# HR24-500 & AM21



## bwclark (Nov 10, 2005)

Will these two work together? I need the AM21 for OTA locals, and am willing to get the HR24 to upgrade an existing HR20-100 unit.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

Yep, works on mine.


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## bwclark (Nov 10, 2005)

Since the HR24-500 has two sat. coaxial inputs how does the AM21 connect to the HR24?

Does the sat coaxial go to the AM21 and the OTA antenna to the AM21 and then the AM21 connects to one of the sat or both coaxial connections?


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

The AM21 connects via the USB port on the HR24, the AM21 has it's own connection for an OTA antenna. You might want to check the 1st look at http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=123012 for more information.


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## bwclark (Nov 10, 2005)

Thanks! I tried but could not find that on the AM21.


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## brett_the_bomb (Oct 24, 2009)

RAD said:


> The AM21 connects via the USB port on the HR24, the AM21 has it's own connection for an OTA antenna.


+1

Its really pretty simple, think of your reciver alreay being hooked up, then set am21 on top, there is a short usb tail on the back of the am21 that goes to the usb port on the back of the reciever then you plug in your OTA antenna to the am21.


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

Also, the power cord goes to the AM21 and there is a short cord which goes from the AM21 to the HR2x. I put the AM21 below my HR24, since the length and width dimensions of the HR24 are slightly smaller.


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## bwclark (Nov 10, 2005)

Ok, thanks for the info. I understand the connection now.

Next question involves one I posted but was closed before answered:
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=176888&highlight=purchase

My question is NOT about the hardware benefits of the HR24 vs. HR2X receivers, BUT is about other benefits of direct purchase.

Are there any other benefits of direct purchase vs. leased. It appears that the DTV monthly fees remain the same...correct?


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## DogLover (Mar 19, 2007)

bwclark said:


> Ok, thanks for the info. I understand the connection now.
> 
> Next question involves one I posted but was closed before answered:
> http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=176888&highlight=purchase
> ...


They do remain the same. But remember, most of what you see as direct purchase, is just the upfront lease fee (that may be more or less than the lease fee from DirecTV.) The benefit of direct "purchase" is getting the exact model that you want.


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## MikeW (May 16, 2002)

bwclark said:


> Ok, thanks for the info. I understand the connection now.
> 
> Next question involves one I posted but was closed before answered:
> http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=176888&highlight=purchase
> ...


If you purchase the unit, you have something you can sell if/when you decide to discontinue service. All leased equipment must be returned. Generally speaking...you won't recoup the money you would spend on purchasing a new receiver in a sale. Technology gives these boxes a very short period of value. Where you could have purchased an HR20-700 for a little over $500 3 years ago, you could get about $120 on E-Bay today.

DirecTV also does discount the lease price for their better customers.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

bwclark said:


> Ok, thanks for the info. I understand the connection now.
> 
> Next question involves one I posted but was closed before answered:
> http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=176888&highlight=purchase
> ...


The only benefit of owning that I see is if you cancelled DirecTV you keep the receiver and either sell it to make some money back, or hang onto it in case you decide to return to DirecTV at some future date. IIRC if you have a purchased STB and don't have the protection plan and the STB breaks DirecTV will replace it but it would be a leased receiver and restart any commitment you have (or start a new) 2 year commitment.


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## drpjr (Nov 23, 2007)

bwclark said:


> Are there any other benefits of direct purchase vs. leased. It appears that the DTV monthly fees remain the same...correct?


Yes the fees do remain the same. Some of the benefits include the ability to modify (add larger internal HDD) or repair the unit without breaking the terms of the lease.. You can activate/deactivate a box at any time without having to return it and save the monthly fee. You can move the box to another account without penalty. You get the model you want. After you have fufilled your contract you could sell the box and recover some of the costs. Owning is a lot like having the Protection Plan-- Whatever works for you. Apologies to those above for any repititions in their responses. I got sidetracked and missed them.


