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post #451 of 4542
9/18/06 at 9:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by B&W700guy View Post

Did you get the 5LNB Dish with Install?

Can't say whether they would have included that or not. I already have an H20 and the AT9 dish installed.

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post #452 of 4542
9/19/06 at 7:47am
I wanted to wait till I actually had the H20 in my house prior to posting, now that it's in, wanted to post that the $19.99 deals are still out there to be had.

Been a subscriber since '98 and have had two hd receivers and one regular dvr for years now, I just called last week to see if I can find out when the DVR was going to be available in my area (ATL) and after 15 minutes of pleasant conversation with the CSR, I all of a sudden was told that Sept.18th was available for delivery of the H20DVR.

At first the CSR was a little coy, telling me that she's going to try something, she wasn't sure it would allow her to do it, then after a few minutes she mentioned the delivery date, and a delivery charge.

Installer came yesterday and it works great. Only waiting for local OTA functionality, but so far so good. Can't believe I finally have a HD-DVR after waiting so long, I passed on the HD Tivo since the mpeg4 boxes were coming out, so I had to do without. Getting it for $19.99 was a complete surprise.

Hope everyone lucks out as I did.

Andrew
post #453 of 4542
9/19/06 at 9:52am
I just wanted to thank raoul5788 for giving out the retention number. I called and talked to the nicest CSR, Sheena. I told her they promised me back in March (which they did) a free upgrade of my H10 and to my surprise said, fine. She said they'd charge $99 and then credit it on the same bill. They are installing it on Thursday! YEAH, I live in Sandwich on the Cape and have never been able to get local HD channels, so I can't wait. I then called a different number (Which Sheena actually gave me, thinking it was the install company) but found it was yet another CSR, Cindy. I then told Cindy I wanted to confirm everything, which she did, but then I got a little bold and decided to ask what else they could give me since I am renewing my 2 year contract. I told her I'd take anything, so she said "how about 3 months free of Starz" and I of course said, GREAT!! Hey, it would have been nice to get money off but beggars certainly can't be choosers. I'm grateful and appreciative of these two women, they both made my day.
And just curious if there is anyone else out there (particularly on the Cape but anyone from Boston area) that has this machine and never had an OTA or local HD channels. What do you think?
post #454 of 4542
9/19/06 at 10:21am
Thanks to all who posted numbers and stories of success. It took four phone call to retention get the deal I wanted, but I am getting the HR20 for $19.95 S&H. I did get the HR10-250 for free a few months ago, so I was surprised to get this one for free as well and I didn't have to trade in the HR10-250. The install is scheduled for Saturday morning.
post #455 of 4542
9/19/06 at 10:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by stacy11 View Post

Chip, thanks for the quick reply!

One more question: the HDMI connection looks REALLY bad in dark scenes; VERY inky, muddy, no shadow detail. MUCH, MUCH worse then the LG HD receiver box it replaced. Component image is MUCH better on then the HDMI connection. Weird. Why?

First, the LG is the best box out there. There have been reports of issues with HDMI connections not working correctly with the HR20. You might try component to see if you have better results. Also, your display may need tweaking. Good luck!
post #456 of 4542
9/19/06 at 11:31am
Well I just got off of the phone with D*. I was having problems with my H20 box and HDMI and wondered if was my display or the H20. The Tech said it was probably their box and was goingto send someone out to look at it. I told him I was planning on updating to the HR20 and he told me that had them for $299. I said hook me up, so that will be isntalled next Tuesday. I was just about ready to go down to Best Buy and buy it for $399 later this week.

EDIT: Just checked BB online and they have have it listed for $299 now. I know when I last looked at it it was $399.
post #457 of 4542
9/19/06 at 12:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arutha_conDoin View Post

Well I just got off of the phone with D*. I was having problems with my H20 box and HDMI and wondered if was my display or the H20. The Tech said it was probably their box and was goingto send someone out to look at it. I told him I was planning on updating to the HR20 and he told me that had them for $299. I said hook me up, so that will be isntalled next Tuesday. I was just about ready to go down to Best Buy and buy it for $399 later this week.

