Upgrade ?'s for HD-DVR to Genie

No matter what deal you get with DirecTV, even paying $350, it will be a two year contract. You might get it free, particularly if you have the protection plan.

You do not have SWM, which is required. The normal install, they will remove your 5-LNB and replace it with a SWM 3-LNB. At that point, there will only be one coax cable going into the Genie, but you can't do that now.

The $3 Whole Home will be required, but that is the only monthly fee difference between one DVR and one Genie.

 

You shouldn't have any problem getting the whole setup for free, I still have a year left on my contract and they did the whole thing including install for free. Remember to say cancel and talk to retention. Don't worry about your setup they will replace anything you need for the Genie.

 

Expect a $3 additional fee and that should be it. Being outside of a contract and a longer term customer, you should easily get the upgrade for free.

 

Yes. There's another thread discussing this, whether it is "outrageous" or not, but the whole home fee applies to all genies, regardless of whether or not they have any clients connected.

 

I currently have a HR-20 and HR-21. I want to upgrade the HR-20 to a genie. I want to keep the HR-21. I currently have a SWM setup. The receiver I want to replace with a gene is connected directly to my router while the receiver in the bedroom I'm keeping has a wireless connection.

Can I just call and have them send me a genie and I send back the HR-20? If so, will the wireless connection work for whole home service? If not, what should I ask for to get the proper setup. I would prefer to do it myself instead of having to take off work and have an installer come.

Thanks for the help.

 

Unless your 20 has a problem, keep the 20, its a better model than the 21, 21, or, 23....

 

I agree, the HR20 was the best model offered until the HR24 Using wireless for Whole Home is marginal at best, I would get a DECA module for the HR20/21 and the Genie will act as the Ethernet / DECA bridge. In other words, plug the cable from the router into the Genie, add the DECA module to the other DVR and disconnect the wireless. A couple notes regarding the self install, you will need to buy the DECA yourself as they will not ship you one, and you may have a problem getting the Genie shipped as they don't show you set up fro Whole Home.

 

Where do I order a DECA module?

 

My preferred source is Solid Signal http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=dca2sr0&d=directv-deca-receiver-ii-ethernet-to-coax-adapter-deca2--%28dca2sr0%29 However you can find them usually a lot cheaper on eBay but to me anything from eBay is a gamble

 

Thanks for the link. So we are for sure DirecTV won't send me one if I'm able to get them to ship me the genie receiver for self install?

 

Not "for sure", but I don't believe anyone who has asked for one has received one.

 

Why are you keeping either of those active? Do you need more recording space or series links?


Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk mobile app

 

Depends on who you talk too. I could not get them to send me a Genie. It was going to be a direct swap, but they insisted (no additional equipment required; I already had SWM16 with only 11 tuners in use. Final config was 13 tuners. I guess they thought I might exceed 8 tuners on one of the legs). They also said it was going to be $49 install, but when I said 'cancel the upgrade', they gave me a $50 credit.

But others here have reported they got a Genie shipped to them.

 

Update. I called this afternoon and was able to get a genie DVR shipped to me, along with the cinema connection kit. Also received $20 off a month for a year.

 

How to know if I have SWM...I have HR23-700, HR22-100, H23-600, and D12-100 with whole home DVR service working on the 3 H boxes and internet connectivity (pretty cool that I can play music from my computer on my tv). A few questions..I was considering adding a Genie because even with the 2 HD DVR's we end up with a conflict on one TV or the other, always when my husband is in the middle of watching a sporting event or has paused a show to go do something. It's also a big pain to try putting some shows on one and some on the other, hence the conflicts that crop up. Having a DVR that has 5 tuners onboard would be great. Won't dump the existing DVR's as they are loaded with shows to catch up on (most for my 9 year old but I digress). My questions are, the one TV that is still SD will eventually be replaced with an HDTV. Do the HD boxes have a capability to run on a SD tv at all only showing SD programming? If not, I can't upgrade until that TV is switched as I don't want to upgrade twice. If it can, I would dump the SD box, move the HD box to that tv, one HD DVR to former HD spot, and replace that with Genie. Even if I have SWM now it would probably be SWM 8 and need to be replaced with SWM 16 right since that would make 10 tuners? Don't mind install anyway since then the installer could maybe bring me a new remote to replace the one that works very poorly (numbers stick) and has been relegated to the playroom SD tv that is not currently watched very often. Actually I'll bet the Genie gets a new remote anyway so I could give back the dead one. Ultimately I would like to get HDTV in the playroom so my 9 year old can watch her DVR shows up there instead of taking up our den tv. I am 3rd in line in my house behind hubby and child :>)

 

Press the - (Dash) button on your remote. You can also go to menu => settings=> Info=> select and scroll through to see your equipment setup.

I have an HR23 hooked up to an ancient, JVC tube style SD tv. It works fine.

You get a new remote with the Genie. Some people hate it! Some love it.

 

Thanks!

Come to think of it I believe I do remember seeing a message about SWM on my screen before when my husband pressed something on the remote in error. Good news about being able to connect HD box to SD tv so it makes it possible to switch to Genie now before we replace the old tv. Of course, I have to get them to agree to give it to me without the giant 300$ price tag. I have never been able to negotiate a deal, I've upgraded boxes twice and had to pay full price each time for the privilege of leasing equipment and agreeing to 2 more years. Maybe I should get hubby to work them, he is in sales.