How to get a HR24

[Jimbo]

You're right, you can go out and buy HR24s at $199 a pop. I got 2 of them as part of my install, so I paid $100 total after credits. For a difference of $300 you bet your ass people are going to try and work the system with DirecTV to get them through the installation channels. DirecTV created this problem for themselves by structuring their pricing and lack of equipment selection the way they did.

Fwiw, this "System" you speak of, came from DISH Newtork.
It was DISH that went to leasing recvrs first and it seemed to work, so D* adopted it.

 

[Jimbo]

I just cant seem to get myself to pull the trigger on an HR24.

$185 pretty much the best we're going to see for now?

Amazon.com: DIRECTV Plus® HR24 High Definition MPEG-4 DVR (HR-24) HD DVR: Electronics

Yep. Some have gotten a little better but that price is pretty much the norm. The 24 has not been out that long so I would not look for a price drop anytime soon.

Yup, I paid $ 199 so your doing slightly better.
When they first came out if you were lucky you could buy one from an on line vendor for as little as $ 150, but that didn't last long, probably till they ran out of stock, seeing they never had them again after that.

 

[SpaethCo]

Fwiw, this "System" you speak of, came from DISH Newtork.
It was DISH that went to leasing recvrs first and it seemed to work, so D* adopted it.

Even with Dish you can pick specific receivers to lease though. If I want a 722, I can lease a 722... or a 722k... or a 922.

I'm not left to play the "HD Advanced DVR Receiver" roulette game and hope that I get a HR24 out of the deal. I don't have a problem with leasing hardware, just the ambiguous assignment of hardware associated with that lease.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Even with Dish you can pick specific receivers to lease though. If I want a 722, I can lease a 722... or a 722k... or a 922.

I'm not left to play the "HD Advanced DVR Receiver" roulette game and hope that I get a HR24 out of the deal. I don't have a problem with leasing hardware, just the ambiguous assignment of hardware associated with that lease.

Yep this is true.

 

[msajeff]

I'm 100% behind stonecold even though I don't care for their attitudes towards customers since Liberty took over. I do not blame it on them but rather all of these Johnny-Come-Latelys who bitch, whine, and game the system to the point that D* make little, no, or lose money on them. Here's the thing...D* is a company which makes a significant investment in each new subscriber. Aside from the costs of wiring, splitters, equipment, and labor they also have to pay for advertising, product development, and customer service centers. So your $60 a month over the first 24 months has to cover not only all of those costs but also the cost of the programming. The box inself costs hundreds of dollars which D* has indirectly built into the cost of monthly service.

If it was up to me, any DVR/HD-DVR that was free should be a refurb unit. No need to give new customers new equipment for free. If you want the latest and greatest you should have to pay the premium for the new product. AT&T charges more for the 4th generation iPhones than the 2nd and 3rd gen....why should you expect any more than that from D*? If you get an HR24 at no cost consider it a gift from the heavens...if not, don't whine like a little b**ch and go crying to the BBB. However on the other side of the coin, D* should be obligated to send you an HR24 if you do pay the $199.

 

[puttersea]

Pretty simple really. If you don't like what your being offered at installation don't accept it. Its your money, its your contract, you will be the one sending in you some odd $100. a month for the programming you receive not the installer.

It is not uncommon for "new" customers to start out with better offers than current customers. This happens all the time, especially in the Job Market.

I say kudos to anyone and everyone that takes time to educate themselves on the products they are about to buy. Who is going to look out for the consumer? The company your buying the product from? NOT. Other consumers that is who.

As a drive around and see all these dishes sitting on everyone's house I wonder how my non-educated consumers are getting shafted on their initial setup because they did not educate themselves on the product they were buying. How many times does the installer reach into their truck, over looking the HR24 sitting right there and pull out the old refurbished one instead? I am not saying that all installers are bad people, they are trying to make a living like eveyone else and they have their instructions from their bosses just like everyone else.

Do you really think that Direct TV is hurting for money as a corporation? How much do you think it takes to make one of these receivers in the sweatshops overseas?

Us consumers need to stick together and help each other out here instead of talking down to each other and calling each other names.

 

[cfb]

Step 1: develop slow software that doesnt run well on customers hardware
Step 2: bring out new box that actually can run the software
Step 3: be annoyed that customers want the box that doesnt run like a dog
Step 4: make an unfortunate internet posting telling the customers off
Step 5: ???
Step 6: Profit?

Step 3 could have been "put a system in place that allows for the 5-10% (maybe) of customers who know they want an HR24 to get one" and then jump directly to the 'profit' step.

Its a terrible shame to see what directv has turned into. Used to be a great company that I wholeheartedly recommended that put out a good product/service and was a pleasure to deal with.

But its not just them. We also get stuff like "You're holding it wrong!".

 

[ryotgz]

Sounds like someone got an angry phone customer call recently.....

Anyways, no way and I going to let an installer install a refurbished receiver in my house. I spoke with the local retailer about this who mentioned it their district D* rep who said he's heard rumors about them send out refurb receivers, but didn't think it is right. They both agreed that new customers should get new equipment. That's not to say that a new receiver won't go bad.

 

[windii]

Stonecold you don't sound mean you sound like a jerk, if your having a bad day don't take it out on us, and not all of us got our DVR's free

 

[Jimbo]

Stonecold you don't sound mean you sound like a jerk, if your having a bad day don't take it out on us, and not all of us got our DVR's free

WOW, he started this thread to let people know that D* doesn't know what equipment your getting, and this is what your taking out of it ?

