Which HD DVR to get?

[yourbeliefs]

Well.. I don't know how many of you have followed my saga of getting a discounted HD DVR as mentioned here, but after getting off the phone I now am getting a HD DVR for $99!

Now, I am curious as to what model I should try and get. I know D* can't do anything, but I got the number of the people actually DOING the job and wanted to contact them. For example, I don't want the HR21 because I need OTA capabilities, and I don't want them to bring one over and then have to set up ANOTHER date to just bring over that other box. Would it be "rude" of me to call them and specify that I don't want that? Also, which box should I ask for? Are there any "real" differences between the HR20-100 and HR20-700? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[raoul5788]

Well.. I don't know how many of you have followed my saga of getting a discounted HD DVR as mentioned here, but after getting off the phone I now am getting a HD DVR for $99!

Now, I am curious as to what model I should try and get. I know D* can't do anything, but I got the number of the people actually DOING the job and wanted to contact them. For example, I don't want the HR21 because I need OTA capabilities, and I don't want them to bring one over and then have to set up ANOTHER date to just bring over that other box. Would it be "rude" of me to call them and specify that I don't want that? Also, which box should I ask for? Are there any "real" differences between the HR20-100 and HR20-700? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

If you can swing a deal through Costco, they had ONE HR20-700 in stock as of yesterday.

 

[michaelbudney]

CS can give you the number of the installer. The first one I tried to get the number from wouldn't give it to me. The next person seemed quite willing but it was too late by then. I get the feeling the first one that did not give it up was in India and going by the script and the other lady was domestic.

Anyway when the installer got her he said they haven't had any HR20s in about 2 months.

 

[joed32]

CS can give you the number of the installer. The first one I tried to get the number from wouldn't give it to me. The next person seemed quite willing but it was too late by then. I get the feeling the first one that did not give it up was in India and going by the script and the other lady was domestic.

Anyway when the installer got her he said they haven't had any HR20s in about 2 months.

No call centers are in India, one in the Philippines, one in Mexico, all of the others are in the U.S..There is an installation department and they are usually easy to deal with. Ask for that department when you call.

 

[yourbeliefs]

CS can give you the number of the installer. The first one I tried to get the number from wouldn't give it to me. The next person seemed quite willing but it was too late by then. I get the feeling the first one that did not give it up was in India and going by the script and the other lady was domestic.

Anyway when the installer got her he said they haven't had any HR20s in about 2 months.

Yeah well that excuse simply isn't going to fly with me. I NEED an HR20. I don't know the logic behind D* removing OTA capabilities, but that is a requirement of mine. I'm calling the installers themselves today to verify I can get the 20.

Just got off the phone with Halsted. They said that apparently they can't "guarantee" that I'll get the HR20, but they'll put a note in that I want that one. I still don't understand D*'s decision to remove OTA. I think its rather pompous of them to just assume that A: They'll have local HD in every market that would request this product, and that B: Their picture quality will be good enough to satisfy everyone. Neither of those assumptions apply to me. D* doesn't carry all my locals in HD (although to be fair its only ABC and MyTV, as well as CW but I can't even get that OTA.) Also, while their picture quality is not bad, there's a noticeable difference between them and OTA. One sad example (as is common for most I can see) is my NBC affiliate WVIT. The picture is horribly pixelated and watching sports on it sometimes feels like a test of endurance. If you ever need an example of how bad their picture is, watch football on Sunday on Fox and CBS, then watch the highlights on Sunday Night Football.

Ok so back to the point, when you have something that is already horrible, you may as well do what you can to minimize the damage. While I wouldn't be completely SOL without OTA in the receiver in that I can just hook back up to my TV, I'd still prefer to record OTA feeds, as well as not have to switch inputs. I'm not even having them install the 2nd line from the receiver for full DVR support. I just want something that will record a few programs, and basically have the ability to pause my live TV so I don't have to feel like a wiener waiting for commercials before I did things.

 

[raoul5788]

Yeah well that excuse simply isn't going to fly with me. I NEED an HR20. I don't know the logic behind D* removing OTA capabilities, but that is a requirement of mine. I'm calling the installers themselves today to verify I can get the 20.

Just got off the phone with Halsted. They said that apparently they can't "guarantee" that I'll get the HR20, but they'll put a note in that I want that one. I still don't understand D*'s decision to remove OTA. I think its rather pompous of them to just assume that A: They'll have local HD in every market that would request this product, and that B: Their picture quality will be good enough to satisfy everyone. Neither of those assumptions apply to me. D* doesn't carry all my locals in HD (although to be fair its only ABC and MyTV, as well as CW but I can't even get that OTA.) Also, while their picture quality is not bad, there's a noticeable difference between them and OTA. One sad example (as is common for most I can see) is my NBC affiliate WVIT. The picture is horribly pixelated and watching sports on it sometimes feels like a test of endurance. If you ever need an example of how bad their picture is, watch football on Sunday on Fox and CBS, then watch the highlights on Sunday Night Football.

