Like 25 feet or so. It's a sloping tile roof on the side and then flat at the top. I don't think it's easy for anyone to get up there, even if they have a tall enough ladder.

It's one of those multilevel townhomes.

Believe it or not you can get D* to cough up a HR20 for free. I didn't believe the stories, but tried & tried.
It took many calls to retention CSR. They started at the $299, then the supervisor dropped it to $150. Since I'm not going to pay for something I don't own [their new lease program] this didn't do it for me.
I kept reading on the H20 forum that if you were polite but firm they would.
Next call got the price down to $100. With $1,000 [paid for] in DTV hardware, this still didn't work.
Read more posting of FREE HR-700s.
Called again. Same old story. I pointed out what was posted, explained the local cable was coming out to install HD with a recorder [next week] for free AND had a 30-day money back guarantee & my experience with the complete line of H20s has been completely unsatisfactory.
She kept sounding like a Parrot repeating "the company line" [I can troubleshoot your problem, we can send a tech out, or we can send a replacement box out to you]. I have had/done all of this with no help [the refurbished box was DOA].
I finally lost it & asked her to quit sounding like a Parrot, please "think out of the box" & ask someone how to keep me as a customer.
"Please wait while I put you on hold" & she came back with the free deal.
Great I thought until... Since I have zero faith in their hardware actually working & I'd been told I had 7 days from activation to cancel if it didn't work.
She said I could but it wouldn't remove the two year programing commitment.
D* has been the most frustrating experience in my life with the most misinformation.

Question: Does anybody know which is correct?
I've had a supervisor say you have 7 days to back out [but his price was $150] & a CSR deny it [with the free deal].

Installer showed up an hour late and said he can't install the dish on a wall mount. It's 35-40 pounds and it will fall over.

Direct TV took that explanation right away and canceled.

Time to look into cable, unless E* has a smaller dish for their HD locals and DVR.

Ehh, isn't a smaller and lighter version of the AT9 dish supposed to be coming out soon anyway? I would wait for that and see if it would be light enough to do a wall mount on.

Installer showed up an hour late and said he can't install the dish on a wall mount. It's 35-40 pounds and it will fall over.

Direct TV took that explanation right away and canceled.

Time to look into cable, unless E* has a smaller dish for their HD locals and DVR.

Out of boredom I've watched the DTVs training video for the HD system & 5 LNB dish.
I have my dish mounted where the 3 LNB was, but it's on a pole. The installer [from hell] didn't know squat, so I told him to mount it on the pole.

From what the video explained, the dish is heavier [& is bigger] but I don't see any reason you can't do a wall mount IF you find a stud for the lag bolts. I can see some problem if all of the lags only penetrate siding.
DTV's video shows mounting the AT9 dish on the outside wall [with attention to a sturdy mount].
As I was doing the installing [he was real useless] I told him about watching the training video & he said he didn't pay any attention to it.
I now request a "senior tech" for my service calls, so they send someone with a brain [that works].
There are some good installers that do know what's going on.

Yeah apparently they only work with one subcontractor out here and they probably want to do simple installations. It was running late and maybe the guy didn't feel like doing a difficult installation.

But it also sounds like Direct TV was going to back them up if they refused to do such installs. It was a pain getting them out here.

Yeah I heard at dbstalk that maybe next year, they'll have a smaller dish. So I'm thinking about getting the DVR and using it with the network feeds that I currently get. Only thing is, I don't get Fox in the Bay Area, only the LA station feeds of CBS, NBC and ABC.

Plus with HD Locals here, I'm suppose to get HD feeds of Giants, Warriors and Sharks games on some channel which isn't always on. But that probably requires the AT9.

Hello all! I just pulled the trigger on the HR20. I have been a Directv customer for over 8 years and currently own an H20 and a Hughes HD.

The nice customer rep gave me a pretty decent deal, so I didn't even bother calling retention. I'm not the kind of person to raise a fuss anyway. He charged me $199 with free shipping and installation plus $10 off my bill for the next 12 months.

This will be my first DVR of any kind. I can't wait! Well, actually I will have to wait until Oct 14th to have it installed. I hear once you start using one of these you can't imagine not having it.

Because of limited sight lines, I currently have to use two dishes. I hope switching to the one 5 lnb will not cause any problems. The rep I spoke to at first thought I might be getting the new smaller dish but later found at that they were not ready yet.

Wish me luck!

Because of limited sight lines, I currently have to use two dishes. I hope switching to the one 5 lnb will not cause any problems. The rep I spoke to at first thought I might be getting the new smaller dish but later found at that they were not ready yet.

Wish me luck!

Well, you will need it. The new dish will need to see all 5 satellites. Since the two new ones are grouped around the main one, those probably wont present a problem, however, if you cannot see sat B and C, you will need to have the installer install two AT9 dishes, and run the output from the sat b and c on the second dish to the input on the main dish. Since the voltage is lower on the new dish, you cannot use your old dish/lnb for a multidish installation. Make sure they know to bring two AT9's with them, or a chainsaw :> Also, there are two types of AT9's, you will need the one with F connectors for the jumper between the two LNB's if you are going to have two installed. I know Andrews is one that has F connectors. Another version uses smaller type connectors that I seriously doubt the installer will have connectors for.

Saudon sells AT9's for $99 if you cant get DirecTv to supply two. I am in the process of doing this myself, however, I use THREE dishes now <which works fine for me on the HR, since my locals arent in HD yet>, but Im going to have to cut a tree down in my neighbors yard which I am negotiating with him about now, in order to get by with one or perhaps two dishes.

Isnt this fun?

I will be getting my HR20 dvr delivered on Oct. 5th after a series of calls to D* earlier today. I will admit it's frustrating to read these success stories of other customers getting their HR20s for free or nearly for free. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy for all who did manage to connect with the miracle worker csr who was able to grant them a free upgrade.

Over a period of an hour or longer, I spoke with 4 different csrs, 2 csr supervisors and 2 rentention reps. Surprisingly, virtually all of them had the same story. If I was willing to trade in one of my 2 H10-250 HD TIVOs, I could get a free tradeout for a new HR20 DVR. But if I only was willing to trade my H20 HD Receiver for a new HR20 DVR, the best I could get was a $199. deal. I explained that in February when my H20 was installed, along with a new AT9 (5 LNB) dish, I was told that I should be able to upgrade to the new HD DVR once it was available for probably no more than $99. Obviously, they were not authorized at that time to make me any such promises, yet I was told "you can count on it". (And no, I'm not that naive, but they did say it just the same.) I also reminded them to check my account so they could see that I spend between $200 and $300 virtually every month for my loaded D* service including just about every one of the various sports packages with the Total Choice plan.

I also pointed out that back in February when my AT9 dish and H20 receiver was purchased (shortly before the lease program went into effect), I had to pay nearly $400 for that package, when nowdays they are practically giving away that hardware. I also brought up the fact that the AT9 dish was installed with an incompatable 4x8 multiswitch. The result of that snaffu was that for 6 months I had terrible signal strength and serious rain fade if it sprinkled half a mile from me. It took 4 return visits by Directv techs before one of them finally spotted the multiswitch problem and corrected it. For that alone I believe I should be entitled to a free upgrade to the HR20. All the csrs I spoke with were pleasant and cordial, but ALL said, "I'm sorry but the very best deal we are offering for exchanging an H20 for an HR20DVR is $199." The last one also added, "but we can break that up into 3 payments if you would like." By then I was tired of having to repeat myself over and over so I gave in and said ok.

I am hopeful the new HR20 is all that it's cracked up to be. I will have 3 HD DVRs connected to my HD television via a Monoprice HDMI switcher (which works flawlessly for me). For some, that will be seen as way more than anyone should ever need - lol - but between various ballgames, hockey, and all the new season's shows, I don't know what "too many dvrs" might mean. If after a period of time I decide that the HR20 is indeed an improvement on the H10-250 TIVOs, I will probably trade them in for 2 more HR20s... but they had better be FREE upgrades!

Yeah apparently they only work with one subcontractor out here and they probably want to do simple installations. It was running late and maybe the guy didn't feel like doing a difficult installation.

But it also sounds like Direct TV was going to back them up if they refused to do such installs. It was a pain getting them out here.

Yeah I heard at dbstalk that maybe next year, they'll have a smaller dish. So I'm thinking about getting the DVR and using it with the network feeds that I currently get. Only thing is, I don't get Fox in the Bay Area, only the LA station feeds of CBS, NBC and ABC.

Plus with HD Locals here, I'm suppose to get HD feeds of Giants, Warriors and Sharks games on some channel which isn't always on. But that probably requires the AT9.

Ironwood's service [or lack] is very well known [to D*] & in one of my [many] calls to Customer Retention they said they're being canned!
The larger reflector of the AT9 dish gives a stronger signal than my 3 LNB [on my older Sony HD SAT 300] so this is a big "plus" for me.
I can't tell if your in the LA or SF area. If you want HD locals [in the bay area & not using OTA] you will need to go with the H series units & AT9 dish since they are MPEG 4 which are what the new SATs are.
If you are getting LA networks you can wait since they're on the "old" SATs that aren't MPEG 4.
Lost you yet?

Somewhere in the postings there is a comment about the forums & that happy customers rarely post here [along with their guess of the numbers]. I think there must be some truth to it, BUT...
I have to wonder how many of them haven’t a clue as to how [what] it should look like [or work].
I’ve been building, testing, & fixing systems for decades [very old school] so I know I’m not the typical customer. I actually expect it to work correctly [foolish me].
From the beginning of my experience with D* & HDTV, nothing has worked as expected.
Sony has a great customer support.
D* can’t do anything if it isn’t a loose cable or a reboot problem.
The MPEG 4 units were built to a price [limit] & not to a level of functionality [or quality].
“I’ve been there, done that” and it doesn’t work.
Software is the “magic fix” for hardware limitations, but in my experience working with software engineers, they fix some things & cause other bugs.
It takes time to truly “debug” a system. Time is money so, in the commercial market, you never get the time.
The new units I’ve have are all “waiting for the next version of software” to function [well] & the “refurbished” unit never when across a test bench or was powered up before shipping.
Maybe it’s just my luck and/or maybe it’s my [critical] eye but D* isn’t ready for “primetime” with these products yet.
I was hoping the HR20-700 would be [since it has been beta tested] but it too is waiting for the next software upgrade. What was to point of beta testing then?
They will give me a unit for free [yes it’s true, a HR20-700] without exchanging anything, except I must commit to the two year program package before I get to see if the unit even works!
Since the sports I watch need a motor, they don’t have the same leverage [on me] as those that want [need] the “sports packages”, which must be what D* is counting on to push these immature [poor] units into the market.
At least some of you get what you want [programming] & tolerate what you don’t get, function [service].
I’m lucky to have Digital cable coming [next week] with their free HD recorder & I have a month to compare D* to something else [finally].

Just got my HR20, LNB5 dish, WB68 multiswitch and also the standard def 100 GB DVD installed and everything works great. I had thought about waiting for the new Slimline dish but I saw pics and info for it and it really isnt much smaller, so I went with the LNB5 on my previous LNB3 pole mount.

My pole mount basically is a heavy duty cement umbrella base that I dug a hole for and buried it. No in-ground cement, just packed the dirt around and on top of it. It was solid for the LNB3 for 2 years with up to 50 MPH winds a few times. I was worried about the additional weight of the new dish.

The installer placed a new hollow pole over the existing one as the mount calls for a larger diameter pole and he came prepared with it. He did have to cut the height of it down to avoid the roof eve from blocking the signal. But it worked great and is very solid.

I have a question regarding the Remotes, as I have both the HR20 and the SD DVR in the same room. The RC24 came with the HR20. The RC23 came with the SD DVR. Is there a difference between the two? They look the same.

There doesnt appear to be an imput for the RF antenna on the HR20 like the H20 and also the SD DVR. Is the antenna internal on the HR20? Basically, what is the best way to use both DVRs in the same room with the remotes, so they dont interfere with each other? How do I program them for this?

When I had the H20 I did do the RF code and it worked great. If I could do that on one of my new DVRs then I could use the other in the normal IR mode?

Somewhere in the postings there is a comment about the forums & that happy customers rarely post here [along with their guess of the numbers]. I think there must be some truth to it, BUT...
I have to wonder how many of them haven’t a clue as to how [what] it should look like [or work].
I’ve been building, testing, & fixing systems for decades [very old school] so I know I’m not the typical customer. I actually expect it to work correctly [foolish me].
From the beginning of my experience with D* & HDTV, nothing has worked as expected.
Sony has a great customer support.
D* can’t do anything if it isn’t a loose cable or a reboot problem.
The MPEG 4 units were built to a price [limit] & not to a level of functionality [or quality].
“I’ve been there, done that” and it doesn’t work.
Software is the “magic fix” for hardware limitations, but in my experience working with software engineers, they fix some things & cause other bugs.
It takes time to truly “debug” a system. Time is money so, in the commercial market, you never get the time.
The new units I’ve have are all “waiting for the next version of software” to function [well] & the “refurbished” unit never when across a test bench or was powered up before shipping.
Maybe it’s just my luck and/or maybe it’s my [critical] eye but D* isn’t ready for “primetime” with these products yet.
I was hoping the HR20-700 would be [since it has been beta tested] but it too is waiting for the next software upgrade. What was to point of beta testing then?
They will give me a unit for free [yes it’s true, a HR20-700] without exchanging anything, except I must commit to the two year program package before I get to see if the unit even works!
Since the sports I watch need a motor, they don’t have the same leverage [on me] as those that want [need] the “sports packages”, which must be what D* is counting on to push these immature [poor] units into the market.
At least some of you get what you want [programming] & tolerate what you don’t get, function [service].
I’m lucky to have Digital cable coming [next week] with their free HD recorder & I have a month to compare D* to something else [finally].


I understand what you're saying, I really do. That being said, it sounds as if all of your experience should have told you that the initial release was not going to meet your expectations. It sounds as if you want to be an "early adopter" AND get a "perfect product". Although in a perfect world that would happen, you and I both know the truth. Some people (like me) don't purchase the 1st model year of a new car. I also didn't get Windows XP until SP1 was released. Don't expect me to be typing from a Vista machine this time next year either.

So, you may ask, why did I get the HR20-700? I read up on the bugs from the initial release and I was willing to put up with them while they ironed them out.

My recommendation to you is to stop being an early adopter and just watch the forums. When you see that the majority of the bugs you care about are worked out then you should get the product. Until then, it sounds as if you only set yourself up to always be disappointed. Well - until that one great perfect product is finally released.


Snewo

I initially had some problems with my new HR20. The HDMI cable would not work for the first 24 hours. The CSR had a really difficult time activating the DVR. But now it all seems to be working as far as I can tell.
The positives: The menus are fast. Everything is instantaneous when scheduling events to be recorded. I like that you can still watch live tv while looking at your recorded list of shows.

The negatives: Not too many but I don't like the menu guide. I am used to the tivo guide that makes it very easy to scroll through several days or weeks of programming for a particular channel. I couldn't find a way in the manual to change the look of the guide like I could with the tivo. If I could do this, I would say hands down I like the HR20 better. The HR10-250 has been pretty quirky and slow but I like the guide and ease of menu navigation.

Been waiting until they add the OTA capability. Have they done so yet?

I understand what you're saying, I really do. That being said, it sounds as if all of your experience should have told you that the initial release was not going to meet your expectations. It sounds as if you want to be an "early adopter" AND get a "perfect product". Although in a perfect world that would happen, you and I both know the truth. Some people (like me) don't purchase the 1st model year of a new car. I also didn't get Windows XP until SP1 was released. Don't expect me to be typing from a Vista machine this time next year either.

So, you may ask, why did I get the HR20-700? I read up on the bugs from the initial release and I was willing to put up with them while they ironed them out.

My recommendation to you is to stop being an early adopter and just watch the forums. When you see that the majority of the bugs you care about are worked out then you should get the product. Until then, it sounds as if you only set yourself up to always be disappointed. Well - until that one great perfect product is finally released.


