New to HD - Better to buy the H20 or HR10-250?

[Harrisment]

I've been a DirecTV customer for years, but am finally ready to go HD. Here is my dilemma I hope you can help with. I'm ready to go HD, and I live in Houston which should be getting MPEG4 very soon. I currently have an SD Tivo receiver, and really don't want to give up the DVR ability. So here are my choices:

1. Purchase a HR10-250 and use the $200 rebate (activate after 11/25). I will then have HD with DVR capabilities for now. If I go this route, I am banking on the assumption that eventually DirecTV will swap me out for the MPEG4 receiver w/DVR once it is available for little or no cost.

2. Purchase the H20 which would be free after rebate. Either deal with no having DVR, or somehow run my current SD Tivo (for viewing non HD) and my H20 (for HD) at the same time. I'm not sure if there is an easy way to have both hooked up and switch back and forth. With this option I would eventually have to pay a higher price to move to the MPEG4 DVR.

What do you think? Suggestions? Thanks!

[kevin152]

From a previous post which answers your question.

After several calls to direct tv, they will upgrade the dish from the 3 LNB to the 5 LNB at no charge. Additionally, they will swap out the HD-Tivo to their new version at no charge. They claim that the new version won't be available till the first part of the year. They did state there would be a charge to swap out non-tivo HD boxes for the new version.

So go ahead and get the HD Tivo now.

Kevin

[xnt]

I live in the San Francisco Bay area and I had our HD installed 3 weeks ago with 3 H10 HD receivers for $600+ and was told at the time that they will be swap out for free.

Local HD has just been available in our area and technician is scheduled to come out next week to upgrade our 3LNB to the 5 LNB for $100. I m told it will cost $100 to exchange each H10 for a H20.

The lesson I learn is unless you had them written down in writing, you can not trust those cust rep verbal promising :mad:

[DTC mac]

Raise caine with customer service, the change has been in the works and well known for some time. Refuse to let them off the hook.

[Poochie]

Has anyone received in writing the promise for a fee-free swapout? I can't imagine DirecTV would send out something like that.

Harrisment, if you are serious about the shows you watch, get the HD Tivo now. I watch a lot of primetime network shows in HD (eg Alias, Lost) and can't get over how amazing they look and sound.

[climo]

I've been a DirecTV customer for years, but am finally ready to go HD. Here is my dilemma I hope you can help with. I'm ready to go HD, and I live in Houston which should be getting MPEG4 very soon. I currently have an SD Tivo receiver, and really don't want to give up the DVR ability. So here are my choices:

1. Purchase a HR10-250 and use the $200 rebate (activate after 11/25). I will then have HD with DVR capabilities for now. If I go this route, I am banking on the assumption that eventually DirecTV will swap me out for the MPEG4 receiver w/DVR once it is available for little or no cost.

2. Purchase the H20 which would be free after rebate. Either deal with no having DVR, or somehow run my current SD Tivo (for viewing non HD) and my H20 (for HD) at the same time. I'm not sure if there is an easy way to have both hooked up and switch back and forth. With this option I would eventually have to pay a higher price to move to the MPEG4 DVR.

What do you think? Suggestions? Thanks!

I'm in the same boat as you. I want to jump over to HD but not sure which hardware to get.
BB & CC is now starting to sell the H20 recievers but I;m not sure if the new antenna is available yet in my area. They also have the $200 rebate offer for the H20. Should I go ahead and get the H20 now or wait? I'm in the LA market does that mean I have the mpeg-4 channels?
So confusing. :(

[Poochie]

I'm in the LA area too. Get the HR10-250 for combined HD Tivo goodness!

Despite what I hear about "HD lite" with regard to DirecTV HD programming, I see no difference in picture quality between a program on a DirecTV HD channel (say ABCW, channel 87) and OTV channel 7-1, the local ABC digital channel. In fact the audio on the DirecTV channels in the 80s is somewhat louder than that on the OTA channels, for me anyway.

[jmpsmash]

i am in the SF bay area.

i called up one of the official D* retailers listed in the D* website. i ask them if they have started installing the 5LNB dish and H20 for new customers. the guy on the phone said they didn't even know that D* have announced support for MPEG4. so needless to say, he claims that they have not started installing H20/5LNB dish.

i guess i am going to wait a bit longer.

[climo]

Doesn't surprise me that those installers knew nothing about the new equipment. I watched the installation video and it does take some time and effort to get the new dish aimed correctly.

Don't know yet.....with all the complaints about menu speed and favorites on the H20 I may wait until all the bugs are worked out. But then again its free......after rebate of course. :) Hard deal to pass. I still have the huge RCA unit. :(

[jmpsmash]

yeah. i am going to wait till some time in january next year. meanwhile, i have to endure the wife asking everyday, "when are you going to get the TV connected? etc. etc."

[A BUck]

I'm not sure why anyone would get an H10 over an H20? H20 picks up all the same shows, just more as well, right?

I bought an H10 a week ago and returned it when BB had the H20 refund deal. Now I have D* coming out with the 5LNB next week. As far as I can tell, I've had less problems with the H20 than the H10 (It seems to do a better job of converting shows to 1080i, etc.)

[Harrisment]

I'm not sure why anyone would get an H10 over an H20? H20 picks up all the same shows, just more as well, right?

I bought an H10 a week ago and returned it when BB had the H20 refund deal. Now I have D* coming out with the 5LNB next week. As far as I can tell, I've had less problems with the H20 than the H10 (It seems to do a better job of converting shows to 1080i, etc.)


We're talking about the HR10-250, which has Tivo. The main reason to want that over the H20 is obvious...so you have the Tivo/DVR functionality. The Mpeg4 DVR is not available yet.

Just so everyone knows, I was the original thread starter and just today ordered the HR10-250. I called retention and got a fairly good deal. They wouldn't promise me that I'd be swapped out to Mpeg4 DVR for no cost, but they said any cost would be minimal.