Replacement HR44 Receiver Seems Quite OLD. Is this routine?

Yes, 90% of the receivers are refurbished and probably several times, even new customers get refurbished receivers at times.  Surprised that they are still sending out HR44s as they are no longer returnable.

Thanks for your quick reply, Shannon. OK, so refurbished is the norm. But, among those "refurbs", is an original manufactured date as long ago as 2015 also the norm? And, I wonder, are HR44 receivers still being manufactured today?

Shannon, I didn't see your second sentence initially. If it's surprising to you that I was sent an HR44, are you suggesting that I "should have" received something better? If so, which specific receiver(s) would be reasonable to expect to receive? Or, is this a "you will take what you are given, and you will LIKE IT" situation? Thanks again.

DTV orders XXX amount of receivers once made they move on to the next model and don't make any more older models.  DTV doesn't allow you to pick what model you get as a replacement it is the next model in line. The HR54 is the last model made before the HS17 Genie2 came out.

Thank you, Juniper, for your very clear explanation and information. Having browsed the forums before posting this question, I've seen your numerous intelligent and knowledgeable comments, and I was hoping you would respond to my question.

Your comments (and Shannon's) have led me to feel, while not euphoric, at least better about the replacement I've received and to understand that this is typical procedure. And, since a well-done refurb can result in a unit that is equivalent to nearly new, I suppose I shouldn't be thinking of the "new" HR44 as being almost 9 years old. Apparently I was fortunate in the reliability of the old HR34 and, not having any other unit to compare it to, it's seemed adequately speedy to me, but your comments suggest that I should see improved speed and performance with the "new" receiver, which will be nice.

Regarding the "upgrade" alternative, there's only one TV in the house and it's not 4K, so there are no other boxes, and it would seem that the "upgrade" would not be a useful option for me. Would you agree? If I was interested, however, would the "upgrade" be to the Genie-2 HS17, which you obviously are not a fan of, which I think is why you put "upgrade" in quotes?

It's truly priceless to be able to receive thoughtful, very well-informed and (seemingly) unbiased information in this forum. Kudos to you, Shannon and the other "ACE Experts" for be so willing to spend considerable time helping others.

There would be a $3.00 Whole Home fee added to the bill if you go to the HS17 Genie2.

More high-quality, thorough info and thoughts, Juniper. Thanks yet again!

May I ask you to elaborate on your comment about "looking into the upcoming price adjustments before deciding"? I did see the notification from DirecTV about the price increases, and it appears my current package bill will be going up ~$10, which (Edited per community guidelines) .... but percentage-wise is less than what 's happening in the grocery stores weekly these days. Were you suggesting that going with the "upgrade" and getting locked into another 24 month contract would allow me to avoid the price increase(s) for 2 years, assuming I acted quickly before the increase goes into effect?

Oops! Being a newbie, I didn't realize that the very mildly profane and now-excised word I tried to use in my prior post to describe the coming price increase violated community guidelines. I'm just a grateful stranger here who's been treated very kindly by the long-time residents, and it certainly wasn't my intention to offend or transgress, so sorry about that.

Thanks for the clarification and heads-up, Juniper. I was mistakenly thinking that any new contract agreement locks in one's current pricing and is immune from price increases for the duration, as is the case for new customers who receive the introductory promo rates. At least I think that's the case, though I certainly could be wrong.

Just to provide closure:  I've decided to accept the HR44, have activated it, and am relatively pleased and satisfied with it. It might be a bit faster than the 34, but can't say it's real noticeable. As would be expected, no evidence so far of any of the failing symptoms the old 34 was showing, and I don't anticipate any appearing for a reasonable time period. Thanks again for the help with my understanding and decision-making. It's been a pleasure.

DTV is no longer offering the 1 yr discount but is offering a 2yr price lock for new customers then you pay the going rate when it ends.