as the 44, I have the 34 my brother has the 44 and I see NO DIFFERENCE. We both have 5 tuners, 1TB hard drive, and mine seems to be just as fast as his. So in closing, just because you have a 44, if you need a replacement you will get what they send you.

Generally Not true.

First of all, it was the same with the HR20 series, they are all the same in thier eyes . (we know different)

2nd, NORMALLY, if you have a defective 44 you will GET a 44 as a replacement.

If you had a 34 and need a replacement, you will normally get a 34 ... I say generally and normally, because, there is no guarantee, but thats been the general rule, provided they have them in stock.

 

[Jam3s]

I'm not going to go in to too much detail as to how it actually works, but I'll lay it down here to an extent that makes it easy for most to understand, and hopefully people will stop nit-picking.

1. Which receiver will I get whenever I'm installed/upgraded/replaced?
a. Whichever receiver is on the truck or drop shipped. Whenever your tech does his load-out, he's given X-number of whatever is available that fits his regular demand. What he has is what he has, regardless of which submodel you want. Sorry. Same goes for orders, when a representative puts in the order - the system that I'm used to using doesn't have an option for replacement receivers or upgrades. It literally asks info about the old one (access card number and what went bad) then tells you whether or not the old receiver has to be returned and whether or not a contract has to be renewed.

2. What's the difference between the HR34 and HR44 or the HR22 and HR24?
a. Not a whole lot, actually. Form factor is the biggest difference. The 34 is a bit bulkier, doesn't have integrated wifi, and has a longer startup period. The HR22 does not have a built-in deca, is a bit bulkier, does not have the touch-panel front (I actually prefer this), and has a longer startup period. Once both are up and running, you're not going to notice much difference.

I'm going to put this on here, and it is based on my experience. This is by no means a be-all end-all for discussion, and it does not reflect upon my (former) employers, their client, or my current employer.

3. Which model is the best/fastest/most reliable?

HR44 - Fastest Startup, least reliable - most of the HDDVRs that I've ordered replacements for have been HR44 models, usually because they have died randomly.
HR34 - Slower to start up, reasonable menu and navigation timing on server and clients, I've done very few replacements for these units, however I have sent a few more service calls. I believe that this may be normal, though, because most people that reported problems with the units were more than a year and a half in on it, and just needed regular maintenance due to neglect or poor initial installs.
HR24 - Decently fast, fairly reliable, I've replaced several of these for issues related to video, hdds, dead receivers, etc. Most time has been spent troubleshooting whole-home issues on these, though. Not sure why. Similar to the HR34 for service calls.
HR22 - Slowest of the bunch, but decently reliable. These are still current receivers. I've replaced a few dead ones, most of them are notable for HDD issues, and most of those are pretty well aged. The biggest thing about these are that they are quite "slow." Honestly, slowness doesn't bother me, and if that is your biggest concern, then you're probably better off just subscribing to netflix.

If you took the time to read these, thank you. I hope this clears things up a little bit. I still don't understand why people have to have an HR44 when a 34 with a CCK-W does the exact same thing.

 

[Mr Tony]

1. Which receiver will I get whenever I'm installed/upgraded/replaced?
a. Whichever receiver is on the truck or drop shipped.

best replacement I ever got was back in 2010 when I bought a R15 from a Goodwill and activated it. About a month later it crapped out and got a R22 in its place
(that gave me 2 R22's which were light years ahead of the R15). Gave them back in 2012 when I got a Genie

 

[Jam3s]

best replacement I ever got was back in 2010 when I bought a R15 from a Goodwill and activated it. About a month later it crapped out and got a R22 in its place
(that gave me 2 R22's which were light years ahead of the R15). Gave them back in 2012 when I got a Genie

Indeed. I don't think R15s have been put out for a while now. And I'll supplement my earlier statement with the fact that getting a technician over a drop shipped replacement can help you get newer stuff just due to luck of availability - but getting appointments for dead and noticibly defective hardware is difficult.

 

[gadgtfreek]

You can post this 100 times, doesnt matter, people won't read it and then will get mad when they get an HR34.

 

[Jam3s]

You can post this 100 times, doesnt matter, people won't read it and then will get mad when they get an HR34.

Agreed. As far as numbers are concerned, the number 34 is significantly smaller than 44, and people get confused and angry when they get stuff with lower numbers.

 

[Claude Greiner]

You really want an HR44. There is no point in getting an outdated receiver. Its like going to the Apple store and getting an Iphone 5 instead of an Iphone 5S.

Both are great models, but if you can get the better model, why not get the better one.

 

[Jimbo]

You really want an HR44. There is no point in getting an outdated receiver. Its like going to the Apple store and getting an Iphone 5 instead of an Iphone 5S.

Both are great models, but if you can get the better model, why not get the better one.

Thats true now, but awhile back, before the Genies, I 2ould take a HR20 over anything else, prior to the HR24s.

 

[Bodo Fenrirsson]

I have one HR22-100 & two HR24's(HR24-200 & HR24-500). My HR22 has kept going when my HR23's hard drive went bad. If & when I ever upgrade to a Genie,I'll order a HR44 third party. That way I know that I'll get what I want. Two things I fully understand about Directv,all receivers are leased & not owned,& if you order a receiver from Directv on their dime,you get what they give you & not necessarily what you want.

 

[acostapimps]

It all depends on the availability of these specific models, but usually when they do carry it from your local technician, doing the install and they bring it on their vans, They'll install that equipment but you have to make sure, before the appointment, That when they call you, when they're on their way, It's recommended to ask which model Genie he's carrying, Other times they do bring it with them, but sometimes they don't hook up that specific receiver, And install the HR34 instead, Make sure which receivers he's installing first, HR34 looks bigger and bulkier, HR44 looks smaller, It's depends which local areas have the HR44 while others ran out of stock and only have HR34's, and some have plenty both 34's and 44's.

