I remember the day that DIRECTV rolled the HR44 Genie out to the public. It was at the 2013 CES show and I blogged about it at the time. The HR44 was a big upgrade from the original HR34 Genie, in speed and in form factor. That’s pretty evident by the number of HR44s still in service today. On the other hand, the HR34 Genie has been discontinued for years.
The HR44’s time at the top of the heap was short. Its successor, the HR54, came out just two years later. At the time, few people understood the real difference between the two. It looked, in fact, like the HR54 was just an HR44 with the front panel removed. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The HR54 packs a faster processor, more memory, and additional tuner capacity to be able to handle 4K programming. All of those capabilities meant nothing at the time but have come to define the HR54. The current Genie user interface is very resource intensive compared to the older one so today’s HR44s run a lot slower than HR54s.
Time to say goodbye to your old HR44?
At this point, every HR44 ever made is 8 years old or older. I’ll admit, DIRECTV products are extremely durable. If you’d asked me ten years ago if the H24, H25, HR24, and HR44 — all of which were fairly new — would be in service in 2023, I’d have laughed. But, of course none of us knew that AT&T would essentially stop production of new satellite receivers in 2016. Those older boxes have held up spectacularly well considering their age.
But, I do think that if you have an HR44, you should consider moving on. DIRECTV still considers the HR44 a current product, sort of. They’ve demoted it to “standalone DVR” status as sort of a replacement for the HR24. It will support Genie clients, but they really pitch it as a DVR to complement older H24 or H25 receivers with their own tuners. It is thought of as part of the Genie family, but definitely the weakest member.
The HR54 Genie 1, which has been manufactured as recently as two years ago, is thought of as the one to get if you want to have a mix of Genie clients, Geminis, and plain receivers. And of course the HS17 Genie 2 is the top of the heap, the choice for all new customers. It will support a mix of 7 Genie clients and Geminis, and has the processor power it takes to do everything you need today.
So yes, I think that if you are currently using your HR44 as anything but a standalone DVR, it’s time to upgrade. As reliable as DIRECTV hardware is, you’re running a risk of equipment failure, and realistically you will get much better speed from something newer.
How to upgrade
Upgrading is easy! The first thing you need to do is look through your playlist and watch everything you can. Unfortunately, recordings are not transferable from DVR to DVR so you’ll want to make sure you’re pretty current.
Then, call the experts at Signal Connect! We have decades of experience with DIRECTV upgrades. Our staff will take you through all the options and help you choose the right hardware for you. We’ll get your information up to date and send you everything you need. If you need professional installation, we can send someone to you. If you’d rather do it yourself, no problem! Call us when you’re ready to activate your new hardware and we’ll get it done for you. As a DIRECTV dealer we have access to all the same computers and tools as any local installer. The difference is, we can get it done for you quickly without having someone standing there in your house.
Call the experts at 888-233-7563. We’re here during East Coast business hours but if you need activation help after hours, we can arrange that. If you’re reading this after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get right back to you!
