New Directv HR54 and H44 models

[jcrandall]

What the H44 can bring to DirecTV is a chance to really clean up their product lines and upgrade customer services without a truck roll.

Vision the only active product being H44, Genie (HR34/HR44/HR54), possibly Genie+ (HR54 if they differentiate it from the regular Genie, depending on features), and clients.

A customers without DVR service gets an H44, and for extra TVs gets clients, up to 3 or 4 depending on DirecTV's limits.
Later decide they want DVR - drop ship them a hard drive to plug in, add the advanced receiver fee to the account, and boom - instant genie.

Likely adds little to the manufacturing cost, using the 5 tuner vs. a single tuner likely isn't a big cost difference, everything else is pretty much the same.

I think the most intriguing part is customers that have a genie and want to add more flexibility to their setup - will adding an H44 and a hard drive be like having a second genie?
They say the reason you can't have two genies is the software can't handle a client looking at multiple servers. That said, I think it could be fixed by now if they wanted to, I feel the one genie limit is more to prevent account stacking and maintain subscriber acquisition costs.

 

[Zashel]

i think you're probably over simplifying the multi-genie issue. the clients and genie's would have to essentially pair themselves and something tells me thats alot harder then you think it is.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I think the best solution would be to Just install a genie on all new installs and just sell the DVR service as an add on service that can be turned on and off.

With all the money that is spent acquiring a new customer, we are literally talking the cost of a hard drive.

Give all new customers a 3 month trail, and see how many you can get hooked.

The interesting thing is how many customers are sold a DVR, and never even push the pause button or attempt to record a show.

The built in power inserter would be a god send. Too many service calls due to an unplugged power inserter.

Whenever possible I try to install the power inserter in the basement and then warn the customer not to unplug it.

Personally I would rather have a stand alone power inserter. But for a customer point of view a built in one is best

 

[goaliebob99]

Claude, The new LNB's don't require a power inserter so I think they are moving in a direction that will hopefully correct that issue.

Jason, It would be cool if the H44 added to the genies tuners by linking the two receivers together via coax or Ethernet. So if you had a genie and an H44, it extended the tuners that the genie could record on allowing more than 5 programs be be recorded at the genie. I kind of wish they did this with the AM21.

 

[raoul5788]

Claude, The new LNB's don't require a power inserter so I think they are moving in a direction that will hopefully correct that issue.

Jason, It would be cool if the H44 added to the genies tuners by linking the two receivers together via coax or Ethernet. So if you had a genie and an H44, it extended the tuners that the genie could record on allowing more than 5 programs be be recorded at the genie. I kind of wish they did this with the AM21.

Are you referring to a swm lnb? What model doesn't need a power inserter?

 

[goaliebob99]

Are you referring to a swm lnb? What model doesn't need a power inserter?

Yes, The new ones with Reverse band capabilities.

 

[raoul5788]

That's interesting.

 

[Drucifer]

i think you're probably over simplifying the multi-genie issue. the clients and genie's would have to essentially pair themselves and something tells me thats alot harder then you think it is.

Avoid Genie Minis and you have zero Genie problems with a multi-Genie setup.

 

[Blackloz]

Exactly. I'm of a mind that clients don't exist. I think that Genies & HR models are all people need for whole home setups. At the very least Hxx models but definitely no clients.

 

[Claude Greiner]

It's impossible to have an Lnb not require power

 

[goaliebob99]

It's impossible to have an Lnb not require power

Power is supplied by the box and the lnb has a decreased power usage no longer requiring the need for a power insurter.

 

[satgirl51]

I assume the "No power inserter required" would only apply to the H44, HR54 and newer receivers since they have one built in, so eventually all new installs.

 

[Zashel]

not sure why all the hate on the clients. they're tiny and they do everything except set up network connections and PIP. it also means less points of failure (HDD's) but with no loss of capability. genie goes down and so does the clients, sure ill give you that, but for as often as *that* happens it's a non-issue really.

 

[Drucifer]

I hate all dumb terminals. And it doesn't help that their monthly fees are same for a stand alone box.

 

[satgirl51]

I hate all dumb terminals. And it doesn't help that their monthly fees are same for a stand alone box.

I would be happier with clients if they were cheaper than a stand alone Dvr but they aren't, the least directv could do is make it so after 3 clients the 4th and so on (up to 8)are free. A customer could only watch 3 at any one time anyways so why charge the customer full price.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I would be happier with clients if they were cheaper than a stand alone Dvr but they aren't, the least directv could do is make it so after 3 clients the 4th and so on (up to 8)are free. A customer could only watch 3 at any one time anyways so why charge the customer full price.

It's screwed up because they charge the dealer $30 if we don't activate clients, however then they back charge $99 when we do activate then for an existing account.

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

Don't forget the c61k client coming out.

 

[jcrandall]

I'm not a big fan of clients - after my experience with the C31 I bought an H24 and haven't looked back.

I do find it very odd that the C61 will be out soon with 4K capability (for those 4K TVs that aren't RVU ready), well before any of the actual receivers have 4K capability.

 

[jcrandall]

There was a tech bulletin this week that touched on the new H44 and external hard drives:

• ·H44 Genie Lite -- H44 Genie Lite is a 5 tuner, 3 video stream output wireless Internet receiver with a built in power inserter. NOTE: It has NO hard drive which means no DVR capability unless the customer chooses to add an external hard drive from DirecTV.
• 
  
• ·External DirecTV hard drives -- This equipment is drop-shipped to customers and requires DVR services to be added. Once upgraded with DVR capability, the functionality is the same as with an HR44. These hard drives will be used in place of HD receiver orders.
• 
  
• ·New 4K capable client -- The C61K Client is a 4K capable client due to launch later this year to enable 4K TVs that are not DirecTV ready to view 4K content!

 

[tigerfan33]

I'm not a big fan of clients - after my experience with the C31 I bought an H24 and haven't looked back.

I do find it very odd that the C61 will be out soon with 4K capability (for those 4K TVs that aren't RVU ready), well before any of the actual receivers have 4K capability.

Isn't Dish doing something similar with their Joeys?
Not a 4k Hopper but a 4k Joey.
Ass backwards from both companies sounds like.