Questions about switching to HR-21

[Rick Sass]

DTV keeps calling me every few days to swap out my HR10's for the newer MPEG4 boxes and dish. The last rep stated that if I don't swap out by the end of August, then I will no longer be able to receive any HD programming off the satellite and they will not offer the equipment for free. Is this true?

Also, how many coax cables do I need from the new dish to the receivers? I currently have the 3 LNB dish with two HR 10's. I think I currently have 4 coax cables coming off the dish.

[TonyD79]

I haven't heard anything about when they are turning off the older MPEG2 HD channels but they have turned on the MPEG4 versions of them all and will turn off the MPEG2 versions at some point. After that, the HR10 will only be useful for SD (with lots of disk space) and OTA.

As for free swaps, who knows? They run specials at various times and I am sure they are planning on ending the current free swaps but there may be another one down the line but who can say when.

As for cables, you will basically need the same number you need for the HR10. Two cables into the HR21 for two tuners, unless you can get a single wire module (SWM) which allows you to run a single line into a box for two tuners and even allows you to split that line much like you do for cable. Those are limited in availability, though. So, typically, you would have four lines coming off the dish. Since you are talking about only two boxes, you would not need a switch and all four lines would go directly to the DVRs. Any more DVRs, you would need a new multiswitch.

And, if you have OTA, you will need an AM21 (which they should give you for free since you are replacing HR10s but you get that after the upgrade install as an addon). OTA cannot easily be multiplexed with the satellite lines and requires (normally) its own line.

[TonyTheTiger]

Free swaps are usually only available when you have a choice. If you wait until all MPEG2 content is removed, then the choice is gone and you HAVE to get an HR2x to receive HD, so the offers will likely disappear too. This happened when the first batch of MPEG4 channels came online. Prior to that, people were getting free HR20s just for the asking, but the offers dried up soon after the switch.

Of course, they came back again as the early HR2xs were even worse than they are now - and new features have been added since, so at least for a while after the MPEG2 channels are turned off, I'd be surprised to see too many offers of free equipment - especially as football season is about to start!

[TyroneShoes]

It seems that DTV may have painted themselves into an ethical corner. I think changing the way they sell us HD and leasing DVRs are both pathetic damage-control responses to that. Originally they sold us a package of a few HD channels for $10 (when there were only a few HD channels to sell), and we bought our own hardware (HR10's). Then, all of a sudden, it wasn't channels they were selling, it was access to the channels, and we could only lease. I think if you buy a package of channels and buy a DVR to record them, that it starts to make DTV look pretty bad when those channels start disappearing a few at a time and they want to obsolete the DTV-proprietary DVR you paid up to a grand for to record them.

If its access they are selling rather than channels, then they can technically change (read: reduce) the number of channels without raising as big a stink. And if we lease rather than buy, then it doesn't seem like we got F-ed over quite so bad when the platform turns into a boat anchor. Of course this also implies that they should upgrade for nothing or next to nothing if the box we lease from them becomes obsolete. After all, converting to MPEG-4 and Ka sats was THEIR idea, and NOT ours.

I can see DTV's point (which is that they want to wring every penny they can out of us whether fairly or unfairly) and understand why they don't want to give us the store for free, but it's a two-way street. It seems to me that if they are holding folks to a two-year commitment, that at a bare minimum they should honor that commitment also, and provide free leased replacements for leased HR10's, and free dish upgrades to go with them. Otherwise they are not holding up their end of the agreement, which is we will pay for two years and they will continue to provide the service for two years.

Restarting the committment clock is reasonable if you get upgraded for free, but if they start dropping channels but expect us to continue to pay for the service, or if they expect us to pay to upgrade to the system they converted to, and threaten to hold us to a commitment if we balk at that, well, that's just not right. They can't have it both ways.

Bottom line, anyone who they will not upgrade for free should be able to have their agreement voided so they can go elsewhere. Everybody cuts their losses and parts friends. They should also have any owned HR10's decommissioned from DTV, and allow HR10 owners to enter into direct agreement with Tivo for Tivo service to get OTA HD channels, which Tivo would probably do for about $5 a month.

Anything less than that is just morally wrong, IMHO.

[avoiceoreason]

maybe off-topic, but it is a question related to upgrading to the HR-21...

can you get satellite based local channels on the HR-21 w/o paying $10/month for the HD package?

[JimSpence]

The SD versions I believe.

[avoiceoreason]

The SD versions I believe.

sorry, I meant to ask if you could get the HD locals w/o subscribing to the HD package. A CSR told me you could - but you know how that goes.

[RS4]

sorry, I meant to ask if you could get the HD locals w/o subscribing to the HD package. A CSR told me you could - but you know how that goes.

No, D* charges the HD fee for the HR2x box whether you want it or not!!

[Vin]

sorry, I meant to ask if you could get the HD locals w/o subscribing to the HD package. A CSR told me you could - but you know how that goes.
I got the HR21 about two months ago...wasn't really interested in the new HD channels but they offered to upgrade me for free (well, I did pay the shipping charge of $19.95), got to keep my HR10-250 and still don't have HD access or the $10/month charge that goes along with it but I'm getting the HD locals (via satellite) and I have to say, they look every bit as good as their OTA couterparts I'm getting on the HR10-250.

[jimb726]

No, D* charges the HD fee for the HR2x box whether you want it or not!!

Seems to make sense. If you have a HD-DVR shouldnt you have HD service? If not there is a standard DVR that would work just fine. Really that is just a silly argument there.:confused:

[jimb726]

I got the HR21 about two months ago...wasn't really interested in the new HD channels but they offered to upgrade me for free (well, I did pay the shipping charge of $19.95), got to keep my HR10-250 and still don't have HD access or the $10/month charge that goes along with it but I'm getting the HD locals (via satellite) and I have to say, they look every bit as good as their OTA couterparts I'm getting on the HR10-250.

I think that will be the case as long as you keep the HR10 active, but if it dies or you take it off the account, you will most likely be required to subscribe to the HD access. Not saying it will definitely happen but it is policy that if you have an HR-2X reciever you are supposed to be carrying the HD access.

[avoiceoreason]

Seems to make sense. If you have a HD-DVR shouldnt you have HD service? If not there is a standard DVR that would work just fine. Really that is just a silly argument there.:confused:

Not silly at all since almost all of my TV viewing lies on the major networks or pay channels. I have been very content w/ my HR10-250s w/o the HD package and just receiving HD locals.

Sounds like from Vin's post that he is getting HD locals via the satellite w/o paying for the HD package. That is exactly what I want, so if that's the case, I am very happy.

[Vin]

Not silly at all since almost all of my TV viewing lies on the major networks or pay channels. I have been very content w/ my HR10-250s w/o the HD package and just receiving HD locals.

Sounds like from Vin's post that he is getting HD locals via the satellite w/o paying for the HD package. That is exactly what I want, so if that's the case, I am very happy.

Yep, I was perfectly happy with what I was able to receive with my HR10-250 and although I would have always been able to get my locals in HD OTA, I knew at some point that I'd lose HBO HD when MPEG2 went away completely....this was my reason for finally accepting the very generous offer from DirecTV for the HR21.

However, I'm pretty sure the fact that I didn't have to subscribe to HD Access was just an error. If at some point they contact me and tell me I'm required to have the HD package, so be it. Until then I'm saving $10/month on something I didn't really want to begin with.