He's tired of everyone bitching about what they get, as he said, you ordered a HD DVR , you got an HD DVR.

I too am tired of all the bitching around here.

Yes, it would be nice to have nice new FAST recvrs for everyone, but as mentioned, supply could not keep up with demand.

If you want it, get it locally or online.

Had the HR24's NOT been out yet, you'd all be accepting what you had.

I've had HR20-700's that have ran fine for MANY YEARS, didn't have the lag many others talk about.

CFB made a very good point, the new HR24's have a much faster processor in them, thats a BIG reason why they are faster.

Also, the way you use the HD DVR also has something to do with it, I use my units as a everyday sub might, not someone that Records everything and never watches LIVE TV, I'm not saying that, thats a problem if you do, just that it was pointed out that when the processor gets bogged down, the units run slower.

 

[SpaethCo]

He's tired of everyone bitching about what they get, as he said, you ordered a HD DVR , you got an HD DVR.

I too am tired of all the bitching around here.

People are bitching because the system is broken. True, the CSRs and SC can't do anything about it, but that doesn't make the gripe any less legitimate. They took the effort to assign individual product numbers to the receivers -- being able to request a specific model is not rocket science. If they still want to cycle old gear out into the field, have the system auto-pick lowest-class receivers the the average sub who supposedly doesn't care what they receive.

Had the HR24's NOT been out yet, you'd all be accepting what you had.

.. indeed. I'd still be on the ViP series with Dish Network had the HR24s not been released.

 

[harshness]

If you order E* now you won't get an old 622 DVR, you'll get a 922.

This is not the case. If you order 1 HD + 1 SD, you'll get a ViP722. If you order 1 HD, you'll likely get a ViP612. The ViP922 is not a gimme receiver just as the HR21-Pro was never a gimme receiver.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

I still think an exsisting customer should get what they want when paying $199 , and No commitment should be required if your paying an upfront lease fee.

New customers, Sure 24 month commitment, But they are also paying a fraction , if anything for their equipment.

Since D* exsisting customers have put up with the sub par HR,21-23, They should be entitled to first pick for Hr24's over new subs.
Let the new subs use the Crappy HR's since they are getting them for free.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

I've had HR20-700's that have ran fine for MANY YEARS, didn't have the lag many others talk about.

.

Com'on Jimbo. You wouldn't have an HR24 if that was the case.

So are the HR 24 and the HR 20 is the same speed?

 

[uncrules]

Com'on Jimbo. You wouldn't have an HR24 if that was the case.

So are the HR 24 and the HR 20 is the same speed?

My HR20-700 is faster than the HR22s I have, but based on the videos I've seen online the HR24 is faster than my HR20.

 

[Jimbo]

Com'on Jimbo. You wouldn't have an HR24 if that was the case.

So are the HR 24 and the HR 20 is the same speed?

I said I never had problems with them, not that the 24's were not faster.

I got the HR24's because they have a NEW processor in them and the remote works better.

I believe that the same processor that was used in the HR20 was also used in all the newer recvrs till the HR24 came out, with the added items that they continued to add, I think caused the newer ones to struggle.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

My HR20-700 is faster than the HR22s I have, but based on the videos I've seen online the HR24 is faster than my HR20.

OH I don't doubt that one bit, But that HR20-700 when it first came out was flat out Slow and BUGGY.
I have an Owned HR20-700 I use in my vacation home. This works better then my Hr23, But this thing came a very long way from what it was.

That receiver took about 2 years to get where it is right now.

Random reboots,
Reboots when using channel up or down when editing channels in the favorites lists.
Audio Dropouts
reboots when adding OTA subchannels.
SLOW to respond to any command
Extremely slow to channel surf..

If your HR 20 didn't do any of this then you didn't have one the first year they came out.

 

[Jimbo]

My HR20-700 is faster than the HR22s I have, but based on the videos I've seen online the HR24 is faster than my HR20.

Exactly ..... MY HR20-700's were all faster than the HR21-23's then the HR24's came out and they worked faster yet.

I NEVER invested in the then newer HR21-23's , I didn't want to get into something that potentially would not run as well as what I had, but the other thing that kept me with the HR20-700's was the OTA tuner that the others did not have.

As of now, I have to spend an extra $65-70 to get the same thing I had with the HR20-700's as D* cannot or will not credit me towards a AM-21 they have also determined somehow that they will not allow themselves to send me one.

So essentially if I want to KEEP the services that I had before the UPGRADE, I had to spend my money with a vendor, as D* would not supply me with one.
Even though many here have had them sent to them or supplied right from the beginning.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

I got the HR24's because they have a NEW processor in them and the remote works better.

.

You mean its not slow to respond, Like most of the complaints about the Hr20,21,22,23.

 

[Jimbo]

OH I don't doubt that one bit, But that HR20-700 when it first came out was flat out Slow and BUGGY.
I have an Owned HR20-700 I use in my vacation home. This works better then my Hr23, But this thing came a very long way from what it was.

That receiver took about 2 years to get where it is right now.

Random reboots,
Reboots when using channel up or down when editing channels in the favorites lists.
Audio Dropouts
reboots when adding OTA subchannels.
SLOW to respond to any command
Extremely slow to channel surf..

If your HR 20 didn't do any of this then you didn't have one the first year they came out.

I got mind in '06 when they did not even have a available OTA tuner in them.
They activated it just before Christmas ' 06

You make it sound like all of those things happen all the time.
NORMALLY, you cannot reproduce a problem with them.

IF I'm not mistaken D* worked diligently to fix each and every one of those items.