Ok so back to the point, when you have something that is already horrible, you may as well do what you can to minimize the damage. While I wouldn't be completely SOL without OTA in the receiver in that I can just hook back up to my TV, I'd still prefer to record OTA feeds, as well as not have to switch inputs. I'm not even having them install the 2nd line from the receiver for full DVR support. I just want something that will record a few programs, and basically have the ability to pause my live TV so I don't have to feel like a wiener waiting for commercials before I did things.

Don't forget about the add on ota tuner that will be available sometime soon.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

. I still don't understand D*'s decision to remove OTA. I think its rather pompous of them to just assume that A: They'll have local HD in every market that would request this product, and that B: Their picture quality will be good enough to satisfy everyone.

I have a question for you? I'm not being a smart ass first off. I just wondering why is it so important that D* have OTA. I can hook OTA up to both of my HD tvs and Watch HD tv WITHOUT a receiver. Is it because your HD tv's don't have a digital Tuner built In ? I know a Bunch of people with D* that don't even use the Receiver for OTA,They use thier TV.

 

[jcrandall]

OTA is important for users in areas where the HD channels are not via satellite yet, or users that watch the digital subchannels.

I use OTA for the following reasons:
1. Save $3 - don't pay for locals - NOTE this is not offered as an option anymore
2. PBS HD
3. Weather subchannels in two DMAs that I watch
4. MY Network TV is only on OTA subchannel here, not on D*, and they show the pistons games.
5. Extra market via antenna - sometimes have different games on football/baseball national broadcasts

 

[Hemi 6.1]

OTA is important for users in areas where the HD channels are not via satellite yet, or users that watch the digital subchannels.

I use OTA for the following reasons:
1. Save $3 - don't pay for locals - NOTE this is not offered as an option anymore
2. PBS HD
3. Weather subchannels in two DMAs that I watch
4. MY Network TV is only on OTA subchannel here, not on D*, and they show the pistons games.
5. Extra market via antenna - sometimes have different games on football/baseball national broadcasts

I understand that. You might want to read my post again.Directv doesn't provide OTA service,The simple provide the plug. Why not take that wire instead of running it through your D* Receiver,Plug it right into the back of your HD TV. Is it because you want to be able to record OTA on a dvr ? Thats what I'm asking!

 

[yourbeliefs]

I understand that. You might want to read my post again.Directv doesn't provide OTA service,The simple provide the plug. Why not take that wire instead of running it through your D* Receiver,Plug it right into the back of your HD TV. Is it because you want to be able to record OTA on a dvr ? Thats what I'm asking!

Here's why I want it:

Originally I just had OTA for ALL HD service. I got D* about 1 year before they did their major HD upgrade, and at the time I didn't feel that their HD lineup justified the added subscription costs and the huge (relatively speaking) Slimline dish.

Then when I upgraded to D* HD I was still using the OTA hooked up directly to my TV. I found myself getting annoyed at the fact that I had to switch inputs to get locals OTA and the regular HD programming. I wised up and hooked the antenna directly to the receiver, and I found that to be much better for the following reasons:

A: I had a program guide to see everything that was on from the OTA.

B: While my Antenna is pretty consistent with its reception, on a few occasions the signal has had some issues, and rather than having to switch through all my inputs from Antenna to D* (I can't disable any on my tv; I have to scroll through EVERY input) I can just switch down to D*'s feed and continue from there.

C: I like knowing that I CAN record the best possible picture. That's not to say that D* does not deliver a decent picture, but I think I can speak for many of us when I say that we don't like to just "settle" on HD quality.

I just don't like the idea that I have to lose some functionality in order to get new ones. I know that's the way of life sometimes, but if I can still get everything, why not go for it? That concept was the main factor as to why I got D* in the first place. Originally I was looking at E* for my house but they didn't offer YES, and my mom is a major NY sports fan, and I didn't think we should have to lose YES in order to get SNY (I say "lose" YES because our cable provider carried it.)

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Here's why I want it:

Originally I just had OTA for ALL HD service. I got D* about 1 year before they did their major HD upgrade, and at the time I didn't feel that their HD lineup justified the added subscription costs and the huge (relatively speaking) Slimline dish.

Then when I upgraded to D* HD I was still using the OTA hooked up directly to my TV. I found myself getting annoyed at the fact that I had to switch inputs to get locals OTA and the regular HD programming. I wised up and hooked the antenna directly to the receiver, and I found that to be much better for the following reasons:

A: I had a program guide to see everything that was on from the OTA.

B: While my Antenna is pretty consistent with its reception, on a few occasions the signal has had some issues, and rather than having to switch through all my inputs from Antenna to D* (I can't disable any on my tv; I have to scroll through EVERY input) I can just switch down to D*'s feed and continue from there.

C: I like knowing that I CAN record the best possible picture. That's not to say that D* does not deliver a decent picture, but I think I can speak for many of us when I say that we don't like to just "settle" on HD quality.

