[Regstour]

All --

I have been a direct tv customer since '97. Still using my original equipment. I would like to take advantage of HD programming and time shifting using HD DVR.

I would also consider using Directv on demand service.


But aside from a few rain outs once in awhile, my equipment is rock solid. My family and I have the same expectation for the new services as well...


What advice would you give someone considering the move to HD DVR?

What equipment models and o/s version numbers would you recommend?

Is there any picture difference between the HR20, HR21, and HR21Pro? Is one any better than another stability / DVR wise?

Should I upgrade using the directv 800 number or make my purchase from a big box store ( Best Buy for example ).

Should I just go with an HD only receiver and wait unti the Directv / TIVO equipment is released late next year.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

-Reg.

 

[andunn27]

Since you have been with them since 1997 I am assuming that you are not under contract at this point. If you plan on sticking with Directv for a couple more years what you can do is call Directv up and tell them that DishNetwork is offering you:

A free HD DVR at no charge
Free HD programming for 3 months
HBO and Cinemax free for 6 months
Free upgrade install

Just ask them if they can match this offer. If not tell them you are considering canceling and going to Dish Network since they are offering you all these incentives, but are not 100% sure yet. I was able to get a similar deal to this last year, and know a few people who have done this recently and Directv said yes! Please note though that this will require an additional 2 year contract and you will most likely get a refurbished HR receiver.

As for the new Tivo coming our nobody is 100% sure what it is exactly. Some people say it's a software update for the existing HR receivers adding Tivo functions while others say it's a completely new box. However, if you want HD now with DVR functions I would get a Directv unit. They used to be extremely buggy and some people say they still are, but they release software updates on a regular basis.

 

[say-what]

Call DirecTV and schedule your HD upgrade.

At the very worst, you'll be offered free installation of the new Dish for HD and $99 for the HR2x DVR. They may have a better deal on the DVR if you ask.

There is no functional difference between the various HR2x models - except the HR20 has OTA built-in and the HR21 and HR22 require the AM21 add-on module. Other than that, they're the same. The HR20's are also out of production. If available, you could ask for the HR22 which has twice the recording capacity of the prior models.

Be aware that the new mpeg4 signals are a bit more susceptible to rain fade even with a perfectly alligned dish - just the nature of the beast.

 

[say-what]

If not tell them you are considering canceling and going to Dish Network.....

Beware, DirecTV is calling more people's bluff on this, so unless you're prepared to actually, cancel, don't use this line, or you might find yourself looking for a new content provider.

 

[andunn27]

Beware, DirecTV is calling more people's bluff on this, so unless you're prepared to actually, cancel, don't use this line, or you might find yourself looking for a new content provider.

That's why I said make sure you tell them you are not 100% sure yet because of this fact.

 

[Grentz]

You dont have to throw Dish in their face. They were very nice with me and many others when you are a long term customer and especially since you are out of contract.

My answers below:

What advice would you give someone considering the move to HD DVR?

Do it, once you get used to a DVR you will never go back, and HD is amazing.

What equipment models and o/s version numbers would you recommend?

You dont get to pick, you simply select what feature level you want (SD, SD-DVR, HD, HD-DVR) and they fill in the blanks with what models, dish required, multiswitches if needed, etc.

Is there any picture difference between the HR20, HR21, and HR21Pro? Is one any better than another stability / DVR wise?

Nope, all are the same in functionality and quality. Main differences are:
HR20 has built in OTA tuner for off air locals and is silver
HR21 requires the AM21 addon to get the OTA tuner and is black
HR22 is the same as the HR21 but has about double the recording capacity
HR21PRO is Owned only and costs around $600. It is rack mountable and is meant for commercial installs

The HR22 is probably the best for most since it has more recording capacity, but it just is random on which model you will get. Probably an HR21 or HR22 though, the HR20s are getting rare.

Should I upgrade using the directv 800 number or make my purchase from a big box store ( Best Buy for example ).

I would do it through the 800 number since then you will get discounts/deals and free installation/upgrade which you will need to get the Dish, etc.

Should I just go with an HD only receiver and wait unti the Directv / TIVO equipment is released late next year.

I would go with the HD-DVR personally. Despite the bad you hear around here they are very good and most of us are very pleased with them. Remember that the people with problems come out of the woodwork to complain while happy people say how happy they are much much less.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

-Reg.

 

[Grentz]

That's why I said make sure you tell them you are not 100% sure yet because of this fact.

Thats no guarantee, they could still cut you off. Dont hint at threats you are no prepared to carry out.

The fact is being a long term customer and not under contract means that they should be VERY nice about an upgrade with very little prodding or threatening. I remember they were VERY nice to me when I was not under contract.

 

[andunn27]

Thats no guarantee, they could still cut you off. Dont hint at threats you are no prepared to carry out.

