Isn’t it time to retire that old DIRECTV receiver?

It was the new hotness in 2006, but the earth has gone around the sun 11 long times since then. I know it’s hard giving up an old friend, but sometimes you just have to let go.

If you’re not using the latest DIRECTV hardware — the Genie DVR, the HR24 DVR, and the H25 receiver — you’re playing with fire. To be honest even the HR24 is getting a little long in the tooth, but at least they are still available, even if DIRECTV is burning through old stock and using refurbished receivers. If your stuff is older than that, it’s time to think about upgrading.

The first thing you’ll notice about the latest generation Genie DVR is raw speed. While I’ll admit it’s not a flaming speed demon, the Genie DVR is so, so much faster than an HR20 or HR21 DVR. It affects literally everything you do, from changing channels and browsing the guide to looking for new programs to watch using search. You don’t need to grow old waiting for search results, you just don’t.

Of course the big draw of the Genie system is flexibility. It will work with other DVRs and receivers in your home but it will also let you pause live TV in every room with a Genie Mini Client. You can even use wireless clients and 4K clients to do things that the old-school receivers never dreamed of. And of course, the clients are small, silent, and sip power.

Another advantage is that if you’re still using the old-school wiring scheme that requires each receiver to have a line to the dish, you can clean things up quite a bit. The dish technology that’s been in use since 2010 lets you have one wire from the dish and you can use splitters wherever they’re convenient.

I know it can be hard to get rid of a DVR because it’s almost impossible to get programs off it, and they might be things you can’t find elsewhere. But the hard truth of the matter is that the box is not going to last forever and sooner or later you will be replacing it. Why not replace it on your schedule, when you’re ready to do it, and enjoy all the benefits of new equipment along the way?

And yeah, I get it. You don’t want to spend the money and you don’t want to be tied to a 2-year commitment. Well first of all you need to call the experts at Solid Signal at 888-233-7563, Monday-Friday during business hours. A lot of times those upgrades can be low cost or no cost! Why wait? And as far as the 2-year commitment, let’s be honest. If you’ve been with DIRECTV long enough to have old equipment, you’re not going anywhere. You know what DIRECTV is and you love the service. A 2-year commitment is meaningless to you if you think about it, because you’re already committed.

So there you go. Nothing lasts forever, including that old receiver, so it’s time to move on. Simple as that.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.