I absolutely understand the "CSR comments" issue. And I have no problem with D* making an HD DVR that has no Ant In for OTA as most of their DMA coverage (so far about 70-75%) includes the capability for HD-LIL. But if you are going to "force" the non-ATSC version on people, don't require them to pay for this additional piece of hardware. There is an alternative: the HR20. If a market does not have HD-LIL, then don't ship the HR21 (by default) to that market. Once that market/DMA has HD-LIL, then you can install those HR21's by default. I just think this is a bad business practice on D*'s part. Again, I don't begrudge them saving money by making a DVR that doesn't have dual ATSC tuners, but just don't "punish" those people in a non-HDLIL market by making them pay more for a box that is capable of receiving FTA signals and integrating those signals with the EPG.
In my buddy's case, he called and they said they couldn't ship him a replacement HR20 unit and allow him to send the HR21 back. Instead he must wait until the AM21 is available and then he has to pay $50 for it. For a small shipping/RMA fee, they could fix his problem in a matter of three days for shipping, not have to send a technician, and everyone would be happy...well maybe not everyone - D* would be out $50.
He has the antenna because we in the Charleston, SC DMA are #100 on the list. Last I checked, that would put us in the HD-LIL game sometime mid- to late-2008. So he now has to wait until summer/fall before he can fully utilize his HD-DVR capability to record network programming. Not only that, but for those of us who integrate the antenna into our system get an additional 3-5 channels and sub-channels that may never be offered by D*.
Sorry for the rant, but this seems like a joke to me that they would even stock the HR21 in non-HD-LIL areas, on the off chance that maybe some of those customers might need an alternative method of getting their local network coverage.