2 dvrs R22's

The R22 can record one show while watching another show as it is a two tuner DVR. 

1. It may work for a while, mileage may vary. I personally have been able to do this will all my DVRs in the past. All you have to do is disconnect the old R22 from the satellite coax before you call to swap the old receiver for the new one. However, DIRECTV MAY want the old R22 access card and/or the whole receiver back. Therefore, you have to binge watch the recordings before the return date.

2. Just tell DIRECTV that you would like to ‘swap’ the R22 and that you already have the new receiver. They will likely ask for the old R22 access card or Receiver ID to properly identify the receiver to swap. Once verified, they will ask for the new R22 access card, receiver ID, and serial number. While they are activating the new R22 and deactivating the old R22, be sure the new one is PLUGGED in and working on channel 100 while the old one is DISCONNECTED from the satellite feed.

3. Yes, mileage may vary on how long the recordings will be accessible. However, As long as you disconnect the coax before deactivating it, the recordings should stay watchable for an N/A amount of time.

4. To do this, just have both remotes in RF mode so that each receiver is assigned a remote. Just go to Menu, Settings & Help, Settings, Remote, then IR & RF Setup. Choose RF and follow the onscreen instructions to get the remote in RF. However, before starting the procedure, make sure you have an RC66RX remote or a compatible RF remote. If you are unsure, just post your remote model and we can tell you if it is RF compatible.

DTV will not activate an obsolete SD receiver not sure they would activate it in HD mode with another HD receiver on the account. 

@shannon02, so even though I'm currently using the same dvr and have a brand new one, you don't think dtv will activate it?  Why wouldn't they if requested?  Was told by a tech you can still request the r22 so I don't see why they wouldn't.

DTV is shutting down the MPEG2 SD channels rendering all SD dishes and receivers obsolete.  So to continue using DTV you have to call DTV for their free HD swap offer.

@mpsmom is the R22 the only activated receiver on your account? If so, it will act as an SD DVR. However, if there is an HD receiver like the H25 or an HD DVR/Genie then the R22 will have it's HD turned on and act like an identical HR22. 

@Shannon, the r22 is both sd and hd.  @detuch254 until just recently, we had the r22, an HD dvr (don't know the model) and a standard receiver.  Last week we upgraded a new tv to a genie.  Apparently the person I was chatting with at dtv flat out lied and said we needed a 4k receiver to play recorded shows on a 4k tv.  No, just need a 4k receiver if we want to watch any of the THREE 4k channels that dtv has in 4k.  Not only that, I clearly stated I only needed that tv to work (the one in the guest room was fine and I didn't want to lose my hrs of recordings).  She put in an order for a genie and 2 minis (which requires a tech to come out, which costs).

R22 is a special hybrid model. It is listed as an SDDVR, but is MPEG-4 (SD an HD capable).

Requires a dedicated HD or HDDVR (H or HR) model on the account for full functionality to be activated.

DirecTV stopped activating receivers that were D or R models with SD-only service grandfathered. They haven't provided those models in years. Any stock out there with 3rd party retailers or techs may not be activated as so outdated.

You would only need the upgrade to a 4K Client if you wanted to access the limited 4K programming on that 4K TV. Otherwise, you connect any existing box to it as normal.

If all you have left is an R22, then DirecTV may need to do a complimentary MPEG swap to an HR model. The R22 unfortunately is set in the system to be an SDDVR otherwise.

Even DirecTV legacy agents didn't fully understand the R22 as it was the odd one out. 

An upgrade to your first Genie should have been free, if you haven't had a recent upgrade.

The R22 while still active, will work with the Genie. So do not replace it with a Mini Genie Client. Callback and modify the order or cancel it completely, so you don't have to argue with the tech.

@juniper I cancelled the order for the minis with the tech that came out.  We currently have a genie, sd receiver and my r22.

Glad to hear you didn't replace that R22. Too many don't realize the full capability of that box.

However, you say "sd receiver". The only SD receiver that can even be on the same cabling as the Genie, though cannot work with it, would be the last one made (D12). Though older models have been known to remain on the account as they are on a separate dish, such as detached garage, RV, etc.

If that SD receiver is a D model, prepare to have it replaced soon. Those are MPEG-2 only and many other DirecTV customers already cannot use theirs as the shutdown got to them. If that is a D12 on the same cabling, a Mini Genie Client would have been ok. However the more equivalent swap would be an H24 or H25 as those are receivers with their own tuner.

For anyone in a similar situation doing a Genie upgrade, keep the R22, and at least replace the SD non-DVR receiver with a Mini Genie Client. Though I do suggest asking if they could sweeten the pot by providing an HDDVR instead of a Client for free or at least less than the $199 lease cost (as is above the standard free offer). Though it has gotten more difficult obtaining a regular HDDVR these days since they are no longer made (last one was HR24).

@Juniper what I'm calling the SD receiver is in the guest room attached to an old tube tv.  It's just the little box so guests can watch tv, no dvr.  New twist on the r22... I finally got around to connecting the genie to our wifi.  When I pulled up my menu the next time on my r22, there were all the programs from the genie.  I thought maybe, I could see them but not play them, but I can play them too.  That kinda eliminates the issue with my r22 of trying to set up the new one but still watch everything off the old one. I can just set up the genie to record everything and watch it in my room.  That should also extend the life of my r22 if it's no longer using the hard drive.
Btw, I did, at some point, get a HD receiver for a room where we no longer have a tv.  Not sure if I moved that to the guest room or if it's just sitting someplace.  If the receiver in the guestroom is sd, I'm assuming if it doesn't work, we could just reactivate the hd one and swap it out (as long as it has coax out).

So long as the R22 is plugged in the hard drive is running.

@shannon02 you have a point there and that most certainly reduces the life right there. However if the drive isn’t reading or writing then it will have a higher life expectancy. Whereas if it were recording all day, I would expect it to fail in less than a week since the OP said that it is already on its way out.

As the R22 is non-returnable, and meets the MPEG-4 requirements to still work, would it be beneficial for a 3rd party option to put in a fresh hard drive (perhaps more capacity)? Or would it just be better to try and get a regular HDDVR (i.e. HR24) which are getting a bit harder to obtain?