# DirecTV offering 'Genie 2' w/ 4K UHD -- anyone have one yet?



## WinMod21

Hello --- DirecTV is offering us a 'Genie 2' w/ 4K UHD (Model # HS17/DTV Genie Server). They claim that the cost is [$499.] for the Genie 2 tower (it sits vertical, instead of flat, has its own built-in satellite receiver, and is wireless to TV). And that each '4K Mini-Genie' is [$99.], so they quoted us $500. for our two 4K tv's. However, as with their typical catch, they'll ship & install everything for free.... if we agree to another 12 months of service. 

Wondering if anyone has one installed as yet? If so, any problems/issues?

Manual: https://www.directv.com/learn/pdf/HS17_Genie_2_Product_Manual.pdf?referrer=https://support.directv.com/equipment/directv-genie-2-dvr-hs17dtv-genie-server


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## rlb

WinMod21 said:


> Hello --- DirecTV is offering us a 'Genie 2' w/ 4K UHD (Model # HS17/DTV Genie Server). They claim that the cost is [$499.] for the Genie 2 tower (it sits vertical, instead of flat, has its own built-in satellite receiver, and is wireless to TV). And that each '4K Mini-Genie' is [$99.], so they quoted us $500. for our two 4K tv's. However, as with their typical catch, they'll ship & install everything for free.... if we agree to another 12 months of service.
> 
> Wondering if anyone has one installed as yet? If so, any problems/issues?
> 
> Manual: https://www.directv.com/learn/pdf/HS17_Genie_2_Product_Manual.pdf?referrer=https://support.directv.com/equipment/directv-genie-2-dvr-hs17dtv-genie-server


I don't but lots of people do. It's been available for the last year or so. Search this thread for comments on Genie 2 or HS-17 and you will find lots of comments: http://www.avsforum.com/forum/34-hdtv-programming/2446298-directv-ii-hd-4k.html. They have offered me the free upgrade. I'll wait another year.


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## jmacari

WinMod21 said:


> Hello --- DirecTV is offering us a 'Genie 2' w/ 4K UHD (Model # HS17/DTV Genie Server). They claim that the cost is [$499.] for the Genie 2 tower (it sits vertical, instead of flat, has its own built-in satellite receiver, and is wireless to TV). And that each '4K Mini-Genie' is [$99.], so they quoted us $500. for our two 4K tv's. However, as with their typical catch, they'll ship & install everything for free.... if we agree to another 12 months of service.
> 
> Wondering if anyone has one installed as yet? If so, any problems/issues?
> 
> Manual: https://www.directv.com/learn/pdf/HS17_Genie_2_Product_Manual.pdf?referrer=https://support.directv.com/equipment/directv-genie-2-dvr-hs17dtv-genie-server


I've been with DIRECTV for 20 years; I just upgraded my Genie HR44-500 to a Genie HR-54 and a C61K-700 4K Genie Mini, and also 4K service (had to also change out an LNB). I also have the DIRECTV basic Protection Plan, i.e., upgrade every 2 years for free, also, free replacement of any failed equip. We also use an HR24-500 DVR in the bedroom (with the Whole Home Server gear). Got all the new equip, 4K, for free, i.e., for a 1 year commitment (service tech visit was also free). Also, had my monthly bill reduced by a large amount- they streamlined all my legacy programming accumulated thru the past 20 years, into a current package that includes more premium stuff then I previously had, plus the 4K.....

The 4K viewing is nice, but very limited (really got it to future proof my setup); most of my 4K viewing is Netflix, Prime streaming, YOUTUBE, plus UHD Bluray discs.......the recent NBA games have been neat in 4K on channel 106


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## Michael Stewart

Anyone know if there is any benefit to connected it to my wired internet (instead of the wireless connection) or would just connecting the main 4k box to the wired internet be fine?