Snewo

What a reasonable [realistic] posting.
It has been my job to check the function technology, so "early adopter" sure fits.
I know new systems don't "work as planned". My job(s) have been debugging prototypes & expected D* to "work with me" to cleanup their hardware.

What I can't do by reading postings is know what the bugs are.

With my Dyslexia, [thank god for spell check or no one would understand me] I need to have a "hands on experience" to grasp [know] what or how a unit or system functions, which is the complaint with D* two year "blind" commitment.
Cable is giving [me] 30 days to "play" with it & a full refund if it doesn't "pass" functional testing.
While I don't expect D* to match this, I wish they would give me some time.

Just got my HR20, LNB5 dish, WB68 multiswitch and also the standard def 100 GB DVD installed and everything works great. I had thought about waiting for the new Slimline dish but I saw pics and info for it and it really isnt much smaller, so I went with the LNB5 on my previous LNB3 pole mount.

My pole mount basically is a heavy duty cement umbrella base that I dug a hole for and buried it. No in-ground cement, just packed the dirt around and on top of it. It was solid for the LNB3 for 2 years with up to 50 MPH winds a few times. I was worried about the additional weight of the new dish.

The installer placed a new hollow pole over the existing one as the mount calls for a larger diameter pole and he came prepared with it. He did have to cut the height of it down to avoid the roof eve from blocking the signal. But it worked great and is very solid.

I have a question regarding the Remotes, as I have both the HR20 and the SD DVR in the same room. The RC24 came with the HR20. The RC23 came with the SD DVR. Is there a difference between the two? They look the same.

There doesnt appear to be an imput for the RF antenna on the HR20 like the H20 and also the SD DVR. Is the antenna internal on the HR20? Basically, what is the best way to use both DVRs in the same room with the remotes, so they dont interfere with each other? How do I program them for this?

When I had the H20 I did do the RF code and it worked great. If I could do that on one of my new DVRs then I could use the other in the normal IR mode?

I too have both remotes [they look the same] but the RF capable remote is heavier & has an FCC label on the back.
To my knowledge, [limited as it is] if there isn't an antenna on the back of the unit, it isn't RF capable.

It's built in.

It's built in.

That's a nice feature.
Thanks for increasing my {limited] knowledge

I got D* installed about a month ago. They installed a h20 and a Hr10-250. On the H20 I received local chennel but not on the Hr 10-250. I learned of this during the install and the csr I spoke to said they would switch it out with the Hr20-700 when it came out. Just this week I went to Best Buy an bought the HD20-700 with the understanding from DTV is that they would credit my account for the new box.
So I installed it and I still do not have local channels. And I still have not gotten my credit for the new DVR. I have been frusterated to wits end on DTV. What is the difference between the the Hr10, hr20 and the h20 in not been able to get local channels? Lucky I had a sevice call in because I was getting bad reception from the 110 sat. service guy said my locals will be fixed during the next software update early this week.

I am so fed up with these people. I ordered NFL,superfan paid 399 for HR10-250 (still haven't 100 rebate) and about a month later I still have no local service on a DVR that has cost me $700 dollars.

Does anybody have any clues why all this is happening? I have read this whole forum and nobody has mention this problem.

Two possibilities... One, the cables supplying the receiver that works is supplying the signal for the satellites the locals are on, to one receiver, but not the DVR. Assuming they are all connected to the LNB on the multisat dish correctly, this would indicate a bad multiswitch. More probable, is whoever installed the DVR selected the wrong dish configuration. Go into SETUP on the DVR, and verify you are receiving all three sats. Check the configuration, and make sure it is set to match your dish, triple LNB, single lnb, 5 satellite lnb, etc. Your locals are probably on SAT B, so pay attention to the signal strengths there. Write them down, then check them on the receiver that works with the locals, and make sure they are the same or close. Let me know what you find out.

I have two 5lnb. They have confirmed that the Hr10 was incapable of handling the locals and assured me the Hr20 would. Now they are saying it is a software issue. I have tried switch Dvr for the h20 and it didn't work. Also all sat look good reception wise.

I got D* installed about a month ago. They installed a h20 and a Hr10-250. On the H20 I received local chennel but not on the Hr 10-250. I learned of this during the install and the csr I spoke to said they would switch it out with the Hr20-700 when it came out. Just this week I went to Best Buy an bought the HD20-700 with the understanding from DTV is that they would credit my account for the new box.
So I installed it and I still do not have local channels. And I still have not gotten my credit for the new DVR. I have been frusterated to wits end on DTV. What is the difference between the the Hr10, hr20 and the h20 in not been able to get local channels? Lucky I had a sevice call in because I was getting bad reception from the 110 sat. service guy said my locals will be fixed during the next software update early this week.

I am so fed up with these people. I ordered NFL,superfan paid 399 for HR10-250 (still haven't 100 rebate) and about a month later I still have no local service on a DVR that has cost me $700 dollars.

Does anybody have any clues why all this is happening? I have read this whole forum and nobody has mention this problem.

Boy, do I know how you feel!
Your locals come in from the MPEG 4 SATs which means the AT9 or 5 LNB dish. LA & NY [locals] are the network feeds [which are the only locals in HD on Sat C].
Make sure the unit is configured right [see other posting].
Next swap cables between units to see if it changes [or not]. This should tell you if it the unit [box] or with the dish.

If the HR20-700 needs new software to receive locals, this would be another reason I want "hands on" with the unit [working] before I would commit to a two year package.
When will DTV "GET IT"?

As I've mentioned, my little pea brain has to work harder just to keep up.

I don't have the HR20-700 so I can't tell [for sure] BUT I've only read about the OTA channels needing the "Magic Software" fix.
Nobody [else] seems to have complained about the lack of locals [from DTV] which points to a defective box [if changing cables from the dish doesn't point to the dish/switch].
D* CSR really don't have a clue & the installers aren't much better.

I'm thinking that this is an issue with hardware and not software. My HR20-700 picked up my MPEG4 locals immediately upon powering up. I suspect the "software update" comment might have come from a CSR who didn't understand the situation.

I suggest a call back to D* and give another CSR a chance to identify the problem. Hopefully they'll bounce you to level 2.

Just to test the software theory, you should post the software version that your HR20-700 is at currently.



Snewo

I have two 5lnb. They have confirmed that the Hr10 was incapable of handling the locals and assured me the Hr20 would. Now they are saying it is a software issue. I have tried switch Dvr for the h20 and it didn't work. Also all sat look good reception wise.

Sorry for the double post, but I wanted to make an additional comment on this one since I read it immediately after posting the last comment.

- If the HR20-700 and H20 both have the same problem then it's definitely not a software issue. IMHO

- "The two 5lnb" comment just threw me. I'd like to ask a question just to clarify. Are you saying that you have 2 5LNB satellite dishes on your roof? Can you please verify that these dishes are truly 5LNB dishes. I'm not trying to imply anything....I just want to know positvely what we're dealing with here.



Snewo

Sorry for the double post, but I wanted to make an additional comment on this one since I read it immediately after posting the last comment.

- If the HR20-700 and H20 both have the same problem then it's definitely not a software issue. IMHO

- "The two 5lnb" comment just threw me. I'd like to ask a question just to clarify. Are you saying that you have 2 5LNB satellite dishes on your roof? Can you please verify that these dishes are truly 5LNB dishes. I'm not trying to imply anything....I just want to know positvely what we're dealing with here.



Snewo

Good, you beat "my pea Brain" to tech 2 & what version of SW.
He says the H20 does receive locals, but the HR20 doesn't.
Connecting the HR20 to the H20 cable should determine dish or box.
The HR has two dish cables. Could swapping them also tell us something?

Sorry for the double post, but I wanted to make an additional comment on this one since I read it immediately after posting the last comment.

- If the HR20-700 and H20 both have the same problem then it's definitely not a software issue. IMHO

- "The two 5lnb" comment just threw me. I'd like to ask a question just to clarify. Are you saying that you have 2 5LNB satellite dishes on your roof? Can you please verify that these dishes are truly 5LNB dishes. I'm not trying to imply anything....I just want to know positvely what we're dealing with here.



Snewo


yes 2 5lnb, h20 is fine. it is dvrs that is the problem. both hr10 &hr20 can not catch local channels where the h20 can. I just don't know why this would be.

yes 2 5lnb, h20 is fine. it is dvrs that is the problem. both hr10 &hr20 can not catch local channels where the h20 can. I just don't know why this would be.
Try the cable swap [above].
You know to reset the box for each test right?

The HR10 will not work for HD locals because it isn't MPEG 4.

I tried that still does not come in, I just got off the phone with csr they just confirmed they are working on it. A notice just came out about it to all csr's

They are also going to credit me the 299 purchase for the HD20 I bought at best buy. At first they said they don't do that but I had them reveive the notes from last week call and lucky the guy put it in that he did tell me to go to best buy and that I would get full credit.

I tried that still does not come in, I just got off the phone with csr they just confirmed they are working on it. A notice just came out about it to all csr's

Bummer. It's strange that it hasn't been posted here before.

Bummer. It's strange that it hasn't been posted here before.


I think this is a very unusual situation with me being in Hawaii and they do not have very many new customer with HD, & DVR. I am the only one I have ever notice had an installation of 2 5lnb dishes. My neighbors have been giving me strange looks. This is just so baffeling I was wondering if anybody had a clue. DTV installer suprise the crap out of me. Said it was because I wanted HD. But I notice a restaurant/ bar about 5 miles from me has only one dish.

At least on the HD20 I get the Banner with channel info, but just a blank grey screen.

Very strange. Let us know what this issue is that they alerted all CSRs about. Without knowing anything special, and seeing the updated info you provided, I would have guessed a bad HR20.



Snewo

Very strange. Let us know what this issue is that they alerted all CSRs about. Without knowing anything special, and seeing the updated info you provided, I would have guessed a bad HR20.



Snewo

That is what they thought on Wed, but since I had a service guy coming out they said he would switch it out, when he came he told me to call Cs and that is not what he was told. It appears this has just come out inthe last day or so. They said an update should be coming early this week to fix the problem.

Being new to Off Air antenna situations, I picked up one recently to actually see what I could receive.

Question is can I record an Off Air signal through the HR20 eventually when it is enabled or is it just a pass-thru to the TV? Also, can I record an Off Air signal currently through the standard def DVR? The instructions say no on the SD DVR.

I dont have local channel access through DirctTV in my area unfortuately and thus would like to find a digital way to record without buying an expensive dedicated Tivo unit.

I think this is a very unusual situation with me being in Hawaii and they do not have very many new customer with HD, & DVR. I am the only one I have ever notice had an installation of 2 5lnb dishes. My neighbors have been giving me strange looks. This is just so baffeling I was wondering if anybody had a clue. DTV installer suprise the crap out of me. Said it was because I wanted HD. But I notice a restaurant/ bar about 5 miles from me has only one dish.

At least on the HD20 I get the Banner with channel info, but just a blank grey screen.

And the "wild card" [for me] is your location,
ALL of the locals are coming through the SAT @ 99 degrees, which is [I think] why you have two dishes. Here in the "48" SD programing comes from 101 & 119 [sat] with HD on the 110. With the new locals in HD, they come from the 99 with future space on the 104 [both MPEG 4].
I think your location uses a SAT @ 122 to 147 [something]. Not exactly sure since I don't use it.

And the "wild card" [for me] is your location,
ALL of the locals are coming through the SAT @ 99 degrees, which is [I think] why you have two dishes. Here in the "48" SD programing comes from 101 & 119 [sat] with HD on the 110. With the new locals in HD, they come from the 99 with future space on the 104 [both MPEG 4].
I think your location uses a SAT @ 122 to 147 [something]. Not exactly sure since I don't use it.

No same sat as you listed the first 101, 110 and 119 are the ones I get. I never heard of 122 to 147. Is there a way to tell what channels are from what sat. I can check the h20 in which I do agaist the one I don't.

Being new to Off Air antenna situations, I picked up one recently to actually see what I could receive.

Question is can I record an Off Air signal through the HR20 eventually when it is enabled or is it just a pass-thru to the TV? Also, can I record an Off Air signal currently through the standard def DVR? The instructions say no on the SD DVR.

I dont have local channel access through DirctTV in my area unfortuately and thus would like to find a digital way to record without buying an expensive dedicated Tivo unit.

If their ever "fix" the HR20, yes you "should" be able to record OTA channels [if they work like the H20 receives].

The SD DVR doesn't have the ATSC [digital] tuner.
I bought a HDTV tuner card for my PC, which records OTA channels, & have an SD [DTV] box connected to it. This is my first [only] experience with recording other than VCR. It works [well].
HDTV can "only" be recorded from OTA because of the copyright issues. HD recorders won't let you "get it out of the box" to comply with copyrights. The DVI & HDMI signals are encoded to pass the copyright issue.
One of the biggest pains HDTV has is "their" fear of getting a copy of a program.

If their ever "fix" the HR20, yes you "should" be able to record OTA channels [if they work like the H20 receives].

The SD DVR doesn't have the ATSC [digital] tuner.
I bought a HDTV tuner card for my PC, which records OTA channels, & have an SD [DTV] box connected to it. This is my first [only] experience with recording other than VCR. It works [well].
HDTV can "only" be recorded from OTA because of the copyright issues. HD recorders won't let you "get it out of the box" to comply with copyrights. The DVI & HDMI signals are encoded to pass the copyright issue.
One of the biggest pains HDTV has is "their" fear of getting a copy of a program.

I get the Locals also through Dtv on the h20, there is only one cable connected that receiver and that is from one of the dishes. I have no other attena installed.

Good info.

No same sat as you listed the first 101, 110 and 119 are the ones I get. I never heard of 122 to 147. Is there a way to tell what channels are from what sat. I can check the h20 in which I do agaist the one I don't.

You will not get local channels in HD from those SAT. The 110 has network HD [local if you're in LA or NY] in MEG 2. You would need waivers to get Distant Network Service.
Your H20 gets it's local HD from the 99 SAT, MEG 4.

Do a system test but since I don't have one I can't tell you how, but the H20 I do know & it will test the SATs. Currently they only pass 4 SATs & return an error message about being set for 5 but only finding 4, & then D* tells you to press "fix later" to continue...

You will not get local channels in HD from those SAT. The 110 has network HD [local if you're in LA or NY] in MEG 2. You would need waivers to get Distant Network Service.
Your H20 gets it's local HD from the 99 SAT, MEG 4.

Do a system test but since I don't have one I can't tell you how, but the H20 I do know & it will test the SATs. Currently they only pass 4 SATs & return an error message about being set for 5 but only finding 4, & then D* tells you to press "fix later" to continue...

You are correct it seems like I have 99 also. Trasponder 1 I get 97 on both tuners. Transponder 2-6 I get 0.

I did the hr20 setup per your notes 101 110 119 ok 99 failed 103 failed.

Alb0bo,

Let me see if I've "got it".
You have an HR-10 that need 2 cables, an HR-20-700 that also needs 2, & a H-20-100 or 600.
The AT9 [5 LNB] dish has only 4 outputs, so there are 2 dishes to give you the 5 cables you need.
Others with your situation use a switch [external to the dish] to multiply the cables instead of a second dish.

You are correct it seems like I have 99 also. Trasponder 1 I get 97 on both tuners. Transponder 2-6 I get 0.

I did the hr20 setup per your notes 101 110 119 ok 99 failed 103 failed.

Bingo!!! 99 failed

I have a h20-100 that does catch the locals ran setup error on 99 sat. Still catches locals

I also have a Hr20-700 that require 2 cables setup screens are exact as h20 99 fails no locals

I had a hr10-250 which I took out when I bougth the HR20-700

Bingo!!! 99 failed

99 also fails on the h20 and I get locals..

