[Lazy Senior]

I am contemplating making the switch to Directv from Dish. My 2 year contract expires in 5 weeks. Presently I have a DVR in My Family Room,a DVR in Wifes Living Room and a Receiver in the bedroom. I want/need to duplicate this setup with Directv equipment. Should I order a HR34 Whole House DVR and a HD DVR and a HD receiver? Or will a HR34 and 2 receivers give me what I need. The second setup looks like it will save me $100 upfront costs over a HR34,HD DVR and Receiver.

I have searched the HR34 threads but they make my head hurt with all the talk about SWM8, SWM16 DECA,Cinema connection and 5 tuners etc. I do not know what a SWM is and I really do not need/want to know.

What I need to know is basic. Will the HR34 make my wife happy? She regularly records 2 channels and watches a recording, while I am in the family room watching Pawn Stars. Will she and I both be able to watch 2 live different channels while recording a couple of channels at the same time with one Hr34 and only 2 receivers. With this setup, How many tuners do I have available for recording/ watching live? Can I assume I will get HD picture on all TVs?

Does the HR34 have anything like Folders to organize recordings? If I share a DVR with my wife, I can see myself wading thru umpteen recordings of General Hospital/Dancing with Stars/Oprah just to find my recordings. :lol:

Something like Her Recording Folder - My Recording Folder

 

[Davenlr]

An HR34 with two HD receivers would allow you to record 4 programs at once, while live viewing 3. You would most definently have enough tuners. The only caveat is the receivers would not have any trick play like a DVR would. You COULD use the receiver to initiate a recording on the HR34 of the program you want to watch live, and the watch the recording in "almost" real time on the receiver, and still get DVR functions.

All shows with the same name are put in one folder, so all the Orpah's would be in an Oprah folder, etc. Currently no way to "move" programs to a "His" and "Hers" folder.

Since the cost is the same monthly, for either a DVR or a receiver, If you have the cash, I would get the HR34, a DVR, and a receiver, so the wife could have her own "playlist"

 

[spartanstew]

Except for the folder part, you can do what you're looking for with an HR34 and two HD receivers. The HD receivers have their own tuners, so they can watch live TV on their own and the HR34 will be able to record 5 things at once (or record 4 things and watch something live).

If you went with another DVR, she'd be able to record her shows on that one and you could record yours on the HR34 (or vice versa), which might be a substitute for folders. I say "might" because if you're viewing all DVR's, the recordings would still all show up in one list. You can, however, select to only see the recordings on the DVR you're using, so you can manually select not to see hers (if they're all on the other DVR), if you choose.

It also might be cheaper to just get two HD-DVR's and an HD receiver (NOT an HR34). You could have your own DVR with two tuners (record something and watch something live, or record two things) and she could have her own DVR to do the same thing. With Whole Home you could still watch anything from any DVR anywhere else (if you choose).

 

[Lazy Senior]

The only caveat is the receivers would not have any trick play like a DVR would.

Since the cost is the same monthly, for either a DVR or a receiver, If you have the cash, I would get the HR34, a DVR, and a receiver, so the wife could have her own "playlist"

Could you define "trick play". Would 30 second skip commercials work on the HR34 from a receiver remote? My wife would not be happy if she had to watch commercials.

You final advice is interesting, I am beginning to think the 2 DVR route might be the way to go for me, even tho it would cost me $100 more.

 

[Davenlr]

Trick play would be pause, skip back, skip forward, reverse, fast forward. The receiver watching live would not allow any of these. Watching with a DVR will, and watching with the receiver by recording the show on an HR34 and they immediately going to the show you started on the HR34 and playing it, would allow all those functions on the receiver as well.

The receiver can skip commercials of shows being played from the HR34.

 

[Jerry_K]

This might help.

We are brand new to the HR34 and an HR24 combination. We had DirecTV with SD receivers and TiVo interface. Each of those had two tuners and we could watch programs from either on each.

