# Need to Purchase 3 HR10-250's Were Should I purchase?



## Minge (May 8, 2004)

I am in the market to purchase, not lease, three HR10-250's were is the best source as of right now to purchase these units? There are a handful on Ebay but not from anyone I have ever dealt with. Any source ideas would be greatly appreciated.


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

Try one of the forum sponsors listed at the top. I'd buy new. And, when activated make sure that DirecTV doesn't list them as "leased".


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

I have always had good kick with weaKnees. I didn't buy my HD box from them, but plenty of other TiVo items. If they were an eBay seller, they would get A+++++ feedback from me.


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

I'd get them from www.valueelectronics.com.


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## ScubaCat3 (May 19, 2005)

Most retail stores should still have some...


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## Mike Lang (Nov 17, 1999)

dswallow said:


> I'd get them from www.valueelectronics.com.


Ditto


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

I dont get it...how can the internet guys sell for the same price as they did before and this still be "own" not lease? I had heard all sorts of stories that owned boxes would jump in price and that the 499 would be a lease, even from the internet stores. Yet the prices remain the same (thankfully)

how many of us are kicking ourselves for not getting more 300-400 boxes last fall? 

PS weaknees is 10 bucks cheaper than VE


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## Wirelezz (Jan 27, 2006)

*Screamin' deal at newegg.com right now, $398.00!!:*


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

zoinks he's right Batman! I guess I gotta evaluate things tonight to see if i should do this...that's a great price


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## Wirelezz (Jan 27, 2006)

newsposter said:


> zoinks he's right Batman! I guess I gotta evaluate things tonight to see if i should do this...that's a great price


Yah, this just kills me. I purchased my HR10-250 from newegg last January for $489.00. But then considering my final cost was $289.00 after D*'s $200 rebate I guess I came out pretty good after all... :up:


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## HDTivoDesire (Apr 6, 2003)

I paid $1000 for mine in April 2004. Worth every penny.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

well 398 is a shocker as I was almost ready for 499 so this is almost a sign indeed. Any idea how long this has been up and will be up? I'm assuming at least through saturday, which is when most sales etc end.


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## Minge (May 8, 2004)

Purchased three units this morning from Value Electronics. Great customer service on the phone thanks for the tip!!


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

just curious....for 3 units why didn't you go 100 cheaper at newegg? (assuming $300 is something to sneeze at)


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## rbreding (Dec 12, 2004)

Minge said:


> Purchased three units this morning from Value Electronics. Great customer service on the phone thanks for the tip!!


Let us know what D* said after you try and activate them. Did they try and push the "lease" model ?


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## Kamakzie (Jan 8, 2004)

I can vouge for Value Electronics as well.. Great People..


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

rbreding said:


> Let us know what D* said after you try and activate them. Did they try and push the "lease" model ?


dtv better not make him lease it. I have it in writing from robert that you have the option when you buy from him. he said if you lease, you get a lifetime warranty from directv but if you choose own, you only get a 1 year directv warranty. Fair trade off if you ask me. Own = assume risk.


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## rbreding (Dec 12, 2004)

I am curious about the purchase from newegg....if that one will be lease/own. One of the reviewers posted that they got it activated as own, but it took a little effort.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

I saw that...i'll let you know by friday for sure.


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## denary (Sep 30, 2002)

If I was to go with the newegg offer would I also need to get a new dish?


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

what dish do you have now? If you dont have the triple lnb and want to see any other satellites like the 110 and 119 (HD stuff like espn, HDnet etc), you need to get one yes. The round dish only gets the 101. 

Now if you are only interested in the same channels you get now and just want the OTA recording ability and dont care about the HD directv stuff, I dont see why you couldn't just keep the round dish and only receive the 101. Guided setup will time out eventually trying to seek the other 2 birds but that's only an issue whenever you boot up. 



The dish is about 50 bucks but i haven't priced one lately.


