[SmittyLax6]

Guys:

I just learned about this message board and have enjoyed reading through all this stuff.

I need to get a Directv HD DVR, but I am scared since I have read about all the nightmares all of you have been having.

I assume that most of you were early adapters, but have you guys found the problems being resolved? I have found Directv to be a fantastic customer service company, but it seems like there are alot of software issues with the HD DVR.

Please share any stories and whether you think this thing is improving or is good enough to buy and deal with the blemishes.

Thanks

 

[Brantel]

Just read the last 200 post and you make up your mind for yourself.

Not everyone has problems, some that have problems have some minor and some major. Some hate it and some don't. Some are willing to put up with it hoping for a better firmware, some are not.

Mine died in three days and had to be replaced. Will this happen to you, most likely not but no guarantees.

 

[markrubi]

Guys:

I just learned about this message board and have enjoyed reading through all this stuff.

I need to get a Directv HD DVR, but I am scared since I have read about all the nightmares all of you have been having.

I assume that most of you were early adapters, but have you guys found the problems being resolved? I have found Directv to be a fantastic customer service company, but it seems like there are alot of software issues with the HD DVR.

Please share any stories and whether you think this thing is improving or is good enough to buy and deal with the blemishes.

Thanks

i just got my system upgraded last night. The installer had to force the latest upgrade. I have not ran into any of the problems talked about here except for the system freezing during setup. I would get one and keep your old faithful nearby if problems become too much for you. I doubt they will be too bad for you to give up on the hr20. You might need to hookup the old one just until a replacement arrives should that be necessary.

 

[SmittyLax6]

Just read the last 200 post and you make up your mind for yourself.

Thanks, but that might be a little too much research.

 

[Brantel]

Thanks, but that might be a little too much research.

If that is too much for you, I would definitely not recommend you get one.

I am serious, at this time it is possible that either you will have no problems, or you will become an person addicted to this site watching for new updates, tidbits about how to do this and that, workarounds for known issues, staying up till 2 in the morning on some tech support call, climbing around on your roof, teaking off the kids because they can't watch Playhouse Disney, and having your wife call you possessed.

 

[SmittyLax6]

i just got my system upgraded last night. The installer had to force the latest upgrade. I have not ran into any of the problems talked about here except for the system freezing during setup. I would get one and keep your old faithful nearby if problems become too much for you. I doubt they will be too bad for you to give up on the hr20. You might need to hookup the old one just until a replacement arrives should that be necessary.

Not a bad idea. For the most part do they work? What do you mean by "force?" Is that the 02468 thing?

 

[Earl Bonovich]

A lot of the "stories" have been posted multiple times.
Look at some of the most current threads, like the latest release thread, or the ones from the last few days.

To get a handle on what has been resolved, what hasn't.

Force is the 02468

As for "for the most part do they work"... again, there is no easy answer.
For some they just don't want to work, for others... there are no issues.

So as of "today", there is no clear cut answer for you.

 

[Tom Robertson]

Guys:

I just learned about this message board and have enjoyed reading through all this stuff.

I need to get a Directv HD DVR, but I am scared since I have read about all the nightmares all of you have been having.

I assume that most of you were early adapters, but have you guys found the problems being resolved? I have found Directv to be a fantastic customer service company, but it seems like there are alot of software issues with the HD DVR.

Please share any stories and whether you think this thing is improving or is good enough to buy and deal with the blemishes.

Thanks

Welcome to the forums! :welcome_s

Everything depends on your particular situation, what you have today, what you're willing to put up with while waiting for the HR20 to shake out. I had working HDTivos so I waited until I got a great deal from D*. Then I put my Tivos back into service as soon as the HR20s locked up on me. After a few releases and better times, I'm very slowly inching toward putting the HR20s into more prominent roles (with Tivos now becoming the backups, but not removed yet...)

And that's the route I suggest to most D* customers, keep calling until you get "the" deal you can't pass on and keep the old VCR/DVR as a backup until everything is stable in your household.

On the other hand, if you have the need for HD NOW! and don't have a good backup, you have two basic options: new HR20 from D*, BB, CC, etc. or buy an HDTivo via ebay.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Stuart Sweet]

Hey Smitty ---

Welcome to the forum. You'll get a lot of opinions here, good and bad. I'm sure that if I t old you that the HR20 was 100% solid, there would be a pile of flaming posts within 5 minutes. I won't say that, because it isn't.

What I can say is that regardless of where it was four months ago, the HR20 is much better now. There are still people with chronic problems, and for every release, there are some people who fall off that list and others who get on. Based on the attitudes here, it seems that things are definitely better for most people.

This is still an early-adopter type product. You have to be willing to work with it, but if you do, you'll find that it's a good, decent piece of equipment. The HD picture is excellent and the capabilities are great.

The developers for this product are super-responsive and yes, you can argue that a DVR shouldn't need 13 firmware updates in 4 months, but put that aside and give some respect to the developers for fixing stuff as fast as they can. If they keep up this pace for the next four months, I expect great things.