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## Furyus

jmacari said:


> I've been with DIRECTV for 20 years; I just upgraded my Genie HR44-500 to a Genie HR-54 and a C61K-700 4K Genie Mini, and also 4K service (had to also change out an LNB). I also have the DIRECTV basic Protection Plan, i.e., upgrade every 2 years for free, also, free replacement of any failed equip. We also use an HR24-500 DVR in the bedroom (with the Whole Home Server gear). Got all the new equip, 4K, for free, i.e., for a 1 year commitment (service tech visit was also free). Also, had my monthly bill reduced by a large amount- they streamlined all my legacy programming accumulated thru the past 20 years, into a current package that includes more premium stuff then I previously had, plus the 4K.....
> 
> 
> 
> The 4K viewing is nice, but very limited (really got it to future proof my setup); most of my 4K viewing is Netflix, Prime streaming, YOUTUBE, plus UHD Bluray discs.......the recent NBA games have been neat in 4K on channel 106




I have the Protection Plan as well and was thinking about doing the same upgrade. Is the commitment only one year vs two?

My wireless clients are very laggy. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## jmacari

Furyus said:


> I have the Protection Plan as well and was thinking about doing the same upgrade. Is the commitment only one year vs two?
> 
> My wireless clients are very laggy.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


My commitment was for only one year....

I have all my home theatre stuff hard wired with Cat 5; my C61K-700 4K Genie Mini is laggy on start up, but after a short period (seconds), its fine.


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## Dunebuster

I just changed to Direct TV a few days ago, and have it hooked up to a LG 70UH6350 4K LCD, so we ordered the 4k Hardware for that set. Got the double client boxes but only using the 4K Client box to feed the TV.

I rented the 4K version of _Kingsman: the Golden Circle_ last night and watched it. _Scrumptious!_ was the best description. the high resolution was discernible and the HDR color was stunning. I'm guessing it downloaded to watch, and was not satellite fed. I set it up ahead of time to record.

Almost completely happy, there were 2 stoppages averaging 5 seconds of lost picture but not apparently lost footage of the film. 

I've watched a couple of 4K streaming videos from Netflix and Amazon Prime on this set, but I think the Direct TV feed is better due to being in HDR.


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## SoCalGuy-99

*HS17 Genie 2 with External HD*

Does anyone have any real-world experience on using different Western Digital HDs as external drives? Specifically is there any real pros or cons to using either the WD purple vs the WD Red Pro? Both are 8TB drives, SATA III 6 Gb/s, spinning at 7200rpm with 256MB Cache, 5 year warranties and designed for 24/7 high read/write applications. And both are about the same cost. 

WD Purple states: "Exclusive to the WD Purple series is AllFrame technology. By reducing errors, pixilation and video interruptions, AllFrame attempts to reduce video frame loss. WD Purple also features TLER and support for the ATA streaming command set." - Not sure if that is just Marketing or any real advantage in a DVR application or if the HS17 is even supporting those features. Purple has 10 read/write heads.

WD Red Pro is designed for NAS applications but can be used in any large read/write application and as such has a 600,000 load/unload cycle ratings vs 300,000 for HD Purple. And the Red Pro is designed for annualized workload of 300TB/year vs the WD Purple annualized workload of 180TB/year. Which would be an advantage if 7 tuners are constantly reading/writing to the single drive, especially if 2 of those turners are reading/writing large 4K data content. Also Red Pro has 14 read/write heads and use less power and is quieter than the Purple.

Attached is a older link that compares the drives (fyi some info is outdated like warranty, cache, drive size) but the core technical data is still good:

https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/2796-wd-blue-vs-black-vs-red-in-2017

Again looking for some input from anyone with any hands-on experience vs theoretical feedback or if anyone knows what drive technology/specs comes with the internal HS17 HD.

Understand that external SSD would be better overall but currently the cost vs storage/performance ratio is not there yet so strictly focused on HDDs at this time.

Many Thanks in advance!

Update: Interesting, on the WD Purple moving up to 10TB doubles the Annualized workload rating from 180TB/yr to 360TB/yr - although the Load/Unload cycles remains at 300,000. So the question really comes down to - does anyone know for sure with the HS17 reading/writing 5 HD channels & 2 UHD channels simultaneously does it benefit most from an external HD that is optimized for continuous read/writes (WD Purple) or benefits better from an HD optimized for random read/writes (WD Red Pro) - and this is determined by how the HS17's (7) tuner's data are recorded while operating simultaneously.

Here's some good info on HDs as applied to NAS NVR and dedicated NVR that could be extrapolated to DVRs:

https://www.vueville.com/home-security/cctv/nvr/best-surveillance-hard-drives-for-nas-nvr-and-dedica...


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