DirectTV HDDVR from Garage Sale

[ziggy1222]

I bought a DirectTV HDDVR Model HR20 700 at a garage sale for $5. I figured the SATA hard drive inside it would be worth at least that much. Can this be used as a stand alone HD TV tuner and/or DVR without activating it with Direct TV? Is this model considered good enough to be current technology if I ever decided to subscribe to Direct TV? In other words I am wondering if its worth keeping as a unit or should I just salvage the SATA drive out of it and throw the rest away.

 

[Jimbo]

It is a useable D* recvr.

That said, you cannot activate it as your ONLY recvr, they won't open an account on a used recvr.

Chances are this is a Leased unit and D* may or may not activate it.
When I turned my HR20's off, they never asked for them back, so I don't know what they would do if I gave it to someone and they tried to activate it.
You CAN activate it as a secondary recvr.

Btw, without D* service, you cannot use the DVR functions.

The OTA tuner, I don't think you can either unless you have it connected to a Sat dish.

 

[Joe Diamond]

It is a useable D* recvr.

That said, you cannot activate it as your ONLY recvr, they won't open an account on a used recvr.

Chances are this is a Leased unit and D* may or may not activate it.
When I turned my HR20's off, they never asked for them back, so I don't know what they would do if I gave it to someone and they tried to activate it.
You CAN activate it as a secondary recvr.

Btw, without D* service, you cannot use the DVR functions.

The OTA tuner, I don't think you can either unless you have it connected to a Sat dish.

AND a few other considerations,
Should there be PPV charges on the thing they will not activate the unit until those charges are paid by somebody. Then there is the issue of an access card. The one in the unit will not be usable but the one DirecTV will send you for twenty bucks will work. There is no guarantee the unit will work in all respects. WITH a sat dish it will possibly play on the tune up channels; 100, 500 and a few others. The menu and signal meter will work. You need a dish.

Could be ok.....or not.

Joe

 

[ziggy1222]

Thanks for the responses.

"The OTA tuner, I don't think you can either unless you have it connected to a Sat dish."

Are you saying that it could be used as an OTA tuner without activation as long as it was connected to a satellite dish and was receiving a tune up channel?

 

[Jimbo]

Thanks for the responses.

"The OTA tuner, I don't think you can either unless you have it connected to a Sat dish."

Are you saying that it could be used as an OTA tuner without activation as long as it was connected to a satellite dish and was receiving a tune up channel?

Possibly.

 

[raoul5788]

No, the dvr needs to be activated for the ota tuner to work. That's the way it was a few years back anyways. Things may have changed.

 

[jcrandall]

Just to throw it out there, most HR20s are now considered obsolete (DirecTV doesn't want them back). When this happens they deactivate it and tell the owner they keep it or recycle it.

As far as I know in this situation the box is still considered leased, and the box can be reactivated by the original owner, but they will not activate it to a different account.
It is just a non-recoverable leased receiver.

Most HR20 are going to be leased, like 99%.