If someone does not like the hardware DirecTV wants to give them, a person is free to shop around and get the hardware they want, but it may cost more upfront. After that, monthly it is all the same.
In DirecTV’s mind, any TV hooked up will cost a customer $6/month. If someone does not like that, other providers may have better prices. That TV can be hooked up with a genie client that may or may not be available depending on the total number of genie clients. That TV may be a RVU. It may be directly on a genie. It may be on a DVR. It may be on a receiver. It really doesn’t matter how it is hooked up, it is all the same cost per month. (Given it is all the same cost per month, in my opinion, H25’s are a better value than genie clients because the genie could record 5 things while I watch something live on a H25).
4k is a mess. I think the RVU setup is a hack to get DirecTV 4k content onto displays. Until something is set in stone for HDMI, HDCP, and any other details for getting 4k content from point a to point b, none of the pay tv providers want to sink much money into large scale 4k end user hardware. The RVUs are nice because all the nasty got-chya’s of high quality digital content being stealable are avoided so the content providers are placated.
The bottom line is:
If you don’t like server + thin client + external hard drive model you are free to buy HR44’s and H25’s on your own money and activate them to your account.
DirecTV is doing what they think will fill the needs of new customers.
(When I got DirecTV, I ordered 3 receivers. I wanted a DVR, but I did not want mini clients. Then after the install was done, I ordered a genie. I got charged $99 for the genie. I sent one of the receivers back. I think I accomplished my new install goal of a HR44 and 2xH25 the cheapest way possible. If the original install had been a genie and 2 clients, I would have had to pay solid signal 2x$99 for 2 H25’s and send back 2 clients. I have a kid who watches Disney. There are times when the Genie is recording 5 mom/dad shows when the kid is watching Disney, so the genie client model would not have worked in my house.)