Is it true that Genie has a client without wires or boxes?

Have you seen the commercial where DIRECTV points out that their equipment will work without visible wires or boxes? There’s a disclaimer at the bottom but it goes by pretty fast and you probably won’t be able to read it in the YouTube video unless you go full screen. Here’s what it says:

Requires a Genie Mini (C31 Client) or an RVU-enabled TV/device for each additional room. Limit one remote viewing at a time. Additional and Advanced Receiver fees apply. Genie HD DVR (Model HR34) connected to primary TV also required. Other conditions apply. Call or visit directv.com/genie for details. ©2013, DIRECTV.

Before we get too far let’s point out that this disclaimer says you can only have one remote viewing at a time, which isn’t true. You can have 3 at a time. But that’s not the point.

The point is that your options are to get a C31 Genie Mini Client and our C31 Wall Mount Adapter, or get a TV with RVU built in. With the C31 client you can mount it to the wall or right to the back of the TV and never see the box. You can even control it in RF mode if you want with an RC65RX remote.

However, even with an RVU TV, we have to give you the honest scoop: There is no such thing as a wireless TV. You still need to plug it into the wall and there needs to be some sort of cable running to it, either a coaxial cable for a Genie Client or an ethernet cable for an RVU TV. You can’t use Wi-Fi, it doesn’t work well at all.

Unfortunately the wires don’t go away. You just have fewer of them. Sure, it’s great to get it down to one power cable and one signal cable (and maybe an HDMI cable and second power cable for the C31.) It’s great to be able to hide all that stuff behind the TV and fish a few wires through the walls.

It’s like those AT&T commercials for their wireless receiver… they have a box that is truly wireless for receiving but you still have to plug it into the wall and you still have to connect it to the TV. So, it’s not really wireless either.

We’ve been asked before if DIRECTV will have a wireless receiver and all we can say is, “we don’t know.” Nothing like that has been shown or discussed yet.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.