Should I get an HR24 or HR44?

[steecoe]

I'm thinking of replacing my aging (dying) HR20. I have a few DVRs (HR23 being the newest) with the unsupported whole-home connected via ethernet & I am perfectly happy with my set up. I wanted to get an HR24, but I was curious if the HR44 would be worth shelling out a couple more bucks. Can I simply put an HR44 into my setup & have it work just fine? Which DVR is faster as far as guide scrolling & menu navigation & remote response time, the 24 or the 44? I like the idea of having 5 tuners in one DVR which for me is the main appeal of the HR44 but I am most interested in having a faster DVR as the main one that I watch in the living room.

Any opinions?

 

[raoul5788]

A couple of points: If you get it through Directv, you could get an HR34 as well as an HR44. The HR44 is faster than an HR24 from what I have read, YMMV. You need a swm setup in order to have an HR34/44. Do you? If not, Directv will have to do the install, which they would most likely want to do anyways.

 

[Hutch1814]

A couple of points: If you get it through Directv, you could get an HR34 as well as an HR44. The HR44 is faster than an HR24 from what I have read, YMMV. You need a swm setup in order to have an HR34/44. Do you? If not, Directv will have to do the install, which they would most likely want to do anyways.

Going through directv currently will yield you a used a refurbed HR34. That's all they've been sending to markets for nearly a month, we finally chewed through our 44 inventory and have nothing but 34's left

 

[texasbrit]

the Hr24 is faster than the Hr44, but of course the Hr44 has five tuners. Getting an HR44 (and indeed an HR24)will probably mean "buying" it (actually a lease) from a vendor like Solid Signal, because DirecTv won't guarantee any particular model. And you don't say how many DVRs you have, or what type of dish. the Hr44 will surely put you over eight tuners (if you are not there already) in which case you will need an SWM16 multiswitch, and if you have an SWM dish that will also mean changing the LNB and running more cables. If you post back with your exact configuration (dish, multiswitch and number of DVRs) we can tell you exactly what you will need.

 

[raoul5788]

I thought the HR44 was faster than the HR24.

 

[lparsons21]

I thought the HR44 was faster than the HR24.

It is and by quite a bit. The HR44 is faster than my Hopper w/Sling was, though the difference is slight.

If the HR34 is all they are sending out these days, I'm glad I'm already signed up! Had they only had the HR34 available when I signed up, the tech would have had a wave goodbye from me!

 

[steecoe]

Yeah, if I go with the HR44 I already know I'll need to swap my swm8 for a swm16 & my plan all along was to make a non-DirecTV purchase so that I can get the exact model I want. I know with the HR24 I can just simply switch it out with the DVR I am replacing. My biggest question about the HR44 is will it work properly through the 'unsupported' ethernet whole home setup? I have had it set up since the beta testing days & it works just fine for my HR20s, HR21 & HR23. I have no plan or desire to use clients or geni minis, just the DVRs I already have. I also don't want to pick up an HR44 & then have DirecTV insist on charging me to send out an installer to do what I can do myself. I am leaning toward getting the HR24 because that would be the easiest swap, but if I can have a faster DVR with 5 tuners (HR44) for just a couple more bucks up front (and swapping my swm8 for a swm16) with no hassle from DirecTV, that sounds like the better option....Are there any 'extra' monthly charges for having an HR44 vs the regular DVRs?

 

[Claude Greiner]

Get the HR44. Let directv worry about how to connect it up

 

[lparsons21]

Shouldn't be if you are already paying for 'whole home'. Of course, you kick in another 2 year commit.

 

[steecoe]

Let directv worry about how to connect it up

Now what fun is that? That's prolly the best advice to give to 99% of the people with DirecTV, but I've never had them out here in the 18 years I've been with DirecTV & I like it that way. I ENJOY doing stuff my way & that's one thing that I like about D* is the fact that I can still be a do-it-myselfer

 

[Jimbo]

If I could have D* just send a 44 out, I would have one today, however, when they looked at the current set up they said I'd have to have an installer out to set it up .... so I declined.

 

[texasbrit]

Yes, you're correct, I was not thinking ....Hr44 is fastest of any of the boxes..

 

[acostapimps]

My biggest question about the HR44 is will it work properly through the 'unsupported' ethernet whole home setup? I have had it set up since the beta testing days & it works just fine for my HR20s, HR21 & HR23. I ?

Yes it will work that's how mine is setup, With the HR44 all you do is hookup Ethernet and it provides internet to all your receivers, so no more providing more Ethernet to other boxes, Since HR44 bridge to other receivers through coax connection.

 

[ejb1980]

I thought the HR44 was faster than the HR24.

HR44 is faster than HR34.
HR2x is faster than any Genie, but not a lot.
From my minimal experience with the H2x series, the H25 I used to have was faster than any digital receiver I have had on any provider. The Hopper and 722 receivers on Dish are almost as fast as the H25.

 

[ejb1980]

Yes, you're correct, I was not thinking ....Hr44 is fastest of any of the boxes..

Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no. They seem to be more stable, from what people say on here, but not faster. I have seen a few HR44 and they are not faster than the HR24 I used to have. It's not a significant difference, though. Some HR34 boxes are just as good as a HR44, but not all. It is weird to me that there is so much accepted variance.

 

[joed32]

I have an HR44 and an HR24 in the same room and the 44 is faster.

 

[Jimbo]

While the HR44 appear to be faster from what others have said ...
The HR24's were fast when they started also, then when the 34's came out they were said to be faster, then the 44's came out and everything else was slower ...

I wonder if the units are slowing somewhat over time, and the 44 won't be as fast in a year, or they will have the 54 out and the 44 will no longer be fast ...

Speed is in the eye of the user, what may be fast to me, may not be fast to the next person or vice versa ... those of you with multiple models would know best.

 

[lparsons21]

Give the programmers at D* some time will you?

They are hard at work trying to slow the HR44 down to the speed of the other units, it is the last one left that runs fast!! And of course when it is slowed down, some fanbois will tell us all how wonderful that is!

 

[raoul5788]

My HR24 is generally fast, enough anyways. Occasionally it has lag, then it's back to normal on it's own.

 

[lparsons21]

My HR24 is generally fast, enough anyways. Occasionally it has lag, then it's back to normal on it's own.

That was my experience with the HR24s that I had. Not speed demons, but much faster than the HR21 by far! The HR44 is one speedy little box at the moment, even slightly faster than was my Hopper w/Sling.