Upgrading to Genie need some info

[willagerGA]

I would appreciate some info. My current setup is 3 HR24-500s and a H24. One of my HR24-500s just died and I am thinking of adding a Genie. If I have read the forum correctly, I can use my 2 good HR24s with a Genie. Can I use the H24 also?
On the HR24s, when i record a show, will it record on the Genie (preferable) or on the HR24? One of my gripes about what I have now is having to maintain 3 separate to do recording lists. if I can do all that on the Genie it would be great.
I currently have one cable coming from the dish to a LNC-34 that splits to the 4 units. Will this work with the Genie, two HR24s and a H24?
Is the 30 second skip still doable on the Genie?
Currently the unit connected to the internet is one of the HR24s that is in my office next to the router. Is that still OK, or does the Genie have to be the one connected with the internet? And if so, can it connect wirelessly?

Thanks
WillagerGA

 

[maestro7]

I would appreciate some info. My current setup is 3 HR24-500s and a H24. One of my HR24-500s just died and I am thinking of adding a Genie. If I have read the forum correctly, I can use my 2 good HR24s with a Genie. Can I use the H24 also?
On the HR24s, when i record a show, will it record on the Genie (preferable) or on the HR24? One of my gripes about what I have now is having to maintain 3 separate to do recording lists. if I can do all that on the Genie it would be great.
I currently have one cable coming from the dish to a LNC-34 that splits to the 4 units. Will this work with the Genie, two HR24s and a H24?
Is the 30 second skip still doable on the Genie?
Currently the unit connected to the internet is one of the HR24s that is in my office next to the router. Is that still OK, or does the Genie have to be the one connected with the internet? And if so, can it connect wirelessly?

Thanks
WillagerGA

1. You should be able to incorporate a Genie DVR into any pre-existing setup -- we did. We have a 7+-year-old HD DVR and ended up turning in a separate HD tuner for a Genie DVR and Genie Wireless Mini.
2. I'll save the topology answer for number 3; when your Genie network topology is set up, and assuming that your other receivers are SWiM compatible, then you'll be able to see all recorded shows across all receivers and determine which receivers are able to delete, etc.
3. The point of the Genie network topology is that you will have to have a SWiM device at some point at which you receive the raw satellite feed. We happened to get a SWiM-16 (for 16 lines, not tuners), but SWiM-8 is likely a baseline. SWiM devices allow you to run a single cable to each receiver and yet have multiple "channels" (e.g.: tuners) to each receiver, dependent upon how many tuners a given receiver can handle. Therefore, assuming hardware compatibility, 1 Genie + 2 two-tuner DVRs = 9 total tuners, requiring a SWiM-16 to handle the load.
4. 30-second skip is very much associated with Genie.
5. Genie can be connected to the Internet via wifi or Ethernet cabling.

In our opinion, the Genie DVR (and associated wireless mini) are some of the best carriage equipment you can get on the market today. And with other posts here alleging rumors of the next Genie, these devices are well worth the commitment to acquire them.

 

[texasbrit]

You currently have a dish with an SWM LNB. That will only support eight tuners, and as maestro pointed out you will have nine tuners. That means replacing the LNB with a conventional non-SWM LNB, running four cables to the house where there will be an SWM16 multiswitch (with associated power inserter). DireCTv will do this as parrt of the installation.
There is an SWM13 LNB that supports 13 tuners over a single cable, but that's only available through a few ebay suppliers, the DirecTv installer will NOT have this LNB.
there's no way to have a single to-do list for the whole home setup. Programs are set up for recording on each device separately.

 

[willagerGA]

Thanks maestro7 and texasbrit for the info. Because of the location of my house, I have my Direct dish almost 300 ft away. I have 3 RG11 cables run underground from the dish to the house, of which i am currently only using one. I could add a fourth, but it would seem to be a lot easier to get a SWM13 LNB like texasbrit mentioned. Looks like it would be $36 well spent.

If I purchased a SWM13 LNB, do you think it likely that the Directv installer would install it?
Also texasbrit says you cannot have a single to do list. Right now on my H24, if I want to record, it gives me the choice of which receiver to record on. If I initiate a recording from a HR24 with a Genie, will it give me the option to record on the Genie, or just on the HR24? I would prefer to keep all the recording on the Genie.
Thanks again
WillagerGA

 

[texasbrit]

If you get a genie the installer will come prepared for four RG6 cables and an SWM16. Whether or not you can get him to install your SWM13 LNB is unknown, many won't do that because it screws up their work order. It's also possible he will balk at the whole job because your distances are so long, and he won't install RG11 anyway.. Who did your original install?
Note: the LNB is equivalent to a 3-lnb SWM, so it won't work for you if you need the 119 satellite. What's your zip code?
If he won't do that, one thing you could do is tell him you are only going to be using eight tuners, ask him to set the DVR to single tuner mode. Then after he leaves, just switch the LNBs from the regular SWM LNB to the SWM13 LNB, you just unplug one and plug in the other.
Slightly different scenario: call DirecTv and see if they will give you a credit if you get an HR44 from Solid Signal, tell them you don't want an HR34 Genie because it's so inferior to the HR44 (which it is, whatever the DirecTv rep might tell you) and DirecTv CANNOT guarantee which Genie model you will get (don't believe the CSR if he tells you otherwise). Then get the SWM13 LNB from ebay, get an SWM splitter and do the installation yourself.
When you initiate a recording from a DVR (or on the genie) it always records on that DVR, it's not the same as a receiver. If you want all the recordings to be on the Genie, why keep the HR24 at all?

 

[willagerGA]

Thanks texasbrit I appreciate your help
I ran the RG11 myself back when I had satellite internet and a StarChoice dish. Both of which I installed myself. The current dish was installed by a Directv installer who used my existing RG11. I was one of the first in the area to get the "whole house" DVR set up and I had two installers and two supervisors trying to get everything working. And it took some questions on Satellite Guys to get it working correctly.
Don't know about the 119 satellite. My zip is 31029.
I was keeping the HR24s, as wasn't sure if i could get enough out of Directv to operate 4 tv's.
If I understand you correctly, one of the HR24's could be set to only use one tuner, thus I could get by with the SWM LNB I have now.

 

[peds48]

If I understand you correctly, one of the HR24's could be set to only use one tuner, thus I could get by with the SWM LNB I have now.

Right, or you could get a client instead.