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## brett_the_bomb (Oct 24, 2009)

Something that may not have been mentioned is that a leased reciver will be replaced indefinatly for 20 bucks under the lease program with out any protection plan. 

and like previoiusly stated before the shelf value of owned seldomly out weighs the savings of leased.


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## bwclark (Nov 10, 2005)

So, if I go with the Solid Signal "purchase" it is really just a leased receiver:

http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.as...G4-DVR-(HR24)-HD-DVR&c=DIRECTV Receivers&sku=

"DIRECTV Receiver Lease 
All DIRECTV equipment offers are for leased equipment only. Equipment costs, particularly for advanced products such as HD and/or DVR receivers, can be sizable and provides customers with a more affordable alternative."

As such it must be returned to DIRECTV if I close the account. How does DIRECTV know if I "buy" or "leased" the HR24-500?


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## DogLover (Mar 19, 2007)

bwclark said:


> So, if I go with the Solid Signal "purchase" it is really just a leased receiver:
> 
> http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.as...G4-DVR-(HR24)-HD-DVR&c=DIRECTV Receivers&sku=
> 
> ...


They know the receiver IDs of the boxes that they send to authorized dealers. (The receiver IDs are used to activate the boxes with service.) Therefore, they know those boxes are leased when you call to activate them.


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## brett_the_bomb (Oct 24, 2009)

bwclark said:


> So, if I go with the Solid Signal "purchase" it is really just a leased receiver:
> 
> http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.as...G4-DVR-(HR24)-HD-DVR&c=DIRECTV Receivers&sku=
> 
> ...


As a good rule of thumb if you pay 69-sd, 99 hd, 99-dvr, or 199 hd/dvr its a leased reciver. or of course if you get it from d* any price is leased unless you pay well in excess of those numbers.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

bwclark said:


> How does DIRECTV know if I "buy" or "leased" the HR24-500?


Except for the HR21Pro, which is designed for commercial installations and is never leased, all NEW receivers obtained from retailers are leased. If you want a receiver to OWN, you must purchase it directly from DirecTV, and you'll probably pay MSRP for it. That's about $450 for an HD-DVR last time I checked. The Access Card team must then override the default "leased" status with "owned" status for that receiver in DirecTV's database. DirecTV keeps track of every single receiver that's ever been made for DirecTV.

There are a few other ways to end up with an owned receiver, but the vast majority of receivers made since 2006 are leased.


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## SPACEMAKER (Dec 11, 2007)

Is the tuner in the AM21 better than the one I have in my HR20-700?


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

SPACEMAKER said:


> Is the tuner in the AM21 better than the one I have in my HR20-700?


You would need to define better. Sensitivity is very similar, weak stations dont come in any better with either. But handling of multi-path appears to be slightly better with the AM-21. If you dont have multi-path issues where you are at, it really doesnt matter. I have an HR20 and an HR22 with AM-21 and it doesnt make a lick of difference for me, I cant pick up any more stations with either than I can with either of my tv's internal ATSC tuners, and neither of my tv's are slouches.

Sony KDS-A3000, and a Panasonic TC-P42S1


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## SPACEMAKER (Dec 11, 2007)

CCarncross said:


> You would need to define better. Sensitivity is very similar, weak stations dont come in any better with either. But handling of multi-path appears to be slightly better with the AM-21. If you dont have multi-path issues where you are at, it really doesnt matter. I have an HR20 and an HR22 with AM-21 and it doesnt make a lick of difference for me, I cant pick up any more stations with either than I can with either of my tv's internal ATSC tuners, and neither of my tv's are slouches.
> 
> Sony KDS-A3000, and a Panasonic TC-P42S1


When I plug my OTA directly into my TV I get outstanding signal strength. Channels come in that don't even register in my zipcode when I do the set up on my HR20. Even the channels that are very unreliable through my HR20 are dead perfect through my TV tuner. I am hoping that the AM21 is better than my HR20 at getting a good signal.