Alb0bo,

Let me see if I've "got it".
You have an HR-10 that need 2 cables, an HR-20-700 that also needs 2, & a H-20-100 or 600.
The AT9 [5 LNB] dish has only 4 outputs, so there are 2 dishes to give you the 5 cables you need.
Others with your situation use a switch [external to the dish] to multiply the cables instead of a second dish.

This doesn't make sense because I am only using 3 cables. I didn't request two dishes but that is what they put in

This doesn't make sense because I am only using 3 cables. I didn't request two dishes but that is what they put in

If you've read my posting "sense" doesn't have anything to do with DTV.

If you only have the need for three cables then you don't need 2 dishes pointed to the same SATs.

I think you have an H20-600. Mine used to fail on 99 but the transponder tests showed power. Go figure.

There is a little box on the cable marked "downconverter". I screwed up changing units & left it off. Still got all my locals, so I ask D* what it did. Oh "you need that for your locals". Wrong! Guess what, My -600 now passes the 99 without the downcoverter.
D* then said " oh yeah" some markets don't need it & we ask them to just leave it behind the box [unconnected] for if you need it later.

Missed your posting of your h20-100.
My -100 passed four SAT of 5 with the little box on.
You mentioned two tuners is that the HR20? The H20-100 doesn't have two. Was it the HR20-700 with 2 tuners?
The H20-600 has two tuners [one SAT & one ATSC].

If you've read my posting "sense" doesn't have anything to do with DTV.

If you only have the need for three cables then you don't need 2 dishes pointed to the same SATs.

I think you have an H20-600. Mine used to fail on 99 but the transponder tests showed power. Go figure.

There is a little box on the cable marked "downconverter". I screwed up changing units & left it off. Still got all my locals, so I ask D* what it did. Oh "you need that for your locals". Wrong! Guess what, My -600 now passes the 99 without the downcoverter.
D* then said " oh yeah" some markets don't need it & we ask them to just leave it behind the box [unconnected] for if you need it later.

You are right it is a h20-600. It does have the downconverter installed.

On my HD20-700 they are also installed, should I try removing them?

You are right it is a h20-600. It does have the downconverter installed.

On my HD20-700 they are also installed, should I try removing them?

Won't hurt anything to try.
BTW I'm dyslexic so I need H, HD, & HR to be correct for me to understand.
The recorder is HR.
Also look to see if the HR has any power on the 99 transponders

the two cables and two tuners I mention was for the hr20-700 (no locals)

h20-600 has one cable one tuner (yes on locals)

Both have downconverter

Won't hurt anything to try.
BTW I'm dyslexic so I need H, HD, & HR to be correct for me to understand.
The recorder is HR.
Also look to see if the HR has any power on the 99 transponders

Both the H20 and the HR20 have the 99 listed and gets 97% on first transponder.
2-6 transponers are at 0. and both fail in the same setup. I still get local on h20 and no locals on HR20(dvr)

no change on removing the downconverters

does anybody know how to do a force upload, service tech said code was 02468 but didn't say how?

Both the H20 and the HR20 have the 99 listed and gets 97% on first transponder.
2-6 transponers are at 0. and both fail in the same setup. I still get local on h20 and no locals on HR20(dvr)

OK, I think I've "got it".
1-You have more dishes than you need.
2- The HR20 is either defective or D* screwed up releasing the box with such a major defect.
Software could fix it, but I STILL find it extremely strange that no one else has posted this. My gut says bad box.

Let's not comment on my lack of a life to be on line now [PDT].

Keep working it & I'll back in the AM to check what's next.
Hope I've been some help.

The forced download is done at the welcome screen. Reboot the box, when it says welcome to DTV, that's when you use the code with the remote.

OK, I think I've "got it".
1-You have more dishes than you need.
2- The HR20 is either defective or D* screwed up releasing the box with such a major defect.
Software could fix it, but I STILL find it extremely strange that no one else has posted this. My gut says bad box.

Let's not comment on my lack of a life to be on line now [PDT].

Keep working it & I'll back in the AM to check what's next.
Hope I've been some help.

The forced download is done at the welcome screen. Reboot the box, when it says welcome to DTV, that's when you use the code with the remote.

thanks for your help. i will try a new upload and see if it works

I am quite angery at D*. First they came out on Wends. to install my Hr-20 and put up my new dish. I tech tried to activate my box and was on the phone with C.S. for 2 hrs. So they finally told me they were going to overnight mail me a new card to the box. So I got my new card Thursday morning and was on the line with C.S. for 2.5 hrs speaking with different reps and tech support. So then they said they would send out a tech on Friday with a new box. Then they called back and said the tech would come out Saturday afternoon. So the tech came out and he did not have the new box. D* told him that they thought I didn't install the card correctly. So this tech was on the phone for 1hr and then told them that the box is dead. So now I have to wait until Tuesday since they mailed one out today. Then I have to call them to send out a tech to install it. Then the climax of this story is I was looking on my online statement tonight and they charged me for the new card. So they will get a earful monday. Thx for letting me vent.

thanks for your help. i will try a new upload and see if it works
I probably missed this way earlier in this thread, but have you had the DirecTV CSR folks reset your HR20-700 receiver for the channels they are allowing it to tune in? I have had some "channels missing" problems in the past and they were able to clean things up by somehow hitting the receiver again.

My other thought was perhaps you had an incompatible external multiswitch, but if you get readings for transponders from the 99 satellite on your HD receivers, you likely have a compatible multiswitch. Seeing the satellite transponders but not receiving the channels would again suggest that DirecTV needs to reset your receiver to include all of the channels you subscribe to.

Perhaps the uniqueness of your Hawaii HDTV situation is beyond the knowledge and experience of many of the CSRs at DirecTV. You may want to ask for technical support instead of just talking to the front-line CSRs, who typically know no more than the scripts provided to them, and then they have to find the correct script for your scenario.

I am quite angery at D*. First they came out on Wends. to install my Hr-20 and put up my new dish. I tech tried to activate my box and was on the phone with C.S. for 2 hrs. So they finally told me they were going to overnight mail me a new card to the box. So I got my new card Thursday morning and was on the line with C.S. for 2.5 hrs speaking with different reps and tech support. So then they said they would send out a tech on Friday with a new box. Then they called back and said the tech would come out Saturday afternoon. So the tech came out and he did not have the new box. D* told him that they thought I didn't install the card correctly. So this tech was on the phone for 1hr and then told them that the box is dead. So now I have to wait until Tuesday since they mailed one out today. Then I have to call them to send out a tech to install it. Then the climax of this story is I was looking on my online statement tonight and they charged me for the new card. So they will get a earful monday. Thx for letting me vent.
The price of free speech is tolerance. One of the [many] benefits is sympathy.
It is not "rocket science" to change a box [lord help DTV if it was].
I would swap the cables from the bad box [one by one] to the new box [when it comes] with the power cord last, before calling out a tech. Then follow the [easy] setup menu & call D* to activate the box. D* will ask for the serial numbers [box & card]. The "hard part" was the dish install, not the box activation.
Correcting a billing problem is one of the few things the CSRs can do [well].

I probably missed this way earlier in this thread, but have you had the DirecTV CSR folks reset your HR20-700 receiver for the channels they are allowing it to tune in? I have had some "channels missing" problems in the past and they were able to clean things up by somehow hitting the receiver again.

My other thought was perhaps you had an incompatible external multiswitch, but if you get readings for transponders from the 99 satellite on your HD receivers, you likely have a compatible multiswitch. Seeing the satellite transponders but not receiving the channels would again suggest that DirecTV needs to reset your receiver to include all of the channels you subscribe to.

Perhaps the uniqueness of your Hawaii HDTV situation is beyond the knowledge and experience of many of the CSRs at DirecTV. You may want to ask for technical support instead of just talking to the front-line CSRs, who typically know no more than the scripts provided to them, and then they have to find the correct script for your scenario.
Good point about having D* send a reset.
I forgot about needing this [for my Sony] after a "master" reset [from it's service menu]. After the reset my [then SD] locals wouldn't come in until D* did their reset. Most CSRs didn't know what I was asking for [when I called] but would finally "get it" [do it] if I kept pushing them. After their reset the locals would be back.

thanks for your help. i will try a new upload and see if it works

Correct me if I'm wrong (and it is DEFINITELY possible) but maybe Alb0bo's installers are aiming one dish at the the main 3 sats and the OTHER at the 2 newest satellites. I know some people place multiple dishes on their roofs in order to maximize their readings and reduce dropouts. This could be a matter of an installer just not wanting to take down the old one...dunno why.

Alb0bo, it's starting to sound like you're not a standard install. I'd be interested to know if you're done the following: Take every cable that comes into your HR20 area and plug them individually into the H20 and run the transponder tests. That would be all 3 cables. Do they give you all the same readings on the H20? If so my potentially crappy theory is shot down.

I have 1 5LNB satellite and I'm running 3 lines currently so if there was ever any doubt there is at least one person running like you with 1 dish.



Snewo

Correct me if I'm wrong (and it is DEFINITELY possible) but maybe Alb0bo's installers are aiming one dish at the the main 3 sats and the OTHER at the 2 newest satellites. I know some people place multiple dishes on their roofs in order to maximize their readings and reduce dropouts. This could be a matter of an installer just not wanting to take down the old one...dunno why.

Alb0bo, it's starting to sound like you're not a standard install. I'd be interested to know if you're done the following: Take every cable that comes into your HR20 area and plug them individually into the H20 and run the transponder tests. That would be all 3 cables. Do they give you all the same readings on the H20? If so my potentially crappy theory is shot down.

I have 1 5LNB satellite and I'm running 3 lines currently so if there was ever any doubt there is at least one person running like you with 1 dish.



Snewo
After all of "our" postings last night, it seems [I too could be completely wrong] that the first dish was installed with the H20 & the second dish was installed with the HR20.
In his (her) posting (s)he reported that (s)he is using the same SATs as we are.
At the end of the day... (s)he hadn't checked which version of software the unit has.
Somewhere somebody reported that they needed to get the current software upgrade to get the local channels [which happened within the first 24 hours].
I'm still waiting to hear what's up from him (her) [(s)he asleep now] being 3 hours behind me [PDT].

I probably missed this way earlier in this thread, but have you had the DirecTV CSR folks reset your HR20-700 receiver for the channels they are allowing it to tune in? I have had some "channels missing" problems in the past and they were able to clean things up by somehow hitting the receiver again.

My other thought was perhaps you had an incompatible external multiswitch, but if you get readings for transponders from the 99 satellite on your HD receivers, you likely have a compatible multiswitch. Seeing the satellite transponders but not receiving the channels would again suggest that DirecTV needs to reset your receiver to include all of the channels you subscribe to.

Perhaps the uniqueness of your Hawaii HDTV situation is beyond the knowledge and experience of many of the CSRs at DirecTV. You may want to ask for technical support instead of just talking to the front-line CSRs, who typically know no more than the scripts provided to them, and then they have to find the correct script for your scenario.

I asked them that, They basically said I would get a number and to call to activate like on the channels from the east coast. I do get banner and channel info on the local channels just no picture.

I am watching football I'll try your suggestions after the game.
dishes are pionted slightly different.

Also reset and forcing download software update didn't work

I checked the dish cabling all three cables (2 from hr20 and 1 h20) run to dish 1. Then there are 2 cables that run from dish one to dish 2

I checked the dish cabling all three cables (2 from hr20 and 1 h20) run to dish 1. Then there are 2 cables that run from dish one to dish 2
The two dishes are starting to make sense.
Again somewhere in the posting, there is a post about 2 AT9 dishes where the line of sight to [all] the SAT was blocked & they used a AT9 [with F connectors on the Ku band instead of the micro connectors on mine] so there was good signal from all SATs.
This might be needed because you're so far west [from us] & the angular spread to the SATs fall out of the "normal" AT9 range.

Back to a "bad box". I would go back to the store & have them exchange the box for you. CC gave me 30 days to exchange a bad Sony [LG] box.
You at least will know if it is just your box, since I doubt 2 boxes will be defeactive [in the same way].

The two dishes are starting to make sense.
Again somewhere in the posting, there is a post about 2 AT9 dishes where the line of sight to [all] the SAT was blocked & they used a AT9 [with F connectors on the Ku band instead of the micro connectors on mine] so there was good signal from all SATs.
This might be needed because you're so far west [from us] & the angular spread to the SATs fall out of the "normal" AT9 range.

Back to a "bad box". I would go back to the store & have them exchange the box for you. CC gave me 30 days to exchange a bad Sony [LG] box.
You at least will know if it is just your box, since I doubt 2 boxes will be defeactive [in the same way].

Can it be software issue like dtv is telling me or are they pulling my chain again

Can it be software issue like dtv is telling me or are they pulling my chain again
Good question.
D* hasn't a clue [generally] & I think what they said to you was about the OTA channels.
If it was about locals from DTV, you wouldn't have been the first posting [here].
If I wanted to "test" if it was BS, I would get another box & see.
If the other box did the same thing most likely D* knows what they're talking about [rare], but I think, with all of the posting here, the box you have is defective.
You can get D* to replace it or since you bought from a store, have them exchange it. It won't cost them & it's faster than waiting on D*.
That's what I've would do [have done], but what do I know, I'm the one with a simple "pea brain" & decades of troubleshooting systems.

In the review I read it said that the dual buffers might be activated at some point, but there are no plans to for now.


question on the daul Buffer? are you guys talking about the feature tivo had where you could toggle back and forth between tuners and both of them record the last lets say 30 min of each channel ? i just got my hr20 tuesday and just noticed that the hr20 does not allow you to do that i called dtv and they told me nope that is not a feature on it you can though record two shows at one but i dont like recording everything i watch i just like the option of going between two channels and being able to rewind things.

Just ordered my HR20. I started the process a couple of days ago. Talked to a CSR but he would not budge from $299. Said there was no way to get it for less. Called retention next. They offered me $99 right away plus shipping. Tried for some extra credits but no deal. Asked them to put the offer in my record and said I'd think about it. Called retention back tonight and got the same $99 offer but they were willing to waive the shipping. Still wouldn't give any extra credits. I told them I'd take it. Figured it wasn't a bad deal since I only have a SD DVR right now, not HD. They're also including a multi switch since I'll need an extra drop now that I'll have two DVRs.

does anyone know what happens when you try to drop an h20 receiver to replace a newly installed hr20? someone said d* won't let you remove the h20 because it is leased...

does anyone know what happens when you try to drop an h20 receiver to replace a newly installed hr20? someone said d* won't let you remove the h20 because it is leased...

Do I know-- no, BUT [there is always one]
The H20 is leased, so it would have to go back to D*.
You have a two year programing commitment.
An HR-20 would be an upgrade [that you pay for the "privilege" to lease]. I would imagine if you paid their $299 price to lease [boy that gets my goat but] they would.
You might need to call customer retention AND get them off the "company line". I "lost it" with them after many, many calls & made a crack about sounding like a Parrot [which she was, or why would I say it] but she came back with a zero cost [HR20] which was my point [goal].
Polite, but firm, is the recommendation. Their goal is to keep happy customers [really]. It just sometimes takes a 2x4 [or the like] to get their attention & see the sense to your request.

I just hung up and have 2 coming... She stated me off at 299.00 per... I kinds laughed and she stared laughung also.

She in about 10 sec went to 99.00 per unit

I'm planning on getting an HR-20 but not the mpeg-4 dish just yet (had a bad install with the 3-lnb dish so i'm going to wait until they get the bugs out).

Just to confirm, I can use the HR-20 to get all HD channels I currently get (including the HD sunday ticket games) except the LIL.

related to this, Is there an input on the hr-20 for an OTA antenna so I can still get my locals without going to mpeg-4?

thanks for the help.

I'm planning on getting an HR-20 but not the mpeg-4 dish just yet (had a bad install with the 3-lnb dish so i'm going to wait until they get the bugs out).

Just to confirm, I can use the HR-20 to get all HD channels I currently get except the LIL.

related to this, Is there an input on the hr-20 for an OTA antenna so I can still get my locals without going to mpeg-4?

thanks for the help.
I believe the problem with this is that the OTA input is disabled at the moment.

