DIRECTV configuration in my house

[FoBoT]

i currently have a HD DVR and a HD box along with 2 SD boxes, so total of four TV's on one DirecTV dish, this is five cables coming in from the dish since the DVR uses two

I want to switch to three HD Tv's , using one new DIRECTV HR23 Plus HD DVR plus the old HD DVR and the old HD box, so i'll have two HD DVR's and one HD box. this setup should also use five cables , i believe, two for each of the DVR's and one for the normal HD box


correcT? any problems with doing this switch? i am going to buy the DIRECTV HR23 Plus HD DVR from newegg for $180

will i need to have the DirecTV guy come out and mess with the dish or as long as i get the existing cables re-plugged correctly, it should work?

thanks for your input

 

[kalrith]

It sounds like that would work, but I'm not 100% sure. If you're trying to avoid the DirecTV installer coming out in order to save money, I don't think it will make a difference. Any time you add new DirecTV equipment, you get placed into a 2-year contract subject to ETF (according to the Newegg reviews). It might be worth it to see what kind of deal you can get directly through DirecTV, especially since they'll come out and install it for free.

I am curious if you need to be able to watch different content on all three TVs at the same time. If not, then you might be better served by running component and digital-audio cables from the HD DVR to a second TV. All outputs on the DVR are live at the same time, but they all display the same thing (which may or may not matter). Buy another remote off of ebay, set it to RF, and you'll be able to control the DVR from either room.

 

[Muadib]

i currently have a HD DVR and a HD box along with 2 SD boxes, so total of four TV's on one DirecTV dish, this is five cables coming in from the dish since the DVR uses two

I want to switch to three HD Tv's , using one new DIRECTV HR23 Plus HD DVR plus the old HD DVR and the old HD box, so i'll have two HD DVR's and one HD box. this setup should also use five cables , i believe, two for each of the DVR's and one for the normal HD box


correcT? any problems with doing this switch? i am going to buy the DIRECTV HR23 Plus HD DVR from newegg for $180

will i need to have the DirecTV guy come out and mess with the dish or as long as i get the existing cables re-plugged correctly, it should work?

thanks for your input

Check and make sure that the HR23 you plan to get from Newegg isn't a lease. If it is, and your account is in good standing, then you should be able to get a HR23 from Directv for less.

As you already have 5 outputs from your dish, you should be good to go.

 

[kalrith]

Check and make sure that the HR23 you plan to get from Newegg isn't a lease. If it is, and your account is in good standing, then you should be able to get a HR23 from Directv for less.

As you already have 5 outputs from your dish, you should be good to go.

It has to be a lease. In the past those who wanted to purchase an HD DVR outright paid $600-700 for it. If you're paying less than $200, then it's most definitely leased and upon activation you'll most definitely be placed into a 2-year contract subject to ETF of up to $480. The high ETF is how they "sell" and install a $600 piece of equipment for less than $200 (I'm not saying it's worth $600, but that's the price that DirecTV has set for it).

People think that if they "buy" the DVR from Newegg, Best Buy, etc. that they are getting around DirecTV's policies and contracts, but it doesn't work that way. OP, if you don't mind being placed into the contract, then definitely see what DirecTV has to offer if you go through them directly.

If you're going to be placed into a contract anyways, then you might be able to negotiate a monthly discount as well. Search some deals forums for something like "directv offers for existing customers" to see what other people are able to negotiate. You might have to call and say you're going to cancel, but I've heard of people negotiating a $20/month decrease for a year, which amounts for $240, so I'd say it's worth the hassle.