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## hasan (Sep 22, 2006)

SPACEMAKER said:


> When I plug my OTA directly into my TV I get outstanding signal strength. Channels come in that don't even register in my zipcode when I do the set up on my HR20. Even the channels that are very unreliable through my HR20 are dead perfect through my TV tuner. I am hoping that the AM21 is better than my HR20 at getting a good signal.


Mine sure is. (HR20-700 vs HR21-200/AM21)

The HR20-700 can be very picky about multi-path, while the AM21 seems to handle it much better. Once I optimized my signals (a pretty involved process that I won't go into here....it is contained in prior posts from quite some time ago), the HR21-200/AM21 combo performed exactly as well as my HDTV Tuner in the Samsung HL-R5667W HDTV. (56" Samsung). The signal quality is *identical*. Notice I say "signal quality", as that is what is being measured, not signal strength. What you are seeing with any digital tuner, and specifically from your HDTV's tuner and the AM21 is a variant of Bit-Error-Rate. The lower the BER, the higher the signal quality. So if you see 9 or 10 bars out of 10, the BER is very low, and the signal quality is very high. If you see the signal quality (bar graph) bouncing all around, then you most likely have multi-path issues that are not being handled by the tuner very well. (it is possible you have a bad connection, but my comments assume that the connections are good).

One bar of bounce is fine, as that could be nothing more than the resolution capabilities of the sampling circuit. Bouncing several bars is problematic. I see solid bars nearly all the time, with an occasional transition bounce when the readings go from 89 to 90 or 79 to 80 percent. This is not multi-path...think of it more as a rounding error.

There is no reason you should not be able to get outstanding performance from the AM21. It should rival whatever your HDTV tuner produces, assuming you are in the AM21 sweet spot, (by luck), or take the time to optimize the signal levels and impedance matching (like I did).

In any case, you should be more than happy with the AM21.


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## SPACEMAKER (Dec 11, 2007)

Very good news for me. I am now officially ready to upgrade to HR24/H24 w/ DECA at the very earliest moment I can.


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## georule (Mar 31, 2010)

Just so I understand. . . if I hook up an AM21 to an HR24-500 that has an additional HR24 networked to it by the coax thingy. . .both the HR24-500 and the HR24 will have access to the locals the AM21 is receiving? Is someone on the thread actually doing that and can confirm from experience rather than theory?


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## Smuuth (Oct 4, 2005)

georule said:


> Just so I understand. . . if I hook up an AM21 to an HR24-500 that has an additional HR24 networked to it by the coax thingy. . .both the HR24-500 and the HR24 will have access to the locals the AM21 is receiving? Is someone on the thread actually doing that and can confirm from experience rather than theory?


Kinda.

IF you record an OTA program on the HR24 which has the AM21, you will be able to play it back on the second HR24 if you have multiroom viewing on your account.

You will not be able to tune OTA channels directly on the second HR24 unless it has its own AM21.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

MRV and DIRECTV2PC can only be used for playback of previously recorded content.


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## georule (Mar 31, 2010)

Smuuth said:


> Kinda.
> 
> IF you record an OTA program on the HR24 which has the AM21, you will be able to play it back on the second HR24 if you have multiroom viewing on your account.
> 
> You will not be able to tune OTA channels directly on the second HR24 unless it has its own AM21.


Thanks. I wonder if that's a real hardware limitation or they just didn't think to enable it. The pricing of AM21s is so reasonable one cannot reasonably suspect that the bean counters put a stop to it over fear of loss of extra AM21 sales.


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## DogLover (Mar 19, 2007)

georule said:


> Thanks. I wonder if that's a real hardware limitation or they just didn't think to enable it. The pricing of AM21s is so reasonable one cannot reasonably suspect that the bean counters put a stop to it over fear of loss of extra AM21 sales.


MRV does not access the live tuners of the other DVR, whether they are the satellite tuners or the OTA tuners. MRV only plays recordings from the other DVR. Those recordings can be satellite or OTA recordings.


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## iceburg02 (Sep 20, 2006)

Safe to assume the AM21 works with an H24 as well?