You can receive all of the current HD channels except for HD LIL with the 3 lnb dish.

There is an input for OTA but it is my understanding that it is not enabled yet. I was waiting to hear that it was before hooking up mine.

I believe the problem with this is that the OTA input is disabled at the moment.


ouch. that's a major problem if this is 100% true and confirmed.

ouch. that's a major problem if this is 100% true and confirmed.

Oh it's true. It's damn true! It's supposed to be activated soon, maybe in October.

I don;t really know a heck of a lot about this stuff but That seems to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. What purpose does this serve?? what is the harm in having it enabled? why provide an input if it doesn't work.

seems assanine

I don;t really know a heck of a lot about this stuff but That seems to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. What purpose does this serve?? what is the harm in having it enabled? why provide an input if it doesn't work.

seems assanine

Dunno, maybe trying to get more people on their mpeg4 hd local feeds instead of off air?

I don;t really know a heck of a lot about this stuff but That seems to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. What purpose does this serve?? what is the harm in having it enabled? why provide an input if it doesn't work.

seems assanine
Most likely, it's an unanticipated bug. After all the delays, one would think they would have gotten it right by now, but it's probably something that cropped up in the production model that wasn't in the prototypes they tested.

I was told by a customer retention rep yesterday that they expect to have a sofware update by the end of the year for the OTA compatibility. I had just called in to see what kind of deal they would give me on the unit. As everyone else has mentioned, if you work them a bit you will get most if not all of the price dicounted or programming discounts to offset the cost. They offered me the unit at $199 but then offered $10 a month off Total choice plus for one year. The also offered free HBO for 6 months. I asked them to note the offer on my account while I thought about it. I likely will take it although I do not like the two year commitment. But based on this OTA issue, I think I will request they give me free locals until they resolve the OTA integration issue.

One question I had was regarding the remote for the HR20. The CR rep mentioned that it was RF compatible. Can someone who has this unit confirm or deny this? I am considering getting a Harmony 890 remote which should allow me to operate the HR20 via RF throughout the house. I have a configuration which allows me to view my satellite signal on channel 3 on all Tv's in my house.

Most likely, it's an unanticipated bug. After all the delays, one would think they would have gotten it right by now, but it's probably something that cropped up in the production model that wasn't in the prototypes they tested.
I was told [from D*] that the Beta testing was done in LA.
I'm "gut" tells me it's a software glitch that wasn't caught with the focus on the MPEG 4.

I don't know of any "bug" with the AT9 dish. The MPEG 4 "problem" isn't a dish problem.

...I'm "gut" tells me it's a software glitch that wasn't caught with the focus on the MPEG 4. Yeah, that would be my guess, too, although it's hard to see how they could have missed it if the problem had existed in the prototype.

Of course, D* management was taking so much heat from Wall Street about their failure to get the MPEG-4 DVR out that they may have just decided to go ahead with production even if there were known bugs.

I don't know of any "bug" with the AT9 dish. The MPEG 4 "problem" isn't a dish problem.
I wasn't suggesting it was in the dish. It's just in the HR20. It's not an MPEG-4 issue, but rather an OTA "problem." By all accounts, the MPEG-4 part works fine.

In any case, it remains a deal breaker for me, as I watch OTA far more than I do satellite.

Most likely, it's an unanticipated bug. After all the delays, one would think they would have gotten it right by now, but it's probably something that cropped up in the production model that wasn't in the prototypes they tested.
I chuckled when I read this.

In my many years of requirements and integration testing work, I don't recall any "anticipated" bugs. I suppose there have been areas where our confidence level of the software implementation was lower than normal, such that there might be anticipation of bugs yet unknown.

Macfan424, I am not picking on you, I just chuckled. BTW, my home is 100% Mac (4 active Macs right now) and has been for many years.

I chuckled when I read this.

In my many years of requirements and integration testing work, I don't recall any "anticipated" bugs...
:D You're right. That wasn't a very apt choice of words. :o

the h20 has RF and it is built in (no external antenna) it's works perfectly

I wasn't suggesting it was in the dish. It's just in the HR20. It's not an MPEG-4 issue, but rather an OTA "problem." By all accounts, the MPEG-4 part works fine.
They're still "playing with" MPEG-4 in some markets it doesn't seem to work with the [some] local channels.
My "take" [which may not be worth a Sh**] is the compression. I had problems with "NASCAR on NBC". I had to use OTA antenna to watch [the same signal D* gets] a good picture.

Thanks for writing us back about your DIRECTV concerns. I understand that this has been frustrating on your part. You are important to us and we certainly want to keep you as a customer. A service specialist will call you in the next 48 Hours to discuss what we can do to meet your needs.

As for you local channel concerns, upon reviewing your account, I found that local channels are now available in your area, however, your DIRECTV HR20-700 is unable to get local channels at this time. We are already aware of this problem and our engineers are working their best to resolve this issue.

the h20 has RF and it is built in (no external antenna) it's works perfectly

The H20 uses an external antenna. The HR20 uses an internal antenna.

Thanks for writing us back about your DIRECTV concerns. I understand that this has been frustrating on your part. You are important to us and we certainly want to keep you as a customer. A service specialist will call you in the next 48 Hours to discuss what we can do to meet your needs.

As for you local channel concerns, upon reviewing your account, I found that local channels are now available in your area, however, your DIRECTV HR20-700 is unable to get local channels at this time. We are already aware of this problem and our engineers are working their best to resolve this issue.

I guess that [since you aren't working for D*] this is a message you received from them.

Did you ever try exchanging the unit at the store?

Originally Posted by stacy11
OK, I'm in Los Angeles, and the installer just left; up and running with the new HD-DVR, HR-20-700S. When I scroll the networks, I have 3 choices:

Local Channel 7 (SD, local ABC feed)
KABC (Also local ABC feed, channel 7, but the HD FEED)
Channel 83 (National ABC HD feed)

Question is: Which of the 2 HD channels is the new MPEG4 version????

The sd feed is obviously not the mpeg4 feed. Channel 83 is the CONUS feed, so it too is in mpeg2. The second one is the mpeg4 feed. In the guide you will have an ABC logo in the upper left hand corner instead of the D* logo.

Somebody have mecry, CLOSE THIS THREAD !

Somebody have mecry, CLOSE THIS THREAD !
Fine... done!

If you wanted mercy you could have answered the question, since your posting:
1- asked what about...
2- you knew the answer!
All he wanted was help....

I just spoke with retention and got the HR20 for $99 to be installed next week.

I ordered mine this afternoon and had to pay $199 up front. I was not currently leasing a box from them. However I was able to get them to supplement the cost by throwing in over $222 worth of programming credits over the next year. Funny thing is they would not budge on my point that they should throw in free locals until they incorporate OTA channels into this box. I received an October 11th installation date.

Interesting things the rep told me was that she claims that in January of next year (07) all programming will be switched over to MPEG-4. Seems like that would create mass hysteria for people with non-MPEG-4 boxes. She also was touting the possiblility of those 150 national HD channels available by this time next year. Even though there are not currently half of those in existence now. I will be happy to se double digits of new national HD channels added by this time next year.

This is something I've been waiting for since I came to DTV. When [if] it happens, it could bring me back. Cable was installed yesterday. Same price as D*, same programs [that I watch], no commitment, 30 day full refund, very nice people.
DTVs ad about "living with cable", for me, is reversed, but I guess I'm lucky since my cable isn't Comcast.

Well I'm bummed. I got a call this morning with the local installers saying that they have to push back my install date. It seems they ran out of HR20 boxes! :( I have to wait until Oct 8th before our schedules are aligned in the stars. :D Oh well atleast I am able to watch all the shows I need to right now and not have to record anything.

has anyone been able to successfully get a 2nd hr20 from them for the cost of shipping?

I got two HR 20's for total price of $99.00(including shipping). I had two HR 10-250 (one I bought and one I leased). I kept the old units and have them connected in other rooms. I have been a Directv customer since 1995.

I replaced my 2 HR10s with 2 HR20s. Was charged $99 + tax with a $99 credit. So I ended up paying about $7. I still have the 2 HR10s deactivated. One was leased, and they haven't asked for it back yet.

Just hooked up a Direct TV HR20-700 to my new Samsung 5687.

All is fine except I can't for the life of me figure out how to switch back and forth from tuner to tuner like I do with my Tivo R10. With the R10 they had a "live tv" button. I see no such button on the remote for the HR20.

Both feeds are hooked up to the unit. I know there must be a way to toggle back and forth between feeds. How do you do this?

I know I must be overlooking something.

So far I am happy with the picture but I dislike the controls on this remote.

Anyone using the HR20 with a Harmony remote?

Anyone using the HR20 with a Harmony remote?

I'm using the Harmony. It does well...except for some reason it keeps "losing" the DVR commands (play, stop, record, FF, etc.).

So I have my install set for this afternoon. At 2 I call and they tell me that they ran out of units. I should go and but one and DTV will reimburse. Bluegrass said that there were none in the area. They never had the decxncy to call me to tell me that they were not coming.It took me 5 minutes to find one locally. Now DTV will credit my account the $300. They will not refund my money. I think that stinks!!!
CSR said they would;retention said no. I am halfway to cable.

The hr20 does this automatically on tuner switches, use your previous channel button to switch between tuners if you are recording something on the other tuner.


Just hooked up a Direct TV HR20-700 to my new Samsung 5687.

All is fine except I can't for the life of me figure out how to switch back and forth from tuner to tuner like I do with my Tivo R10. With the R10 they had a "live tv" button. I see no such button on the remote for the HR20.

Both feeds are hooked up to the unit. I know there must be a way to toggle back and forth between feeds. How do you do this?

I know I must be overlooking something.

So far I am happy with the picture but I dislike the controls on this remote.

So, I have never, ever, ever had DirecTv do any install work for me in the past 8 years, but they are forcing me to have a technician do this install work this coming sunday.

What should I expect? I halfway expect the person to not even show up...and if he does, I'll know more about the install procedures, etc...than he/she will.

Is this incorrect?

They better be done by the time football comes on...I've been waiting a MONTH for this install.

Have your own person on standby . You will probably need him to clean up the mess. My install is set for tomorrow and my man is coming on Wednesday.
By the way, my man said that the 5 LNB needs brackets attached to it that a standard install does not give you.
The weight of the dish is too much and the dish needs additional support.
Can anybody confirm or deny this?
Brackets are not very costly

I've read the install instructions for the dish....so I'm good to go.

This just drives me nuts that they won't let me do my own work and just reimburse me for the parts...or just ship them to me.

I'm going to especially be unhappy when (not if) they call and say they can't make it, but can be there between noon and 5 pm on some weekday...this is why I got out of cable.

If they are installing the HR20 Hd DVR, they may cancel. It is out of stock in many areas.
I had to go to Best Buy to pick it up
DTV to credit my account for cost

Well, they could have done that a month ago when I called, but didn't or wouldn't.

:)

Crutchfield has them now. W/photos http://www.crutchfield.com/S-slDCcPr9kq7/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=11500&I=637HR20

WOW. they are $100 more than Best Buy!!

WOW. they are $100 more than Best Buy!!


They've always been pricey. I like the site because you have photos and good info. Then I buy from a cheaper place :)

WOW. they are $100 more than Best Buy!!

I however believe that Crutchfirelds is a PURCHASE - not a lease.

I however believe that Crutchfirelds is a PURCHASE - not a lease.

I thought the purchase price was more like $749, as opposed to the lease price of $299.

So, I have never, ever, ever had DirecTv do any install work for me in the past 8 years, but they are forcing me to have a technician do this install work this coming sunday.

What should I expect? I halfway expect the person to not even show up...and if he does, I'll know more about the install procedures, etc...than he/she will.

Is this incorrect?

They better be done by the time football comes on...I've been waiting a MONTH for this install.

I had the "installer from h***" from Ironwood Communications. A doorstop knows more.
I would "do what I did", have him/her work to "your standards" [& check every step].
Why they must come out [for the install] is the dish alignment needs to be done with a power meter [the real type] because the new sats have a very narrow tolerance, & unless you have a meter you can't [do it right].

This was the only function my doorstop "was good for".

I think the "problems" with the AT9 dish are "overblown" or misunderstood [just my opinion], as mine was mounted the same as the 3 LNB was. The "doorstop" hesitated, & I proceeded to tell him what "he was going to do".
Yes the dish is heavier [& bigger] AND needs to be mounted on a sturdy mount [wall stud], where the "older" dishes could mount on almost anything [like 1/4" thick siding].

I however believe that Crutchfirelds is a PURCHASE - not a lease.
When you activate the unit & you will find it's a lease [all are now] .

My AT9 was mounted to side of the house on a wall... Its supported with to arm brackets also mounted to the house. Backin Feb. we had a big wind storm. It blew the dish out of alignment. When another tech came to fix he said the previous tech should of put the arm brackets on.. Sorry I went off topic. :):)

Well, my 3 LNB is currently lag bolted into a 2X6 Foundation stud, so I see no reason not to re-use that mount.

I've got Ironwood doing mine as well...I've quizzed these guys before, and they are usually not real knowledgeable...

Well, my 3 LNB is currently lag bolted into a 2X6 Foundation stud, so I see no reason not to re-use that mount.

I've got Ironwood doing mine as well...I've quizzed these guys before, and they are usually not real knowledgeable...
Requesting a "senior" tech had a GOOD tech come out [from them].

My AT9 was mounted to side of the house on a wall... Its supported with to arm brackets also mounted to the house. Backin Feb. we had a big wind storm. It blew the dish out of alignment. When another tech came to fix he said the previous tech should of put the arm brackets on.. Sorry I went off topic. :):)
You may be [are] right, but my "doorstop" didn't tighten the bolts [on the dish] so...

When you activate the unit & you will find it's a lease [all are now] .

Ain't that the truth?!

I got my HR20-700 from an eBay dealer for $299 (great transaction by the way), anyway, I thought I was buying the unit. Just like you said, yesterday when I called Dtv to activate the box, I was told that it can only be activated as a lease. I was also told that I must agree to a two year Dtv contract and that if I canceled before two years that I would owe $400 the balance of the cost of the HR20.

I was also upset when I figured out that the HR20 would not allow me to hook up a OTA antenna to pick up off-air local hd channels.

The tech realized I was upset and in shock about the lease so he switched me to another department.

They would not let me out the 2 year agreement or the leased HR20 but they did give me $25 a month off my monthly package for 6 months and the added the NFL Super Fan at no charge through the end of the season.

So I agreed to the deal.

after 3 cancellations, numerous calls to D* and the installer, and hours wasted, the installer finally showed yesterday.

As he gets the 5 lnb dish out of his car and I'm talking to him he tells me that "there is no hd dvr" on my workorder, because I was keeping my hd tivo. (of course the backorder of the mpg4 dvr was the excuse that the installer company had been giving me the last few months)

So I called retention and after retelling my story for the tenth time, got set up with a free mpg4 dvr (that the guy had in his van, but couldn't give me without a new workorder).

So anyway, the company, an LA installer company direct-connect or something like that, has been a big pain in the ass (much moreso than anything D* had done, but i hold them responsible too) finally shows up. and the installer is a good guy. We sit around and bitch about his company for a good 20 minutes. Evidently there's been a ripple effect. D* is pushing this technology on it's customers, but there are supply issues. The installer companies start screwing up, cancelling orders, the installers show up and get yelled at, and some quit, causing more backups with installations.

It all made sense, and I felt pretty bad for all the abuse this guy probably has taken over the last few weeks. He did a nice job on the setup and installation (he worked from 3 pm to 8 pm) got my signals in the 80's and 90's, did all the software updates (which took about 45 minutes for the mpg4 dvr, must be a lot of updates already). Got everything up and running, I tipped him 20 bucks and gave him some cookies for his ride home :)

So breathing a sigh of relief after this ordeal, reading about glitches and errors and such here, I crack open a beer, sit down to watch some HDTV and...

