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BeachAudio.com - HR20 in stock for $248.99 !!!

20K views 154 replies 61 participants last post by  PoitNarf 
#1 ·
I found this today:

http://www.beachaudio.com/product_info.php?products_id=85522

They say they have 305 of them in stock as of 09/01/2006 12:52 PM and they offer $5 ground shipping.

I purchased 2 Directv Dtva3brace Mono-pole Braces for my AT9 a few weeks ago from these guys and their shipping was very fast for basic ground to my zipcode.

Has anyone purchase D* receivers from these guys before?
 
#4 ·
TekGamer said:
It looks like it doesn't include the dish and is the receiver only, but I'm sure you can get the AT9 from D* from what I have read in other posts.
Bah, the AT9 dish is selling on Ebay for $30, no big deal. I wish I could just use my OTA antenna, don't really need the new dish, just want a DVR :rolleyes:

When are they supposed to turn on the OTA?

I emailed the store to ask them when the ship date is, they say 3-5 days when I put in my Zip (San Diego) but BestBuy isn't shipping until mid-month.
 
#5 ·
toy4two said:
NICE find! Just ordered one, wow those 305 are dropping fast!

Does this include the AT9 dish too??

I wonder how this compares to the "special DBS" discount that hasn't been emailed yet (soon?!?)
There was no "special DBS discount", it was an email from D* telling us we could buy an HR20 from Best Buy for $399.

TekGamer, thanks for finding this deal at beach audio.
 
#10 ·
Why does everyone want to get one of these units so quickly (with all of the complaints on this site regarding digital audio drop outs, unit freezing, inaccurate playback during recordings, etc). What reason is there to be an early adopter on this thing when the HR10-250 works so well (albeit slow) for now? Also, why are people willing to spend nearly $300 now when they can get it later for a lot less if not free?

Am I missing something here?
 
#11 ·
I have had bad drop outs on OTA (i.e. network) channels on my HR10 since I got it 18 months ago. I have tried 4 antennas (using a CM4228), and have tweeked the position of the antenna countless times. Sitting down to watch LOST, only to find it recorded only 30 minutes of choppy unwatchable junk gets old.

So I plan on running the HR20 and HR10 in parallel, with the HR20 recording the MPEG4 HD locals, and the HR10 using OTA. I am also looking forward to better PQ. My current H20 is clearly better than the HR10 and I expect the same from the HR20.
 
#14 ·
BillyT2002 said:
...when the HR10-250 works so well (albeit slow) for now? ...

Am I missing something here?
I can't answer for everyone, but I can answer for me. I have personally never liked the HR10. I moved to it from a UTV and I found it slow and clunky.

Furthermore, I live in the city and I can't pickup all of my channels at once with that OTA receiver because all of the signals come from different directions. I have to move my antenna based on what I want to watch. It is soooo what I don't want for a TV experience. I want the MPEG-4 locals and I won't watch them live on a H20.
 
#16 ·
BillyT2002 said:
Why does everyone want to get one of these units so quickly (with all of the complaints on this site regarding digital audio drop outs, unit freezing, inaccurate playback during recordings, etc). What reason is there to be an early adopter on this thing when the HR10-250 works so well (albeit slow) for now? Also, why are people willing to spend nearly $300 now when they can get it later for a lot less if not free?

Am I missing something here?
OK let me get this straight for the last 6 months everyones been on D*where's the mpeg-4 DVR there falling behind in the HD scene etc, etc.
Now that is finally out your saying whats the big hurry let them work the bugs out wait for the price to drop wait for them to give it away.
There just not going to please everyone and thats why there are choices and I choose to buy one now as I do not get my locals OTA.
Remember what you paid for your first VCR, your first DVD how about your first, second and third computer oh did Dell give you the last one for free because of new technology dont think so.
Welcome to the world of changing electronic technologies.;)
 
#17 ·
i get all the locals OTA, but i am still getting it because i want to have it by the time ota is enabled. I dont have the h10, i was always holding out for this one- which is the apparent future if you plan to stay with D*. the price was right for the wife, so i did not think twice. Since i cant currently record HD OTA with equipment i have, i am not missing anything.
 
#18 ·
BillyT2002 said:
Why does everyone want to get one of these units so quickly (with all of the complaints on this site regarding digital audio drop outs, unit freezing, inaccurate playback during recordings, etc). What reason is there to be an early adopter on this thing when the HR10-250 works so well (albeit slow) for now? Also, why are people willing to spend nearly $300 now when they can get it later for a lot less if not free?