EDIT: Just checked BB online and they have have it listed for $299 now. I know when I last looked at it it was $399.

Similar HDMI trouble with my HR20. I have a 25-foot HDMI cable to my Panasonic AE900u projector that was working fine with my HR10-250. But it is not working with the HR20. Component does work.

Tested the HR20 with a 15-foot HDMI cable run to the projector and it did NOT work. Then tried with a 3-foot HDMI cable and it DID WORK.

Bought the HR20 myself so not sure what to do. It does work with my other HD TV in the house but don't use that tv nearly as much.
post #458 of 4542
9/19/06 at 12:31pm
Well...the HDMI problem did not remain the only one...

Last night, I lost the "Studio 60" mpeg4 feed more than once, and it even stopped recording midway through.

Then, the box froze. Couldn't change channels, or power down, or anything. I rebooted and it worked for a while, then the same thing.

Ugh. I'll call D* today.
post #459 of 4542
9/19/06 at 12:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by QuentinH View Post

Well...the HDMI problem did not remain the only one...

Last night, I lost the "Studio 60" mpeg4 feed more than once, and it even stopped recording midway through.

Then, the box froze. Couldn't change channels, or power down, or anything. I rebooted and it worked for a while, then the same thing.

Ugh. I'll call D* today.

It sounds alot like the problems the H20 boxes are having. Is it only freezing on hd channels?
post #460 of 4542
9/19/06 at 12:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hoosier84 View Post

Similar HDMI trouble with my HR20. I have a 25-foot HDMI cable to my Panasonic AE900u projector that was working fine with my HR10-250. But it is not working with the HR20. Component does work.

Tested the HR20 with a 15-foot HDMI cable run to the projector and it did NOT work. Then tried with a 3-foot HDMI cable and it DID WORK.

Bought the HR20 myself so not sure what to do. It does work with my other HD TV in the house but don't use that tv nearly as much.

When I talked to the Tech today he mentioned that they were working on a software upgrade for the H20 to resolve the HDMI issue. Apparently one of their chips inside is not sending the signal right, but I told him if I reset the box everythign workse just fine. He said that is because the signal is corrected... Long story short it sounds like a fix for the H20 is in the works, but unsure about the HR20. I need the DVR so I'll take my chances with the HR20. If worse comes to worse I can always swap out the HDMI cable for a little bit and go with component cables.
post #461 of 4542
9/19/06 at 2:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by raoul5788 View Post

Did you call retention? They will give the best deals available. 1-800-824-9081 Good luck.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jasonblair View Post

I asked about the HR20, and the retention CSR told me...

Yes I did....
post #462 of 4542
9/19/06 at 3:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by raoul5788 View Post

It sounds alot like the problems the H20 boxes are having. Is it only freezing on hd channels?

I thought so...but, it froze this morning on Toon Disney - a 480i channel.

The funny thing is that the box freezes, but not the picture. As long as I keep watching that channel - no problem. Of course, once I try to change the channel or do anything with the remote the box is unresponsive. And, it can't be turned off without unplugging.

Fun!
post #463 of 4542
9/19/06 at 4:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by QuentinH View Post

I thought so...but, it froze this morning on Toon Disney - a 480i channel.

The funny thing is that the box freezes, but not the picture. As long as I keep watching that channel - no problem. Of course, once I try to change the channel or do anything with the remote the box is unresponsive. And, it can't be turned off without unplugging.

Fun!

Interesting! Thanks for the info.
post #464 of 4542
9/19/06 at 7:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by QuentinH View Post

I thought so...but, it froze this morning on Toon Disney - a 480i channel.

The funny thing is that the box freezes, but not the picture. As long as I keep watching that channel - no problem. Of course, once I try to change the channel or do anything with the remote the box is unresponsive. And, it can't be turned off without unplugging.

Fun!


