# HR10-250 will no longer get HD in 2 months



## shadyB (Sep 12, 2006)

According to the CSR (Samantha very nice lady) from DirecTV that I just talked to, the HD Tivo's will no longer be getting HD in about 2 months. Take this information with a grain of salt of course, but that was what I was told. The only deal they would give me for an upgrade was 199 for the HR20 and 19.95 for the shipping. So I am passing for now and hoping for a better deal comes here soon.

I paid 500 for my HR10-250 just 2 years ago, and now they want me to cough up another 200 to be able to lease the HR20. I hate to say it, but if they do not come up with a better deal than I will be moving to Verizon Fios TV. I already have it for Internet and it is superb. The triple play deal they are offering is very tempting, and I do not need NFL Sunday Ticket that bad.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

That is incorrect.

In about 2 months, the HR10-250 will not be able to access the new MPEG-4 HD streams.

Eventually, it will be true... that the HR10-250 will not be able to access any SAT based HD channels (it will always be able to get OTA HD networks).

But DirecTV will not be immediately converting the existing MPEG-2 channels to MPEG-4.

But it is not going to be "that much longer" after September, when the conversions do occur.


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## convem24 (Mar 11, 2007)

shadyB said:


> According to the CSR (Samantha very nice lady) from DirecTV that I just talked to, the HD Tivo's will no longer be getting HD in about 2 months. Take this information with a grain of salt of course, but that was what I was told. The only deal they would give me for an upgrade was 199 for the HR20 and 19.95 for the shipping. So I am passing for now and hoping for a better deal comes here soon.
> 
> I paid 500 for my HR10-250 just 2 years ago, and now they want me to cough up another 200 to be able to lease the HR20. I hate to say it, but if they do not come up with a better deal than I will be moving to Verizon Fios TV. I already have it for Internet and it is superb. The triple play deal they are offering is very tempting, and I do not need NFL Sunday Ticket that bad.


You might be able to get a CSR to give you a sweetheart deal. Do you have a good history with D*? Do you pay your bills, pay for a decent amount of service? If you do typically D* treats those customers with respect. However you must typically ask for what the current offer is for existing customers. Or you can do what many customers do (even though I disagree with the practice) and talk with customer retention. I would ask to talk with rentention if a customer service rep cannot help you out. Good Luck!


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## shadyB (Sep 12, 2006)

convem24 said:


> You might be able to get a CSR to give you a sweetheart deal. Do you have a good history with D*? Do you pay your bills, pay for a decent amount of service? If you do typically D* treats those customers with respect. However you must typically ask for what the current offer is for existing customers. Or you can do what many customers do (even though I disagree with the practice) and talk with customer retention. I would ask to talk with rentention if a customer service rep cannot help you out. Good Luck!


Yeah 8 year customer, always pay bills via EFT, and have a bill between 80-90 dollars. So I am in good standing. I did ask what deals they have and that was the best she could give me. Will have to try the retention department next time.

She could have been wrong, but she told me that the HR10-250 would not get any HD in 2 months. This was after she placed me on hold for a about 5 minutes to talk to someone. I was asking if the HR10-250 would get the Sunday Ticket in HD, which required her to put me on hold to ask. When she came back on the line, she told me I would not get any HD with my current receiver in around 2 months including the ST in HD.

Again we know sometimes CSR's are not the most well informed, and I will take Earl's word over her's. I just wanted to pass along what I was told. If any other HR10-250 users could call and ask similar questions, I would be interested to hear what you are told.


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## convem24 (Mar 11, 2007)

shadyB said:


> Yeah 8 year customer, always pay bills via EFT, and have a bill between 80-90 dollars. So I am in good standing. I did ask what deals they have and that was the best she could give me. Will have to try the retention department next time.
> 
> She could have been wrong, but she told me that the HR10-250 would not get any HD in 2 months. This was after she placed me on hold for a about 5 minutes to talk to someone. I was asking if the HR10-250 would get the Sunday Ticket in HD, which required her to put me on hold to ask. When she came back on the line, she told me I would not get any HD with my current receiver in around 2 months including the ST in HD.
> 
> Again we know sometimes CSR's are not the most well informed, and I will take Earl's word over her's. I just wanted to pass along what I was told.  If any other HR10-250 users could call and ask similar questions, I would be interested to hear what you are told.