I know you don't want to know about SWiM. so suffice it to say the easiest way to have all the features and has just one wire running from the dish, fed by a power module. The power module then feeds your setup. A simple multiswitch connects each of your receivers with the dish and with each other. One wire per unit regardless of number of tuners.

For what you want I would stongly suggest, one HR34, one HR24 and one H25 receiver. That gives you the capability of the dish with 8 tuners. I can tell you now that we have had many times with the HR34 is recording four or five channels. With the HR34 and HR24 you could record as many as seven channels at one time and still watch three recorded programs one each on the three TVs.

Each series of programs for example General Hospital is contained within one folder. So if there are fifty General Hospital episodes, they are all in one folder. For you you see one folder called General Hospital. When your wife opens that folder she sees fifty episodes of General Hospital.

These folders and recorded programs are displayed exactly the same way on all of your DVRs or Receivers. No confusions.

Our son had Dish and I can tell you it is a nightmare compared to DirecTV. He switched form DirecTV supposedly to save some money. He gets paid in Spades by his lovely wife and family as none of them likes Dishes implementation of anything. And when he wanted to have a superbowl party last year in the upstairs family room he had to get into the crawl space and rewire the Dish distribution for the day to send signals to that room.

As you read here you will discover more than just the basics. Things such as how to increase the amount of room you have to store those fifty episodes of General Hospital and the two programs you really want.

The reason I recommend the HR34 and the HR24 is that you can have one hundred and fifty series passes. If you just have two HR24s then you only have 100 serries passes. Of course the receiver only has no Series passes. And without expansion you have twice the capacity for storage on an HR34 as you do on an HR24. And again no storage on a receiver. The third reason for an HR34 is that it will act as a bridge to whatever your internal home internet connection is. Without that you will need another little module to connect the one wire system to the internet.

I was very concerned about WAF. My lovely wife wants one button pushes, things doing what you think they are going to do. So far it has been almost painless. She and I still don't understand why we get multiples of programs or missed recordings, but we have been spoiled for years by TiVo. The TiVO interface on the HD DTV boxes do not allow multi room streaming so they are not for us unfortunately. One thing we both like is that you can watch a program that is being recorded on another box while it is still recording. We could not do that with our TiVo boxes. The recording had to be complete before you could watch it.

I hope this is basic enough and that it helps you decide what you want to set up if you switch. Good luck whatever you do.

 

[Lazy Senior]

This might help.

I hope this is basic enough and that it helps you decide what you want to set up if you switch. Good luck whatever you do.

Thanks, you cleared up a lot of questions that I had about the HR34. Very Helpful.

One thing I still need to know is:

If I get a HR34, HD DVR and HD receiver, will all rooms have access to the HR34 recordings? In other words, does the plain HD DVR have access to the HR34 Whole House DVR like the HD receiver does?

 

[Scott Kocourek]

Thanks, you cleared up a lot of questions that I had about the HR34. Very Helpful.

One thing I still need to know is:

If I get a HR34, HD DVR and HD receiver, will all rooms have access to the HR34 recordings? In other words, does the plain HD DVR have access to the HR34 Whole House DVR like the HD receiver does?

Yes.

 

[usnret]

Larry K, nother Senior here thinking about the HR34. Could you please go a bit more "in depth" on this little nugget from your above post?
"The third reason for an HR34 is that it will act as a bridge to whatever your internal home internet connection is."
I presently have a HR24 & HR22 that would stay, if/when I get the 34.
Tks

 

[Jerry_K]

Larry K, nother Senior here thinking about the HR34. Could you please go a bit more "in depth" on this little nugget from your above post?
"The third reason for an HR34 is that it will act as a bridge to whatever your internal home internet connection is."
I presently have a HR24 & HR22 that would stay, if/when I get the 34.
Tks

If you want the features that are available with an internet connection, there has to be some ethrernet connection to your router so that the DirecTV system is has access to the internet. The way without the HR34 is to connect a special box to the router and then into the distribution system for the DTV boxes which combine both satellite feed and internet on the single SWiM cable. The HR34 has that same function of the little add on box built in. So you just hook the ethernet cable from the router into the port on the HR34 and all of the DTV boxes have internet access over the single SWiM cable.