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## DogLover (Mar 19, 2007)

iceburg02 said:


> Safe to assume the AM21 works with an H24 as well?


yes it does.


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## Kodok (Feb 10, 2008)

Just curious if anyone has pictures of AM21 and HR24 on top of each other (for aesthetic purposes). AM21 complements nicely with HR21 that I have right now.

TIA.


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## houskamp (Sep 14, 2006)

Kodok said:


> Just curious if anyone has pictures of AM21 and HR24 on top of each other (for aesthetic purposes). AM21 complements nicely with HR21 that I have right now.
> 
> TIA.


 here you are.. hr24, am21, and hr20


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## Kodok (Feb 10, 2008)

Thanks HouseKamp, really appreciate the picture. Debating if I want to upgrade to HR24, strictly because of the speed.


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## bwclark (Nov 10, 2005)

Got the HR24-500 and AM21 from Solid Signal.

Hook up easy, and it all works flawlessly!
Very pleased with the improvement over my POS HR20-100.


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## bur1196 (Dec 4, 2006)

Another confirmation that the HR24 works with the AM21...


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## GP245 (Aug 17, 2006)

Over the past week, a problem has developed with my AM21 tuner.

After working fine, in the middle of a viewing session, Tuner 1 becomes
"Not Acquired" providing no OTA signal, while Tuner 2 indicates normal signal levels.

The only way to regain use of Tuner 1 and OTA reception is to disconnect the AM21 from the HR24 and use the Draconian "Reset Defaults."

I then reconnect the AM21 and everything is fine.

Obviously, I have to reprogram the HR24 for all the settings that work best for me. The bigger problem is that in using "Reset Defaults" I lose all the recordings I've saved on the hard drive!

Last night was the second time that I've had to go through this procedure in the past week. Never had any problems with the AM21 when it was connected to my previous HR21.

Any ideas????


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## raromr (Jun 24, 2010)

Having major OTA issues w/ HR24 and AM21 - locals will suddenly disappear from Guide, recordings are immediate deletes, etc. Had both the HR24 and the AM21 replaced and still have issues. Last night tried to record Letterman on OTA channel 11-1 (solid OTA signal) - went to watch this morning and nothing but a black screen and then asked to delete. Very frustrating.


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## Jason Whiddon (Aug 17, 2006)

I too am having same issues, and it's quite common.


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

Hmm, no HR24/AM21 issues here.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

bobnielsen said:


> Hmm, no HR24/AM21 issues here.


That's what I also thought until I started to use it for doing a lot of recordings via it vs. the same on HD LIL since elwaylite said he was getting a number of keep or delete/blank recordings. Once I started that I also started to see a bunch of keep or deletes on the HR24-500/AM21 while the same recordings on a HR23-700/AM21 were fine. So there is some issue with that combination and I've been sending diag reports when they occur, hopefully they'll track it down one of these releases.


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## Jason Whiddon (Aug 17, 2006)

Thanks for helping out with this Rad. It's no doubt gonna affect more folks, as the HR24's get in the wild.


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## bwclark (Nov 10, 2005)

Since I started the Thread, I can verify the OTA AM21 and HR24-500 recording issue.

The other night, Lie to Me, was being recorded while I was watching another channel. Tuned to the channel being recorded and blank! I had to stop the recording and delete and then I was able to tune the channel. This has happened several times but seems random.


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## Jason Whiddon (Aug 17, 2006)

bwclark said:


> Since I started the Thread, I can verify the OTA AM21 and HR24-500 recording issue.
> 
> The other night, Lie to Me, was being recorded while I was watching another channel. Tuned to the channel being recorded and blank! I had to stop the recording and delete and then I was able to tune the channel. This has happened several times but seems random.


Exactly, the procedure I went thru last night.


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## raromr (Jun 24, 2010)

I, too, have had this happen numerous times. Happened during the NBA Finals 3 staright times. Showed as recording, tried to tune to the channel and it was black/blank. Had to stop and delete the recording. Then switch channels up and down to finally get back to the ABC OTA before it would tune in.


