# HR20-250 in December?



## mhn2 (Sep 10, 2003)

After speaking to DTV retention yesterday I mentionaed the lack of HD channels offered by DTV. The rep told me that they will be swapping out HR10-250 with the new Mpeg4 non-TiVo HR20-250 starting in December. She said she didn't have a definitive answer yet on whether there will be any charge to do so. I guess we'll have to wait and see.


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## STL (Feb 10, 2005)

Don't hold your breath...


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

There are ZERO announced dates yet for the release of the HR20.
Regardless of what the CSR told you.


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## MisterEd (Jun 6, 2001)

The company I work for (we are the sole D* providers for contracted MDU's (multiple dwelling units) with over 20,000 customers in 5 states were told in a conference call recently that we will see them mid-summer. These are the same folks the gave us the info on the S1 upgrades that I posted a few weeks back.

Frankly, I personally don't care of the HR20's ever come out because if it isn't a TiVo I have no interest in it. If I have a choice between a "Tivoless D*" and Tivoless Cable I'll go back to cable (or Fios TV if Verizon ever wires my area which probably won't be for a couple years).



ebonovic said:


> There are ZERO announced dates yet for the release of the HR20.
> Regardless of what the CSR told you.


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

MisterEd said:


> The company I work for (we are the sole D* providers for contracted MDU's (multiple dwelling units) with over 20,000 customers in 5 states were told in a conference call recently that we will see them mid-summer. These are the same folks the gave us the info on the S1 upgrades that I posted a few weeks back.


That is the same "timeframe" I have heard from multiple arenas as well...

I hope it does come that soon, as I would like to sell my HR10-250 (while everyone is still clamering for one) and recoop some of my original $1k investiment.. 

If FIOS came around in my town, I would consider it.... but Comcast Cable.... not a chance. (If they where not the cheapest (at $60 a month) broadband option, they wouldn't even have a cable on my property)


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## Guindalf (Jun 13, 2001)

You mean to tell me there are still people out there who actually BELIEVE what a CSR tells them??????????


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

It doesn't mean anything to me when the HR20 is available. My locals aren't going to be on DirecTV anytime soon.  I hope they don't force an HR20 on me if I don't yet need it.


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## gquiring (Dec 13, 2002)

I am looking forward to turning in my HR10. I think they are all flaky. Between the black screens and the audio dropouts I am hoping their next generation of HD DVR's will be better.


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## Paperboy2003 (Mar 30, 2004)

It would make sense if they were able (bug free please) to get the HR20 out over the summer so it's in time for football. 

But I for one, will no be holding my breath.


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## wmschultz (May 26, 2004)

When I called about Sunday Ticket/Super Fan yesterday I was told August. I asked because
of the disclaimer about needing the new dish/MPEG4 receiver.


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## DDayDawg (Jul 13, 2004)

gquiring said:


> I am looking forward to turning in my HR10. I think they are all flaky. Between the black screens and the audio dropouts I am hoping their next generation of HD DVR's will be better.


Ummm... yeah. You should try to non-HD non-TiVo POS DirecTV is pushing before you wish upon that star. The best line I have heard came from my brother, "It's as if the guy that designed this had never even USED a DVR before!"

It has fun little features like notifying you 5 minutes before your scheduled recording it needs to change the channel, and if you say ok it changes the chanel right then. Not in five minutes when you are done watching your show, right that second. Oh, and if you say no it cancels your scheduled recording. Your only other option is to leave the message up on the screen, it only takes up the bottom 3rd.

The Hughes boxes are complete **** (pardon my language, but there is no other word that fully grasps the meaning). If you even marginally enjoy your 10-250 you should not be wishing for replacement day.


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## JohnDG (Oct 28, 2004)

MisterEd said:


> The company I work for (we are the sole D* providers for contracted MDU's (multiple dwelling units) with over 20,000 customers in 5 states were told in a conference call recently that we will see them mid-summer. These are the same folks the gave us the info on the S1 upgrades that I posted a few weeks back.


Checking this thread http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=300304&page=2 , there seems to be a shortage of MPEG4 chips. I also remember an article in March that mentioned that the E.U. World Cup roll-out was going to impacted by this shortage.

