Upgrading to Genie

[david_gilbert]

Well, i've put it off due to the cost but int he last week my HR20 has decided to start puking the hard drive. We are getting picture stutter, freezes, and reboots with multiple disk errors. So i called DTV to get a replacement unit sent. Turns out i qualify as a long time loyal customer to get a Genie for 99.00, 2 mini-genies for free, and 49.00 install.

My kids should be happy, as their LCD tvs will now get HD. One is on a H15 DVR and one is on an OLD Panasonic receiver i've had since day 1 i signed up 11 years ago! These are on an old 18" dish by themselves.

I already have MRV for my HR20 and HR24, so the installer should just have to change out the switch and plug up the new ones i guess. Hopefully there are no major issues, as rerunning or running new cabling will be a nightmare. I do have 2 RG6 drops to each location, but currently none are runnign on a wired network. My MRV runs over wireless, will they switch that to DECA(i think that is it) or do the mini-genies even need anything other than the RG6 for MRV?




Anyway, my point is if you are looking into the Genie then call and ask because you may get one heckuva deal on it.

 

[jdspencer]

What dish do you have now? Genies require SWM.

 

[texasbrit]

A genie plus two DVRs equals nine tuners so the installer will need some extra hardware. If you have an SWM LNB at the dish, he will need to replace it with a conventional LNB, have four cables to the house and then an SWM16 multiswitch with power inserter. If you have a conventional non-SWM system, he will need to replace your existing zinwell multiswitch with an SWM16/power inserter.

 

[david_gilbert]

I have a SWM dish, and there will be only the Genie and the HR24 left as DVR so 7 tuners for DVR service. There will be 1 single tuner old receiver left for now, but if necessary i will leave it on the 18" round dish by itself. I may put it out in my shop since that is where the dish is anyway.

 

[david_gilbert]

after 3 days of having it i have to say i wish i had made the move sooner. the picture seems to be 10x clearer than the old HR21, enough so that even my wife noticed it and she barely pays attention to the TV. Also since the installer was hooking it up he changed me over to the supported means of MRV by intalling a DECA broadband and now i don't get any stutter/"DVR no longer connected" errors when viewing between bedroom and den DVR units.

one thing i REALLY like is the ability to see what my kids are watching and even pause their tv from my ipad when they "didn't hear you calling me".

Pandora showed up on the Genie yesterday, and now i will have to fight my wife since that is all she listens to in her truck. I told her we have had it in the bedroom forever, and i thought she was going to kill me. LOL