My mom's standard def DVR from DirecTv did that too, went through two of them. Apparently there are two manufacturers for that box, so I talked the CSR into sending them one from the OTHER manufacturer, and its been working flawlessly for about three weeks now.

The HR twenty I bought at best buy two weeks ago has not had a single glitch or problem since day one. Flawless, although I admit, I didnt have a HDMI to DVI cable, so I havent tested that.
post #465 of 4542
9/20/06 at 4:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Davenlr View Post

My mom's standard def DVR from DirecTv did that too, went through two of them. Apparently there are two manufacturers for that box, so I talked the CSR into sending them one from the OTHER manufacturer, and its been working flawlessly for about three weeks now.

The HR twenty I bought at best buy two weeks ago has not had a single glitch or problem since day one. Flawless, although I admit, I didnt have a HDMI to DVI cable, so I havent tested that.

Well, according to D*, the HDMI problem will be corrected with a future software upgrade. It only happens with specific TV's.

Hopefully, when D* comes out Friday, they will give me a new box and I'll have your luck!

I haven't been able to record a full show yet because the box freezes approximately every 1/2 hour.
post #466 of 4542
9/20/06 at 5:01pm
Has anyone kept their older HR10 active in the same room, and if so do the two units use different remote codes? The reason I'm asking is I want to keep both units active in my main viewing room, that way I can use the HR10 for OTA HD and Standard Def stuff for the kids and the HR20 for Sat HD. Either way that should give me about 70 hours of HD combined.

James
post #467 of 4542
9/20/06 at 6:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jrg6771 View Post

Has anyone kept their older HR10 active in the same room, and if so do the two units use different remote codes? The reason I'm asking is I want to keep both units active in my main viewing room, that way I can use the HR10 for OTA HD and Standard Def stuff for the kids and the HR20 for Sat HD. Either way that should give me about 70 hours of HD combined.

James

That's pretty much what I plan on doing. I'm not getting my HR20 until October 12th, but I plan on keeping the HR10 running until the come out with the OTA software update for my other HDTV locals that DTV doesn't offer. As they are different units and manufacturers I am sure they use differnent remote codes. In fact, I have a harmony 880 and I know they have separate codes for the HR20 so remotes should not be an issue.

What I need to test, and will probably do this weekend, is pulling the access card out of the HR10 and making sure I can still view the OTA channels. This way I can deactivate it and set manual recordings for CW until the patch comes out.
post #468 of 4542
9/20/06 at 8:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by farjo08 View Post

That's pretty much what I plan on doing. I'm not getting my HR20 until October 12th, but I plan on keeping the HR10 running until the come out with the OTA software update for my other HDTV locals that DTV doesn't offer. As they are different units and manufacturers I am sure they use differnent remote codes. In fact, I have a harmony 880 and I know they have separate codes for the HR20 so remotes should not be an issue.

What I need to test, and will probably do this weekend, is pulling the access card out of the HR10 and making sure I can still view the OTA channels. This way I can deactivate it and set manual recordings for CW until the patch comes out.

Don't be convinced that different manufacturers use different codes. I used the same remote for my H20-100 that I am now using with my HR20-700. I was too lazy and didn't feel like reprogramming in all of my other units. To be honest, I don't think I reprogrammed when I had to swap out my H20-600 for my H20-100 either.


Snewo
post #469 of 4542
9/20/06 at 9:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jrg6771 View Post

Has anyone kept their older HR10 active in the same room, and if so do the two units use different remote codes? The reason I'm asking is I want to keep both units active in my main viewing room, that way I can use the HR10 for OTA HD and Standard Def stuff for the kids and the HR20 for Sat HD. Either way that should give me about 70 hours of HD combined.

James


yes, completely different. it's kind of annoying actually
post #470 of 4542
9/20/06 at 10:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by snewo View Post

Don't be convinced that different manufacturers use different codes. I used the same remote for my H20-100 that I am now using with my HR20-700. I was too lazy and didn't feel like reprogramming in all of my other units. To be honest, I don't think I reprogrammed when I had to swap out my H20-600 for my H20-100 either.


