DirecTV HR-20 High Definition DVR
DIRECTV HR-20 HIGH DEFINITION DVR 50 Hours of High Def Recording
February 2007 By Jonathan Takiff
If you’re one of the 1.6 million DirecTV subscribers with high definition televisions and viewing packages—or thinking of joining this lot—the new DirecTV Plus HD DVR (aka HR20) could be the answer to your prayers. This isn’t DirecTV’s first high def and hard drive digital video recorder, but it is the company’s first and only combo receiver and DVR that captures programming sent in both MPEG-2 and the new, much more efficient (more compressed) MPEG-4 digital codecs. Both varieties are pulled in by the HR20’s two on-board, high def/standard def satellite tuners and a slightly larger than normal satellite dish, scooping up signals from five satellite locations.
The wave of DirectTV’s high def future, MPEG-4 coding is already being deployed to spot beam local, network-affiliated HD channels to the nation’s top 70 or so viewing markets. And with the two new satellites launching next year, DirecTV will add as many as 150 national HD channels, likewise encoded in MPEG-4—with the first 40 expected mid year. That’s far more HD offerings than MPEG-2-constricted cable services can manage or that the current pay HD leader Dish Network offers with its 30 gorgeous looking national high def channels, mostly beaming in MPEG-2 (with a few recent additions in MPEG-4).
Okay, but does this new DirecTV box actually work well, you might be asking? Subscribers have not exactly been thrilled by the performance of recent MPEG-2-only DVR combo boxes developed in-house by DirecTV without long time associate TiVo or branded participation from the likes of Philips, RCA and Samsung. And the way the HR20 has come to market, in less than fully finished (but “upgradeable” form), could give a person reason to pause, before plunking down the $300 acquisition cost. As this was being written, four months after the product’s national debut, DirecTV still hadn’t activated the two ATSC broadcast digital tuners also built into the HR20, for over the air reception, but it intends to in the future. Ultimately, box users will be able to record as many as three different programs from satellite and broadcast TV simultaneously, while watching a fourth, pre-recorded show.
There’s also potential in this device (as yet unfulfilled) to move at least standard definition DVR-recorded programming onto small, portable devices (from RCA and possibly others), as Dish Network and hardware partner Archos already offer. The presence of front and rear USB ports, Ethernet (RJ45) and S-ATA ports likewise suggests future network applications for the HR20.
DirecTV has been able to work out other glitches reported early on in the new box’s existence, with software upgrades. For example, I only had to tap the system reset button once in the past month, to defrost an image frozen on the screen. Brief picture blackouts, image stuttering and de-synchronization of picture and sound on those less robust MPEG-4 HD channels have been largely eradicated. I think handshaking issues between the local high def affiliates and DirecTV may be at the heart of these issues.
When all the stars and sats are in alignment, an MPEG-4 encoded high def program does look just as good as one beaming in MPEG-2, which is to say, pretty darn terrific, when results are enjoyed on a high resolution set connected to the box’s HDMI or component outputs. (Standard def connectors are also available along with a single SPDIF optical connector for relaying the 5.1 channel Dolby Digital audio signals.)
More good news—recording capacity almost doubles with content delivered in the new, more efficient codec. The HR20’s drive captures 50 hours of MPEG-4 HD programming, versus 30 hours of HD in MPEG-2, or 200 hours of standard def MPEG-2 content (or combinations thereof).
The remote control and advanced program guide aren’t quite as fast and flexible as TiVo’s, but not shabby. With logical placement and sizing of menu, fast forward, rewind, instant replay, etc. buttons, the remote is easy enough to operate in the dark.
The guide needs more precisely defined metadata, though. Program this device to record just all episodes of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, and the recorder will still capture the four repeats happening in the same 24 hour cycle. Yes, you could plow through the two week EPG and individually mark each desired episode as a one-time recording. But life’s too short for that.
The wave of DirectTV’s high def future, MPEG-4 coding is already being deployed to spot beam local, network-affiliated HD channels to the nation’s top 70 or so viewing markets. And with the two new satellites launching next year, DirecTV will add as many as 150 national HD channels, likewise encoded in MPEG-4—with the first 40 expected mid year. That’s far more HD offerings than MPEG-2-constricted cable services can manage or that the current pay HD leader Dish Network offers with its 30 gorgeous looking national high def channels, mostly beaming in MPEG-2 (with a few recent additions in MPEG-4).
Okay, but does this new DirecTV box actually work well, you might be asking? Subscribers have not exactly been thrilled by the performance of recent MPEG-2-only DVR combo boxes developed in-house by DirecTV without long time associate TiVo or branded participation from the likes of Philips, RCA and Samsung. And the way the HR20 has come to market, in less than fully finished (but “upgradeable” form), could give a person reason to pause, before plunking down the $300 acquisition cost. As this was being written, four months after the product’s national debut, DirecTV still hadn’t activated the two ATSC broadcast digital tuners also built into the HR20, for over the air reception, but it intends to in the future. Ultimately, box users will be able to record as many as three different programs from satellite and broadcast TV simultaneously, while watching a fourth, pre-recorded show.
There’s also potential in this device (as yet unfulfilled) to move at least standard definition DVR-recorded programming onto small, portable devices (from RCA and possibly others), as Dish Network and hardware partner Archos already offer. The presence of front and rear USB ports, Ethernet (RJ45) and S-ATA ports likewise suggests future network applications for the HR20.
DirecTV has been able to work out other glitches reported early on in the new box’s existence, with software upgrades. For example, I only had to tap the system reset button once in the past month, to defrost an image frozen on the screen. Brief picture blackouts, image stuttering and de-synchronization of picture and sound on those less robust MPEG-4 HD channels have been largely eradicated. I think handshaking issues between the local high def affiliates and DirecTV may be at the heart of these issues.
When all the stars and sats are in alignment, an MPEG-4 encoded high def program does look just as good as one beaming in MPEG-2, which is to say, pretty darn terrific, when results are enjoyed on a high resolution set connected to the box’s HDMI or component outputs. (Standard def connectors are also available along with a single SPDIF optical connector for relaying the 5.1 channel Dolby Digital audio signals.)
More good news—recording capacity almost doubles with content delivered in the new, more efficient codec. The HR20’s drive captures 50 hours of MPEG-4 HD programming, versus 30 hours of HD in MPEG-2, or 200 hours of standard def MPEG-2 content (or combinations thereof).
The remote control and advanced program guide aren’t quite as fast and flexible as TiVo’s, but not shabby. With logical placement and sizing of menu, fast forward, rewind, instant replay, etc. buttons, the remote is easy enough to operate in the dark.
The guide needs more precisely defined metadata, though. Program this device to record just all episodes of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, and the recorder will still capture the four repeats happening in the same 24 hour cycle. Yes, you could plow through the two week EPG and individually mark each desired episode as a one-time recording. But life’s too short for that.
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