# Owned HR10..Directv is killing its longterm usefulness



## p4594spa (Jul 20, 2006)

So I paid a lot of money for the HD10 and I have been pretty happy with it. However with the launch of Directv's new satellite, all new HD is in MPEG4 and other HD channels like NFL games will soon switch to MPEG4.

So...my box is going to become pretty useless. I have heard rumors on this forum that Directv will offer you a "free" HR20 with MPE4 if you complain enought about this. As I understand, I also how have to switch dish to the 5 LNB dish.

Can anyone confirm the reality of the situation


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## Sirshagg (Dec 30, 2006)

Yes, deals are to be had. I'ts questionable if it might be too late though. see:
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=62089&highlight=deals


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Yes - All the HD is moving to MPEG-4 (via SAT)
Yes - You will need to get the 5LNB and an HR20/H20/H21 if you want to access them.
Yes - Sunday Ticket in 2008 will be in MPEG-4
Yes/No - If you complain enough about it, you may or may not be able to get one for free.


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## johnr9e (Nov 27, 2006)

I did this a couple months ago. (Although my HR10 is leased.) I got the shipping deal on the first try, but not through the regular CSR. They seem to distinguish an "upgrade" from a "swap-out." Once I established with the CSR that I already had an "HD DVR" but I wanted the new channels, I was transferred to a different department. The listing on my online order was then for a swap not an upgrade. (Mine included the dish and they didn't ask for the HR10 back).


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## chuckg (Sep 15, 2007)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Yes - All the HD is moving to MPEG-4 (via SAT)
> Yes - You will need to get the 5LNB and an HR20/H20/H21 if you want to access them.
> Yes - Sunday Ticket in 2008 will be in MPEG-4
> Yes/No - If you complain enough about it, you may or may not be able to get one for free.


Is MPEG-4 on DirecTv _always_ HD?
Does MPEG-4 mean NFL Sunday Ticket will only be offered in HD in '08?

I am quite happy with DirecTv SD since 1999. Except for 6.3e of course. If I have to upgrade my dish and IRDs I probably will just switch to Comcast.


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## hilmar2k (Mar 18, 2007)

chuckg said:


> Is MPEG-4 on DirecTv _always_ HD?
> Does MPEG-4 mean NFL Sunday Ticket will only be offered in HD in '08?
> 
> I am quite happy with DirecTv SD since 1999. Except for 6.3e of course. If I have to upgrade my dish and IRDs I probably will just switch to Comcast.


No, the other way around. HD on Sunday ticket will only be offered in MPEG4. SD will still exist.


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## chuckg (Sep 15, 2007)

hilmar2k said:


> No, the other way around. HD on Sunday ticket will only be offered in MPEG4. SD will still exist.


NFL Sunday Ticket on SD?


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## davring (Jan 13, 2007)

You would never be forced to upgrade to HD, all of your existing equipment will continue to work fine for quite some time. I think eventually as these older, eventually obsolete, receivers begin to fail and replaced they will all be Mpg4, but you could still use them on an SD TV if you choose.


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

Chuck, you're a bit confused.

There's the NFL Sunday Ticker (NFLST) beamed in both SD and HD. Right now, the HD NFLST channels are being broadcast in MPEG-2 HD, which means they're viewable on both the new HR series of receivers (HR20-100, HR20-700, etc.), and the older HD TIVOs like the HR10-250. In 2008, the NFLST HD channels will be viewable only via MPEG-4, which is watchable only with the newer H/HR HD DVRs.

This is the same thing for all the new HD channels that have been launched over the last couple weeks and upcoming weeks. These are only viewable on the newer units.

NFLST SD is viewable by everyone, with any type of receiver, because those are broadcast in standard def.


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## chuckg (Sep 15, 2007)

Lord Vader said:


> Chuck, you're a bit confused.
> 
> There's the NFL Sunday Ticker (NFLST) beamed in both SD and HD. Right now, the HD NFLST channels are being broadcast in MPEG-2 HD, which means they're viewable on both the new HR series of receivers (HR20-100, HR20-700, etc.), and the older HD TIVOs like the HR10-250. In 2008, the NFLST HD channels will be viewable only via MPEG-4, which is watchable only with the newer H/HR HD DVRs.
> 
> ...


