happy HR10-250 user forced to switch to HR-20 or 21... advice?

I have 2 HR10 HD Tivos that I did not switch and will not switch.

If you do not want to switch but get the new HD channels you will need to ADD the HR21 to your setup as well as switch the phase 3 dish to the newer dish or just keep your phase3 dish hooked to the hr10 and put another dish in for the hr21 with the cable run.

I then just switch to the one I want using the same tv.

I do not like the hr21 guide system and totally hate the way you setup recordings. I use the tivo mainly for ota too.

Since your keeping your tivo you will have to buy the hr21 at best buy but maybe you can get dtv to setup the new dish (or pay them to do it...)

But if you truly love your tivo rig just ' add ' the hr21 to your setup and you'll be fine.
but there is no way around the added slave fee your gonna incur but the tivo is worth it...

I swapped a while back.

I barely watch the HR10 anymore. The number of HD channels on the HR20 is great.

If you don't use Suggestions, you probably won't notice the difference.

When you swap, make sure that if they give you an HR21 that you get a free AM21. Your HR10 has OTA capability, don't settle for a new receiver that doesn't. The installer won't be able to help with this - just call DirecTV and mention it during the activation and BE POLITE and they'll probably send it to you for free. If you get an HR20 it's not an issue. The HR20/21 receivers do NOT scan for stations - you only get what is in the DirecTV guide.

Consider networking your HR20/21. Video on Demand is worth it. Also, Multi Room Viewing is coming reasonably soon (no date yet).

Don't forget that it takes 24 hours for the guide to populate completely. You may not be able to set up your Series Links (aka Series Pass) right away. Also, if you have Series Passes for shows that don't play in the summer you'll have to remember to set them up later.

I just "upgraded" a few weeks ago. The installer expected to take my HR10 with him, but let me keep it as long as I signed a form that I was keeping it. He came out with HR21s, which I think is mostly what they have left now. But a call to DirecTV after the install got me an AM21 for free for one of them. The AM21 does at least have a better tuner than the HR10. I used to get most of my locals with scores in the 90-95 range, with one that was bad and broke up occasionally. That has changed to all 100s, plus the bad one now at 70 or something like that (so still stable).

As far as the HR10 vs. HR21... you will find many opinions on this board, some very passionate, on both sides of the fence. I, like many, really miss having two live buffers. I don't feel like the transport functions (ff, rr, etc.) of the HR21 are as smooth as on the HR10. I do enjoy the speedier guide (though my HR10 was on an old software release due to the loss of a hard land line... I understand newer softwares sped that up). The HR21 does bring a couple of nice features, but at the same time seems to have lost some of the robustness of the TiVo. I got two HR21s, one has locked up several times, and I haven't been able to figure out why (and that one is a much more simple set-up: I haven't added an external drive, and it's not yet connected to my network). It seems to have calmed down the past couple days. The other one was running smoothly with a 1TB external drive I added, but for some unknown reason has recently lost internet connectivity (which it had when I first connected it, but seems to have lost).

So the short answer is, I think DirecTV still has a lot of work to do on the new boxes, but regardless, the old ones are becoming useless for HD. I see lots of posts that suggest they were a LOT worse when they first came out, so at least they are apparently making progress on them. I'm glad I wasn't an early adopter this time around. I think the DirecTiVos where the king of the hill 3-8 years ago. The new boxes are a mix of better and worse, so roughly a lateral move, and boxes from the competition are likely also a mixed bag of better and worse, comparatively. So at this point, content is the driving factor, and there's no beating DirecTV for HD, at least for now.

I was a four year DIRECTV-TiVo fan before getting my first HR20 and I have not regretted leaving TiVo.

My first bit of advice to you will be to keep an open mind and be your own judge: you will find posts from people here and elsewhere praising the HR20 for not being TiVo and slamming the HR20 for not being TiVo, but you will have to decide for yourself.

Second, I'd also suggest you visit the following forum:

DIRECTV Information, Tips and Resources

You'll find a lot of threads to make your transition easier, including information on getting started and tips and tricks. Start with the Sticky threads there, particularly these two: HD DVR FAQ (High Definition PLUS Digital Video Recorder) and Undocumented HD DVR PLUS Tips & Tricks.

Check out the Installation forum for what to expect when the tech arrives, particularly this thread: HD Receiver Installation FAQ .

Finally, don't forget that if you have questios or problems, there are lots of knowleddgable and friendly folks here to help you out.