Look at Earl's previous posting. He is right D* about your HR10-250 being able to still get HD service, also the HD Sunday Ticket games will have to be on the current system (what you are getting now). Ultimately D* will need to upgrade older Mpeg 2 HD customers but I have a distinct feeling knowing D* going to 2 sats for HD instead of 4 will make more sense from an install perspective and programmingin management perspective. Long term the HR10-250 will not work with the current system but with the leasing not ownership of equipment D* will have to put customers into upgrades instead of what you are doing now which is fighting for what you should be getting anyway (lease gives D* options to make sure customers are taken care of). I agree however the HD-DVRs need to become more inexpensive than they are now. I have heard rumors that there will be a basic level HD-DVR with few frills but the obvious DVR functionality, this maybe the way that D* can offer a cheap to free HD-DVR. I have the current HD-DVR and it is worth the money for a couple of reasons. Good luck with the CSRs.


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## texasbrit (Aug 9, 2006)

shadyB said:


> According to the CSR (Samantha very nice lady) from DirecTV that I just talked to, the HD Tivo's will no longer be getting HD in about 2 months. Take this information with a grain of salt of course, but that was what I was told. The only deal they would give me for an upgrade was 199 for the HR20 and 19.95 for the shipping. So I am passing for now and hoping for a better deal comes here soon.
> 
> I paid 500 for my HR10-250 just 2 years ago, and now they want me to cough up another 200 to be able to lease the HR20. I hate to say it, but if they do not come up with a better deal than I will be moving to Verizon Fios TV. I already have it for Internet and it is superb. The triple play deal they are offering is very tempting, and I do not need NFL Sunday Ticket that bad.


Many people with Hr10-250s have got much better deals on the Hr20 than the one you were offered. Some people report only paying the $20 for shipping. I suggest you call back and talk to another CSR.


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## shelland (Jul 10, 2007)

texasbrit said:


> Many people with Hr10-250s have got much better deals on the Hr20 than the one you were offered. Some people report only paying the $20 for shipping. I suggest you call back and talk to another CSR.


It took about 6 calls, but I eventually got a free one.

(but this is replacing my H10, not my HR10-250)


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## cavihitts (Mar 11, 2007)

texasbrit said:


> Many people with Hr10-250s have got much better deals on the Hr20 than the one you were offered. Some people report only paying the $20 for shipping. I suggest you call back and talk to another CSR.


The most a customer should pay for a HR20 if they have a HR10-250 is $99 + $19.95. I say most because there is a standard upgrade offer to switch people to the HR20 and that is the price. Of course some people have gotten better deals but that is a standard deal for that situation.


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## ShiningBengal (Jan 24, 2003)

shadyB said:


> Yeah 8 year customer, always pay bills via EFT, and have a bill between 80-90 dollars. So I am in good standing. I did ask what deals they have and that was the best she could give me. Will have to try the retention department next time.
> 
> She could have been wrong, but she told me that the HR10-250 would not get any HD in 2 months. This was after she placed me on hold for a about 5 minutes to talk to someone. I was asking if the HR10-250 would get the Sunday Ticket in HD, which required her to put me on hold to ask. When she came back on the line, she told me I would not get any HD with my current receiver in around 2 months including the ST in HD.
> 
> Again we know sometimes CSR's are not the most well informed, and I will take Earl's word over her's. I just wanted to pass along what I was told. If any other HR10-250 users could call and ask similar questions, I would be interested to hear what you are told.


The 5-minute wait is what they have been doing in the used car business (successfully) for years. She wasn't going to higher authority. She was just making you play her game.


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## bto4wd (Apr 17, 2007)

Keep calling. I eventually got 2 HR20s and Slimline dish for $110.

Well, that was the deal. Bill shows two HR20s at $198 and a $125 credit. Need to call them.


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## msmith (Apr 23, 2002)

bto4wd said:


> Keep calling. I eventually got 2 HR20s and Slimline dish for $110.
> 
> Well, that was the deal. Bill shows two HR20s at $198 and a $125 credit. Need to call them.


Uh.....

198 minus 125 = 73. 73 is less than 110, right?


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## ShiningBengal (Jan 24, 2003)

msmith said:


> Uh.....
> 
> 198 minus 125 = 73. 73 is less than 110, right?


198 x 2 = 396 - 125 = 271 > 110 (by 161)


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## bto4wd (Apr 17, 2007)

Correct.


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## msmith (Apr 23, 2002)

ShiningBengal said:


> 198 x 2 = 396 - 125 = 271 > 110 (by 161)


OH! $198 *EACH*

Now I get it. Never mind.


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Earl Bonovich said:


> But DirecTV will not be immediately converting the existing MPEG-2 channels to MPEG-4.
> 
> But it is not going to be "that much longer" after September, when the conversions do occur.