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## egclone (Nov 22, 2007)

I've been experimenting with recording OTA channels with the HR24 and AM21. I was having the problem of the blank screen when the recording starts. Had to stop the recording and then up or down the channel to get the picture back. Today I did a reset from the menu and then tried recording two different programs on two different OTA channels and was successful for both. This is the first time I've been able to do this. One recording setup was for one time only and the other was a record series setup. Will keep experimenting to see if the success continues.


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## Jason Whiddon (Aug 17, 2006)

I have tried to make it happen with recordings, and not succeeded. I also have done several resets, and it randomly keeps happening. Long story short, don't record anything OTA that you really wanna see.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

I have not experienced this phenomenon on either my HR20 with the built-in tuners, or my HR22 with an AM-21....so do people think its just an issue with the 24's and the AM-21?


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

CCarncross said:


> I have not experienced this phenomenon on either my HR20 with the built-in tuners, or my HR22 with an AM-21....so do people think its just an issue with the 24's and the AM-21?


Yes.


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## Jason Whiddon (Aug 17, 2006)

I've had an HR21 and HR22 with an AM21, as well as an HR20. This is the first time Im seeing blank'd OTA recordings, so I agree with RAD.


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## Mrmiami (Oct 3, 2006)

elwaylite said:


> I've had an HR21 and HR22 with an AM21, as well as an HR20. This is the first time Im seeing blank'd OTA recordings, so I agree with RAD.


Yea, I think it has something to do within the codes of the software the 24's are running. This has happened a few times with my HR20-700's with built in OTA after various CE's I've downloaded. I'd lose scheduled recordings (didn't record) and have even lost channels from the guide from time to time. I'm hoping D* will get around to working this out with a CE but I don't think it's very high on their priority list right now.


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## raromr (Jun 24, 2010)

Anyone have any new news on the HR24/AM21 compatibility issue. I have now stopped trying to record on OTA channels since it is hit or usually miss. Last night, was trying to watch OTA NBC channel (5-1) and received the odd 792 error message. All other OTAs were coming in fine. I went to the Antenna Setup screen and 5-1 showed as coming it on both tuners at 100% capacity.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

raromr said:


> Anyone have any new news on the HR24/AM21 compatibility issue.


I haven't seen/heard anything. I'm seeing blank recordings still and even have had the keep/delete pop up in the middle of what looks like a full hour recording. Bottom line IMHO at this time is don't trust the HR24/AM21 combo to record anything you REALLY need to see since you might not get it.


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## raromr (Jun 24, 2010)

I wholly agree. Sometimes I record an OTA channel just to see if it works. Sometimes it does and other times get the blank recording (i.e., from looking at the LIST it appears recorded, but when you go to watch it is an immediate delete).


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## am3211 (Mar 23, 2008)

RAD said:


> I haven't seen/heard anything. I'm seeing blank recordings still and even have had the keep/delete pop up in the middle of what looks like a full hour recording. Bottom line IMHO at this time is don't trust the HR24/AM21 combo to record anything you REALLY need to see since you might not get it.


Ditto. Same problem on two HR24's/AM21's but no problem on HR20 or HR22/AM21.


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## cover (Feb 11, 2007)

In my recent testing, recording OTA with HR24-500 and AM21 worked about 2/3 of the time. All of the recordings appeared in the list with their full time showing as recorded, but 1/3 of recorded programs went immediately to the delete prompt. A couple locked or semi-locked the box. When I rebooted, all the problem recordings were removed from the list as if they had never existed.


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## GP245 (Aug 17, 2006)

When I first got my HR24-500, major problems with the AM21. Updates have helped quite a bit, but every now and then, these two components don't get along. A few weeks ago, Tuner #1 kept going out on the AM21. Had to do full reinstallations to get it to work. Looks as if more updates are needed!


