You’ll need an HR54 Genie. This tip came to our forums a few weeks ago but it’s taken a while to confirm. It is true, if you want 4K service from DIRECTV and you don’t already have it, you’ll need an HR54.
You will also need a C61K Genie Mini Client or DIRECTV 4K Ready TV. The HR54 does not output 4K video itself.
The reason is simple: new live 4K broadcasts will require technology that’s not found in the HR44, and will also require 7 open SWM channels which is something we’ve been telling you for a while. This shouldn’t be a problem as long as you’re only using Genie Clients or DIRECTV Ready TVs, but if you still have some legacy receivers or DVRs in the mix, you’ll need to use “tuner math” to figure out how many tuners you have and what kind of multiswitch you’ll need.
For now (April 2016), you can upgrade to 4K service without changing your dish, but that will soon change. We’ll let you know when that comes, and the upgrade kits will be available at Solid Signal.