After the World Cup installs, things may begin to lighten-up... until the NFL season, that is. 

jdg


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## rminsk (Jun 4, 2002)

JohnDG said:


> Checking this thread http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=300304&page=2 , there seems to be a shortage of MPEG4 chips. I also remember an article in March that mentioned that the E.U. World Cup roll-out was going to impacted by this shortage.
> 
> After the World Cup installs, things may begin to lighten-up... until the NFL season, that is.
> 
> jdg


One person guessed there may be a shortage of mpeg-4 chips. No conclusion can be drawn from that. Also if you think the NFL will cause a large demand compared to the World Cup. In 2002 there were an estimated 28.8 billion viewers in 213 countries for the Korea/Japan final. In 2003 the Superbowl had a viewership of 89.8 million.


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## badmonkey (Apr 8, 2003)

Aren't there only ~6 billion people on the planet?


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## HiDefGator (Oct 12, 2004)

While my locals won't be available in HD anytime soon, it would be nice to get HD locals from someplace in this state, instead of NY. Nothing against NY. Plus maybe the hdmi port will work.


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## rminsk (Jun 4, 2002)

badmonkey said:


> Aren't there only ~6 billion people on the planet?


Opps... 28.8 billion was the total number of hours of viewing for all matches all people.


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## badmonkey (Apr 8, 2003)

Shucks... I thought maybe there was finally evidence of extra-terrestrial life... Oh well.


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## MisterEd (Jun 6, 2001)

Maybe they are flakey but you certainly won't be able to put a pair of 400+ gig drives in the new units. 20 or 30 or even 40 hrs of HD isn't enough for me. That alone outweighs the minor quirks for me. If they finally give us 6.x speed I could live with it for a few more years.


gquiring said:


> I am looking forward to turning in my HR10. I think they are all flaky. Between the black screens and the audio dropouts I am hoping their next generation of HD DVR's will be better.


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

Why with 750gb (already out), and 1TB drives announced...

Who wants two drives anyway?

(Granted the HR20 will probably have an ATA connector, but a 500gb drive will give you about 100 hours of MPEG-4)


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## DTVPro (Jun 24, 2005)

someone I work with got an email about his install for the HR20 for beta testing the other day, so I know they're testing for sure now


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## MisterEd (Jun 6, 2001)

I don't understand your point? What I assume is the NEW HR20 more they likely won't be able to be upgraded and do you think D* will sell them with 750GIG drives? I seriously doubt it.

When I got my 250 the largest drive available was 400 gig. Sure, I'd have preferred 1x750 but I had no choice. The 2x400's are working perfectly.



ebonovic said:


> Why with 750gb (already out), and 1TB drives announced...
> 
> Who wants two drives anyway?
> 
> (Granted the HR20 will probably have an ATA connector, but a 500gb drive will give you about 100 hours of MPEG-4)


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## JohnDG (Oct 28, 2004)

rminsk said:


> One person guessed there may be a shortage of mpeg-4 chips. No conclusion can be drawn from that. Also if you think the NFL will cause a large demand compared to the World Cup. In 2002 there were an estimated 28.8 billion viewers in 213 countries for the Korea/Japan final. In 2003 the Superbowl had a viewership of 89.8 million.


It wasn't really a "guess." Google it: there are a number of media reports starting in March addressing the issue.

jdg


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

What I was referring to when you posted that you wouldn't be able to put TWO drives in the new units....

That with drive sizes they way there are today and the soon future, there is less of a need for multiple drives in the system to achieve some large capacities.

From the "Grapevine" they are considering additional storage options (external primarily and they are evaluating options for internal upgrades)

But regardless, you are correct the Plus series recievers can't increase their storage space.


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

DTVPro said:


> someone I work with got an email about his install for the HR20 for beta testing the other day, so I know they're testing for sure now


Uh, yeah, okay. And someone I know has a friend who has a phone number that if you call, you can get $1000.

The HR20 is vapor. And the R15 is such a mess, I don't know why anyone would be "looking forward" to the HR20.

DirecTV has not come close to proving they can produce a strong DVR.