It was EXCELLENT! I've gotta say, as bad of a mood as the company had put me in the last few weeks, I was looking for anything to complain about. There were a few little picture dropoffs in the first hour (pretty minor) that seemed to go away. The picture quality was excellent on the mpg 4 locals (I watched some of Lost and Bones). It honestly was a huge improvement from the hd tivo I had been using.

I wasn't that stoked to be getting this box since I'd been so used to my HD Tivo. I figured PQ improvement would be minimal, glitches likely, and the adjustments to the new controls frustrating.

I was wrong on all three counts (So far at least). The PQ improvement was very noticeable, I compared it to the cox cable HD I still have hooked up and found it preferable. been a while since I had OTA, but the pq looked comparable. (keep in mind, I downsized from my 55 inch mitsubishi to a 37 in sharp aquos LCD the last month, I'll eventually hook them both up via component to the 55 inch in the garage and compare again, but the mpg4 locals via hdmi beat cox direct qith QAM tuning and the hdtivo nationals)

Glitches - None so far. The installer hooked it up via HDMI, and it worked right off the bat. Changing inputs, turning the set on and off, etc... made no difference. It came right back like it should (that was a big worry)

Controls - my only complaint is that the 30 second skip is slower than the hdtivo (is there a hack/adjustment for that anywhere?) . The rest of the controls are straightforward and easy to use, and the box outperforms the HD Tivo in other areas IMO. the simplicity of setting up a season pass for a program just by clicking "record" twice instead of once is real nice. The menu seems faster too.

I've only had it one night, so my opinion may change, but I was quite impressed and had an overall good experience with this box.

I hope that we all have happy endings like above.

I just got the 5 LNB AT9 Dish. Should my HD Local channels be broadcast in only 480P? My receiver is set to "native" in the display settings?

I just got the 5 LNB AT9 Dish. Should my HD Local channels be broadcast in only 480P? My receiver is set to "native" in the display settings?
If you have local HD channels [in your area] Then you're on the wrong channel! LOL
On my H20, with OTA channels there are three channels [for every local channel] one is SD, another is D* HD & the third is OTA.
It took me "a bit" to learn what's what, but keep at & you will find them [next to each other].

Ain't that the truth?!

I was also upset when I figured out that the HR20 would not allow me to hook up a OTA antenna to pick up off-air local hd channels.

The next "magic software" update is to correct this, since it "slipped by testing" [duh].

You all can yap all you want, but my HR20 is working like a charm. No issues. Installed here in NY before summer ended (just as they said it would be).

Records MPEG4 no problems, seems just fine to me.

Well I am having lock up problems every 2 or 3 days. The screen continues to show the picture, I dont even know it is locked up until I try and change the channel. The front panel on the receiver is locked and unresponsive. The remote is unresponsive also. This can last several hours until, I press the red reset button. After it goes through a shorter setup, I am ok for several days again. This has happened at least 5 or 6 times since I have owned the HR20 for about 2 weeks now. And I did get the update when I originally hooked up the receiver. Also this receiver is out in the open on top of a speaker because my Entertainment center isnt ready yet

Just got my HR20 today and hooked it up and everything seemed great, but no locals. No local either standard or Hd. I'm in the S.F. area, just wondering if this has happened to anyone else. I got a service appointment set fot Monday. Any advice would be great.

Just got my HR20 today and hooked it up and everything seemed great, but no locals. No local either standard or Hd. I'm in the S.F. area, just wondering if this has happened to anyone else. I got a service appointment set fot Monday. Any advice would be great.

Same thing happened after my install -- but the installer was able to direct the Service Rep via phone to send a command to the HR20 which, a few minutes later, began to receive HD Locals.

Sounds like your installer skipped that step :confused:

Hang in there -- the HD locals are worth it!


OT Mini-Rant

I am quite pleased with the HR20's HD & SD picture quality, but the HR20 cannot be used fluidly like a TiVo unit for skipping ahead or back in a program (let alone not being able to skip through a program with a TiVo's 15 or 30 minute tick marks).

And the Slow Motion initiation takes so long (3 seconds!) and is so hard to "get right" you are tempted to not use it.

Sigh...

I'm doing this myself and have called directv 3 times and can't seem to fix it. Do you know what the command was?

what time of day did he call. the night crew might not have the right solutions.

what time of day did he call. the night crew might not have the right solutions.
I think it is the same "command" I needed [fix my f***ing Box (LOL)]. Tell them to reset your box [from their end]. Had the same trouble with my Sony after a clearing of the NVRAM. System rebooted everything was there except locals [SD] until I convinced them to send their reset. Bingo there they were. I've had to do this several times. Not all CSRs knew what I was talking about [but they can do it].
You might want to have them transfer you to Tier 2 tech support. My best "support" was @ 2 AM, but it's the "luck of the call" on who you get.

You all can yap all you want, but my HR20 is working like a charm. No issues. Installed here in NY before summer ended (just as they said it would be).

Records MPEG4 no problems, seems just fine to me.


i actually had a problem tonight in in ny. i was watching and recording the fantasy football show on espn 2 tonight. i started watching about 20 minutes after it started (its a half hour show). when 7pm hits, a message pops up telling me that the yankee game is not available on that channel and press ok. i do, and all of a sudden the fantasy show is gone. completely gone, erased from the list and everything.

I dont even have any programming on my guide from channel 2-72 sd or hd. Every other channel comes in great. I had a level 2 rep try, could not come up with a solution. Maybe turn off all my boxes and the ractivate might be the solution?

I dont even have any programming on my guide from channel 2-72 sd or hd. Every other channel comes in great. I had a level 2 rep try, could not come up with a solution. Maybe turn off all my boxes and the ractivate might be the solution?
That's one way to get them reset [never heard about or even thought of].
Unplug the box(s), give them 10 min. Then see. This is your first day with it [them] right? There have been some posts about taking "over night" for everything to "sort" its self out. Couldn't say why but... Have you had them "force" a software download? They're are some numbers posted that you use [with the remote]at "the welcome screen" to do this. The supervisor knew them when I called [with a bad box].

Just got my HR20 today and hooked it up and everything seemed great, but no locals. No local either standard or Hd. I'm in the S.F. area, just wondering if this has happened to anyone else. I got a service appointment set fot Monday. Any advice would be great.

EKaskewsky the OTA is not enabled yet and is not supposed to work. However you are in an MPEG4 market and should be getting 2 of every local channel in the Bay Area, one SD and one digital. Call 2nd level tech support at 8887137772, tell them you have an HR20 and your SD and MPEG4 locals are not enabled and they will do it.

Got mine in August as well, just like D* announced back in January. It is working great for a new platform piece of hi-tech equipment. There are a few inconveniences here and there but for $15 it is an awesome deal and the PQ is great. It is about 2 more software releases from being perfect, and those are on the way.

Have your own person on standby . You will probably need him to clean up the mess. My install is set for tomorrow and my man is coming on Wednesday.
By the way, my man said that the 5 LNB needs brackets attached to it that a standard install does not give you.
The weight of the dish is too much and the dish needs additional support.
Can anybody confirm or deny this?
Brackets are not very costly
The brackets are included with the dish. No extra cost and YES you should insist that they be used.

Have my new HR20 set to native. When in the 720P mode the picture does not fill the screen on all 4 sides. H20 did the same thing. 50" Philips plasma. Any thoughts?

Is the program being broadcast in 720p? Like ESPN HD sportscenter that program except for some of the highlights should always fill your screen. In native mode if say the tv guide channel which is 480i, you will need to hit the format button to crop the picture to fill the screen.




Have my new HR20 set to native. When in the 720P mode the picture does not fill the screen on all 4 sides. H20 did the same thing. 50" Philips plasma. Any thoughts?

new praise: The speed of the guide and forwarding from now till sunday is lightning fast compared to hd tivo. Makes planning out to do list a lot faster.

New problem: Last night the guide blanked out on me and slowly had to rebuild itself for the night and next few days. A little annoying. Don't know why or if it will repeat.

Is the program being broadcast in 720p? Like ESPN HD sportscenter that program except for some of the highlights should always fill your screen. In native mode if say the tv guide channel which is 480i, you will need to hit the format button to crop the picture to fill the screen.
Yes. The football game on ESPN last night (SC vs Aub) was 720P. Whenever the receiver switches to the 720P mode the screen does this. All other modes fill the screen. Did the same thing w/ the 10-250 that I had before the update. Must be something w/ the TV.

It is working great for a new platform piece of hi-tech equipment. There are a few inconveniences here and there but for $15 it is an awesome deal and the PQ is great. It is about 2 more software releases from being perfect, and those are on the way.
I think this is one of the most true & honest posts [I've read] about the units "status".
There is a lot of "good" with them & a few bugs still to sort out.
Why two software updates? One to fix everything & the next to fix what the first caused (LOL).
There are 2 "camps". The software group & the hardware group. Both need to work together. I'm from the hardware group [my bias] & this group, at times, seems to get "no respect" from the program manager [since our "wants" usually cost more to implement, & screw up the schedule, more than the software group, who can "save the day" late in the development cycle & keep his/her program "on track"].

So, when should I expect Ironwood to call and say they won't be there Sunday Morning?

So, when should I expect Ironwood to call and say they won't be there Sunday Morning?


Sunday midmorning. :D 5 minutes before the end of their installation window.

If I were you, I'd be proactive. Call today and start yelling for a supervisor. Get a name and a direct line to reach them at and a verbal guarantee of installation. Also verify the work order is right.

These installers are getting slammed wth the new technology, and in a perfect world it'd be nice to be polite with them, but you need to look out for yourself first.

Installed and working great. For the first time ever I have HD on every local channel and it works and does not fade in and out. I am thrilled.

I did not want to like it, but the interface is fine and much faster than my HR10. I must admit I like this unit a lot. Very slick. The spinning blue lights on the front are quite entertaining as well.

No, I do not work for DirecTV.

Ok, I've just called, and they SWEAR they are gonna be there with a new dish, new receiver, and multiswitch...

We'll see.

Is there a HR20 Official owners thread? Or is this the closest thing to it? I did a search but was unable to find anything

Try our sister forum at dbstalk.com. Multiple threads devoted strictly to the HR20.
http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=112

When you activate the unit & you will find it's a lease [all are now] .

I called the "Preferred Customer" phone number to order both mine. Install is scheduled on Oct 18. The guy told me that since I had purchased both my HR10-250's, that I would also own both HR20's, which I got for $99/each. Also, I could keep both HR10's and install them to replace my two other DirecTivo's, if I wanted.

Just got my HR20 today and hooked it up and everything seemed great, but no locals. No local either standard or Hd. I'm in the S.F. area, just wondering if this has happened to anyone else. I got a service appointment set fot Monday. Any advice would be great.

I have same problem, I am in Hawaii though.

I get channel banner and info just no picture.


here is what I have been getting fron the D* nutjobs
Thanks for writing. I'm so sorry you're not getting locals on your HD receiver. We've identified the issue and will have a resolution through a software download by mid-Oct 2006 or earlier.

Thanks again for writing, and stay tuned to DIRECTV.com for the latest news and information about our services.

Sincerely,

Charlee
DIRECTV Customer Service

I'm not sure if you guys are talking about OTA locals, or locals from the D* satellites. When I got my HR20 last week, it took about 8 hours for the D* locals to show up in the channel guide. Until then, it would say "Channel not available" if I tried to enter a local channel number on the remote. The installer said it would take a "couple of hours", so he was a bit off.

Of course the OTA locals won't show up until they activate them sometime later this year.

I called the "Preferred Customer" phone number to order both mine. Install is scheduled on Oct 18. The guy told me that since I had purchased both my HR10-250's, that I would also own both HR20's, which I got for $99/each. Also, I could keep both HR10's and install them to replace my two other DirecTivo's, if I wanted.
It is highly unlikely that they will have you own the new HR20 boxes, regardless of your owning the HR10 boxes. I'd bet that you spoke with a CSR who did not know any better.

It might be worth a call back to confirm your understanding. Or, maybe an email would be better, since it gives you a record of their response, which I suspect would say that you will be leasing the new boxes.

I called the "Preferred Customer" phone number to order both mine. Install is scheduled on Oct 18. The guy told me that since I had purchased both my HR10-250's, that I would also own both HR20's, which I got for $99/each. Also, I could keep both HR10's and install them to replace my two other DirecTivo's, if I wanted.
And when you activate your units [Oct 18th] you get the "joy" of dealing with the "lease". I refused to have my "owned unit" turned into a "lease" AND they made a "one time deal" for me. You may have some special clout with D*, but most likely what your CSR told you was wrong.
For the record, last nights calls to DTV lasted 10.5 hours for me to get my account correct. I don't think I've got the record, but it must be "in the top 10".
Post your success, but until it's FACT, it's just a rummor. Hope you all the best of luck.

When I called to activate mine, the CSR could not activate it, because her screen did not offer her the option for purchased vs leased, so she transferred me to 2nd level, who got it turned on. No mention of any lease fee's, I signed no contract when I bought it at Best Buy like I needed to with my HNS receiver, and no mention was made about any 2 yr commitments or anything else. As far as I am concerned, its mine. Id like to see them try to get it from me :) Guess they could turn off the feed, but thats about the most they could do.

When I called to activate mine, the CSR could not activate it, because her screen did not offer her the option for purchased vs leased, so she transferred me to 2nd level, who got it turned on. No mention of any lease fee's, I signed no contract when I bought it at Best Buy like I needed to with my HNS receiver, and no mention was made about any 2 yr commitments or anything else. As far as I am concerned, its mine. Id like to see them try to get it from me :) Guess they could turn off the feed, but thats about the most they could do.
You will get the "details" in the mail, long after you're "commited".

I find it's much like having to marry someone you meet at a bar, before you can take them home and get to know them, because you must activated it to see if it works. There is NO WAY out of the 2-year programming commitment, period!
They seem to have "The cart before the horse".

I have same problem, I am in Hawaii though.

I get channel banner and info just no picture.

You seem to have a unique situation, where D* is having problems getting the locals up to the SAT. They "know" the programming, but for some reason [known to them] they aren't able to "uplink" them.
You of course have read posting 637, which was the last "we" heard about his problems.
Funny how when it gets "fixed" there is no more posting...

I, for one, can wait a month (or more) to see the facts, and then react and make decisions on getting one. ...my guess is will be 4Q before a reasonably de-bugged D* HD DVR will be in operation in the general marketplace. That's a normal expectation, and has been proven to be the case with other providers...so we'll just sit on the sidelines and wait...

The words of a wise man, posted 7-27... post #7.

You will get the "details" in the mail, long after you're "commited".

I find it's much like having to marry someone you meet at a bar, before you can take them home and get to know them, because you must activated it to see if it works. There is NO WAY out of the 2-year programming commitment, period!
They seem to have "The cart before the horse".

Old School - is your main issue with a lease the 2 yr commitment?

Most of us have Sunday Ticket - only available on D* so its a moot point.

I think they have the contract for 4 more years so I'm locked anyway

My free/leased HR20 arrives Tuesday, fingers firmly crossed

Eddie

Well, surprise, surprise....Ironwood called this morning and they are 'out of stock"....but they would be happy to re-schedule me for a weekday.

I will be calling DirecTv and letting them know how happy I am about this.

Wildcat,

I'll bet the "stock" they are out of is an employee to do the work.

When I bought my 2nd HR10-250 last September, I had to go through 3 missed appointments before they finally came out to hand me the box, because I had already completed all wiring and multiswitch work.

IMHO, (or maybe not-so-humble opinion), Ironwood is an unreliable outfit that should never be trusted to meet any commitment.

I truly believe the only reason they came out on the 4th appointment is because I called their local office and explained that there was 5-10 minutes of hookup and paper work only to do at my house.

I hope DirecTV reconsiders who they are contracting with. I will not willingly ever deal with Ironwood again. If DirecTV forces the issue, they may just force me to an alternative provider.

