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Direct TV Genie HD DVR and Traveler satellite system

June 20, 2016, 12:25:22 am

I am contemplating turning my Direct TV account back on and have a couple of questions. I received an offer in the mail for home service for $50 per month for two years and up to four Genie HD DVR boxes. I'm sure many of you have seen this ad and I'm wondering if you are happy with that offer.  Also is it a big deal to just take one of the boxes from your home and plug it in your coach? We have a Traveler antenna any issues here?

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Re: Direct TV Genie HD DVR and Traveler satellite system

Reply #1 – June 20, 2016, 12:35:35 am

That's all I did is take a receiver from the house. You traveler will need to be set up for direct tv, traveler has kits to do this if you need to go from dish to direct not hard to install.

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Re: Direct TV Genie HD DVR and Traveler satellite system

Reply #2 – June 20, 2016, 01:01:20 am

Directv Genie receivers have 5-tuners but only use a single coax connection, requiring a SWM configuration. 

Newer Winegard Traveler antennas with 3-LNB connecting to 3 satellites. have built-in SWM, and will work directly with Genie receivers. 

Older original Winegard Traveler antennas have a 5-LNB connecting to 5 satellites. do NOT have built-in SWM, and will require a SWM-8 box to be connected between Winegard and Directv receiver. 

You did not say what model antenna you have.  Winegard and others have good SWM info on how to connect receivers.  FYI, Winegard Traveler antennas manufactured for Dish Network probably will not work for Direcv.

You will also find that Directv only allows one Genie receiver per account.  The other rooms use Directv Client boxes that do not connect to antenna as they get their programming from the 5-tuner receiver.

Directv has 3 Genie receivers:  original HR34 that is not a good choice, HR44 works fine but does not do 4K TV resolution & HR54 that is the latest and does 4K. 

There is little 4K programming at this time and it would require a 4K TV and an extra Directv cost to take advantage of 4K capability. 

Hopefully Directv stopped giving out HR34 and is mainly using HR44.  Google has info on this issue.  Directv has not been forthcoming on telling customers what model they are getting.  Installers have flexibility on what model they have in their truck and will install.

Directv Clients come in wired and wireless, which make a difference if you want the motorhome bedroom to have its own receiver.

Directv has a department that is more helpful and usually answers the phone with a live person at 800-769-4635.

If you setup a home account you will usually not receive the 4 network channels and other local channels when you leave your home area.  A mobile account has an extra cost option to receive networks from coast to coast.

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Re: Direct TV Genie HD DVR and Traveler satellite system

Reply #3 – June 20, 2016, 08:11:38 am

Thanks for the info Barry.  My antenna is set for Direct TV and has 3 LNBs. when I shut down my account a couple of months ago the person I was dealing with mentioned that I would need a new box soon anyway. I'm going to call the number you posted and see what they say.

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Re: Direct TV Genie HD DVR and Traveler satellite system

Reply #4 – June 20, 2016, 09:40:23 am

I had a Traveler installed last week. We were told that to use the Genie you must have WIFi, or no TV. Instead of taking the Genie upgrade we decided to take the receiver from home when we need it. We do have an unlimited wifi plan but there are times that we are remote and do not have a signal.

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Re: Direct TV Genie HD DVR and Traveler satellite system

Reply #5 – June 20, 2016, 06:27:17 pm

We disconnect our Directv HR44 Genie motorhome receiver from our router to prevent any cellular data usage and EVERYTHING works fine.  We record up to 5 shows at one time and watch and skip whatever we want.
Great that you have the newer Winegard with built-in SWM Directv Genie & other receivers will access "On Demand" programming from the Internet, but there is no requirement that I am aware of requiring WiFi, Internet or a router.  It is that satellite 22,000 miles away that is gives us most of our programming.
We love our Genie 5-tuner DVR and the model HR44 is a smaller box size that fits our motorhome cabinets better.  And with a wireless client, the bedroom can have its own HD channel choices, without running HDMI or any other cables from front t to rear.
Baring a tree, building or mountain in the way, our Winegard always find the target.  And if we cannot get satellite reception, there are always hours of DVR previously recorded stuff to watch.

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Reply #6 – June 20, 2016, 06:31:36 pm

Thanks Barry and Cindy, great into.

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Reply #7 – June 20, 2016, 07:03:39 pm

We have the same setup and equipment as Barry and Cindy, thanks to them for all of their help when I set mine up. No internet is required.  The Genie is spectacular.  We record almost everything we want to watch an watch it when we want skipping the commercials.  We have a mobile account and it is easy to change your service address to get local channels when we are going to be someone for a while.  A Phoenix address gets you Phoenix local channels in most of AZ for example.  Our home address in Hastings, MN gets Twin Cities Channels 200 miles north on the North Shore of Lake Superior and as far south as Des Moines, IA. 

Pretty rare when we are somewhere where the trees limit access to the satellites. We have about 150 discs and almost as many movies on a hard drive.  And of course great books to read.

We move the Genie from the house to the coach.  Everything we need is there so it is just plug and play.  We installed all of it ourselves.  Not particularly hard, just pay attention to the details.

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Reply #8 – June 21, 2016, 09:03:37 am

I have Genie, no wifi hookup, everything works fine, record multiple programs, pause live tv. No problems.

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