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DirecTV "Whole Home" DVR Questions - Page 6

post #151 of 240
10/13/11 at 7:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by slow ride View Post

Im kind of on the fence between dish and there dual room receiver & directs whole home dvr. do you have any insight between the two. thanks again, chris

It's my understanding Dish basically "splits" their DVR so each tuner can feed two different TVs.
Now if you're the only viewer this may work fine/best for you.

With DirecTV's whole home, the DVR doesn't share a tuner [leaving both to record or record and the other for live viewing], so the second room requires a receiver with its own tuner, but can watch recordings from the DVR and setup recordings on the DVR remotely.
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post #152 of 240
10/13/11 at 7:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by veryoldschool View Post

It's my understanding Dish basically "splits" their DVR so each tuner can feed two different TVs.
Now if you're the only viewer this may work fine/best for you.

With DirecTV's whole home, the DVR doesn't share a tuner [leaving both to record or record and the other for live viewing], so the second room requires a receiver with its own tuner, but can watch recordings from the DVR and setup recordings on the DVR remotely.

so if I get this right, with the dish...its possible that the second tv may only be able to view what the main dvr is recording if its maxed out with its # of recordings.
any advice on what company offers the best dvr's . Im mostly worried about hdmi problems / freezing/ skipping etc. I dont use internet.
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post #153 of 240
10/13/11 at 8:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by slow ride View Post

so if I get this right, with the dish...its possible that the second tv may only be able to view what the main dvr is recording if its maxed out with its # of recordings.
any advice on what company offers the best dvr's . Im mostly worried about hdmi problems / freezing/ skipping etc. I dont use internet.

Since I use five tuners for only one TV, I might be "just a bit" biased as to how many tuners one needs. lol
I haven't ever used a Dish DVR, so I can't advise you on them.
DirecTV's DVRs have come along way from where they were when they first came out. The HR24s are a major step up from their earlier ones.
In my five years [almost] with DirecTV's DVRs I've never had HDMI problems, freezing, or skipping. This isn't to say I haven't read about others with these problems. HDMI problems are mostly related to how well [or not] the TV maker has followed the HDMI standard. DirecTV has made many changes to try to be compatible with all the TV makers.
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post #154 of 240
10/13/11 at 12:57pm
any advice/ info/ links on that direct tv whole home dvr? how long has it been out? whats its hits/ misses etc.
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post #155 of 240
10/13/11 at 1:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slow ride View Post

any advice/ info/ links on that direct tv whole home dvr? how long has it been out? whats its hits/ misses etc.

Not quite sure what you're asking.
The "Whole Home DVR" is really a service that uses the coax networking, and works with all HR2x DVRs & H21 [and up] receivers.
Now if you're asking about the coax networking [aka DECA], I've had it for as couple of years now and it works fine/great. I no longer have cat5 cables running all over the house.

Now if you're really asking about the Home Media Center DVR, then this is where: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=197609

This isn't out yet, but will be "soon to selected markets".
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post #156 of 240
10/13/11 at 1:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by veryoldschool View Post

Not quite sure what you're asking.
The "Whole Home DVR" is really a service that uses the coax networking, and works with all HR2x DVRs & H21 [and up] receivers.
Now if you're asking about the coax networking [aka DECA], I've had it for as couple of years now and it works fine/great. I no longer have cat5 cables running all over the house.

Now if you're really asking about the Home Media Center DVR, then this is where: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=197609

This isn't out yet, but will be "soon to selected markets".

they quoted me with a whole home dvr. they said they can link it to the rest of the tv's in my house. Im only interested in watching television both live & recorded.
so I will have one whole house dvr and five receivers. just wondering if people have been generally happy with this set up.

btw...will the five receivers be hard wired back to the dvr or is all done on wi fi?
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post #157 of 240
10/13/11 at 2:02pm
All DirecTV receivers have to be hooked up to a coax cable. The only place WiFi might be used is to hook your DirecTV network up to your home internet network to get them online for On Demand content, PPV ordering, and TV Apps.