Am I missing something here?
I agree! All I hear about is problems with the H-20, so what makes this unit any better? Plus no OTA enabled yet! I'm not getting rid of my OTA anyway, besides locals, what's the big deal at this point?:confused:
 
#20 ·
Site shows 290 left, called D* and they will install the dish for free, set appointment for Friday as long as the unit arrives as promised. Spent 3 hours last night trying to get it for free, but I had gotten the HR10-250 for free two years ago. Still a good deal for $274 with tax and shipping. Just hope it is for real….
 
#21 ·
BillyT2002 said:
Why does everyone want to get one of these units so quickly (with all of the complaints on this site regarding digital audio drop outs, unit freezing, inaccurate playback during recordings, etc). What reason is there to be an early adopter on this thing when the HR10-250 works so well (albeit slow) for now? Also, why are people willing to spend nearly $300 now when they can get it later for a lot less if not free?

Am I missing something here?
Why do I want it?

Because I have no DVR at all.

Because it gets MPEG4 here in San Diego that is live.

Because it is made by PACE (best STB out of all I tried renting from TWC)

Native resolution, I can't stand watching 480i poorly scaled to 1080i, SD looks horrible plus you can't use my TV's smart stretch at 1080i.

I don't have any surround sound so the audio glitch doesn't effect me, the only downside for me is the lack of OTA :nono2:

Cost is not really an issue, $250 is a fair price in my opinion, now if it was $1000 I would say no freaking way, that is just a waste of money.
 
#22 ·
I decided to bite the bullet and get one just to see what it's all about. I won't be giving up my HR10-250's anytime soon, however. The UI may be slow but I've been living with three of them for so long now that I hardly notice anymore. I certainly don't see it as a legitimate reason to drop the HR10 in favor of the HR20. The HR10 (or any DTV DVR) wasn't meant for channel surfing so if that's your bag, stick with a standard receiver.

I've never been a fan of UTV's for several reasons. I used to have three of them so my opinion is based on extensive firsthand experience with them. I'm not sure how a discussion of UTV's fits this thread but since it ws mentioned I believe that opens the door for my 2 cents on the subject.

1. Developed and tanked by Microsoft. That alone is enough reason to stay clear of them.
2. Drive upgrades are easy but extremely limited. The sky's the limit for an HDTivo.
3. Absolutely no way to upgrade them with special features like you can with a Tivo.
4. The monthly UTV fee is about double the fee for a Tivo-based DTV DVR and also the new DTV DVRs.
5. The UTV user interface was much easier to use than a Tivo. Think of it as a DVR for dummies. Not a bash as I rather preferred the UI of a UTV over most DVRs I've used.

I only purchased the HR20 to test the waters. I won't see any benefit from using it for a couple of years. I already get more HD locals with the HR10-250 than I'll ever get in mpeg4 (currently 14 OTA vs. 4 from DTV). The local RSN in mpeg4 may be something I'd watch on occasion but it certainly wasn't the driving point to own the HR20.

Furthermore, I live in the city and I can't pickup all of my channels at once with that OTA receiver because all of the signals come from different directions. I have to move my antenna based on what I want to watch.
While this may not sound like an attractive solution for you I have found it to work for me. I'm in a similar situation where I can get locals from both Baltimore and DC but the towers are in opposite directions. I just put up two UHF antenns pointed in each direction and then combined the outputs of both antennas into a single cable using a standard UHF/VHF splitter/combiner. Since the antennas are pointed away from each other there is no danger of picking up multipath interference from channels being picked up by both antennas.
 
#23 ·
captain_video said:
...I just put up two UHF antenns pointed in each direction and then combined the outputs of both antennas into a single cable using a standard UHF/VHF splitter/combiner. Since the antennas are pointed away from each other there is no danger of picking up multipath interference from channels being picked up by both antennas.
My plasma TVs work with that setup. The HR10 can't tune with it. The signal meter will jump between 1% and 95% every other second. What's worse, if a heavy truck rumbles by, which I can't feel, I lose signal on my one constant station.

As to slowness on the HR10, the problem isn't changing channels. It's the navigation in general. There is no excuse for the guide to take 3-5 seconds to scroll down when you are tuned to a HD channel.
 
#26 ·
Okay - fair enough - thanks for answering my questions and I wasn't trying to disuade anyone from buying the unit. I was merely trying to guage why people are paying big money for it, in it's current condition.

As a matter of fact, you all have pursuaded me into trying it. MPEG-4 HD locals will be coming to Maine from DirecTV this Fall or so I'm told. We don't really get OTA HD to speak of where I live, very easily. So, I called DirecTV retention today and my HR20-700 will be installed on 9/18/2006 and I get to keep my HR10-250 as well. The installer will just need to run one more RG-6 line and I'll be a four tuner household. Because I'm not sure I trust the NDS software in its current state, I'll be mirror all programming that I request to record in HD on the HR20 to also record in HD when possible or SD when not possible on the HR10. That way, I will miss hopefully no recordings.

Thanks again for the answers to my question.
 
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