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## waynenm (Oct 31, 2006)

GP245 said:


> When I first got my HR24-500, major problems with the AM21. Updates have helped quite a bit, but every now and then, these two components don't get along. A few weeks ago, Tuner #1 kept going out on the AM21. Had to do full reinstallations to get it to work. Looks as if more updates are needed!


More updates? Oh yeah. I think the current AM21 / HR24-500 situation is *UNACCEPTABLE*. I've lost local Albuquerque station KNMD 9.2 since the 0x40d software update on 8/23. *I get NO reception, although the signal strength shows at 100%.* I've red-buttoned, reset OTA, initialized OTA, rebooted, unplugged, reconfigured both the AM21 and HR24-500 to no avail. I spent 2 hours on it again this morning, and guess what? No joy.

This station comes in perfectly OTA on my Sony Bravia. I have the mother-of-all-house-antennas pointing at the tower. And, prior to the current software update, I received this station perfectly.

The station recently reset the frequency of this channel, along with another of their secondary stations, 9.1. They advised viewers to rescan. I did. It works everywhere - except on my DirecTV system, where I only get 3 out of 4 of their signals now.

Obviously, plenty of people are having issues with the AM21/HR24-500 combination. It's just plain annoying.


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## texasbrit (Aug 9, 2006)

waynenm said:


> The station recently reset the frequency of this channel, along with another of their secondary stations, 9.1. They advised viewers to rescan. I did. It works everywhere - except on my DirecTV system, where I only get 3 out of 4 of their signals now.


You can't rescan on an HR24. The system relies on guide data from Tribune and it's almost certainly the data has not been updated to reflect the change in frequency. The station needs to talk to Tribune (who produce the guide data) to make sure that the data has the newest channel mapping.


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## Indiana627 (Nov 18, 2005)

waynenm said:


> More updates? Oh yeah. I think the current AM21 / HR24-500 situation is *UNACCEPTABLE*. I've lost local Albuquerque station KNMD 9.2 since the 0x40d software update on 8/23...
> 
> The station recently reset the frequency of this channel, along with another of their secondary stations, 9.1. They advised viewers to rescan. I did. It works everywhere - except on my DirecTV system, where I only get 3 out of 4 of their signals now.


When did the station reset the frequency? What was the old frequency? And what is the new frequency? Do you still get 9.1 even after they changed its frequency?

Sounds like the problem could be that Tribune never updated its database to reflect the frequency change on 9.2.


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## waynenm (Oct 31, 2006)

"Indiana627" said:


> When did the station reset the frequency? What was the old frequency? And what is the new frequency? Do you still get 9.1 even after they changed its frequency?
> 
> Sounds like the problem could be that Tribune never updated its database to reflect the frequency change on 9.2.


I was unaware of Tribune. Yes I still get 9.1. I've had email with the stations chief engineer. Thanks for the info. I'm going to let him know.


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## waynenm (Oct 31, 2006)

texasbrit said:


> You can't rescan on an HR24. The system relies on guide data from Tribune and it's almost certainly the data has not been updated to reflect the change in frequency. The station needs to talk to Tribune (who produce the guide data) to make sure that the data has the newest channel mapping.


I have rescanned using the "Antenna" option:
Menu>Parental Fav's and Setup>System Setup>Sat & Antenna>Antenna Setup

Same deal as with the HR20 - except now with HR24-500 and AM21 combination.

I've also re-done the initial setup, and unplugged everything before attempting to reset the local OTAs.

Like I said I've had email with the stations chief engineer, and updated him with a question about the Tribune per your post. Thanks - I really appreciate it!


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## Indiana627 (Nov 18, 2005)

waynenm said:


> I have rescanned using the "Antenna" option:
> Menu>Parental Fav's and Setup>System Setup>Sat & Antenna>Antenna Setup


The HR2x series are not equipped to scan for OTA channels like your TV can (or like the old HR10-250 HD Tivo could). All the OTA settings are controlled by the Tribune database that D* uses - basically whatever is in the Tribune database for your ZIP is what you'll get, so if that database is wrong... well I think you know the outcome of that. Not sure why D* does it this way.


