Source for HDVR2 and anything bettter?

[kingwart]

We've had two HDVR2s since the month they were introduced. They continue to run like champs. I would like to get a third one but that model is discontinued. From the postings I'm seeing here WeaKnees seems to be the "go to" place for refurbished units.

Are there any better/equivalent replacements that are available new?

A little off topic...
One of our TVs is HD HDMI HDCP and I would get one of the HD units but I'm reading here that the newest non-TIVO DVRs are pretty lame and the original TIVO HD units won't be supported after they go to newer MPEG. Are there any options that are good for a HD unit at this time?

I'm in Raleigh, NC. Right now I have a round dish with a dual LNB. Two coax wires go to a grounding block in the crawl space and then to a 3x8 powered multiswitch for distribution to various rooms.

For me to go HD I'm thinking I'd have to do the following:
1. Ditch the round dish and get a new oval dish with at least a dual LNB
2. Run two more coax (total of four) down to the crawl space and through another grounding block
3. Ditch the 3x8 multiswitch and install a new 5x8 multiswitch

Seems like an awful lot to go through for a relatively limited amount of programing.

We can get local OTA HD. Wouldn't I just be better off just going for that?

Thanks for any and all help.

[John T Smith]

>options that are good for a HD unit at this time

If you can find one, the HR10-250 is a DTivo HD unit
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=36

I have 3 SD DTivo boxes and one HR10-250, but only have a round dish for SD signal... bought the HR10-250 for the hard disk size and the option of HD in the future

[kingwart]

Thanks, but isn't that the one that's going to be soon obsolete when they put the HD content on MPEG4?

[JimSpence]

Not quite true, as it will still be able to record SD and OTA.

[tbeckner]

Thanks, but isn't that the one that's going to be soon obsolete when they put the HD content on MPEG4?SOON could be THREE to FIVE years away, so SOON OBSOLETE is relative.

If the OP is using the HR10 for OTA (since there is very little HD content on DirecTV at this point), then OBSOLETE could be defined as NEVER. :)

Not quite true, as it will still be able to record SD and OTA.As Jim has pointed out, if the OP is using the HR10 as a higher capacity SD solution and for OTA HD, then the HR10 is a great device.

It also is likely that the HR20 will end up being a throw away device anyway, since a NDS defined/DirecTV device and DirecTV are now questionable in the long run.

[kingwart]

Thanks for all your help so far. So I'm sold on the HR10-250, but WeaKness wants $1299 which is WAY out of my price range. There's a guy locally that has one of these on ebay for far less. I've asked him if I can pick up the unit and see it in operation before paying. Is there any other way I can be scammed? What about the access card? How much will DirecTV charge me to activate this unit? How do I tell if it's a rental unit?

[John T Smith]

If the seller will give it to you, get the Serial # and call DirecTv to find out if there is a balance showing for the receiver (such as for PPV movies)

$20 for a new access card... sometimes the CSR will reactivate the old one, sometimes will insist on selling you a new one