Oh, and after that work was finally completed in late November (2 months after placing the order with DirecTV), the proper rebate form was no longer available and I fought DirecTV for almost 7 months to get my rebate. I finally had to tell the last person that I was ready to box up the HR10-250 and send it back and cancel everything right then. By some magic, they were able to issue a credit to my account instantly and apologize for what they put me through.

One should not have to go to such extremes just to get routine transactions to be completed correctly.

Between these two scenarios, I wasted a LOT of time trying to get things done correctly, although no where close to being timely.

Old School - is your main issue with a lease the 2 yr commitment?

Most of us have Sunday Ticket - only available on D* so its a moot point.

I think they have the contract for 4 more years so I'm locked anyway

My free/leased HR20 arrives Tuesday, fingers firmly crossed

Eddie
I don't have any problem with D* leasing their equipment. It only works with an active account. No problem.
Having to pay [$299 or less] for the "privilege" to lease doesn't make any sense [to me], since you pay the monthly fees [unit & program package(s)].
This can & has been overcome by with free units [lots of work to get but...].
What can't be "overcome" [to date] is the lack of being able to "road test" a unit to see if it will "work for you". Once any of these "advanced hardware" units is activated [to see how they work & if you can live with it] your "locked in" to the 2-year commitment.
I went through this several years ago when I upgraded to HDTV [& DTV]. It was new & has had it's "bugs". Now my $1000 investment has been obsoleted with the move to MPEG 4 [bummer].
As a consumer, I want the right to see if I like it before a long term "contract".
IF I want it, THEN the commitment. Give me a couple of days to see [if..then].
D* CSRs have all agreed [as people] but can't do...
The customer "experience" is further frustrated by their phone system's "merry-go-round" & their general lack of knowledge. [I was transfered, spent an hour on hold, called back, transfered again (asked if the dept. was open, yes) to hear "call back between... did [with the # this time] & then was told it was a 24 hour dept.
Life is full of "the good, the bad, & the ugly". [old movie]
D* is the same, their CSRs are good [some], bad [maybe more], & few [ugly]. They're friendly but tend to give [more] incorrect information [than correct] & getting the "straight scoop" is like pulling hen's teeth.
Now once you're "up & running", they're good @ program [packages] changes, BUT getting "up & running" is....
I understand that IF [only] they have what you want THEN.....
Sorry for the rant........ They do have a good HD picture & [for the most part] hardware.

Geoff

I hope DirecTV reconsiders who they are contracting with. I will not willingly ever deal with Ironwood again. If DirecTV forces the issue, they may just force me to an alternative provider.
D* does know about Ironwood & I was told is "making changes".
I had the installer from hell, who [among everything else] knocked down my mailbox leaving, & never said anything...

Could somebody rundown the top 3-5 major issues with this unit so far? I've read through most of this thread but it's getting confusing. So far I got -

OTA input doesn't work yet -

Other than that, what are the major issues? Do you still get the NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS HD feeds that they were giving to some but not all with the HD10 unit?

I thought I read something about it only being able to record one channel at a time. Is this true?

Break it down for me please -

Could somebody rundown the top 3-5 major issues with this unit so far? I've read through most of this thread but it's getting confusing. So far I got -

OTA input doesn't work yet -

Other than that, what are the major issues? Do you still get the NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS HD feeds that they were giving to some but not all with the HD10 unit?

I thought I read something about it only being able to record one channel at a time. Is this true?

Break it down for me please -
Others can tell you more than I, but...
Right about the OTA.
Locals [HD] are MPEG 4 [which is the need/ reason for the H*20 series], so you still get the "old" HD channels [MPEG 2] & the new HD locals [just a few to date].
Like anything "different", most complaints are "minor" things that aren't as they "used to be". IMO
Don't know [a lot] about the recording...

what do you mean "just a few to date" aren't there only a few local channels NBC, etc? thanks.

what do you mean "just a few to date" aren't there only a few local channels NBC, etc? thanks.
In my market area, there is ABC, NBC, CBS, CW (?), but no FOX or PBS

It is highly unlikely that they will have you own the new HR20 boxes, regardless of your owning the HR10 boxes. I'd bet that you spoke with a CSR who did not know any better.

It might be worth a call back to confirm your understanding. Or, maybe an email would be better, since it gives you a record of their response, which I suspect would say that you will be leasing the new boxes.

I hope you're wrong, but I doubt it. Knowing the training level of the CSRs.....

I hope you're wrong, but I doubt it. Knowing the training level of the CSRs.....
Be sure to stand your ground. If you're lucky, the CSR noted the conversation regarding ownership. Even if he/she was wrong, the notation works in your favor.

I thought I read something about it only being able to record one channel at a time. Is this true?


No.. you can record two at once... however, unlike the HR10, you can only 'live' buffer the last 90 minutes on the one channel you are watching.. on the tivo, it would keep the last thirty minutes on both tuners in the unit.

Some folks have speculated that it would only record one OTA channel at a time, but other folks have reported seeing two OTA tuners inside the box.

I guess we find out for sure when they activate OTA on those boxes.

There is an HD model from Echostar/Dish Satellite that will record 2 satellite and/or one OTA, and apparently all 3 at once. Maybe someone is confusing HD DVRs from DirecTV and Dish.

Be sure to stand your ground. If you're lucky, the CSR noted the conversation regarding ownership. Even if he/she was wrong, the notation works in your favor.

I just got a Sony KDF 50E2000 TV for the bedroom and called D* to ask about getting an HR20 to replace the SD DVR I have there now. The best deal I could get was $299 with a $100 credit and they are coming on October 9th to install it and the new 5 LNB dish, however....

When speaking with the CSR and about the purchase, she said my account was noted that they wanted me to exchange my current 10-250 which I have in the living room for an HR 20. The price would have been $299, with a $299 account credit, but I would have to given them the 10-250. I politely refused saying that I still needed it, that Jacksonville doesn have HD LIL yet an I am using its OTA tuners, and besides, I own the box. Without missing a beat, she confirmed that my account showed that I did own, not lease the 10-250 so they couldn't "force" me to give it to them. I thought that it was interesting they were trying to "collect" the 10-250.

Anyway, I am assuming that when Jacksonville finally gets HD LIL in sometime in 2007, I will need to turn the 10-250 in if I want the $299 with a $299 credit.

Wildcat,

I'll bet the "stock" they are out of is an employee to do the work.

When I bought my 2nd HR10-250 last September, I had to go through 3 missed appointments before they finally came out to hand me the box, because I had already completed all wiring and multiswitch work.

IMHO, (or maybe not-so-humble opinion), Ironwood is an unreliable outfit that should never be trusted to meet any commitment.

I truly believe the only reason they came out on the 4th appointment is because I called their local office and explained that there was 5-10 minutes of hookup and paper work only to do at my house.

I hope DirecTV reconsiders who they are contracting with. I will not willingly ever deal with Ironwood again. If DirecTV forces the issue, they may just force me to an alternative provider.

Oh, and after that work was finally completed in late November (2 months after placing the order with DirecTV), the proper rebate form was no longer available and I fought DirecTV for almost 7 months to get my rebate. I finally had to tell the last person that I was ready to box up the HR10-250 and send it back and cancel everything right then. By some magic, they were able to issue a credit to my account instantly and apologize for what they put me through.

One should not have to go to such extremes just to get routine transactions to be completed correctly.

Between these two scenarios, I wasted a LOT of time trying to get things done correctly, although no where close to being timely.


I told DirecTv yesterday that if I wanted unreliable service and to wait on someone to come out and do work that I can do myself from 1-5 on a Weekday, I could call the cable company and save myself a lot of trouble.

There is NO REASON they can't ship me the equipment. I'm quite sure I can get it installed and working...without having to take a 1/2 day of vacation, only to have Ironwood call me to cancel again.

I told DirecTv yesterday that if I wanted unreliable service and to wait on someone to come out and do work that I can do myself from 1-5 on a Weekday, I could call the cable company and save myself a lot of trouble.

There is NO REASON they can't ship me the equipment. I'm quite sure I can get it installed and working...without having to take a 1/2 day of vacation, only to have Ironwood call me to cancel again.
I hope I'm not repeating...
The only thing you need a tech for is aligning the AT9 dish with a real power meter, since there is a much narrower tolerance [1.5 degree] & the need to have compression connectors on the cable(s). Crimp [type F] connectors are only spec'd to 1 GHz. D* is 2 GHz & will be using 4 GHz in the future.

Wildcat, I went through the same thing. The installers are going to delay and delay until they finally have an opening. I had to call retention, and get them on the line, and ten we called the installers together. This didn't really accomplish too much, other than to create a history with D* and get the name and direct line of the CSR supervisor for the installer.

Then after much yelling, I was able to intimidate them enough to actually show up the next time.

But take their dates with a grain of salt. Don't give up a workday for em, and don't sit around waiting for em. Find things to do around the house. If they cancel again, call D* and use it as one more excuse to get credits. It'll be ugly, D* is pushing these things on customers/installers and the supply isn't adequate, so it's an all-around problem.

I ordered an HR20 on 9/22 through retention and got it for $19.95 S&H together with a total of $140 discounts over 6 months. She scheduled delivery for Saturday 9/30 between 1-5pm. I live in North Virginia, about 25 miles west of DC.

I spent some time on Saturday running a couple of extra RG6's from the multi-switch to the equipment rack and making space in the rack, basically getting everything ready for the installer.

Installer arrived at 5:30pm, apologized for being late - though I would have been happier if he had called to let us know. He set up the AT9, (he used a TV on the first floor to hear the tones from a spare H20 while he was aiming the dish, that TV is multistandard with a euro-type push in connector instead of an F, he thought it was broken but managed to get it fixed up securely enough for the testing), took down the old Phase III and made a very neat job of running the external co-ax, much better than previously. As I already had a WB68 he had no internal work to do, just put the HR20 in the rack, including the B-Band connectors, plug in the sat, OTA and other connections and off it went to download 0xD1. In all it took him just over 2 hours to do the lot, he left a little before 8pm to go to his next job!

I still have an HR10 and H10 DVR connected to the same TV (Sony KP53HS10 53" RPTV, CRT and 4:3 format, connections are component for the HD units and S-Video for the SD unit, all through a Yamaha receiver which outputs on component. The TV is pre-HDMI) as the HR20, so I can easily compare the three. Subjectively the two older units seem to have improved PQ with the new dish, but a one is a one and zero is a zero, so I don't know if that is really true or not. Comparing a couple of SD programs recorded the HR20 is definetly better than either of the older units. Comparing HD recordings on the HR10 and HR20, obviously from the antenna on the HR10 and satellite on the HR20, the PQ is very slightly softer on the HR20 but I get fewer audio drop outs and less pixellation on the HR20 too. I happen have a flight path in to Dulles between my home and the antennas in DC so I think that affects OTA reception. Over the next few weeks I'll double up my recordings so I can get a better feel for quality and reliability comparisions. I currently get the ABC, CBS, FOX NBC and MyNetwork in HD through satellites but not CW.

I have never been a Tivo UI fan, nor do I watch much sports so the lack of dual buffers doesn't affect me. I find the HR20 guide and menus clearer and faster than the HR10, which does not yet have 6.3a, the remote is more comfortable to hold than the peanut (which I frequently hold upside down in the dark) but those blue lights are way too bright, even with the "halo" switched off.

One other disappointment is that the remote doesn't control volume on my surround sound receiver. The peanut does and I find it convenient to use one remote for both volume and controlling the DVR. I've tried various single remote solutions in the past, from JP1 to MX500, but there has always been something lacking that meant I couldn't permanently put away all the other remotes. I called retention and got through to the same rep who put my initial order together, and ordered the RC32RF because it has a greater number of devices it will work with and also the RF function will be useful to me. $25 for the remote making it more expensive than the HR20, though of course I do own it.

As an aside whenever I've called retention (many times over several years) I've always got through in a couple of rings, the rep has always understood my query and have given me straight forward answers etc. My experiences with the normal customer number have not been bad either except that getting through tends to take longer.

So overall I like the new HR20, it seems to be a good step forward from the older HR10, certainly at least a generation better in the UI. Once the OTA is enabled I'll probably relegate the older unit to the bedroom.

Anyone got a solid date on when the OTA function will be available on this thing?

Just wondering about the "good" CSR posts.
I've had pretty poor "luck" & tonight was another one.
Could it be the time "we" call that makes the difference?
It seems the "good" posts are from the east coast time zone.
Could the west coast have better "luck" if we shifted our calls four hours [1 for the call & 3 for the time zone ( I can tell time)] earlier?
Just a thought

IMHO, (or maybe not-so-humble opinion), Ironwood is an unreliable outfit that should never be trusted to meet any commitment.

I hope DirecTV reconsiders who they are contracting with. I will not willingly ever deal with Ironwood again. If DirecTV forces the issue, they may just force me to an alternative provider.

Having dealt with Ironwood multiple times here in San Diego, I couldn't agree with you more. Out of 5 separate installations/upgrades the last one (HR20) was the only one that was worth it. I won't go into their multiple transgressions but I sure do hope that D* reconsiders their relationship with Ironwood.

Just wondering about the "good" CSR posts.
I've had pretty poor "luck" & tonight was another one.
Could it be the time "we" call that makes the difference?
It seems the "good" posts are from the east coast time zone.
Could the west coast have better "luck" if we shifted our calls four hours [1 for the call & 3 for the time zone ( I can tell time)] earlier?
Just a thought


Call retention directly and sound agry but civil/ They almost always answer within a few mnutes.

If you call the main line it can take a lot longer, and a regular CSR might not understand or be able to help.

I pretty much only call the main line for little things. If I'm mad enough to call, I call retention.

Call retention directly and sound agry but civil/ They almost always answer within a few mnutes.

If you call the main line it can take a lot longer, and a regular CSR might not understand or be able to help.

I pretty much only call the main line for little things. If I'm mad enough to call, I call retention.
Thanks but [I go thermonuclear in a nano second] just had a wonderful call with retention [really]. I seem to have good luck with the department(s) in Idaho, both tech & cus.
Mondays are their worst & there's some sense in waiting for "the other times zones" to die down.
My 1st call to reten [to be nice] got a girl on her first day. Had to ask someone for every [wrong] answer.. transferred me to tier 2 tech... lost in the phone "merry-go-round".
Second attempt, normal CSR #, quick transfer to tier 2... lost in "Q".
Steamed....
3rd [back to reten] & got someone [very nice] with her "system down", oh s...t, said could be 4-5 hours, but answered [same questions] without needing to find someone to answer [correctly]. she found a "work around" to change my account. She not only has a brain but could use it [well] while being extremely nice.
I think [now] the "trick" is to stay out of their overloaded phone system. Let the "rush" slow down [east/central load] & call before retention closes @ 10:45 mountain. She said they stay until the "Q" is empty.
Part 2: don't waste time with a CSR that's not up to speed [read idiot]. There's a 50-50 chance of getting a good one. If you [I] don't [get one] try again.
At the end of my day [night] I seem to get someone to do what I need [well].
The best tech support [for me] comes @ 2 AM [they run all night - Idaho again].
I'm not "slamming" Alabama [the other department]. I just think they're overloaded when the west coast is coming home from work.

anyone here getting random picture loss when hooked up via hdmi-dvi. My only solution to this is unplug the hdmi cable on the back of the hr20 and plug it back in and the picture automatically comes back. How can I prevent this from happening from the start? Oh and this only happens when I shut the tv off, when I turn it back on the picture is just snow but the sound still works.

anyone here getting random picture loss when hooked up via hdmi-dvi. My only solution to this is unplug the hdmi cable on the back of the hr20 and plug it back in and the picture automatically comes back. How can I prevent this from happening from the start? Oh and this only happens when I shut the tv off, when I turn it back on the picture is just snow but the sound still works.
Use component cables. According to many people, HDMI can sometimes be a problem with this receiveer and certain tvs
There is no loss in picture quality

anyone here getting random picture loss when hooked up via hdmi-dvi. My only solution to this is unplug the hdmi cable on the back of the hr20 and plug it back in and the picture automatically comes back. How can I prevent this from happening from the start? Oh and this only happens when I shut the tv off, when I turn it back on the picture is just snow but the sound still works.