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## waynenm (Oct 31, 2006)

Indiana627 said:


> The HR2x series are not equipped to scan for OTA channels like your TV can (or like the old HR10-250 HD Tivo could). All the OTA settings are controlled by the Tribune database that D* uses - basically whatever is in the Tribune database for your ZIP is what you'll get, so if that database is wrong... well I think you know the outcome of that. Not sure why D* does it this way.


Truly mind boggling. Thank you.


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## finaldiet (Jun 13, 2006)

I have 9-1 tribune station here outside Chi-town. It works fine with my 500 with AM21. The HD picture is great. Why so much problems with 500 and AM21 and not the 100? Aren't they the same specs but different mfg.?


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

While they are all designed to the same Directv specification, the internal design details obviously differ somewhat. There are some issues with the HR24-500 which apparently do not affect the -100 and -200. I am sure that Directv is well-aware of the issues, which affect more than just AM21 operation (e.g., Media Share) and is working on them, but we all need to be patient until the problems are corrected. The HR24-500/AM21 issue is with recordings, not watching live TV.

IMNSHO, the 0x40D firmware update should probably not have been released for the HR24-500, as it introduced new problems while retaining many of the existing ones.

I expect we will see another update once the solutions to these problems have been identified and tested. Hopefully that will occur soon.


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

I tried recording an OTA program yesterday with my HR24-500/AM21 and it replayed without any problems, both locally and via MRV to my HR21-700. Go figure


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## raromr (Jun 24, 2010)

Still having the issue  Tried to record Letterman last night on OTA just to test - FAILED!


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## caffedia (Nov 14, 2010)

I bought an AM21 from ebay and am having difficulty with setup. The instructions I've seen direct to setup menu and then to Sat and ant, but the 24 only has Satellite as an option. How do I setup my AM21?


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

caffedia said:


> I bought an AM21 from ebay and am having difficulty with setup. The instructions I've seen direct to setup menu and then to Sat and ant, but the 24 only has Satellite as an option. How do I setup my AM21?


Is the AM21 plugged into the USB port on the 24? Is the 24's power plugged into the AM21, and the AM21 power plugged into the wall? If so, when you reboot the 24, and enter Setup, you should see a menu Sat & Antenna. Select that, and the next screen should have Antenna Setup on its menu.

If it doesnt, then you may need to check that the USB cable isnt damaged, and the 24 is actually seeing the AM21. It appears, if the & Antenna part of the menu isnt showing up, your 24 is not seeing the AM21, or the AM21 is bad.


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## waynenm (Oct 31, 2006)

caffedia said:


> I bought an AM21 from ebay and am having difficulty with setup. The instructions I've seen direct to setup menu and then to Sat and ant, but the 24 only has Satellite as an option. How do I setup my AM21?


It's pretty straightforward. I've attached a PDF of the manual. Be sure you've got good cables.


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## bww (Feb 15, 2006)

I have been waiting to get an AM21 because of some of the negative feedback in this thread.

To anyone who has ONLY this combo HR24-500 and AM-21:

*How is it doing now with the latest national release?*


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

bww said:


> I have been waiting to get an AM21 because of some of the negative feedback in this thread.
> 
> To anyone who has ONLY this combo HR24-500 and AM-21:
> 
> *How is it doing now with the latest national release?*


MUCH better, go for it.


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## n17987 (Oct 20, 2006)

if you are setup for multi-viewing between two or more HD-DVR's you WILL have issues with the AM-21. specifically, i receive pixelation problems when trying to view 2 channels together through the AM-21. i found that you can only use one channel from the 21 and the second must be a Directv channel to avoid this.


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## bww (Feb 15, 2006)

n17987 said:


> if you are setup for multi-viewing between two or more HD-DVR's you WILL have issues with the AM-21. specifically, i receive pixelation problems when trying to view 2 channels together through the AM-21. i found that you can only use one channel from the 21 and the second must be a Directv channel to avoid this.