One thing I forgot - if you're looking to record OTA with your new DIRECTV receiver, you either have to get one of the older models that are no longer in production (an HR20-100 or HR20-700), as these have built-in OTA tuners, or you have to get an add-on OTA tuner component for the current receivers, the HR21-100, HR21-200, or HR21-700.

The OTA component is called the AM21, and when installed works seamlessly with the HR21 DVR. It's approximately $50, unless you can work out a deal with DIRECTV to get one for free.

The reason the OTA tuners are now in separate components is that DIRECTV has determined that they could remove the tuners and lower the cost of the DVR for the majority of their users who don't need or use OTA, but still meet the needs of those who do need OTA by making it available separately. There is a lot of debate about DIRECTV's decision, but I strongly encourage those who disagree with DIRECTV's decision to not take this thread off-topic with discussion of it here. I just wanted to let the OP know about his OTA options.

DaverJ said:

A couple more questions to prepare for Tuesday:

Will the installer take my HR10 away? :eek2: I paid for for it so I assume it's mine, but if they are replacing it with a HR20/21, then I guess its considered a swap and the new unit will be mine.

Click to expand...

Don't let the installer take the HR10. It's yours to keep, even though in a few months it will only be able to receive/record OTA and SD. Many people have been keeping them and setting them up in another room just for this purpose.
I can't recall seeing anyone say they've been removed by an installer, but it is possible.
And it's not truly a swap - they're providing you with a new unit as a courtesy replacement since you won't be able to receive HD on the HR10 soon. The new HR2x is more than likely a leased unit, and if you drop DirecTV they'll want it back.

Also, I was firm to the DirecTV CSR that I wanted an HR-20 because I wanted my OTA locals. She said she couldn't guarantee a 20, but she put the request in the order form. She said OTA on the 21 can be done with an AM21 add-on. So is an HR-21 + AM-21 = HR-20 in all features, speed and functionality?

Click to expand...

The AM21 is an add-on OTA receiver for the HR21s to make the combination the equivalent of an HR20. AFAIK, the combination of features and functionality is the same. If the installer shows up with an HR21 and NO AM21, get on the phone with DirecTV and politely explain the situation - and that you want an AM21 shipped to you because you've lost the ability to receive OTA locals. I believe (from a variety of posts here and elsewhere) they will send you one at no cost. Calm and polite, along with insistent, are the keys....

Example situation: http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1687416&postcount=12

Great posts Darin, Drew and dbmaven -- thanks so much! It's so refreshing to be in a forum with helpful, informed and format-neutral people willing to help. I usually hang out in video game forums, which are... well, we'll leave it at that. :sure:

Based on what you guys have said, I'm now sort of excited to try out the new DVR. I was a Tivo early adopter and all my friends and work have Tivos, so I've barely touched any other DVR. I know there's going to be an adjustment period, but hopefully I won't miss any shows in my Season Passes, or whatever they are called now. I KNOW I'm going to miss the Tivo peanut.

so re-reading msmith's reply, am I understanding this correctly: even though there are digital channels broadcasting in my area which aren't on DirecTV, I won't get them OTA on an HR-20/21???

You should definitely read the guide that Drew2k linked to. Tons of great info there pulled from threads from all of the earliest converts.

I just upgraded this week. It's only partially done, because they didn't do the dish upgrade yet. So no new HD, but I get all of the new features of the box.

1) I really miss dual live buffers. I like to surf between a few programs on at the same time. It'll take me a while to train my brain to just press record on both of them, and then swap like the guide above suggests. This won't work well in football season, where the games run long and I will sometimes prefer to see the end of the first game before watching the start of the second one. Hopefully I'll figure out something better before then.

2) As mentioned, the choppy FFW is annoying. It's not clear if this is an inherent problem with MPEG4, or something related to the DTV implementation. Annoying for people that like sports. Somewhat related to this is the long delay after FFW before the program comes back, at least in some cases. I was watching something from TBS On Demand, and it took about 5 seconds after pressing the play button before the video & audio started up again. I haven't noticed this on other channels or with other on demand programming. Don't know if there's a clear pattern here.

3) Some parts of the menus seem pretty slow. For example, in the on demand guide. If I browse down to a specific program and then hit the left button a few times to go back to the main menu, it takes several seconds before that happens on the screen. The game lounge and their whole "active" channel thing is painfully slow too.

4) I like the On Demand stuff. The free offerings are pretty limited, but there's some interesting stuff there. I'll probably blow through all of that in a few weeks though. Hopefully they'll be refreshing it with free content consistently.