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## AstroDad (Jan 21, 2003)

just to add to the idiocy, I CSR told me two days ago that the HR20 had been pushed back to the fall and not to be surprised if it got pushed back again.


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## beullar (Jun 9, 2006)

I sure hope all you naysayers are wrong. I just scheduled my DTV HD install for Monday 12 june. I specifically asked about the HR20-250 and the DTV rep stated today that they just received the HR20's and that they will begin installing those. I then called the local service company (Orlando, Fl) doing the actual install for me and he assured me I will be getting the HR20. SO... either both reps were idiots or I am getting the HR20.  

I am sitting on a Dish VIP622 and canceled the Dish install based on me getting the HR20. If they try to install the HR10, I will probably call Dish and have them install my 622.  After having Dish for 3 years and DTV for 1, I can assure you DTV is lightyears ahead in customer service. I would MUCH prefer to stay with DTV, so hopefully I will get the HR20.

beullar


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

Likely an H20 (non DVR) or HR10 (no MPEG4).

Sorry. No chance it's an HR20.


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## ayrton911 (Sep 4, 2000)

If DirecTV had not been foolish and wanted to leave TiVo, they could have had a MPEG 4 box DVR by now and began adding national HD channels in MPEG4.


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

beullar said:


> I sure hope all you naysayers are wrong. I just scheduled my DTV HD install for Monday 12 june. I specifically asked about the HR20-250 and the DTV rep stated today that they just received the HR20's and that they will begin installing those. I then called the local service company (Orlando, Fl) doing the actual install for me and he assured me I will be getting the HR20. SO... either both reps were idiots or I am getting the HR20.
> 
> I am sitting on a Dish VIP622 and canceled the Dish install based on me getting the HR20. If they try to install the HR10, I will probably call Dish and have them install my 622.  After having Dish for 3 years and DTV for 1, I can assure you DTV is lightyears ahead in customer service. I would MUCH prefer to stay with DTV, so hopefully I will get the HR20.
> 
> beullar


You are going to be VERY disappointed when your installer arrives.
It is the H20 (as AbMagFab) stated.

The HR20 has not been released to market yet.

You might want to start making some calls.......


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## codespy (Jan 7, 2006)

Model # according to sources is actually the HR20-700.....300hrs SD recording/70hrs HD recording.....in beta now....no public release date yet.....same as R15 software.....


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## DevilishTX (Dec 31, 2002)

> Model # according to sources is actually the HR20-700.....300hrs SD recording/70hrs HD recording.....in beta now....no public release date yet.....*same as R15 software*.....


Ewww... Ewwww... and triple ewwwww..

Among all my DTV boxes (1HDTivo, 2 SD tivos), I have an R15.. I didn't think there could be a worse box than my old Comcast stuff... I was wrong.


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## ayrton911 (Sep 4, 2000)

Well, 70 hours HD would be nice.


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## codespy (Jan 7, 2006)

ayrton911 said:


> Well, 70 hours HD would be nice.


That's due to MPEG4 technology.....compression.....MPEG2 gives less recording time.....again.....technology.......try the R15 menu's.....see how you like.....compared to Tivo.


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## ayrton911 (Sep 4, 2000)

codespy said:


> That's due to MPEG4 technology.....compression.....MPEG2 gives less recording time.....again.....technology.......try the R15 menu's.....see how you like.....compared to Tivo.


Believe me I'm not saying I like directv DVRs. I hate directv for leaving tivo.


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

codespy said:


> Model # according to sources is actually the HR20-700.....300hrs SD recording/70hrs HD recording.....in beta now....no public release date yet.....same as R15 software.....


Couple Corrections:

The Model # is: HR20
The Manufacture Code is: 700 (at least for the initial release)

The interface is going to be the same as the R15, D10/D11, H20, ect...
(basically, all new DirecTV recievers are using the same interface)

However the guts underneath the Interface are not necessarily the same as the R15

Also, I have been told, we should see the HR20 available for commercial purchase in August 2006. More details should be coming over the upcomming weeks.