DirecTV installers do not carry the H25 wall mount or RF kits as far as I know. Also, not all installers will have H25s either, you get whatever they have on their truck. If you are going to be strict about what receivers you want and where you will most likely want to look for a local DirecTV dealer and see what kind of deal they will make you. They have more control over what receivers you get, and arel more likely to have the wall mount and RF kits for the H25. It might cost a bit more than going through DirecTV though.

One thing to remember with the regular Whole Home DVR setup and only one receiver is you can only record 2 things at one time max. If you think you might ever need to record more than 2 shows at once you really should consider getting 2 DVRs, or waiting until the HR34 Home Media Center is in wide release (probably late this year, early next year). Unless you live in one of the 5 test markets that have it available now (I don't remember what they are offhand though).

Also, as far as Dish Network goes, I believe when you run 2 TVs of of their dual room receivers you are limited to standard def on the second TV (they use a RF modulator to send the standard def signal as a normal cable channel to your other TV over coax).
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post #158 of 240
10/13/11 at 2:45pm
Looks like Beerstalker covered it well.
BTW: you can never have too many DVRs lol
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post #159 of 240
10/13/11 at 2:52pm
how many shows will the h34 be able to recored at once?
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post #160 of 240
10/13/11 at 3:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slow ride View Post

how many shows will the h34 be able to recored at once?

The HR34 has five tuners [so 5] and it can stream to three clients at the same time.
"Now some" aren't that keen of the fact that if it fails, you're left with nothing, while if you use several DVRs, you only suffer a partial loss.
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post #161 of 240
10/13/11 at 3:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by veryoldschool View Post

The HR34 has five tuners [so 5] and it can stream to three clients at the same time.
"Now some" aren't that keen of the fact that if it fails, you're left with nothing, while if you use several DVRs, you only suffer a partial loss.

will direct sell you a dvr or is monthly charge only. dish will sell them for $99 and charge $3 per month.
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post #162 of 240
10/13/11 at 3:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beerstalker View Post

All DirecTV receivers have to be hooked up to a coax cable. The only place WiFi might be used is to hook your DirecTV network up to your home internet network to get them online for On Demand content, PPV ordering, and TV Apps.

DirecTV installers do not carry the H25 wall mount or RF kits as far as I know. Also, not all installers will have H25s either, you get whatever they have on their truck. If you are going to be strict about what receivers you want and where you will most likely want to look for a local DirecTV dealer and see what kind of deal they will make you. They have more control over what receivers you get, and arel more likely to have the wall mount and RF kits for the H25. It might cost a bit more than going through DirecTV though.

One thing to remember with the regular Whole Home DVR setup and only one receiver is you can only record 2 things at one time max. If you think you might ever need to record more than 2 shows at once you really should consider getting 2 DVRs, or waiting until the HR34 Home Media Center is in wide release (probably late this year, early next year). Unless you live in one of the 5 test markets that have it available now (I don't remember what they are offhand though).

Also, as far as Dish Network goes, I believe when you run 2 TVs of of their dual room receivers you are limited to standard def on the second TV (they use a RF modulator to send the standard def signal as a normal cable channel to your other TV over coax).

is there a way to find a local dealer near me. not too interested in best buy.
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post #163 of 240
10/13/11 at 3:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slow ride View Post

will direct sell you a dvr or is monthly charge only. dish will sell them for $99 and charge $3 per month.