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## denary (Sep 30, 2002)

newsposter said:


> what dish do you have now? If you dont have the triple lnb and want to see any other satellites like the 110 and 119 (HD stuff like espn, HDnet etc), you need to get one yes. The round dish only gets the 101.
> 
> Now if you are only interested in the same channels you get now and just want the OTA recording ability and dont care about the HD directv stuff, I dont see why you couldn't just keep the round dish and only receive the 101. Guided setup will time out eventually trying to seek the other 2 birds but that's only an issue whenever you boot up.
> 
> The dish is about 50 bucks but i haven't priced one lately.


Thanks for the input. I have a dual lnb currently with the orginal round dish. I recently purchased a HDTV set and am trying to determine what I need to do to take advantage of HD content.

SD on my set in less then thrilling


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## njmurvin (Apr 17, 2003)

Saw them yesterday at Costco = $429. 

I paid $549 there on 2/28 while the $200 rebate was still in effect.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

denary said:


> Thanks for the input. I have a dual lnb currently with the orginal round dish. I recently purchased a HDTV set and am trying to determine what I need to do to take advantage of HD content.
> 
> SD on my set in less then thrilling


I know nothing about 2lnb dishes. Pehaps this FAQ can help

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=151443

and if you go here

http://www.widemovies.com/dtvtransponders.html

you can look down the left side and see what is on the 110 and 119 exactly to see what you are shooting for channel wise. I can't see the 119 because of a big tree in my way  So except for OTA, HD hbo and sho are all i get.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

wire thanks for the 398 deal!

xposting this since info is relevant to those trying to activate owned units. 

Prior to buying $398 newegg HDtivo, i emailed directv and asked if it would be owned or leased. They said owned, in writing. Called tonight to activate it (via my superspecial toll free number of course). the dude asked how much I paid. I said what difference does that make? I guess I could have lied and said 800 since he told me I needed to pay that much for an owned receiver and if it was only 400 then it's leased. 

But instead I reiterated that I emailed 2 online retailers AND DTV and they all said owned. He then transferred me to (I assume) the access card dept, since that's what i said he should do. Then she started in with the lease etc and I had to retell the story again. As soon as she heard the word ONLINE purchase, she changed her tone immediately and said she'd change it to owned right away and thanked me for being 'the best customer' and she was glad she could help me.

So the key word appears to be 'online.' Good luck everyone and make sure you write down days/times you call and who you talked to.


geez online statement now says lease...gotta email i guess


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## HofstraJet (Jul 19, 2001)

Had a friend who purchased one from Weaknees last week and I activated for him, no lease, no problems. Just be *very * clear and stubborn when you call that you purchased it and it is not a leased item.


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## rbreding (Dec 12, 2004)

Received my unit (3rd HDTIVO) yesterday, loaded my prehacked image, and called to activate it today. Just told her that I wanted to activate a new HDTIVO that I purchased from Newegg. Mentioned that they (Newegg) stated that the unit would be a "owned" unit and not a "leased" unit. She said OK, I told her what to label the unit as, she got the info, activated it, and I reminded her again about the unit being owned at the end of the call and she said she notated it on the account and unit.

Piece of cake...

Thanks for the deal.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

did you check your online bill?

i just got an email from dtv and they confirmed it's owned and now my bill is changed from leased to owned.

04/12/2006 xxxxxxxx Leased Receiver $2.83 $0.17 $2.83
04/12/2006 xxxxxxxx Additional Receiver - Disconnect Adj $-2.83 $-0.17 $-2.83
04/13/2006 xxxxxxxx Additional Receiver - Charge $2.66 $0.16 $2.66
04/13/2006 xxxxxxxx Leased Receiver $-2.66 $-0.16 $-2.66


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## rbreding (Dec 12, 2004)

Yep... 

04/13/2006 xxxxxxxxXXXX Additional Receiver - Charge $4.99 $0.00 $4.99 

04/13/2006 xxxxxxxxXXXX Leased Receiver $-4.99 $-0.44 $-4.99 

04/13/2006 xxxxxxxxXXXX Leased Receiver $4.99 $0.44 $4.99


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## Rhughes (Jan 14, 2001)

newsposter said:


> So the key word appears to be 'online.' Good luck everyone and make sure you write down days/times you call and who you talked to.
> 
> geez online statement now says lease...gotta email i guess


I hate to laugh at another's misfortune, but that really made me laugh.


