Is it worth upgrading from HR54 to Genie 2? Also question about dish/LNB upgrade...

[Ender519]

Hey everybody. I'm coming up on 2 yrs with DirecTV and I have the Premier Protection Plan which means I'm eligible for upgrading my equipment at some point. Current equipment is HR54-200 and four add'l receivers.. C41 wired client, two C51 wireless clients, and one C61 4K client going to (obviously) a 4K TV. Now then, I signed up for D*TV in Nov 2015 and at the time, HR54 was brand new, as was the 4K offering(s). What I'm trying to figure out - and having trouble deciphering - is whether there is any value in upgrading from HR54 to the Genie 2? When I spoke to the D*TV agent he didn't seem very informed and kept saying what I have is fine. The other thing I'm trying to figure out is whether my dish/LNB needs to be updated. It's from early on when 4K was just supported. I'm not even sure how to definitely tell what I have or what's most recent, or even whether it would get upgraded alongside a DVR upgrade. The agent was absolutely clueless when it came to the dish/LNB. My focus is on improvements such as more 4k channels, future proofing, the ability for more than 1 4K TV as when my current living room TV dies it will almost certainly be replaced with 4K TV, and finally if upgrading means I can have more than 5 simultaneous view/record operations at once on the Genie. Those are the things that would motivate me. Thanks for the help in advance!

[nabukl]

Personally i wouldn't upgrade to the genie 2 right now,  too many reports of known issues, as far as the lnb type you have,  any csr can tell you that by looking at your equipment info, some of them don't know where to get that info but it's there for any employee to see, but you more than likely have the correct 3lnb for 4k programming,  you might have a dswim lnb which is the newer reverse band for 4k. You can check this info yourself by going to more system info, menu,  info and test,  more info, scroll down to see the dish type and lnb 

[litzdog911]

Don't do it!  HS17 Genie 2 is not yet ready for prime time.  And there's really no benefit vs. the stuff you currently have. 

[Juniper · Accepted solution]

Do NOT get the Genie-2. For the most part it is a downgrade from other setups.

Pros:

Can support up to 2 TVs using one of the 3 true 4K channels by C61K client or RVU client. HR54 only supports 1 TV at a time using 4K, but by the same method.

Cons:

No Picture in Picture (PiP)

Does not work with regular HDDVRs. So with 7 tuners max that is the same as a Genie and 1 HDDVR with no way to increase.

As only works with Clients if it goes down, all TVs go down. Regular Genie, such as your HR54, goes down and any HDDVRs (or non-DVR HD receivers) still work.

Post-Launch bugs still being worked out.

[Dayday]

Absolutely Not. They Are Nothing But Trouble. The Hr54 And Hr44 Are Good.

[Ender519]

Thanks everyone, based on your feedback I'll stay with the HR54 until there is a bigger reason to upgrade to Genie 2 or whatever new platform they come out with afterwards, since Genie 2 doesn't sound like much of an upgrade for most people.  I only have genie clients now, so the fact that Genie 2 doesn't work with anything but clients doesn't bother me in the least.  I also have literally never used the PiP function either.  However, I do not want to invite trouble and have a buggy DVR when the HR54 works well.

I did check and Dish Type is SL3 LNB and Switch Type is SWM LNB, and it says SWM channel count is 8, SWM Manufacturer MTI.   So I'm guessing I have the latest/greatest from the sound of it?

[nabukl]

@Ender519, that's not a reverse band lnb, but it does work for 4k

[Juniper]

An actual upgrade would be replacing a Mini Genie Client with an HDDVR so you get 2 tuners and a 500GB hard drive for more recording space. No difference in monthly cost between Clients and HDDVRs as same services and number of TVs.

[kaps77]

I got a new Genie 2 about six weeks ago. I have only had one problem. That is when I fast forward forward, there is a pause of ~ 4 seconds before the program starts again. It is a little annoying but not so much that I want to go back to the 5400. I have also talked to the developer & this is not a broad issue in the Genie 2. I feel confident & hopefull that DirecTV can fix this with a firmware upgrade or swap the unit out with the Genie 2a, when developed & released. Except for this issue we have no issues with the Genie 2. It is faster than the 5400, and has a better picture. 

[Juniper]

You are fortunate to have little issues with the Genie-2 (HS17). I assume you are referring to the 3rd generation Genie, which is model HR54, not 5400.

Simple comparison for a lot of users. I have a regular Genie and 2 HDDVRs. I have 9 total tuners and if ever got a TV for the final bedroom with an HDDVR that would be 11 tuners. Genie-2 has 7 tuners and never any more as it is a proprietary system. I also like the peace of mind that if ever I have an issue with the Genie (have reset it before when I had an unfortunate freeze), it doesn't cause the other TVs to go down as it would with Clients.

The only time to ever consider the Genie-2 is if you want 2 TVs at the same time viewing one of the 3 true 4K channels. Otherwise there is nothing gained over the flexibility of a regular Genie setup.

[elportalian24]

Well, I just upgraded from the HR54/500 to the new 4K HS17/100 and C61K-700 and I wish I had waited.  All the information I received from DirecTV was incomplete and the advantages weren't totally clarified.  "Buyer beware."  I have the Total Protection Plan so no cost was involved.  Took me 3 days after install, using countless hours of phone calls and online research, to get the 4K picture working, all due to the HDMI ports, on all components, having the absolute DHCP 2.2 rating.  Even encountered the 4K working, then not working, and working again, several times.  The biggest problem I encountered is I cannot go through my Yamaha AV Receiver to use my surround sound system, whether or not the HDMI port is DHCP 2.2 rated!  The DirecTV 4k connection will not work unless it is directly cabled from the C61K-700 Genie mini into my Sony TV.  Still working on a solution for surround sound

Bottom line - WAIT, not worth it.

[mekeo21]

• Is there any difference in the on screen guide/menu from the HR 44 and HR 45? How about on the Genie 2? I’m scheduled to go from a 44 to a 45 tomorrow to get 4K access.  Wondering if software/guide/menus are different on the 3 different hw.  

Also so has the issues in the genie 2 been worked out?

[litzdog911]

@mekeo21, all of those Genie models will be getting the new user interface. 

[Juniper]

The 2nd and 3rd generations of Genies, the HR44 and HR54 (what I assume you meant by HR45), as well as the Genie-2 (HS17) are in the process of getting their graphical user interface (GUI) updated.

So they are built with the same general menu, but an update started rolling out within the last month to greatly change it. Not everybody has received the update yet. With all the complaints it is unknown if the rollout is being slowed, or delayed, or if it is still continuing as normal.

[kaps77]

We have a Genie 2 & got the new interface pushed to it about three weeks ago. It is Very different & takes some getting used to. I think that I’m beginning to like it a little. But then again, I actually like our Genie 2, except for the long pauses after fast forwarding. 

Karl