They’re finally hitting the streets. DIRECTV’s first new receiver in over a decade is the H44 Commercial Receiver. Based on the residential version of the H44 which came out in 2015, the H44 is a new receiver strictly for commercial customers. It is slowly replacing the older H24 and H25 products in bars, restaurants, and other commercial locations. It brings not only more reliability, but also an enhanced commercial app experience and more modern graphics that are based on the Genie menus.
Some things to know about the new H44
The first H44s to hit the streets are older stock or refurbished versions of the original H44 hardware. These receivers can be identified by the older DIRECTV logo on the front:
while the newer H44s which hit the street do not have that logo on the front but are essentially identical otherwise:
As far as I’m aware, all H44s going into service today are running residential versions of the DIRECTV software, but future H44s will be loaded up with commercial software instead. When the receiver goes into service, a tech should always download new software and follow this procedure to set the device to single tuner mode. Otherwise you will only be able to use 4 receivers per SWM multiswitch and that will get expensive fast.
How many receivers?
You can use an H44 with a SWM-8 or SWM-16, and in a case like that it’s a one-to-one relationship. By that I mean, you could put 8 H25s or 8 H44s on a SWM-8. You could put 16 H25s or 16 H44s on a SWM-16.
When it comes to the SWM-30, the H44 is the first DIRECTV product to fulfill the true potential of that multiswitch. Have you ever wondered why it’s called a SWM-30 when you can only put two banks of 13 receivers on it? Why isn’t it called a SWM-26 then?
The truth is that the SWM-30 will support 30 tuners. It’s just that the H25 and earlier receivers can’t work that way. The original specification for SWM technology had each receiver getting an allocation from 1 to 13. However, digital SWMs like the SWM-30 allow for 15 channels in the same space that was originally reserved for 8 channels. However, when the SWM tries to assign channel 14 or 15 to an H25, the H25 won’t accept that allocation.
The H44, based on Genie technology, will give you the capability of 30 receivers on a SWM-30. You get two banks of 15 receivers. Those extra 4 receivers could just be the difference between needing a second SWM and not needing one.
If you are in an environment with mixed H25 and H44 receivers, you should not mix them on the same output from the SWM. Keep the H25s on one output and the H44s on the other. This will make sure that the H25s don’t get misallocated.
Break it down, break it down now
Here’s a simple way of looking at it:
| Multiswitch | Total number of receivers allowed | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SWM-8 | 8 | A mix of H25 and H44 receivers. Up to 8 receivers on either output but the total can’t exceed 8. |
| SWM-16 | 16 | A mix of H25 and H44 receivers. No more than 8 receivers on each output. |
| SWM-30 | 26 H25s or 30 H44s | Up to 13 H25s or 15 H44s on each output. Do not mix H25s and H44s on the same output |
With this information, you should be able to build the system you need. If you’re not sure how to proceed, why not call the experts? We’re here for you at 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours.
