Should I buy an HR44 now or wait for the HR54

First things first, be aware that getting an HRXX from SolidSignal will enable you to get exactly what you want, but you will not be buying it, it will still be a lease (SS makes that clear on their page if you read carefully.)

For the reasons you've stated, I think you would be happy with an HR44.

Anyone who does know about the HR54 or any other unannounced product cannot give you any information due to NDAs.

 

According to the "other site", the HR54 is to the HR44 the same like the C51 is to the C41. Basically a cheaper unit to make with the same specs as its predecessor.

 

This reminds me of a joke I heard once.
A man calls his buddy and tells him to move to where he lives that there is money falling off of trees. If he would just move there he could get rich.
The buddy decides that he should move. Gets himself a plane ticket and flies there. He gets off the plane and as he is walking to his buddy's car he spots a $20 bill on the ground. Him and his buddy both look at each other. The guy that lives there bends over and picks it up. He then asks his buddy why he did not pick it up.
He replied, Man, I don't want to work on my first day here.

mkdtv21
I have an HR24 but my friend has an HR44. I went to her house to help her with setting things like favorites, adjusting the setting on the TV and in the DVR. Basically just speeding her learning process of it.
I can tell you from that the HR44 is much faster at everything and it does internet without wires.
Go for it now as previously stated and be happy with it.

 

I had a HR34-700 and have a HR44-200. The HR44 hasn't lost any speed in spite of all the updates and hard drive use. It's a rock solid performer. My advice is to get the HR44 from Solid Signal. A few days after activating it you'll be kicking yourself in the ass for waiting so long.

 

There's something to be said for getting the "old" HR44 even when the HR54 is around the corner. The HR44 is known to be reliable, its software is pretty stable, etc. The HR54 is an unknown quantity, maybe it turns out to be a lemon that has some annoying problem like a few of Directv's past receivers, or it takes them time to get the software stable on it. The way I look at it, a DVR is a utility - personally I want it to "just work". Unless the HR54 was going to be a massive upgrade AND provided something you really needed/wanted, what's the point of waiting?

It sounds like the HR54 will be required (maybe not right away, but eventually) to receive 4K broadcasts - even though it apparently cannot output 4K via HDMI so you'd need a C61K client or 4K RVU TV also. Anyway, that doesn't matter yet since there are no 4K broadcasts. If you have a HR44 and want to subscribe to 4K down the road when they actually offer real 4K broadcasts, if a HR54 is required Directv will swap it for your HR44.

 

A tech was at my house last week for new box install. He had gotten to play with a 54 for a day recently. He said it was "blazing fast." His words. He clearly knew how fast the 34 and 44 were already.

 

I have a HR44 and 27% free space and it still is fast.

 

Excellent choice!

 

I finally cashed in on my free genie upgrade today (via protection plan, I'm returning a H24 and keeping two HR24s). The installer is scheduled for next week, but I'll inquire as to what he has when they call to confirm. After all the back and forth on my end about whether or not to commit for 2 years, I'd hate to have to turn him away if he doesn't have a HR44. After reading this thread, I'm content with not waiting for a HR54.

 

MSW192,

I just got a genie HR44 via the protection plan and cannot believe how much more responsive it is than my other two DVR's (HR24 & HR21). When my installer called, I asked him if he had an HR44 to install at my house. He assured me it was, so we had no problems when he arrived. However since he had to install a SWM 16 and was a perfectionist (i.e., he also replaced old wiring and removed unnecessary power and cable connectors), it took about 2.5 hours for him to do the upgrade installation. My advice is to ask to ensure he has the HR44 in the truck and then enjoy the extra tuners.

 

I agree with everything said except for the part of getting a HR44 from SS. I see owned ones sell on eBay for $100. Have to hunt for them and check them out but that is a much better option, cheaper and it wont extend or start a new commitment.

 

This may be a failure to learn from history if we consider those that held out for the HR21 instead of an HR20. :bang

DIRECTV has somewhat of a history of the successive versions being cost reductions rather than significant upgrades.

 

Comparing Genies with HR20/21 is ludicrous.

 

The HR20 may be somewhat of a unique situation since it was the first DVB-S2 MPEG4 equipment, and because a lot of the components were new they knew it was going to cost a lot. Thus less pressure to save a few dollars on the CPU, RAM and other stuff - and maybe gave it a bit of extra headroom to insure it wouldn't suffer the same fate the H20 ultimately had where it didn't have the resources to run the HD GUI. By the time they designed the HR21, they had a pretty good idea what the requirements were and were able to cut back on the excess headroom to save money.

In the case of the Genie, all the hardware is very mature. Cost cutting isn't done by cutting resources since they didn't have excess resources in the first place, but by higher levels of integration, i.e. instead of using 2x three tuner chips using a single chip that supplies all the tuners, that sort of thing.

 

So you think the H44 w/eSATAp is a functional improvement over the HR44?

Is the C51 that much better than the C41?

 

Those sets are all equivalent amongst themselves. In both capability and speed really. And have absolutely nothing to do with what he was comparing them too.