I guess the term "sell" should be sorted out.
Both Dish & DirecTV "lease" receiver/DVRs and each also comes with a monthly charge after the first one, which is $6/month with DirecTV.
DirecTV charges a DVR fee per account of $7/month and the Whole Home DVR service is another $3.
This "kind of means" after you've paid the leased price, it doesn't matter if you have a receiver or a DVR, as the monthly fees are the same for the additional hardware.
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post #164 of 240
10/14/11 at 3:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by veryoldschool View Post

Since I use five tuners for only one TV, I might be "just a bit" biased as to how many tuners one needs. lol
I haven't ever used a Dish DVR, so I can't advise you on them.
DirecTV's DVRs have come along way from where they were when they first came out. The HR24s are a major step up from their earlier ones.
In my five years [almost] with DirecTV's DVRs I've never had HDMI problems, freezing, or skipping. This isn't to say I haven't read about others with these problems. HDMI problems are mostly related to how well [or not] the TV maker has followed the HDMI standard. DirecTV has made many changes to try to be compatible with all the TV makers.

what would you recommend for a stand alone dvr? Im going to also need a few receivers with one being the compact h25. what other receivers have been well received?
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post #165 of 240
10/14/11 at 5:03am
If you have one DVR and multiple receivers, the DVR can only stream to one of the receivers at a time. The DVR can function normally at it's local location and one receiver could stream something from it, the rest could only watch live TV. With that many units I would get 2 DVRs to add a lot more functionality.
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post #166 of 240
10/14/11 at 6:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by slow ride View Post

what would you recommend for a stand alone dvr? Im going to also need a few receivers with one being the compact h25. what other receivers have been well received?

The HR24 has the best CPU [speed] these days, and has the internal DECA [like the H25 does].
I too would suggest going for more than one DVR.
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post #167 of 240
10/14/11 at 9:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by veryoldschool View Post

The HR24 has the best CPU [speed] these days, and has the internal DECA [like the H25 does].
I too would suggest going for more than one DVR.

Im def going with two dvr's. I would also like to go with two of the small hd receivers. are those the h25?
back to the 2 dvr's. one would be a whole home & would you recommend the same for the second or a different model?
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post #168 of 240
10/14/11 at 9:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by slow ride View Post

Im def going with two dvr's. I would also like to go with two of the small hd receivers. are those the h25?
back to the 2 dvr's. one would be a whole home & would you recommend the same for the second or a different model?

The "small ones" are the H25.
I think you're missing what the Whole Home DVR is. It's a "service", not a piece of hardware, so with the service added to your account, all the DVRs and receivers can work together. There are settings in the DVR to share the playlist and allow remote deleting of recordings, etc.
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post #169 of 240
10/14/11 at 10:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by veryoldschool View Post

The "small ones" are the H25.
I think you're missing what the Whole Home DVR is. It's a "service", not a piece of hardware, so with the service added to your account, all the DVRs and receivers can work together. There are settings in the DVR to share the playlist and allow remote deleting of recordings, etc.

Oh. thanks for pointing that out. I thought only one dvr could do that. so you recommend h 24 for the dvr's & would you go with the h25 for all the other receivers or just where size / room matters. some of the receivers dont have to be hidden or compact but if they work just as well as the others I just assume use them.
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post #170 of 240
10/14/11 at 10:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by slow ride View Post

Oh. thanks for pointing that out. I thought only one dvr could do that. so you recommend h 24 for the dvr's & would you go with the h25 for all the other receivers or just where size / room matters. some of the receivers dont have to be hidden or compact but if they work just as well as the others I just assume use them.

So we don't get mixed up here:
H is a HD receiver
HR is a HD DVR

Think you'll find H24s work quite well when size isn't the issue/need.
The H25s need extra "kits" for things like: component cables, RF remote, and also can have a wall mounting plate.
Since the H24s aren't made for wall mounting, they come with cables and while they don't come with a RF remote [like the DVRs do], they have the function/option internal.
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post #171 of 240
10/14/11 at 1:46pm
As far as find ing a local dealer your yellow pages is probably a good start. Otherwise a lot of cell phone retailers (not the actual AT&T or Verizon stores, but places like The Digital Store that we have here in Peoria) tend to sell satellite TV as well.

