The DIRECTV HR20 Plus HD DVR was not my first DIRECTV receiver, but it sure was the one that I owe the most to. I jumped in a little too early back in September 2006 when DIRECTV released its first homegrown HD DVR, but working through the bugs brought me into a whole new world of peer support, a world which led to me curating this blog today. When the HR24 HD DVR came out in 2010, the review my team wrote was the first one out there. I have a great affection for DIRECTV’s 2-tuner DVRs.
The rumor mill is cranking
So what should I make of the rumors that DIRECTV’s 2-tuner DVRs have reached “end of life” status? All earlier DVRs are long since discontinued, leaving only the HR24 and the Genie if you’re interested in recording DIRECTV’s wide variety of entertainment options. Should you (or I) be worried that in the future DIRECTV’s 2-tuner DVR program will disappear? Here are the facts:
Someday, not today
Yes, at some point the HR24 series will go away, but not today. Demand for 2-tuner DVRs is down and demand for the Genie is up. New installs get Genie DVRs as a default, and the world has changed since 2006. Merely recording two things at a time isn’t really that impressive. So eventually we’ll see the HR24 ride off into the sunset but that could be years off.
Non-Genie hardware won’t be developed
There won’t be an HR25 or anything like that to replace it. The series that includes HR20, HR21, HR22, HR23 and HR24 stops here, for better or worse. There comes a time when you have to move on, and the HR20/HR21/HR22/HR23 series DVRs are now so old that they really don’t have the processor power to deliver the new features DIRECTV wants to put in. DIRECTV could build a much faster 2-tuner DVR to replace them but they won’t; as I said demand is down because people want Genies.
Still using a non-SWM multiswitch on your boat or RV?
More than anything, this means that you really need to think about SWM. As we move forward, all DIRECTV receivers will be SWM-only. If you haven’t upgraded to SWM yet, you’re part of a shrinking group. Our downloadable guide will help you get there. Let this be your wakeup call if you haven’t embraced SWM technology. It’s easier to wire, and it’s just as reliable. It’s true that there are some limitations for world travelers who want to use the same wiring for satellite service in other countries, but we can help you work around that.
HR24 DVRs are still available now and will be for some time. Solid Signal has a good supply of HR24s as I write this and that’s not likely to change. It should be noted that the manufacturing run for HR24s ended over five years ago so all DVRs are recertified. This doesn’t mean that they are going to cause a problem. The DVRs are completely refurbished to like-new standards and should work as long as you need them to.
What about H24 and H25 receivers? Both are at the end of their manufacturing runs and they’re getting harder to find. Solid Signal has a great selection of H24s for residential customers and H25s for commercial customers. AT&T has split it out this way, and unfortunately it’s not possible for a residential customer to get an H25 right now. That could change in the future.
The big question… multiple Genies
One of the big reasons people still get HR24s is because they want more than 7 recording tuners or want to service more than 7 rooms. Multiple Genies were promised for a while, but it looks like that’s never going to happen. If you have an HR44 or HR54 DVR, you can add as many HR24s as you want, giving you virtually unlimited recording capacity.
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