The fact is being a long term customer and not under contract means that they should be VERY nice about an upgrade with very little prodding or threatening. I remember they were VERY nice to me when I was not under contract.

It honestly depends on the person on the phone. I have known many people that have gone your route that you are mentioning that have been with Directv since they launched and they would not budge. This is an alternative. Am I suggesting or forcing his/her arm? No absolutely not.

However, there is nothing wrong with calling Directv up like I did and saying hey DishNetwork sent me a flyer and telling the rep I was considering switching but would like to see if you guys can match this offer or give me something competitive. I was able to get a free HD DVR, 1 year free HD programming, and 6 months free HBO and Cinemax.

 

[Ken S]

Do you have an HD TV yet?

There's no real difference between all of the HR units. I would suggest going retail Costco, etc. and getting the HR22 as it comes with a 500GB drive and the other come with 320GB drives. This will effectively double the recording space you have.

Call DirecTV and see what they offer. Tell them you want to buy the DVRs yourself and they may offer you credits that equal the amount of the purchase.

This may also be a time to consider other providers, Dish, Cable, FIOS/UVerse. Find the package you like at the best possible price.

 

[TomCat]

...Be aware that the new mpeg4 signals are a bit more susceptible to rain fade even with a perfectly alligned dish - just the nature of the beast.

Not exactly. That is a common misperception, however. In truth, rain does not affect Ka signals more than Ku signals, assuming all else is held equal. Actually, Ku is more susceptible to rain fade than Ka because the wavelength of Ku is more closely matched to the size of rain drops in most cases, and the actual attenuation is based on the raindrops being little tuned absorbers (if something has a wavelength the same size as a rain drop, it is more-likely to be absorbed and turned into heat than to be reflected or refracted, with an end result of more attenuation).

Notice that I qualified this with the statement "assuming all else is held equal". That is not always the case. The fact of the matter is that you can tune a dish slightly off from perfect and Ku signals will drop off less than Ka signals, because the focal points for Ka are smaller, requiring more-accurate aiming. Installers often get Ku close but not perfect, as that has been their modus operandi for the last 14 years (before Ka) and Ka is actually not aligned during a dish alignment, it is expected to fall in place during alignment of one polarity of 119 and 110 (both Ku).

If the dish is aimed properly, Ka will not drop off earlier than Ku during a rain fade, but if the dish is only tuned closely but not precisely, Ka is already significantly down compared to Ku, and a rain fade can indeed affect Ka more than Ku, due to the cumulative affect of rain fade margin plus poor alignment. You may have good pix on both in good weather with a so-so alignment, but Ka will deteriorate faster in that case during bad weather, while this will not be the case with proper alignment.

 

[rudeney]

I would also call the retention department instead of dealing with a regular front-line CSR. To do this, call and say “cancel service” at the voice prompt. No, you will *not* be instantly canceled, but you will be transferred to the specialized CSR’s who have the authority to offer you the best deals. When you get there, let them pull up your account and explain that you are comparing options from Dish, cable and D*. Let them make you an offer. Whatever they do offer, ask for what it would cost for more, i.e. adding another HD-DVR. When they give you the price, always act very tentative. In other words, do some negotiating and let them come to you with an offer you can’t refuse.

 

[prozone1]

buy any pioneer plasma hd display, and any direct tv hd dvr and you will never have any regrets about going to hd

 

[russdog]

You dont have to throw Dish in their face. They were very nice with me and many others when you are a long term customer and especially since you are out of contract.

I agree with Grentz.
I also agree with rudeney that it would be good to get to the Customer Retention people. If you've been a good customer that long without getting free stuff from them, then you're one of the people they will like to keep.

If I were in your shoes, here's what I'd do:

• First, get clear about your ideal set up. In an ideal world, what would you want? How many DVR's, how much HD vs SD, etc. Just come up with your own wish list. Maybe you won't get everything on the list, but at least you'll know what you're trying to do.
• Then, get a Customer Retention person on the phone (as rudeney described above).
• Tell that person that:
  • You'd like their help.
  • You're not an unhappy customer, you like DirecTV just fine.
  • But you're finally ready to get HD, and you hear all kinds of offers from people calling you on the phone, promotions you get in the mail, etc., and you're just not sure what's best for you to do.
  • Then, tell them what you wish they could do for you, and ask them if they can.
  • Tell them that if they can provide you with that equipment for free, then you'll be happy to keep being a good customer and will be happy about the new commitment.
  • Also ask them if they can help you with some free programming if you make a new commitment. (Just ask, that's all.)
• Then, if they don't give you most-or-all of it, thank them, and tell them that you were hoping for a bit more, and that you'd like to think about it some. Ask them to notate that offer in your file (so you can call back and get at least that much later).
• If you're nice but don't commit right then, they just might offer a bit more, just to get it done.