Are you shutting both the receiver an tv off at the same time (the remote can do both or either) try messing with that. Others have had a similar problem and mentioned "forcing" a software download.

I'm a new poster but long time lurker. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and hastily purchased a HR20 for $299.00 and a two year obligation. The total charged to my account was $346. I don't have SF or ST and have a year remaining of my previous committment.

After reading this forum, i suddenly felt I was given a bad deal. So I called up Comcast and asked how much they can give me for a total package. Figured, it wasn't bad, I'll switch even with paying the rest of my one year committment.

Then I talked to a nice customer retention agent and told him my situation. He said he couldn't possibly match the Comcast order but was able, (with some haggling still) to give me this:

$299 programming credit
additional $100 programming credit
4 months of free HD service, and
6 months of $20 discount off my premium service
I still have to pay the $19.99 shipping fee.

I was kinda upset that they didn't credit my bank account, but with all the free services, I can live with this deal! Thanks guys!

I just got the HR20 installed.

It's not showing much ahead in the guide though.

For instance, Channel 87, the LA feed of ABC, doesn't show Lost for Wednesday night yet.

Same thing with FX, 248, no Nip Tuck showing yet.

My Tivos show all the programming for two weeks out.

Is this thing going to catch up? BTW, it did the SW upgrade.

I got a smokin deal on the HR20:

Unit = Free
S&H = 19.99
Superfan = Free
HBO = $2mo for 6mo with credit
HD = 4mo Free
Credits just because = $40

Total cost of upgrade = (-$260)

Was scheduled and confirmed for install last Saturday. Morning of Ironwood calls and says they are out of units. Next available install date 10/15. Kind of miffed but after the deal I got I guess I can cope. Now if Ironwood calls on the 15th to move the date again.... LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE! I have never had good experiences with Ironwood and mostly good with D*. What should I expect with this new box, another reschedule?

I just got the HR20 installed.

It's not showing much ahead in the guide though.

For instance, Channel 87, the LA feed of ABC, doesn't show Lost for Wednesday night yet.

Same thing with FX, 248, no Nip Tuck showing yet.

My Tivos show all the programming for two weeks out.

Is this thing going to catch up? BTW, it did the SW upgrade.

Yes

Use component cables. According to many people, HDMI can sometimes be a problem with this receiveer and certain tvs
There is no loss in picture quality


Not True! I've had my HR20 hooked up via quality component cables to my SP4805 projector for the past few weeks. I thought it looked great.

Last night I hooked up the HR20 through HDMI to my new Monoprice 5-1 switcher along with my Oppo DVD player. Output goes to the 4805. I was floored at how much better the picture is!!! The HD channels look to have much more depth and more vibrant colors, especially after calibration. There really is no comparison.

Not True! I've had my HR20 hooked up via quality component cables to my SP4805 projector for the past few weeks. I thought it looked great.

Last night I hooked up the HR20 through HDMI to my new Monoprice 5-1 switcher along with my Oppo DVD player. Output goes to the 4805. I was floored at how much better the picture is!!! The HD channels look to have much more depth and more vibrant colors, especially after calibration. There really is no comparison.

I agree. The difference on my Panny HD plasma between component and HDMI is dramatic. YMMV

anyone here getting random picture loss when hooked up via hdmi-dvi. My only solution to this is unplug the hdmi cable on the back of the hr20 and plug it back in and the picture automatically comes back. How can I prevent this from happening from the start? Oh and this only happens when I shut the tv off, when I turn it back on the picture is just snow but the sound still works.
ah yes... my Sony showed me this [first] with DVI. The copyright "people" have made it so hard for HDTV. What you are having is a loss of "sync" in the "handshake" between the box & TV. The quickest "fix" [for me] is to power down my tuner & power it up. Sony says I can't use my TV as a monitor. I had to try & found the [PC] response could be measured in months not milliseconds. The DVI [HDMI] digital bus is constantly "checking the other end". They need to talk [both ways] & if the [output] unit doesn't get the "return" [it likes] you get nothing [snow], good sound, & changing channels won't "reestablish" the handshake. Turning either off & on will.

ah yes... my Sony showed me this [first] with DVI. The copyright "people" have made it so hard for HDTV. What you are having is a loss of "sync" in the "handshake" between the box & TV. The quickest "fix" [for me] is to power down my tuner & power it up. Sony says I can't use my TV as a monitor. I had to try & found the [PC] response could be measured in months not milliseconds. The DVI [HDMI] digital bus is constantly "checking the other end". They need to talk [both ways] & if the [output] unit doesn't get the "return" [it likes] you get nothing [snow], good sound, & changing channels won't "reestablish" the handshake. Turning either off & on will.

I'm also using a sony tv with dvi... and the only fix for me is to pull out the hdmi cable from the box and put it back in. maybe I can just leave the box on at all times to fix this problem but that blue power light is so damn bright :mad: is there any other suggestions on how to fix this because I notice a big difference in pic quality with the hdmi-dvi connection over component.

Anybody reading the posting know my "luck" with D*.
Today's lesson... NEVER call 1-888-355-7530. Call ANY other number.
Had my "good guys" in Idaho on the phone [still trying to correct & account] for all of the replacement units [last month]. Went through the story [again] to find them very understanding... BUT the management of the other department [returns] have a serious mental handicap [& a hard-on for me, it looked] that the Supervisor of retention [totally understand my point] but couldn't overcome. After lots of "out of the box" thinking by both of us.... I posed the most "off the wall" idea & asked him if it would "fly".
Returns want a unit to clear a $240 charge, so...
Reten will send me a H20 [free] to send to "returns" & clear the charge on my account [along with a leased HR-20 also free]. I keep my "owned" H20s & the two year commitment [can't crack that] will start when I activate my [free & leased] HR-20.
Happy camper [I hope].
Logic will triumph over [something beyond] stupidity, with persistence [requiring more than I could imagine]. Didn't get mad & was "thanked" for working through their [D*] moronic situation.
Apparently IRONWOOD is still "alive & well"... Sh..

FYI-- I've found that a "deactivate" H20 will work as an OTA receiver & still get programing info for the Guide. Didn't know... [maybe why we must "commit" before we see...]

I'm also using a sony tv with dvi... and the only fix for me is to pull out the hdmi cable from the box and put it back in. maybe I can just leave the box on at all times to fix this problem but that blue power light is so damn bright :mad: is there any other suggestions on how to fix this because I notice a big difference in pic quality with the hdmi-dvi connection over component.
Called Sony about this & their "idea" was to have the TV fixed. [Bad on the TV end] Mine is only occasionally so...

I'm also using a sony tv with dvi
I've been using my Sony Grand Wega with a straight DVI connection to my Sony HD receiver without problem for 3 years. I'm now considering upgrading to the HR20 and using an HDMI-DVI adaptor to the TV. Am I taking on handshake issues?

I've been using my Sony Grand Wega with a straight DVI connection to my Sony HD receiver without problem for 3 years. I'm now considering upgrading to the HR20 and using an HDMI-DVI adaptor to the TV. Am I taking on handshake issues?

thats what I'm going through now and the handshake issues only happens when I turn off my box and tv maybe with future updates the box will eliminate this.

thats what I'm going through now and the handshake issues only happens when I turn off my box and tv maybe with future updates the box will eliminate this.
To date: I'm only using H20 with HDMI to DVI into my Sony TV & only seen it once [5 months].

:rolleyes:

I also experienced the Snow Picture w/ sound. However the Analog component was working, so I just switched back to analog. I remember reading issues with the HDMI on the HR10-250 as well. Anyway, this is the last step before you see the picture, so I'm ok as long as it works Beta Component. (R-Y, Y, B-Y) I think there's too much hype over the digital ... I'd like to see less compression. That bugs me more. But overall, the HD picture looks GREAT ... let's get that ASTC tuner going already.

Couple other issues ... Boot/Start time is LONG. And don't unplug by accident.
You'll be waiting 20 minutes for it to wake up.

I also still use a Replay, and this is a FAR cry from that GREAT interface. Hopefully some software updates will offer some improvements ... Like time skip, Play from beginning, and the buffer issue I've read about.

But there's no denying, once you watch HD recordings, it's hard to watch good 'ol NTSC. Here's to more programming.

What formats are you guys using with SD and HD material respectively?

There are so many to cycle through that it's cumersome to switch.

Would be nice if there was an optimal one. What is the difference between pillbox and crop?

One thing I might try is to connect the S-Video to another input and use that to watch SD as my Sony XBR does a good job of stretching SD content.

Anyone try the "Native" mode?

What formats are you guys using with SD and HD material respectively?

There are so many to cycle through that it's cumersome to switch.

Would be nice if there was an optimal one. What is the difference between pillbox and crop?

One thing I might try is to connect the S-Video to another input and use that to watch SD as my Sony XBR does a good job of stretching SD content.

Anyone try the "Native" mode?

Native mode takes forever to switch on my monitor (Poloroid 37" LCD). It also appeared to me that the 480i/p channels looked considerably softer on my monitor than they do when upconverted to 720p. Since my monitor is natively 720p, I just set the unit to 720p. Pillarbox shows a 4:3 program in 4:3 on a 16:9 monitor. Crop cuts off the top and bottom to fill to 16:9 screen.

I keep mine set to 720p Pillarbox. I cant handle stretch mode and crop I only use for 4:3 letterboxed programs.

thats what I'm going through now and the handshake issues only happens when I turn off my box and tv maybe with future updates the box will eliminate this.

My Sony TV / HR 20-700 HD-DVR does that also. But, what I do to regain the picture is this... If starting out on a non HD channel, dial in an HD channel using the remote. It'll sit and think for about 4-5 seconds, then start showing the picture. After that everything is fine. If starting out on an HD channel, change it to a known non HD channel, then swith back to a HD channel. Works every time.

Because my wife HATES doing that, I called D*, and was told it is an unknown issue, and they opened a 'trouble ticket' on it.

BTW... I was told the OTA receiver will be activated 'sometime late 2006'.

PS.. I use a DVI cable with an HDMI adapter.

R.

My Sony TV / HR 20-700 HD-DVR does that also. But, what I do to regain the picture is this... If starting out on a non HD channel, dial in an HD channel using the remote. It'll sit and think for about 4-5 seconds, then start showing the picture. After that everything is fine. If starting out on an HD channel, change it to a known non HD channel, then swith back to a HD channel. Works every time.

Because my wife HATES doing that, I called D*, and was told it is an unknown issue, and they opened a 'trouble ticket' on it.

BTW... I was told the OTA receiver will be activated 'sometime late 2006'.

PS.. I use a DVI cable with an HDMI adapter.

R.
FWIW, my Sharp LC-45GD6U LCD panel has the sync up problem when powering on. It's direct HDMI from HR20 to panel. I've tried TV first and then HR20 and vice versa. I simply get "Incompatible Video Signal Detected" and blank screen. Audio is fine through the Denon receiver even with no picture since I'm going digital optical. Switching input on the panel from HDMI to Component and back fixes the issue.

Assume it's an HR20 issue cause I never saw it with the H10 or H20. I'm gonna log the issue with Directv tech support so it's on record.

Other than that, I'm having pretty good luck with the HR20. Since I've had all Hughes or Directv gear prior to this, the interface is staying relatively consistent across the subsequent generations. While not always the most convenient, there is something to be said for consistency particularly where the family is involved :-) I never had a Tivo or HR10-250 so I don't have a reference point for the HR20's recording interface. My only real beef is that the harddisk doesn't ever spin down so it's always making noise and generating heat.

Also a little note on the install....Ironwood canceled my first appointment but did show up for the second. Had a good installer who 1) realigned my dish based on his meter readings; 2) installed both my new HR20 and relocated my existing H20; and 3) pulled two new cables through the attic to feed the 2nd input on the HR20 and the relocated H20. He was, by far, the best installer I've had to date. One thing I noticed was that he was the only one who drove an actual Directv logo'd van. Ever other installer showed up in what looked like a personal vehicle with a magnetic stick-on logo on the door.

My Sony TV / HR 20-700 HD-DVR does that also. But, what I do to regain the picture is this... If starting out on a non HD channel, dial in an HD channel using the remote. It'll sit and think for about 4-5 seconds, then start showing the picture. After that everything is fine. If starting out on an HD channel, change it to a known non HD channel, then swith back to a HD channel. Works every time.

Because my wife HATES doing that, I called D*, and was told it is an unknown issue, and they opened a 'trouble ticket' on it.

BTW... I was told the OTA receiver will be activated 'sometime late 2006'.

PS.. I use a DVI cable with an HDMI adapter.

R.

I tried using your fix but unfortunately it did not work for me :( maybe I should try it with a dvi cable with an adapter instead of a hdmi-dvi cable if it'll make any difference at all which I highly doubt. Its funny because this never happened with my cox dvr and I can't stand cox.

I got a software update today on the box and voila no more handshake issues :)

I just got the HR20 yesterday and have both component and HDMI hooked up. Through HDMI it doesnt connect so i get a snowy screen and it never gets through. component works fine though. Native is way slower than the H20. I cant even use it.

Should i set my resolution to just one or constantly toggle through it.

I just got the HR20 yesterday and have both component and HDMI hooked up. Through HDMI it doesnt connect so i get a snowy screen and it never gets through. component works fine though. Native is way slower than the H20. I cant even use it.

Should i set my resolution to just one or constantly toggle through it.
Yes. I was given the set up manual by my installer. It was his copy from DTV.
Native on the HR20 MUST BE SET TO OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was in bold letters.
All users who have it on,please turn it off to avoid problems.

Yes. I was given the set up manual by my installer. It was his copy from DTV.
Native on the HR20 MUST BE SET TO OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was in bold letters.
All users who have it on,please turn it off to avoid problems.

While that may be true, many of us experiencing HDMI sync problems have our resolutions set to fixed values.

As per Earl Bonovich at DBS........
---------------------------------------------
Here are the details:
eSATA is a complete replacement for the internal drive. By that I mean, the system will only use 1 drive at a time. So if you connect an eSATA drive, it will not use the internal drive
eSATA has only had minimal testing with eSATA devices out there. DirecTV did not test an extensive list of eSATA drives and enclosures to see what will work and what won't
When you connected an eSATA drive, you need to do so when the unit is powered off (UNPLUGGED). When starting up, the HR20 will detect the eSATA drive, format as necessary, and then use that drive only. Edited from original post
After initilization, the unit will be blank... you will have to re-enter your SL, favorites, ect.....
DirecTV will NOT increase their designed usage space for recordings. (these numbers are estimates)If if you add a 500gb drive; 400gb will be for user space, 100gb for DirecTV. If you had 21TB; 20,900gb for user space, 100gb for DirecTV Edited from original post
Recordings are TIED to the unit that it was connected to. So you can't record on an eSATA drive on one HR20 and take it to another
Future software updates may update the file structure on the hard drive, so it is possible that your internal drive (over a long period of time) will be out of sync with the software version on the flash chip. If this does occur (file structure change), and you need to go back to the internal drive, you will need to do a format of the original hard drive (there is a method to do it from the front panel)
Right now... eSATA is to be used at User's Risk. DirecTV CSR are not going to get training on the eSATA connections until it becomes and official features
Right now... there is no method to move recordings from the internal drive to an external drive... however, they are investigating to possible to do this with the initial format of the drive on startup (clone the drive instead of just a blank format), but no ETA on when/if it will be available.

Those are the details I have on the eSATA connection.

DirecTV has enabled this feature for the "techies" and those that really want the larger storage options. At a later time, they will re-visit the eSATA features, however this was a "quick hit". Most of the other ideas that we have thrown around here on the forums (using it as an archive drive, expanding the storage ... using more then one drive, using it on multiple systems, ect....) Will take a while to code... and they have other items (like OTA, Networking, Dual Buffers) higher in the priority list.
__________________
-- Earl
------------------------
Link http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=66201

Thanks Earl for the info...
100 Gig for D*?
And I thought Microsoft was bloated.