So there you have it. Jump in at your own risk - the rest of us have. I'm enthusiastic and enjoy the experience, but if you're just looking for a solid appliance, you might want to wait.

 

[greenwave]

Look, no one can give you guarantees, but the vast majority of people have not had major problems with their HR20. People post here mostly out of interest or when they have problems, so it is my opinion you get a skewed view of the landscape if you rely on the posts here for an assessment of the reliability of the HR20. That said, some have had problems, big and small, and this forum is a great resource for managing the issues, learning to get the most out of the device, and improving your knowledge base.

I upgraded because the HR10-250 could not get my locals over the satellite, and the OTA tuner was so unpredictable for me it was practically useless. Until this weekend, I'd had no significant problems with mine. That said, it died this weekend after 3+ months, I don't know why, but D* is sending me a new one in 2 days (should arrive tomorrow). Can I live without the benefit of the DVR for two nights? Of course.

D* is aware of the issues and has been very, very responsive to those who have a failed unit. If you have any problems D* will likely give you a discount on your service or a free service upgrade for several months for your inconvenience. The previous poster was right to suggest that you keep your old unit as "stand by" for a bit to be sure you're comfortable with the HR20, but I don't think you are risking much by upgrading to the HR20. Just my two cents.

 

[Tom Robertson]

Look, no one can give you guarantees, but the vast majority of people have not had major problems with their HR20. ...

Greenwave....um...do you like have some hard data to back up a provocative statement such as this? I've seen nothing yet to tell me if "vast majority", "most", "many", "some", "several", or "a couple" people have anything good or bad. I directly know of bad, but getting much better. I read of very good and of was good but got worse. But I have no data to make sweeping statements, alas.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[greenwave]

Greenwave....um...do you like have some hard data to back up a provocative statement such as this? I've seen nothing yet to tell me if "vast majority", "most", "many", "some", "several", or "a couple" people have anything good or bad. I directly know of bad, but getting much better. I read of very good and of was good but got worse. But I have no data to make sweeping statements, alas.

Cheers,
Tom

Tom...um...it was only, like, a matter of time, I suppose, before I got hit with what I perceive to be a typical, self-righteous, prosecutorial reply from a consistent poster on this forum. I have only been a member here for 2 months; was an observer for about a month before that, and only because, like the gentleman who started this thread, I joined hoping to learn others' opinons about whether the HR20 was a safe investment (and my interest has since evolved to a greater interest in the technology and its capabilities, but I digress).

There is nothing "provocative" about my statement. It is simply a reasonable opinion, in response to a request for opinions, based on the number of HR20s in circulation (no, I do not have "hard data" for you on this either, Tom), the relatively low number of complaints on this and other forums, and the fact that the HR20s continue to be marketed and sold by D* in apparently significant volume.

This is a public help forum, not a court proceeding, so you should not be expecting admissible evidence here (where, I might add, the "experts'" credentials, like most of their identities, are never revealed). Of course you are free to disagree with my opinion, but I have yet to see the "hard data" which shows that the problems reported on this forum, some of which I have had to endure myself, are widespread or endemic to the HR20 population. For jeebus' sake, my post even included the fact that my HR20 just freakin' died on me yesterday!

This forum needs a healthy dose of Xmas cheer.

 

[Dave_S]

Welcome to the forum Smitty!!

I guess in order to answer your question, I have a question for you - Are you willing to do a little reading on the forum or a bit of troubleshooting if required? If so, then I would say you would be fine with the Hr20. If you want a hands off experience, plug it into the wall and never touch it, its not ready for that. We have three HR20's - one I have had zero issues with, the second one we have had to reboot a couple of times (RBR), but have not lost any recordings. The third one I had to reformat, lost a few recordings, and had to reset all of my series links (season passes in Tivo) and custom settings. Since then it has performed fine. So there ya have it, from zero problems to a full reformat, it just depends on how much you feel you can be involved. Some folks don't mind "playing" with the equipment, others don't have the time, and just want to watch tv. One thing is for sure, no matter what issue you might have, the great folks on this forum (like Earl) will help you fight through the issues.

 

[Tom Robertson]

Tom...um...it was only, like, a matter of time, I suppose, before I got hit with what I perceive to be a typical, self-righteous, prosecutorial reply from a consistent poster on this forum. I have only been a member here for 2 months; was an observer for about a month before that, and only because, like the gentleman who started this thread, I joined hoping to learn others' opinons about whether the HR20 was a safe investment (and my interest has since evolved to a greater interest in the technology and its capabilities, but I digress).

May I quote you a bit more directly? "This forum needs a healthy dose of Xmas cheer." I am sorry if I made you feel persecuted, unwelcome, or unappreciated. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and I am sorry your HR20 died after a 3+ months of faithful service.

There is nothing "provocative" about my statement. It is simply a reasonable opinion, in response to a request for opinions, based on the number of HR20s in circulation (no, I do not have "hard data" for you on this either, Tom), the relatively low number of complaints on this and other forums, and the fact that the HR20s continue to be marketed and sold by D* in apparently significant volume.