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## rbreding (Dec 12, 2004)

Rhughes said:


> I hate to laugh at another's misfortune, but that really made me laugh.


Is that heat in Arizona getting to you ? Not even sure what 'misfortune' you are talking about, much less laughing at.

Weirdos


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

Rhughes said:


> I hate to laugh at another's misfortune, but that really made me laugh.


well i had my ducks in a row per the emails i sent. Tis better to have a box full of ammo and not need than the other way around


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## cp1966 (Feb 28, 2004)

With the new 3 year agreement, does that mean these will still be good for another 3 years? And what kind of "specials" are people getting when they up their service to HD?

And just to confirm, will this machine record OTA HD if I have an OTA antanae hooked up to the back, or just act as a tuner for a signal to go to the TV?


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## etsolow (Feb 8, 2001)

Yes, it will record OTA HD.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

cp1966 said:


> With the new 3 year agreement, does that mean these will still be good for another 3 years? And what kind of "specials" are people getting when they up their service to HD?
> 
> And just to confirm, will this machine record OTA HD if I have an OTA antanae hooked up to the back, or just act as a tuner for a signal to go to the TV?


actually they should be good a lot longer than 3 years. I was just informed (via another thread) that SD wont be mpeg4 for quite the while. so if all you care about is SD and OTA, you will be set for many many years.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

I dont disagree that for OTA and SD they will work basically forever. You;ll likely even get all the current HD channels for a decent amount of time. But people should keep in mind that there will be plenty of new channels in HD over the course of the next few years. 

Even if nothing new shows up this year (good possibility) D*10 and 11 will go up in 2007 with room for 150 National HD channels. Presumably most every HD channel available will then go up in MPEG4 on those 2 birds and D*/Fox will lunch a voom like package of new channels too. If HD is important enough to fork over $400 and agree to another 2 years, Id have to think for many people some of those new channels would be compelling and then an MPEG4 would become a necessity. 

So yes the HR10 will work for a long time but will you be happy with it for the whole time- thats the question? If you plan to use it as a hand me down on a lesser set than so be it but if youre expecting it to keep you happy at your main HD viewing area, it might not. Just make sure you factor that into any decisions. 

Myself having an HD tivo for my first set was worth a thousand even if its short lived. But to get a second I just cant pull the trigger. To each his/her own.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

MichaelK said:


> Myself having an HD tivo for my first set was worth a thousand even if its short lived. But to get a second I just cant pull the trigger. To each his/her own.


Sorry you missed the cheap prices last year. After my $50 unit, i had no trouble paying newegg 398 for my 2nd one.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

newsposter said:


> Sorry you missed the cheap prices last year. After my $50 unit, i had no trouble paying newegg 398 for my 2nd one.


Honestly $400 (or the 100ish) people were getting for that short time) is not a stretch for me. What I am most offended by is the 2-year commitment for service that at best cant match or beat the cable offering in my area until at least summer of 2007 when DirecTV 10 or 11 come online and an MPEG4 HD DVR is available. Even then the NDS DVR is likely to be sub par even by cable standards while I should be sitting pretty with a pair of Series 3 cablecard Tivos. Directv just needs to make a major leap somehow to give me a reason to stay so I just cant bring myself to spend another dime on harware or agree to a single day more by way of commitment.

I know Its fairly easy to get out of the contract, but I also dont want to let them think I somehow approve of the pathetic state their HD offering is in at the current time. I want to speak with my pocketbook. After the last price increase for the first time in my 8+ years with them I downgraded my service. Im still so pissed I think after I get another couple weeks of stuff from discovery HD that Ill be canceling the HD pack too. The tivo series 3 cant come fast enough for me- it really cant. I hate cable, really despise it on a base level, but at this point Directv has so disgusted me that I see Cable with Tivo series 3 as the lessor of 2 evils.

Just my feelings- like I said to each his own.


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## Sir_winealot (Nov 18, 2000)

newsposter said:


> Sorry you missed the cheap prices last year. After my $50 unit, i had no trouble paying newegg 398 for my 2nd one.