So, Earl, do you think they are talking weeks or just a few months after September that they will change to Mpeg 4 for everything? If so, I guess I will just have to suck it up and replace my HR10-250s. I was going to try to keep the HD TiVos and the HR20's going at the same time to keep as much as possible on the TiVos, but if I can;t get HBO, Showtime, ESPN, etc on the TiVo then it is just not worth it.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Lee L said:


> So, Earl, do you think they are talking weeks or just a few months after September that they will change to Mpeg 4 for everything? If so, I guess I will just have to suck it up and replace my HR10-250s. I was going to try to keep the HD TiVos and the HR20's going at the same time to keep as much as possible on the TiVos, but if I can;t get HBO, Showtime, ESPN, etc on the TiVo then it is just not worth it.


IMHO... months, but not a lot of months.


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## jordanzimmerman (Jan 20, 2006)

They are offering me a "free" box for shipping IF I agree to a 2 year commitment. This is pissing me off. I've been with DirecTV since the first sat went up. Comcast is going to have a true Tivo box in about a month. I just sent D* a flame-email. We'll see...


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## Chuck584 (Apr 17, 2007)

jordanzimmerman said:


> They are offering me a "free" box for shipping IF I agree to a 2 year commitment. This is pissing me off. I've been with DirecTV since the first sat went up. Comcast is going to have a true Tivo box in about a month. I just sent D* a flame-email. We'll see...


Be aware that the HR20 is not a TiVo box and never will be.

Take time to consider all options before committing to the 2 year agreement to get the HR20.

If you use the TiVo to keep track fo two channels at a time (as in watch a baseball and football game), be aware the HR20 has a "single live buffer" where the TiVo has the "double live buffer".

For me, TiVo is important enough to switch providers. I'd wait to see what deal Comcast rolls out with their TiVo with Video On Demand (real VOD, not VOD as in shows you saved on hard disk).

When I signed up for HD in April, the sales CSR said double live buffer was a priority and I'd have TiVo-like functionality. Earl has just told me "double live buffer" is not being developed. "TiVo-like functionality" means "bares bones DVR which works most of the time".

D* Customer Service has told me, over the past week, that I can't use two HR20s in one room, I can use 2 HR20s in one room only if I use two TVs, and they didn't know how I could program the RC34 remote to control 2 HR20s.

I called about a second HR20. $299 plus shipping. I asked about the cancellation fee, second HR20 free plus shipping.

The good news is D* and TiVo annouced today that D* TiVo customers will get most of the features the rest of TiVo world has enjoyed for years sometime around January.

I'd like to think there is a glimmer of hope that D* realizes the mess their DVRs are compared to TiVo and may head down the path to enlightenment.
:lol:


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Chuck584 said:


> Be aware that the HR20 is not a TiVo box and never will be.


Nor was it ever billed or designed to be a TiVo Box



Chuck584 said:


> For me, TiVo is important enough to switch providers. I'd wait to see what deal Comcast rolls out with their TiVo with Video On Demand (real VOD, not VOD as in shows you saved on hard disk).


So you know how the DirecTV version is going to work? Have you seen it already?
You won't be able to watch it while it was streaming down?



Chuck584 said:


> When I signed up for HD in April, the sales CSR said double live buffer was a priority and I'd have TiVo-like functionality. Earl has just told me "double live buffer" is not being developed. "TiVo-like functionality" means "bares bones DVR which works most of the time".


Well the sales person was wrong... 
And that was yesterday (and it is the same statement that I have made for nearly a year now, if not longer).... So if the lack of DLB... makes it BARE BONES... wow... there is some good meat on those BARE BONES



Chuck584 said:


> D* Customer Service has told me, over the past week, that I can't use two HR20s in one room, I can use 2 HR20s in one room only if I use two TVs, and they didn't know how I could program the RC34 remote to control 2 HR20s.


Again... CSR mis information... it has been a problem for a LONG time... this is nothing new... 
Same CSRs that have told people they can just add the BBC's to HR10-250s to make them work....

Doesn't change the fact that it can be done...



Chuck584 said:


> The good news is D* and TiVo annouced today that D* TiVo customers will get most of the features the rest of TiVo world has enjoyed for years sometime around January.


The rest? three features have been stated:
Online scheduling of recordings... Undelete... and smart padding of recordings

So is that all that was missing on the DTivos?

BTW: None of that changes anything about the future of the HR10-250...
It still won't be able to access the new HD recordings, nor any of the HD MPEG-2 SAT based recordings in the relative near future.
No software update can change that


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