 

[acostapimps]

I know this stupid to this example of a scenario in how to ask for the HR44, but I'll go ahead with it:

Directv Technician, Hi I'm calling to tell you that I'll be there shortly, to be sure I have your address at <insert address here>? And to confirm that your doing an Genie upgrade as the CSR explained,

Directv Customer Yes that's my address, Yes I'm getting a Genie upgrade, btw what model Genie DVR do you currently have?

Directv Technician. I have the HR44 or HR34 Genie DVR, Is that ok with you?

Of course the wording could be different in the phone conversation, but that's usually the scenario you'll go with in your question.

As explained from other post, you can always cancel the appointment or reschedule, but in doing so is no guarantees that they'll bring the HR44 in the next appointment, You could ask the CSR to put a note in the order for that specific receiver, But still won't guarantee you the HR44. It's basically a luck of the draw in which you get.

 

[DIRECT]

Hr34 and hr44 genie diferences

A lot of you don't like the fact that when you order the hr44 genie, you end up with the hr34 genie. Well the truth is, there really ISNT much of a difference. The HR44 is smaller and has a separate power brick and has WiFi built in, and the hr44 gets the new rc71 remote. That's all.

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[raoul5788]

The 44 has a faster processor, too.

 

[jcrandall]

A lot of you don't like the fact that when you order the hr44 genie, you end up with the hr34 genie. Well the truth is, there really ISNT much of a difference. The HR44 is smaller and has a separate power brick and has WiFi built in, and the hr44 gets the new rc71 remote. That's all.

There are a few other differences. I paid $200 out of pocket to upgrade from a HR34 that worked fine to a HR44.

HR44 with the new RF remote can support IR at the same time - a big improvement for sling box users.
HR44 is faster, noticeably. User interface works smoother.
HR44 with C41 clients features noticeably better performance than the HR34 with C31 clients.
HR44 is a fabless design, so in a bedroom or quiet environment it is more desirable (though there is an emergency overheating fan, it is not regularly used in the HR44).
HR44 added back optical audio output.

We've been discussing it here for a year plus now.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/305778-HR34-vs-HR44

For many customers there isn't much difference, but for some it is a factor in their buying decisions.

It is a consumers right to seek a current model product rather than a 2+ year old product, regardless of how DirecTV treats their hardware in their distribution channels.

I will say very clearly, if a repair tech came to my home and the HR44 needed replacement, I would under no circumstances accept a HR34.

This is the second thread you've started with the same "it is the same" message, I just ask that you respect the consumer's prerogative.

Edit: I decided to merge today's thread with the one from a few days ago, as the subject is the same.

 

[Claude Greiner]

There is a difference.

The processor makes going through the guide much much more smoother and easier to navigate.

 

[bobvick]

I had both, a 34 and a 44. When the 44 came out I paid $300 to upgrade to one from Solid Signal. The 44 is MUCH less buggy than the 34 was. The external power supply makes for a cooler running unit too, and it is ALOT faster. So you cannot convince me there are not SIGNIFICANT differences. Much much more than just formfactor and built in wireless connectivity. There is a thread similar to this at "the other" site, I am not sure if the OP started that one as well, seems more than coincidental. Not sure what his modus operandi is for starting the threads. Of course over there one would get chastised for ever suggesting that there is a significant difference between the two, and for suggesting that DTV should insure that you get the latest equipment. But I digress.

 

[texasbrit]

Yes, there are differences. Yes, the HR44 is better. But that does not change things. If you get a free Genie from DirecTV, it will be whatever is on the truck. And the truck will have whatever is in the warehouse. And why should DirecTv ensure that you get the latest equipment? What do they do with the HR34s, throw them in the landfill? If you want to guarantee the latest equipment, lease it through solid signal and pay for it.
I can assure you my local cable company does not guarantee the latest equipment!!

 

[dishcomm]

Yes, there are differences. Yes, the HR44 is better. But that does not change things. If you get a free Genie from DirecTV, it will be whatever is on the truck. And the truck will have whatever is in the warehouse. And why should DirecTv ensure that you get the latest equipment? What do they do with the HR34s, throw them in the landfill? If you want to guarantee the latest equipment, lease it through solid signal and pay for it.
I can assure you my local cable company does not guarantee the latest equipment!!

What a company does with its older models after they've had a newer model available for at least a year is the COMPANY'S problem.
I don't give a rat's behind if they make flower planters out of them...It's not my problem.
If D* was so hell bent on using up their stock of 34's, they should have done so before releasing the 44. Period.
Now, if I order a particular piece of merchandise, I expect to receive that piece of equipment. Failing that, the deal is OFF.
I do not accept "you'll get what's on the truck" as a reasonable way of doing business.
BTW, All electronic equipment can be recycled. Maybe Directv should consider that option.

 

[bobvick]

Yes, there are differences. Yes, the HR44 is better. But that does not change things. If you get a free Genie from DirecTV, it will be whatever is on the truck. And the truck will have whatever is in the warehouse. And why should DirecTv ensure that you get the latest equipment? What do they do with the HR34s, throw them in the landfill? If you want to guarantee the latest equipment, lease it through solid signal and pay for it. I can assure you my local cable company does not guarantee the latest equipment!!

Which is what makes these types of threads useless. Like comparing Ford and Chevrolet or being a Democrat or Republican, Coke or Pepsi. You're not going to change me mind and I'm not going to change yours.