Is it worth buying a backup 10-250?

[orange-man]

I'm thinking that since they are getting scarce that since I love Tivo so much that I should pick up a backup unit, in case one of my other two units fail.

How long do we thing the 10-250 units will be relevant? I would hate to buy something as a backup and possibly never use it only to have a paperweight. If I thought that 10-250's would be useful for at least 2 years then I think it would be a good gamble.

[ebonovic]

If you don't view much of the SAT based HD... and just OTA

Then your HR10-250 has basically as much life as teh hardware does.

But the SAT based HD is going to start to migrate in 2007, when in 2007 is the important detail that isn't known yet.

[broken back]

I own my HR10-250 here in Dallas. I know that Dallas is in the HR20 phase. We use it mostly for HD OTA. Will we still be able to use it for recording OTA past the 2007 deadline ?and maybe get a HR20 (Hate this unit, I have seen its interphase) for sats. The HR20 has OTA but is not working yet so I fear it will not be working (OTA) on the HR20 for a long time to come.

[Sir_winealot]

Perhaps the bugs won't be worked out on the HR20 by the end of 2007....then they'll hafta keep the HR10 up and fully running!

[ebonovic]

Perhaps the bugs won't be worked out on the HR20 by the end of 2007....then they'll hafta keep the HR10 up and fully running!


Regardless of the state of the HR20...
The HR10 isn't going to be shut down.

The MPEG-2 -> MPEG-4 conversion will still continue.

[TomF]

I own my HR10-250 here in Dallas. We use it mostly for HD OTA. Will we still be able to use it for recording OTA past the 2007 deadline ?
I also have a HR10 and while Earl didn't specifically address this question, I have to believe that even when sat HD moves to satellites requiring the AT9 dish, our HR10s will still be able to record HD OTA, since it isn't in any way connected to the MPEG-4 conversion, just as we'll be able to record anything still on the 101, 110 and 119 sats. I think that recording OTA HD and SD sat programming is an excellent reason to keep an HR10 up and running. (Except of course, the problems introduced with 6.3a, including audio dropouts when recording some OTA.)

But someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[dminches]

Perhaps the bugs won't be worked out on the HR20 by the end of 2007....then they'll hafta keep the HR10 up and fully running!

I doubt by the end of 2007 they'll have the bugs worked out of the HR10. Both units have bugs but at least I haven't had the stuttering the HR20. It does have other issues, that's for sure.

[phox_mulder]

Based on reports here and other boards, the HR10-250 is the lesser of two evils compared to the HR20-700.

Dual buffers and OTA HD Recording are at the forefront, both not available on the HR20.


phox

[dagap]

The same thought crossed my mind... maybe I should get another one to have around.

But geez, are they really going to be more expensive next year or the year after? That's not what usually happens to electronics that are no longer manufactured.

So I decided NOT to get another now, figuring they'll be available on eBay when/if I should ever want one. You never know, of course, they could be going for a mint at that time, but I seriously doubt it. YMMV.

OTOH, if I had another HDTV in the house, I'd snap one up right now. But to sit in a closet or replace an SD DTivo on an SD TV? No thanks.

[TyroneShoes]

...I have to believe that even when sat HD moves to satellites requiring the AT9 dish, our HR10s will still be able to record HD OTA, since it isn't in any way connected to the MPEG-4 conversion, just as we'll be able to record anything still on the 101, 110 and 119 sats. I think that recording OTA HD and SD sat programming is an excellent reason to keep an HR10 up and running...

But someone correct me if I'm wrong.
You are certainly not wrong about the last part, IMHO, I too got a third HR10 just to ensure that I have HR10 capability for the next couple of years. Hopefully by that time (drop-dead date for HR10s or attrition due to failure) the S3 and CC will be mature.

And you may also be correct about the first part, but there is a potential fly in the ointment, which is once the Tivo/DTV service agreement goes away (late 2009? 2010?) they could boat-anchor all HR10s with a keystroke. That would be fairly draconian and probably also not a good idea, but to put it gently, DTV lately has not had the market cornered when it comes to good ideas.

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I think the entire move to leasing is to ensure that Tivo can't service HR10's directly after they stop doing business with DTV, even if you originally paid $1000 for the hardware.

[dagap]

You're a conspiracy theorist.

The move to leasing is to pretty up their balance sheet.