I'm not saying that's the best solution, I'm just saying that's what I'd do.
I bet you'll get ample free equipment, plus some free programming, plus free HD-fees for several months.

If you don't get a good offer from them, just wait a couple days and do the same thing again.
For whatever reasons, a lot of this seems to the luck-of-the-draw about the mood of the person who you get on the phone, how much that person is familiar with all they can offer, and so on.

ps: I see where someone advised you to get a Pioneer plasma. By all accounts, they are very good. Personally, I'm very picky about TV pictures, and have had various HD sets for several years now. I just got a Panasonic 50" plasma for $1000 delivered, and it sure seems like one helluva price/performance bargain to me. But this is an issue about which everybody has their own opinion, and you'll never get everyone to agree about what's best to do.

 

[azbob]

oh yea,,, upgrade... i pay out the butt for everything.. but love it!!

 

[HDRanger]

Hmm, not so fast. All you need to do is some casual lurking in these forums to realize that not all are completely satisfied with the HD service. Like you, I had SD TV for years before finally making the jump to HD in December. I'm now on my 4th HD box and STILL trying to work out the issues. If they could ever get their act together then I would once again be a raving fan.

My advice to you is to keep your original dish and equipment up and running, and try the HD on a separate set up (yes, this means having 2 dishes attached to your abode). This simple test will allow you the time to judge for yourself whether HD is the right thing to do. And if it fails, then you still have your SD to run back to. I can only tell you that the HD problems I have experienced are enough to make me go postal, even after years of flawless service.

Good luck.

 

[Chevy-SS]

I had DirecTV Tivo R10 DVR with standard-def for about 6 years. I finally upgraded to HD service and all I can say is - WOOHOO! It's really a world of difference. There's no comparison. HD is the way to go.

I thought I would miss Tivo, but I did not miss it for even one second. I don't see any advantage to using Tivo, but perhaps I never utilized some of its features. I bought a new HR22-100 DVR at Best Buy and I also bought my own 5LNB "Slimline" dish, which I installed myself. The whole installation maybe took me a couple of hours, but I got the dish aligned perfectly. I do get a little rain fade with heavy rain, but not much. The HR22-100 will hold 100 hours of HD recordings - BOOYAH! You can't beat that.

So, my vote is for the HR22-100 DVR with HD service.

Shop carefully and make sure they give you the deal you sign up for. You may still need to go back and apply for a "rebate" to get the advertised pricing, which is a load of horse crap if you ask me. So review your bills carefully. I had to call a number of times to get some charges removed, and others adjusted.

HD is awesome though.

-

 

[Starchy77]

Hmm, not so fast. All you need to do is some casual lurking in these forums to realize that not all are completely satisfied with the HD service. Like you, I had SD TV for years before finally making the jump to HD in December. I'm now on my 4th HD box and STILL trying to work out the issues. If they could ever get their act together then I would once again be a raving fan.

My advice to you is to keep your original dish and equipment up and running, and try the HD on a separate set up (yes, this means having 2 dishes attached to your abode). This simple test will allow you the time to judge for yourself whether HD is the right thing to do. And if it fails, then you still have your SD to run back to. I can only tell you that the HD problems I have experienced are enough to make me go postal, even after years of flawless service.

Good luck.

I don't think that there is any product anywhere that has completely satisfied all of it customers. No matter how good a product is, there are always some dissatisfied folks with it. The majority of the people on these forums (including myself) seem to be very happy with the HRx series of DVR's. There are many who show up here who are not satisfied as well. The people who are not satisfied will always be looking for a place to vent and to warn others of their experiences, so my guess is that a much larger percentage of dissatisfied customers end up here then do satisfied customers. And judging by the number of satisfied customers who are here, I think you can chalk up this series of DVR's as a huge success.

 

[David MacLeod]

I'm not going to lie and say I've never had an issue or never been teed off at D*, I've had some fights with them, but truth be told I have had good luck all in all.
the important thing is to see which provider offers you what YOU want and not what others think you want. if you have options, study them carefully and don't make hasty decision.
I know that doesn't help much but it really is the best advice I can give on this.

 

[Eich]

Wow - you've had the same equipment since '97 ?? That's impressive. I've had DirecTV since '97 but I've changed equipment at least half a dozen times since then.

I've had my share of problems with these DirecTV HD DVR's but I wouldn't for a second, go without High Definition because of some technical glitches with these DVR's.

High Def is addictive. Not too long ago, we were starved for HD content. Now there's a ton of it out there. Watching any sport in HD is an incredible experience. During a game/match, if you flip the channel from HD to the SD equivalent, you will experience physical pain !

You will never be sorry that you switched to HD.

 

[perilous]

buy any pioneer plasma hd display, and any direct tv hd dvr and you will never have any regrets about going to hd

+1!!!