I'm thinking of buying a 2nd unit (1st unit starting to reboot more frequently so it would be nice to have a backup) and this seems like the best price around...how was your buying experience with them? Any problems?


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## Dirac (Oct 18, 2002)

Newegg has been fantastic for me... I've purchased thousands of dollars of stuff through them, but all computer/photo related. They do charge sales tax in CA, and I think in TN.


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## bgut1 (Apr 21, 2003)

Dirac said:


> Newegg has been fantastic for me... I've purchased thousands of dollars of stuff through them, but all computer/photo related. They do charge sales tax in CA, and I think in TN.


And don't forget New Jersey.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

Sir_whinealot said:


> I'm thinking of buying a 2nd unit (1st unit starting to reboot more frequently so it would be nice to have a backup) and this seems like the best price around...how was your buying experience with them? Any problems?


ordered over a weekend...so it didn't get sent out until monday night...got it wednesday afternoon....pretty good if you ask me for 8 bucks shipping plus 398


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## mgamon (Oct 16, 2004)

Pardon my ignorance, but why do we want it to be owned, not leased? What advantage is that?

Max


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

mgamon said:


> Pardon my ignorance, but why do we want it to be owned, not leased? What advantage is that?


If it's owned: :up:

- You can upgrade it as you see fit and/or sell it when you no longer have a need for it.

If it's leased: :down:

- You get to pay the same prices for equipment and service as if it is owned and get to pay to ship it back to DirecTV when you no longer have a need for it.


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

mgamon said:


> Pardon my ignorance, but why do we want it to be owned, not leased? What advantage is that?


Primarily it's because the lease option is in no way better or even cheaper than purchasing.

With a purchase you'll pay up front, pay a monthly fee for programming or mirroring and when you end your subscription you own the equipment and can sell it and recoup some or all of your up front purchase price.

With a lease you'll still pay up front, pay a monthly fee for programming or mirroring and when you end your subscription will be required to return the equipment.

Where exactly is the leasing advantage? Nowhere except in DirecTV's favor.


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## bgut1 (Apr 21, 2003)

dswallow said:



> Primarily it's because the lease option is in no way better or even cheaper than purchasing.
> 
> With a purchase you'll pay up front, pay a monthly fee for programming or mirroring and when you end your subscription you own the equipment and can sell it and recoup some or all of your up front purchase price.
> 
> ...


Doug - The only "advantage" to leasing is the lifetime warranty. Owning is defintely better if you don't intend to keep the box for a long time.


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## Sir_winealot (Nov 18, 2000)

newsposter said:


> ordered over a weekend...so it didn't get sent out until monday night...got it wednesday afternoon....pretty good if you ask me for 8 bucks shipping plus 398


Thanks! I see that Value Electronics offers a 5 year warranty... I'm assuming that covers hd failure.

Is 5 years worth spending an additional $100? Hmmmmm


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## bluemnm (Apr 25, 2006)

My understanding was, from my conversation with a D* rep, is with the lease, can't you also exchange your HD reciever later on if it becomes obsolete? I would much rather own, but if leasing means you always have compatible harware, that's a good thing.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

Sir_whinealot said:


> Thanks! I see that Value Electronics offers a 5 year warranty... I'm assuming that covers hd failure.
> 
> Is 5 years worth spending an additional $100? Hmmmmm


it's a backdoor way (not saying it's intentional) of getting you into an mpeg4 dvr. Even roberts site says the warranty transfers to the new dvr. so in X months, they are gonna run out of hdtivos to send out to us. Then we will have to get new dvrs in place of our tivos.

I truly dont know if he will just send you out a new hard drive...you'll hvae to check around here for people who had bad drives but i'm betting he just sends you a refurb. Email him...he's quick at writing back.

i bought one of his last year but all this leasing stuff wasn't even a thought back then.


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## Sir_winealot (Nov 18, 2000)

Definitely something to consider as long as the replacement would be another HR10-250, but you're right...they're gonna run out of them sometime.

If I purchase a unit from Robert, and the thing craps out in 14 months I don't wanna end up w/the new DTV HD unit...unless they somehow work out all the bugs (not holding my breath). 

