Genie Upgrade Question

First of all, there would definitely be an additional commitment. DirecTV isn't literally giving these things away without there being a catch, but a reasonable one (I'm completely sold on the Genie system myself). You will enter into a new, 2-year agreement when upgrading equipment.

Regarding the rest of your question, the biggest change that a Genie system will bring to your house will be the addition of a device called a SWiM (Single-Wire Multiswitch). The recommendation for residential is to always go with a SWM-16, but a minimum of SWM-8 is really required. Essentially, depending on the style of dish you have, either 4 or 1 line will come in from the dish, and the SWM will multiplex that signal across up to 16 (or 8) channels, as it were. What this then essentially means is that you'll only have to have one physical line running from the SWM to your Genie device, where the Genie then de-multiplexes these channels into its internal 5 receivers (hence the name, Single-Wire Multiswitch).

Figuring out SWM channels means you have to figure out the number of tuners per each of your planned devices (assuming that other devices support Whole-Home DVR, technically based on a SWM). For example, the Genie counts as 5 tuners. Let's say you have another DVR in your house. If it's non-Genie, that means it counts towards 2 tuners. Then let's say you have a non-DVR receiver; that would count as one. Therefore, 5 + 2 + 1 would mean you'd have to have a SWM that supports 8 total tuners.

Also, bear in mind that Genie DVR can support several Genie minis (wired or wireless -- and as an aside, the wireless minis work great), though you can only watch per the actual number of tuners available on a Genie. Regardless, the point here to remember is that if the Genie goes out, so do any -- wired or wireless -- Genie minis, as they're completely dependent on the Genie media server for their functionality. Therefore, it is smart to maintain at least one other DVR in the house besides a Genie, in the case that a Genie goes down.

I hope this helps!

Additional fee could be none. Do your current DVRs share playlists [AKA Multi-Room Video]? MRV is mandatory with Genies and is $3.

But they will hit you with a two-year commitment.

Genie has PIP. Which is great for the sports fan - two pictures on one screen. And of course it has 5-turners and a GB HDD. And its Series Manager is 100 instead of 50. But as I stated, no Genie without a 2-year commitment.

I'm guessing that you have a LNB with a built-in SWiM-8 with a single wire coming down from the dish. They will replace that LNB with a non-SWiM one that will run 4-wires to a SWiM-16. Somewhere close to dish, but with easy access. Mine is on the side of my house. Some end up in the attic, basement, or the room where the single line now enters your home.

The genie is well worth it, I have the HR44 & it is much faster than the HR20, HR21 & HR23's that I have. I would always recommend a genie. If you already have other DVRs & whole home (MRV) then the monthly fees will be the same if you replace one DVR with a genie & you will have a much better DVR. If you ADD a genie, it will be $6 more per month.

Make sure your installer has the HR44. The HR34 Genie can be buggy and troublesome.

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