I currently have DirecTV premium package with one HR24 DVR and one H24 receiver with the SWM setup, whole home DVR. I have had DirecTV for nearly 8 years beginning in Dallas, Texas and moved it to Des Moines, Iowa 2 1/2 years ago. I called DirecTV this morning to see what I needed to do to upgrade to the Genie DVR system. The main reason is the increased number of tv shows that can be recorded at one time. It seems most of my favorite shows are on Sunday and Monday but I can't record all of them with my current HD DVR. I was told I could not upgrade for free because it is offered only to current customers who do not have a DVR or whole home on their system already. The one and only time i ever got an upgrade for free from DirecTV was when we moved our service and they upgraded our standard receiver to a HD one. They downloaded software for my H22-100 to "force" it into a HD receiver which proved disastrous as I lost HD channels like a waterfall over the next few days. They did in fact replace it with an HD DVR at that time. All other new receivers were replacements for defective equipment. But i keep hearing the same thing..you might wait a few months for an upgrade offer.
I asked about customers getting a free upgrade to the Genie DVR system and they told me that absolutely NO customer is getting a free upgrade if they already have a HD DVR or whole home DVR service. If i am reading this forum correctly, this is not correct information. Why do some customers continually get these free perks while others are not? I was offered to get a Genie for $299 and a client for $49 with a set up fee tacked onto that. Maybe the Dish Hopper is the answer for my television viewing dilemma.