DirecTV HR23 Plus® HD DVR

I bought this DirecTV receiver from Amazon, which saved $18 compared to the DirecTV upgrade. Also, I wanted to be sure to get this model and to get it new, rather than whatever unit the installer happened to have in his van. I had standard definition DirecTV for two years without problems. I insisted on speaking with a supervisor at DirecTV, which enabled me to get the SlimLine dish and the installation for free. (I think I could have also received some premium channels for 3 or 6 months, but I don't care about premium channels.) I don't pay a lease fee because this is my only receiver. I pay $10 more per month for HD access.

I use the HDMI interface to my 720p 32-inch TV. I find the HD picture quite amazing. I see no difference between live HD programs and pre-recorded HD programs. It's obvious that the DVR holds 100 hours of HD, because I gain 1% of space by deleting 1 hour of HD programs. Standard definition programs are also sharper; maybe that's because of the HDMI interface. My TV is hooked up to an old surround sound receiver. Because the sound receiver is old, as are my ears, I can't tell if the sound is any better.

DirecTV promptly mailed me a box for returning my old receiver. The return FedEx postage was prepaid, so this final step was easy and free.

The dust has settled and I find that my monthly bill is $99.14, including $5.99 for the "protection plan", which I've always found to be dubious, since I'm protecting equipment which DirecTV insists that they own.

I considered switching to Dish Network or AT&T U-Verse, so that I would be treated as royalty for being a new customer. But I had been happy with DirecTV for two years and decided not to rock my boat.

I purchased this unit.. no wait, I leased this unit..... I knew there would still be a lease when I bought this unit, I did not realize that it extended a contract with Directv for 2 more years. If I want to cancel, you are charged $20 per month you are short of the 2 year period. So the second you buy this unit and add it to your account, you are committed to 2 years or a $480 early cancellation charge that decreases $20 per month. Considering I paid $200 for this unit, I feel a little screwed by them. I found out after the fact that if you phone and whine about your current non-hd pvr they will upgrade you for free which I do agree then a 2 year contract makes sense. Keep in mind that if you cancel the service you still have to send the equipment back or continue to pay the lease fee - so it is not like they are losing out on the equipment in this case.

Just thought I would share some additional details as they were not readily obvious when Ibought this unit.

I had been a DirecTV customer for seven years, but recently terminated service as a result of a series of customer service gaffes originating with the failure of my HD receiver.

I'm the kind of customer, I think, just about any service company wants. I appreciate quality products and excellent customer service, and I don't mind paying for it. For example, I believe American Express provides some of the best benefits and service of any industry. As a result, I have had one American Express card or another for 22 consecutive years.

Relative to DirecTV, my HD receiver failed last August (2009). After spending a significant amount of time on the telephone with a DirecTV customer service, the CSR told me she send a return package and air bill so I could have the receiver replaced. Unfortunately, the DirecTV didn't send the return package and a month later I discovered a $622 charge on my American Express. (This is important: DirecTV has had my Amex on file for years and charge the card automatically for service every month!)

As soon as I saw the $622 charge on my Amex, I called DirecTV to request the return package again and to reverse the charge. For some reason, the DirecTV CSR told me it would require at least two months to reverse the charge from my Amex, but for some reason credited my DirecTV account for the same amount while the Amex transaction to reverse. In the meantime, my monthly charges posted against the credit on the DirecTV account and during the next three months reduced the credit on the account. Then, in early December, the charge on the Amex reversed resulting in a remaining balance on the DirecTV account of $257 which was the cost of two or three months' service.

Bear in mind, my Amex is on file with DirecTV.

On the twenty-first day of each month, DirecTV charges my card for their services. However, because of a service problem with the HD receiver, DirecTV's failure to send the return package, and DirecTV's strange accounting process involving my Amex card, the $257 balance has been open for more than 15 days. So, on December 18th, three days before my card would have automatically been charged, DirecTV shut down my service for non-payment!

Of course, I called DirecTV, explained the situation, and authorized a special charge to my Amex. However, DirecTV did nothing other than offer me a credit of $5 for three months as an apology. That, after seven years of a perfect payment history, was all the company did.

Two months later after I switched to Cablevision's "Triple Play," and called DirecTV, the DirecTV CSR offered me $200 to which I replied, "If you'd have offered me that when I had the problem, I would not be terminating my service with you now." Now, the Optimum Triple Play deal costs me about he same for television, phone, and Internet as my basic DirecTV package did. Nice job, DirecTV. You killed a cash cow.

From my experience and from what I've heard from others, the television product provided by DirecTV is pretty good when it works. If you've got a technical or customer service problem though, you're in trouble.

Excellent! I now have 3 HD DVRs each a different generation. The HR23 seems faster and has more storage space than the earlier models. I've very happy with it.

This is a much better way to buy this product than to go to an outlet store. This is less expensive and is exactly the same product as in the stores.