Save your cash, avoid disapointment and wait for the next upgrade!
Written: Oct 28 '06
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Pros: Picture, Cosmetic Design, Connection Options
Cons: Reliability, DVR Service, Monthly Costs Associated with HR20, No Refund Policy
The Bottom Line: Unit is still in developing stages and was released to early to the public. Picture great, reliability POOR
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| treihing's Full Review: Directv HR20-700 (300 GB) |
Hello Everyone,
My review on the Directv Plus HD-DVR HR20 is based solely on my personal experience and not what I can find on other websites to just write a quick and uninformed review.
I have been a Directv customer since day one and have really have had no issues until I bought the HR20. I recently upgraded from the Hughes HD-DVR Receiver HR10-250 w/Tivo. The reason for my upgrade is simple, I wanted more HD channels (including locals) and MPEG4 technology along with DVR service.
At the time of the upgrade, price was not a concern since Directv stated they would give me one HR20 for free and charge me $299 for the other. I agreed. What Directv DID NOT tell me is that there were other fee's I would incur by owning these the HR20 receivers.
One, I am a lifetime subscriber to TIVO. I originally paid $299 for this service back in the day. Since Directv is moving away from TIVO and now using their own Directv DVR service, my TIVO lifetime subscription was now invalid. Now I would be paying a $5.99 monthly charge to use the Directv DVR service that accompanies the HR20.
Along with this, is even though Directv GAVE me an HR20 they neglected to tell me that I would still be paying a monthly receiver "lease" fee of $4.99 to use this receiver. This fee covers any issues with the receiver and offers free troubleshooting and replacement if needed. I guess that is a good thing but since the receiver is technically mine, I would like to have the option to pay/subscribe to this fee service and not have it mandatory. I would have also like to know this up front before making the decision to own the HR20 receiver.
The functionality of the HR20 is really a work in progress. If you previously used TIVO, the HR20 DVR functions will be VERY disappointing.
The first issue may seem minor, but is irritating. Let's say you are looking up a show to record and you only know a couple of words of the title like "Real Word". You could key this into the TIVO DVR service and it would list all options with "Real World" in the title. With the HR20, you have to have the EXACT title of the program you are searching for. If you do not, the system will not locate it to give you the option to select it to record. There is a software upgrade on the way to fix this, but no release date has been scheduled.
Second, the overall quality of this unit is POOR. I went through THREE units with all of them doing the same thing. You are watching a show and the receiver locks up and will not shut down. You have to unplug it from the wall for it to reboot and reset itself. The fun part starts next. The HR20 has cleared its memory of all shows you have scheduled to record. You now have to set them up all over again. When this happened for the third time, I was done with the HR20.
Third - If watching sports is your thing and you like to use the "slow motion" feature that was on a TIVO based system, it is now gone and according to Directv is not coming back. Along with this, try forwarding through a show to get to a certain section. The HR20 has a 30 second skip feature but you have to press it four times to get through the normal two minutes of commercials when watching a show. You can no longer buzz through a show by fast forwarding. The HR20 works in two speeds; slow and a hell of a lot slower and thats it.
Fourth - Owners manuals. When you encounter an issue and you need assistance, most people head straight to their owners manual. With the HR20, do not bother. The manual is a total of 94 pages with five pages being dedicated to Troubleshooting. This section is vague to say the least and was put together poorly. If you go online to www.Directv.com for assistance, the information is a mirror of the manual and useless. According to the manual, the best way to resolve any issue with the HR20 is to "reboot" it. If that does not work, you are up the proverbial creek without a paddle.
Now that you have heard of the CON's, let me give you a few positives on the HR20.
First, the picture. You will not believe your eyes. MPEG4 is amazing. Sporting events and movies alike come to life and are breathtaking. (Of course, you have to have a HD capable TV and the correct connections to take advantage of this picture!!) The picture puts cable to absolute shame!!
Second, connections. Directv got it right with having enough options to build your home theater system around the HR20 with the HR20 being the brain of the entire setup. The HR20 has the following connections:
- Two Satellite-In/Tuner connections
- One Off-Air Antenna Connection
- One phone line connection
- One set of Component Video connections
- Two Video Out connections
- Two Audio Out connections
- Optical Digital Audio Out
- One S-Video Out
- One S-ATA Port
- One HDMI connection
- One Ethernet connection
- USB Connection
Lastly, cosmetic design - The HR20 does not look like your average video receiver. It is a sleek silver in color and lights up a warm blue when in use. IT is a good COSMETIC addition to a home theater setup.
Overall, the negatives far outweigh the positives with the HR20. I have sent my HR20's back to Directv and am now back with my HR10-250's. Until the bugs are worked out, I will not be headed back anytime soon. If anyone tells you this is a good upgrade from the HR10-250, they are uninformed to say the least! If you are looking for a great HD picture and do not need the DVR service, Directv is the way to go as the MPEG4 picture is unreal and you can get an MPEG4 standalone receiver to do the job.
I almost forgot one crucial thing. Directv offers NO RETURNS on HR20 receivers for any reason. If you upgrade to the HR20 and do not like it or have problems, do not look for a return. I was never told this when I purchased my units and when I called into return the them I was told to dispute the charges on my credit card (thankfully I chose to pay this way originally) because Directv no longer returns receivers once they have been activated. (even though I only owned mine for 3.5 weeks!) Directv will send you boxes to return the units which will eliminate the $4.99 lease fee but will not refund the initial costs of the receiver!! To date, I am still fighting with them over the charges.
To close, my review of the HR20 is a simple "one star" because of the poor features, functionality and reliability. Don't go through what I did. If you think my experience is unique, visit CNET.com and read about the 100's of other users who experienced the same issues I did with some even having a worse experience.
The HR20 has potential but if I am going to be a BETA tester, I should be told up front and be paid for my testing and misery!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to drop me an email.
T~
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 299
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Epinions.com ID:
treihing
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Location: Bothell, WA
Reviews written: 36
Trusted by: 7 members
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Research, Research, Research
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