Sure the DirecTV HR21 digital video recorder is pretty and all. And it can record up to 100 hours of MPEG-4 HD video, which is nice. But the HR21 lacks one thing its predecessor the HR20 had: the ability to record over the air HDTV. That's because the HR21 does not include an ATSC tuner.

It looks like DirecTV is remedying that situation by releasing the AM21, an optional box that sits above or below your HR21 and provides not one, but two ATSC tuners for just $59. Considering the fact that you'd be hard pressed to find a good PCI card with 1 ATSC tuner for that price, I'm not really sure how much business sense this move makes. I guess DirecTV was able to keep the costs down on already expensive HR21 by omitting a feature that not every user will need. So even if DirecTV is selling the AM21 at or just below cost, the fact that many users will not buy one could make some sense. But I don't see why they wouldn't charge a few bucks more. Not that I'm complaining, mind you.

[via EngadgetHD]

DirecTV has unveiled that HR21 high definition PVR we told you about the other day. And boy does it look like a doozy. According to Multichannel News the unit's proper name will likely be the HR21 Pro, and it will be a prosumer device costing around $1000.

The HR21 Pro will be a rack mountable unit capable of recording 100 hours of HD programming in MPEG-4. It also packs an optical HDMI port for running long fiber optic cables without signal loss.

But for some reason or other, DirecTV has left out any ATSC tuners, meaning you won't be able to record over the air HDTV signals. DirecTV is rapidly adding HDTV channels to its lineup, so this might not be an issue in the long run. But for now, if you've got $1000 burning a hole in your pocket, you might be better off picking up a Series3 TiVo. Or better yet, get a TiVo HD and donate the rest to a good charity.

The folks over at DBSTalk found this juicy little picture in a flier for the upcoming CEDIA expo. According to the fine print, this could be the next in DirecTV's line of high definition personal video recorders.

The HR21 features 100 hours of HD recording capacity, which is about double what you get with the HR20. The unit is also rack mountable, although we hope the mounts are optional. We'd rather just sit this thing under our TV where any good consumer oriented device belongs.

The flier also says the HR21 will include an "optical HDMI port," which will allow you to transmit digital signals over fiber optic cable. Oh yeah, and this will be the first DirecTV box to support 1080p output. On the downside, there's no over-the-air antenna input for anyone who can't get their local stations in HD from DirecTV.

[via Engadget and technabob]