Alternatives to leasing a Direct TV DVR with the monthly fees

You'll have to use the line inputs (S-video) instead of the Magnavox's digital tuner, since it's useless with satellite signals, but yes, it'll work for basic recording. Won't be as easy to use as a DVR, but for dubbing shows while you're watching, or setting the timer on the Maggy and whatever reminders the DirecTV box has should work okay.

Works fine. But you have to schedule all your timers manually on the maggie and again with auto-tune timers on the H20, and you can't watch anything else while you're recording, and none of your recordings will be in HD. The maggie doesn't have an integrated guide and blaster to control the H20.

Realize that there are no lease fees for DirecTV DVRs, only the $6 DVR access fee which applies to your whole account. 20 cents per day is a small price to pay to avoid the kludgey setup above. With a DirecTV DVR, you can simultaneously record 2 programs in full HD while playing back a third. The guide and recording management is fully integrated. The whole experience is much, much better.

I may be dense, but....what's the difference?

Still worth it...............

Agreed! I have a Direct TV DVR and I like it a lot. Much easier than recording to DVD (or even to hard drive, I would imagine).

You don't say how much you plan on using the DVR.

If it's regularly, from HD sources, on an HD display, then I'd say it's better to have Direct's HD DVR over the SD, guide-less Magnavox.

Or both? I record to a HD DVR but still use my DVDR w/HDD to offload(archive) off the DVR. Much easier to archive off a DVR than trying to do it live
Of course if you're not interested in archiving then I'd suggest just the DVR.

For every receiver you have, not counting your 1st one, there is a $5 lease fee per receiver. There is a $6 DVR fee if you have a DVR. That fee stays at $6 no matter how many DVRs that you have, but you would still pay the $5 lease fee on every extra DVR.

Actually the "lease" fee just went up from $5 to $6 this year. But it's not really a "lease" fee anymore. It's a "mirror" fee, and you have to pay it whether you lease your equipment or not. So the OP saves nothing but the $6 DVR fee. Besides that, mirror fees for DVRs and non-DVRs are exactly the same.

gnewbee, what receivers are on your account today, just the one H20?