Voyager
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3 Messages
I need help understanding the Genie
I will admit it, I am old and I feel that technology is zooming by and leaving me in the dust.
We are looking into upgrading our basic Directv receivers to a Genie and Genie Mini. I am trying to clear up some questions and have to say that the customer service rep I spoke to on the phone must have just started his job today, I am not confident that the info I received is correct.
We are currently watching live TV through our Direct basic receivers, one in the living room, the other in the bedroom. We do some streaming using either our Vizio Smart TV or Roku.
- Am I correct in thinking that connecting a Genie will not interfere with using our Roku or Smart Tv? All we would need to do is as we do now, select our Input to either Satellite or Roku?
- Can we watch separate shows on the Genie and Genie Mini from different rooms? Are there any recording conflicts or viewing limitations I need to be aware of?
Right now, that is all I can think of. Thanks in advance for any answers or comments on anything I may have missed.
Accepted Solution
Official Solution
Juniper
ACE - Expert
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23K Messages
4 years ago
Major cabling update and new receiving dish needed. So install is required.
All Genie setups exclusively use the new SWM (single wire multiswitch). The D11 exclusively used the older setup. Even if you had a newer setup, the Genie itself is not self-install because of increase in tuners and how it networks with the other boxes.
Later upgrading the Mini Genie Client to an HDDVR 'might' be self-install. The Genie requires at minimum of SWM-8. Getting an HDDVR would increase from 5 to 7 tuners, so within that limit. So could be just a simple box swap and running initial setup.
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21.1K Messages
4 years ago
Yes
Yes the Genie has 5 tuners(the HS17 Genie2 has 7) so there should be little if any programing conflicts but since the mini and Genie uses a tuner when watching live TV it will reduce the number of programs being recorded at the same time to 3/5.
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nostink
Voyager
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3 Messages
4 years ago
I do have another question. Do I need a 4K TV to use Genie?
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nostink
Voyager
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3 Messages
4 years ago
Thank you for your response, shannon02.
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21.1K Messages
4 years ago
No, 4K TVs are not needed.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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23K Messages
4 years ago
What are the models of each box you have now? Might want to avoid the Mini Genie Client if existing boxes work with the Genie.
Genie connects the same way as other boxes.
It is DirecTV's Advanced Whole Home HDDVR.
Has 5 tuners and 1TB recording space.
Has Picture in Picture (PiP) feature.
Clients have no tuners of their own so each would take 1 from the Genie.
Naturally can still watch different channels on each TV.
If Genie goes down, then Clients go with it as cannot work by themselves.
All boxes can work on non-4K TVs. There is only a single 4K box, a Mini Genie Client (C61K) which is only supposed to be provided if you have a 4K order, but can still work on non-4K TVs (so if the 4K TV goes out and you get a different one it its place you don't have to replace the DirecTV box).
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nabukl
ACE - Professor
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2.3K Messages
4 years ago
Yes you'll still be able to stream just like you do now, by changing inputs accordingly. The genie and mini will allow independent watching, for recording the mini records to the genie and recordings are viewable on both
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nostink
Voyager
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3 Messages
4 years ago
Juniper, Thanks for responding!
We currently have a D11 and a D12 DVR. Are they compatible with Genie or will I need a Genie Mini Client?
May I also ask why you said that I might want to avoid the Genie Mini?
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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23K Messages
4 years ago
Genie is a 5 tuner HDDVR receiver. A Mini Genie is a Client, not a receiver, so has no tuners of its own. This means it has to steal a tuner from the Genie to work. If you had a regular HDDVR, or the special R22 (HDDVR in hiding), then the Mini Genie would be a downgrade.
However that is a moot point as you have a D11 and a D12. They are not a DVR as you posted, as DVRs have an R in the model number. The D12 is the last MPEG-2/SD-only non-DVR made.
Since DirecTV is doing a complete shutdown of their MPEG-2 feeds, both of those boxes are obsolete as cannot work once that finishes. Based on your equipment and yourself ready to move forward, then upgrade is simple.
You should have a free upgrade. Would be Genie and Mini Genie client. You would go from having 1 tuner on each TV to having 5 between them. Can record and watch from either room (1TB hard drive). This comes with a 24 month agreement. Though equipment is expected free, you would be adding new services of HD $10, DVR $10, and Whole Home DVR $3. So your bill would go up by $23 a month.
From what you have now, the Genie and Mini should be plenty. If you have concerns about how many programs might be recording at the same time, you have the option of getting an HDDVR instead of a Mini. That has 2 tuners and 500GB recording space of its own, and not dependent of the Genie to work. If done with your Genie upgrade, or later before your next free one, the one-time lease cost of an HDDVR is $199. No difference in monthly cost from a Mini as they use the same receiver services.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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23K Messages
4 years ago
One note just in case it matters. Only non-DVR receivers have Autotune as the recording option replaces that feature.
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nostink
Voyager
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3 Messages
4 years ago
Juniper,
That was a great explanation, thank you! I think I got it now.
Two last questions.
Is Installation a matter of disconnecting the old receivers and then connecting the Genie and Mini. We are pretty comfortable with hooking up electronics so I am hoping that we do the installation ourselves and not have to wait for an installer to come out.
I just realized that we have not upgraded to a HD dish, is that a requirement to operate the Genie and Mini? Or does it mean that we can still use the Genie DVR but will just record or view in SD?
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21.1K Messages
4 years ago
The dish is obsolete also and the Genie will not work with it and no DTV has to install the receivers.
(edited)
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nostink
Voyager
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3 Messages
4 years ago
Juniper, well, darn, that kind of changes things, but thank you for the information.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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23K Messages
4 years ago
You're welcome. Sorry if I overexplained anything. I tend to give full answers and don't want to leave out what could be important info.
Just be aware that your setup is so outdated it soon will not be usable at all. SD-only equipment is obsolete (non-HD TV's haven't been made in over a decade). Per some execution challenges and reduction in workforce from Covid, the MPEG-2 shutdown has not completed as soon as was expected. So you got a bit more breathing room until you must update or be without service, but unknown how much longer.
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