Although MPEG 4 sounds tempting, my OTA is almost flawless and unless they add the SciFi channel, TBS, USA and a couple others I'm not really interested.

I'll drop Robert a line and ax what the deal is though...


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## gsr (Sep 30, 2002)

Looks like another NewEgg success. I received a HR10-250 from NewEgg earlier this week and hooked it up this morning. The DirecTV rep said it would be leased, so I politely objected. She said she would have to transfer me to another department to take care of that, but finished activating the receiver. Once transfered to the other department, it only took a few minutes to get things resolved. Dealing with the lease versus own issue was pretty painless - being firm but polite worked for me. I just checked my online statement:

04/29/2006 xxxxxxxxYYYY Additional Receiver - Charge $0.33 $0.00 $0.33 
04/29/2006 xxxxxxxxYYYY Leased Receiver $-0.33 $-0.02 $-0.33 
04/29/2006 xxxxxxxxYYYY Leased Receiver $0.33 $0.02 $0.33 

The $0.33 represents a partial month (my other receivers are listed as "Additional Receiver- Charge $4.99" for the full month for the bill at the start of the month).

So I now have 2 HR10-250's and 3 HDVR2's in my main system (once I clear off what's been taped, I'll have 2 HDVR2's and move the 3rd one to another room, put it up on ebay, or keep it around as a spare if one of the others ever dies). I'm debating about replacing another one of the HDVR2's with another HR10-250, but honestly don't see myself ever needing more than 4 HD tuners at a time and if I did, I have accessDTV HD tuner cards in my PC's which would allow me to record up to 4 more shows at a time (though "limited" to OTA for them) - I suppose that probably ought to be enough .


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## summerall (Aug 5, 2001)

I emailed DTV and asked if a newegg purchased HDTivo would be considered lease and they said YES. A HDTivo purchased from newegg is considered a lease unit. What am I missing here? How can they claim a unit a lease unit?


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

summer good question....my answer was owned...and the 2nd rep i talked to agreed with me...i'd try emailing again until you get the answer you want 

i know it shouldn't be this difficult but you gotta remember who you are dealing with here. And some haven't even mailed at all. Just argued on the phone with them. It's your choice how you want to fight of course  

now you see why some people go to cable


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## gsr (Sep 30, 2002)

When I asked DirecTV before I made my purchase from NewEgg, I got a vague response that anything bought from DirecTV was leased and anything bought elsewhere might be leased or might be owned - they wouldn't commit one way or the other on NewEgg. When I asked NewEgg via online chat, I got a very direct answer that it would be owned. Bottom line is when I activated it I had to talk with a few people, but ended up with it marked as owned on my account.


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## Bicster (Feb 17, 2005)

Well, I just bought one of these from Newegg under the impression it would be owned ... I'll follow up here when I activate it. DTV is also giving me a $200 service credit and $20 off per mo. for 6 months, so the net cost is around $85 with the 2-yr agreement. Getting out of that agreement is not so bad, it's prorated at $12.50/mo over two years.


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## ayrton911 (Sep 4, 2000)

Bicster said:


> Well, I just bought one of these from Newegg under the impression it would be owned ... I'll follow up here when I activate it. DTV is also giving me a $200 service credit and $20 off per mo. for 6 months, so the net cost is around $85 with the 2-yr agreement. Getting out of that agreement is not so bad, it's prorated at $12.50/mo over two years.


Sweet about the $200. I should have tried that. What did you have to do, to get it?


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## denary (Sep 30, 2002)

ayrton911 said:


> Sweet about the $200. I should have tried that. What did you have to do, to get it?


Yeah...this is great news....any more details?


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## doug25 (Oct 4, 2005)

Why would you want to buy the Units? Do they have uses other than receiving D-TV?


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

doug25 said:


> Why would you want to buy the Units? Do they have uses other than receiving D-TV?


leasing means you legally can't crack open the case to put a bigger drive in or do other stuff. Also, if you decide to leave directv, you can sell your owned box and try to recover a few bucks. if you lease, you just paid the same 400 as owned but can't do that and must return the box instead.

