We weren’t there first. That’s true. But several bloggers were invited in to for an exclusive look at the HR44 Genie DVR, the latest and greatest from DIRECTV. No other site is going to give you this level of detail from CES!
We got into the locked room late in the day, and DIRECTV engineers were there to greet us. They told us all about the new HR44 Genie, but seeing was certainly believing. This DVR is small and silent! It’s really only a tiny bit bigger than an H24 (non-DVR) receiver, and unlike the HR34 it makes almost no noise. The sides are completely dedicated to ventilation, making it run quieter.
The specs are the same: 1TB drive, 5 tuners, and RF remote. There was a new remote in the house, the RC71, but it wasn’t discussed. It looks like the RC70H hotel remote, but it works with the residential DVRs.
From our quick look at the back, a few things have changed. It looks like S-Video support is gone, but optical audio out returns, which is great. The wireless capabilities of the box weren’t discussed, so it’s hard to comment on that.
Where this device really shines is speed. From what we were shown this is the fastest HD DVR that DIRECTV has ever made. It really flew when you were scrolling through menus!
DIRECTV also showed a prototype Sony RVU TV and had a 2012 Samsung Smart TV to show how fast that client is. There was even some talk of the Sony Playstation having a client!
Our team is hard at work with glamour shots and video which is expected to be ready before the HR44 ships. No matter how we asked, there was no answer as to the price or availability of this DVR.
Well done, DIRECTV!
