# DTV said same upcharge to go to hr20-250



## business-spice (May 14, 2006)

this might be old news to everyone here so if so, a mod can please delete this. But I haven't found another post in which I should comment on this.

I jsut got off the phone w/ DTV and I was asking him about the differences between picking up a hr10-250 off the internet for $399 and buying it through DTV for $499 + $20 s&h + taxes and he said DTV would charge $100 installation fee for having to install a HD satellite and hook up another companys equipment. So, basically it works out to pretty much the same. The also said I would "own" it and not lease it if bought from someone else and I was told (by the tech) the hr20-250 will be out within the next couple months and I could upgrade my own hr10-250 for the same upgrade fee as if I bought the hr10-250 directly through them. But he said there will be an upcharge fee either way if you want to go from the hr10 to the hr20 but he was not sure of the cost just yet.

So, if they charge $100 to install my new equipment bought somewhere else than what is the sense of buying a hr10-250 anywhere else?  I do not have HD right now so that is why they said they would need to replace my standard satellite with an HD satellite. Any reason for buying from an online store?

And should I just wait it out for the hr20-250 to hit the shelves? I kinda feel like I'm buying a 2004 Ford Mustang and then they end up releasing the new 2005 redesigned model and I wish I could have had that one instead.


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## Budget_HT (Jan 2, 2001)

business-spice said:


> ... I kinda feel like I'm buying a 2004 Ford Mustang and then they end up releasing the new 2005 redesigned model and I wish I could have had that one instead.


IMHO, if the "old" HR10-250 compares to a modern Ford, then the upcoming HR20 unit will start out more like a Pinto.

Most that I have read about the R15 SD DirecTV DVR (without TiVo software) tells me that I would not want to own one and depend on it to capture my recordings until it matures a lot more than where it stands today. The look and feel and the user experience for the HR20 is based heavily on the current R15, as stated by DirecTV wanting their user experiences to be as consistent as possible across all new STB devices.

Since I am lucky enough to have excellent OTA HDTV reception, and since I watch very little of the national HD channels, I will be quite content to keep and use my 2 HR10-250 HD TiVo's for as long as they are compatible with DirecTV service, minus MPEG-4 programming of course. I believe that time frame will be at least 3 years, probably more.


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

I'm in the same boat. I was waiting on adding a HDD to my second HR10, thinking that I might do a swap. Now it looks like MPEG-4 from DTV will not be anything I really would want for a very long time, and the reputation of the current NDS boxes makes me think I would be crazy to swap, so I went ahead and upgraded it and now each has 650 GB/83 hours. Pricey, but I'm not expecting to have any remorse over that. When the HR10s are starting to get long in the tooth (3-5 years from now) then I'll worry about an option. I think DTV and the HD landscape will be comparitively unrecognizeable by then. Until then, I'm in bed with the HR10's all the way.


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## business-spice (May 14, 2006)

well that brings me to re ask my old question. I'm somewhat noobish with satellite technology, so if I do not currently have HD service but I want to upgrade, does D*TV have to swap out my existing dish (only 3 months old since I am new with the company) for a HD dish? or can I get HD service off my standard dish?

and again, if you get a hr10-250 from D*TV for $500 or you can buy one on your own for $400 + $100 installation fee by D*TV to hook-up someone else's receiver, what's the sense or advantage of buying it from anyone else instead of D*TV?


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

In general... until DirecTV formally announces the HR20's release... anything you hear about upgrades, swap outs, extra cost, ect..... take it with a grain of salt.

I have heard (in the forums, which consist of "reports" from CSRs) everything from absolutely no upgrades, to free upgrades, to depends how long you have had it, and what you paid for it... to you can just change the hard drive in the unit, and so on...

Bottom line... Until DirecTV is ready to release the HR20, we are not going to know anything.


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

Business describe your "standard" dish.
As there really isn't a "standard" one any more.

Is your's basically round with a single "hockey" puck on an arm (single LNB assembly)
Or is oval with three lnb assemblies.


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## business-spice (May 14, 2006)

i have the small oval dish with the three assemblies. Is there a difference in a satellite dish where it needs to be HD acceptible and if you don't have HD service than you don't have a HD dish?


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

business-spice said:


> i have the small oval dish with the three assemblies. Is there a difference in a satellite dish where it needs to be HD acceptible and if you don't have HD service than you don't have a HD dish?


The Dish you have IS one of the HD compatible dishes.
It can see all the HD programing with the exception of "locals" in HD

For that you would need the updated 5-LNB dish (the AT-9)


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## lark (Nov 5, 2002)

ebonovic said:


> In general... until DirecTV formally announces the HR20's release... anything you hear about upgrades, swap outs, extra cost, ect..... take it with a grain of salt.
> 
> I have heard (in the forums, which consist of "reports" from CSRs) everything from absolutely no upgrades, to free upgrades, to depends how long you have had it, and what you paid for it... to you can just change the hard drive in the unit, and so on...
> 
> Bottom line... Until DirecTV is ready to release the HR20, we are not going to know anything.


Well, for what it's worth, add me to the list of those who got a somewhat encouraging report from a CSR. I called because our HD locals just were added, and I asked what I needed to get them. I got sent over to the "upgrade" department, and the guy told me I would need to replace my dish to the an LNB5, and would need to replace both of my HR10s to "mpeg4 compatible units." He said that would probably not be an option for another "two months or so."

I protested, "but I recently paid well over $1,000 for these receivers, now I have to buy new boxes just to get something I can get with an antenna or could get with cable." He said, "be patient with us, we'll be running a promotion where we'll just come out and swap out the equipment for you."

I understand it's all just noise at this point, but he was pretty unequivocal about it.


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

Actually there are some reports on other forums, that they have already begun to swap out the non-dvr HD recievers.. (out in the PST/MST areas)

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=66175

more discussion in the later portion of:
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=57359


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## lark (Nov 5, 2002)

ebonovic said:


> Actually there are some reports on other forums, that they have already begun to swap out the non-dvr HD recievers.. (out in the PST/MST areas)
> 
> http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=66175
> 
> ...


I think the guy was actually going to offer me that, or at least was prepared to discuss it. He said something about how he assumed I was interested in keeping dvrs. I sort of said, "yes" too quickly -- I might have been able to get more info.


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## JohnDG (Oct 28, 2004)

ebonovic said:


> Actually there are some reports on other forums, that they have already begun to swap out the non-dvr HD recievers.. (out in the PST/MST areas)
> 
> http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=66175
> 
> ...


Question: what if I don't want to "swap out" the HD-TiVo, but rather add on the second HD DVR? Worst case is that the HD-TiVo can act as 200 hour standard TiVo.

jdg


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

Don't know yet... probably then, you would just be purchasing/leasing it as anyone who didn't have an HR10-250 would.

Right now there is no HD-MPEG4-DVR on the market yet, so there is no swapping or anything going on there yet.


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