If you are definitely never interested in cracking the case nor selling the tivo to recoup costs, leasing does make the most sense. Also i've read that they will replace your bad box for 'free' when you lease but dont know all those details.


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## Bicster (Feb 17, 2005)

ayrton911 said:


> Sweet about the $200. I should have tried that. What did you have to do, to get it?


Actually about $85! I just called them and told them one of my buddies got one from them for $199 and asked for their best deal. The deal they offered was $499+tax, minus $200 instant rebate or service credit, minus $20 * 6 months. Then I asked if I could buy it at retail instead of direct, and get the same service credits. The rep said no problem. I ended up buying for $405 shipped, no tax. When I called to activate it, they applied the $200 credit to my bill, though it did take about 30 minutes.

Unfortunately it showed up on my account as a leased unit. I e-mailed customer service about it and they confirmed it's leased. I will call them later, when I am less upset about it! As far as I am concerned it's bait and switch, since NOBODY at DirecTV mentioned leasing at all and Newegg says it's an owned unit. The reviews on Newegg state that several people have had this problem, but that they _can_ be convinced to fix it.


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## newsshooterderek (Nov 13, 2001)

So, is it necessary to contact Customer Retention when activating in order to get the "owned" status along with the $200 rebate and credits?


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## Bicster (Feb 17, 2005)

So far I've just e-mailed them. I just e-mailed them again. They asked me to fax a copy of the sales receipt on the basis that the price somehow determined whether it was owned vs. leased... I e-mailed back with the appropriate bullet points and urged them politely to reconsider their position.

Aside: Since Newegg is selling them without any activation requirement, they appear not to be a DirecTV affiliate and I do not see how they could possibly be leased. I wonder if they purchased a bunch of excess inventory of HR10-250's from TiVo? Mere speculation...


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## Bicster (Feb 17, 2005)

newsshooterderek said:


> So, is it necessary to contact Customer Retention when activating in order to get the "owned" status along with the $200 rebate and credits?


To get the $200 I had to speak with retentions after activating. It took a long time, but they had already made notes in my account that it would be done after activation, so I did not have any problems with that...just a long wait. The CSR who activated the unit said that $200 was beyond her limit.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

Bicster said:


> So far I've just e-mailed them. I just e-mailed them again. They asked me to fax a copy of the sales receipt on the basis that the price somehow determined whether it was owned vs. leased..


I got that on the phone when i activited it. The guy virtually indicated if i paid 800 it's owned but i was too honest and said i got it from newegg but then i did say why does the price matter?

Thing is, they have no idea what their own policies are. or they are bending the rules for us that get from 3rd party vendors. Even so, makes them look bad for not being consistent.


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## Rhughes (Jan 14, 2001)

rbreding said:


> Is that heat in Arizona getting to you ? Not even sure what 'misfortune' you are talking about, much less laughing at.
> 
> Weirdos


I was just responding to Newsposter's detailed gyrations he went through with *D* who assured him that his unit would be entered as purchased. He thought everything was taken care of until he saw his invoice, and it said "leased."


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

Some newbie CSR over at DBSforums is saying that if you BUY the unit there is no 2-year commitment but if you lease it there is.

IF (big IF) that is true- than leasing for 499 is completely insane when newegg is selling them to be owned.


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## ayrton911 (Sep 4, 2000)

MichaelK said:


> Some newbie CSR over at DBSforums is saying that if you BUY the unit there is no 2-year commitment but if you lease it there is.
> 
> IF (big IF) that is true- than leasing for 499 is completely insane when newegg is selling them to be owned.


I think this CSR *might* be right. I say that because when I activated my Newegg (told them right away I bought it owned) I had to sign no documents, nothing with the receiver mentioned a commitment, and when I activated no contract was mentioned.


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## Bicster (Feb 17, 2005)

In my case, the reason there is a commitment is because of the kickback they offered. That's fair.

In the past I have purchased used DTiVo's on eBay and they made me commit to one year to activate them. I don't know if that's what should have happened, but it's the way things worked out. I was not too happy about that.

I got another e-mail from DirecTV telling me it would be a week or so before they get back to me again on the leased vs. owned thing.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

my newegg owned has a 2yr commitment. Can you all check your online bills to see if it's listed or not?