This is a public help forum, not a court proceeding, so you should not be expecting admissible evidence here (where, I might add, the "experts'" credentials, like most of their identities, are never revealed). Of course you are free to disagree with my opinion, but I have yet to see the "hard data" which shows that the problems reported on this forum, some of which I have had to endure myself, are widespread or endemic to the HR20 population. For jeebus' sake, my post even included the fact that my HR20 just freakin' died on me yesterday!

This forum needs a healthy dose of Xmas cheer.

The statement "vast majority" when posted on these forums, in my mind, is a rather provocative statement. Not knowing you, your backround, or if you might have hard data or reasonable access to enough data, I simply asked if you had such. Now that you have shared that you do not, I understand that you were stating an opinion that you consider resonable, but I might not. Then again, given that I don't have data, I might consider your opinion as reasonable.

Again, I've only seen what is posted here and a tiny bit on other forums, but that is not sufficient for me to stake my reputation on "vast majority are having good or bad experiences." (I do hope you noticed in my original reply that I'm allowing for both.) At this point, either could be true. Perhaps only directv has a good handle on this, but I only see lots of upgrades, the first of which seem to have made some things worse for me and the more recent ones that have helped with my HR20s and the tests I've performed for others here.

So have a Happy New Year. I don't blame anyone for feeling paranoid...sometimes people are really after you. I apologize for doing anything to add to that feeling in anyone here. Except for .... (Just kidding, a joke, pun.)

Cheers,
Tom

 

[hasan]

Thanks, but that might be a little too much research.

I agree...if perusing 200 posts is too much work, then should you have a problem, you aren't going to have anything necessarily "easy" to work with. Wait six months and come back and take a look. You might consider visiting frequently to see what kind of progress is being made.

I've had mine 16 weeks and have had very few, and only minor issues. I like the HR20 a LOT. It is far from perfect.

Why be in a hurry? Let us do all the heavy lifting and later you can come in and be happy.

 

[Just J]

My take, FWIW.

First, the box is steadily improving. New features are being added, and bugs are being killed. We're in a holiday lull at the moment, but there are hints of yet another update early in the new year. Of course, you need to understand that, the "Santa' process notwithstanding, staggered roll-outs and a possible decision not to take a release national without additional tweaks can mean that some people wait longer between releases than others.

That said, the box is still not as stable as we're used to from most "appliances". Since I live alone and work with computer systems for a living, I understand and can live with (though I'm not real happy with) the issues. If I had a wife or kids that just wanted reliable recording and playback of their favorite shows, the box would have been returned, probably by the executor of my estate. :lol:

So you need to assess your needs and your situation. My desire for HD locals and the fact that my HR10-250 was dying, combined with my living situation and technical experience, mean the box is worth the hassle for me. Take away any two of those factors, and it almost certainly would not be.

 

[bobsloop]

I had the same concern. But I wasn't leaving DirecTV and I was upgrading to HD and had to have a DVR that could record the MPEG-4 local HD channels so I had just the HR20 to choose from. I got it shortly before Thankgiving and I have had practically no problems. I had it freeze up on me once with a blank screen. I did a reset and have had no other problems. It is much more reliable than the DirecTivo boxes I constantly had to replace.

 

[SmittyLax6]

My take, FWIW.

First, the box is steadily improving. New features are being added, and bugs are being killed. We're in a holiday lull at the moment, but there are hints of yet another update early in the new year. Of course, you need to understand that, the "Santa' process notwithstanding, staggered roll-outs and a possible decision not to take a release national without additional tweaks can mean that some people wait longer between releases than others.

That said, the box is still not as stable as we're used to from most "appliances". Since I live alone and work with computer systems for a living, I understand and can live with (though I'm not real happy with) the issues. If I had a wife or kids that just wanted reliable recording and playback of their favorite shows, the box would have been returned, probably by the executor of my estate. :lol:

So you need to assess your needs and your situation. My desire for HD locals and the fact that my HR10-250 was dying, combined with my living situation and technical experience, mean the box is worth the hassle for me. Take away any two of those factors, and it almost certainly would not be.

Hilarious post. I appreciate the humor.

 

[SmittyLax6]

Guys, thank you for all your advice. I think I might do it in a couple of weeks. The rumors of another patch coming out after the new year and things just calm down after the holidays in general. Sounds like the machine has gotten quite a bit better.

By the way, the HD DVR will be for my new Visio LCD which only took me about an hour to hang on the wall last night. I think I will live with Stan Def for the time being and upgrade towards March.

 

[Kentstater]

Smitty
A shortcut to understanding what is going on in the forum would be to click on Earl Bonovich's name and read his posts.

Straight forward and knowledgeable, helpful and focused.
It will let you see the issues without putting yourself through all the whining and OT stuff.

You will also learn who here knows what(I know nothing). There are techies, there are consumer advocates. There are those that love D* and those that hate D*.

It is a cornucopia of information and personalities.