I just don't like the idea that I have to lose some functionality in order to get new ones. I know that's the way of life sometimes, but if I can still get everything, why not go for it? That concept was the main factor as to why I got D* in the first place. Originally I was looking at E* for my house but they didn't offer YES, and my mom is a major NY sports fan, and I didn't think we should have to lose YES in order to get SNY (I say "lose" YES because our cable provider carried it.)

Just wondering,I have E*and D* so I'm used to switchen my imputs ,Not really switchen ,Just pressing a button. I don't use OTA anymore but at my old house,when I only had and H20,and realized it was easier to just plug the coax into my TV instead,of messing around with the H20. My Tv was new enough to have a built in HD tuner,and on screen guide anyway. But DVR would be another story ,if I wanted to record OTA. That must be what you want.

 

[scottie_h]

I still don't understand D*'s decision to remove OTA. I think its rather pompous of them to just assume that A: They'll have local HD in every market that would request this product, and that B: Their picture quality will be good enough to satisfy everyone.

I have used OTA for several years on 2 HDTVs. I still use OTAs on my HR20, even though I could watch most of the locals in HD via D*.

That being said, probably 95% of D* customers have no idea what OTA is (I'm making up that number), and even if they do would ask "why would I want an antenna if I have a satellite dish?" That being considered, I'm guessing the cost of the receiver withOUT the OTA capability is cheaper. Considering the vast majority of D* customers have no desire for OTA, that is a significant savings. The $59 add-on unit is reasonable for those that still want that capability.

By no means am I saying you don't have a "right" to desire OTA through your receiver. But I certainly understand the rationale on the part of D*. At least they are offering an add-on option for those customers that desire it - they could have said "no more OTA" and left it at that...

 

[yourbeliefs]

Don't forget about the add on ota tuner that will be available sometime soon.

Exactly what sort of add-on is it, and would I have to pay for it separately or will it be like the B-Band converter?

 

[raoul5788]

Exactly what sort of add-on is it, and would I have to pay for it separately or will it be like the B-Band converter?

Do a Google lookup for AM21. I heard they will be $59 when they are released, although Solidsignal has them now for $99. Here is a link to it:DIRECTV AM21 Off-Air Dual Tuner for the HR21 (AM21) | AM21 [DIRECTV] | DIRECTV HIGH DEF TUNER DIRECT TV RECEIVER RECIEVER DIRECT TV RECEIVER AM21 OFF AIR TUNER AM-21 AM 21 TUNER

 

[yourbeliefs]

Do a Google lookup for AM21. I heard they will be $59 when they are released, although Solidsignal has them now for $99. Here is a link to it:DIRECTV AM21 Off-Air Dual Tuner for the HR21 (AM21) | AM21 [DIRECTV] | DIRECTV HIGH DEF TUNER DIRECT TV RECEIVER RECIEVER DIRECT TV RECEIVER AM21 OFF AIR TUNER AM-21 AM 21 TUNER

You gotta be KIDDING me.. I have to PAY for functionality tomorrow that I would have had for FREE yesterday... Is there any advantage that the HR21 has? Isn't its only claim to fame that it can do VOD?

 

[Phoenix1]

You gotta be KIDDING me.. I have to PAY for functionality tomorrow that I would have had for FREE yesterday... Is there any advantage that the HR21 has? Isn't its only claim to fame that it can do VOD?

When DirecTV started shipping the HR21 they dropped the price from $299 to $199, so you definately weren't getting it "FREE yesterday".
FYI, both the HR20 and HR21 can do VOD.

 

[yourbeliefs]

When DirecTV started shipping the HR21 they dropped the price from $299 to $199, so you definately weren't getting it "FREE yesterday".
FYI, both the HR20 and HR21 can do VOD.

So then there is no advantage whatsoever to the HR21...

 

[harshness]

Yeah well that excuse simply isn't going to fly with me. I NEED an HR20. I don't know the logic behind D* removing OTA capabilities, but that is a requirement of mine. I'm calling the installers themselves today to verify I can get the 20.

If you don't get an HR20, it would likely be because you waited too long.

The chances are vanishingly small, but it could happen.

If you do get an HR20 and it is a refurb, I would suggest that you not make a stink about it.

 

[harshness]

So then there is no advantage whatsoever to the HR21...

Not unless you have a burning desire to house your receiver in a home entertainment oven. If you're one of those, the HR21 may prove to be a more heat tolerant design.

 

[Happy Camper]

If you have the capability to hook up an antenna to your HR20 to "have OTA" then you can get OTA without D*, can't you? We have always had a local deep fringe antenna with an amplifier, and we get pure, pristine OTA from the tuners in our TVs and from the inferior OTA tuners in the HR20 and HR10-250.

Frankly, I don't think D* cares whether you "need an HR20" because, really, you don't. You just WANT one and are being a pain about it.