Snewo

Oh, just lovely. I am going to be having my HR20 and an H20 in the same vicinity pretty soon here. This means I am going to have conflicts, doesn't it?
post #471 of 4542
9/21/06 at 3:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by madpony View Post

Oh, just lovely. I am going to be having my HR20 and an H20 in the same vicinity pretty soon here. This means I am going to have conflicts, doesn't it?

Not necessarily. If you have the RC24 remote, then you can set one of the boxes to rf.
They will not interfere with each other then.
post #472 of 4542
9/21/06 at 8:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by farjo08 View Post

What I need to test, and will probably do this weekend, is pulling the access card out of the HR10 and making sure I can still view the OTA channels. This way I can deactivate it and set manual recordings for CW until the patch comes out.

You will not be able to do this. You can remove the card, and it will still allow you to
watch OTA, but you can only record OTA by subscribing to D*'s TiVo service and having the card in and satellite connection.

SMK
post #473 of 4542
9/21/06 at 10:20am
i just got my hr20 yesterday and its a lot to get use to, im a tivo person since day one with tivo so now this new thing is a little different but i dont understand hd my local channels when i watch the show but as soon as it goes to commerical it goes from 16:9 4:3 with black bars on the side is this normal the picture looks great just switchs back and forth anyone else have this with there hr-20 ?
post #474 of 4542
9/21/06 at 10:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhinomulisha View Post

i just got my hr20 yesterday and its a lot to get use to, im a tivo person since day one with tivo so now this new thing is a little different but i dont understand hd my local channels when i watch the show but as soon as it goes to commerical it goes from 16:9 4:3 with black bars on the side is this normal the picture looks great just switchs back and forth anyone else have this with there hr-20 ?

This has NOTHING to do with the HR20. It is the signal sent by the network. There is nothing wrong with the unit in this regard. I have had numerous DTV HD receivers and all do the same.
By the way, how great is the unit.
I am getting a freeHR 20 next week
post #475 of 4542
9/21/06 at 11:28am
Now that the HR20 has been out a few weeks, I have a question.

I am currently running a SAT-60 and HR10-250 and am very happy with this set up with the only objection is not receiving NBC in HD. Never could get that waiver around here. The only thing I would gain at the present time will be NBC-HD. I'm not so sure that I would like the larger 5 LNB dish.

It it time to upgrade while "free" deals are being made with owners of the HR10-250?

Should I wait for the newer dish that is do out in the future?

Seems like lots of people out there are happy with the new HR20. Is it a good unit to have?

Again I would like to have the newer dish coming out, however it sounds like the HR20 is now operating well. I just don't want to wait only to find out that no free deals will be made in the future. Any thoughts from people with more insight than I have?
post #476 of 4542
9/21/06 at 12:13pm
I have only been with D* for a year and a half. I ordered the HR20 and it will be installed on the 25th. I now see that a lot of you are getting it for free or for a lot cheaper. Do you think if I call retention they will be able to give me some sort of discount even though I haven't been with them that long? This is also my first HD DVR.
post #477 of 4542
9/21/06 at 12:17pm
OK, I drew a lousy company to install the AT9 and HR-20. I'm in the South Bay Area and the company has rescheduled twice already. Some outfit called Ironwood Communications -- they have a web site.

First time, 15 minutes before appt., they say they have to reschedule. Now, about an hour before the second appt., they are saying they don't have any HD-DVRs and can't give me a date.

I called Direct TV to complain and they give me the local 800 number for the installer and they call it Mountain even though the people who called me identify themselves as Ironwood both times. So a subcontractor to a contractor probably.

I go to my account on the D* web site and they've already billed me $345.26. No programming credits to offset it yet. My automatic payment posted on 9/8 and they're ready to bill me again on 9/27. The first CSR says he can't override.

I'm transferred to another who says that's the way it works, I'm in-between the billing cycles. She offers me a month of Showtime. I said I didn't want it because I'm not interested in Showtime. Doesn't offer me anything else.