The last sentence is what I am interested in.


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

Then your problem is solved.


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## gully_foyle (Jan 18, 2007)

p4594spa said:


> So I paid a lot of money for the HD10 and I have been pretty happy with it. However with the launch of Directv's new satellite, all new HD is in MPEG4 and other HD channels like NFL games will soon switch to MPEG4.
> 
> So...my box is going to become pretty useless. I have heard rumors on this forum that Directv will offer you a "free" HR20 with MPE4 if you complain enought about this. As I understand, I also how have to switch dish to the 5 LNB dish.
> 
> Can anyone confirm the reality of the situation


Yes, it's true. But DirecTV really doesn't want you to go away mad. Or sue or something. Never know what a state court might do. No. They want to keep you as a paying customer. Win-win is possible.

So, if you OWN your HR10, you can keep it and use it for OTA HD + D* SD. Or you can sell it on ebay. IF you live in a city, you probably get enough OTA HD to justify keeping it as an overflow recorder. Or a den recorder. It will cost you $5/month to keep it connected to D* for the program info, but TiVo would charge you $12/mo so it's not that bad a deal.

AND DirecTV should give you a great deal on an HR20 if you call and complain about your wasted $700, and that you think they planned to make it obsolete when they offered it, and you feel abused. Or some such. Ask for "retention."

Don't yell, be calm, but ask them how they are going to make this right. ANd you still get to keep your HR10. I have, and use, mine constantly, considering that my 7 OTA HD channels are almost all HD now, and that's more than can be said for the 70 new "HD" channels on D*.


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

kcmurphy88 said:


> . It will cost you $5/month to keep it connected to D* for the program info, but TiVo would charge you $12/mo so it's not that bad a deal.


Huh? TIVO doesn't charge anything to DirecTV's DirecTIVO customers. One either has the HR10-250 activated as a working receiver through D*, or it's simply not activated at all and will only play recordings still on the drive. Once it has been deactivated by D*, it cannot be used except as the aforementioned player. Nothing new can be viewed or recorded.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

He's referring to the option of a standalone tivo, which I actually thought was more than $12/month now, but I haven't checked into them lately.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

Stand alone Tivo pricing ranges from $16.95/month (OMG!) to $8.31/month on a 3 year prepaid plan. And seems to be per DVR without discount.

Cheers,
Tom


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

CCarncross said:


> He's referring to the option of a standalone tivo, which I actually thought was more than $12/month now, but I haven't checked into them lately.


The wording of his post, however, implied that there was a TIVO-induced monthly charge for DirecTIVO units.


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## gully_foyle (Jan 18, 2007)

Lord Vader said:


> Huh? TIVO doesn't charge anything to DirecTV's DirecTIVO customers. One either has the HR10-250 activated as a working receiver through D*, or it's simply not activated at all and will only play recordings still on the drive. Once it has been deactivated by D*, it cannot be used except as the aforementioned player. Nothing new can be viewed or recorded.


Perhaps I should have been more wordy to avoid such a misreading. If one had a standalone OTA TiVo, TiVo would charge you (apparently) $17/month for the program guide. The program guide charge for D*'s TiVo is only $5. A deal.


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## gully_foyle (Jan 18, 2007)

Tom Robertson said:


> Stand alone Tivo pricing ranges from $16.95/month (OMG!) to $8.31/month on a 3 year prepaid plan. And seems to be per DVR without discount.
> 
> Cheers,
> Tom


And this is why, for people who really like the TiVo software, the loss of DirecTV as a program source was such a bummer. If you could get the Mpeg4 stations with an HR10, and you wanted to have several of them, you could pretty much cover D*'s basic service with what TiVo wants for just the OTA/cable program guide.

And why a new D* TiVo would be a subscriber magnet, even if you had to pay $5/TiVo to keep T* happy.


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## Lord Vader (Sep 20, 2004)

kcmurphy88 said:


> The program guide charge for D*'s TiVo is only $5. A deal.


Well, not really. There is a monthly DVR fee, but it's per account and not per receiver, thank God. Other than that, one can have as many DirecTV/TIVO units as he desires and pay the single, per account DVR fee of $4.99.

Nevertheless, I do understand what you're saying.


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