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## Bicster (Feb 17, 2005)

Yes, mine has a 2-yr commitment, but I was told that was merely due to the $320 in kickbacks.

The cost of breaking the commitment is $300 pro-rated over 24 months... i.e., $12.50/mo.


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## etsolow (Feb 8, 2001)

How does a commitment show up on the bill? I don't see anything that looks like one, but what am I looking for?


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## D'Ecosse (May 24, 2006)

Still same deal? - looks like price is still $389 at NewEgg - is DirecTV still recognizing this as purchase, not lease? 
I was going to hold off a few months for local channel off-sat with the HR-250 (no off-air access where I am) but this still looks like a good interim, plus with the ability to keep Tivo system. I guess for a net $79 I still have everything I currently have plus the available HD programming with exception of the local access in HD.

I have already confirmed I will get the $200 rebate plus the $20/mo, but should I save that discount for the HR-250  
(or is it likely I will be able to get the same deal again with the rebate when HR20 is available) 

Decisions, decisions!


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

if you need 2 tuners, net 79 for 250 gigs of tivo isn't too bad in my opinion. Not getting OTA hampers you a lot of course now. But i'd jump on a 79 buck unit as long as you dont mind the 2 yr commitment and go into it knowing exactly what channels you will receive

It's a gamble but i personally am guessing it's only gonna cost about 100 bucks to upgrade to the dvr this year. But no one knows for 100% certainty the true cost. 

I used the HDtivo (last year) as a path to the mpeg4 dvr cheaply. However now, i'd probably decline an upgrade and just pay extra for the mpeg4 and keep tivo


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## cp1966 (Feb 28, 2004)

How or what are people doing to get $200 or $320 in kickbacks?


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## D'Ecosse (May 24, 2006)

Ask for customer retention when you get the first CSA or just send an e-mail to customer service and 'suggest' that you are considering a switch to cable because of the prohibitive cost of the equipment. 

Be nice, no threats just that it is becoming a hard decision for you to stay with D* as you move to HDTV because of the competitive position. 
I sent an e-mail via the on-site template, got a reply within an hour & a call within 2 hrs from a customer retention agent saying they didn't want to lose me as one of their top customers & what could they do? I told them my issue was the prohibitive cost of the equipment & the offer came right at me, no 'haggling' just straight out with the whole offer of the $200 plus $120 programing credit ($20/mo - 6 months)


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## D'Ecosse (May 24, 2006)

newsposter said:


> ...I used the HDtivo (last year) as a path to the mpeg4 dvr cheaply. However now, i'd probably decline an upgrade and just pay extra for the mpeg4 and keep tivo


Thanks for feedback - can you explain further, lost me with the last bit ....  
I think you're saying that you wouldn't upgrade but keep the HR10 & get another outright HR-20. Any technical reasons to that or simply that you would use the other receiver anyway? 
I keep hearing that the HR20 being non-Tivo DVR will not be so good as Tivo units - have to say I love the Tivo interface.


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## cp1966 (Feb 28, 2004)

D'Ecosse said:


> Ask for customer retention when you get the first CSA or just send an e-mail to customer service and 'suggest' that you are considering a switch to cable because of the prohibitive cost of the equipment.
> 
> Be nice, no threats just that it is becoming a hard decision for you to stay with D* as you move to HDTV because of the competitive position.
> I sent an e-mail via the on-site template, got a reply within an hour & a call within 2 hrs from a customer retention agent saying they didn't want to lose me as one of their top customers & what could they do? I told them my issue was the prohibitive cost of the equipment & the offer came right at me, no 'haggling' just straight out with the whole offer of the $200 plus $120 programing credit ($20/mo - 6 months)


So a $499 charge for the HR10-250 with a 5 lnb dish, installation, and then a $200 credit bringing the price down to $299? Thats liveable.