Time to think about switching altogether. Right before the Fall premiers of the new shows and right after the start of the NFL season (I don't subscribe to Sunday Ticket).
post #478 of 4542
9/21/06 at 12:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rlockshin View Post

This has NOTHING to do with the HR20. It is the signal sent by the network. There is nothing wrong with the unit in this regard. I have had numerous DTV HD receivers and all do the same.
By the way, how great is the unit.
I am getting a freeHR 20 next week


yea i ended up getting mine for 49.99 which i was fine with but so far its good i think the picture is so nice i mean this is my first hd experience and i love it !! i cant wait till more channels roll out but until then im fine with my 25 but yea the unit is so nice looks good on my tv stand so far thumbs up on everything but still getting use to the deferent style compared to tivo and i cant wait till sat for college football. one thing thought is i have it hooked up through components and im debating if i should go and buy an hdmi cable for it or just stay with component any advice will be great , well realistic advice is the picture going to be that much better?
post #479 of 4542
9/21/06 at 2:41pm
I would say go for the hdmi, not necessarily that you can tell that much more in picture quality but the cable has audio also, the signal is not changed from digital to analog and back to digital like component. I have seen decent hdmi cables at Wal-mart or Sams Club $12 - $ 15, so you are not spending a ton of money on what will be the future, I have my hr20-700 hooked up both ways and can say hdmi is slightly sharper. HDMI is the future also one day their will be no more more analog connections for new equipment.


Quote:
Originally Posted by rhinomulisha View Post

yea i ended up getting mine for 49.99 which i was fine with but so far its good i think the picture is so nice i mean this is my first hd experience and i love it !! i cant wait till more channels roll out but until then im fine with my 25 but yea the unit is so nice looks good on my tv stand so far thumbs up on everything but still getting use to the deferent style compared to tivo and i cant wait till sat for college football. one thing thought is i have it hooked up through components and im debating if i should go and buy an hdmi cable for it or just stay with component any advice will be great , well realistic advice is the picture going to be that much better?
post #480 of 4542
9/21/06 at 2:52pm
I can't believe they are telling you this that they can't change the billing, I have contacted directv over all kinds of issues concerning billing, they make the changes and I can see them right then, I even made a payment one day online while talking to a rep and the payment I made showed up on their system that very second. You should have received a number to call if you had to cancel the install, tell them you want to cancel the install, they can't refuse that otherwise tell them not to bill you until the unit is activated. I have had very little problems with directv in all my years but what they are doing to you does not seem right. I can tell you this the hr20 is worth it, if you can get confirmation from directv that you will get an install date before the money comes out of your account it will be worth the wait. I picked my hr20 at best buy and directv refunded me some money off that price. I had a few issues at first and our local installer had never seen the hr20 and said he was for sure they had none of these at his warehouse. Directv can get you one they just have to be pushed.


Quote:
Originally Posted by wco81 View Post

OK, I drew a lousy company to install the AT9 and HR-20. I'm in the South Bay Area and the company has rescheduled twice already. Some outfit called Ironwood Communications -- they have a web site.

First time, 15 minutes before appt., they say they have to reschedule. Now, about an hour before the second appt., they are saying they don't have any HD-DVRs and can't give me a date.

I called Direct TV to complain and they give me the local 800 number for the installer and they call it Mountain even though the people who called me identify themselves as Ironwood both times. So a subcontractor to a contractor probably.

I go to my account on the D* web site and they've already billed me $345.26. No programming credits to offset it yet. My automatic payment posted on 9/8 and they're ready to bill me again on 9/27. The first CSR says he can't override.

I'm transferred to another who says that's the way it works, I'm in-between the billing cycles. She offers me a month of Showtime. I said I didn't want it because I'm not interested in Showtime. Doesn't offer me anything else.

Time to think about switching altogether. Right before the Fall premiers of the new shows and right after the start of the NFL season (I don't subscribe to Sunday Ticket).
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