What should I expect with this new box, another reschedule?

Yep. No way in hell I'd let them push you to the 15th. If they're gonna keep rescheduling you, at least make the dates closer together. Talk to a supervisor, get priority status and a direct line to reach him/her at.

Thanks Earl for the info...
100 Gig for D*?
And I thought Microsoft was bloated.
D* uses that extra space in order to Download PPV movies and to "push"
other stuff to you.....You do not pay for the movies unless/until you view them.

I got a software update today on the box and voila no more handshake issues :)

I likewise got the new software update this morning. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to fix the problem for me.

In thinking about the issue I realized a major difference between the H10/H20 that I had before that worked and the HR20 is that the HR20 never completely powers off. So, in some quick troubleshooting, I confirmed that if I power up the panel without a cable connected, it gives no indication of receiving a signal of any kind. However, even with the HR20 in the "power off" mode and powering on the panel with the HDMI cable attached, the panel indicates that it is receiving some form of signal on the HDMI port. If that is the case, then there is an issue with why there is signal being output on the HDMI port when the HR20 is supposedly "powered off" and what is that signal.

I ran out of time early today so I'll be trying another test tonight where I leave the HDMI port connected to my LCD panel, but completely unplug (really power off) the HR20 and see what happens.

My brother in law had his one week old HR20 hooked up via component to his Sony 60A2000 SXRD TV without issues and then bought an HDMI cable through Monoprice and gets no picture at all through the HDMI connection.

He has not checked to see if the latest software update has taken care of this or not.

Is there something he is doing wrong or is this just a problem that hopefully will get resolved?

no picture at all through the HDMI connection. Is there something he is doing wrong or is this just a problem that hopefully will get resolved?
I left this for someone that KNEW to post. I will have my HR20 working next week & then can respond with "hands on" knowledge [if no one else does]. I try to help with what I know [as fact] so...

Anybody getting any overscan?

On the guide, the bottom edge of the bottom row is cut off, regardless of which format 1080i pillbox, 1080i stretched, 720p pillbox, etc.

On Lost, the little ABC HD logo on the bottom right hand corner was cut off on the right edge.

I likewise got the new software update this morning. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to fix the problem for me.

In thinking about the issue I realized a major difference between the H10/H20 that I had before that worked and the HR20 is that the HR20 never completely powers off. So, in some quick troubleshooting, I confirmed that if I power up the panel without a cable connected, it gives no indication of receiving a signal of any kind. However, even with the HR20 in the "power off" mode and powering on the panel with the HDMI cable attached, the panel indicates that it is receiving some form of signal on the HDMI port. If that is the case, then there is an issue with why there is signal being output on the HDMI port when the HR20 is supposedly "powered off" and what is that signal.

I ran out of time early today so I'll be trying another test tonight where I leave the HDMI port connected to my LCD panel, but completely unplug (really power off) the HR20 and see what happens.

Followup to my earlier post....

A little more troubleshooting and I can confirm that when the HR20 is "powered off" there is still signal coming out on the HDMI port as well as the digital optical. I verified that if I pulled the power cord on the HR20 and powered up my LCD panel, it did not complain about an incompatible signal. I had a similar result if I unplugged the HDMI cable from the HR20 side and powered up the panel. Further, when "powered off" the Denon receiver is show digital input on the front left channel.

Time for a call to tech support...

Anybody getting any overscan?

On the guide, the bottom edge of the bottom row is cut off, regardless of which format 1080i pillbox, 1080i stretched, 720p pillbox, etc.

On Lost, the little ABC HD logo on the bottom right hand corner was cut off on the right edge.
Yes, the overscan on my Pioneer Elite 620 Pro HD skews the logo off to the right and the banner is clipped on the top. All of the menu screens are skewing off screen on all four borders.

Yes, the overscan on my Pioneer Elite 620 Pro HD skews the logo off to the right and the banner is clipped on the top. All of the menu screens are skewing off screen on all four borders.

Depends on how I have my LCD panel set. I have my resolution fixed at 1080i on the HR20 and I normally leave my "format" to stretch on my LCD panel to eliminate the overscan noise of 480 resolution programs. However, when viewing 720 and 1080 resolution programs that results is some cutoff around the borders. If I put the panel in dot-by-dot mode, there is no cutoff/overscan, but the overscan noise of the 480 programs is simply too annoying.

BTW... I was told the OTA receiver will be activated 'sometime late 2006'.R.

I was told by a retention rep yesterday that D* plans to NOT turn on the OTA tuner! And he was quite firm with his information on it.

Gee, I hope not.

They do that, and I will get a Series 3 Tivo with Comcast cable ,and drop D* after being a subscriber since the second day they were in business.

I was told by a retention rep yesterday that D* plans to NOT turn on the OTA tuner! And he was quite firm with his information on it.

Gee, I hope not.

I was told "late this year".

If that 355 number given above is the scheduling people...holy crap do I ever agree...they put me through the ringer.

I have now been stood up twice by Ironwood Communications...the techs are supposed to schedule a time with me...

I lost my locals...I'm not happy.

If that 355 number given above is the scheduling people...holy crap do I ever agree...they put me through the ringer.
I have never needed to call the "355" to have ANYTHING done except for the only thing retention can't resolve [for me] clearing a wrongful charge for "unreturned equipment" where they [355 dept] seem to be "god almighty".
This is the number on the D* letter for installations/upgrades which can be done by calling ANY OTHER phone number for D* & talking to a CSR.
Just how bad is this department? They have charged my account $240 for equipment not returned, but the unit is owned & activated [working right now], I have a letter showing this, & had a computer call last night to inform me that their records show I haven't scheduled an installation for it. What the f**k??
D* records show: I own it, it's installed & activated. What more do they want? It returned to clear a $240 charge to my account for this unit!
Retention & I have a "work-a-round" in work, but I won't be sure until everything is truly settled.....

I still can't believe they won't ship these. I've already got the AT9 and H20, I sure as hell don't need an installer to connect it.

guess I just need to call retention and see what the dealio is and how good they can be to me, they were great on the H20, we'll see if they repeat.

My hr20 unlike my h20s only displays the hd locals. The h20 guides have both sd and hd choices to view. While I like hd, I still want the option to watch sd if the hd is out. Anyone esle have this problem?

My hr20 unlike my h20s only displays the hd locals. The h20 guides have both sd and hd choices to view. While I like hd, I still want the option to watch sd if the hd is out. Anyone esle have this problem?

I see both the SD and the HD versions of my locals. Perhaps you have your "Favorites" settings such that only the HD ones are being displayed?

I have wondered about some who bash D* here, until today. I have the HR 20 scheduled for installation between 8-12. "Tech" shows up at 11:30 and I have to point out he has the wrong DVR not an HD one. He tells me he has to go back to get the correct one and he will be back by 4. At 4:45 he finally shows up and now he has simply an HD box no DVR. Ipoint out his mistake again to which he apologizes and claims he will bring the correct box tomorrow morning. We shall see. At this point I am obviously unhappy and try to call the #s I was given for support when I ordered. They were of absolutely no help and I had to wait on hold for 15 minutes to find that out. There needs to be local #s given to us to be able to rectify situations like this. I hope your experience is better than mine. Now I understand.

I have wondered about some who bash D* here, until today. There needs to be local #s given to us to be able to rectify situations like this. I hope your experience is better than mine. Now I understand.
The only number to call [in my opinion] is 1-800-824-9081.
Misery may love company, but we all need to help each other out of their [D*] mess.
When it works [D* system] it great. Just don't ever have to use their phone system.................

I see both the SD and the HD versions of my locals. Perhaps you have your "Favorites" settings such that only the HD ones are being displayed?
After a call to retention and some work on their end, the sd channels showed up. Alas, I lost the nyc HD feeds that I had for several days...I'm now back to the LA hd feeds and my SF feeds. I really was hoping that they would not notice the mistake, as I liked being able to watch prime time shows early.

After a call to retention and some work on their end, the sd channels showed up. Alas, I lost the nyc HD feeds that I had for several days...I'm now back to the LA hd feeds and my SF feeds. I really was hoping that they would not notice the mistake, as I liked being able to watch prime time shows early.

I would have rather kept what you had rather than getting the sd channels especially when you were getting them on hd already.

I just got my HR20 hooked up last night and I am very happy with it myself, the box finally works quicker and smoother compared to that early hr10 model from the 70's (ridiculously slow) computer era.

My question is how good are the component cables that the system comes with? I have a 50" plasma Panny 8UK and nice Onkyo/Velodyne home theatre setup so I am tryign to maximize the best out of it. I want to havae the choice to run my audio seperate via optical so that's why i was going to use component over HDMI, but after reading lots of posts it seems people say you can't really tell a difference between the 2 anyhow. My cable length is only about 6 feet. People out there with the Panny 8uk's, did you notice any difference going to HDMI over comp., I know some tv sets can respond a bit different too, or can I just keep using the free supplied comp. cables? Thanks.

Anyone else having problems with the remote not working. You have to slide the switch at top around, right above the PWR button, to get it back.

Normally, it turns on and off my 34XBR on and the HR20 at the same time. The volume controls work but not the input select.

But sometimes, nothing is responsive, neither the HR20 nor my TV.

I have RF enabled but when it's not working, the IR to the TV doesn't work either.

My brother in law had his one week old HR20 hooked up via component to his Sony 60A2000 SXRD TV without issues and then bought an HDMI cable through Monoprice and gets no picture at all through the HDMI connection.

He has not checked to see if the latest software update has taken care of this or not.

Is there something he is doing wrong or is this just a problem that hopefully will get resolved?

This is not good news. I will have this exact setup come next week. Please let me know if you ever get this resolved.

Normally, it turns on and off my 34XBR on and the HR20 at the same time. The volume controls work but not the input select.



You need to program the input after you set the remote code... read the directions on the screen when you program the remote.. there is another code you need to enter.

Well, as per my earlier post, the "tech" shows up today and now tells me the hr 20 is on backorder. After a wasted Friday waiting for installation now there is no box and no expected date for it either. I call the 824-9081 # and they tell me they are now out of stock and don't know when they will receive more. I ask why I was given an install date if there was no stock. No real answer was given. I did receive a credit to my account, but was also told it was now in the hands of the installation company to contact me when they were available. I asked if someone ordered it today, would they be told it is currently unavailable and the reply was yes. So if you decide to try, make sure it is available.

I should preface my recent experiences with the fact that in the past, I have been very happy with D* and have often recommended it. Like oldtimer says when it works it's great. This has been a total bummer. I am not one to complain unless need be.

Where is ROGO when you need him?

That happened to me, but D* let me go to Best Buy and get one, and then gave me a credit for it on my bill.

Like oldtimer says when.....
Where's my cane, my teeth, & my glasses... so I can find you young whipper snapper.... :)

I am in the NY metro area and have the two satellite set-up on my roof. I presently have Direct TVHD receiver feeding my projector in my media room.

I'm upgrading my bedroom TV to a HDTV. Presently I have a DVR/Tivo unit. I just ordered a HR20 from a source on the internet.

I'm assuming I can just swap out the Tivo for the HR20 and use the same satellites and inputs... can I do this, or do I need to arrange for a satellite service to do other updates on either the dishes, the multi switch etc...

Has anyone done a subjective test on the Effective Resolution the HR20 outputs on HDMI using the HDnet Test Pattern? Curious how many lines of resolution it does.

I am in the NY metro area and have the two satellite set-up on my roof. I presently have Direct TVHD receiver feeding my projector in my media room.

I'm upgrading my bedroom TV to a HDTV. Presently I have a DVR/Tivo unit. I just ordered a HR20 from a source on the internet.

I'm assuming I can just swap out the Tivo for the HR20 and use the same satellites and inputs... can I do this, or do I need to arrange for a satellite service to do other updates on either the dishes, the multi switch etc...

To my eyes... the MPEG4 locals are better than the MPEG2 locals.. if they are in your area, I would go for the dish upgrade.

I am in the NY metro area and have the two satellite set-up on my roof. I presently have Direct TVHD receiver feeding my projector in my media room.

I'm upgrading my bedroom TV to a HDTV. Presently I have a DVR/Tivo unit. I just ordered a HR20 from a source on the internet.

I'm assuming I can just swap out the Tivo for the HR20 and use the same satellites and inputs... can I do this, or do I need to arrange for a satellite service to do other updates on either the dishes, the multi switch etc...
Not knowing what you mean by "the two satellite set-up", but if you have an H20 for your media room, it won't be a big deal. If you don't have the AT9 [5LNB] dish, then you [with the HR-20] would only get the MPEG-2 channels [your locals ARE the east coast network feeds]. The HR-20 does require two cables to the dish.
So, Yes & No [about a tech coming out].

To my eyes... the MPEG4 locals are better than the MPEG2 locals.. if they are in your area, I would go for the dish upgrade.
I'm wondering what [your eyes see] is the difference?
I'm getting my HR-20 this week, so I can only speak about my H-20, but I have seen no difference between MPEG-2 & MPEG-4 [when working] and my OTA picture is the best of all of them [to my eyes] with "better color" [than from the SATs] & my local HD digital cable comes in last, with the most "washed out" color.

Well I got my HR20 installed today and am looking forward to trying it out. I have one program set to record on it as a trial run. Tomorrow if I am home I will have to watch Heroes and try to record something else at the same time. I don't know if it is me, but the directions seem somewhat vague. I'm assuming I can record stuff if I have my res set in 1080I? I don't see anything in the instructions telling me it is not possible.

I got a call yesterday (Sunday) from DirecTech that my scheduled install of the unit would be cancelled for today (Monday 10/9). I asked why, becuase your out of stock and the female voice said yes. I said I knew this would happen. I told her that this forum warned me this would happen. I told her that I was very disapointed. My 2nd scheduled install will be on or before Oct 25th. Then I said "until you call to reschedule again" She said, you'll have it before the 25th. Ya right!

This out of stock news is not making me feel too optomistic about my scheduled Oct. 14th install date...

You can always go to Best Buy and buy one. Call DTV retention and they will credit your account for the amount

I'm wondering what [your eyes see] is the difference?
I'm getting my HR-20 this week, so I can only speak about my H-20, but I have seen no difference between MPEG-2 & MPEG-4 [when working] and my OTA picture is the best of all of them [to my eyes] with "better color" [than from the SATs] & my local HD digital cable comes in last, with the most "washed out" color.

Can't speak for the OP, but I have seen a marked improvement in PQ between the mpg2 LA feed off my hdtivo to the mpeg4 feed of LA locals on the HR20. Better color and sharpness.

Now between the mpeg2 and mpeg4 feeds of the same show on the HR20 itself, the difference is minimal.

I've only had it a couple weeks though. But in general, after watching mostly HD local feeds of my favorite shows and sports, the PQ seems to be overall improved over what I've had the last 2 years (HD tivo). Particulary with 720p programs.

if you have a hdtivo, try hooking them both up at the same time via HDMI and going back and forth. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Can't speak for the OP, but I have seen a marked improvement in PQ between the mpg2 LA feed off my hdtivo to the mpeg4 feed of LA locals on the HR20. Better color and sharpness.

Now between the mpeg2 and mpeg4 feeds of the same show on the HR20 itself, the difference is minimal.

I've only had it a couple weeks though. But in general, after watching mostly HD local feeds of my favorite shows and sports, the PQ seems to be overall improved over what I've had the last 2 years (HD tivo). Particulary with 720p programs.

if you have a hdtivo, try hooking them both up at the same time via HDMI and going back and forth. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.
I don't have a tivo. My Sony HD SAT-300 & my H20-100 & -600 [through HDMI to DVI] all look the same [to my eyes] on CBS HD [the only LA DNS feed I have to compare] & this looks the same in MPEG4 [maybe it's that CBS seems to "over drive the color" it looks like]. This was why I asked...