I don't quite understand what you mean (might be because I don't have the am21 yet). I am not clear on the "trying to view 2 channels" part.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

bww said:


> I have been waiting to get an AM21 because of some of the negative feedback in this thread.
> 
> To anyone who has ONLY this combo HR24-500 and AM-21:
> 
> *How is it doing now with the latest national release?*


My AM21 is working Great with my HR24-500 and Thank God because with the Freezing Rain here in Atlanta, Ga. I wouldn't have been able to watch the Falcons Game last night if I didn't have the AM21 to tune into OTA because my PQ was Intermittent with my problem created by the weather.


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## JLBacon (Dec 20, 2006)

Picked up HR24-500 and am-21 on 12/22, hookup was easy and have been recording OTA channels on schedules, it hasn't missed a recording.

Had a weird exchange with a CSR, I first tired to order the am-21 from directv and they wouldn't give it to me. Said I currently receive my locals via the dish, so I couldn't order the am-21. Also, they couldn't guarantee that I'd receive a HR24, so I had to purchase both locally. Not a big deal but found that very odd.


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## n17987 (Oct 20, 2006)

meaning when running 2 local stations from the AM-21 on the double play setup. not the locals that D provides


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

JLBacon said:


> Picked up HR24-500 and am-21 on 12/22, hookup was easy and have been recording OTA channels on schedules, it hasn't missed a recording.
> 
> Had a weird exchange with a CSR, I first tired to order the am-21 from directv and they wouldn't give it to me. Said I currently receive my locals via the dish, so I couldn't order the am-21. Also, they couldn't guarantee that I'd receive a HR24, so I had to purchase both locally. Not a big deal but found that very odd.


As soon as you have an H21-24/HR21-24 on your acct, you can order AM-21's from D*. If you don't have one of the above models active on your acct, you cant order an AM-21 thru D* until you do, which may have been the issue you ran into. WHen I just had HR20's I couldn't order an AM-21.


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## JLBacon (Dec 20, 2006)

CCarncross said:


> As soon as you have an H21-24/HR21-24 on your acct, you can order AM-21's from D*. If you don't have one of the above models active on your acct, you cant order an AM-21 thru D* until you do, which may have been the issue you ran into. WHen I just had HR20's I couldn't order an AM-21.


You could be correct, I had a HR20 that was being replaced due to unbearable slowness. I had the CSR transfer me to a supervisor for more clarification, the supervisor made it sound like it was impossible to add it to my account at anytime due to my location with local channel access via the dish. I don't think I got the full story. Thanks for the info.


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## bww (Feb 15, 2006)

n17987 said:


> meaning when running 2 local stations from the AM-21 on the double play setup. not the locals that D provides


Okay, think I got it now. You can't have 2 stations off the AM21 on both tuners at the same time Right?


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

"bww" said:


> Okay, think I got it now. You can't have 2 stations off the AM21 on both tuners at the same time Right?


No, you can use both AM21 tuners at the same time. It's either two DBS, two AM 21 or one DBS and one AM21 tuner used at the same time.


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## BJB (Oct 8, 2007)

I am not sure if this is the same issue mentioned above or a different one. I just moved to an HR-24 and got an AM-21 to keep my OTA recording ability.

I also have an HR10-250 setup to record OTA so it is a good sanity check vs. what is going on with the AM-21.

The AM-21 installed fine and worked fine for a while.

Then, a few days ago 2 out of my 3 OTA channels were glitchy while watching live on the AM-21. Signal strength said like 95%-100% for these channels and my HR10-250 was crytal clear. The next day they were fine.

Now I have not had the "blank recording" or "delete program" popup others have noted with the AM-21 but wonder if this is a symptom of the same thing?

I can watch it live and most of the time it is fine. However of course I don't want to have these issues with all kinds of recordings setup.

Thanks for any input,
BJB


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## BJB (Oct 8, 2007)

Very strange....it has not done it since this night...however now I just don't know how reliable this is for recording.

Continue to see people that have problems after they've recorded with the AM21 but I experienced this watching live.

BJB


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