Since we can't dive it to great depths about the HR20 here at TCF, be sure to watch www.dbstalk.com


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

codespy said:


> Model # according to sources is actually the HR20-700.....300hrs SD recording/70hrs HD recording.....in beta now....no public release date yet.....same as R15 software.....


Those numbers don't add up. 700GB = ~600-700 SD hours, and ~70-90 HD hours. It's roughly 7-10:1.


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## willardcpa (Feb 23, 2001)

AbMagFab said:


> Those numbers don't add up. 700GB = ~600-700 SD hours, and ~70-90 HD hours. It's roughly 7-10:1.


Where did you get 700GB??


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

willardcpa said:


> Where did you get 700GB??


The "-700" has been used to indicate total drive size, so it's reasonable to assume that here. If not, that's lame as it's misleading.

The point is, the 70 hours of HD is not consistent with the 300 hours of SD. 300 hours of SD is about 30-40 hours of HD. Unless they're assuming all MPEG-4 HD, which is just silly.


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## Rob Dawn (Aug 16, 2002)

beullar said:


> I sure hope all you naysayers are wrong. I just scheduled my DTV HD install for Monday 12 june. I specifically asked about the HR20-250 and the DTV rep stated today that they just received the HR20's and that they will begin installing those. I then called the local service company (Orlando, Fl) doing the actual install for me and he assured me I will be getting the HR20. SO... either both reps were idiots or I am getting the HR20.


So, it's 13 June, did you get an HR20-xxx???


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## AstroDad (Jan 21, 2003)

no, he didn't


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

AbMagFab said:
 

> The "-700" has been used to indicate total drive size, so it's reasonable to assume that here. If not, that's lame as it's misleading.
> 
> The point is, the 70 hours of HD is not consistent with the 300 hours of SD. 300 hours of SD is about 30-40 hours of HD. Unless they're assuming all MPEG-4 HD, which is just silly.


The HR10-250 followed that marking.

But starting with the D10 (then the D11, R15, H20)

The numbers after the "-" denote the manufacturer of that particular box.

So the HR20-700 has a manufacturer code of 700, which has been reported by a few people to be PACE


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## djmasters (Dec 9, 2003)

FWIW, and that ain't much.....

The installer/repair person who came today said the HR20 was expected around the end of this month. Now, it's possible I wasn't paying close enough attention and he said "H20"... But he was here to work on my HR10 (the cable actaully) and I'm pretty sure he said "HR20".

I was installed about a month ago and he seemed surprised that I got a 3 LNB dish instead of a 5 LNB. He also menioned the receiver might be a free upgrade, but the new dish was going to cost $99...

Of course, all of this could be B.S.


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## doorpro (Dec 15, 2004)

mhn2 said:


> After speaking to DTV retention yesterday I mentionaed the lack of HD channels offered by DTV. The rep told me that they will be swapping out HR10-250 with the new Mpeg4 non-TiVo HR20-250 starting in December. She said she didn't have a definitive answer yet on whether there will be any charge to do so. I guess we'll have to wait and see.


Directv are sending me this new receiver after 9-11 but it is only available in the greater LA area at this time. i only hope that it is as simple as the Tivo format to use...


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## Special---K (Jun 16, 2006)

So to update on this whoe thing. Are hr10-250's being replaced by hr20-250's for free? I was lead to believe this by a direcTV phone rep a few months back.

also, the HR20-250 is NOT a Tivo, is that right?


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## morgantown (Mar 29, 2005)

Special---K said:


> So to update on this whoe thing. Are hr10-250's being replaced by hr20-250's for free? I was lead to believe this by a direcTV phone rep a few months back.
> 
> also, the HR20-250 is NOT a Tivo, is that right?


Not "really" in a wide release yet. Although more and more folks are gatting them across the country (supposedly just released in LA -- not necessarily true). Also some folks are getting a free swap with return, others free with no return (of HR10-250), and yet others are told the swap program is not started yet.

How's that for an answer? Really, check out www.dbstalk.com for info, there are hundreds of threads on the HR20.

FWIW, it is the HR20-700 (or more commonly referred to simply as the HR20).

Edit: No, it is not a TiVo


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## Special---K (Jun 16, 2006)

ok, thanks for the info


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