Hughes HR10-250 (250 GB) 200-Hours Video Recorder

Pros: TiVo functionality for HDTV can't be beat, great interface, the usual TiVo greatness.
Cons: Hardware failure on our first unit required its replacement within the first six months.

My TiVo addiction began when a very good friend who happened to be my roommate practically forced me into buying an open box TiVo, and then helped me hack it into a 101 hour TiVo. I reviewed that box h ere. I fell in ...

Pros: Worth The money. Get many Freebies. Easy to use and understand. Sophisticated yet simple.
Cons: Sometimes cuts your pre-recorded program short.

How in the world did we survive all these decades without it? Now if it is broken it is as serious as our car not running. I have had DirecTV since 2001 and upgraded to TiVo a couple years ago. Fell madly in love and have upgraded Receivers and Dishes ...

Pros: Quiet, reliable, flawless recordings. Built-in ATSC tuners (HDTV off-air broadcasts).
Cons: Too expensive. You'll gain another 10 pounds from watching too much TiVo.

Having high quality, high definition recordings doesn't get any better than this. We have used a prior version of this unit for about 18 months and recently switched to this HDTV model about 3 months ago, and got it just in time for the Summer Olympic. ...

Pros: Mature operating system,upgradable Hard drive
Cons: Currently hard to get.$$$$

My Experience I started with PVR (Personal Video recorders) back in 1999, when Panasonic brought out their "Showstopper" series. Used it until Dec 2005, when I bought the HR 10-250 High Definition PVR unit. I also have been a DirecTV customer ...

Pros: HDTV picture on your own schedule, with no commercials!
Cons: Reports of widespread failure of the HDMI connector.

After using TiVo for a year, when upgrading to HDTV, I couldn't contemplate having to watch live TV again! I considered DirecTiVO HD, Dish, and Voom. Dish with DVR was much more expensive, and Voom still didn't offer a DVR. I did my own satellite ...

Pros: Tivo and the concepts around it, are very cool. The unit has a large capacity.
Cons: Built on the same technology platform as 'The Clapper'.

Imagine taking the 'concept' of Tivo, and transplanting it into ~1990 technology. If you imagine that, you can imagine what its like owning this unit. Perhaps I'm just a little frustrated, because I had a perfectly good Samsung HD receiver and got ...

Pros: Never miss your favorite shows.
Cons: Generates a lot of heat.

Update Ok, I had 2 advisors complain that I didn’t have enough information about the hardware or the HD capabilities of this receiver. Also they wanted to know what experience I had with the receiver. I have installed several of these back ...

Pros: Easy hookup. Setup easy but long. Menus intuitive, remote easy to use.
Cons: Can't record non-digital OTA content. Technical support fair to poor.

I've had a HDTV and deadly serious Sony receiver for over a year and found I had to switch to the Hughes to record the HDTV content--the $200 Tivo box would not work. I get 90% of my HD conent from Over the Air (OTA) sources here in the Seattle area so I ...

Pros: records hidef (of course)
Cons: slow, buggy, ugly, dumb

A lot of people have an affliction whereby they feel guilty about spending a lot of money on anything, and try to convince themselves that whatever they bought was well worth the price. These people also tout the virtues of their expensive toys to ...

Pros: Same great functions you get on the cheaper non-HD models.
Cons: Poor quality at a great expense; slow, ugly, defects abound. Buyer beware.

Poor Quality At A High Price I know a lot of people are raving about this product and don’t get me wrong I really enjoy this product but, overall for the price, it is disappointing. Here’s the good: 1. Pretty much every type of output ...

Pros: Lots of sympathy from tier one and two customer service reps but...
Cons: no ability to address this clear customer issue.

I never had a problem in the past with directv, but clearly this product is treated differently internally by the company. I ordered it from a customer service one night, assured that it would work. A few days later an installer came to our house, ...

Pros: Two HD tuners, TIVO, Seamless and smooth response, DD5.1 sound.
Cons: Noise from hard-drive and fan, weak remote, price

I've gotta admit, I didn't do a lot of research before I bought this unit. But I still love it. Great looking HD recordings. Seamless and smooth fast forward (3 speeds, no sound on any speed), rewind (3 speeds), slow motion (only one speed), and ...

Pros: Ability to record 2 simultaneous HD programs.
Cons: To do simultaneous recordings, both SATELLITE connections must be used.

I have owned a VCR since they were available for the consumer market. The concept of time shifting was something I quickly decided was essential from that point on. Despite all the jokes, they really weren’t that hard to program.. Watching “regular” ...

Pros: Incredible picture
Cons: Doesn't work with new technology. USB ports are useless.

While this unit records and plays back a tremendous HDTV picture, if you like the features that Tivo brags about (such as web-based recording, sharing between Tivos, and use of the Internet to dial-in via USB ports), you will be sadly disappointed. ...

Pros: It will be replaced.
Cons: Poor menu. Freezes often. Super slow guide display. Season pass setup takes forever.

Rarely comes along a consumer electronics product riddled with so many inadequacies. The only logical explanation is planned obsolescence. If you select “record” while watching a program, might as well go for a walk around the block while it ...

Pros: Ease of use. Being able to watch the start of a show that isn't over.
Cons: Can't think of a single one!!!

I purchased the HD DVR at 3pm on a Saturday and by 4:30 I was up and running and was truly amazed!! The picture on both tuners was perfect...Even the local channels from the antenna were great too. Previous reviews had me leary of purchasing the Dvr, but ...

Pros: Two tuners, HDMI output, digital audio output.
Cons: Only one HDMI output. Useless usb ports. Can't upgrade Tivo software.