Just an aside. If you add the HR34 to the two DVRs you currently have, you will be at 9 tuners total. So depending on your present setup, you may need a new LNB assembly (the little round pieces on the surface pointing at the dish of the small airplane wing on the end of the stick forward of your dish}.

And then you will need a SWiM 16, which in simple terms is a switch box able to handle up to 16 tuners.

 

[Jerry_K]

Thanks, you cleared up a lot of questions that I had about the HR34. Very Helpful.

One thing I still need to know is:

If I get a HR34, HD DVR and HD receiver, will all rooms have access to the HR34 recordings? In other words, does the plain HD DVR have access to the HR34 Whole House DVR like the HD receiver does?

Every recording on any of the DVRs in your setup are available for viewing on any enabled TV. The TV with the HR34 will see both its own recorded programs and the programs on the HD DVR. The TV with the HD DVR will see its own recordings and the recordings on the HR34. And the HD receiver will see the recordings on both the HR34 and the HD DVR. As well the HD receiver can request a recording on either of the other DVRs.

I said enabled in the first part because there are newer TVs that have a client for the HR34 built in. It is dubbed RVU. It too can use the HR34 as a server sort of device.

 

[TAK3210]

... She and I still don't understand why we get multiples of programs or missed recordings...

You'll get multiples of programs if you have both DVRs setup to record the same program. Check the ToDO List for the missed recordings to see why they weren't recorded.

 

[Jerry_K]

You'll get multiples of programs if you have both DVRs setup to record the same program. Check the ToDO List for the missed recordings to see why they weren't recorded.

Not a repeated request problem.

Take Piers Morgan Tonight for example. The DVR records the original broadcast, and other repeat broadcasts that occur during the night.

Or other instances where the HR34 records the same program on two tuners at the same time. One time for a fight program Five instances at one time of the same broadcast at the same time on the same channel.

Missed NCIS for no apparent reason. Was not even in the to do or history.

This ain't your grandfather's TiVo. All our previous experience has been TiVo.

 

[TAK3210]

Not a repeated request problem.

Take Piers Morgan Tonight for example. The DVR records the original broadcast, and other repeat broadcasts that occur during the night.

Or other instances where the HR34 records the same program on two tuners at the same time. One time for a fight program Five instances at one time of the same broadcast at the same time on the same channel.

Missed NCIS for no apparent reason. Was not even in the to do or history.

This ain't your grandfather's TiVo. All our previous experience has been TiVo.

Hmm, yep, that sounds broke. I don't have the HR34 and no such problems.

 

[gmac]

can you request an hr34 even if you don't have that special tv samsung??????

 

[Davenlr]

can you request an hr34 even if you don't have that special tv samsung??????

Yes. New customers now, current customers in a few weeks.

 

[gmac]

ok thanks, I called (last wk)requesting hr34 they said sorry no, you need a samsung tv.
been a customer since 1997. I figured I would call later and get a different crs.

 

[trh]

ok thanks, I called (last wk)requesting hr34 they said sorry no, you need a samsung tv. been a customer since 1997. I figured I would call later and get a different crs.

The CSR was wrong - you don't need a Samsung TV. But if you're a current customer, you can't order it through DirecTV until 2/9/12. You can order one through a 3rd-party retailer now.

 

[gmac]

well thats what i thought (about tv)i will wait till feb 9 or later.
i know i will need a swm. one quick question. i have the old dish has side car, will i have to update my dish.

 

[carl6]

well thats what i thought (about tv)i will wait till feb 9 or later.
i know i will need a swm. one quick question. i have the old dish has side car, will i have to update my dish.

Yes. I think it is standard policy to replace the AT9 (sidecar) with an AU9 (Slimline) whenever they encounter one. Also you will need SWM, so if your tuner count (with the HR34) is 8 or less you'll get an SWM LNB assembly. If it is more than 8, you'll get a conventional LNB with an external SWM16.