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

D'Ecosse said:


> Thanks for feedback - can you explain further, lost me with the last bit ....
> I think you're saying that you wouldn't upgrade but keep the HR10 & get another outright HR-20. Any technical reasons to that or simply that you would use the other receiver anyway?
> I keep hearing that the HR20 being non-Tivo DVR will not be so good as Tivo units - have to say I love the Tivo interface.


my original reason getting HDtivo was i needed 2 tuners and more drive space. I heard HDtivos were cheap via this board. I got one. at the time, i figured if they upgrade me cheap/free, cool

then i got to like it so much, i decided that since my OTA came in great, i'd only buy mpeg4 if enough HD was on it.

hope that helps..if not lemme know


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## D'Ecosse (May 24, 2006)

cp1966 said:


> So a $499 charge for the HR10-250 with a 5 lnb dish, installation, and then a $200 credit bringing the price down to $299? Thats liveable.


HR10-250 uses a 3LNB dish currently; the 5 LNB is for the new HR20-250 HD-DVR system (not out yet) or the non-DVR H20 model currently available.
You can buy the HR10-250 even cheaper ($398) at Newegg & STILL get the rebates. Don't think dish is included at either directv or newgg at those prices (maybe dtv, check with them)


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## cp1966 (Feb 28, 2004)

Ok, when I called a few weeks ago, I could get the H20, 5LNB dish installed for $99.

I will call tommorow and see what they offer.


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## drober30 (Apr 23, 2004)

After reading this thread my take on this is $499 up front for a leased box is ridicules! 

However, if you can get the box from D* for around $200 and it has a lifetime warranty then I think that is a good deal.

I dont plan on upgrading any of my TiVos so cracking the box is not a concern but might be for others.

The unknown here is how D* will handle the HR10-250 when the new HR20-250 comes out. In other words, if you own can you upgrade right away or choose not to upgrade. If you lease will you be forced to upgrade?

This is what it states on Circuit City web site under the HR10-250. 
"Note: DIRECTV® services sold separately. A maximum of six (6) receivers may be leased per year, but not more than two (2) DVR receivers, two (2) HD receivers and one (1) HD DVR receiver may by leased in a given year. A separate monthly equipment leasing fee of $4.99 applies."

I thought this was interesting. Why would D* limit the number of boxes you can have?


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

maybe they wont have enuf for everyone?

dish does this... i read if you want more than 1 HD dvr, you are out of luck


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## drober30 (Apr 23, 2004)

Originally Posted by cp1966
So a $499 charge for the HR10-250 with a 5 lnb dish, installation, and then a $200 credit bringing the price down to $299? Thats liveable. 

I just tried to get the $200 credit and the best they would do was a $ 10.00 credit per month for 12 months. So, $120.00 in credits. It's not all up front but hey, I have to pay my bill anyway.

Mostly it was because the rep saw I had a $200 credit on my first one and a $250 credit on my second one. Overall they have been very generous as a company as not many companies are willing to hand out credits just for asking. I mean my first box was $999.99 but I would have bought it anyway the discounts just made it seem less painful.

I like the idea of the lifetime warranty. I have had two boxes fail on me and D* replaced them.


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## cp1966 (Feb 28, 2004)

I have a question as to how many RG6 runs ( from the dish to the receiver) I need for the 3 LNB dish needed for the h10-250. I know the 5 LNB for the H20 (?) needs 4, but how bout the triple for the H10-250? And does anyone have an idea as to how many cable runs for the upcoming H20-250?

Are there good outdoor switches to combine 4 or 3 runs on the outside to 2, then back to 3 or 4 on the inside, so I can use my current 2 lines without having to add more?


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

if you have only HDtivo you only need 2 lines...but your sig says you have 2 more tivos...so if that's the case, you need a multiswitch with at least 6 lines out...and all 4 lines in to the m/s are necessary


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## cp1966 (Feb 28, 2004)

I understand that, but right now I have a dual LNB on the roof feeding all 4 (Im not using the dual tuner function). But for the new HDTivo I can use a different dish (keeping my rooftop dual LNB) and having the new dish feed the HDTivo only. 

Otherwise, I have lots more wiring to run.

IF I replace my rooftop dish, which only has 2 cables running to my 3x4 multiswitch, I will have to run more wires inside my house. It would be easier for me to just add a dish and run thos cables directly to where the HDTivo would go.


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