I wanted to move into the 21st century and instead of using my much loved TIVO feature, "save to vcr" I hoped that my new DirecTV Hughes HR10-250 HDDVR would allow me to "save to DVD". I found out that there is a new feature called "TivoToGo" that allows ...

Pros: none
Cons: Isn't even close to what Tivo offered, have to pay $6/month now

This piece of crap dvr is what DirecTV "upgraded" me to in order to get the "new" new HD channels. See, I already got the new HD channels AND had a wonderful Tivo dvr. What's more is now I get the pleasure of paying $6 a month now for the priveledge of using this piece of crap. I'm having them take it back and will gladly use my older hd Tivo dvr and just live with those nine or so hd channels until my contract is up, then it's off to Dish Network or Cox Cable!

Pros: Picture is awesome for HD and off air HD. You can switch between 1080i,720i,480p,and480i.
Cons: Bigger hard drive would be nice. Directv is bring up more HD channels soon.

After receiving my unit, I noticed the unit moved very slowly. There was also a gray screen that wound appear after each menu or channel change that would last for an extended time (about 15 seconds each time).

I received my second unit very quickly. Unfortunately, this unit was also defective. The HDMI connection was bad. Half of my screen was hazy purple instead of blue.

I received the third unit. I purchased the unit on Ebay.
A week and a half later..............number 3 took a dump. This unit ran like a slow dog. Every guide change and/or channel change took forever. The straw that brought the camels back was when the receiver lost it's picture. I tried DVI, component, and composite. There was no picture. This time I did not call the reseller instead I called Dierectv. They Fedex'd me a brand new receiver quickly. I have had this receiver for about 2 weeks. So far this receiver works well. It moves the fast the way a Tivo receiver should and the HD quality 1080i with the combination of my Mitsubishi TV is awesome.

Pros: Dual tuner, integrated recording of OTA HD, TiVo interface, 200 hour capacity.
Cons: Not compatible with MPEG4 signal, must be connected to a phone line.

I will most likely replace this receiver with the new HR20-700 that was just released, but due to the lack of a TiVo interface on that model I will hold onto this unit as long as is practical. Exactly the same as my SAT-T60 that I just retired, except increased functionality (HD) and room (200 hours vs. 35 hours capacity). Despite what I have read, the interface processes just as fast as on my old unit. Hoping for a software update to version 6.3, which would add further functionality and speed currently found on other TiVo series 2 units. Can record any combination of two programs at once (2 OTA, 2 Sat, 1 each) while watching a 3rd recorded program. Crystal clear picture, HDMI output (digital video/audio) and seamless integration of program guide are excellent features.

Price: Free, monthly lease fee 2 year commitment.

Pros: Super HD recording
Cons: Will not receive VHF signals, but 91 percent of Digital OTA signals are UHF

My problem with hesitation of the picture and sound appears to be with our local ABC channel. They were working on their transmissions and sincce the problem no longer happens, I assume it was their problem. The HR10 seems to be more critical of the incoming signal than my old Samsung HD box.

Pros: Pros: Great picture and features. Works like previous TIVO's I have owned.
Cons: Unit is somewhat unrealiable and I worry that better units will come out

I love the unit and can't live without my TIVO, no matter the cost.


Cons: I have had it for 2 weeks and I am on my second unit. 1st Unit: The fan did not work and received an error message that the unit had overheated. Also with that unit, there was problem with the HDMI "port" and that did not work. Techs at DirectTv were not very helpful with trouble shooting and I found my own solution by reading reviews on the internet and realizing that the unit was bad. Best Buy returned the unit and the next one worked like a charm until I turned off the TV. When I power on the TV the TV cannot find a signal from the unit. I have read online reviews and others have had that problem also. I think this unit is bad also. Yet to be resolved.

Pros: TIVO DVR, easy to set up, great picture and features, all needed cables supplied
Cons: None at this time

I upgraded to high definition DirecTV and the HR10-250. Having been and DirecTV subscriber since 1994 and a TIVO user since 2003, I was excited for the upgrade. I could not be happier with the new set up. The receiver works exactly like my other DirecTV TIVO receiver, so I didn't have to spend any time getting used to it. The receiver has functioned perfectly since I starting using it. The HD channels appear sharper than those I have seen on other satellite or cable systems. The TIVO DVR is so simple to program and use. More importantly is the fact that it is DirecTV. I have never (no exaggeration) had any issues with DirecTV that weren't solved immediately by their customer service reps. DirecTV is always responsive to my needs and makes me feel like I am an important customer. The wide variety of set up options is nice to see. The receiver comes with all needed cables to hook it up to most systems with one exception - optical digital cable for the Dolby sound.

Pros: good picture when it works
Cons: poor software and design. poor customer response.

I just can't think of a better (printable) word than STINKS for DirecTv. (We had Dish Network for years; the switch to DirecTV looked like a good deal for new equipment, etc.)
First, the guides/software were not intuitive and are frustrating.

Now, after just 3 months, 2 receivers are defective. Try to get technical support and you get put on hold then cut off by the system. I had minor issues with DishNetwork over the 10 years, but always got help when I needed it.

I am ready to just file complaints with consumer groups or the attorney general, as the company doesn't help.

Pros: It's got tivo. Awesome
Cons: HDMI doesn't work bu who cares.

I love this unit and I have 3 of them.

Again the units work great, but save your money on the HDMI cables. If you do your research you'll see there's really no difference between HDMI and Component video anyway for most applications.

Pros: DirecTV recording in High Def.
Cons: Limited availability of DirecTV HiDef programming. Poor off-air reception.

The system works great for DirecTV, but I can get any of the off-air channels I get with my LG receiver.