Just out of curiosity, which DMA are you in (what city do you get your local stations from)? That can have an effect on how much your initial costs would be.
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post #172 of 240
10/14/11 at 2:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Beerstalker View Post

As far as find ing a local dealer your yellow pages is probably a good start. Otherwise a lot of cell phone retailers (not the actual AT&T or Verizon stores, but places like The Digital Store that we have here in Peoria) tend to sell satellite TV as well.

Just out of curiosity, which DMA are you in (what city do you get your local stations from)? That can have an effect on how much your initial costs would be.

Im in southern maine
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post #173 of 240
10/14/11 at 2:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by veryoldschool View Post

So we don't get mixed up here:
H is a HD receiver
HR is a HD DVR

Think you'll find H24s work quite well when size isn't the issue/need.
The H25s need extra "kits" for things like: component cables, RF remote, and also can have a wall mounting plate.
Since the H24s aren't made for wall mounting, they come with cables and while they don't come with a RF remote [like the DVRs do], they have the function/option internal.

just returned from a direct dealer. he recommended two hr24's. there was no extra cost per month for two. I just need to purchase the second hr24 for $99.

all the receivers would have to be h25's. he said he could no longer get the h24 . I think this is the way Im gonna go.
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post #174 of 240
10/14/11 at 2:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slow ride View Post

just returned from a direct dealer. he recommended two hr24's. there was no extra cost per month for two. I just need to purchase the second hr24 for $99.

all the receivers would have to be h25's. he said he could no longer get the h24 . I think this is the way Im gonna go.

$99 for a $199 DVR that you don't f@#*ing own, is a good price.
Retailer are the few that know what their stock is on hand, so I'd go with the H25s too.
If you need the wall mount or RF kits: http://search.solidsignal.com/?q=H25...earch=1&cart=0

Maybe your retailer has them too.
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post #175 of 240
10/14/11 at 3:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by veryoldschool View Post

$99 for a $199 DVR that you don't f@#*ing own, is a good price.
Retailer are the few that know what their stock is on hand, so I'd go with the H25s too.
If you need the wall mount or RF kits: http://search.solidsignal.com/?q=H25...earch=1&cart=0

Maybe your retailer has them too.

can you explain the rf part. Is that so the remote will work if the receiver is hidden? he said the remote would work fine with the receiver mounted behind the tv.

make sense?
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post #176 of 240
10/14/11 at 5:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slow ride View Post

can you explain the rf part. Is that so the remote will work if the receiver is hidden? he said the remote would work fine with the receiver mounted behind the tv.

make sense?

The H25 does "work better" in IR mode than the other receivers, but nothing really works as well as RF [should] for the remote.

"Your guy" may be right, and if you do have problems, remember the link :lol:
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post #177 of 240
10/14/11 at 6:42pm
what is rf ? they need a reference page so I dont have to keep asking about all the codes? you need to be a world war ll radio decoder to figure out what you guys are all talking about.
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post #178 of 240
10/14/11 at 7:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slow ride View Post

what is rf ? they need a reference page so I dont have to keep asking about all the codes? you need to be a world war ll radio decoder to figure out what you guys are all talking about.

The remotes function in either Infrared [mode] or Radio Frequency mode.
One uses light and the other, well RF energy.
IR tends to be a problem if there isn't a direct line of sight, where "RF" floods the room and works through walls.
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post #179 of 240
10/15/11 at 4:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by veryoldschool View Post

The remotes function in either Infrared [mode] or Radio Frequency mode.
One uses light and the other, well RF energy.
IR tends to be a problem if there isn't a direct line of sight, where "RF" floods the room and works through walls.

ok thanks
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post #180 of 240
10/31/11 at 10:41am
I have a question about setting up Whole Home DVR in unsupported mode. What I would like to do is connect my H21 to a router in the basement via ethernet. My HR21 would be connected to an AirPort Extreme via ethernet, the AirPort Extreme would be connected to the router in the basement via ethernet. Is this going to give me the connectivity I need or do both DirecTV boxes need to be connected directly to the router, or directly to the AirPort Extreme? Thanks.
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